第35章：Of Prophecies 论预言（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？
对于喜欢阅读名著的读者，这是一个最好的时代，因为有成千上万的书可以选择；这又是一个不好的时代，因为在浩繁的卷帙中，很难找到适合自己的好书。而培根的散文随笔，浓缩的不仅仅是文学，还是智慧。相信对阅读和写作都有很好的帮助。
35 of prophecies 论预言
i mean not to speak of divine prophecies; nor of heathen oracles; nor of natural
predictions; but only of prophecies, that have been of certain memory, and from hidden causes. saith the pythonissa to saul; tomorrow thou and thy son shall be with me homer hath these verses: at domus aeneae cunctis dominabitur oris, et nati natorum, et qui nascentur ab illis: a prophecy, as it seems, of the roman empire. seneca the tragedian hath these verses: venient annis secula seris, quibus oceanus vincula rerum laxet, et ingens pateat tellus, tiphysque novos detegat orbes; nec sit terris ultima thule: a prophecy of the discovery of america. the daughter of polycrates dreamed that jupiter bathed her father, and apollo anointed him: and it came to pass, that he was crucified in an open place, where the sun made his body run with sweat, and the rain washed it. philip of macedon dreamed, he sealed up his wife's belly: whereby he did expound it, that his wife should be barren: but aristander the soothsayer told him, his wife was with child, because men do not use to seal vessels that are empty.

此处所欲论说者既不是神灵底启示，也不是异教底谶语，也不是天然底朕兆，而仅仅是关于有凭有据，而所言之事其缘由不明的预言。女巫对扫罗说：“明日你和你众子必与我在一处了”。荷马有如下的诗句：
　　然而伊尼埃斯一族将统治各处的海岸，他底子与孙，以及他子孙底子孙。
　　好象是关于罗马帝国的一个预言。悲剧作家塞奈喀有这么几句诗：
　　——后世将有一时
　　海洋将解开天然的束缚，
　　有一片大陆将开放呈露，
　　蒂夫思将发现新的世界，
　　土勒将不再为地极之国：
这好象是关于美洲之发现的一种预言。波利克拉特斯底女儿梦见久辟特替他父亲洗浴，阿波罗给他涂膏油，其后波利克拉特斯果于露天下被钉于十字架上，在那里太阳使他遍体流汗，雨露洗他底身子。马其顿王腓力普梦见他把他妻子底肚子封了起来，醒后自己解释，以为他底妻子将不能生育；但是预言者阿利斯坦德却对他说他底妻子是怀孕了，因为一般人对于空着的瓶缶之类是不会封塞的。

a phantasm that appeared to m. brutus in his tent said to him; philippis iterum me videbis. tiberius said to galba: tu quoque, galba, degustabis imperium. in vespasian's time, there went a prophecy in the east; that those that should come forth of judea, should reign over the world: which though it may be was meant of our saviour, yet tacitus expounds it of vespasian. domidan dreamed, the night before he was slain, that a golden head was growing out of the nape of his neck: and indeed, the succession that followed him, for many years, made golden times. henry the sixth of england, said of henry the seventh, when he was a lad, and gave him water. this is the lad, that shall enjoy the crown, for which we strive.
曾在马喀斯·布鲁塔斯的帐中出现的一个鬼影对他说道：“你在腓利比又要遇见我的”。泰比瑞亚斯对加尔巴曾说：“加尔巴，你也会尝着帝国底滋味的。”在外斯帕显底时代在东方流传着一种预言，说是从久地亚出来的人君，将统治全世界。这个预言虽然也许是为救主耶稣而发的，泰西塔斯却以为是指外斯帕显的。道密先在被杀之前一夜，梦见从自己底颈项上长出了一颗金的头颅；果然他底承继者造就了多年的黄金时代。英王亨利第六当亨利第七方为幼童，给他进水的时候，对人说：“这孩子就是将来要享受我们现在所争的王冠的人。”

