on liberty- 第7部分

prototype　of　all　subsequent　teachers　of　virtue；　the　source　equally



of　the　lofty　inspiration　of　Plato　and　the　judicious　utilitarianism



of　Aristotle；　〃i　mastri　di　color　che　sanno；〃　the　two　headsprings　of



ethical　as　of　all　other　philosophy。　This　acknowledged　master　of　all



the　eminent　thinkers　who　have　since　lived…　whose　fame；　still　growing



after　more　than　two　thousand　years；　all　but　outweighs　the　whole



remainder　of　the　names　which　make　his　native　city　illustrious…　was



put　to　death　by　his　countrymen；　after　a　judicial　conviction；　for



impiety　and　immorality。　Impiety；　in　denying　the　gods　recognised　by　the



State；　indeed　his　accuser　asserted　（see　the　Apologia）　that　he　believed



in　no　gods　at　all。　Immorality；　in　being；　by　his　doctrines　and



instructions；　a　〃corruptor　of　youth。〃　Of　these　charges　the　tribunal；



there　is　every　ground　for　believing；　honestly　found　him　guilty；　and



condemned　the　man　who　probably　of　all　then　born　had　deserved　best　of



mankind　to　be　put　to　death　as　a　criminal。



　　To　pass　from　this　to　the　only　other　instance　of　judicial　iniquity；



the　mention　of　which；　after　the　condemnation　of　Socrates；　would　not　be



an　anti…climax：　the　event　which　took　place　on　Calvary　rather　more　than



eighteen　hundred　years　ago。　The　man　who　left　on　the　memory　of　those



who　witnessed　his　life　and　conversation　such　an　impression　of　his



moral　grandeur　that　eighteen　subsequent　centuries　have　done　homage



to　him　as　the　Almighty　in　person；　was　ignominiously　put　to　death；　as



what？　As　a　blasphemer。　Men　did　not　merely　mistake　their　benefactor；



they　mistook　him　for　the　exact　contrary　of　what　he　was；　and　treated



him　as　that　prodigy　of　impiety　which　they　themselves　are　now　held　to



be　for　their　treatment　of　him。　The　feelings　with　which　mankind　now



regard　these　lamentable　transactions；　especially　the　later　of　the　two；



render　them　extremely　unjust　in　their　judgment　of　the　unhappy



actors。　These　were；　to　all　appearance；　not　bad　men…　not　worse　than



men　commonly　are；　but　rather　the　contrary；　men　who　possessed　in　a



full；　or　somewhat　more　than　a　full　measure；　the　religious；　moral；



and　patriotic　feelings　of　their　time　and　people：　the　very　kind　of



men　who；　in　all　times；　our　own　included；　have　every　chance　of



passing　through　life　blameless　and　respected。　The　high…priest　who　rent



his　garments　when　the　words　were　pronounced；　which；　according　to　all



the　ideas　of　his　country；　constituted　the　blackest　guilt；　was　in　all



probability　quite　as　sincere　in　his　horror　and　indignation　as　the



generality　of　respectable　and　pious　men　now　are　in　the　religious　and



moral　sentiments　they　profess；　and　most　of　those　who　now　shudder　at



his　conduct；　if　they　had　lived　in　his　time；　and　been　born　Jews；



would　have　acted　precisely　as　he　did。　Orthodox　Christians　who　are



tempted　to　think　that　those　who　stoned　to　death　the　first　martyrs　must



have　been　worse　men　than　they　themselves　are；　ought　to　remember　that



one　of　those　persecutors　was　Saint　Paul。



　　Let　us　add　one　more　example；　the　most　striking　of　all；　if　the



impressiveness　of　an　error　is　measured　by　the　wisdom　and　virtue　of　him



who　falls　into　it。　If　ever　any　one；　possessed　of　power；　had　grounds



for　thinking　himself　the　best　and　most　enlightened　among　his



