第23章：Of Wisdom for a Man\'s Self 论自谋（中英对照）

培根散文随笔集中英对照，通过阅读文学名著学语言，是掌握英语的绝佳方法。既可接触原汁原味的英语，又能享受文学之美，一举两得，何乐不为？
23 of wisdom for a man's self 论自谋
an ant is a wise creature for itself; but it is a shrewd thing, in an orchard, or garden. and certainly, men that are great lovers of themselves, waste the public.
蚂蚁是一种为自己打算起来很聪明的动物，但是在一座果园或花园里它就是一种有害的动物了。那深爱自身的人的确是有害于公众的。
divide with reason between self-love, and society: and be so true to thy self, as thou be not false to others; specially to thy king, and country. it is a poor centre of a man's actions, himself. it is right earth. for that only stands fast upon his own centre; whereas all things that have affinity with the heavens, move upon the centre of another, which they benefit. the referring of all to a man's self, is more tolerable in a sovereign prince; because themselves are not only themselves; but their good and evil, is at the peril of the public fortune. but it is a desperate evil in a servant to a prince, or a citizen in a republic.
所以一个人应当把利己之心与为人之心以理智分开，对自己忠实，要做到无欺于人的地步，尤其是对他底君主与国家为然。把一个人底私利，作为他底行动底中心，是很不好的。那就完全和地球一样。因为只有地球是固定在自己底中心上的；而一切与天体有关之物则是依他物底中心而行动的，并且对这些别的物体是有利的。对一切事物都拿自己做标准，这在一个君主方面是较为可恕的，因为君主们底自身并不就是个人而已，反之，他们底善恶乃是公众底安危之所系也。但是这种情形若在一位君主底臣仆身上或在一个共和国底公民身上有之，则是一件极坏的恶事。

for whatsoever affairs pass such a man's hands, he crooketh them to his own ends: which must needs be often eccentric to the ends of his master, or state. therefore let princes, or states, choose such servants as have not this mark; except they mean their service should be made but the accessory. that which maketh the effect more pernicious, is that all proportion is lost it were disproportion enough, for the servant's good to be preferred before the master's; but yet it is a greater extreme, when a little good of the servant shall cany things against a great good of the master's.
因为无论何事若经过这样的一个人底手里，他一定会把那些事为自己底私利而拗曲的；而这种行为一定常常是与他底主上或国家底利益违背的。因此，为人君或主政者应当选择没有这种性情或习惯的臣仆，除非他们底用意是要这种人办理细事，仅为工具者，那末是可以有例外的。为私底最大的弊害在使事务完全失宜。先顾臣仆之利，后及主上之利，这已经是很不合的了；然而有时竟以臣仆之小利而不顾主上之大利，这就是为害最烈了。

and yet that is the case of bad officers, treasurers, ambassadors, generals, and other false and corrupt servants; which set a bias upon their bowl, of their own petty ends, and envies, to the overthrow of their master's great and important affairs. and for the most part, the good such servants receive is after the model of their own fortune;
but the hurt they sell for mat good is after the model of their master's fortune.
这种情形正即是不良的官员、财吏、使节、与将帅以及其他的奸臣污吏之所为；这种善于自谋的情形使他们取径不正；顺循自己底小利与私怨，而破坏君主底重大事业。然而就最大多数言之，这般臣仆所得到的好处不过是与他们个人底幸运相当，但是他们为那点好处付作代价的弊害却就与他们的君主底祸福相当了。
and certainly, it is the nature of extreme self-lovers; as they will set an house on fire, and it were but to roast their eggs: and yet these men, many times, hold credit with their masters, because their study is but to please them, and profit themselves: and for either respect, they will abandon the good of their affairs.
又，“引火烧房但图烤熟自己之鸡卵”，极端的自私者，其天性确有如此者；然而这样的人往往得主上底信任，因为他们所注意揣摩者就在如何逢迎主人而肥己身也：为了这两者之中的任何一项，他们都会抛弃主人底事务之利益而不顾的。

wisdom for a man's self, is in many branches thereof, a depraved thing. it is the wisdom of rats, that will be sure to leave a house, somewhat before it fall. it is the wisdom of the fox, that thrusts out the badger, who digged and made room for him.
善于谋身的聪明，在它底许多种类中，都是一种卑污的聪明。它是那房屋将倒以前定会离开的老鼠底聪明。它是那驱逐为它掘穴造屋的穴熊的狐狸底聪明。
it is the wisdom of crocodiles, that shed tears, when they would devour. but that which is specially to be noted is that those which (as cicero says of pompey) are sui amantes sine rivali, are many times unfortunate. and whereas they have all their time sacrificed to themselves, they become in the end themselves sacrifices to the inconstancy of fortune; whose wings they thought, by their self-wisdom, to have pinioned.
它是那在要吞噬他物的时候落泪的鳄鱼底聪明。但是尤可注意者，是那些“爱自己甚于任何旁人的人”（如西塞罗论庞拜之言）往往是不幸的。他们虽永远为自己而牺牲他人，结局他们却变为祸福之神底变化无常底牺牲品；而他们从前以为是以自己底善于谋身就已经把祸福之神底翅翼困缚住了的。