Chapter 69 chapter eight

How did Panagure in Paris I received a letter from my father, Gao Kangda; you can understand the content of the letter. Pangguai is very attentive in his studies and has made great progress, because he has double the comprehension ability, and his memory is so good that he can hold twelve large buckets of olives. Oil.At this time, one day he received a letter from his father, which read as follows: Dearest son, among the favors, favors, and rights bestowed upon mankind by the Almighty Creator at the beginning of existence, there is one that I think is particularly miraculous and beautiful; with it, mankind can obtain eternal life in the event of possible death, and in a short period of time To perpetuate one's name and race in the course of one's life, is the series of offspring resulting from our legal marriages.Because of descendants, what our ancestors lost due to sin can be compensated. It is said that they did not obey the commandments of the Creator God, so they should die. Because of death, the beautiful image of human beings will be wiped out.But because it is passed down from generation to generation, what is lost by parents will remain in the child, and what is lost in the child will be passed on to the descendants of future generations; this is passed down from generation to generation until the final judgment. until the time when the peaceful nation of danger and crime is returned to the Father; then will be the end of all dynasties and crimes, and the elements will stop their incessant changes, and then the long-desired peace will be realized, and the will be perfect, and everything will come to an end and fulfill their historical mission.

Therefore, I thank God the Savior for making me see that it is very reasonable and proper that my waning days should be revived in your youthful years; When I am out of the body, I will no longer think that I am completely dead, but just go from one place to another, because in you and your actions, others can still see my image living there, and with me Like my habit, I communicated with people of honor and friends, and time passed.I rely on the grace and blessing of God for these dealings. Although I cannot say that I am without fault (because each of us commits sins, so we keep asking God to forgive our sins), at least I think it is beyond reproach.

For this reason, as the image of my body is preserved in you, if the virtues of the soul are not equally developed, people will say that you are not the bearer and treasure of the immortal reputation of our family; would dwindle, for what would exist would be the smallest part of me, which is the body, and the best part, the soul on which our reputation depends to be blessed in the world, degenerates and decays.I say this by no means that I don't believe in your character. I have experienced your character in the past, and I want to encourage you to get better and better in the future.I am writing to you now not to compel you to live in such a virtuous way, but to wish you to live in this way, and if it pleases you, it will refresh you in the future.

In order to accomplish and do this well, don't you forget how I spared nothing; I teach you as my only treasure in the world, and I only want to see you one day in my lifetime. A perfect and flawless man, no matter in character, morality, intelligence, or rich practical knowledge; I hope you will reflect me, your father, like a mirror after my death, even if Not quite as complete and specific as I would expect you to be, but at least as beautiful as I would have imagined. I still clearly remember how my deceased father, Gao Langgujie, tried his best to enable me to gain lessons in all aspects of learning and social knowledge. I also tried my best to meet his wishes and exceed his wish.In addition, you also understand that learning literature and art was by no means as convenient and easy as it is now, and I did not have as many teachers as you.It was a dark age, and there was a legacy of the infidelity and destruction of the Goths, who ruined all good literature.However, thanks to God's blessing, light and dignity were finally returned to literature and art before I died, and I saw such a great improvement. I am afraid that it would be difficult for me to enter the lowest class of primary school now, while I was back then (and indeed so) was called the most learned man of my century.I do not say this with hypocrisy or exaggeration-though writing to you, I may well do so with dignity, as Margus Tullius wrote in his book Plutarch in his The same as the famous sentence in the book called "How to Praise Yourself Without Exaggerating"-but to show you my deeper love for you.

Now, the educational curriculum at all levels has been stipulated, and the language has also been established. For example, Greek. It is a shame for a person to say that he is knowledgeable if he does not know Greek; ③The same is true of Latin; the beauty and usefulness of printing, in my time, was certainly inspired by the divine, just as, on the contrary, artillery fire was produced under the guidance of the devil.Now all over the world there are men of learning, great knowledge ① that is, Cicero. ② That sentence goes like this: "Lessness is to be shown to boastful old men, who are old, and have a certain reputation and virtue, if they (by their example) can stimulate the enthusiasm and self-esteem of the accused, It's not useless, on the contrary, it's very important."