contemporaries；　it　was　the　Emperor　Marcus　Aurelius。　Absolute　monarch



of　the　whole　civilised　world；　he　preserved　through　life　not　only　the



most　unblemished　justice；　but　what　was　less　to　be　expected　from　his



Stoical　breeding；　the　tenderest　heart。　The　few　failings　which　are



attributed　to　him　were　all　on　the　side　of　indulgence：　while　his



writings；　the　highest　ethical　product　of　the　ancient　mind；　differ



scarcely　perceptibly；　if　they　differ　at　all；　from　the　most



characteristic　teachings　of　Christ。　This　man；　a　better　Christian　in



all　but　the　dogmatic　sense　of　the　word　than　almost　any　of　the



ostensibly　Christian　sovereigns　who　have　since　reigned；　persecuted



Christianity。　Placed　at　the　summit　of　all　the　previous　attainments



of　humanity；　with　an　open；　unfettered　intellect；　and　a　character　which



led　him　of　himself　to　embody　in　his　moral　writings　the　Christian



ideal；　he　yet　failed　to　see　that　Christianity　was　to　be　a　good　and　not



an　evil　to　the　world；　with　his　duties　to　which　he　was　so　deeply



penetrated。　Existing　society　he　knew　to　be　in　a　deplorable　state。



But　such　as　it　was；　he　saw；　or　thought　he　saw；　that　it　was　held



together；　and　prevented　from　being　worse；　by　belief　and　reverence　of



the　received　divinities。　As　a　ruler　of　mankind；　he　deemed　it　his



duty　not　to　suffer　society　to　fall　in　pieces；　and　saw　not　how；　if



its　existing　ties　were　removed；　any　others　could　be　formed　which　could



again　knit　it　together。　The　new　religion　openly　aimed　at　dissolving



these　ties：　unless；　therefore；　it　was　his　duty　to　adopt　that　religion；



it　seemed　to　be　his　duty　to　put　it　down。　Inasmuch　then　as　the　theology



of　Christianity　did　not　appear　to　him　true　or　of　divine　origin；



inasmuch　as　this　strange　history　of　a　crucified　God　was　not　credible



to　him；　and　a　system　which　purported　to　rest　entirely　upon　a



foundation　to　him　so　wholly　unbelievable；　could　not　be　foreseen　by　him



to　be　that　renovating　agency　which；　after　all　abatements；　it　has　in



fact　proved　to　be；　the　gentlest　and　most　amiable　of　philosophers　and



rulers；　under　a　solemn　sense　of　duty；　authorised　the　persecution　of



Christianity。



　　To　my　mind　this　is　one　of　the　most　tragical　facts　in　all　history。　It



is　a　bitter　thought；　how　different　a　thing　the　Christianity　of　the



world　might　have　been；　if　the　Christian　faith　had　been　adopted　as



the　religion　of　the　empire　under　the　auspices　of　Marcus　Aurelius



instead　of　those　of　Constantine。　But　it　would　be　equally　unjust　to　him



and　false　to　truth　to　deny；　that　no　one　plea　which　can　be　urged　for



punishing　anti…Christian　teaching　was　wanting　to　Marcus　Aurelius　for



punishing；　as　he　did；　the　propagation　of　Christianity。　No　Christian



more　firmly　believes　that　Atheism　is　false；　and　tends　to　the



dissolution　of　society；　than　Marcus　Aurelius　believed　the　same



things　of　Christianity；　he　who；　of　all　men　then　living；　might　have



been　thought　the　most　capable　of　appreciating　it。　Unless　any　one　who



approves　of　punishment　for　the　promulgation　of　opinions；　flatters



himself　that　he　is　a　wiser　and　better　man　than　Marcus　Aurelius…　more



deeply　versed　in　the　wisdom　of　his　time；　more　elevated　in　his



intellect　above　it…　more　earnest　in　his　search　for　truth；　or　more



single…minded　in　his　devotion　to　it　when　found；　let　him　abstain　from



