培根散文随笔美文：Of Truth论真理

培根散文随笔集中英对照，通过阅读文学名著学语言，是掌握英语的绝佳方法。既可接触原汁原味的英语，又能享受文学之美，一举两得，何乐不为?

1 Of Truth 论真理

What is truth; said jesting Pilate; and would not stay for an answer. Certainly there be, that delight in giddiness; and count it a bondage, to fix a belief, affecting free-will in thinking, as well as in acting. And though the sects of philosophers of that kind be gone, yet there remain certain discoursing wits, which are of the same veins, though there be not so much blood in them, as was in those of the ancients.

善戏谑的彼拉多曾说：“真理是什么呢?”说了之后并且不肯等候回答。世上尽有一般人喜欢把意见变来变去，并且认为固定了一种信仰即等于上了一套枷锁;在思想上和在行为上他们都一样地要求意志底自由。并且虽然这一流的各派哲学家已成过去，然而仍有些心志游移的说者和他们同声同气，——虽然这般人比起古人来血气薄弱一点。

But it is not only the difficulty, and labour, which men take in finding out of truth; nor again, mat when it is found, it imposeth upon men s thoughts; that doth bring lies in favour: but a natural, though corrupt love, of the lie itself. One of the later school of me Grecians, examineth the matter, and is at a stand, to think what should be in it, mat men should love lies; where neither they make for pleasure, as with poets; nor for advantage, as with me merchant; but for the lie's sake. But I cannot tell: this same truth, is a naked, and open day light, mat doth not show, the masques, and mummeries, and triumphs of the world, half so stately, and daintily, as candlelights. Truth may perhaps come to the price of a pearl, that showeth best by day: but it will not rise, to me price of a diamond, or carbuncle, that showeth best in varied lights. A mixture of a lie doth ever add pleasure. Doth any man doubt, mat if there were taken out of men s minds, vain opinions, nattering hopes, false valuations, imaginations as one would, and the like; but it would leave the minds, of a number of men, poor shrunken things; full of melancholy, and indisposition, and unpleasing to themselves? One of the fathers, in great severity, called poesy, vinum daenwnwn; because it filleth the imagination, and yet it is, but with me shadow of a lie. But it is not me lie, that passeth through the mind, but me lie mat sinketh in, and settleth in it, that doth me hurt, such as we spake of before. But howsoever these things arc thus, in men's depraved judgements, and affections, yet truth, which only doth judge itself, teacheth, that the inquiry of truth, which is the love-making, or wooing of it; the knowledge of truth, which is the presence of it; and the belief of truth, which is the enjoying of it; is the sovereign good of human nature.

但是使人们好伪说的原因，不仅是人们找寻真理时的艰难困苦，亦不是找寻着了真理之后真理所加于人们底思想的约束，而是一种天生的，虽然是恶劣的，对于伪说本身的爱好。希腊晚期哲学学派中有人曾研究过这个问题，他不懂得伪说之中有什么东西竟会使人们为伪说底本身而爱它，因为伪说既不能如诗人之所为，引人入胜;亦不能如商人之所为，导人得利。我亦不懂得这是什么缘故：可是“真理”这件东西可说是一种无隐无饰的白昼之光，世间的那些歌剧、扮演、庆典在这种光之下所显露的，远不如灯烛之光所显露的庄严美丽。真理在世人眼中其价值也许等于一颗珍珠，在日光之下看起来最好;但是它决够不上那在各种不同的光线下显得最美的钻石和红玉底价值。搀上一点伪说的道理总是给人添乐趣的。要是从人们底心中取去了虚妄的自是，自谀的希望，错误的评价，武断的想象，就会使许多人底心变成一种可怜的、缩小的东西，充满忧郁和疾病，自己看起来也讨厌。对于这一点会有人怀疑么?早期的耶教著作家中有一位曾经很严厉地把诗叫做“魔鬼底酒”，因为诗能占据人底想象，然而诗不过是伪说底影子罢了。害人的不是那从心中经过的伪说，而是那沉入心中，盘据心中的伪说，如前所言者是也。然而这些事情，无论其在人们堕落的判断力及好尚中是如何，真理(它是只受本身底评判的)却教给我们说研究真理(就是向它求爱求婚)，认识真理(就是与之同处)，和相信真理(就是享受它)乃是人性中最高的美德。

