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Capítulo XXVI
Memorias secretas históricas de cuya verdad es permitido que se dude
Así que hubo estado Arabela suficiente tiempo en la sala de bombas para examinarlo todo, mostró deseo de volverse a casa. Encamináronse a ella Glanville, Arabela, Carlota y dos caballeros conocidos suyos, y con mucha curiosidad de examinar a nuestra heroína sin velo. Carlota sufrió por algunos momentos la mortificación de ver a sus acompañantes embelesados con el rostro de su prima e indiferentes con el suyo. La seriedad de Arabela no agradó al más mozo de los dos, llamado Tíncel, que tenía fama de petrimetre, de chistoso, de alegre, de divertido y de entonado. Volviose a Carlota y entabló con ella una conversación a su modo. Silven (así se llamaba el otro) era de distinto temple: se tenía por sabio y no desperdiciaba ocasión alguna de emplear su creída erudición; algunas citas de fechas y la narración de varios pasajes antiguos lo graduaron, entre los ignorantes, por un prodigio de ciencia y de memoria; si se hablaba de la historia antigua, hacía como que calculaba y decía: «Eso sucedió el año segundo de la Olimpiada décima-cuarta»*; y esta puntualidad le producía casi siempre elogios. Aún no se le había presentado la ocasión de lucir, cuando Arabela habló del manantial que se halla al pie de las Termópilas y buscó la analogía que podía tener con las aguas de Bath119. Silven no conocía las de las Termópilas y, avergonzadísimo de verse cogido en un hecho histórico, se vengó en negarlo.
—Permitidme, señora –dijo–, el creer que os engañáis, porque seguramente no hay aguas minerales al pie de las Termópilas.
—Noto, caballero, que no habéis estudiado mucho la historia –dijo Arabela–, porque sabríais que Pisístrato tuvo una aventura en las mismas aguas de que hablo, la cual originó la ruina del gobierno de Atenas.
Más sobrecogido Silven al oír esto, replicó, en tono muy propio para dar a entender la buena opinión que tenia de sí mismo:
—Sé, señora, perfectísimamente cuanto concierne a la república de Atenas y no ignoro los medios con que Pisístrato llegó a la soberanía; no se ha usado de astucia más fina –añadió mirando a Glanville–, que de la de herirse a sí propio para que le señalaran una guardia. p. 181
—Volvéis a engañaros, caballero: lo hirió Licurgo o Teócrito, competidores suyos, quienes, creyéndolo prendado de la beldad de Cerinta, formaron el proyecto de asesinarlo; tampoco es cierto que la ambición sola animase a Pisístrato para esclavizar a su patria: si algunos autores se atrevieron a publicar este hecho, fue porque no conocieron los motivos de su manejo; el amor que tuvo a Cerinta, en los baños de las Termópilas, le hizo tirano de Atenas120.
—Os protesto, señora –repuso Silven confusísimo–, que se me han escapado todas esas particularidades. No me acuerdo de haberlas leído ni en Plutarco ni en los historiadores que hablaron de la Grecia.
—Así será, caballero, pero podréis verlo, cuando quisiereis, en Magdalena Scudery.
—¡Magdalena Scudery! No conozco tal historiador.
—¡No! Pues digo que vuestras lecturas han sido limitadísimas.
—Me parece que tengo alguna idea –prosiguió Silven, sonrojado–. Creo que la citan a menudo Herodoto, Tucídides y Plutarco.
—Es muy de extrañar –dijo Glanville riéndose– que no conozcáis a un historiador tan citado por Plutarco, Tucídides y Herodoto.
—Confieso que es vergonzoso; empecé a ojearlo, pero os digo, de buena fe, que me desagradó su latín: no se escribía en su siglo como en el de Cicerón.
—Os engañáis groseramente, caballero –dijo Arabela–. Magdalena Scudery es un autor moderno y francés, que solo ha escrito en su lengua.
—¡Autor moderno y francés! Entonces no es de maravillar que yo no lo conozca, porque no leo más que los historiadores antiguos… Señora –continuó satisfechísimo de su saber–, abomino de los modernos, porque su estilo dista mucho del que me gusta.
—Pero, con todo –añadió maliciosamente Glanville–, es preciso que Magdalena Escudery sea más antiguo autor que Herodoto y Tucídides, porque, de otro modo, ¿cómo hubieran podido citarlo?
Quedó desairado Silven, fuera de sí, sin saber qué decirse y sufriendo los sarcasmos de su sabiondo amigo, quien, haciendo monadas con Carlota, había oído algo de la conversación.
i Así en el original.
119 El topónimo Termópilas significa, etimológicamente, ‘fuentes calientes’, dada la abundancia de aguas termales de la zona. Más allá de que se pudiera referir a un manantial en concreto de acuerdo con la mención a Pisístrato de más abajo, acaso la referencia pueda entenderse de una manera más general: Termópilas como lugar por antonomasia de fuentes termales para poner en relación con los baños de Bath.
120 La historia de Pisístrato, junto con sus rivales Licurgo y Teócrito y la hermosa Cerinta, que aparecen unas líneas más abajo, se relata en Artémene IX.3 (Dalziel 406).
Chapter V
Containing some historical anecdotes, the truth of which may possibly be doubted, as
they are not to be found in any of the historians.
After a short stay in the room, Arabella expressing a desire to return home, Mr. Glanville conducted her out. Two gentlemen of his acquaintance attending Miss Glanville, [138] Sir Charles detained them to breakfast, by which means they had an opportunity of satisfying their curiosity; and beheld Arabella divested of that veil, which had, as they said (and it is probable they said no more than they thought) concealed one of the finest faces in the world.
