a history of science-1-第15部分

快捷操作: 按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页 按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页 按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部! 如果本书没有阅读完，想下次继续接着阅读，可使用上方 "收藏到我的浏览器" 功能 和 "加入书签" 功能！

ometimes　by　their　Setting；　and　at　other　times　by　their　Colour；　as　may　be　experienc'd　by　those　that　will　diligently　observe　it；　sometimes　foreshewing　Hurricanes；　at　other　times　Tempestuous　Rains；　and　then　again　exceeding　Droughts。　By　these；　they　say；　are　often　portended　the　appearance　of　Comets；　Eclipses　of　the　Sun　and　Moon；　Earthquakes　and　all　other　the　various　Changes　and　remarkable　effects　in　the　Air；　boding　good　and　bad；　not　only　to　Nations　in　general；　but　to　Kings　and　Private　Persons　in　particular。　Under　the　course　of　these　Planets；　they　say　are　Thirty　Stars；　which　they　call　Counselling　Gods；　half　of　whom　observe　what　is　done　under　the　Earth；　and　the　other　half　take　notice　of　the　actions　of　Men　upon　the　Earth；　and　what　is　transacted　in　the　Heavens。　Once　every　Ten　Days　space　（they　say）　one　of　the　highest　Order　of　these　Stars　descends　to　them　that　are　of　the　lowest；　like　a　Messenger　sent　from　them　above；　and　then　again　another　ascends　from　those　below　to　them　above；　and　that　this　is　their　constant　natural　motion　to　continue　for　ever。　The　chief　of　these　Gods；　they　say；　are　Twelve　in　number；　to　each　of　which　they　attribute　a　Month；　and　one　Sign　of　the　Twelve　in　the　Zodiack。　〃Through　these　Twelve　Signs　the　Sun；　Moon；　and　the　other　Five　Planets　run　their　Course。　The　Sun　in　a　Years　time；　and　the　Moon　in　the　space　of　a　Month。　To　every　one　of　the　Planets　they　assign　their　own　proper　Courses；　which　are　perform'd　variously　in　lesser　or　shorter　time　according　as　their　several　motions　are　quicker　or　slower。　These　Stars；　they　say；　have　a　great　influence　both　as　to　good　and　bad　in　Mens　Nativities；　and　from　the　consideration　of　their　several　Natures；　may　be　foreknown　what　will　befal　Men　afterwards。　As　they　foretold　things　to　come　to　other　Kings　formerly；　so　they　did　to　Alexander　who　conquer'd　Darius；　and　to　his　Successors　Antigonus　and　Seleucus　Nicator；　and　accordingly　things　fell　out　as　they　declar'd；　which　we　shall　relate　particularly　hereafter　in　a　more　convenient　time。　They　tell　likewise　private　Men　their　Fortunes　so　certainly；　that　those　who　have　found　the　thing　true　by　Experience；　have　esteem'd　it　a　Miracle；　and　above　the　reach　of　man　to　perform。　Out　of　the　Circle　of　the　Zodiack　they　describe　Four　and　Twenty　Stars；　Twelve　towards　the　North　Pole；　and　as　many　to　the　South。　〃Those　which　we　see；　they　assign　to　the　living；　and　the　other　that　do　not　appear；　they　conceive　are　Constellations　for　the　Dead；　and　they　term　them　Judges　of　all　things。　The　Moon；　they　say；　is　in　the　lowest　Orb；　and　being　therefore　next　to　the　Earth　（because　she　is　so　small）；　she　finishes　her　Course　in　a　little　time；　not　through　the　swiftness　of　her　Motion；　but　the　shortness　of　her　Sphear。　In　that　which　they　affirm　（that　she　has　but　a　borrow'd　light；　and　that　when　she　is　eclips'd；　it's　caus'd　by　the　interposition　of　the　shadow　of　the　Earth）　they　agree　with　the　Grecians。　〃Their　Rules　and　Notions　concerning　the　Eclipses　of　the　Sun　are　but　weak　and　mean；　which　they　dare　not　positively　foretel；　nor　fix　a　certain　time　for　them。　They　have　likewise　Opinions　concerning　the　Earth　peculiar　to　themselves；　affirming　it　to　resemble　a　Boat；　and　to　be　hollow；　to　prove　which；　and　other　things　relating　to　the　frame　of　the　World；　they　abound　in　Arguments；　but　to　give　a　particular　Account　of　'em；　we　conceive　would　be　a　thing　foreign　to　our　History。　But　this　any　Man　may　justly　and　truly　say；　That　the　Chaldeans　far　exceed　all　other　Men　in　the　Knowledge　of　Astrology；　and　have　study'd　it　most　of　any　other　Art　or　Science：　But　the　number　of　years　during　which　the　Chaldeans　say；　those　of　their　Profession　have　given　themselves　to　the　study　of　this　natural　Philosophy；　is　incredible；　for　when　Alexander　was　in　Asia；　they　reckon'd　up　Four　Hundred　and　Seventy　Thousand　Years　since　they　first　began　to　observe　the　Motions　of　the　Stars。〃

