战争与和平(上)-第116部分

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ansitions　from　one　line　of　defence　to　another　seemed　to　Prince　Andrey　too　violent。　At　one　time　he　took　his　stand　as　a　practical　man　and　found　fault　with　idealists；　then　he　took　a　satirical　line　and　jeered　sarcastically　at　his　opponents；　then　maintained　a　strictly　logical　position；　or　flew　off　into　the　domain　of　metaphysics。　（This　last　resource　was　one　he　was　particularly　fond　of　using　in　argument。）　He　raised　the　question　into　the　loftiest　region　of　metaphysics；　passed　to　definitions　of　space；　of　time；　and　of　thought；　and　carrying　off　arguments　to　confute　his　opponent；　descended　again　to　the　plane　of　the　original　discussion。　What　impressed　Prince　Andrey　as　the　leading　characteristic　of　Speransky’s　mind　was　his　unhesitating；　unmovable　faith　in　the　power　and　authority　of　the　reason。　It　was　plain　that　Speransky’s　brain　could　never　admit　the　idea—so　common　with　Prince　Andrey—that　one　can　never　after　all　express　all　one　thinks。　It　had　never　occurred　to　him　to　doubt　whether　all　he　thought　and　all　he　believed　might　not　be　meaningless　nonsense。　And　that　peculiarity　of　Speransky’s　mind　was　what　attracted　Prince　Andrey　most。
During　the　first　period　of　his　acquaintance　with　Speransky；　Prince　Andrey　had　a　passionate　and　enthusiastic　admiration　for　him；　akin　to　what　he　had　once　felt　for　Bonaparte。　The　very　fact　that　Speransky　was　the　son　of　a　priest；　which　enabled　many　foolish　persons　to　regard　him　with　vulgar　contempt；　as　a　member　of　a　despised　class；　made　Prince　Andrey　peculiarly　delicate　in　dealing　with　his　own　feeling　for　Speransky　and　unconsciously　strengthened　it　in　him。
On　that　first　evening　that　Bolkonsky　spent　with　him；　they　talked　of　the　commission　for　the　revision　of　the　legal　code；　and　Speransky　described　ironically　to　Prince　Andrey　how　the　commission　had　been　sitting　for　one　hundred　and　fifty　years；　had　cost　millions；　and　had　done　nothing；　and　how　Rosenkampf　had　pasted　labels　on　all　the　various　legislative　codes。
“And　that’s　all　the　state　has　got　for　the　millions　it　has　spent！”　said　he。　“We　want　to　give　new　judicial　powers　to　the　Senate；　and　we　have　no　laws。　That’s　why　it　is　a　sin　for　men　like　you；　prince；　not　to　be　in　the　government。”
Prince　Andrey　observed　that　some　education　in　jurisprudence　was　necessary　for　such　work；　and　that　he　had　none。
“But　no　one　has；　so　what　would　you　have？　It’s　a　circulus　viciosus；　which　one　must　force　some　way　out　of。”
Within　a　week　Prince　Andrey　was　a　member　of　the　committee　for　the　reconstruction　of　the　army　regulations；　and—a　thing　he　would　never　have　expected—he　was　also　chairman　of　a　section　of　the　commission　for　the　revision　of　the　legal　code。　At　Speransky’s　request　he　took　the　first　part　of　the　civil　code　under　revision；　and　with　the　help　of　the　Napoleonic　Code　and　the　Code　of　Justinian　he　worked　at　the　revision　of　the　section　on　Personal　Rights。


Chapter　7
TWO　YEARS　BEFORE；　at　the　beginning　of　1808；　Pierre　had　returned　to　Petersburg　from　his　visits　to　his　estates；　and　by　no　design　of　his　own　had　taken　a　leading　position　among　the　freemasons　in　Petersburg。　He　organised　dining　and　funeral　lodges；　enrolled　new　members；　took　an　active　part　in　the　formation　of　different　lodges；　and　the　acquisition　of　authentic　acts。　He　spent　his　money　on　the　construction　of　temples；　and；　to　the　best　of　his　powers；　made　up　the　arrears　of　alms；　a　matter　in　which　the　majority　of　members　were　niggardly　and　irregular。　At　his　own　expense；　almost　unaided；　he　maintained　the　poorhouse　built　by　the　order　in　Petersburg。
