《培根论人生》属于为数不多的应当咀嚼的消化的书，自一五九七年出版至今四百余年传颂不衰并在雅俗共赏中赢得了应得的殊荣。世界公众和权威机构评选其为“深刻影响人类思想史的著作”和“一生要读的散文经典”；欧洲近代哲理散文三大经典，美国公众最喜爱的十本著作之一。这足以证实它不凡的艺术魅力。一本精美藏本伴读者常读经典、明理处世，希望普通读者和人文经典之间的这座桥梁永驻。
1. OF TRUTH
What is truth? said jesting Pilate, and would not stay for ananswer. Certainly there be, that delight in giddiness, and count ita bondage to fix a belief; affecting free-will in thinking, as wellas in acting. And though the sects of philosophers of that kind begone, yet there remain certain discoursing wits, which are of thesame veins, though there be not so much blood in them, as was inthose of the ancients. But it is not only the difficulty and labor,which men take in finding out of truth, nor again, that when it isfound, it imposeth upon men’s thoughts, that doth bring lies infavor; but a natural though corrupt love, of the lie itself. One ofthe later school of the Grecians, examineth the matter, and is at astand, to think what should be in it, that men should love lies;where neither they make for pleasure, as with poets, nor foradvantage, as with the merchant; but for the lie’s sake. But Icannot tell; this same truth, is a naked, and open day-light, thatdoth not show the masks, and mummeries, and triumphs, of the world,half so stately and daintily as candle-lights. Truth may perhapscome to the price of a pearl, that showeth best by day; but it willnot rise to the price of a diamond, or carbuncle, that showeth bestin varied lights. A mixture of a lie doth ever add pleasure. Dothany man doubt, that if there were taken out of men’s minds, vainopinions, flattering hopes, false valuations, imaginations as onewould, and the like, but it would leave the minds, of a number ofmen, poor shrunken things, full of melancholy and indisposition,and unpleasing to themselves?
One of the fathers, in great severity, called poesy vinum doemonum,because it filleth the imagination; and yet, it is but with theshadow of a lie. But it is not the lie that passeth through themind, but the lie that sinketh in, and settleth in it, that doththe hurt; such as we spake of before. But, howsoever these thingsare thus in men’s depraved judgments, and affections, yet truth,which only doth judge itself, teacheth that the inquiry of truth,which is the love-making, or wooing of it, the knowledge of truth,which is the presence of it, and the belief of truth, which is theenjoying of it, is the sovereign good of human nature. The firstcreature of God, in the works of the days, was the light of thesense; the last, was the light of reason; and his sabbath work eversince, is the illumination of his Spirit. First he breathed light,upon the face of the matter or chaos; then he breathed light, intothe face of man; and still he breatheth and inspireth light, intothe face of his chosen. The poet, that beautified the sect, thatwas otherwise inferior to the rest, saith yet excellently well: Itis a pleasure, to stand upon the shore, and to see ships tossedupon the sea; a pleasure, to stand in the window of a castle, andto see a battle, and the adventures thereof below: but no pleasureis comparable to the standing upon the vantage ground of truth (ahill not to be commanded, and where the air is always clear andserene), and to see the errors, and wanderings, and mists, andtempests, in the vale below; so always that this prospect be withpity, and not with swelling, or pride. Certainly, it is heaven uponearth, to have a man’s mind move in charity, rest in providence,and turn upon the poles of truth.
To pass from theological, and philosophical truth, to the truth ofcivil business; it will be acknowledged, even by those thatpractise it not, that clear, and round dealing, is the honor ofman’s nature; and that mixture of falsehoods, is like alloy in coinof gold and silver, which may make the metal work the better, butit embaseth it. For these winding, and crooked courses, are thegoings of the serpent; which goeth basely upon the belly, and notupon the feet. There is no vice, that doth so cover a man withshame, as to be found false and perfidious. And therefore Montaignesaith prettily, when he inquired the reason, why the word of thelie should be such a disgrace, and such an odious charge? Saith he,If it be well weighed, to say that a man lieth, is as much to say,as that he is brave towards God, and a coward towards men. For alie faces God, and shrinks from man. Surely the wickedness offalsehood, and breach of faith, cannot possibly be so highlyexpressed, as in that it shall be the last peal, to call thejudgments of God upon the generations of men; it being foretold,that when Christ cometh, he shall not find faith upon theearth.
