培根散文隨筆美文：Of Goodness, & Goodness of Nature論善

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?

　　13 Of Goodness, & Goodness of Nature論善與性善

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.

我所採取的關於“善”的意義，就是旨在利人者。這就是希臘人所謂的“愛人”(Philanthropia);這個字底字義用“人道”(humanity)一語來表現(如目下之所爲)是有一點薄弱的。愛人的習慣我叫做“善”，其天然的傾向則叫做“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.

這在一切德性及精神的品格中是最偉大的;因爲它是上帝底特性;並且如沒有這種德性，人就成爲一種忙碌的，爲害的，卑賤不堪的東西，比一種蟲豸好不了許多。“善”與神學中的德性，“仁愛”相符合，並且不會過度，只能有錯誤。過度的求權力的慾望使天神墮落;過度的求知識的慾望使人類墮落;但是在“仁愛”之中卻是沒有過度的情形的;無論是神或人，也都不會因它而受危險的。向善的傾向是在人性中印得很深的;怎樣深法?就是如果這種傾向不發向人類，也要及於別的生物的;這可由土耳其人見之，土耳其人是一種殘忍的民族，然而他們對待禽獸卻很仁慈，並且施捨及於狗和鳥類。據布斯拜洽斯底記述，君士坦丁堡有一個耶教青年，因爲在玩笑中撐住了一隻長喙鳥底嘴的緣故，差一點被人用石頭打死了。土耳其人愛物底程度有如此者。在這種“善”或“仁愛”的德性中，錯誤有時是不免的。意大利人有一句罵人的成語：“他太老好，好得簡直成了廢物了”。意大利底宗師之一，尼考勞·馬基亞委利，也居然有這種自信，幾乎明明白白地寫道：“耶教把善良之人做成魚肉，貢獻給那些專橫無道的人”。他說這話，因爲真的從來沒有一種法律、教派或學說曾如耶教一樣地尊重過“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.

因此爲避免誹謗及危險起見，頂好研究研究象如此優良的一種習慣，其錯誤安在。我們要努力利人，但是不要作人們底面貌或妄想底奴隸;因爲若是那樣，就是易欺或柔懦了;易欺或柔懦是拘囚誠實的人的。也不要給《伊索寓言》中的雄雞一顆寶石，這雄雞要是得到一顆麥粒，他要快樂歡喜得多了。

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.

上帝底例子給我們很真切的教訓：“他降雨給義人，也給不義的人;叫日頭照好人，也照歹人”;然而他不降財富，也不叫榮譽和德能在所有的人上面平等地照臨。平常的福利應該使大衆共有，但是特殊的福利則應有選擇。並且我們要小心，不可在臨摹的時候把原樣毀了。因爲神學教給我們說，當以人之愛己爲模範;愛我們底鄰人則是這種愛己之心底仿作。“去變賣你所有的，分給窮人，並且來跟從我”;然而除非你要來跟從我;不要把你所有的都變賣了;那就是，除非你有天生的使命可以用很少的資產如很多的資產一樣行得出一般多的善來;若不然者，則是飼養了支流，卻汲幹了源泉也。間不僅有一種受正道指揮的爲善的習慣，並且在有些人，即在本性之中，也是有一種向善的心理趨向的，如同在另一方面是有一種天生的惡性一樣。

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.

因爲也有些人天性不關心他人底福利的。惡性中較輕的一種趨向於暴躁、不遜、喜爭或頑強，等等;而較深的一種則趨向於嫉妒或純粹的毒害。這樣的人可說是靠別人底災難而繁榮的，並且是落井下石的：他們不如那舐拉撤路底瘡的那些狗，而有如那總在人體任何潰爛的部分上嗡嗡的蒼蠅;這些“恨世者”(misanthropi)，是慣於誘人自縊;而在他們底園中卻連作這種用處的一棵樹也沒有的(和太蒙底事蹟相反)。

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.

這樣的心性正是人性底潰瘍，然而他們卻正是造大政客的材料;他們就如同曲木一樣，造船最好，船是天生要顛簸的，但是這種木材卻不適於造房屋，房屋是要站得牢的。性“善”底特質和特徵是很多的。如果一個人對待異鄉人溫和而有禮，那就足見他是個“世界的公民”，他的心不是一個與別的陸地隔絕的島嶼而是一個與那些陸地接連的大洲。若是他對別人底痛苦災難很是同情，那就是表明他底心有如那出藥療他人之傷而自己受割的珍貴的樹木。若是他對於別人底過惡很容易寬宥不究，那就足見他的心智是種植在超越傷害的地方的，所以他是傷害所不能及的。若是他對於小惠很感謝，那就表明他重視人們底心而不重視他們底錢。但是，最要者，假如他有聖保羅底至德，就是，假如他肯爲了他底兄弟們底得救而受基督底詛咒的話，那就顯出他頗合乎天道，與基督自身竟有一種符合之處了。