4.Of Marriage and Single Life论结婚与独身-双语名著无障碍阅读丛书——《培根随笔集The Essays of Bacon》

4.Of Marriage and Single Life HE that hath wife and children hath given hostages to fortune; for they are impediments 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 footish rich covetous men,that take a pride in having no children, because they may be thought so much the richer.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 abatement5 to his riches.But the most ordinary cause of a single life is ·016· ①hostage/hostid3/h.人质 4.论结婚与独身 2 hath given hostages to fortune向命运付出了抵 押品，意即变得谨慎，不 敢自由行事：hostag原意 为人质 impediment im'pedim3nt/.障碍 有妻与子的人已经向命运之神交了抵押品了： ④works事业 ⑤affection/a'fek∫nlm.慈 因为妻与子是大事的阻挠物，无论是大善举或大恶 爱 6 means资财 行。无疑地，最好、最有功于公众的事业是出自无 ⑦endow /in'dau/r.捐赠， 妻或无子的人的：这些人在情感和金钱两方面都可 捐助 it were great reason:it 说是娶了公众并给以奁资了。然而依理似乎有子嗣 would be very reasonable 9transmit /traenz'mit/v. 的人应当最关心将来，他们知道他们一定得把自己 输 their dearest pledges他们 最贵重的保证交代给将来的。有些人虽然过的是独 最亲的抵押品，指子女 身生活，他们的思想却仅限于自身，视将来为无关 1iaccount future times impeftinences认为将来与 紧要。并且有些人把妻与子认为仅仅是几儿项开销。 他们无关：impertinence not their a正air不是他们 尤有甚者，有些愚而富的贪婪之人竟以无子嗣自 的事 2 bills of charges账单，意 豪，以为如此则他们在别人眼中更显得富有了。也 为负担 3 covetous /KAvitas/a贪婪 许他们听过这样的话，一人说：“某某人是个大富 another except to it另 人提出异议。此处except 翁。”而另一人不同意地说：“是的，可是他有很 是动词，意为反对，不同 大的儿女之累。”好像儿女是那人的财富的削减似 意。现代英语中to take exception to something 的，然而独身生活的最普通的原因则是自由，尤其 是表达此意 1 abatement /a'beitmant/n. 是对某些自喜而且任性的人们来说，这些人对各种 消除 ·017· The Essays of Bacon liberty,especially in certain selfpleasing and humorous minds,which are so sensible of every restraint2,as they will go near to think their girdles and garters to be bonds and shackles5.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 churchmen;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 may be many times more charitable,because their means are less exhaust,yet, on the other side,they are more cruel and hardhearted (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 preetulit immortalitati [he preferred his old wife to immortality].Chaste women are often proud and froward 5,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 marry when he will.But yet he was reputed one of the wise men, that 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 ·018· 培根随笔集 ①humorous=capricious任 约束都很敏感，所以差不多连腰带袜带都觉得是锁 性的，反复无常的 2restraint /ris'treint/n. 链似的。独身的人是最好的朋友，最好的主人， 制 ④girdle"g3:dl/h.围绕物 最好的仆人，但并非是最好的臣民：因为他们很 ④garter"ga:ta/n吊袜带 shackle /'Saekl/n.桎桔 容易逃跑，差不多所有的逃跑之人都是独身的。 6 fugitive /'fju:dsitiv/逃亡 独身生活适于僧侣之流，因为慈善之举若先须注 者 ②ndifferent无关紧要 满一池，则难于灌溉地面也。独身于法官和知事 magistrate /'maedsistrit, -treit/n.地方法官 则无甚关系，因为假如他们是易欺而贪污的，则 ⑨facile柔顺，易于为人左 右 一个仆人之恶将五倍于一位夫人之恶也。至于军 hortative /ho:teitiv/= 人，窃见将帅激励士卒时，多使他们忆及他们的 exhortation勉励，激励 w the vulgar soldier普通士 妻子儿女；又窃以为土耳其人之不尊重婚姻使一 兵 2 Grave natures天性庄重 般士兵更为卑贱也。妻子和儿女对于人类确是一 的人 B Ulysses尤利西斯，即 种训练：而独身的人，虽然他们往往很慷慨好施， Odyssus,荷马史诗《奥 因为他们的钱财不易消耗，然而在另一方面他们 德赛》Odyssey中的英 雄。在该书第五部，仙 较为残酷狠心（做审问官甚好），因为他们不常有 女Calypso表示愿意给 Ulysses不朽和永恒的青 用仁慈之处也。庄重的人，常受风俗引导，因而 春，如果他肯与她同居， 但是Ulysses拒绝了而仍 心志不移，所以多是情爱甚笃的丈夫：如古人谓 回到他的老妻Penelope身 尤利西斯：“他宁要他的老妻而不要长生”者是 旁 i immortality /imo:'taeloti/ 也。贞节的妇人往往骄傲不逊，一若她们是自恃 n.不朽 6 froward即forward,傲 贞节也者。假如一个妇人相信她的丈夫是聪慧的， 慢，放却 chastity /tfaestiti/n. 那就是最好的使她保持贞操及柔顺的维系；然而 多 假如这妇人发现丈夫妒忌心重，她就永不会以为 obedience /a'bi:djans.- dins/n.服从，顺从 他是聪慧的了。妻子是青年人的情人，中年人的 移So as a man may have a quarrel这样人就可以借 伴侣，老年人的看护。所以一个人只要他愿意， 口在他愿意的任何时候 结婚；quad=pretext, 任何时候都有娶妻的理由。然而有一个人，人家 意为借口，理由s0as= 问他，人应当在什么时候结婚？他答道：“年轻的 so that )he在这里指古希腊哲学 人还不应当，年老的人全不应当。”这位也被人称 家Thales(640-550B. C.),下文的话是他说的 为智者之一。常见不良的丈夫多有很好的妻子；其 ·019· The Essays of Bacon 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 the they will be sure to make good their own folly. ·020· 培根随笔集 原因也许是因为这种丈夫的好处在偶尔出现的时候 更显得可贵，也许是因为做妻子的以自己的耐心而 自豪。但是这一点是永远不错的，就是这些不良的 丈夫必须是妻子未经亲友的首肯而自己选择的，因 ①folly /foli/n.愚蠢 为如此她们就一定非补救自己的失策不可也。 ·021·