Philosophy
is only a
branch of science, and it has opened my eyes in this matter as
in others.
branch of science, and it has opened my eyes in this matter as
in others.
Warner - World's Best Literature - v13 - Her to Hux
Your son makes you
very happy in your old age.
Jeppe-Yes, that is true.
Jesper - Now listen, my dear Monsieur Rasmus: I want to ask
you about something.
Montanus
-
My name is Montanus.
Jesper [aside to Jeppe]-Montanus-is that Latin for Rasmus?
Jeppe-Yes, it must be.
Jesper - Listen, my dear Monsieur Montanus Berg: I have
heard said that learned folks have singular ideas. Is it true that
in Copenhagen they think the earth is round? Here in the coun-
try no one will believe it; for how can it be, since the earth
seems quite flat?
Enter Jesper
-
Montanus - That is because the earth is so big that we do
not notice its roundness.
—
Jesper -Yes, that is true: the earth is big; it is almost half as
big as the world. But listen, monsieur: how many stars would it
take to make a moon?
Montanus- A moon! The moon is to a star about as Pebling
Lake is to the whole of Sjælland.
Jesper Ha, ha, ha, ha! Learned people are never quite right
in their heads. I have even heard people say that the earth runs
and the sun stands still. Monsieur doesn't believe that too?
Montanus
Jesper - Ha, ha, ha! If the earth ran, we should all fall over
and break our necks.
Montanus-Cannot a ship sail with you without breaking your
――
―
neck?
Jesper But you say that the earth goes round; if a ship
turned over, wouldn't the people fall out into the sea?
Montanus-I will explain it more clearly, if you will only be
―――
- No reasonable man any longer doubts it.
patient.
Jesper I don't want to hear about it. I should have to be
crazy to believe such stuff. The earth turns round without our
## p. 7431 (#233) ###########################################
LUDVIG HOLBERG
7431
all falling into the gulf and going to the devil, ha, ha, ha! But,
my dear Monsieur Berg, how does it happen that the moon is
sometimes so little and sometimes so big?
Montanus- If I were to tell you, you wouldn't believe it.
Jesper But just be good enough to tell me.
Montanus- It is because when the moon is grown to full size,
they cut off little pieces to make stars of.
Jesper - That is very curious, I declare. I didn't know that
before. If they didn't cut off the little pieces it might grow too
big, and be as broad as Sjælland. Nature rules things very wisely.
But why doesn't the moon warm us like the sun, since it is quite
as big?
—
Montanus - It is because the moon gives no light, but is
made of the same dark matter as the earth, and gets its light
from the sun.
Jesper Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha! Let us talk about something
else. These things are distracting enough to make a man's head
turn Catholic.
are.
-
Enter Per Degn
Jeppe - Welcome, Per!
Good people come where good people
Here you see my son, who has just come home.
Per-Welcome here, Monsieur Rasmus Berg!
Montanus-In Copenhagen I am usually called Montanus: I
beg that you will address me by that name.
Per - All right, it amounts to about the same thing.
affairs in Copenhagen? Did many graduate this year?
Montanus-As many as usual.
Per-Were there some rejected this year?
Montanus-Two or three conditionaliter.
How are
Per-Who is imprimatur this year?
Montanus-What do you mean?
Per-I mean, who is imprimatur in verses and books that are
printed?
Montanus-Is that supposed to be Latin?
Per-It was good Latin in my time.
Montanus-
was never Latin in the sense you give to it.
Per-Good Latin it is, all the same.
Montanus-Is it a nomen or a verbum?
Per-It is a nomen.
―――
- If it was good Latin then, it must be now; but it
## p. 7432 (#234) ###########################################
LUDVIG HOLBERG
7432
Jesper That's right, Per, stick to it!
Montanus-Cujus declinationis is imprimatur then?
Per-All the words there are, belong to eight classes, which
are nomen, pronomen, verbum, principium, conjugatio, declinatio,
interjectio.
Jesper - Hear, hear; listen to Per, when he talks off-hand.
That is right, press him hard!
Montanus- He doesn't answer what I ask him. What is im-
primatur in genitivo?
Per-Nominativus ala, genitivus ala, dativus alo, vocativus alo,
ablativus ala.
Jesper - There, there, Monsieur Montanus, we have people here
in the country too.
Per-I should say so. In my time the fellows that matricu-
lated were of a different sort from nowadays. They were fellows
that got shaved twice a week, and could scandere all sorts of
verse.
Montanus - That is a great thing to boast of: anybody can
do that now in the second lesson. Fellows now graduate from
the schools of Copenhagen who can make Hebrew and Chaldaic
verses.
Per-Then they can't know much Latin.
Montanus-Latin! If you were to go to school now, they
would put you in the booby class.
Jesper - Don't say that, Montanus. I know that the clerk is a
deeply studied man; I have heard the tax collector and the dis-
trict judge say so.
Montanus-Perhaps they know no more Latin than he does.
Jesper But I can hear that he speaks up stoutly for himself.
Montanus- He doesn't answer the questions I ask him. E qua
schola dismissus es, mi domine?
Per-Adjectivum et substantivum genere, numero, et caseo con-
―
veniunt.
Jesper He gives him full measure, i' faith. Come, Per, we'll
have a glass of brandy together.
Montanus- If Mr. Bailiff knew what these answers meant, he
would split his sides laughing. I ask him from what school he
graduated, and he answers with a lot of rubbish that has nothing
to do with the question.
――――
-
Per-Tunc tua res agitur, paries cum proximus ardet.
Jesper - Well, well, now he wants to go on. Just answer that.
TH
## p. 7433 (#235) ###########################################
LUDVIG HOLBERG
7433
Let us
Montanus-I cannot answer it; it is mere nonsense.
talk Danish together, so that the others can understand, and you
will soon find out what sort of fellow he is.
[Nille weeps. ]
Jesper - What are you weeping for, mother?
Nille-It hurts me so to have my son beaten in Latin.
Jesper - Well, mother, that is no wonder,- Per is so much
older than he is. It is no wonder. Let them talk Danish now,
so we can all understand.
Per-Very well. I am ready for whichever he chooses. We
will ask each other a few questions: for example, who was it
that cried so loud that he was heard all over the world?
Montanus- I know of no one who can cry louder than don-
keys and parish clerks.
Per-Nonsense! can you hear them all over the world? It
was an ass in the ark, because the whole world was in the ark.
Jesper Ha, ha, ha! So it was, ha, ha, ha! Per Degn has
got a cunning head on his shoulders.
Per
Who killed a quarter of mankind?
Montanus-I do not answer such coarse questions.
Per-It was Cain, who killed his brother Abel.
-
Montanus- - Prove that there were not more than four human
beings in the world.
Per-Prove that there were more.
Montanus- I am not forced to; for affirmanti incumbit pro-
batio. Do you understand that?
Omnia conando docilis solertia vincit. Do
―――
Per-Certainly.
you understand that?
Montanus-I am very foolish to stay here in disputation with
a booby. You would dispute, and know neither Latin nor Dan-
ish, still less what logica is. Let us hear, Quid est logica?
Per-Post molestam senectutem, post molestam senectutem nos
habebat humus.
Montanus- - Will the rascal make fun of me?
-
[Grabs him by the hair; they struggle; the clerk escapes, crying "Booby,
booby! " All go out except the bailiff. ]
## p. 7434 (#236) ###########################################
7434
LUDVIG HOLBERG
―
Jeronimus-Your servant, Mr. Bailiff.
came to see my future son-in-law, Rasmus Berg.
Jesper He will be here right away.
Pity you didn't come
half an hour sooner; you might have heard him argue with the
clerk.
―――
Jeronimus- How did it come out?
Jesper Per Degn, deuce take him, is slyer than I thought;
I see that he has forgotten neither his Latin nor his Hebrew.
Jeronimus- I can believe that, for he never knew much of
—
Enter Jeronimus
them.
Jesper - Don't say that, Monsieur Jeronimus. He has got a
deuce of a mouth on him. It is really a pleasure to hear the
man talk Latin.
-
Jeronimus-That is more than I supposed he could do. But
how does my son-in-law look?
So I find you here. I
Jesper He looks dreadfully learned; you would hardly know
him again. He has got another name, too.
Jeronimus Another name! What is his name now?
comes.