Let　us　now　supplement　this　estimate　of　Babylonian　influence　with　another　estimate　written　in　our　own　day；　and　quoted　by　one　of　the　most　recent　historians　of　Babylonia　and　Assyria。＇24＇　The　estimate　in　question　is　that　of　Canon　Rawlinson　in　his　Great　Oriental　Monarchies。＇25＇　Of　Babylonia　he　says：　〃Hers　was　apparently　the　genius　which　excogitated　an　alphabet；　worked　out　the　simpler　problems　of　arithmetic；　invented　implements　for　measuring　the　lapse　of　time；　conceived　the　idea　of　raising　enormous　structures　with　the　poorest　of　all　materials；　clay；　discovered　the　art　of　polishing；　boring；　and　engraving　gems；　reproduced　with　truthfulness　the　outlines　of　human　and　animal　forms；　attained　to　high　perfection　in　textile　fabrics；　studied　with　success　the　motions　of　the　heavenly　bodies；　conceived　of　grammar　as　a　science；　elaborated　a　system　of　law；　saw　the　value　of　an　exact　chronologyin　almost　every　branch　of　science　made　a　beginning；　thus　rendering　it　comparatively　easy　for　other　nations　to　proceed　with　the　superstructure。。。。　It　was　from　the　East；　not　from　Egypt；　that　Greece　derived　her　architecture；　her　sculpture；　her　science；　her　philosophy；　her　mathematical　knowledgein　a　word；　her　intellectual　life。　And　Babylon　was　the　source　to　which　the　entire　stream　of　Eastern　civilization　may　be　traced。　It　is　scarcely　too　much　to　say　that；　but　for　Babylon；　real　civilization　might　not　yet　have　dawned　upon　the　earth。〃