Miss Glanville had the mortification to see both the gentlemen so charmed with the sight of her cousin’s face that for a long time she sat wholly neglected; but the seriousness of her behaviour giving some little disgust to the youngest of them, who was what the ladies call a pretty fellow, a dear creature and the most diverting man in the world, he applied himself wholly to Miss Glanville, and soon engaged her in a particular conversation.
Mr. Selvin, so was the other gentleman called, was of a much graver cast: he affected to be thought deep-read in history, and never failed to take all opportunities of displaying his knowledge of antiquity, which was indeed but very superficial; but having some few anecdotes by heart, which he would take occasion to introduce as often as he could, he passed among many persons for one who, by application and study, had acquired a universal knowledge of ancient history.
Speaking of any particular circumstance, he would fix the time, by computing the year with the number of the Olympiads.* “It happened,” he would say, “in the 141st Olympiad.” Such an amazing exactness had a suitable [139] effect on his audience, and always procured him a great degree of attention.
This gentleman hitherto had no opportunity of displaying his knowledge of history, the discourse having wholly turned upon news and other trifles, when Arabella, after some more enquiries concerning the place, remarked that there was a very great difference between the medicinal waters at Bath and the fine springs at the foot of the mountain Thermopylæ, in Greece, as well in their qualities as manner of using them. “And I am of opinion,” added she, “that Bath, famous as it is for restoring health, is less frequented by infirm persons than the famous springs of Thermopylæ were by the beauties of Greece, to whom those waters have the reputation of giving new lustre.”
Mr. Selvin, who, with all his reading, had never met with any account of these celebrated Grecian springs, was extremely disconcerted at not being able to continue a conversation, which the silence of the rest of the company made him imagine was directed wholly to him.
The shame he conceived at seeing himself posed* by a girl, in a matter which so immediately belonged to him, made him resolve to draw himself out of this dilemma at any rate; and, though he was far from being convinced that there were no such springs at Thermopylæ as Arabella mentioned, yet he resolutely maintained that she must be mistaken in their situation; for, to his certain knowledge, there were [140] no medicinal waters at the foot of that mountain.
Arabella, who could not endure to be contradicted in what she took to be so incontestable a fact, reddened with vexation at his unexpected denial. p. 246
“It should seem,” said she, “by your discourse, that you are unacquainted with many material passages that passed among very illustrious persons there; and if you knew anything of Pisistratus the Athenian, you would know that an adventure he had at those baths laid the foundation of all those great designs, which he afterwards effected, to the total subversion of the Athenian government.”
Mr. Selvin, surprised that this piece of history had likewise escaped his observation, resolved, however, not to give up his point.
“I think, madam,” replied he, with great self-sufficiency, “that I am pretty well acquainted with everything which relates to the affairs of the Athenian Commonwealth; and know by what steps Pisistratus advanced himself to the sovereignty. It was indeed a great stroke of policy in him,” said he, turning to Mr. Glanville,* “to wound himself in order to get a guard assigned him.”
“You are mistaken, sir,” said Arabella, “if you believe there was any truth in the report of his having wounded himself. It was done either by his rival Lycurgus, or Theocrites, who, believing him still to be in love with the fair Cerinthe, whom he courted, took that way to get rid of him. Neither is it true that ambition alone inspired Pisistratus with a design of [141] enslaving his country: those authors who say so must know little of the springs* and motives of his conduct. It was neither ambition nor revenge that made him act as he did; it was the violent affection he conceived for the beautiful Cleorante, whom he first saw at the famous baths of Thermopylæ, which put him upon those designs; for, seeing that Lycurgus, who was not his rival in ambition, but love, would certainly become the possessor of Cleorante, unless he made himself tyrant of Athens, he had recourse to that violent method, in order to preserve her for himself.”
“I protest, madam,” said Mr. Selvin, casting down his eyes in great confusion at her superior knowledge in history, “these particulars have all escaped my notice; and this is the first time I ever understood that Pisistratus was violently in love, and that it was not ambition which made him aspire to sovereignty.”
“I do not remember any mention of this in Plutarch,” continued he, rubbing his forehead, “or any of the authors who have treated on the affairs of Greece.”
“Very likely, sir,” replied Arabella. “But you will see the whole story of Pisistratus’s love for Cleorante, with the effects it produced, related at large in Scudery.”
“Scudery, madam!” said the sage Mr. Selvin. “I never read that historian.”
“No, sir!” replied Arabella. “Then your reading has been very confined.”
“I know, madam,” said he, “that Herodotus, Thucydides, and Plutarch have indeed quoted him frequently.”
[142] “I am surprised, sir,” said Mr. Glanville, who was excessively diverted at this discovery of his great ignorance and affectation, “that you have not read that famous historian, especially as the writers you have mentioned quote him so often.”p. 247
“Why, to tell you the truth, sir,” said he, “though he was a Roman, yet it is objected to him that he wrote but indifferent Latin, with no purity or elegance; and—”
“You are quite mistaken, sir,” interrupted Arabella. “The great Scudery was a Frenchman, and both his Clelia and Artamenes were written in French.”
“A Frenchman was he?” said Mr. Selvin, with a lofty air. “Oh! Then, it is not surprising that I have not read him. I read no authors but the ancients, madam,” added he, with a look of self-applause. “I cannot relish the moderns at all. I have no taste for their way of writing.”
“But Scudery must needs be more ancient than Thucydides and the rest of those Greek historians you mentioned,” said Mr. Glanville. “How else could they quote him?”
Mr. Selvin was here so utterly at a loss that he could not conceal his confusion. He held down his head, and continued silent, while the beau, who had listened to the latter part of their discourse, exerted his supposed talent of raillery against the unhappy admirer of the ancient authors; and increased his confusion by a thousand sarcasms, which gave more diversion to himself than anybody else.