――――
-
Jesper ― He calls himself Montanus, which is the same as Ras-
mus in Latin.
Jeronimus-Oh fie! that is abominable. I have known many
who have thus changed their Christian names, and they never
did well in the world. I knew one a few years ago who was
christened Peer, and who when he amounted to something sought
to change his stamp, and had himself called Peiter. But his
Peiter cost him dear, for he broke his leg and died in great
wretchedness. Our Lord does not like such doings, Mr. Bailiff.
___
Jesper - I don't care what sort of a name he takes, but I
don't like to have him believe in such strange opinions.
Jeronimus- What opinions has he got?
Jesper - They are frightful. The hair stands up on my head
when I think of them. I don't remember all that I heard, but I
know that he said for one thing that the earth was round. What
do you think of that, Monsieur Jeronimus? It is nothing less
than upsetting all religion and leading people away from their
faith. A heathen cannot be worse.
Jeronimus- He must have said it in jest.
Jesper It is dreadful to make such jests.
See, there he
## p. 7435 (#237) ###########################################
LUDVIG HOLBERG
7435
Enter Montanus
Montanus-Welcome, dear father-in-law. I am glad to see
you in good health.
Jeronimus-People of my age cannot expect to have remark-
able health.
Montanus-You look thoroughly well.
Jeronimus- Do you think so?
Montanus- How is Mademoiselle Lisbed?
but
a pancake.
Jeronimus-Well enough.
Montanus-Why, what is the matter, that you greet me so
coldly, dear father-in-law?
Jeronimus- I have good cause to.
Montanus - What wrong have I done?
Jeronimus- I have been told that you have peculiar opinions:
people must think you are crazy or Catholic in your head, for
how can a reasonable man hav the rashness to say that the
earth is round?
Montanus-Of course it is round; I must say what is true.
Jeronimus - It is the Devil's own truth; such notions must
come from the father of lies. I am sure there is not one man
in this town who would not condemn such an opinion: ask the
bailiff, who is a reasonable man, if he doesn't agree with me.
Jesper - It is all the same to me whether it is round or long;
must believe my eyes, and they tell me the earth is flat as
Montanus- It is all the same to me what the bailiff or any-
body else in this town thinks about it, for I know the earth is
round.
――
Jeronimus- It isn't round. I believe you are crazy. You have
eyes in your head like other men.
Montanus- It is well known, my dear father-in-law, that there
are people right under us, with feet pointed toward ours.
Jesper Ha, ha, ha, hi, hi, hi, ha, ha, ha!
Jeronimus- You may well laugh, for he has a screw loose in
his head. Just try once to get up under the ceiling, and turn
your head down, and then see what will come of it.
Montanus-That is quite another matter, father-in-law.
Jeronimus-I won't be your father-in-law any more. I think
more of my daughter than to throw her away on you.
## p. 7436 (#238) ###########################################
7436
LUDVIG HOLBERG
Montanus-Your daughter is as dear to me as my own soul,
in truth; but you cannot expect me for her sake to renounce
philosophy and send my intelligence into exile.
—
Jeronimus - Yes, yes, I hear you have got some other woman
in your head. You may keep your Lucy or Sophy: I shall not
force my daughter upon you.
Montanus You misunderstand me.
Philosophy is only a
branch of science, and it has opened my eyes in this matter as
in others.
――――
Jeronimus-It has rather blinded both eyes and understand-
ing. How can you show such a thing as that?
Montanus-It is not necessary to prove it. Educated persons
no longer doubt it.
Jesper - Per Degn would never admit that.
Montanus-Per Degn! He is a nice fellow! I am foolish
to stand here and talk philosophy with you; but to please Mon-
sieur Jeronimus, I will give you two proofs. First, that we get
from travelers; who, when they get several thousand miles away
from us, have daylight when we have night, see other stars and
another sky.
Jeronimus - Are you crazy, that you say there is more than
one heaven and earth?
Jesper - Yes, Monsieur Jeronimus. There are twelve heavens,
one above the other, until you come to the crystal heaven. He
is right as to that.
Montanus-0
O quantæ tenebræ!
Jeronimus -I went to Kiel sixteen times when I was young,
but as true as I am an honest man, I never saw any other sky
than the one we have here.
moon.
-
Montanus-You would have to travel sixteen times as far,
Domine Jeronime, before you could see it, because
Jeronimus-Stop talking such nonsense; it doesn't lead to
anything. Let us hear the other proof.
Montanus-The other proof is from eclipses of the sun and
―――
Jesper - Just listen to that; now he is really crazy.
Montanus-What do you suppose an eclipse is?
Jesper - Eclipses are signs set upon the sun and moon to
show when some misfortune is to happen on earth.
I can prove
that by my own experience: when my wife was sick three years
## p. 7437 (#239) ###########################################
LUDVIG HOLBERG
7437
ago, and when my daughter Gertrude died, both times there were
eclipses before.
Montanus-Such nonsense will drive me crazy.
Jeronimus-The bailiff is right; for there is never an eclipse
that does not mean something. When the last one occurred,
everything seemed to be going well, but not for long: only two
weeks afterwards we got news from Copenhagen that six stu-
dents had failed at once, and two of them were deans' sons. If
you don't hear of something bad in one place after such an
eclipse, you are sure to in another.
Montanus-That is certain enough; for no day passes with-
out bringing misfortune in some part of the world. As for the
people you speak about, they should not put it off on the eclipse,
for if they had studied harder they would have got through.
Jeronimus-What is an eclipse of the moon, then?
Montanus-It is nothing but the earth's shadow, which de-
prives the moon of sunlight; and since the shadow is round, we
can see that the earth likewise is round. It is all perfectly nat-
ural; for we can calculate eclipses, and therefore it is foolishness
to say that they are signs of coming misfortune.
Jeronimus- Ah, Mr. Bailiff, I feel sick. It was an unhappy
hour when your parents let you study.
I
Jesper - Yes, he is pretty near to becoming an atheist.
must set Per Degn at him again. There is a man who can talk
to some purpose. He shall prove to you, either in Latin or
Greek as you like, that the earth, thank God, is as flat as my
hand. But there comes Madame Jeronimus with her daughter.
Enter Magdelone and Lisbed
Magdelone - O my dear son-in-law, it is a joy to see you back
again in good health.
Lisbed-O my love, let me embrace you!
Jeronimus-Softly, softly, my child, not so fast.
Lisbed - May I not embrace my betrothed, whom I have not
seen for years?
Jeronimus- Keep away from him, I tell you, or you will get
beaten.
Lisbed [weeping]-I know that we were publicly betrothed.
Jeronimus-That is true enough; but a difficulty has since.
[Lisbed weeps. ]
arisen.
## p. 7438 (#240) ###########################################
7438
LUDVIG HOLBERG
Jeronimus-You shall know, my child, that when he became
engaged to you he was a well-behaved man and a good Christ-
ian; but now he is a heretic and a fanatic, who deserves to be
put into the Litany rather than into relationship with us.
Lisbed-Is that all, father? We can settle that easily enough.
Jeronimus-Keep away from him, I say!
Magdelone-What does this mean, Mr. Bailiff ?
Jesper It is bad enough, madame! He brings false learning
into the town, says that the earth is round, and things of that
sort that I blush to mention.
Jeronimus- Don't you pity the good old parents who have
spent so much money on him?
Magdelone-Ei, is that all? If he loves our daughter he
will give up his notion, and say that the earth is flat, for her
sake.
Lisbed-Ah, my love, say for my sake that it is flat.
Montanus-I cannot oblige you, so long as my reason is left
me. I cannot give the earth any other shape than it has by
nature. I will say and do all that is possible for your sake, but
I cannot oblige you in this. For should my fellow students come
to know that I had made such a statement, I should be scorned
and held for a fool; besides, we learned men never take back
what we have said, but defend it to the last drop of our ink-
bottle.
Magdelone-Listen, husband: this does not seem to me im-
portant enough to make us break off the match.
Jeronimus- And I say that if they were already married, I
Iwould have them divorced on account of it.
Magdelone-I think I've got something to say about it; for if
she is your daughter she is mine too.
Lisbed [weeping]-O my dear, say that it is flat.
Montanus-That I cannot.
Jeronimus- Listen, wife: you must know that I am the man
of the house, and that I am her father.
