培根散文隨筆集第54章:Of Vain glory 論虛榮

IT WAS prettily devised of AEsop, The fly sat upon the axle-tree of the chariot wheel, and said, What a dust do I raise! So are there some vain persons, that whatsoever goeth alone, or moveth upon greater means, if they have never so little hand in it, they think it is they that carry it. They that are glorious, must needs be factious; for all bravery stands upon comparisons. They must needs be violent, to make good their own vaunts. Neither can they be secret, and therefore not effectual; but according to the French proverb, Beaucoup de bruit, peu de fruit; Much bruit little fruit. Yet certainly, there is use of this quality in civil affairs. Where there is an opinion and fame to be created, either of virtue or greatness, these men are good trumpeters. Again, as Titus Livius noteth, in the case of Antiochus and the AEtolians, There are sometimes great effects, of cross lies; as if a man, that negotiates between two princes, to draw them to join in a war against the third, doth extol the forces of either of them, above measure, the one to the other: and sometimes he that deals between man and man, raiseth his own credit with both, by pretending greater interest than he hath in either. And in these and the like kinds, it often falls out, that somewhat is produced of nothing; for lies are sufficient to breed opinion, and opinion brings on substance. In militar commanders and soldiers, vain-glory is an essential point; for as iron sharpens iron, so by glory, one courage sharpeneth another. In cases of great enterprise upon charge and adventure, a composition of glorious natures, doth put life into business; and those that are of solid and sober natures, have more of the ballast, than of the sail. In fame of learning, the flight will be slow without some feathers of ostentation. Qui de contemnenda gloria libros scribunt, nomen, suum inscribunt. Socrates, Aristotle, Galen, were men full of ostentation. Certainly vain-glory helpeth to perpetuate a man’s memory; and virtue was never so beholding to human nature, as it received his due at the second hand. Neither had the fame of Cicero, Seneca, Plinius Secundus, borne her age so well, if it had not been joined with some vanity in themselves; like unto varnish, that makes ceilings not only shine but last. But all this while, when I speak of vain-glory, I mean not of that property, that Tacitus doth attribute to Mucianus; Omnium quae dixerat feceratque arte quadam ostentator: for that proceeds not of vanity, but of natural magnanimity and discretion; and in some persons, is not only comely, but gracious. For excusations, cessions, modesty itself well governed, are but arts of ostentation. And amongst those arts, there is none better than that which Plinius Secundus speaketh of, which is to be liberal of praise and commendation to others, in that, wherein a man’s self hath any perfection. For saith Pliny, very wittily, In commending another, you do yourself right; for he that you commend, is either superior to you in that you commend, or inferior. If he be inferior, if he be to be commended, you much more; if he be superior, if he be not to be commended, you much less. Glorious men are the scorn of wise men, the admiration of fools, the idols of parasites, and the slaves of their own vaunts.

“蒼蠅坐在戰車底輪軸上說道，我揚起了多少塵土啊”！伊索這個寓言說得實是巧妙。類此，有些個妄人，無論任何事情，或是事情自動，或由大力者推動，只要他們在其中有一點關係，他們就以爲這些事情是完全依仗着他們底力量的。好誇之人一定是好黨爭的；因爲一切的誇耀都是靠着比較的。這種人也必然是過分的，因爲如此方可以支持自己種種的誇耀。他們又不能守祕密，所以他們是沒有什麼實際上的用處的；反之，他們是和法國底一句成語所說的一樣，“聲音很大，結果很小”的。然而在政事中這一種品性也是確有其用的。每逢人們需要造成一種大才或大德底名聲的時候，這些人就是很好的吹鼓手。再者，如裏維關於安提奧喀斯和哀陶立安人之事的話：“對雙方的謊言有時是有大效的”，例如，一個人在兩位君王之間交涉，想引他們聯合起來向第三者作戰，他就對兩方面都言過其實地誇張對方底兵力；又如在兩個私人之間交涉的人，他對雙方都誇張他在對方的影響，結果是把他自己底聲望提高了。所以在上述的以及類此的事件中，往往會由無物之中竟生有物；蓋謊言足以引起意見，而意見能引起實行也。在將帥與軍人方面，虛榮心乃是一種不可缺的性質；因爲如同一塊鐵由別的鐵而磨得銳利一樣，由於誇張而人們底勇氣就互相磨利了。在冒着資財或身體之危險的大事業中加入一種天性好誇的人可以使事務更有活力；而那些天性厚重莊肅的人則有似壓艙物而不類風帆。在學問底名聲方面，若沒有一些誇耀底羽毛，則這種名聲底飛騰是很慢的。“寫《虛榮之輕視》一書的人也不反對叫自己底名字出現於題頁上”。蘇格拉底、亞里士多德、蓋倫，都是富於誇耀性的人。虛榮心確是使一個人留名的一種助力，而才德之所受於人性的酬勞其直受於人類底好德之心者決沒有受之於才德自己底努力者爲多也。西塞羅、塞奈喀、小普利尼底名聲若不是與這些人本身底某種虛榮心連在一起的話，也不會經久如新的；這種虛榮心就如同天花板上的一層油漆一樣，它使得那天花板不但能夠發亮而且能夠持久。但是說了這麼久，我用“虛榮”這個字眼兒的時候，卻並不是指泰西塔斯說繆西阿努斯有的那種性質，所謂“他有一種能夠漂亮地炫耀他底一切言行的本領”：因爲這種性質並非是出自虛榮心的，而是出自天生的豪氣和見識的；並且這種性質在有些人方面是不但漂亮而且優美高尚的。因爲遜謝、退讓與節制得宜的自謙，都不過是炫耀之術也。在這些炫耀之術中，沒有比小普利尼所說的那一種更好的了，那就是在你自己所長的某方面，如果別人也有一點長處，當不吝惜地多多地讚譽稱揚那人。因爲普利尼說得很巧妙：“在稱揚別人的時候你其實是替自己做好事；因爲你所稱揚的那人在那一方面若不是比你還強就是不如你。如果他是不如你，那末他既然值得稱揚，你自然更加值得稱揚了；如他是勝過你的，那末假如他不值得稱揚的話，你就更不值得稱揚了”。好炫耀的人是明哲之士所輕視的，愚蠢之人所豔羨的，諂佞之徒所奉承的，同時他們也是自己所誇耀的言語底奴隸。