Meanwhile　his　life　ran　on　in　the　old　way；　yielding　to　the　same　temptations　and　the　same　laxity。　He　liked　a　good　dinner　and　he　liked　strong　drink；　and；　though　he　thought　it　immoral　and　degrading　to　yield　to　them；　he　was　unable　to　resist　the　temptations　of　the　bachelor　society　in　which　he　moved。
Yet　even　in　the　whirl　of　his　active　work　and　his　dissipations；　Pierre　began；　after　the　lapse　of　a　year；　to　feel　more　and　more　as　though　the　ground　of　freemasonry　on　which　he　had　taken　his　stand　was　slipping　away　under　his　feet　the　more　firmly　he　tried　to　rest　on　it。　At　the　same　time　he　felt　that　the　further　the　ground　slipped　from　under　his　feet；　the　more　close　was　his　bondage　to　the　order。　When　he　had　entered　the　brotherhood　he　had　felt　like　a　man　who　confidently　puts　his　foot　down　on　the　smooth　surface　of　a　bog。　Having　put　one　foot　down；　he　had　sunk　in；　and　to　convince　himself　of　the　firmness　of　the　ground　on　which　he　stood；　he　had　put　the　other　foot　down　on　it　too；　and　had　sunk　in　further；　had　stuck　in　the　mud；　and　now　was　against　his　own　will　struggling　knee…deep　in　the　bog。
Osip　Alexyevitch　was　not　in　Petersburg。　（He　had　withdrawn　from　all　participation　in　the　affairs　of　the　Petersburg　lodge；　and　now　never　left　Moscow。）　All　the　brothers　who　were　members　of　the　lodge　were　people　Pierre　knew　in　daily　life；　and　it　was　difficult　for　him　to　see　in　them　simply　brothers　in　freemasonry；　and　not　Prince　B。；　nor　Ivan　Vasilyevitch　D。；　whom　he　knew　in　private　life　mostly　as　persons　of　weak　and　worthless　character。　Under　their　masonic　aprons　and　emblems　he　could　not　help　seeing　the　uniforms　and　the　decorations　they　were　striving　after　in　mundane　life。　Often　after　collecting　the　alms　and　reckoning　up　twenty　to　thirty　roubles　promised—and　for　the　most　part　left　owing—from　some　ten　members；　of　whom　half　were　as　well…off　as　Pierre　himself；　he　thought　of　the　masonic　vow　by　which　every　brother　promised　to　give　up　all　his　belongings　for　his　neighbour；　and　doubts　stirred　in　his　soul　from　which　he　tried　to　escape。
He　divided　all　the　brothers　he　knew　into　four　classes。　In　the　first　class　he　reckoned　brothers　who　took　no　active　interest　in　the　affairs　of　the　lodges　nor　in　the　service　of　humanity；　but　were　occupied　exclusively　with　the　scientific　secrets　of　the　order；　with　questions　relating　to　the　threefold　designation　of　God；　or　the　three　first　elements　of　things—sulphur；　mercury；　and　salt—or　the　significance　of　the　square　and　all　the　figures　of　the　Temple　of　Solomon。　Pierre　respected　this　class　of　masons；　to　which　the　elder　brothers　principally　belonged—in　it　Pierre　reckoned　Osip　Alexyevitch—but　he　did　not　share　their　interests。　His　heart　wasn’t　in　the　mystic　side　of　freemasonry。
In　the　second　class　Pierre　included　himself；　and　brothers　like　himself；　wavering；　seeking；　and　not　yet　finding　in　freemasonry　a　straight　and　fully　understood　path　for　themselves；　but　still　hoping　to　find　it。
In　the　third　class　he　reckoned　brothers—they　formed　the　majority—who　saw　in　freemasonry　nothing　but　an　external　form　and　ceremonial；　and　valued　the　strict　performance　of　that　external　form　without　troubling　themselves　about　its　import　or　significance。　Such　were　Villarsky　and　the　Grand　Master　of　the　lodge　indeed。
