培根散文随笔美文：Of Goodness, & Goodness of Nature论善

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?

13 Of Goodness, & Goodness of Nature论善与性善

I take goodness in this sense, the affecting of the weal of men, which is that the Grecians call philanthropia; and the word humanity (as it is used) is a little too light, to express it Goodness I call the habit, and goodness of nature the inclination.

我所采取的关于“善”的意义，就是旨在利人者。这就是希腊人所谓的“爱人”(Philanthropia);这个字底字义用“人道”(humanity)一语来表现(如目下之所为)是有一点薄弱的。爱人的习惯我叫做“善”，其天然的倾向则叫做“性善”。

This of all virtues, and dignities of the mind, is the greatest; being the character of the deity: and without it, man is a busy, mischievous, wretched thing; no better than a kind of vermin. Goodness answers to the theological virtue charity, and admits no excess, but error. The desire of power in excess, caused the angels to fall; the desire of knowledge in excess, caused man to fall; but in charity, there is no excess; neither can angel, or man, come in danger by it. The inclination to goodness is imprinted deeply in the nature of man: in so much, that if it issue not towards men, it will take unto other living creatures: as it is seen in the Turks, a cruel people, who nevertheless are kind to beasts, and give alms to dogs, and birds: in so much, as Busbechius reporteth; a Christian boy in Constantinople had like to have been stoned, for gagging, in a waggishness, a long billed fowl. Errors, indeed, in this virtue of goodness, or charity, may be committed. The Italians have an ungracious proverb; tanto buon che val niente: so good, that he is good for nothing. And one of the doctors of Italy, Nicholas Machiavelli, had the confidence to put in writing, almost in plain terms: That the Christian faith had given up good men, in prey, to those that are tyrannical, and unjust Which he spoke, because indeed there was never law, or sect, or opinion, did so much magnify goodness, as the Christian religion doth.

这在一切德性及精神的品格中是最伟大的;因为它是上帝底特性;并且如没有这种德性，人就成为一种忙碌的，为害的，卑贱不堪的东西，比一种虫豸好不了许多。“善”与神学中的德性，“仁爱”相符合，并且不会过度，只能有错误。过度的求权力的欲望使天神堕落;过度的求知识的欲望使人类堕落;但是在“仁爱”之中却是没有过度的情形的;无论是神或人，也都不会因它而受危险的。向善的倾向是在人性中印得很深的;怎样深法?就是如果这种倾向不发向人类，也要及于别的生物的;这可由土耳其人见之，土耳其人是一种残忍的民族，然而他们对待禽兽却很仁慈，并且施舍及于狗和鸟类。据布斯拜洽斯底记述，君士坦丁堡有一个耶教青年，因为在玩笑中撑住了一只长喙鸟底嘴的缘故，差一点被人用石头打死了。土耳其人爱物底程度有如此者。在这种“善”或“仁爱”的德性中，错误有时是不免的。意大利人有一句骂人的成语：“他太老好，好得简直成了废物了”。意大利底宗师之一，尼考劳·马基亚委利，也居然有这种自信，几乎明明白白地写道：“耶教把善良之人做成鱼肉，贡献给那些专横无道的人”。他说这话，因为真的从来没有一种法律、教派或学说曾如耶教一样地尊重过“善”的。

Therefore to avoid the scandal, and the danger both, it is good to take knowledge of the errors of an habit so excellent. Seek the good of other men, but be not in bondage to their faces, or fancies; for that is but facility, or softness; which taketh an honest mind prisoner. Neither give thou Aesop's cock a gem, who would be better pleased, and happier, if he had had a barley corn.

因此为避免诽谤及危险起见，顶好研究研究象如此优良的一种习惯，其错误安在。我们要努力利人，但是不要作人们底面貌或妄想底奴隶;因为若是那样，就是易欺或柔懦了;易欺或柔懦是拘囚诚实的人的。也不要给《伊索寓言》中的雄鸡一颗宝石，这雄鸡要是得到一颗麦粒，他要快乐欢喜得多了。

The example of God teacheth the lesson truly: he sendeth his rain, and maketh his sun to shine, upon the just, and unjust; but he doth not rain wealth, nor shine honour, and virtues, upon men equally. Common benefits are to be communicate with all; but peculiar benefits, with choice. And beware, how in making the portraiture, thou breakest the pattern: for divinity maketh the love of ourselves the pattern; the love of our neighbours but the portraiture. Sell all thou hast, and give it to me poor, and follow me: but sell not all thou hast, except thou come, and follow me; that is, except thou have a vocation, wherein thou may do as much good with little means as with great: for otherwise, in feeding the streams, thou driest the fountain. Neither is there only a habit of goodness, directed by right reason; but mere is, in some men, even in nature, a disposition towards it: as on the other side, there is a natural malignity.