Magdelone- - You must know also that I am the woman of the
house, and that I am her mother.
Jeronimus - What I mean is, that a father is of more account
than a mother.
Magdelone - And I say that he
that I am her mother, while you -
shall get excited.
―
isn't, for no one can doubt
I won't say any more, or I
## p. 7439 (#241) ###########################################
LUDVIG HOLBERG
7439
Lisbed [weeping]-O my love, can't you say for my sake that
it is flat?
Montanus-I cannot, my pet: nam contra naturam est.
Jeronimus- What do you mean by that, wife? Am I not her
father as you are her mother? Listen, Lisbed, am I not your
father?
Lisbed I think you must be, for my mother says so. I
think you are my father, but I know she is my mother.
Jeronimus- What do you think of all this nonsense, Mr.
Bailiff?
Jesper I can't say that ma'mselle is wrong, because
Jeronimus-That's enough. Come, let us go. Be quite sure,
my good Rasmus Berg, that you shall never get my daughter as
long as you persist in your errors.
Lisbed [weeping]-O my love, say that it is flat!
Jeronimus-Out, out of the door!
[The visitors all depart. ]
A DEFENSE OF THE DEVIL
From the Epistles'
―
UR last conversation was about apologetic or defensive writ-
ings, which I confessed I could not endure; partly because
an honest man and a good book need no apology, partly
because it is possible to write in defense of anything, even of the
Devil. You laughed at my words, and replied that the latter
task might prove somewhat difficult. I retorted that it would be
no more difficult than to frame the defense that is made for the
ass, wherein this beast is credited with various heroic qualities.
In order to show that the thing may be done, I will briefly set
forth what an apologist willing to trouble himself in such a cause
may find to say in defense of the Devil.
I will say nothing of his capacity and intelligence; for all,
including his greatest enemies, are agreed that a person who
bears six thousand years on his shoulders, and who has lived
twice as long as the Shoemaker of Jerusalem, must possess more
learning and wisdom than the seven wise men of Greece, perhaps
more than all the professors on earth if they were made into one.
Nor will it be urged that he is falling into the childishness of
age; a thing that cannot be asserted without médisance, since the
## p. 7440 (#242) ###########################################
LUDVIG HOLBERG
7440
most learned theologians, who have made a thorough study of
the man's character, and know him to a nicety, are quite sure
that he is in full vigor, so that age cannot have bitten him much
if at all. Similarly, the learned men of the last century who
had the honor of talking with the Shoemaker of Jerusalem bore
witness that this self-same shoemaker was still in full possession
of his five senses; so that neither understanding nor memory was
at fault, although he had wandered about the world for sixteen
hundred years. There can therefore be no dispute about the
understanding and knowledge of the Devil, which cannot be other
than vast, when we take his great age into consideration; and
this is the reason why the Norse peasants bestow upon him the
venerable title of Old Erik.
But let us examine the evil characteristics that are ascribed
to him. The Devil is frequently said to go about plunging men
into misfortune and leading souls astray. But since he has
plainly, and by manifesto, so to speak, declared war upon the
human race, he is more excusable than many men who under
the guise of friendship mislead their neighbors; who make peace-
ful compacts only to break them, and who call God to witness
the uprightness of their hearts, that are yet full of hatred, en-
mity, and predatory desire. Hence it is said that we can guard
ourselves against the Devil, but not against men. That he
should seek to lead souls astray is nothing more than that he
should be desirous of strengthening his power, and showing that
he is an alert politician, statesman, and economist. In the mat-
ter of pacts and contracts his dealings are far more honorable
than those of most men; for although the latter make agreements
straightway to break them, and have thus brought themselves
into so ill credit that none will contract with them save under the
protection of a guarantee, experience on the other hand teaches
us that the Devil fulfills his agreements to the letter, performs
exactly his promises to the contracting party, and seizes upon
no one before the stipulated time is out; as we may see from
the history of Dr. Faustus and other worthy men, whom by vir-
tue of executed contracts he has instructed in arts, learning, and
statesmanship, or aided with great cash subsidies, and demanded
no payment for the work until the time of expiry, the term, and
the hour, came to hand. Among all the harsh things that are
said of the Devil, we hear no one accuse him of failing to per-
form his contracts, or even of cheating anybody with false coin
## p. 7441 (#243) ###########################################
LUDVIG HOLBERG
7441
or false wares, as great numbers of our merchants and writers
do,― the former by giving false names to their wares, the latter
by attaching false titles to their writings, for which they ask
payment in advance; while the Devil, for his part, carries out
his agreements, neither giving nor exacting any advance pay-
ment. For that reason, we never hear of any one who has
contracted with the Devil exacting any guarantee, which is indis-
putable evidence that he keeps his agreements honestly.
It may be objected to this, that the uprightness shown by the
Devil in his pacts and contracts does not proceed from nesty
but from self-interest; since thereby he supports himself, and
entices many to contract with him. But do you suppose our so-
called upright merchants in all their dealings are honest merely
for the sake of being honest? May not the rectitude of their
conduct spring from the same source? It is said that when two
things are one, they are yet not one; for what we call a virtue in
the merchant is depicted as a vice in the Devil. Since then the
Devil has thus come into ill repute, we ascribe to his influence
adultery, murder, theft, and all evil doings. I do not go so far
in this matter as wholly to acquit him; but I venture to say that
the charges ordinarily brought against him have a bad effect, and
are not well based. Their effect is bad, because they persuade
sinners to put their guilt off their own shoulders and use the
Devil as a shield for their misdoings. They are ill based, because
the corrupt flesh and blood of men are sufficient, without any
co-operation, to drive them to sin.
Further, the Devil is said to prowl about at night for the dis-
turbance of mankind. The conception one is bound to have of
a cunning and evil spirit has prevented me from sharing the
opinion of the learned in this matter; partly because I find the
thing improbable,—unless people admit, as no one does, that he
is in his second childhood, and partly because such spooking
would oppose his own interests. But since I have been blamed
for this opinion, I have renounced it, and now confess with the
orthodox that it really is the Devil who spooks by night in
church-yards, houses, and nurseries. But in that case it follows
that people are made God-fearing, and that the Devil by this
practice of spooking shows himself a friend rather than an
enemy of mankind, so that he should be praised rather than
blamed for the habit. His function as the judge and executioner
of the lost should not be a blot upon his name and good report;
XIII-466
## p. 7442 (#244) ###########################################
LUDVIG HOLBERG
7442
for that is a necessity, and just as no city can dispense with
an executioner, so mankind in general cannot get along without
such a general officer to execute the judgments pronounced upon
the guilty. The office in itself is not only necessary, but even
honorable, as we may see from the ancient Greeks, who made
two men of importance, Minos and Rhadamanthus, the execu-
tioners in Pluto's realm. We see from all these considerations
that the Devil is not as black as he is painted; that on the con-
trary he has many good qualities, so that it is far less difficult
to defend him than many men upon whose record there is no
blot. It is quite to be believed, as many unpartisan men have
observed, that we go too far in such judgments; and that if the
learned and unpartisan theologian Gotfried Arnold, who was the
advocate for many despised persons, had lived longer, he would
have undertaken the defense of this notorious spirit, which we
see is not a task so difficult but that with the help of a good
rhetorica it may be given some color of success. That the Devil
tempts men cannot well be disputed; but since experience shows
that these alleged temptations may often be driven off by means
of powders and drops, we see that even this accusation is often
ill-founded, unless one is willing to contend that the Devil him-
self may be driven off by crabs' eyes and purgative pills; which
would be to hold the enemy too cheap.
See, here you have the Devil's defense, written in haste. You
may see from it what a skillful disputator might accomplish, who
should undertake to defend his case ex cathedra, or an advocate
who had won a reputation for turning evil to good. Logica and
rhetorica are two of the chief sciences. It was with the aid of
logica that Zeno Eleates proved that nothing in the world had
motion. It was by the same aid that Erasmus Montanus dis-
tinctly showed Peder Degn to be a cock, and that to beat one's
parents is a meritorious act. But to speak seriously, I beg that
you will not show this letter to anybody, and particularly not to
Herr Niels or Peder Degn; for they might take it all literally,
and find in it the text for a sermon, and it might fare with me
as with a certain man who was dubbed cardinal by the jovial
papal collegio organized in this town a few years ago: after his
death a number of letters were found giving him the title of
Cardinal Orsini, and this the authorities took literally, discussing
with their colleagues whether the deceased might be permitted
burial in Christian earth.