③ Galdia: The language of Babylonia Galdia. Excellent teachers, a well-stocked library.I thought that whether it was Plato's time, Cicero's or Babinian's time, it was not as easy to study in any age as it is now.In the future, if he does not come out after completing his studies in the temple of Minerva, no one will be able to gain a foothold in society, and no one will associate with him.I think the robbers, butchers, soldiers, and grooms of today are much better than the doctors and lecturers of my time.What can I say?Even women and girls hope to receive this honor and get good spiritual food.Language has become so necessary today that even at my present age I have to learn Greek, which I never had the opportunity to learn in my youth, though I did not despise it as much as Gaddo did.Now I am very fond of reading Plutarch's "Moral Treatise", Plato's beautiful "Dialogues", Pausanias's "Ancient Architecture" and Atheneus's "Archaeology", while waiting for my When God the Creator is pleased to call me and command me to leave this world.

For this reason, my child, I advise you to spend your youth well on academics and morals.You are now in Paris, and at the same time you have your teacher, Ebsidemond, who can educate you very well by the latter ⑥ with vivid oral instructions, and the former ⑦ with commendable examples. I insist that you learn all the languages, Greek first, as Cantilian prescribes, Latin second, and Hebrew third, which is enough to read the Bible. To learn more carefully, Caldia and Arabic also need to be learned; in terms of writing and grammar, one needs to learn Plato for Greek, and Cicero for Latin. To keep everything in your head, works on geography and cosmology can help you learn.

In terms of literature and art, geometry, arithmetic and music, I have made you interested in them when you were five or six years old; for the rest, you must continue to learn well, such as astronomy, you must learn all the laws; as for divination and astrology. And Lulius's Alchemy Titan ① can be left alone, because they are all deceitful and hypocritical things. As far as the law is concerned, I hope you will read all the articles of justice and then compare them intelligently. As for the things of nature, I want you to study carefully, if there is no fish in the sea, river, or spring that you do not know; All the flowers and plants on the ground, all the minerals under the earth, all the gems in the east and south, there is nothing you don't know.

Then, carefully refer to the writings of Greek, Arabian, Roman, and various medical scientists, and don't neglect those who study "Talmot" and "Gabal". ④, that is, human beings, to master comprehensive knowledge.It takes a few hours to read the Bible every day, first the Greek "New Testament" and the letters of the believers, and then the Hebrew "Old Testament". In short, let me see in you a pool of knowledge; because when you grow up, you will leave the quiet life of studying to learn horseback riding and martial arts, to defend our homeland, and when friendly nations resist the attack of bad guys , do everything possible to help them.

I also want you to test how much you have learned nearby. The best way is to openly accept the answer to all knowledge. Anyone can ask questions and anyone can argue with you.In addition, one should always be in touch with learned people, whether in Paris or elsewhere. The prophet Solomon said that there is no wisdom in the soul of the wicked, and knowledge without understanding is equal to the waste of the soul; therefore, you need to serve, love and fear God, put all your thoughts and desires on him, and use love to form Be united to Him in faith, and never let sin separate you from God.Be on the lookout for deceit in the world.Don't be greedy for vanity in your heart, because life on earth is short, and only the word of God lasts forever.Be courteous to others and love your neighbor as yourself.Respect your teacher.Avoid those whom you do not imitate, and do not waste the blessings which God has given you.When you think you have learned all the knowledge there, come back to me, let me see you before I die, and bless you.

My son, may the peace and favor of my Lord be with you.Amen. On March 17, in Utopia, your father Gao Kangda ① Babinian: a famous politician of the Roman Empire in the third century. ② The Temple of Minerva is in Rome. It was a meeting place for poets and artists in ancient times. Here it refers to the school that teaches literature and art. ③ Gaddo: Administrator of the Roman Empire in the second century BC. ④ Plutarch once said that Cado despised Greek culture the most. ⑤ Pausanias: Greek geographer and historian in the second century. ⑥ refers to Ai Bisidemon. ⑦ refers to Paris. ⑧ Gantilian: A famous educator in the Roman Empire in the first century. ① Refers to the small tricks popular among some astrologers in the second half of the thirteenth century. ② "Talmot": The "Bible" of the Jews, the whole book is divided into two parts, one is called "Mishna" and the other is called "Chimara". ③ "Gabal": The esoteric commentary made by the Jews based on the "Bible". ④ At that time, it was said that the "world" was the "big universe" and "human beings" were the "small universe". After receiving this letter from home, Paiguguet regained his spirits and cheered up after reading it, with an unprecedented strength.Seeing him working hard and making progress like this, you can really say that his spirit and books are as inseparable as dry wood meeting a raging fire. He is so excited that he never gets tired.