iancaldwell&dustinthomason.theruleoffour-第61部分

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　〃The　bonfire　of　the　vanities；〃　I　say。
　〃Right。　The　gangs　returned　with　cart　after　cart。　They　came　back　with　cards　and　dice。　Chessboards。　Eye　shadow；　rouge　pots；　perfume；　hair　nets；　jewelry。　Carnival　masks　and　costumes。　But　most　importantly；　pagan　books。　Manuscripts　by　Greek　and　Roman　writers。　Classical　sculptures　and　paintings。〃
　Paul　returns　his　drawing　to　the　manila　envelope。　His　voice　is　somber。
　〃On　Shrove　Tuesday；　the　seventh　of　February；　1497；　the　city　came　out　to　watch。　Records　say　the　pyramid　was　sixty　feet　high；　two　hundred　and　seventy　feet　around　at　its　base。　And　all　of　it　went　up　in　flames。
　〃The　bonfire　of　the　vanities　bees　an　unforgettable　moment　in　Renaissance　history。〃　He　pauses；　looking　past　me　at　the　scraps　of　paper　on　the　wall。　They　heave　faintly　when　the　vent　puffs　air　into　the　carrel。　〃Savonarola　bees　famous。　Before　long　he's　known　throughout　Italy　and　beyond。　His　sermons　are　printed　and　read　in　half　a　dozen　countries。　He's　admired　and　hated。　Michelangelo　was　captivated　by　him。　Machiavelli　thought　he　was　a　fake。　But　everyone　had　an　opinion；　and　everyone　admitted　his　power。　Everyone。〃
　I　see　where　he's　leading　me。　〃Including　Francesco　Colonna。〃
　〃And　that's　where　the　Hypnerotomachia　es　in。〃
　〃So　it's　a　manifesto？〃
　〃Of　sorts。　Francesco　couldn't　stand　Savonarola。　To　him；　Savonarola　represented　the　worst　kind　of　fanaticism；　everything　that　was　wrong　with　Christianity。　He　was　destructive。　Vengeful。　He　refused　to　let　men　use　the　gifts　God　gave　them。　Francesco　was　a　humanist；　a　lover　of　antiquity。　He　and　his　cousins　spent　their　early　years　studying　with　the　great　instructors　of　ancient　prose　and　poetry。　By　the　time　he　was　thirty；　he　had　amassed　one　of　the　most　important　collections　of　original　manuscripts　in　Rome。
　〃Long　before　the　first　bonfire；　he　had　been　gathering　art　and　books；　employing　merchants　in　Florence　to　buy　up　what　they　could　and　ship　it　to　one　of　his　family　estates　in　Rome。　It　put　a　major　rift　between　Francesco　and　his　family；　because　they　believed　he　was　squandering　his　money　on　Florentine　trinkets。　But　as　Savonarola　gained　power；　Francesco　became　more　resolute：　he　couldn't　bear　to　think　of　the　pyramid　going　up　in　smoke；　no　matter　what　the　cost　to　him　or　his　fortune。　Marble　busts；　Botticelli　paintings；　hundreds　of　priceless　objects。　And　most　of　all；　the　books。　The　rare；　irreplaceable　books。　He　stood　at　the　other　end　of　the　intellectual　universe　from　Savonarola。　To　him；　the　greatest　violence　in　the　world　was　against　art；　against　knowledge。
　〃In　the　summer　of　1497；　Francesco　travels　to　Florence；　to　see　for　himself。　And　what　everyone　else　admires　about　Savonarola…his　holiness；　his　ability　to　think　about　nothing　but　salvation…makes　Francesco　feel　the　deepest　kind　of　hatred　and　fear。　He　sees　what　Savonarola　is　capable　of　doing：　destroying　the　greatest　artifacts　of　the　first　resurgence　in　classical　learning　since　the　fall　of　ancient　Rome。　He　sees　the　death　of　art；　the　death　of　knowledge；　the　death　of　the　classical　spirit。　And　the　death　of　humanism：　the　end　of　the　quest　to　overstep　boundaries　and　exceed　limitations；　to　see　the　full　possibility　of　thought。〃
　〃That's　what　he　wrote　about　in　the　second　half　of　the　book？〃
　Paul　nods　again。　〃Francesco　wrote　everything　into　it；　all　the　things　he　was　too　scared　to　e　out　and　say　in　the　first　half。　He　recorded　what　he　saw　in　Florence；　and　what　he　feared。　That　Savonarola　was　growing　in　influence。　That　he　would　somehow　earn　the　ear　of　the　French　king。　That　he　had　admirers　throughout　Germany　and　Italy。　You　can　see　it　increasing；　the　longer　Francesco　writes。　He　became　more　and　more　convinced　that　there　were　legions　of　supporters　behind　Savonarola；　in　every　country　of　Christendom。　This　preacher；　he　wrote；　is　only　the　beginning　of　a　new　spirit　of　Christianity。　There　will　be　uprisings　of　fanatical　preachers；　outbreaks　of　bonfires　throughout　Italy。　He　says　Europe　is　on　the　brink　of　a　religious　revolution。　And　with　the　Reformation　approaching；　he's　right。　Savonarola　won't　be　around　to　see　it　happen；　but　like　you　said；　when　Luther　sets　things　into　motion　a　few　years　later；　he'll　remember　Savonarola　as　a　hero。〃