I remain, etc.
## p. 7443 (#245) ###########################################
LUDVIG HOLBERG
7443
THE SOCIETY OF WOMEN
From the Epistles'
Youn
express surprise that I, who am advanced in years, and
have always been devoted to study, should take more satis-
faction in the society of women than of men. But you will
be still more surprised when I say that it is precisely on account
of my studies that I seek such society. To make sense out of
this paradox, you must know that when at home I am usually
occupied with some sort of work that racks my brains, and go
out only for the purpose of giving my head a necessary rest.
Such rest may be comfortably enjoyed in the drawing-rooms of
women, where there is heard as a rule only commonplace talk
that calls for no meditation. And that is the reason why, when
I have given myself a headache with study, I would rather go to
see Madame N. N. than anybody else; for she will tell me noth-
ing except what she has eaten during the day, or how many eggs
her hens have laid that week, or other things of that sort, which
neither rack the brains nor strain the sinews of the head.
In men's company, on the other hand, there are discourses
that make the head swim. There is usually talk of judicial pro-
ceedings and affairs of State, which are useful enough matters,
and even agreeable at the proper time, but not when one seeks
society for the sole purpose of recreating the mind and giving
the brain a rest. People begin, as soon as the first greetings are
over, by explaining to me some matter that has that day been
decided in court or council chamber, in order to get my opinion
of it; or they entangle my wits in affairs of State, for which any
new regulation or bit of fresh news affords a pretext; which is
like proposing a game of chess to a man just out of his library,
thus setting him to the work of study again.
This is the reason why Englishmen, among other matters
that give evidence of their discernment, do not like games that
require meditation. Their Back Game [sic], for example, is not
nearly so tedious as our forkering. The same can be said of
their sports in the shape of cocks' and bull-dogs' fights, and
others of the sort. Le jeu déchec, the French say, n'est pas assez
jeu; that is, chess and other games of that sort are not amuse-
ment but study. Hence they are good for people who have
nothing serious to do, and whose brains are in danger of rusting
## p. 7444 (#246) ###########################################
LUDVIG HOLBERG
7444
from idleness; but not for busy folks, who seek for recreation in
games and society. We find in consequence that people of affairs
set apart certain hours of the day in which they wish to hear
nothing but innocent gossip; and it is related that for this reason
Richelieu spent one hour of each day in such company, for he
could not find his account in taking up metaphysical discussions
when he had just left his cabinet all tired out. It was also for
this reason that Socrates played with his children now and then.
Another reason why I prefer to seek the society of women is
this: when I come into men's society, I am offered either a glass
of wine or a pipe of tobacco, which is by no means to my taste.
In women's society, on the other hand, I get tea, coffee, and
nonsensical chatter, which best suits my idle hours.
Here you
have the reasons for my conduct in this matter.
I remain, etc.
## p. 7445 (#247) ###########################################
7445
RAPHAEL HOLINSHED
(-? -1580 ? )
ONCERNING the personal history of Raphael Holinshed (or Hol-
lingshead), the Elizabethan chronicler, there are only vague
outlines. The day and the year of his birth are unknown; so
is his birthplace. It is believed that he was born in Sutton Downes,
Cheshire; but this is conjectural. Again, he is said to have been a
University man,-probably from Cambridge,- but of this there is no
documentary proof. Rumors, too, that he was a clergyman are quite
in the air. All that is really known of Holinshed is that early in
Elizabeth's reign he came to London, and procured work as a trans-
lator from Reginald Wolfe, King's Printer. That he liked said Wolfe
may be gathered from a dedication in which he describes himself as
"singularly beholden" to the former. He made his will October 1st,
1578 (the year of the publication of the 'Chronicles of England, Scot-
land, and Ireland'), and therein wrote himself down as a steward by
occupation. Wood states that he died in 1580,- another conjecture,
of which there is no reliable record.
-
The story of the preparing of the Chronicles' is this:- - Wolfe
inherited valuable notes from Leland (the King's Antiquary), planned
a sort of universal history and cosmography, with maps and illustra-
tions, and spent twenty-five years of labor upon the part relating to
Great Britain. He died in 1573; and his successors, frightened at the
vast extent of the work as sketched by him, drew in these ideas and
devoted their attention to the countries named in the title,- Eng-
land, Scotland, and Ireland. Holinshed carried this restricted plan
through to publication, being assisted therein by a number of schol-
ars, the best known of whom are William Harrison and John Stowe.
The three original publishers of the work were George Bishop, John
and Luke Harrison. The first edition (1578) was in two folio volumes,
which had portraits, battle-pieces, and other cuts in the highest style
of the art of that time. The work was dedicated to William Cecil,
Lord Burghley. The writing of it was apportioned to the several
chroniclers, Holinshed doing parts of the histories of all three coun-
tries. The freedom used in the treatment of events almost contem-
poraneous led to expurgations in the subsequent revised edition,
prepared and printed (1586-7) after Holinshed's death, by his fellow
workers; the result being that copies of the unexpurgated edition are
very rare, and much coveted by bibliophiles. The British Museum
## p. 7446 (#248) ###########################################
7446
RAPHAEL HOLINSHED
possesses a copy made by inserting in the revised version the can-
celed pages of the first edition.
Holinshed's personality is impressed upon the 'Chronicles' which
bear his name, and of which he is the master spirit. His style is
clear rather than warm, and his diligence in collecting historical ma-
terial is attested by the copious references to authorities. Though
honestly striving to present the truth, his Protestant bias is marked,
and he is unreliable when dealing with earlier times. But as an in-
defatigable pioneer delver in historic lore-as one of the chroniclers
who paved the way for the modern historian - he is worthy of much
praise, especially as he wrote in a way to make enjoyable reading.
His relation to literature is both direct and indirect. In his own
work, using the rich, full-mouthed speech of his period, he gives an
example of Elizabethan English in many ways admirable: solid, har-
monious, dignified. He lacks the picturesque touch and the idiomatic
virility of William Harrison, whose famous descriptions in the same
work of the social aspects of England rise to a higher plane. But
Holinshed's 'Chronicles' also proved a rich mine for the Elizabethan
dramatists to quarry from: the master of them all, Shakespeare, drew
most of his historical plays from this source, as well as 'Macbeth,'
'King Lear,' and parts of Cymbeline'; in some dramas - both parts
of 'Henry IV. ,' for example-following the chronicler so closely as
to use his phrases.
Thus Holinshed forms a link in the chain of history writers, bears
a not unimportant relation to the great dramatic poetry of his day,
and is himself a writer of vigorous and felicitous English which can
still be read with pleasure.
MACBETH'S WITCHES
From the Chronicles >
SHO
HORTLY after happened a strange and uncouth wonder, which
afterward was the cause of much trouble in the realm of
Scotland, as ye shall after hear. It fortuned as Makbeth
and Banquho journeyed towards Fores, where the King then lay,
they went sporting by the way together without other company
save only themselves, passing through the woods and fields, when
suddenly in the middest of a laund there met them three women
in strange and wild apparel, resembling creatures of the elder
world, whom when they attentively beheld, wondering much at
the sight, the first of them spake and said:-
"All hail Makbeth, thane of Glammis! »
## p. 7447 (#249) ###########################################
RAPHAEL HOLINSHED
7447
(For he had lately entered into that office by the death of his
father Sinell. ) The second of them said:-
"Hail Makbeth, thane of Cawder! "
-
But the third said:
"All hail Makbeth, that hereafter shall be King of Scotland! ”
Then Banquho: "What manner of women >>>
«<
(saith he) are
you that seem so little favourable unto me, whereas to my fellow
here, besides high offices, ye assign also the kingdom, appointing
forth nothing for me at all? " "Yes" (saith the first of them),
«< we promise greater benefits unto thee than unto him: for he
shall reign indeed, but with an unlucky end; neither shall he
leave any issue behind him to succeed in his place; when cer-
tainly thou indeed shalt not reign at all, but of thee those shall
be born which shall govern the Scottish kingdom by long order
of continual descent. " Herewith the fore said women vanished
immediately out of their sight. This was reputed at the first but
some vain fantastical illusion by Makbeth and Banquho, insomuch
that Banquho would call Makbeth in jest, King of Scotland,
and Makbeth again would call him in sport likewise, father of
many kings.
very happy in your old age.
