VI. We will begin our comparisons with the nations of Europe. The
Germans, who have been so stigmatized for heavy dull people, that Father
Domingo Bohursius a French Jesuit, in his Conversations of Aristius and
Eugenius, made no scruple of pronouncing, that he doubted whether it was
possible to find a man of bright talents in the whole country: however,
in answer to this charge, it may be alledged, that Germany has produced
so many excellent authors in all kinds of literature, that it is hardly
possible to number them. I doubt whether the before-named Frenchman, by
rummaging for them through the series of all past ages, can point out
two of his countrymen, who were equally eminent with Rabanus Maurus, and
Albertus the Great. The epithets which Cardinal Baronius bestows upon
Rabanus Maurus, are, that he was the resplendent star of his age, and
the supreme Theologian of his time; and Sextus Senense, recognizes him
as a man most perfectly accomplished in all kinds of letters; and the
Abbot Trithemius, after celebrating him as a most excellent Theologian,
Philosopher, Orator, and Poet, adds, that Italy never produced a man
equal to this; and Trithemius was not ignorant, that Saint Thomas Aquinas
was a native of Italy. Whom can France boast that exceeded Trithemius
himself, who was so greatly venerated by Cornelius Agrippa; or who
excelled the Abbot Rupertus, or Father Athanasius Kircher, who according
to Caramuel was divinely learned; or Father Gaspar Schotti, and many
others whom I shall omit? Neither should we forbear to mention that ray
or flash of criticism, Gaspar Sciopius, who was the terror of all the
learned men of his time, who at the age of sixteen begun to write books,
which were the admiration of men of years and experience. I have in this
literary map of Germany, only pointed out the mountains of greatest
eminence, as I had not room to insert the lesser ones in it.
VII. The Hollanders, who in the days of antiquity were reputed for such
stupid people, that it was common among the Romans, when they had a mind
to describe a heavy dull man, or one that was slow of apprehension, to
make use of the following proverbial expression, _auris Batava_; that he
had the ears of a Hollander; however, the Dutch since then, have clearly
proved, that imputation was a false one, for the opinion of their being
people of ability, is at this day very fully established. Their civil
government, and their industry in commerce, are the admiration of all the
world; and there is scarce an art, that is not cultivated and brought
to great perfection among them. The two Williams of Nassau, Erasmus,
and Hugo Grotius, are striking examples of their talents for policy and
literature. Thus we see in this as well as other nations, the want of
application has been construed into rudeness; but as soon as the neglect
of study was remedied, the injustice of the imputation became manifest.
VIII. The abilities of the Muscovites also, have till of late days,
been held in as much contempt as those of the antient Hollanders were;
for it was but in the last century, that Urban Chevreau a celebrated
wit of France, laid that a Muscovite was _the man of Plato_; by which
expression, the French Author alluded to the poor definition that
philosopher gave of a man, when he described him to be an animal without
feathers, who walked upon two legs, _animal bipes implume_; this gave
occasion to the joke of Diogenes, who having plucked the feathers off a
cock, threw him into the school of Plato among his disciples, calling
out with a loud voice, _see the Man of Plato_. Chevreau attempted to
say, that the Muscovites were nothing like men but in their figure. But
after the Czar Peter Alexiowitz had introduced arts and sciences among
them, it soon became evident, that the Muscovites were as much men in all
respects, as any of the other people in Europe. But if this never had
been done, how could any one suppose that a people who were stupid and
senseless, should have been able to form a most extensive empire; and to
preserve it for so long a space of time as the Russians have preserved
theirs? It required great ability to conquer such an empire; and to
preserve it in the face of two such powerful enemies as the Turks and the
Persians, much more. I am not ignorant, that Muscovy is a part of antient
Scythia, whose moroders were reputed, and with reason, the most savage
and barbarous of men; this barbarism, did not proceed from their want of
natural talents, but from the want of those talents being cultivated; of
which truth, the famous philosopher Anacharsis is a striking instance,
who was the only man of that nation, that went to study in Greece. If
numbers of other Scythians had done the same, Scythia might possibly have
exhibited many Anacharsises.