　〃So　Colonna　saw　it　all　ing。〃
　〃Yes。　And　after　seeing　Savonarola　for　himself；　Francesco　takes　a　stand。　He　decides　to　use　his　connections　to　do　what　very　few　other　people　in　Rome；　or　anywhere　in　the　West；　could've　done　about　it。　Using　a　small　network　of　trusted　friends；　he　begins　to　collect　even　more　great　works　of　art　and　rare　manuscripts。　He　municates　with　a　huge　network　of　humanists　and　painters　to　gather　together　as　many　treasures；　as　many　artifacts　of　human　knowledge　and　achievement；　as　possible。　He　bribes　abbots　and　librarians；　aristocrats　and　businessmen。　Merchants　travel　to　cities　across　the　continent　for　him。　They　go　to　the　ruins　of　the　Byzantine　Empire；　where　ancient　learning　is　still　preserved。　They　go　to　infidel　lands　for　Arabic　texts。　They　go　to　monasteries　in　Germany；　France；　and　the　North。　And　the　whole　time；　Francesco　keeps　his　identity　a　secret；　protected　by　his　closest　friends　and　humanist　brothers。　Only　they　know　what　he　intends　to　do　with　all　of　these　treasures。〃
　Suddenly　I　remember　the　portmaster's　diary。　Genovese；　wondering　what　could　possibly　be　carried　on　such　a　small　ship；　ing　from　such　an　obscure　port。　Wondering　why　a　nobleman　like　Francesco　Colonna　would　be　so　interested　in　it。
　〃He　finds　masterpieces；〃　Paul　continues。　〃Works　that　no　one　has　seen　for　hundreds　of　years。　Titles　no　one　knew　even　existed。　Aristotle's　Eudemus；　Protrepticus；　and　Gryllus。　Greco…Roman　imitations　by　Michelangelo。　All　forty…two　volumes　by　Hermes　Trismegistus；　the　Egyptian　prophet　believed　to　be　older　than　Moses。　He　finds　thirty…eight　plays　of　Sophocles；　twelve　by　Euripides；　twenty…three　by　Aeschylus；　all　of　them　considered　lost　today。　In　a　single　German　monastery　he　finds　philosophical　treatises　by　Parmenides；　Empedocles；　and　Democritus；　all　squirreled　away　for　centuries　by　monks。　A　scout　in　the　Adriatic　discovers　works　by　the　ancient　painter　Apelles…the　portrait　of　Alexander；　the　Aphrodite　Anadyomene；　and　the　line　of　Protogenes…and　Francesco　is　so　excited　he　tells　the　scout　to　buy　them　even　if　they　might　be　fakes。　A　librarian　in　Constantinople　sells　him　the　Chaldaean　Oracles　for　a　small　pig's　weight　in　silver…and　Francesco　calls　it　a　bargain　because　the　oracles'　author；　Zoroaster　the　Persian；　is　the　only　known　prophet　older　than　Hermes　Trismegistus。　Seven　chapters　by　Tacitus　and　a　book　by　Livy　appear　at　the　end　of　Francesco's　list　as　if　they're　nothing。　He　almost　forgets　to　mention　half　a　dozen　works　by　Botticelli。〃
　Paul　shakes　his　head；　imagining　it。　〃In　less　than　two　years；　Francesco　Colonna　assembles　one　of　the　greatest　libraries　of　ancient　art　and　literature　in　the　Renaissance　world。　He　brings　two　seamen　into　his　inner　circle　to　captain　his　ships　and　move　his　cargo。　He　employs　the　sons　of　the　trusted　members　of　the　Roman　Academy　to　protect　caravans　traveling　roads　across　Europe。　He　tests　the　men　he　suspects　of　treachery；　recording　their　every　move　so　he　can　cover　his　tracks。　Francesco　knew　he　could　only　trust　his　secret　to　a　select　few；　and　he　was　willing　to　do　whatever　it　took　to　protect　it。〃
　It's　hitting　me　now；　the　full　force　of　what　my　father　and　I　stumbled　onto：　a　single　loose　thread　in　a　web　of　munication　between　Colonna　and　his　assistants；　a　network　designed　for　the　sole　purpose　of　protecting　the　nobleman's　secret。
　〃Maybe　Rodrigo　and　Donato　weren't　the　only　ones　he　tested；〃　I　suggest。　〃Maybe　there　are　more　belladonna　letters。〃
　〃Probably；〃　he　says。　〃And　when　Francesco　was　done；　he　put　everything　he　owned　in　a　place　no　one　would　ever　think　to　look。　A　place　where　he　says　his　treasures　will　be　safe　from　his　enemies。〃
　I　know　it　even　before　he　says　it。
　〃He　petitions　the　senior　members　of　his　family　for　access　to　the　huge　tracts　of　land　they　own　outside　Rome；　under　the　pretext　of　a　profit…making　enterprise。　But　instead　of　building　above　ground；　in　the　middle　of　the　forests　where　his　ancestors　used　to　hunt；　he　designs　his　crypt。　A　huge　underground　vault。　Only　five　of　his　men　ever　know　its　location。
　〃Then；　as　1498　approaches；　Francesco　makes　a　crucial　decision。　In　Florence；　Savonarola　seems　to　be　more　popular　than　ever