Jeppe-Yes, that is true.
Jesper - Now listen, my dear Monsieur Rasmus: I want to ask
you about something.
Montanus
-
My name is Montanus.
Jesper [aside to Jeppe]-Montanus-is that Latin for Rasmus?
Jeppe-Yes, it must be.
Jesper - Listen, my dear Monsieur Montanus Berg: I have
heard said that learned folks have singular ideas. Is it true that
in Copenhagen they think the earth is round? Here in the coun-
try no one will believe it; for how can it be, since the earth
seems quite flat?
Enter Jesper
-
Montanus - That is because the earth is so big that we do
not notice its roundness.
—
Jesper -Yes, that is true: the earth is big; it is almost half as
big as the world. But listen, monsieur: how many stars would it
take to make a moon?
Montanus- A moon! The moon is to a star about as Pebling
Lake is to the whole of Sjælland.
Jesper Ha, ha, ha, ha! Learned people are never quite right
in their heads. I have even heard people say that the earth runs
and the sun stands still. Monsieur doesn't believe that too?
Montanus
Jesper - Ha, ha, ha! If the earth ran, we should all fall over
and break our necks.
Montanus-Cannot a ship sail with you without breaking your
――
―
neck?
Jesper But you say that the earth goes round; if a ship
turned over, wouldn't the people fall out into the sea?
Montanus-I will explain it more clearly, if you will only be
―――
- No reasonable man any longer doubts it.
patient.
Jesper I don't want to hear about it. I should have to be
crazy to believe such stuff. The earth turns round without our
## p. 7431 (#233) ###########################################
LUDVIG HOLBERG
7431
all falling into the gulf and going to the devil, ha, ha, ha! But,
my dear Monsieur Berg, how does it happen that the moon is
sometimes so little and sometimes so big?
Montanus- If I were to tell you, you wouldn't believe it.
Jesper But just be good enough to tell me.
Montanus- It is because when the moon is grown to full size,
they cut off little pieces to make stars of.
Jesper - That is very curious, I declare. I didn't know that
before. If they didn't cut off the little pieces it might grow too
big, and be as broad as Sjælland. Nature rules things very wisely.
But why doesn't the moon warm us like the sun, since it is quite
as big?
—
Montanus - It is because the moon gives no light, but is
made of the same dark matter as the earth, and gets its light
from the sun.
Jesper Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha! Let us talk about something
else. These things are distracting enough to make a man's head
turn Catholic.
are.
-
Enter Per Degn
Jeppe - Welcome, Per!
Good people come where good people
Here you see my son, who has just come home.
Per-Welcome here, Monsieur Rasmus Berg!
Montanus-In Copenhagen I am usually called Montanus: I
beg that you will address me by that name.
Per - All right, it amounts to about the same thing.
affairs in Copenhagen? Did many graduate this year?
Montanus-As many as usual.
Per-Were there some rejected this year?
Montanus-Two or three conditionaliter.
How are
Per-Who is imprimatur this year?
Montanus-What do you mean?
Per-I mean, who is imprimatur in verses and books that are
printed?
Montanus-Is that supposed to be Latin?
Per-It was good Latin in my time.
Montanus-
was never Latin in the sense you give to it.
Per-Good Latin it is, all the same.
Montanus-Is it a nomen or a verbum?
Per-It is a nomen.
―――
- If it was good Latin then, it must be now; but it
## p. 7432 (#234) ###########################################
LUDVIG HOLBERG
7432
Jesper That's right, Per, stick to it!
Montanus-Cujus declinationis is imprimatur then?
Per-All the words there are, belong to eight classes, which
are nomen, pronomen, verbum, principium, conjugatio, declinatio,
interjectio.
Jesper - Hear, hear; listen to Per, when he talks off-hand.
That is right, press him hard!
Montanus- He doesn't answer what I ask him. What is im-
primatur in genitivo?
Per-Nominativus ala, genitivus ala, dativus alo, vocativus alo,
ablativus ala.
Jesper - There, there, Monsieur Montanus, we have people here
in the country too.
Per-I should say so. In my time the fellows that matricu-
lated were of a different sort from nowadays. They were fellows
that got shaved twice a week, and could scandere all sorts of
verse.
Montanus - That is a great thing to boast of: anybody can
do that now in the second lesson. Fellows now graduate from
the schools of Copenhagen who can make Hebrew and Chaldaic
verses.
Per-Then they can't know much Latin.
Montanus-Latin! If you were to go to school now, they
would put you in the booby class.
Jesper - Don't say that, Montanus. I know that the clerk is a
deeply studied man; I have heard the tax collector and the dis-
trict judge say so.
Montanus-Perhaps they know no more Latin than he does.
Jesper But I can hear that he speaks up stoutly for himself.
Montanus- He doesn't answer the questions I ask him. E qua
schola dismissus es, mi domine?
Per-Adjectivum et substantivum genere, numero, et caseo con-
―
veniunt.
Jesper He gives him full measure, i' faith. Come, Per, we'll
have a glass of brandy together.
Montanus- If Mr. Bailiff knew what these answers meant, he
would split his sides laughing. I ask him from what school he
graduated, and he answers with a lot of rubbish that has nothing
to do with the question.
――――
-
Per-Tunc tua res agitur, paries cum proximus ardet.
Jesper - Well, well, now he wants to go on. Just answer that.
TH
## p. 7433 (#235) ###########################################
LUDVIG HOLBERG
7433
Let us
Montanus-I cannot answer it; it is mere nonsense.
talk Danish together, so that the others can understand, and you
will soon find out what sort of fellow he is.
[Nille weeps. ]
Jesper - What are you weeping for, mother?
Nille-It hurts me so to have my son beaten in Latin.
Jesper - Well, mother, that is no wonder,- Per is so much
older than he is. It is no wonder. Let them talk Danish now,
so we can all understand.
Per-Very well. I am ready for whichever he chooses. We
will ask each other a few questions: for example, who was it
that cried so loud that he was heard all over the world?
Montanus- I know of no one who can cry louder than don-
keys and parish clerks.
Per-Nonsense! can you hear them all over the world? It
was an ass in the ark, because the whole world was in the ark.
Jesper Ha, ha, ha! So it was, ha, ha, ha! Per Degn has
got a cunning head on his shoulders.
Per
Who killed a quarter of mankind?
Montanus-I do not answer such coarse questions.
Per-It was Cain, who killed his brother Abel.
-
Montanus- - Prove that there were not more than four human
beings in the world.
Per-Prove that there were more.
Montanus- I am not forced to; for affirmanti incumbit pro-
batio. Do you understand that?
Omnia conando docilis solertia vincit. Do
―――
Per-Certainly.
you understand that?
Montanus-I am very foolish to stay here in disputation with
a booby. You would dispute, and know neither Latin nor Dan-
ish, still less what logica is. Let us hear, Quid est logica?
Per-Post molestam senectutem, post molestam senectutem nos
habebat humus.
Montanus- - Will the rascal make fun of me?
-
[Grabs him by the hair; they struggle; the clerk escapes, crying "Booby,
booby! " All go out except the bailiff. ]
## p. 7434 (#236) ###########################################
7434
LUDVIG HOLBERG
―
Jeronimus-Your servant, Mr. Bailiff.
came to see my future son-in-law, Rasmus Berg.
Jesper He will be here right away.
Pity you didn't come
half an hour sooner; you might have heard him argue with the
clerk.
―――
Jeronimus- How did it come out?
Jesper Per Degn, deuce take him, is slyer than I thought;
I see that he has forgotten neither his Latin nor his Hebrew.
Jeronimus- I can believe that, for he never knew much of
—
Enter Jeronimus
them.
Jesper - Don't say that, Monsieur Jeronimus. He has got a
deuce of a mouth on him. It is really a pleasure to hear the
man talk Latin.
-
Jeronimus-That is more than I supposed he could do. But
how does my son-in-law look?
So I find you here. I
Jesper He looks dreadfully learned; you would hardly know
him again. He has got another name, too.
Jeronimus Another name! What is his name now?
comes.
――――
-
Jesper ― He calls himself Montanus, which is the same as Ras-
mus in Latin.
