友邻哲学旅人 E56 时代造就了培根

VI. Epilogue

第六部分 后记

"Men in great place are thrice servants; servants to the sovereign or state, servants of fame, and servants of business, so as they have no freedom, neither in their persons nor in their action, nor in their time...
“身居高位的人是三个方面的奴仆：主权或国家的奴仆、名誉的奴仆、公务的奴仆，因此，他们毫无自由，无论是个人的自由，还是行动与时间的自由......

高处不胜寒

处庙堂之高，需要把以上三方面的事磨的平平的。

The rising unto place is laborious, and by pains men come to greater pains; and it is sometimes base, and by indignities men come to dignities. The standing is slippery, and the regress is either a downfall or at least an eclipse."
攀登高位必要饱经磨难，但饱经磨难后换取的不过是更大的艰难险阻；它有时是受到屈辱的，但只有忍受了屈辱你才能获得尊重和荣耀。可惜高位易滑难守，一旦落败，你要么就倒台了或至少遁出了。”

What a wistful summary of Bacon's epilogue!
这引人深思哀伤的总结正是培根后期生活的生动写照。

宁思一刻静 不可思一刻停。

"A man's shortcomings," said Goethe, "are taken from his epoch; his virtues and greatness belong to himself."
歌德说：“一个人的短处来自他所处的时代；一个人的美德与优点却属于自己。”

对仗句

如果说一个人的恶人，不能说是他性格之恶，或恶到极致，很少有这种人，，往往一个人的缺陷来自他时代和周遭背景。但一个人的美德和伟大来自于他自己，因为周遭不好的环境没有影响到他，他坚持住了自己的立场。

This seems a little unfair to the Zeitgeist, but it is exceptionally just in the case of Bacon.
这似乎对时代精神是有一点不公平的，但在培根的例子当中是恰如其分的公正评断。

用歌德的话引起了整个中心句，又把培根撤上关系。

Abbott, after a painstaking study of the morals prevalent at Elizabeth's court, concludes that all the leading figures, male and female, were disciples of Machiavelli.
艾伯特在深入研究了伊丽莎白宫廷中的道德之后发现，当时所有的达官贵人，不论男女都是马基雅维利的信徒。

马基雅维利--所有政治斗争和平衡都是以权力和利益的博弈为基础的，没有永恒的朋友和敌人，你做的所有的事情都是理性人通过博弈使自己利益最大化的过程。

那个时代都是马基雅维利的忠实信徒，不考虑道德。

博弈论分析：周围的人都是马基雅维利主义的话，而你不是，那你就会处于绝对的劣势，那唯一的方法就是你不得不采取同样的方式，你才能捍卫自己的利益。所以培根也是受到时代的影响。

Roger Ascham described in doggerel the four cardinal virtues in demand at the court of the Queen:
阿谢姆作了一首打油诗来描述女王宫中的四种美德：

Cog, lie, flatter and face,
Four ways in Court to win men grace.
If thou be thrall to none of these,
Away, good Piers! Home, John Cheese!
行贿、撒谎、奉承、皮厚，
四种方式可以在朝廷当中为人们赢得尊严。
倘若你没有沦为以上任何一条所描述的奴隶，
走吧，我的好朋友！你还是回家吧！

培根能在宫廷里游刃那么多年，可见也不是什么好人。

It was one of the customs of those lively days for judges to take "presents" from persons trying cases in their courts.
在当时那个活跃的年代，法官在当事人那里收取“礼品”是一项风俗。

Bacon was not above the age in this matter; and his tendency to keep his expenditure several years in advance of his income forbade him the luxury of scruples.
培根在这方面做得不算太过分，但他的挥霍成性让他不得不心生顾虑。

It might have passed unnoticed, except that he had made enemies in Essex'case, and by his readiness to sabre foes with his speech.
有可能这件事过去了，没人注意到，但他在埃塞克斯一案中树了敌人，又用唇枪舌剑刺激了他的对手。

A friend had warned him that "it is too common in every man's mouth in Court that... as your tongue hath been a razor to some, so shall theirs be to you."
一位朋友曾提醒他：“宫中众口一词：倘若你的话如剃刀般伤害了某些人，那他们必然会以牙还牙。”

1.那时法官是收受贿赂的

2.培根也受到了时代影响

3.培根寅吃卯粮,所以他不可能没有顾虑，但其实这样的顾虑可以悄悄地过去，但是因为他言语犀利，在宫廷四处树敌。

语言点

thrice: adv. 三个方面；三倍地

laborious: adj. 费劲的

indignity: n. 屈辱

eclipse: n. 遁出；日蚀，月蚀

epoch: n. 年代，时代

painstaking: adj. 勤勉的

prevalent: adj. 流行的

doggerel: n. 打油诗

cardinal: adj. 最重要的

scruple: n. 顾虑

razor: n. 剃刀