1.论真理
“真理是什么？”善戏谑的彼拉多①曾开玩笑的问道，并不期盼得到答案。的确，世人热衷于游移不定、变化无常，认为对一种信仰的坚守是加在自己身上的束缚。无论是思想上还是行动上，他们一样钟情于自由的意志。虽然这种宗派的哲学家如今已无迹可寻，但还是有一些名言警句流传至今，它们与这些智者一脉相承，尽管比起先辈们稍显逊色。
世人之所以偏爱谎言，并不只是因为寻求真理之路艰难辛苦，也不是怕被真理制约了思想，而是出于一种天生的，虽然是恶劣的，对于谎言本身的喜好。一位希腊晚期的哲学家②在研究这个问题的时候陷入了困惑，他不明白谎言中究竟隐藏了什么，使得人们仅仅因为爱好谎言本身而撒谎，因为说谎既不能像诗人作诗那样收获愉悦感，也不能像商人经商那样获得利益。
我也不知道是何缘故。也许真理就像毫无遮掩的白昼之光，在它的照耀下，人世间上演的种种虚情假意的假面舞会都将无处遁形，而不像在朦胧烛光的映衬下，一切都展现的如此华美而梦幻。
真理在世人眼中的价值可以等同于珍珠，在日光的照耀下最能显其本色，然而却比不上钻石或红宝石，它们只有在各种不同光线的照射下才显得熠熠夺目。掺杂着谎言的事实，亦幻亦真，虚虚实实，确实能给人增添乐趣。有人怀疑过吗：如果将虚荣的观点、谄媚的愿望、错误的评价以及虚无的想像等诸如此类的东西都从人们的思想中抽离，那么，很多人将沦为乏味的可怜虫，内心除了郁郁寡欢和无所知从之外空洞无物，甚至自我厌倦，自我嫌弃。
曾有一位先哲将诗歌严厉地批判为“魔鬼的酒”③，因为它能占据人的想像，却不过是谎言的影子。然而，真正可怕的，并不是人们脑海中一闪而过的谎言，而是盘踞于人心深处，挥之不去的谬误与偏见，正如前面所说的一样。
然而，尽管世风日下、人心腐败，人类的情感和判断力日益堕落，但是一旦人们接触到真理，还是不得不被其征服。作为评判谬误与自身的尺度，真理教会了我们--探求真理，就是向它求爱；认识真理，就是与之同处；而相信真理，就是对之皈依，这才是人性中至高无上的美德。
上帝在创世的那几日，首先创造的是感官的光明，最后创造的是理智的光明。从那以后直到现在，他在安息日都以自己的圣灵昭示世人。起初，他将光明施泽于混沌的世界万物，而后又以神圣的光辉照亮了人类的脸庞。直到如今，他仍将光芒遍撒于他所恩宠的选民，使他们面目生辉。
有一位诗人④曾发表过一番绝妙的评论，为他那派处处低人一等的哲学增色不少。他说：“站在岸上遥看颠簸于海上的船只是一件乐事；站在城堡的窗口观看脚下激烈的战争也是一件乐事，因为自己可以远离险境；但是没有任何乐事能与攀登上真理的制高点，在空气清新宁静、无人能及的高峰上俯视谷底世人们的种种错误、流离、迷乱和疾风劲雨相媲美的了。”
只要这位俯看者是怀揣着几分恻隐之心，而非怀有骄傲自满的情绪，那么这些话可谓再好不过了。无疑，如果一个人能始终以慈悲之心作为出发点，遵照上帝的旨意而为，并且以真理为中心，那么他可以说是身处人间天国了。
探讨完神学和哲学上的真理，我们再来谈谈日常事务中的真理。甚至那些行为够不上正直坦荡的人也不得不承认，光明磊落是人性中一种崇高的美德。掺了假的真理，犹如金银币中混入了合金，虽然更为好用，却降低了它的品质。因为这种蜿蜒扭曲的欺诈行为好像是蛇的前行方式，蛇是用肚子，而非用脚，卑贱地贴地爬行⑤。
再没有一种恶行能够比被人揭穿虚情假意、背信弃义的行径那样，更加令人蒙羞的了。所以，蒙田⑥在探究为什么“谎言”这个词如此为人不齿，面目可憎的时候，有一句话说的很好：“深思熟虑一下，说一个人撒谎，就等于说他敢于狂妄地面对上帝，却羞于勇敢地面对世人。因为谎言能够躲的开世人，却躲不开上帝。”
曾有预言说，当人世间的忠诚与信任不复存在之时，就是基督将重降人间之时。所以，撒谎这一恶行无异于敲响请求上帝前来审判全体人类的末世警钟。因此，对于道德败坏、背信弃义的恶劣行为，再没有什么能比这种说法揭露地更为彻底的了。
① 见《新约?约翰福音》第18章。彼拉多（PontiusPilate）是罗马委任的犹太国总督。在他审判耶稣时，因耶稣说，我来到世间是为了传播真理的，于是他嘲笑地说出了那句对真理质疑的问话。
② 指古希腊哲学家卢西安（Lucian，125—180）。晚期希腊哲学中怀疑主义的批判者。
③ 此语源于圣杰罗姆（StJerome，347—420）。圣奥古斯丁（354—430）亦责备诗歌是“魔鬼之诱饵”、“药酒”等。
④指伊壁鸠鲁派哲学家卢克莱修（Lucretius，罗马诗人，约公元前99—约前55）。名著有《特质论》。认为感觉是一切的尺度。
⑤ 《圣经》中的故事，说蛇引诱亚当、夏娃犯罪，于是神诅咒蛇：“你必用肚子行走，终生吃土。”
⑥ 蒙田（Michel deMontaigne，1533—1592），法国著名作家，著有《随笔集》，此处引自该书卷二《论谎言》。
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