Jeronimus-Oh fie! that is abominable. I have known many
who have thus changed their Christian names, and they never
did well in the world. I knew one a few years ago who was
christened Peer, and who when he amounted to something sought
to change his stamp, and had himself called Peiter. But his
Peiter cost him dear, for he broke his leg and died in great
wretchedness. Our Lord does not like such doings, Mr. Bailiff.
___
Jesper - I don't care what sort of a name he takes, but I
don't like to have him believe in such strange opinions.
Jeronimus- What opinions has he got?
Jesper - They are frightful. The hair stands up on my head
when I think of them. I don't remember all that I heard, but I
know that he said for one thing that the earth was round. What
do you think of that, Monsieur Jeronimus? It is nothing less
than upsetting all religion and leading people away from their
faith. A heathen cannot be worse.
Jeronimus- He must have said it in jest.
Jesper It is dreadful to make such jests.
See, there he
## p. 7435 (#237) ###########################################
LUDVIG HOLBERG
7435
Enter Montanus
Montanus-Welcome, dear father-in-law. I am glad to see
you in good health.
Jeronimus-People of my age cannot expect to have remark-
able health.
Montanus-You look thoroughly well.
Jeronimus- Do you think so?
Montanus- How is Mademoiselle Lisbed?
but
a pancake.
Jeronimus-Well enough.
Montanus-Why, what is the matter, that you greet me so
coldly, dear father-in-law?
Jeronimus- I have good cause to.
Montanus - What wrong have I done?
Jeronimus- I have been told that you have peculiar opinions:
people must think you are crazy or Catholic in your head, for
how can a reasonable man hav the rashness to say that the
earth is round?
Montanus-Of course it is round; I must say what is true.
Jeronimus - It is the Devil's own truth; such notions must
come from the father of lies. I am sure there is not one man
in this town who would not condemn such an opinion: ask the
bailiff, who is a reasonable man, if he doesn't agree with me.
Jesper - It is all the same to me whether it is round or long;
must believe my eyes, and they tell me the earth is flat as
Montanus- It is all the same to me what the bailiff or any-
body else in this town thinks about it, for I know the earth is
round.
――
Jeronimus- It isn't round. I believe you are crazy. You have
eyes in your head like other men.
Montanus- It is well known, my dear father-in-law, that there
are people right under us, with feet pointed toward ours.
Jesper Ha, ha, ha, hi, hi, hi, ha, ha, ha!
Jeronimus- You may well laugh, for he has a screw loose in
his head. Just try once to get up under the ceiling, and turn
your head down, and then see what will come of it.
Montanus-That is quite another matter, father-in-law.
Jeronimus-I won't be your father-in-law any more. I think
more of my daughter than to throw her away on you.
## p. 7436 (#238) ###########################################
7436
LUDVIG HOLBERG
Montanus-Your daughter is as dear to me as my own soul,
in truth; but you cannot expect me for her sake to renounce
philosophy and send my intelligence into exile.
—
Jeronimus - Yes, yes, I hear you have got some other woman
in your head. You may keep your Lucy or Sophy: I shall not
force my daughter upon you.
Montanus You misunderstand me.
Philosophy is only a
branch of science, and it has opened my eyes in this matter as
in others.
――――
Jeronimus-It has rather blinded both eyes and understand-
ing. How can you show such a thing as that?
Montanus-It is not necessary to prove it. Educated persons
no longer doubt it.
Jesper - Per Degn would never admit that.
Montanus-Per Degn! He is a nice fellow! I am foolish
to stand here and talk philosophy with you; but to please Mon-
sieur Jeronimus, I will give you two proofs. First, that we get
from travelers; who, when they get several thousand miles away
from us, have daylight when we have night, see other stars and
another sky.
Jeronimus - Are you crazy, that you say there is more than
one heaven and earth?
Jesper - Yes, Monsieur Jeronimus. There are twelve heavens,
one above the other, until you come to the crystal heaven. He
is right as to that.
Montanus-0
O quantæ tenebræ!
Jeronimus -I went to Kiel sixteen times when I was young,
but as true as I am an honest man, I never saw any other sky
than the one we have here.
moon.
-
Montanus-You would have to travel sixteen times as far,
Domine Jeronime, before you could see it, because
Jeronimus-Stop talking such nonsense; it doesn't lead to
anything. Let us hear the other proof.
Montanus-The other proof is from eclipses of the sun and
―――
Jesper - Just listen to that; now he is really crazy.
Montanus-What do you suppose an eclipse is?
Jesper - Eclipses are signs set upon the sun and moon to
show when some misfortune is to happen on earth.
I can prove
that by my own experience: when my wife was sick three years
## p. 7437 (#239) ###########################################
LUDVIG HOLBERG
7437
ago, and when my daughter Gertrude died, both times there were
eclipses before.
Montanus-Such nonsense will drive me crazy.
Jeronimus-The bailiff is right; for there is never an eclipse
that does not mean something. When the last one occurred,
everything seemed to be going well, but not for long: only two
weeks afterwards we got news from Copenhagen that six stu-
dents had failed at once, and two of them were deans' sons. If
you don't hear of something bad in one place after such an
eclipse, you are sure to in another.
Montanus-That is certain enough; for no day passes with-
out bringing misfortune in some part of the world. As for the
people you speak about, they should not put it off on the eclipse,
for if they had studied harder they would have got through.
Jeronimus-What is an eclipse of the moon, then?
Montanus-It is nothing but the earth's shadow, which de-
prives the moon of sunlight; and since the shadow is round, we
can see that the earth likewise is round. It is all perfectly nat-
ural; for we can calculate eclipses, and therefore it is foolishness
to say that they are signs of coming misfortune.
Jeronimus- Ah, Mr. Bailiff, I feel sick. It was an unhappy
hour when your parents let you study.
I
Jesper - Yes, he is pretty near to becoming an atheist.
must set Per Degn at him again. There is a man who can talk
to some purpose. He shall prove to you, either in Latin or
Greek as you like, that the earth, thank God, is as flat as my
hand. But there comes Madame Jeronimus with her daughter.
Enter Magdelone and Lisbed
Magdelone - O my dear son-in-law, it is a joy to see you back
again in good health.
Lisbed-O my love, let me embrace you!
Jeronimus-Softly, softly, my child, not so fast.
Lisbed - May I not embrace my betrothed, whom I have not
seen for years?
Jeronimus- Keep away from him, I tell you, or you will get
beaten.
Lisbed [weeping]-I know that we were publicly betrothed.
Jeronimus-That is true enough; but a difficulty has since.
[Lisbed weeps. ]
arisen.
## p. 7438 (#240) ###########################################
7438
LUDVIG HOLBERG
Jeronimus-You shall know, my child, that when he became
engaged to you he was a well-behaved man and a good Christ-
ian; but now he is a heretic and a fanatic, who deserves to be
put into the Litany rather than into relationship with us.
Lisbed-Is that all, father? We can settle that easily enough.
Jeronimus-Keep away from him, I say!
Magdelone-What does this mean, Mr. Bailiff ?
Jesper It is bad enough, madame! He brings false learning
into the town, says that the earth is round, and things of that
sort that I blush to mention.
Jeronimus- Don't you pity the good old parents who have
spent so much money on him?
Magdelone-Ei, is that all? If he loves our daughter he
will give up his notion, and say that the earth is flat, for her
sake.
Lisbed-Ah, my love, say for my sake that it is flat.
Montanus-I cannot oblige you, so long as my reason is left
me. I cannot give the earth any other shape than it has by
nature. I will say and do all that is possible for your sake, but
I cannot oblige you in this. For should my fellow students come
to know that I had made such a statement, I should be scorned
and held for a fool; besides, we learned men never take back
what we have said, but defend it to the last drop of our ink-
bottle.
Magdelone-Listen, husband: this does not seem to me im-
portant enough to make us break off the match.
Jeronimus- And I say that if they were already married, I
Iwould have them divorced on account of it.
Magdelone-I think I've got something to say about it; for if
she is your daughter she is mine too.
Lisbed [weeping]-O my dear, say that it is flat.
Montanus-That I cannot.
Jeronimus- Listen, wife: you must know that I am the man
of the house, and that I am her father.
Magdelone- - You must know also that I am the woman of the
house, and that I am her mother.
Jeronimus - What I mean is, that a father is of more account
than a mother.
