培根散文隨筆集第27章：Of Friendship 論友誼（中英對照）
培根散文隨筆集中英對照，通過閱讀文學名著學語言，是掌握英語的絕佳方法。既可接觸原汁原味的英語，又能享受文學之美，一舉兩得，何樂不為？
27 of friendship 論友誼
it had been hard for him that spake it, to have put more truth and untruth together in few words, than in that speech; whosoever is delighted in solitude, is either a wild beast, or a god. for it is most true, that a natural and secret hatred, and aversion towards society, in any man, hath somewhat of the savage beast; but it is most untrue, that it should have any character at all of the divine nature; except it proceed, not out of a pleasure in solitude, but out of a love and desire to sequester a man's self, or a higher conversation: such as is found, to have been falsely and feignedly, in some of the heathen; as epimenides the candian, numa the roman, empedocles the sicilian, and apollonius of tyana; and truly and really, in divers of the ancient hermits, and holy fathers of the church.
“喜歡孤獨的人不是野獸便是神靈”。說這話的人若要在寥寥數語之中，更能把真理和邪說放在一處，那就很難了。因為，若說一個人心里有了一種天生的，隱秘的，對社會的憎恨嫌棄，則那個人不免帶點野獸底性質，這是極其真實的；然而要說這樣的一個人居然有任何神靈底性質，則是極不真實的。只有一點可為例外，那就是當這種憎恨社會的心理不是出于對孤獨的愛好而是出于一種想把自己退出社會以求更崇高的生活的心理的時候；這樣的人異教徒中有些人曾冒充過，如克瑞蒂人埃辟曼尼底斯羅馬人努馬西西利人安辟道克利斯和蒂安那人阿波郎尼亞斯是也；而基督教會中許多的古隱者和長老則確有如此者。
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