9.Of Goodness and Goodness of Nature论善与性善-双语名著无障碍阅读丛书——《培根随笔集The Essays of Bacon》

9.Of Goodness and Goodness of Nature 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.This of all virtues and dignities of the mind is the greatest;being the character of the Deity 4: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 nor man come in danger by it.The inclination to goodness is imprinted deeply in the nature of man;insomuch 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; insomuch as Busbechius reporteth,a Christian boy in Constantinople had like to have been stoned for gagging in a waggishness a long ·056· 9.论善与性善 ①weal/wiL善，好 我认为“善”就是利人。这就是古希腊人所谓 2 philanthropia 的“爱人”；这个字的字义用“人道”一语来表现 /filan'0rpia/n.博爱 (如目下之所为)是有一点薄弱的。爱人的习惯我 3 inclination /inkli'neifan/ n倾向 叫作“善”，其天然的倾向则叫作“性善”。这在一 切德行及精神的品格中是最伟大的：因为它是上帝 deity /di:iti/n.掉 wretched'retfid/a.可怜 的特性：并且如没有这种德行，人就成为一种忙碌 的 overmin/v3min/寄生虫 的，为害的，卑贱不堪的东西，比虫豸好不了许 多。“善”与神学中的德行、“仁爱”相符合，并 且不会过度，只能有错误。过度的求权力的欲望使 天使堕落；过度的求知识的欲望使人类堕落；但是 imprint /im'print/,刻上 在“仁爱”之中却是没有过度的情形的；无论是神 记号 或人，都不会因它而遭遇危险。向善的倾向是在人 8 insomuch /insau'mAtf/ ad就此程度而言 性中印得很深的：怎样深法？就是如果这种倾向不 )alms/amz/n施舍 发向人类，也要及于别的生物：这可由土耳其人见 之，土耳其人是一种残忍的民族，然而他们对待禽 Dgg/geg,塞住的 嘴 兽却很仁慈，并且施舍及于狗和鸟类。据布斯拜洽 i waggishness /wagifnis/ n玩笑，恶作刷 斯的记述，君士坦丁堡有一个耶教青年，因为在玩 ·057· The Essays of Bacon 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 Machiavel,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 tyrannical③and unjust..Which he spake④， because indeed there was never law or sect 5 or opinion did so much magnify goodness as the Christian religion doth.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 hadhad a barley-com.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 honor 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 neighbors but the portraiture.Sell all thou hast,and give it to the 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 mayest 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 there is in some men, even in nature,a disposition towards it;as on the other side there is a natural malignity 3.For there be that in their nature do not affect the ·058· 培板随笔集 ①fowl /faul/n.家离 笑中撑住了一只长喙鸟的嘴的缘故，差一点被人用 2ungracious /'An'greifas/ 石头砸死。土耳其人爱物的程度有如此者。在这种 a不礼貌的 “善”或“仁爱”的德行中，错误有时是难免的。 意大利人有一句骂人的成语：“他太老好，好得简 直成了废物了。”意大利的宗师之一，尼考劳·马基 3 tyrannical /ti'raenikol/a. 亚委利，也居然相信这种说法，几乎明明白白地写 暴虑的 ④spake /speik/[古m.speak 道：“耶教把善良之人做成鱼肉，贡献给那些专横 的过去式 ⑤sect/sekt/n.教派 无道的人。”他说这话，是因为真的从来没有一种 法律、教派或学说曾如耶教一样地尊重过“善”。 因此为避免诽谤及危险起见，顶好研究研究像如此 优良的一种习惯，其错误安在。