The first creature of God, in the works of the days, was the light of the sense;the last, was the light of reason; and his Sabbath work, ever since, is the illumination of his spirit First he breathed light, upon the face, of the matter or chaos; then he breathed light, into the face of man; and still he breatheth and inspireth light, into the face of his chosen. The poet, that beautified the sect, that was otherwise inferior to the rest, saith yet excellently well: 'It is a pleasure to stand upon the shore, and to see ships tossed upon the sea: a pleasure to stand in the window of a castle, and to see a battle, and the adventures thereof, below: but no pleasure is comparable, to the standing, upon the vantage ground of truth:' (a hill not to be commanded, and where the air is always clear and serene;) 'and to see the errors, and wanderings, and mists, and tempests, in the vale below:' so always, that this prospect, be with pity, and not with swelling, or pride. Certainly, it is heaven upon earth, to have a man's mind move in charity, rest in providence, and turn upon the poles of truth. To pass from theological, and philosophical truth, to the truth of civil business; it will be acknowledged, even by those mat practise it not, that clear and round dealing is the honour of man's nature;and that mixture of falsehood, is like allay in coin of gold and silver, which may make the metal work the better, but it embaseth it For these winding and crooked courses, are the goings of the serpent; which goeth basely upon the belly, and not upon the feet There is no vice, that doth so cover a man with shame, as to be found false, and perfidious. And therefore Mountaigny saith prettily, when he enquired the reason, why the word of the lie should be such a disgrace, and such an odious charge? saith he, 'If it be well weighed, to lay that a man lieth, is as much to say, as mat he is brave towards God, and a coward towards men.' For a lie faces God, and shrinks from man. Surely the wickedness of falsehoods, and breach of faith, cannot possibly be so highly expressed, as in mat it shall be the last peal, to call the judgements of God upon the generations of men, it being foretold, that when Christ cometh. He shall not find faith upon the earth.

当上帝创造宇宙的那几日中，他所创造的头一件东西就是感官底光明;他所创造的末一件东西就是理智底光明;从那以后直到如今在他工作完毕而休息的期间内，他底作为全是以他底圣灵昭示世人。最初他在物或浑沌底面上吹吐光明;然后他由人底面目中吹入光明;到如今他还在往他的选民面目之中吐射光明。有一派哲学在别的方面都不如他派，可是有一位诗人为这派哲学增光不少。这位诗人曾说：“站在岸上看船舶在海上簸荡是一件乐事;站在一座堡垒底窗前看下面的战争和它底种种经过最一件乐事;但是没有一件乐事能与站在真理底高峰(一座高出一切的山陵，在那里的空气永远是澄清而宁静的)目睹下面谷中的错误、漂泊、迷雾和风雨相比拟的”;只要看的人对这种光景永存恻隐而不要自满，那末以上的话可算是说得好极了。当然，一个人底心若能以仁爱为动机，以天意为归宿，并且以真理为地轴而动转，那这人的生活可真是地上的天堂了

从教义中的真理和哲学中的真理再说到世事上的真理。即使那些行为并不坦白正直的人也会承认坦白正直地待人是人性底光荣，而真假相混则有如金银币中杂以合金一样，也许可以使那金银用起来方便一点，但是把它们底品质却弄贱了。因为这些曲曲折折的行为可说是蛇走路的方法，蛇是不用脚而是很卑贱地用肚子走路的。没有一件恶德能和被人发现是虚伪欺诈一般使人蒙羞的。所以蒙泰涅在他研究为什么说人说谎算是这样的一种羞辱，一种可恨之极的罪责的时候，说得极好。他说：“仔细考虑起来，要是说某人说谎就等于说他对上帝很大胆，对世人很怯懦”。因为谎言是直对着上帝而躲避着世人的。曾经有个预言，说基督重临的时候，他将在地上找不到信实;所以谎言可说是请上帝来裁判人类全体的最后的钟声。对于虚假和背信底罪恶再不能比这个说法揭露得更高明了。