Magdelone - And I say that he
that I am her mother, while you -
shall get excited.
―
isn't, for no one can doubt
I won't say any more, or I
## p. 7439 (#241) ###########################################
LUDVIG HOLBERG
7439
Lisbed [weeping]-O my love, can't you say for my sake that
it is flat?
Montanus-I cannot, my pet: nam contra naturam est.
Jeronimus- What do you mean by that, wife? Am I not her
father as you are her mother? Listen, Lisbed, am I not your
father?
Lisbed I think you must be, for my mother says so. I
think you are my father, but I know she is my mother.
Jeronimus- What do you think of all this nonsense, Mr.
Bailiff?
Jesper I can't say that ma'mselle is wrong, because
Jeronimus-That's enough. Come, let us go. Be quite sure,
my good Rasmus Berg, that you shall never get my daughter as
long as you persist in your errors.
Lisbed [weeping]-O my love, say that it is flat!
Jeronimus-Out, out of the door!
[The visitors all depart. ]
A DEFENSE OF THE DEVIL
From the Epistles'
―
UR last conversation was about apologetic or defensive writ-
ings, which I confessed I could not endure; partly because
an honest man and a good book need no apology, partly
because it is possible to write in defense of anything, even of the
Devil. You laughed at my words, and replied that the latter
task might prove somewhat difficult. I retorted that it would be
no more difficult than to frame the defense that is made for the
ass, wherein this beast is credited with various heroic qualities.
In order to show that the thing may be done, I will briefly set
forth what an apologist willing to trouble himself in such a cause
may find to say in defense of the Devil.
I will say nothing of his capacity and intelligence; for all,
including his greatest enemies, are agreed that a person who
bears six thousand years on his shoulders, and who has lived
twice as long as the Shoemaker of Jerusalem, must possess more
learning and wisdom than the seven wise men of Greece, perhaps
more than all the professors on earth if they were made into one.
Nor will it be urged that he is falling into the childishness of
age; a thing that cannot be asserted without médisance, since the
## p. 7440 (#242) ###########################################
LUDVIG HOLBERG
7440
most learned theologians, who have made a thorough study of
the man's character, and know him to a nicety, are quite sure
that he is in full vigor, so that age cannot have bitten him much
if at all. Similarly, the learned men of the last century who
had the honor of talking with the Shoemaker of Jerusalem bore
witness that this self-same shoemaker was still in full possession
of his five senses; so that neither understanding nor memory was
at fault, although he had wandered about the world for sixteen
hundred years. There can therefore be no dispute about the
understanding and knowledge of the Devil, which cannot be other
than vast, when we take his great age into consideration; and
this is the reason why the Norse peasants bestow upon him the
venerable title of Old Erik.
But let us examine the evil characteristics that are ascribed
to him. The Devil is frequently said to go about plunging men
into misfortune and leading souls astray. But since he has
plainly, and by manifesto, so to speak, declared war upon the
human race, he is more excusable than many men who under
the guise of friendship mislead their neighbors; who make peace-
ful compacts only to break them, and who call God to witness
the uprightness of their hearts, that are yet full of hatred, en-
mity, and predatory desire. Hence it is said that we can guard
ourselves against the Devil, but not against men. That he
should seek to lead souls astray is nothing more than that he
should be desirous of strengthening his power, and showing that
he is an alert politician, statesman, and economist. In the mat-
ter of pacts and contracts his dealings are far more honorable
than those of most men; for although the latter make agreements
straightway to break them, and have thus brought themselves
into so ill credit that none will contract with them save under the
protection of a guarantee, experience on the other hand teaches
us that the Devil fulfills his agreements to the letter, performs
exactly his promises to the contracting party, and seizes upon
no one before the stipulated time is out; as we may see from
the history of Dr. Faustus and other worthy men, whom by vir-
tue of executed contracts he has instructed in arts, learning, and
statesmanship, or aided with great cash subsidies, and demanded
no payment for the work until the time of expiry, the term, and
the hour, came to hand. Among all the harsh things that are
said of the Devil, we hear no one accuse him of failing to per-
form his contracts, or even of cheating anybody with false coin
## p. 7441 (#243) ###########################################
LUDVIG HOLBERG
7441
or false wares, as great numbers of our merchants and writers
do,― the former by giving false names to their wares, the latter
by attaching false titles to their writings, for which they ask
payment in advance; while the Devil, for his part, carries out
his agreements, neither giving nor exacting any advance pay-
ment. For that reason, we never hear of any one who has
contracted with the Devil exacting any guarantee, which is indis-
putable evidence that he keeps his agreements honestly.
It may be objected to this, that the uprightness shown by the
Devil in his pacts and contracts does not proceed from nesty
but from self-interest; since thereby he supports himself, and
entices many to contract with him. But do you suppose our so-
called upright merchants in all their dealings are honest merely
for the sake of being honest? May not the rectitude of their
conduct spring from the same source? It is said that when two
things are one, they are yet not one; for what we call a virtue in
the merchant is depicted as a vice in the Devil. Since then the
Devil has thus come into ill repute, we ascribe to his influence
adultery, murder, theft, and all evil doings. I do not go so far
in this matter as wholly to acquit him; but I venture to say that
the charges ordinarily brought against him have a bad effect, and
are not well based. Their effect is bad, because they persuade
sinners to put their guilt off their own shoulders and use the
Devil as a shield for their misdoings. They are ill based, because
the corrupt flesh and blood of men are sufficient, without any
co-operation, to drive them to sin.
Further, the Devil is said to prowl about at night for the dis-
turbance of mankind. The conception one is bound to have of
a cunning and evil spirit has prevented me from sharing the
opinion of the learned in this matter; partly because I find the
thing improbable,—unless people admit, as no one does, that he
is in his second childhood, and partly because such spooking
would oppose his own interests. But since I have been blamed
for this opinion, I have renounced it, and now confess with the
orthodox that it really is the Devil who spooks by night in
church-yards, houses, and nurseries. But in that case it follows
that people are made God-fearing, and that the Devil by this
practice of spooking shows himself a friend rather than an
enemy of mankind, so that he should be praised rather than
blamed for the habit. His function as the judge and executioner
of the lost should not be a blot upon his name and good report;
XIII-466
## p. 7442 (#244) ###########################################
LUDVIG HOLBERG
7442
for that is a necessity, and just as no city can dispense with
an executioner, so mankind in general cannot get along without
such a general officer to execute the judgments pronounced upon
the guilty. The office in itself is not only necessary, but even
honorable, as we may see from the ancient Greeks, who made
two men of importance, Minos and Rhadamanthus, the execu-
tioners in Pluto's realm. We see from all these considerations
that the Devil is not as black as he is painted; that on the con-
trary he has many good qualities, so that it is far less difficult
to defend him than many men upon whose record there is no
blot. It is quite to be believed, as many unpartisan men have
observed, that we go too far in such judgments; and that if the
learned and unpartisan theologian Gotfried Arnold, who was the
advocate for many despised persons, had lived longer, he would
have undertaken the defense of this notorious spirit, which we
see is not a task so difficult but that with the help of a good
rhetorica it may be given some color of success. That the Devil
tempts men cannot well be disputed; but since experience shows
that these alleged temptations may often be driven off by means
of powders and drops, we see that even this accusation is often
ill-founded, unless one is willing to contend that the Devil him-
self may be driven off by crabs' eyes and purgative pills; which
would be to hold the enemy too cheap.
See, here you have the Devil's defense, written in haste. You
may see from it what a skillful disputator might accomplish, who
should undertake to defend his case ex cathedra, or an advocate
who had won a reputation for turning evil to good. Logica and
rhetorica are two of the chief sciences. It was with the aid of
logica that Zeno Eleates proved that nothing in the world had
motion. It was by the same aid that Erasmus Montanus dis-
tinctly showed Peder Degn to be a cock, and that to beat one's
parents is a meritorious act. But to speak seriously, I beg that
you will not show this letter to anybody, and particularly not to
Herr Niels or Peder Degn; for they might take it all literally,
and find in it the text for a sermon, and it might fare with me
as with a certain man who was dubbed cardinal by the jovial
papal collegio organized in this town a few years ago: after his
death a number of letters were found giving him the title of
Cardinal Orsini, and this the authorities took literally, discussing
with their colleagues whether the deceased might be permitted
burial in Christian earth.