我们要努力利人， 6magnify /'maegnifai/v. 大 但是不要做人们的面貌或妄想的奴隶：因为若是那 ①facility /fo'siliti/n.灵巧 样，就是易欺或柔懦了；易欺或柔懦是拘囚诚实人 Aesop/"i:s3p/伊索（约 的。也不要给《伊索寓言》中的雄鸡一颗宝石，这 公元前620-560年，希陆 寓言作家 雄鸡要是得到一颗麦粒，他要快乐欢喜得多了。上 9gem/d3em/2宝石 帝的例子给我们很真切的教训：“他降雨给义人， 也给不义的人；叫日头照好人，也照歹人。”然而 他不降财富，也不叫荣誉和德能在所有的人上面平 等地照临。平常的福利应该使大众共有，但是特殊 )barley /ba:li/n.大麦 业breakest[古]动词break的 的福利则应有选择。并且我们要小心，不可在临摹 第二人称单数现在式，在 古英语中动词第二人称 的时候把原样毁了。因为神学教给我们说，当以人 单数现在式的后级为-est。 之爱已为模范：爱我们的邻人则是这种爱己之心的 下文的mayest同此 B patter /'paetan/n.样式 仿作。“去变卖你的所有，分给穷人，并且来跟从 B portraiture /'po:tritfa/n. 肖像画 我。”然而除非你要来跟从我；不要把你所有的都 hast:have的第二人称单 数现在式 变卖了：那就是，除非你有天生的使命可以用很少 的资产如很多的资产一样行得出一般多的善来；若 5 vocation /vau'keifon/n. 不然，则是饲养了支流，却汲干了源泉也。世间不 职业 仅有一种受正道指挥的为善的习惯，并且在有些 malignity /m'ligniti/n. 邪恶 人，即使在本性之中，也是有一种向善的心理趋向 ·059· The Essays of Bacon good of others.The lighter sort of malignity turneth but to a crossness, or frowardness,or aptness to oppose,or difficilness,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'sores;but like flies that are still buzzing upon any thing that is raw;misanthropi [haters of men],that make it their practice to bring men to the bough5,and yet never a tree for the purpose in their gardens,as Timon had.Such disposition 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 that 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 anathema from Christ for the salvation of his brethren5,it shows much of a divine nature,and a kind of conformity0 with Christ himself. ·060· 培根随笔集 ①crossness /kr3snis/m固 的，如同在另一方面是有一种天生的恶性一样。因 执，坏脾气 2frowardness /frouwadnis/ 为也有些人天性不关心他人的福利。恶性中较轻的 n固执，刚復 一种趋向于暴躁、不逊、喜争或顽固，等等；而较 difficilness moroseness 乖僻 深的一种则趋向于嫉妒或纯粹的毒害。这样的人可 说是靠别人的灾难而繁荣的，并且是落井下石的： 他们不如那舐拉撒路的疮的那些狗，而有如那总在 ④Lazarus /laez3r3s/m.[圣 经拉撒路，麻疯病患者 人体任何溃烂的部分上嗡嗡的苍蝇；这些“恨世 5 to bring men to the 者”惯于诱人自缢；而在他们的园中却连做这种用 bough:to hang themselves 处的一棵树也没有（和泰蒙的事迹相反）。这样的 吊死，上吊 Timon/'taimon/泰蒙（前 心性正是人性的溃疡，然而他们却正是造大政客的 320?~前230？，希腊哲学 材料：他们就如同曲木一样，造船最好，船是天生 家1 心timber'timba/n.木材 要颠簸的，但是这种木材却不适于造房屋，房屋是 霜ordain:'dein/.命令 9t0s5t3s/.投挪 要站得牢的。性“善”的特质和特征是很多的。如 果一个人对待异乡人温和而有礼，那就足见他是个 “世界公民”，他的心不是一个与别的陆地隔绝的岛 屿，而是一个与那些陆地连接着的大洲。若是他对 compassionate 别人的痛苦灾难很是同情，那就是表明他的心有如 kam'pacfanit//a有同情 那出药疗他人之伤而自己受割的珍贵的树木。若是 心的 affliction/a'flik Jan/u. 他对于别人的过恶很容易宽宥不究，那就足见他的 同情心的 心智是种植在超越伤害的地方的，所以他是伤害所 2 balm /ba:m/n.香油 remit/i'mit/.免除 不能及的。若是他对于小惠很感谢，那就表明他重 视人们的心而不重视他们的钱。但是，最要者，假 如他有圣保罗的至德，就是，假如他肯为了他的兄 B anathema /a'nacdima/n. 诅咒，咒逐 弟们的得救而受基督的诅咒的话，那就显出他频合 5 brethren /'breoran/[] 同胞 乎天道，与基督自身竞有一种符合之处了。 conformity /kan'fo:mati n一致，符合 ·061·