培根散文隨筆美文：Of Truth論真理

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?

　　1 Of Truth 論真理

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.

善戲謔的彼拉多曾說：“真理是什麼呢?”說了之後並且不肯等候回答。世上盡有一般人喜歡把意見變來變去，並且認爲固定了一種信仰即等於上了一套枷鎖;在思想上和在行爲上他們都一樣地要求意志底自由。並且雖然這一流的各派哲學家已成過去，然而仍有些心志遊移的說者和他們同聲同氣，——雖然這般人比起古人來血氣薄弱一點。

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.

但是使人們好僞說的原因，不僅是人們找尋真理時的艱難困苦，亦不是找尋着了真理之後真理所加於人們底思想的約束，而是一種天生的，雖然是惡劣的，對於僞說本身的愛好。希臘晚期哲學學派中有人曾研究過這個問題，他不懂得僞說之中有什麼東西竟會使人們爲僞說底本身而愛它，因爲僞說既不能如詩人之所爲，引人入勝;亦不能如商人之所爲，導人得利。我亦不懂得這是什麼緣故：可是“真理”這件東西可說是一種無隱無飾的白晝之光，世間的那些歌劇、扮演、慶典在這種光之下所顯露的，遠不如燈燭之光所顯露的莊嚴美麗。真理在世人眼中其價值也許等於一顆珍珠，在日光之下看起來最好;但是它決夠不上那在各種不同的光線下顯得最美的鑽石和紅玉底價值。攙上一點僞說的道理總是給人添樂趣的。要是從人們底心中取去了虛妄的自是，自諛的希望，錯誤的評價，武斷的想象，就會使許多人底心變成一種可憐的、縮小的東西，充滿憂鬱和疾病，自己看起來也討厭。對於這一點會有人懷疑麼?早期的耶教著作家中有一位曾經很嚴厲地把詩叫做“魔鬼底酒”，因爲詩能佔據人底想象，然而詩不過是僞說底影子罷了。害人的不是那從心中經過的僞說，而是那沉入心中，盤據心中的僞說，如前所言者是也。然而這些事情，無論其在人們墮落的判斷力及好尚中是如何，真理(它是隻受本身底評判的)卻教給我們說研究真理(就是向它求愛求婚)，認識真理(就是與之同處)，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.

當上帝創造宇宙的那幾日中，他所創造的頭一件東西就是感官底光明;他所創造的末一件東西就是理智底光明;從那以後直到如今在他工作完畢而休息的期間內，他底作爲全是以他底聖靈昭示世人。最初他在物或渾沌底面上吹吐光明;然後他由人底面目中吹入光明;到如今他還在往他的選民面目之中吐射光明。有一派哲學在別的方面都不如他派，可是有一位詩人爲這派哲學增光不少。這位詩人曾說：“站在岸上看船舶在海上簸盪是一件樂事;站在一座堡壘底窗前看下面的戰爭和它底種種經過最一件樂事;但是沒有一件樂事能與站在真理底高峯(一座高出一切的山陵，在那裏的空氣永遠是澄清而寧靜的)目睹下面谷中的錯誤、漂泊、迷霧和風雨相比擬的”;只要看的人對這種光景永存惻隱而不要自滿，那末以上的話可算是說得好極了。當然，一個人底心若能以仁愛爲動機，以天意爲歸宿，並且以真理爲地軸而動轉，那這人的生活可真是地上的天堂了

從教義中的真理和哲學中的真理再說到世事上的真理。即使那些行爲並不坦白正直的人也會承認坦白正直地待人是人性底光榮，而真假相混則有如金銀幣中雜以合金一樣，也許可以使那金銀用起來方便一點，但是把它們底品質卻弄賤了。因爲這些曲曲折折的行爲可說是蛇走路的方法，蛇是不用腳而是很卑賤地用肚子走路的。沒有一件惡德能和被人發現是虛僞欺詐一般使人蒙羞的。所以蒙泰涅在他研究爲什麼說人說謊算是這樣的一種羞辱，一種可恨之極的罪責的時候，說得極好。他說：“仔細考慮起來，要是說某人說謊就等於說他對上帝很大膽，對世人很怯懦”。因爲謊言是直對着上帝而躲避着世人的。曾經有個預言，說基督重臨的時候，他將在地上找不到信實;所以謊言可說是請上帝來裁判人類全體的最後的鐘聲。對於虛假和背信底罪惡再不能比這個說法揭露得更高明瞭。