The vapors2 which rise from our seas and land, and which form the clouds, meteors, and thunder, were supposed, in the early ages of the world, to be the residence of gods. Homer always makes the gods descend3 in clouds of gold; and hence painters still represent them seated on a cloud. How can any one be seated on water? It was perfectly4 correct to place the master of the gods more at ease than the rest; he had an eagle to carry him, because the eagle soars higher than the other birds.
The ancient Greeks, observing that the lords of cities resided in citadels6 on the tops of mountains, supposed that the gods might also have their citadel5, and placed it in Thessaly, on Mount Olympus, whose summit is sometimes hidden in clouds; so that their palace was on the same floor with their heaven.
Afterwards, the stars and planets, which appear fixed7 to the blue vault8 of our atmosphere, became the abodes9 of gods; seven of them had each a planet, and the rest found a lodging10 where they could. The general council of gods was held in a spacious11 hall which lay beyond the Milky12 Way; for it was but reasonable that the gods should have a hall in the air, as men had town-halls and courts of assembly upon earth.
When the Titans, a species of animal between gods and men, declared their just and necessary war against these same gods in order to recover a part of their patrimony13, by the father’s side, as they were the sons of heaven and earth; they contented14 themselves with piling two or three mountains upon one another, thinking that would be quite enough to make them masters of heaven, and of the castle of Olympus.
Neve foret terris securior arduus ?ther,
Affectasse ferunt regnum celeste gigantes;
Altaque congestos struxisse ad sidera montes.
— Ovid’s Metamorph., i. 151-153.
Nor heaven itself was more secure than earth;
Against the gods the Titans levied15 wars,
And piled up mountains till they reached the stars.
It is, however, more than six hundred leagues from these stars to Mount Olympus, and from some stars infinitely16 farther.
Virgil (Eclogue v, 57) does not hesitate to say: “Sub pedibusque videt nubes et sidera Daphnis.”
Daphnis, the guest of heaven, with wondering eyes,
Views in the Milky Way, the Starry17 skies,
And far beneath him, from the shining sphere
Beholds18 the morning clouds, and rolling year.
— Dryden.
But where then could Daphnis possibly place himself?
At the opera, and in more serious productions, the gods are introduced descending19 in the midst of tempests, clouds, and thunder; that is, God is brought forward in the midst of the vapors of our petty globe. These notions are so suitable to our weak minds, that they appear to us grand and sublime20.
This philosophy of children and old women was of prodigious21 antiquity22; it is believed, however, that the Chald?ans entertained nearly as correct ideas as ourselves on the subject of what is called heaven. They placed the sun in the midst of our planetary system, nearly at the same distance from our globe as our calculation computes23 it; and they supposed the earth and some planets to revolve24 round that star; this we learn from Aristarchus of Samos. It is nearly the system of the world since established by Copernicus: but the philosophers kept the secret to themselves, in order to obtain greater respect both from kings and people, or rather perhaps, to avoid the danger of persecution25.
The language of error is so familiar to mankind that we still apply the name of heaven to our vapors, and the space between the earth and moon. We use the expression of ascending27 to heaven, just as we say the sun turns round, although we well know that it does not. We are, probably, the heaven of the inhabitants of the moon; and every planet places its heaven in that planet nearest to itself.
Had Homer been asked, to what heaven the soul of Sarpedon had fled, or where that of Hercules resided, Homer would have been a good deal embarrassed, and would have answered by some harmonious28 verses.
What assurance could there be, that the ethereal soul of Hercules would be more at its ease in the planet Venus or in Saturn29, than upon our own globe? Could its mansion30 be in the sun? In that flaming and consuming furnace, it would appear difficult for it to endure its station. In short, what was it that the ancients meant by heaven? They knew nothing about it; they were always exclaiming, “Heaven and earth,” thus placing completely different things in most absurd connection. It would be just as judicious31 to exclaim, and connect in the same manner, infinity32 and an atom. Properly speaking, there is no heaven. There are a prodigious number of globes revolving33 in the immensity of space, and our globe revolves34 like the rest.
The ancients thought that to go to heaven was to ascend26; but there is no ascent35 from one globe to another. The heavenly bodies are sometimes above our horizon, and sometimes below it. Thus, let us suppose that Venus, after visiting Paphos, should return to her own planet, when that planet had set; the goddess would not in that case ascend, in reference to our horizon; she would descend, and the proper expression would be then, descended36 to heaven. But the ancients did not discriminate37 with such nicety; on every subject of natural philosophy, their notions were vague, uncertain and contradictory38. Volumes have been composed in order to ascertain39 and point out what they thought upon many questions of this description. Six words would have been sufficient —“they did not think at all.” We must always except a small number of sages40; but they appeared at too late a period, and but rarely disclosed their thoughts; and when they did so, the charlatans41 in power took care to send them to heaven by the shortest way.
A writer, if I am not mistaken, of the name of Pluche, has been recently exhibiting Moses as a great natural philosopher; another had previously42 harmonized Moses with Descartes, and published a book, which he called, “Cartesius Mosaisans”; according to him, Moses was the real inventor of “Vortices,” and the subtile matter; but we full well know, that when God made Moses a great legislator and prophet, it was no part of His scheme to make him also a professor of physics. Moses instructed the Jews in their duty, and did not teach them a single word of philosophy. Calmet, who compiled a great deal, but never reasoned at all, talks of the system of the Hebrews; but that stupid people never had any system. They had not even a school of geometry; the very name was utterly43 unknown to them. The whole of their science was comprised in money-changing and usury44.
