培根散文隨筆美文：Of Marriage & Single Life 論結婚與獨身

培根散文隨筆集中英對照，通過閱讀文學名著學語言，是掌握英語的絕佳方法。既可接觸原汁原味的英語，又能享受文學之美，一舉兩得，何樂不爲?

　　8 Of Marriage & Single Life 論結婚與獨身

He that hath wife and children, hath given hostages to fortune; for they are impediment to great enterprises, either of virtue, or mischief. Certainly, the best works, and of greatest merit for the public, have proceeded from the unmarried or childless men; which both in affection, and means, have married and endowed the public. Yet it were great reason, that those that have children, should have greatest care of future times; unto which, they know, they must transmit their dearest pledges. Some there are, who though they lead a single life, yet their thoughts do end with themselves, and account future times impertinences. Nay, there are some other, that account wife and children but as bills of charges. Nay more, there are some foolish rich covetous men, that take a pride in having no children, because they may be thought so much the richer.

有妻與子的人已經向命運之神交了抵押品了;因爲妻與子是大事底阻撓物，無論是大善舉或大惡行。無疑地，最好，最有功於公衆的事業是出自無妻或無子的人的;這些人在情感和金錢兩方面都可說是娶了公衆並給以奩資了。然而依理似乎有子嗣的人應當最關心將來，他們知道他們一定得把自己最貴重的保證交代給將來的。有些人雖然過的是獨身生活，他們的思想卻僅限於自身，把將來認爲無關緊要。並且有些人把妻與子認爲僅僅是幾項開銷。尤有甚者，有些愚而富的慳吝人竟以無子嗣自豪，以爲如此則他們在別人眼中更顯得富有了。

For perhaps, they have heard some talk; Such an one is a great rich man; and another except to it; Yea, but he hath a great charge of children: as if it were an abatement to his riches. But the most ordinary cause of a single life is liberty; especially in certain self-pleasing and humorous minds, which are so sensible of every restraint, as they will go near to think their girdles and garters to be bonds and shackles.

也許他們聽過這樣的話：一人說，“某某人是個大富翁”，而另一人不同意地說，“是的，可是他有很大的兒女之累”，好象兒女是那人底財富底削減似的。然而獨身生活底最普通的原因則是自由，尤其在某種自喜而且任性的人們方面爲然，這些人對於各種的約束都很敏感，所以差不多連腰帶襪帶都覺得是鎖鏈似的。

Unmarried men are best friends; best masters; best servants; but not always best subjects; for they are light to run away; and almost all fugitives are of that condition. A single life doth well with church men: for charity will hardly water the ground, where it must first fill a pool. It is indifferent for judges and magistrates: for if they be facile, and corrupt, you shall have a servant five times worse than a wife. For soldiers, I find the generals commonly in their hortatives, put men in mind of their wives and children: and I think the despising of marriage amongst the Turks, maketh the vulgar soldier more base. Certainly, wife and children are a kind of discipline of humanity: and single men though they be many times more charitable, because their means are less exhaust; yet, on the other side, they are more cruel, and hard hearted (good to make severe inquisitors), because their tenderness is not so oft called upon. Grave natures, led by custom, and therefore constant, are commonly loving husbands; as was said of Ulysses; vetulam suam praetulit immortalitati.

獨身的人是最好的朋友，最好的主人，最好的僕人，但是並非最好的臣民;因爲他們很容易逃跑，差不多所有的逃人都是獨身的。獨身生活適於僧侶之流，因爲慈善之舉若先須注滿一池，則難於灌溉地面也。獨身於法官和知事則無甚關係，因爲假如他們是易欺而貪污的，則一個僕人之惡將五倍於一位夫人之惡也。至於軍人，竊見將帥激厲士卒時，多使他們憶及他們底妻子兒女;又竊以爲土耳其人之不尊重婚姻使一般士兵更爲卑賤也。妻子和兒女對於人類確是一種訓練;而獨身的人，雖然他們往往很慷慨好施，因爲他們底錢財不易消耗，然而在另一方面他們較爲殘酷狠心(作審問官甚好)，因爲他們不常有用仁慈之處也。莊重的人，常受風俗引導，因而心志不移，所以多是情愛甚篤的丈夫;如古人謂攸立西斯：“他寧要他底老妻而不要長生”者是也。

Chaste women are often proud and forward, as presuming upon the merit of their chastity. It is one of the best bonds, both of chastity and obedience, in the wife, if she think her husband wise; which she will never do, if she find him jealous. Wives are young men's mistresses; companions for middle age; and old men's nurses. So as a man may have a quarrel to many, when he will. But yet, he was reputed one of the wise men, mat made answer to the question, when a man should marry? A young man not yet, an elder man not at all. It is often seen, that bad husbands have very good wives; whether it be, that it raiseth the price of their husband's kindness, when it comes; or that the wives take a pride in their patience. But this never fails, if the bad husbands were of their own choosing, against their friends' consent; for then, they will be sure to make good their own folly.

貞節的婦人往往驕傲不遜，一若她們是自恃貞節也者。假如一個婦人相信她底丈夫是聰慧的，那就是最好的使她保持貞操及柔順的維繫;然而假如這婦人發現丈夫妒忌心重，她就永不會以爲他是聰慧的了。妻子是青年人底情人，中年人底伴侶，老年人底看護。所以一個人只要他願意，任何時候都有娶妻底理由。然而有一個人，人家問他，人應當在什麼時候結婚?他答道：“年青的人還不應當，年老的人全不應當”。這位也被人稱爲智者之一。常見不良的丈夫多有很好的妻子;其原因也許是因爲這種丈夫底好處在偶爾出現的時候更顯得可貴，也許是因爲做妻子的以自己底耐心自豪。但是這一點是永遠不錯的，就是這些不良的丈夫必須是做妻子的不顧親友之可否而自己選擇的，因爲如此她們就一定非補救自己底失策不可也