The　fourth　class；　too；　included　a　great　number　of　the　brothers　especially　among　those　who　had　entered　the　brotherhood　of　late。　These　were　men　who；　as　far　as　Pierre　could　observe；　had　no　belief　in　anything；　nor　desire　of　anything；　but　had　entered　the　brotherhood　simply　for　the　sake　of　getting　into　touch　with　the　wealthy　young　men；　powerful　through　their　connections　or　their　rank；　who　were　numerous　in　the　lodge。
Pierre　began　to　feel　dissatisfied　with　what　he　was　doing。　Freemasonry；　at　least　as　he　knew　it　here；　seemed　to　him　sometimes　to　rest　simply　upon　formal　observances。　He　never　dreamed　of　doubting　of　freemasonry　itself；　but　began　to　suspect　that　Russian　freemasonry　had　got　on　to　a　false　track；　and　was　deviating　from　its　original　course。　And　so　towards　the　end　of　the　year　Pierre　went　abroad　to　devote　himself　to　the　higher　mysteries　of　the　order。
It　was　in　the　summer　of　1809　that　Pierre　returned　to　Petersburg。　From　the　correspondence　that　passed　between　freemasons　in　Russia　and　abroad；　it　was　known　that　Bezuhov　had　succeeded　in　gaining　the　confidence　of　many　persons　in　high　positions　abroad；　that　he　had　been　initiated　into　many　mysteries；　had　been　raised　to　a　higher　grade；　and　was　bringing　back　with　him　much　that　would　conduce　to　the　progress　of　freemasonry　in　Russia。　The　Petersburg　freemasons　all　came　to　see　him；　tried　to　ingratiate　themselves　with　him；　and　all　fancied　that　he　had　something　in　reserve　that　he　was　preparing　for　them。
A　solemn　assembly　of　the　lodge　of　the　second　order　was　arranged；　at　which　Pierre　promised　to　communicate　the　message　he　had　to　give　the　Petersburg　brothers　from　the　highest　leaders　of　the　order　abroad。　The　assembly　was　a　full　one。　After　the　usual　ceremonies　Pierre　got　up　and　began　to　speak：
“Dear　brothers；”　he　began；　blushing　and　hesitating；　with　a　written　speech　in　his　hand；　“it　is　not　enough　to　guard　our　secrets　in　the　seclusion　of　the　lodge；—what　is　needed　is　to　act　…　to　act。　…　We　are　falling　into　slumber；　and　we　need　to　act。”
Pierre　opened　his　manuscript　and　began　to　read。
“For　the　propagation　of　the　pure　truth　and　the　attainment　of　virtue；”　he　read；　“we　must　purify　men　from　prejudice；　diffuse　principles　in　harmony　with　the　spirit　of　the　times；　undertake　the　education　of　the　younger　generation；　ally　ourselves　by　indissoluble　ties　with　the　most　enlightened　men；　boldly；　and　at　the　same　time　prudently；　overcome　superstition；　infidelity；　and　folly；　and　form　of　those　devoted　to　us　men　linked　together　by　a　common　aim　and　possessed　of　power　and　authority。
“For　the　attainment　of　this　aim　we　must　secure　to　virtue　the　preponderance　over　vice；　we　must　strive　that　the　honest　man　may　obtain　his　eternal　reward　even　in　this　world。　But　in　those　great　projects　we　are　very　gravely　hindered　by　existing　political　institutions。　What　is　to　be　done　in　the　existing　state　of　affairs？　Are　we　to　welcome　revolutions；　to　overthrow　everything；　to　repel　violence　by　violence？　…　No；　we　are　very　far　from　that。　Every　reform　by　violence　is　to　be　deprecated；　because　it　does　little　to　correct　the　evil　while　men　remain　as　they　are；　and　because　wisdom　has　no　need　of　violence。
“The　whole　plan　of　our　order　should　be　founded　on　the　training　of　men　of　character　and　virtue；　bound　together　by　unity　of　conviction　and　aim；—the　aim　of　suppressing　vice　and　folly　everywhere　by　every　means；　and　protecting　talent　and　virtue；　raising　deserving　persons　out　of　the　dust　and　enrolling　them　in　our　brotherhood。　Only　then　will　our　order　obtain　the　power　insensibly　to　tie　the　hands　of　the　promoters　of　disorder；　and　to　control