243 



first of Spain^ which involved the establishment of the In- 

 quisition and the debasement of religion, and afterwards of 

 France, which aimed at the political subjugation of all Europe, 

 could only have been broken by long-continued wars. 



15. General Course of History. — To Schopenhauer, the 

 history of humanity is aimless. One can only understand 

 this assertion by remembering that, to a hazy Pantheist, the 

 rise and progress of the Christian religion — the central fact 

 of all history — must appear an unintelligible delusion. Ordi- 

 nary thinkers, on the contrary, not misled by the love of 

 paradox or the affectation of originality, have agreed in tracing 

 a great plan through the centuries of recorded time. All the 

 nations of antiquity that have contributed to the development 

 of culture were finally absorbed into the great world-empire 

 of Rome. We see hei-e a preparation for the reception of 

 Christianity in the enforced peace and political unity thus 

 imposed upon a vast extent of populous territory, in the 

 breaking down of national religions and modes of thought, 

 and in the very general diff'usion of the Greek language. 

 Most historians agree with Merivale that the conversion of 

 the Roman Empire under Constantino is the most astonish- 

 ing moral revolution recorded in history. From causes, how- 

 ever, which lay apart from the new faith, and were in operation 

 before its triumph, the mighty Colossus of the West slowly 

 grew weaker and weakei", and ancient civilisation disappeared 

 for a time under the successive waves of barbarian invasion. 

 From the chaos thus induced, the great states of modern 

 Europe have slowly emerged. And it seems to be their 

 mission, in turn, to extend to the uttermost parts of the earth 

 the culture and religion which have given them their pre- 

 eminence in the world. Nothing but perverse blindness can 

 fail to see a connected and far-reaching plan in this very brief 

 sketch of the results of historical study. 



In conclusion, I must express my consciousness of the 

 temerity which induced me to treat of so profound and mys- 

 terious a subject. The Problem of Evil meets us in many pro- 

 vinces of thought, and reaches in its origin and results from past 

 eternity to that which is to come. To attempt to do justice 

 to a theme so awful and fascinating would require a volume 

 and powers of intellect to which I lay no claim, and I can 

 only naturally expect to be told that my brief treatment of 

 many parts of this tremendous subject has been inadequate. 

 But, when a mischievous delusion is abroad, an imperfect ex- 

 posure of it is better than none at all, and may lead the way to 

 its more complete refutation by one better fitted for the task. 



VOL. XVIII. R 



