再送上一篇短小卻經典的散文《論結婚和獨身》，雖然過去了幾個世紀，但現在讀來依舊可以有所啟迪。

　　Of Marriage and Single Life

　　HE THAT hath wife and children hath given hostages to fortune; for they are impediments to great enterprises, either of virtue or mischief. Certainly the best works, and of greatest merit for the public, have proceeded from the unmarried or childless men; which both in affection and means, have married and endowed the public. Yet it were great reason that those that have children, should have greatest care of future times; unto which they know they must transmit their dearest pledges.

　　有妻子兒女者已向命運出具抵押品，無論善惡，妻子兒女都于偉業有礙。唯無妻室或無子女者方能獻身公衆，築豐功偉績，因其已将愛情和财産俱獻于公衆矣。有子女者最關心将來，因其明白必得将至親骨肉托付于之。

　　Some there are, who though they lead a single life, yet their thoughts do end with themselves, and account future times impertinences. Nay, there are some other, that account wife and children, but as bills of charges. Nay more, there are some foolish rich covetous men, that take a pride, in having no children, because they may be thought so much the richer. For perhaps they have heard some talk, Such an one is a great rich man, and another except to it, Yea, but he hath a great charge of children; as if it were an abatement to his riches. But the most ordinary cause of a single life, is liberty, especially in certain self-pleasing and humorous minds, which are so sensible of every restraint, as they will go near to think their girdles and garters, to be bonds and shackles.

　　有獨身者隻慮及自身，視将來與己無關。有人則視妻子兒女為經濟負擔。更有富人愚蠢而貪婪，竟以無兒女為榮，因其以為如此更為富裕。這種人或曾聽聞有人曰此人大富，又有人曰奈何有子女拖累，似乎子女與其财富有損。然獨身原因以好自由最為常見，尤其自诩任性之人不耐束縛，幾乎視腰帶、襪帶亦為桎梏。

　　Unmarried men are best friends, best masters, best servants; but not always best subjects; for they are light to run away; and almost all fugitives, are of that condition.

　　獨身生活适合教會中人，因其善行必先注滿一家之池，然之後已無餘澤注滿遺地，難惠及衆人矣。獨身與否與法官和地方行政官無甚關系，因若其溜須拍馬、貪污腐敗，則其一仆之害五倍于妻。至于士兵，餘見将帥常以妻兒子女鼓舞之，土耳其人鄙視婚姻，因此其士兵更為可鄙。

　　A single life doth well with churchmen; for charity will hardly water the ground, where it must first fill a pool. It is indifferent for judges and magistrates; for if they be facile and corrupt, you shall have a servant, five times worse than a wife. For soldiers, I find the generals commonly in their hortatives, put men in mind of their wives and children; and I think the despising of marriage amongst the Turks, maketh the vulgar soldier more base.

　　未婚者因其易逃，因此雖為友、為主、為仆，皆為上佳之選，然為人臣則不然，君不見幾乎所有逃犯皆為未婚者。

　　Certainly wife and children are a kind of discipline of humanity; and single men, though they may be many times more charitable, because their means are less exhaust, yet, on the other side, they are more cruel and hardhearted (good to make severe inquisitors), because their tenderness is not so oft called upon. Grave natures, led by custom, and therefore constant, are commonly loving husbands, as was said of Ulysses, vetulam suam praetulit immortalitati.（He preferred his wife to immortality.）

　　誠然妻子兒女為人之約束，較之已婚者，獨身者資财少損，似更頗慷慨，然因其柔腸少觸，殘酷更甚，于嚴厲審判者而言，極為适宜。莊重之人，循規蹈矩，矢志不渝，為夫常笃愛妻子，如人言，尤利西斯愛老妻勝過長生。

　　Chaste women are often proud and froward, as presuming upon the merit of their chastity. It is one of the best bonds, both of chastity and obedience, in the wife, if she think her husband wise; which she will never do, if she find him jealous. Wives are young men's mistresses; companions for middle age; and old men's nurses. So as a man may have a quarrel to marry, when he will.

　　But yet he was reputed one of the wise men, that made answer to the question, when a man should marry, - A young man not yet, an elder man not at all. It is often seen that bad husbands, have very good wives; whether it be, that it raiseth the price of their husband's kindness, when it comes; or that the wives take a pride in their patience. But this never fails, if the bad husbands were of their own choosing, against their friends consent; for then they will be sure to make good their own folly.

　　貞潔之婦，自制貞潔，為人常驕傲不遜。若妻子以為丈夫睿智，則其貞潔順從皆可受縛。若妻子發現丈夫善妒，則其貞潔順從再無保障。妻者，青年之情人，中年之伴侶，老年之護士也。于是，若想結婚，何時均可。然有人問何時當婚，曾有一人答曰：年輕未到時，老年不必矣，此亦為智者。常見惡夫配良妻，是否因惡夫偶爾為善，更彰顯其難能可貴，亦或是此類妻子以其忍耐為傲。誠然若其惡夫乃不顧朋友反對而擇之，則必得彌補一己之失策也。

　　弗朗西斯·培根

　　（1561一1626）

　　Francis Bacon was an English philosopher, statesman, scientist, jurist, orator, and author. After his death, he remained extremely influential through his works, especially as philosophical advocate and practitioner of the scientific method during the scientific revolution.

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