上帝底例子给我们很真切的教训：“他降雨给义人，也给不义的人;叫日头照好人，也照歹人”;然而他不降财富，也不叫荣誉和德能在所有的人上面平等地照临。平常的福利应该使大众共有，但是特殊的福利则应有选择。并且我们要小心，不可在临摹的时候把原样毁了。因为神学教给我们说，当以人之爱己为模范;爱我们底邻人则是这种爱己之心底仿作。“去变卖你所有的，分给穷人，并且来跟从我”;然而除非你要来跟从我;不要把你所有的都变卖了;那就是，除非你有天生的使命可以用很少的资产如很多的资产一样行得出一般多的善来;若不然者，则是饲养了支流，却汲干了源泉也。间不仅有一种受正道指挥的为善的习惯，并且在有些人，即在本性之中，也是有一种向善的心理趋向的，如同在另一方面是有一种天生的恶性一样。

For there be, that in their nature do not affect the good of others. The lighter sort of malignity, turneth but to a crossness, or forwardness, or aptness to oppose, or difficultness, or the like; but the deeper sort, to envy, and mere mischief. Such men, in other men's calamities, are, as it were, in season, and are ever on the loading part; not so good as the dogs that licked Lazarus's sores; but like flies, that are still buzzing upon anything that is raw; misanthropi, that make it their practice, to bring men to the bough; and yet have never a tree for the purpose, in their gardens, as Timon had.

因为也有些人天性不关心他人底福利的。恶性中较轻的一种趋向于暴躁、不逊、喜争或顽强，等等;而较深的一种则趋向于嫉妒或纯粹的毒害。这样的人可说是靠别人底灾难而繁荣的，并且是落井下石的：他们不如那舐拉撤路底疮的那些狗，而有如那总在人体任何溃烂的部分上嗡嗡的苍蝇;这些“恨世者”(misanthropi)，是惯于诱人自缢;而在他们底园中却连作这种用处的一棵树也没有的(和太蒙底事迹相反)。

Such dispositions are the very errors of human nature: and yet they are the fittest timber, to make great politics of: like to knee timber, that is good for ships that are ordained to be tossed; but not for building houses, that shall stand firm. The parts and signs of goodness are many. If a man be gracious, and courteous to strangers, it shows he is a citizen of the world; and that his heart is no island, cut off from other lands; but a continent, that joins to them. If he be compassionate towards the afflictions of others, it shows mat his heart is like the noble tree, that is wounded itself, when it gives the balm. If he easily pardons and remits offences, it shows that his mind is planted above injuries; so that he cannot be shot If he be thankful for small benefits, it shows that he weighs men's minds, and not their trash. But above all, if he have St Paul's perfection, that he would wish to be an anathema from Christ, for the salvation of his brethren, it shows much of a divine nature, and a kind of conformity with Christ himself.

这样的心性正是人性底溃疡，然而他们却正是造大政客的材料;他们就如同曲木一样，造船最好，船是天生要颠簸的，但是这种木材却不适于造房屋，房屋是要站得牢的。性“善”底特质和特征是很多的。如果一个人对待异乡人温和而有礼，那就足见他是个“世界的公民”，他的心不是一个与别的陆地隔绝的岛屿而是一个与那些陆地接连的大洲。若是他对别人底痛苦灾难很是同情，那就是表明他底心有如那出药疗他人之伤而自己受割的珍贵的树木。若是他对于别人底过恶很容易宽宥不究，那就足见他的心智是种植在超越伤害的地方的，所以他是伤害所不能及的。若是他对于小惠很感谢，那就表明他重视人们底心而不重视他们底钱。但是，最要者，假如他有圣保罗底至德，就是，假如他肯为了他底兄弟们底得救而受基督底诅咒的话，那就显出他颇合乎天道，与基督自身竟有一种符合之处了。