We find in their books ideas on the structure of heaven, confused, incoherent, and in every respect worthy45 of a people immersed in barbarism. Their first heaven was the air, the second the firmament46 in which the stars were fixed. This firmament was solid and made of glass, and supported the superior waters which issued from the vast reservoirs by flood-gates, sluices47, and cataracts48, at the time of the deluge49.
Above the firmament or these superior waters was the third heaven, or the empyream, to which St. Paul was caught up. The firmament was a sort of demi-vault which came close down to the earth.
It is clear that, according to this opinion, there could be no antipodes. Accordingly, St. Augustine treats the idea of antipodes as an absurdity50; and Lactantius, whom we have already quoted, expressly says “can there possibly be any persons so simple as to believe that there are men whose heads are lower than their feet?” etc.
St. Chrysostom exclaims, in his fourteenth homily, “Where are they who pretend that the heavens are movable, and that their form is circular?”
Lactantius, once more, says, in the third book of his “Institutions,” “I could prove to you by many arguments that it is impossible heaven should surround the earth.”
The author of the “Spectacle of Nature” may repeat to M. le Chevalier as often as he pleases, that Lactantius and St. Chrysostom are great philosophers. He will be told in reply that they were great saints; and that to be a great saint, it is not at all necessary to be a great astronomer51. It will be believed that they are in heaven, although it will be admitted to be impossible to say precisely52 in what part of it.
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1
applied
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| adj.应用的；v.应用，适用 | |
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vapors
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| n.水汽，水蒸气，无实质之物( vapor的名词复数 )；自夸者；幻想 [药]吸入剂 [古]忧郁（症）v.自夸，（使）蒸发( vapor的第三人称单数 ) | |
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3
descend
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| vt./vi.传下来，下来，下降 | |
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4
perfectly
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| adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地 | |
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5
citadel
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| n.城堡；堡垒；避难所 | |
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citadels
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| n.城堡，堡垒( citadel的名词复数 ) | |
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7
fixed
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| adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的 | |
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vault
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| n.拱形圆顶，地窖，地下室 | |
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abodes
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| 住所( abode的名词复数 )； 公寓； （在某地的）暂住； 逗留 | |
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10
lodging
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| n.寄宿，住所；(大学生的)校外宿舍 | |
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11
spacious
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| adj.广阔的，宽敞的 | |
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12
milky
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| adj.牛奶的，多奶的；乳白色的 | |
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13
patrimony
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| n.世袭财产，继承物 | |
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14
contented
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| adj.满意的，安心的，知足的 | |
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15
levied
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| 征（兵）( levy的过去式和过去分词 )； 索取； 发动（战争）； 征税 | |
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16
infinitely
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| adv.无限地，无穷地 | |
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starry
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| adj.星光照耀的, 闪亮的 | |
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18
beholds
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| v.看，注视( behold的第三人称单数 )；瞧；看呀；（叙述中用于引出某人意外的出现）哎哟 | |
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19
descending
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| n. 下行 adj. 下降的 | |
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20
sublime
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| adj.崇高的，伟大的；极度的，不顾后果的 | |
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21
prodigious
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| adj.惊人的，奇妙的；异常的；巨大的；庞大的 | |
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22
antiquity
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| n.古老；高龄；古物，古迹 | |
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23
computes
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| v.计算，估算( compute的第三人称单数 ) | |
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24
revolve
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| vi.(使)旋转；循环出现 | |
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25
persecution
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| n. 迫害,烦扰 | |
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26
ascend
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| vi.渐渐上升，升高；vt.攀登，登上 | |
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27
ascending
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| adj.上升的，向上的 | |
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28
harmonious
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| adj.和睦的，调和的，和谐的，协调的 | |
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29
Saturn
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| n.农神，土星 | |
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30
mansion
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| n.大厦，大楼；宅第 | |
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31
judicious
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| adj.明智的，明断的，能作出明智决定的 | |
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32
infinity
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| n.无限，无穷，大量 | |
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33
revolving
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| adj.旋转的，轮转式的；循环的v.（使）旋转( revolve的现在分词 )；细想 | |
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34
revolves
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| v.（使）旋转( revolve的第三人称单数 )；细想 | |
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35
ascent
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| n.(声望或地位)提高；上升，升高；登高 | |
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36
descended
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| a.为...后裔的，出身于...的 | |
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37
discriminate
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| v.区别，辨别，区分；有区别地对待 | |
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38
contradictory
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| adj.反驳的，反对的，抗辩的；n.正反对，矛盾对立 | |
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39
ascertain
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| vt.发现，确定，查明，弄清 | |
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40
sages
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| n.圣人( sage的名词复数 )；智者；哲人；鼠尾草（可用作调料） | |
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41
charlatans
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| n.冒充内行者，骗子( charlatan的名词复数 ) | |
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42
previously
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| adv.以前，先前（地） | |
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43
utterly
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| adv.完全地，绝对地 | |
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44
usury
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| n.高利贷 | |
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45
worthy
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| adj.(of)值得的，配得上的；有价值的 | |
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46
firmament
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| n.苍穹；最高层 | |
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47
sluices
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| n.水闸( sluice的名词复数 )；（用水闸控制的）水；有闸人工水道；漂洗处v.冲洗( sluice的第三人称单数 )；（指水）喷涌而出；漂净；给…安装水闸 | |
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48
cataracts
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| n.大瀑布( cataract的名词复数 )；白内障 | |
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49
deluge
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| n./vt.洪水，暴雨，使泛滥 | |
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50
absurdity
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| n.荒谬，愚蠢；谬论 | |
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51
astronomer
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| n.天文学家 | |
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52
precisely
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| adv.恰好，正好，精确地，细致地 | |
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