rologueTolerance
亨德里克·威廉·房龙/HendrikWilleVanLoon
HappilylivedMankdthepeacefulValleyofIgnorance.
Tothenorth，tothesouth，tothewestandtotheeaststretchedtheridgesoftheHillsEverstg.
AlittlestreaofKnowledgetrickledslowlythroughadeepwully.
ItcaoutoftheMountasofthePast.
ItlostitselftheMarshesoftheFuture.
Itwasnotuch，asriversgo.Butitwasenoughforthehubleneedsofthevilgers.
Intheeveng，whentheyhadwateredtheircattleandhadf？illedtheircasks，theywereositdowntoenjoylife.
TheOldMenwhoknewwerebroughtforthfrotheshadyrnerswheretheyhadspenttheirday，povertheysteriopagesofanoldbook.
Theyubledstrangewordstotheirgrandchildren，whowouldhavepreferredtopywiththeprettypebbles，broughtdownfrodistantnds.
Oftenthesewordswerenotveryclear.
Buttheywerewritathoandyearsagobyafottenrace.Heheywereholy.
FortheValleyofIgnorance，whateverwasoldwasvenerable.Andthosewhodaredtogasaythewisdoofthefatherswereshunnedbyalldetpeople.
Andsotheykepttheirpeace.
Fearwaseverwiththe.Whatiftheyshouldberefedtheonshareoftheproductsofthegarden？
Vaguestoriestherewere，whisperedatnightaongthenarrowstreetsofthelittletown，vaguestoriesofnandwonwhohaddaredtoaskquestions.
Theyhadgoneforth，andneveragahadtheybeenseen.
Afewhadtriedtoscalethehighwallsoftherockyrahathidthesun.
Theirwhitenedbonesyatthefootofthecliffs.
Theyearsdtheyearswentby.
HappilylivedMankdthepeacefulValleyofIgnorance.
Outofthedarknesscreptaan.
Thenailsofhishandsweretorn.
Hisfeetwereveredwithrags，redwiththebloodoflongarches.
Hestubledtothedoorofthehutandknocked.
Theed.Bythelightofafrighteneddle，hewascarriedtoat.
Ihroughoutthevilgeitwasknown：“Hehaseback.”
Theneighborsstoodaroundandshooktheirheads.Theyhadalwaysknownthatthiswastobetheend.
Defeatandsurrenderawaitedthosewhodaredtostrollawayfrothefootoftheountas.
AndonernerofthevilgetheOldMenshooktheirheadsandwhisperedburngwords.
Theydidnotantobecruel，buttheLawwastheLaw.BitterlythisanhadsnedagastthewishesofThoseWhoKnew.
Assoonashiswoundswerehealedhetbebroughttotrial.
Theyanttobele.