that　assumption　of　the　joint　infallibility　of　himself　and　the



multitude；　which　the　great　Antoninus　made　with　so　unfortunate　a



result。



　　Aware　of　the　impossibility　of　defending　the　use　of　punishment　for



restraining　irreligious　opinions　by　any　argument　which　will　not



justify　Marcus　Antoninus；　the　enemies　of　religious　freedom；　when



hard　pressed；　occasionally　accept　this　consequence；　and　say；　with



Dr。　Johnson；　that　the　persecutors　of　Christianity　were　in　the　right；



that　persecution　is　an　ordeal　through　which　truth　ought　to　pass；　and



always　passes　successfully；　legal　penalties　being；　in　the　end；



powerless　against　truth；　though　sometimes　beneficially　effective



against　mischievous　errors。　This　is　a　form　of　the　argument　for



religious　intolerance　sufficiently　remarkable　not　to　be　passed　without



notice。



　　A　theory　which　maintains　that　truth　may　justifiably　be　persecuted



because　persecution　cannot　possibly　do　it　any　harm；　cannot　be



charged　with　being　intentionally　hostile　to　the　reception　of　new



truths；　but　we　cannot　commend　the　generosity　of　its　dealing　with　the



persons　to　whom　mankind　are　indebted　for　them。　To　discover　to　the



world　something　which　deeply　concerns　it；　and　of　which　it　was



previously　ignorant；　to　prove　to　it　that　it　had　been　mistaken　on



some　vital　point　of　temporal　or　spiritual　interest；　is　as　important



a　service　as　a　human　being　can　render　to　his　fellow　creatures；　and



in　certain　cases；　as　in　those　of　the　early　Christians　and　of　the



Reformers；　those　who　think　with　Dr。　Johnson　believe　it　to　have　been



the　most　precious　gift　which　could　be　bestowed　on　mankind。　That　the



authors　of　such　splendid　benefits　should　be　requited　by　martyrdom；



that　their　reward　should　be　to　be　dealt　with　as　the　vilest　of



criminals；　is　not；　upon　this　theory；　a　deplorable　error　and



misfortune；　for　which　humanity　should　mourn　in　sackcloth　and　ashes；



but　the　normal　and　justifiable　state　of　things。　The　propounder　of　a



new　truth；　according　to　this　doctrine；　should　stand　as　stood；　in　the



legislation　of　the　Locrians；　the　proposer　of　a　new　law；　with　a



halter　round　his　neck；　to　be　instantly　tightened　if　the　public



assembly　did　not；　on　hearing　his　reasons；　then　and　there　adopt　his



proposition。　People　who　defend　this　mode　of　treating　benefactors



cannot　be　supposed　to　set　much　value　on　the　benefit；　and　I　believe



this　view　of　the　subject　is　mostly　confined　to　the　sort　of　persons　who



think　that　new　truths　may　have　been　desirable　once；　but　that　we　have



had　enough　of　them　now。



　　But；　indeed；　the　dictum　that　truth　always　triumphs　over



persecution　is　one　of　those　pleasant　falsehoods　which　men　repeat　after



one　another　till　they　pass　into　commonplaces；　but　which　all　experience



refutes。　History　teems　with　instances　of　truth　put　down　by



persecution。　If　not　suppressed　for　ever；　it　may　be　thrown　back　for



centuries。　To　speak　only　of　religious　opinions：　the　Reformation



broke　out　at　least　twenty　times　before　Luther；　and　was　put　down。



Arnold　of　Brescia　was　put　down。　Fra　Dolcino　was　put　down。　Savonarola



was　put　down。　The　Albigeois　were　put　down。　The　Vaudois　were　put



down。　The　Lollards　were　put　down。　The　Hussites　were　put　down。　Even



after　the　era　of　Luther；　wherever　persecution　was　p