《林貝卡》
Rebecca Lin
Of Love Author：Francis Bacon
The stage is more beholding to love, that the life of man. For as to the stage, love is ever matter of comedies, and now and then of tragedies; but in life it doth much mischief; sometimes like a siren, sometimes like a fury.
You may observe, that amongst all the great and worthy persons (whereof the memory remaineth, either ancient or recent) there is not one, that hath been transported to the mad degree of love: which shows that great spirits, and great business, do keep out this weak passion. You must except, nevertheless, Marcus Antonius, the half partner of the empire of Rome, and Appius Claudius, the decemvir and lawgiver; whereof the former was indeed a voluptuous man, and inordinate; but the latter was an austere and wise man: and therefore it seems (though rarely) that love can find entrance, not only into an open heart, but also into a heart well fortified, if watch be not well kept.
It is a poor saying of Epicurus, Satis magnum alter alteri theatrum sumus; as if man, made for the contemplation of heaven, and all noble objects, should do nothing but kneel before a little idol and make himself a subject, though not of the mouth (as beasts are), yet of the eye; which was given him for higher purposes.
It is a strange thing, to note the excess of this passion, and how it braves the nature, and value of things, by this; that the speaking in a perpetual hyperbole, is comely in nothing but in love. Neither is it merely in the phrase; for whereas it hath been well said, that the arch-flatterer, with whom all the petty flatterers have intelligence, is a man's self; certainly the lover is more. For there was never proud man thought so absurdly well of himself, as the lover doth of the person loved; and therefore it was well said, That it is impossible to love, and to be wise. Neither doth this weakness appear to others only, and not to the party loved; but to the loved most of all, except the love be reciproque. For it is a true rule, that love is ever rewarded, either with the reciproque, or with an inward and secret contempt. By how much the more, men ought to beware of this passion, which loseth not only other things, but itself!
As for the other losses, the poet's relation doth well figure them: that he that preferred Helena, quitted the gifts of Juno and Pallas. For whosoever esteemeth too much of amorous affection, quitteth both riches and wisdom.
This passion hath his floods, in very times of weakness; which are great prosperity, and great adversity; though this latter hath been less observed: both which times kindle love, and make it more fervent, and therefore show it to be the child of folly. They do best, who if they cannot but admit love, yet make it keep quarters; and sever it wholly from their serious affairs, and actions, of life; for if it check once with business, it troubleth men's fortunes, and maketh men, that they can no ways be true to their own ends.
I know not how, but martial men are given to love: I think, it is but as they are given to wine; for perils commonly ask to be paid in pleasures.
There is in man's nature, a secret inclination and motion, towards love of others, which if it be not spent upon some one or a few, doth naturally spread itself towards many, and maketh men become humane and charitable; as it is seen sometime in friars.
Nuptial love maketh mankind; friendly love perfecteth it; but wanton love corrupteth, and embaseth it.
論愛情 作者：培根 翻譯；陳和聲
愛情在舞台上，要比在人生中更有欣賞價值。因為在舞台上愛情既是喜劇也是悲劇的素材，而在人生中，愛情常常招致不幸。它有時像那位誘惑人的魔女①，有時又像那位複仇的女神②。
你可以看到，一切真正偉大的人物（無論是古人、今人，隻要是其英名永銘於人類記憶中的），沒有一個因愛情而發狂的人。這說明偉大的精神和偉大的事業可以摒除過度的激情。然而羅馬的安東尼和克勞底亞是例外③。前者本性就好色荒淫，然而後者卻是一個嚴肅明哲的人。這說明愛情不僅會占領沒有城府的胸懷，有時也能闖入壁壘森嚴的心靈——假如守禦不嚴的話。
埃辟克拉斯④曾說過一句笨話：“人生不過是一座大舞台。”似乎一個本該秉承天意、追求高尚目標的人，卻應一事不做而隻拜在一個小小的偶像麵前，成為自己感官的奴隸——雖然還不是口腹之欲的奴隸（那簡直與禽獸無異了），即娛目色相的奴隸。而上帝賜人以眼睛本來是有更高尚的用途的。
過度的愛情，必然會誇張對象的性質和價值。例如，隻有在愛情中，才總是需要那種浮誇謅媚的詞令。而在其他場合，同樣的詞令隻能招人恥笑。古人有一句名言：“最大的奉承，人總是留給自己。”——隻有對情人的奉承要算例外。因為甚至最驕傲的人，也甘願在情人麵前自輕自賤。所以古人說得好：“人在愛情中不會聰明。”情人的這種弱點不僅在外人眼中是明顯的，就是在被愛者的眼中也會很明顯——除非她（他）也在愛他（她）。所以，愛情的代價就是如此，不能得到回愛，就會得到一種深藏於心的輕蔑，這是一條永真的定律。由此中可見，人們應當十分警惕這感情。因它它不但會使人喪失其他，而且可以使人喪失自已本身。
至於其他方麵的損失，古詩人荷馬早告訴我們，那追求海倫的巴立斯王子竟拒絕了天後朱諾（財富女神）和密納發（智慧女神）的禮物。這就是說，溺身於情的人，是甘願放棄財富和智慧的⑤。
當人心最軟弱的時候，愛情最容易入侵，那就是當人春風得意、忘乎所以和處境窘困孤獨淒零的時候，雖然在後一情境中不易得到愛情。人在這樣的時候最急於跳入愛情的火焰中。由此可見，“愛情”實在是“愚蠢”的兒子。但有一些人即使心中有了愛，仍能約束它，使它不妨礙重大的事業。因為愛情一旦幹擾事業，就會阻礙人堅定地奔向既定的目標。
我不懂是什麽緣故，使許多軍人更容易墮入情網，也許這正像他們嗜愛飲酒一樣，是因為危險的生活需要歡樂的補償。
人心中可能潛伏有一種博愛傾向，若不集中於某個專一的對象，就必然施之於更廣泛的公眾，使他成為仁善的人，像有的僧侶那樣。
夫妻的愛，使人類繁衍。朋友的愛，致人以完善。但那荒淫縱欲的愛，卻隻會使人墮落毀滅。
林貝卡 2008 春 於美國
Thank you very much for your messages.
Happy April Fool's Day,
Rebecca
那就讓我們在這愚人節裏狂歡吧，人生至少可以在不多的幾個時辰不計後果，盡情歡娛~~
問好！
②、原文為“Furies“，傳說中的地獄之神。
③、安東尼，愷撒部將。後因迷戀女色而戰敗被殺。克勞底亞，古羅馬執政官，亦因好色而被殺。
④、埃辟克拉斯（前342～前270年），古羅馬哲學家。
⑤、古希臘神話，傳說天後朱諾，智慧之神密納發和美神維納斯，為爭奪金蘋果，請特洛伊王子評判。三神各許一願，密納發許以智慧，維納斯許以美女海倫，天後許以財富。結果王子把金蘋果給了維納斯。
Francis Bacon, 1st Viscount St Alban (22 January 1561 – 9 April 1626) was an English philosopher, statesman, and essayist. He is also known as a proponent of the scientific revolution.
His works established and popularized an inductive methodology for scientific inquiry, often called the Baconian method or simply, the scientific method. He has been credited as the creator of the English essay.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francis_Bacon
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
School/tradition
Empiricism
Influenced by
Democritus, Plato, Alhazen, Roger Bacon
Influenced
Diderot, Hobbes, Hume
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francis_Bacon
http://blog.wenxuecity.com/blogview.php?date=200802&postID=22181
http://blog.wenxuecity.com/blogview.php?date=200803&postID=31730
http://blog.wenxuecity.com/blogview.php?date=200803&postID=48237