Considering　that　a　period　of　almost　two　thousand　years　separates　the　times　of　writing　of　these　two　estimates；　the　estimates　themselves　are　singularly　in　unison。　They　show　that　the　greatest　of　Oriental　nations　has　not　suffered　in　reputation　at　the　hands　of　posterity。　It　is　indeed　almost　impossible　to　contemplate　the　monuments　of　Babylonian　and　Assyrian　civilization　that　are　now　preserved　in　the　European　and　American　museums　without　becoming　enthusiastic。　That　certainly　was　a　wonderful　civilization　which　has　left　us　the　tablets　on　which　are　inscribed　the　laws　of　a　Khamurabi　on　the　one　hand；　and　the　art　treasures　of　the　palace　of　an　Asshurbanipal　on　the　other。　Yet　a　candid　consideration　of　the　scientific　attainments　of　the　Babylonians　and　Assyrians　can　scarcely　arouse　us　to　a　like　enthusiasm。　In　considering　the　subject　we　have　seen　that；　so　far　as　pure　science　is　concerned；　the　efforts　of　the　Babylonians　and　Assyrians　chiefly　centred　about　the　subjects　of　astrology　and　magic。　With　the　records　of　their　ghost…haunted　science　fresh　in　mind；　one　might　be　forgiven　for　a　momentary　desire　to　take　issue　with　Canon　Rawlinson's　words。　We　are　assured　that　the　scientific　attainments　of　Europe　are　almost　solely　to　be　credited　to　Babylonia　and　not　to　Egypt；　but　we　should　not　forget　that　Plato；　the　greatest　of　the　Greek　thinkers；　went　to　Egypt　and　not　to　Babylonia　to　pursue　his　studies　when　he　wished　to　penetrate　the　secrets　of　Oriental　science　and　philosophy。　Clearly；　then；　classical　Greece　did　not　consider　Babylonia　as　having　a　monopoly　of　scientific　knowledge；　and　we　of　to…day；　when　we　attempt　to　weigh　the　new　evidence　that　has　come　to　us　in　recent　generations　with　the　Babylonian　records　themselves；　find　that　some；　at　least；　of　the　heritages　for　which　Babylonia　has　been　praised　are　of　more　than　doubtful　value。　Babylonia；　for　example；　gave　us　our　seven…day　week　and　our　system　of　computing　by　twelves。　But　surely　the　world　could　have　got　on　as　well　without　that　magic　number　seven；　and　after　some　hundreds　of　generations　we　are　coming　to　feel　that　the　decimal　system　of　the　Egyptians　has　advantages　over　the　duodecimal　system　of　the　Babylonians。　Again；　the　Babylonians　did　not　invent　the　alphabet；　they　did　not　even　accept　it　when　all　the　rest　of　the　world　had　recognized　its　value。　In　grammar　and　arithmetic；　as　with　astronomy；　they　seemed　not　to　have　advanced　greatly；　if　at　all；　upon　the　Egyptians。　One　field　in　which　they　stand　out　in　startling　pre…　eminence　is　the　field　of　astrology；　but　this；　in　the　estimate　of　modern　thought；　is　the　very　negation　of　science。　Babylonia　impressed　her　superstitions　on　the　Western　world；　and　when　we　consider　the　baleful　influence　of　these　superstitions；　we　may　almost　question　whether　we　might　not　reverse　Canon　Rawlinson's　estimate　and　say　that　perhaps　but　for　Babylonia　real　civilization；　based　on　the　application　of　true　science；　might　have　dawned　upon　the　earth　a　score　of　centuries　before　it　did。　Yet；　after　all；　perhaps　this　estimate　is　unjust。　Society；　like　an　individual　organism；　must　creep　before　it　can　walk；　and　perhaps　the　Babylonian　experiments　in　astrology　and　magic；　which　European　civilization　was　destined　to　copy　for　some　three　or　four　thousand　years；　must　have　been　made　a　part　of　the　necessary　evolution　of　our　race　in　one　place　or　in　another。　That　thought；　however；　need　not　blind　us　to　the　essential　fact；　which　the　historian　of　science　must　needs　admit；　that　for　the　Babylonian；　despite　his　boasted　culture；　science　spelled　superstition。

IV。　THE　DEVELOPMENT　OF　THE　ALPHABET　Before　we　turn　specifically　to　the　new　world　of　the　west；　it　remains　to　take　note　of　what　may　perhaps　be　regarded　as　the　very　greatest　achievement　of　ancient　science。　This　was　the　analysis　of　speech　sounds；　and　the　resulting　development　of　a　system　of　alphabetical　writing。　To　comprehend　the　series　of　scientific　inductions　which　led　to　this　result；　we　must　go　back　in　imagination　and　trace　briefly　the　development　of　the　methods　of　recording　thought　by　means　of　graphic　symbols。　In　other　words；　we　m