when i was in france, i heard from one dr pena, that the queen mother, who was given to curious arts, caused the king her husband's nativity to be calculated under a false name; and the astrologer gave a judgement, that he should be killed in a duel; at which the queen laughed, thinking her husband to be above challenges and duels: but he was slain, upon a course at tilt, the splinters of the staff of mongomery going in at his beaver. the trivial prophecy, which i heard, when i was a child, and queen elizabeth was in the flower of her years, was; when hempe is spun, england's done. whereby, it was generally conceived, that after the princes had reigned, which had the principal letters of that word hempe (which were henry, edward, mary, philip, and elizabeth), england should come to utter confusion: which, thanks be to god, is verified only in the change of the name: for that the king's style is now no more of england, but of britain. there was also another prophecy, before the year of 1688, which i do not well understand:
从前我在法国的时候曾从一位辟纳医生那里听来一个故事，他说法国底太后（她是很信法术的）曾把先王（她底丈夫）底生辰用了一个假名字，拿去叫人推算；那术士论断说，这人将于决斗中被杀。王后听了这句话大笑，以为他底丈夫是不会有人向之挑战或要求决斗的。但是他后来竟于马上比枪的游戏中被杀，因为芒高末瑞底枪头破裂处的木刺误入其半面甲内也。我在年幼的时候，正是伊利萨白女王春秋鼎盛的时候，那时我听过一个很普遍的预言，它说：麻织成线啦，英国就“干”啦。（when hempe is sponne，england is donne．）这个预言底意思大家多以为是这样的，把英国君主底名字底头一个字母排列起来，就成了hempe这个字，等到这几位君主（就是henry，edward，mary，philip，和elizabeth）底朝廷完了之后，英国便要大乱。这种情形，感谢上帝底恩典，并没有实现，仅仅在英国底国名上算是证实了而已；因为当今主上底尊号不复是英格兰王而是不列颠王了。在1588年以前，也有个预言，这个预言底意思我不很明白。

there shall be seen upon a day, between the baugh, and the may, the black fleet of norway. when that that is come and gone, england build houses of lime and stone for after wars shall you have none.
有一天将要看见
在报与迈之间
挪威底黑色舰队。
等这个去了之后，
英国啊，用石头与石灰筑房吧，
因为以后的战争是不会有的。
it was generally conceived, to be meant of the spanish fleet, that came in 1688. for that the king of spain's surname, as they say, is norway. the prediction of regiomontanus; octogesimus octavus marabilis annus; was thought likewise accomplished, in the sending of that great fleet, being the greatest in strength, though not in number, of all that ever swam upon the sea.
这个预言底意思大家都以为是指1588年来的西班牙大舰队的，因为据说西班牙王底姓乃是挪威。君王山人底预言：88年，一个奇异的年头。人家也以为是验于西班牙舰队之出发，这个舰队，虽不能说是海上军舰之舰数最大者，却是力量最强者。

as for cleon's dream, i think it was a jest it was, that he was devoured of a long dragon; and it was expounded of a maker of sausages, that troubled him exceedingly. there are numbers of the like kind; especially if you include dreams, and predictions of astrology. but i have set down these few only of certain credit, for example. my judgement is, that they ought all to be despised; and ought to serve, but for winter talk by the fireside. though when i say despised, i mean it as for belief: for otherwise, the spreading or publishing of them is in no sort to be despised. for they have done much mischief: and i see many severe laws made to suppress them. that, that hath given them grace, and some credit, consisteth in three things. first, that men mark, when they hit, and never mark, when they miss: as they do, generally, also of dreams. the second is, that probable conjectures, or obscure traditions, many times turn themselves into prophecies: while the nature of man, which coveteth divination, thinks it no peril to foretell that, which indeed they do but collect. as that of seneca's verse. for so much was then subject to demonstration, that the globe of the earth had great parts beyond the atlantic; which mought be probably conceived, not to be all sea: and adding thereto the tradition in plato's timaeus, and his atlanticus, it mought encourage one, to turn it to a prediction. the third, and last (which is the great one) is, that almost all of them, being infinite in number, have been impostures, and by idle and crafty brains, merely contrived and feigned, after the event past.
至于克利昂底梦，我以为那是个笑话。这个梦就是他被一条龙吞噬了，据人解释，那龙就是一个作腊肠的，那人曾经很和克利昂捣过乱。象这样的事不止一件，假如你把梦兆和星命学底预言包括在内的话，其数目将更多。我只把几个有凭有据的举出来为例而已。我底意思是，这些东西都应当受轻视；仅仅应当为冬夜向火时谈天底资料。可是我说“轻视”的时候我底意思是关于信仰底方面的；因为，在别的方面，散布这种东西的行为是决不可轻视的。因为这一类的事情曾酿成许多祸害；并且我看见各国曾立了许多严厉的法律以禁止它们。其所以使这类东西流传众口，甚至得到信仰者，有三种原因。第一是人们只注意这种预言中的时候而不注意它们不中的时候；这和人们对于梦的态度是一样的。第二是约略的推测或恍惚的古语常常会变为预言；而人类喜欢预测将来的天性使他们以为把实际上他们所推测的事情作为预告是一种没有什么危险的举动。塞奈喀底诗句就是如此。因为在当时已经显然可见地球在大西洋之西还有很大的地方，这些地方不一定是一片汪洋。在这种理论之上再加上柏拉图底《蒂迈亚斯》与《阿蒂阑蒂苦斯》两篇中的传说，就可以鼓励人，使人把这种说法改成一种预言了。第三及最末的（也就是最大的）理由是差不多所有这些无数的预言，都是假话，是完全被游荡狡猾之徒在事后捏造，伪制出来的。