第21部分(第3/7 頁)

ry　peculiar　conditions；　and　endowed　by　Nature　with　most　exceptional　characteristics。　The　sporadic　civilization　which　we　are　too　much　in　the　habit　of　regarding　as　if　it　had　been　no　less　stable　than　brilliant；　was　a　succession　of　the　briefest　splendours；　gleaming　here　and　there　from　the　coasts　of　the　Aegean　to　those　of　the　western　Mediterranean。　Our　heritage　of　Greek　literature　and　art　is　priceless；　the　example　of　Greek　life　possesses　for　us　not　the　slightest　value。　The　Greeks　had　nothing　alien　to　study……not　even　a　foreign　or　a　dead　language。　They　read　hardly　at　all；　preferring　to　listen。　They　were　a　slave…holding　people；　much　given　to　social　amusement；　and　hardly　knowing　what　we　call　industry。　Their　ignorance　was　vast；　their　wisdom　a　grace　of　the　gods。　Together　with　their　fair　intelligence；　they　had　grave　moral　weaknesses。　If　we　could　see　and　speak　with　an　average　Athenian　of　the　Periclean　age；　he　would　cause　no　little　disappointment……there　would　be　so　much　more　of　the　barbarian　in　him；　and　at　the　same　time　of　the　decadent；　than　we　had　anticipated。　More　than　possibly；　even　his　physique　would　be　a　disillusion。　Leave　him　in　that　old　world；　which　is　precious　to　the　imagination　of　a　few；　but　to　the　business　and　bosoms　of　the　modern　multitude　irrelevant　as　Memphis　or　Babylon。

The　man　of　thought；　as　we　understand　him；　is　all　but　necessarily　the　man　of　impaired　health。　The　rare　exception　will　be　found　to　e　of　a　stock　which　may；　indeed；　have　been　distinguished　by　intelligence；　but　represented　in　all　its　members　the　active　rather　than　the　studious　or　contemplative　life；　whilst　the　children　of　such　fortunate　thinkers　are　sure　either　to　revert　to　the　active　type　or　to　exhibit　the　familiar　sacrifice　of　body　to　mind。　I　am　not　denying　the　possibility　of　mens　sana　in　corpore　san