I remain, etc.
## p. 7443 (#245) ###########################################
LUDVIG HOLBERG
7443
THE SOCIETY OF WOMEN
From the Epistles'
Youn
express surprise that I, who am advanced in years, and
have always been devoted to study, should take more satis-
faction in the society of women than of men. But you will
be still more surprised when I say that it is precisely on account
of my studies that I seek such society. To make sense out of
this paradox, you must know that when at home I am usually
occupied with some sort of work that racks my brains, and go
out only for the purpose of giving my head a necessary rest.
Such rest may be comfortably enjoyed in the drawing-rooms of
women, where there is heard as a rule only commonplace talk
that calls for no meditation. And that is the reason why, when
I have given myself a headache with study, I would rather go to
see Madame N. N. than anybody else; for she will tell me noth-
ing except what she has eaten during the day, or how many eggs
her hens have laid that week, or other things of that sort, which
neither rack the brains nor strain the sinews of the head.
In men's company, on the other hand, there are discourses
that make the head swim. There is usually talk of judicial pro-
ceedings and affairs of State, which are useful enough matters,
and even agreeable at the proper time, but not when one seeks
society for the sole purpose of recreating the mind and giving
the brain a rest. People begin, as soon as the first greetings are
over, by explaining to me some matter that has that day been
decided in court or council chamber, in order to get my opinion
of it; or they entangle my wits in affairs of State, for which any
new regulation or bit of fresh news affords a pretext; which is
like proposing a game of chess to a man just out of his library,
thus setting him to the work of study again.
This is the reason why Englishmen, among other matters
that give evidence of their discernment, do not like games that
require meditation. Their Back Game [sic], for example, is not
nearly so tedious as our forkering. The same can be said of
their sports in the shape of cocks' and bull-dogs' fights, and
others of the sort. Le jeu déchec, the French say, n'est pas assez
jeu; that is, chess and other games of that sort are not amuse-
ment but study. Hence they are good for people who have
nothing serious to do, and whose brains are in danger of rusting
## p. 7444 (#246) ###########################################
LUDVIG HOLBERG
7444
from idleness; but not for busy folks, who seek for recreation in
games and society. We find in consequence that people of affairs
set apart certain hours of the day in which they wish to hear
nothing but innocent gossip; and it is related that for this reason
Richelieu spent one hour of each day in such company, for he
could not find his account in taking up metaphysical discussions
when he had just left his cabinet all tired out. It was also for
this reason that Socrates played with his children now and then.
Another reason why I prefer to seek the society of women is
this: when I come into men's society, I am offered either a glass
of wine or a pipe of tobacco, which is by no means to my taste.
In women's society, on the other hand, I get tea, coffee, and
nonsensical chatter, which best suits my idle hours.
Here you
have the reasons for my conduct in this matter.
I remain, etc.
## p. 7445 (#247) ###########################################
7445
RAPHAEL HOLINSHED
(-? -1580 ? )
ONCERNING the personal history of Raphael Holinshed (or Hol-
lingshead), the Elizabethan chronicler, there are only vague
outlines. The day and the year of his birth are unknown; so
is his birthplace. It is believed that he was born in Sutton Downes,
Cheshire; but this is conjectural. Again, he is said to have been a
University man,-probably from Cambridge,- but of this there is no
documentary proof. Rumors, too, that he was a clergyman are quite
in the air. All that is really known of Holinshed is that early in
Elizabeth's reign he came to London, and procured work as a trans-
lator from Reginald Wolfe, King's Printer. That he liked said Wolfe
may be gathered from a dedication in which he describes himself as
"singularly beholden" to the former. He made his will October 1st,
1578 (the year of the publication of the 'Chronicles of England, Scot-
land, and Ireland'), and therein wrote himself down as a steward by
occupation. Wood states that he died in 1580,- another conjecture,
of which there is no reliable record.
-
The story of the preparing of the Chronicles' is this:- - Wolfe
inherited valuable notes from Leland (the King's Antiquary), planned
a sort of universal history and cosmography, with maps and illustra-
tions, and spent twenty-five years of labor upon the part relating to
Great Britain. He died in 1573; and his successors, frightened at the
vast extent of the work as sketched by him, drew in these ideas and
devoted their attention to the countries named in the title,- Eng-
land, Scotland, and Ireland. Holinshed carried this restricted plan
through to publication, being assisted therein by a number of schol-
ars, the best known of whom are William Harrison and John Stowe.
The three original publishers of the work were George Bishop, John
and Luke Harrison. The first edition (1578) was in two folio volumes,
which had portraits, battle-pieces, and other cuts in the highest style
of the art of that time. The work was dedicated to William Cecil,
Lord Burghley. The writing of it was apportioned to the several
chroniclers, Holinshed doing parts of the histories of all three coun-
tries. The freedom used in the treatment of events almost contem-
poraneous led to expurgations in the subsequent revised edition,
prepared and printed (1586-7) after Holinshed's death, by his fellow
workers; the result being that copies of the unexpurgated edition are
very rare, and much coveted by bibliophiles. The British Museum
## p. 7446 (#248) ###########################################
7446
RAPHAEL HOLINSHED
possesses a copy made by inserting in the revised version the can-
celed pages of the first edition.
Holinshed's personality is impressed upon the 'Chronicles' which
bear his name, and of which he is the master spirit. His style is
clear rather than warm, and his diligence in collecting historical ma-
terial is attested by the copious references to authorities. Though
honestly striving to present the truth, his Protestant bias is marked,
and he is unreliable when dealing with earlier times. But as an in-
defatigable pioneer delver in historic lore-as one of the chroniclers
who paved the way for the modern historian - he is worthy of much
praise, especially as he wrote in a way to make enjoyable reading.
His relation to literature is both direct and indirect. In his own
work, using the rich, full-mouthed speech of his period, he gives an
example of Elizabethan English in many ways admirable: solid, har-
monious, dignified. He lacks the picturesque touch and the idiomatic
virility of William Harrison, whose famous descriptions in the same
work of the social aspects of England rise to a higher plane. But
Holinshed's 'Chronicles' also proved a rich mine for the Elizabethan
dramatists to quarry from: the master of them all, Shakespeare, drew
most of his historical plays from this source, as well as 'Macbeth,'
'King Lear,' and parts of Cymbeline'; in some dramas - both parts
of 'Henry IV. ,' for example-following the chronicler so closely as
to use his phrases.
Thus Holinshed forms a link in the chain of history writers, bears
a not unimportant relation to the great dramatic poetry of his day,
and is himself a writer of vigorous and felicitous English which can
still be read with pleasure.
MACBETH'S WITCHES
From the Chronicles >
SHO
HORTLY after happened a strange and uncouth wonder, which
afterward was the cause of much trouble in the realm of
Scotland, as ye shall after hear. It fortuned as Makbeth
and Banquho journeyed towards Fores, where the King then lay,
they went sporting by the way together without other company
save only themselves, passing through the woods and fields, when
suddenly in the middest of a laund there met them three women
in strange and wild apparel, resembling creatures of the elder
world, whom when they attentively beheld, wondering much at
the sight, the first of them spake and said:-
"All hail Makbeth, thane of Glammis! »
## p. 7447 (#249) ###########################################
RAPHAEL HOLINSHED
7447
(For he had lately entered into that office by the death of his
father Sinell. ) The second of them said:-
"Hail Makbeth, thane of Cawder! "
-
But the third said:
"All hail Makbeth, that hereafter shall be King of Scotland! ”
Then Banquho: "What manner of women >>>
«<
(saith he) are
you that seem so little favourable unto me, whereas to my fellow
here, besides high offices, ye assign also the kingdom, appointing
forth nothing for me at all? " "Yes" (saith the first of them),
«< we promise greater benefits unto thee than unto him: for he
shall reign indeed, but with an unlucky end; neither shall he
leave any issue behind him to succeed in his place; when cer-
tainly thou indeed shalt not reign at all, but of thee those shall
be born which shall govern the Scottish kingdom by long order
of continual descent. " Herewith the fore said women vanished
immediately out of their sight. This was reputed at the first but
some vain fantastical illusion by Makbeth and Banquho, insomuch
that Banquho would call Makbeth in jest, King of Scotland,
and Makbeth again would call him in sport likewise, father of
many kings.
