第356章

第356章andthewarwouldnothavebeenhadtherebeennointriguesonthepartofengland,nodukeofoldenburg,noresentmentonthepartofalexander;norhadtherebeennoautocracyinrussia,nofrenchrevolutionandconsequentdictatorshipandempire,norallthatledtothefrenchrevolution,andsoonfurtherback：withoutanyoneofthosecauses,nothingcouldhavehappened.andsoallthosecauses—myriadsofcauses—coincidedtobringaboutwhathappened.andconsequentlynothingwasexclusivelythecauseofthewar,andthewarwasboundtohappen,simplybecauseitwasboundtohappen.millionsofmen,repudiatingtheircommon-senseandtheirhumanfeelings,wereboundtomovefromwesttoeast,andtoslaughtertheirfellows,justassomecenturiesbeforehordesofmenhadmovedfromeasttowesttoslaughtertheirfellows.

theactsofnapoleonandalexander,onwhosewordsitseemedtodependwhetherthisshouldbedoneornot,wereaslittlevoluntaryastheactofeachsoldier,forcedtomarchoutbythedrawingofalotorbyconscription.thiscouldnotbeotherwise,forinorderthatthewillofnapoleonandalexander（onwhomthewholedecisionappearedtorest）shouldbeeffective,acombinationofinnumerablecircumstanceswasessential,withoutanyoneofwhichtheeffectcouldnothavefollowed.itwasessentialthatthemillionsofmeninwhosehandstherealpowerlay—thesoldierswhofiredgunsandtransportedprovisionsandcannons—shouldconsenttocarryoutthewillofthosefeebleandisolatedpersons,andthattheyshouldhavebeenbroughttothisacquiescencebyaninfinitenumberofvariedandcomplicatedcauses.

weareforcedtofallbackuponfatalisminhistorytoexplainirrationalevents（thatisthoseofwhichwecannotcomprehendthereason）.themorewetrytoexplainthoseeventsinhistoryrationally,themoreirrationalandincomprehensibletheyseemtous.everymanlivesforhimself,makinguseofhisfree-willforattainmentofhisownobjects,andfeelsinhiswholebeingthathecandoornotdoanyaction.butassoonashedoesanything,thatact,committedatacertainmomentintime,becomesirrevocableandisthepropertyofhistory,inwhichithasasignificance,predestinedandnotsubjecttofreechoice.

therearetwoaspectstothelifeofeveryman：thepersonallife,whichisfreeinproportionasitsinterestsareabstract,andtheelementallifeoftheswarm,inwhichamanmustinevitablyfollowthelawslaiddownforhim.

consciouslyamanlivesonhisownaccountinfreedomofwill,butheservesasanunconsciousinstrumentinbringingaboutthehistoricalendsofhumanity.anacthehasoncecommittedisirrevocable,andthatactofhis,coincidingintimewithmillionsofactsofothers,hasanhistoricalvalue.thehigheraman’splaceinthesocialscale,themoreconnectionshehaswithothers,andthemorepowerhehasoverthem,themoreconspicuousistheinevitabilityandpredestinationofeveryacthecommits.“theheartsofkingsareinthehandofgod.”thekingistheslaveofhistory.

history—thatistheunconsciouslifeofhumanityintheswarm,inthecommunity—makeseveryminuteofthelifeofkingsitsown,asaninstrumentforattainingitsends.

althoughinthatyear,1812,napoleonbelievedmorethaneverthattoshedornottoshedthebloodofhispeoplesdependedentirelyonhiswill（asalexandersaidinhislastlettertohim）,yetthen,andmorethanatanytime,hewasinbondagetothoselawswhichforcedhim,whiletohimselfheseemedtobeactingfreely,todowhatwasboundtobehisshareinthecommonedificeofhumanity,inhistory.

thepeopleofthewestmovedtotheeastformentokilloneanother.andbythelawofthecoincidenceofcauses,thousandsofpettycausesbackedoneanotherupandcoincidedwiththateventtobringaboutthatmovementandthatwar：resentmentatthenon-observanceofthecontinentalsystem,andthedukeofoldenburg,andthemassingoftroopsinprussia—ameasureundertaken,asnapoleonsupposed,withtheobjectofsecuringarmedpeace—andthefrenchemperor’sloveofwar,towhichhehadgrownaccustomed,inconjunctionwiththeinclinationsofhispeople,whowerecarriedawaybythegrandiosescaleofthepreparations,andtheexpenditureonthosepreparations,andthenecessityofrecoupingthatexpenditure.thentherewastheintoxicatingeffectofthehonourspaidtothefrenchemperorindresden,andthenegotiationstooofthediplomatists,whoweresupposedbycontemporariestobeguidedbyagenuinedesiretosecurepeace,thoughtheyonlyinflamedtheamour-propreofbothsides;andmillionsuponmillionsofothercauses,chiminginwiththefatedeventandcoincidentwithit.

whentheappleisripeandfalls—whydoesitfall？isitbecauseitisdrawnbygravitationtotheearth,becauseitsstalkiswithered,becauseitisdriedbythesun,becauseitgrowsheavier,becausethewindshakesit,orbecausetheboystandingunderthetreewantstoeatit？

notoneofthoseisthecause.allthatsimplymakesuptheconjunctionofconditionsunderwhicheveryliving,organic,elementaleventtakesplace.andthebotanistwhosaysthattheapplehasfallenbecausethecellsaredecomposing,andsoon,willbejustasrightastheboystandingunderthetreewhosaystheapplehasfallenbecausehewantedtoeatitandprayedforittofall.thehistorian,whosaysthatnapoleonwenttomoscowbecausehewantedto,andwasruinedbecausealexanderdesiredhisruin,willbejustasrightandaswrongasthemanwhosaysthatthemountainofmillionsoftons,totteringandundermined,hasbeenfelledbythelaststrokeofthelastworkingman’spick-axe.inhistoricaleventsgreatmen—socalled—arebutthelabelsthatservetogiveanametoanevent,andlikelabels,theyhavetheleastpossibleconnectionwiththeeventitself.

everyactionoftheirs,thatseemstothemanactoftheirownfree-will,isinanhistoricalsensenotfreeatall,butinbondagetothewholecourseofprevioushistory,andpredestinedfromalleternity.