The stage is more beholding to love, than the life of man. For as to the stage, love is ever matter of comedies, and now and then of tragedies; but in life it doth much mischief; sometimes like a siren, sometimes like a fury.
舞臺(tái)上的愛(ài)情生活比生活中的愛(ài)情要美好得多。因?yàn)樵谖枧_(tái)上，愛(ài)情只是喜劇和悲劇的素材，而在人生中，愛(ài)情卻常常招來(lái)不幸。它有時(shí)象那位誘惑人的魔女(1)，有時(shí)又象那位復(fù)仇的女神(2)。
You may observe, that amongst all the great and worthy persons (whereof the memory remaineth, either ancient or recent) there is not one, that hath been transported to the mad degree of love: which shows that great spirits, and great business, do keep out this weak passion. You must except, nevertheless, Marcus Antonius, the half partner of the empire of Rome, and Appius Claudius, the decemvir and lawgiver; whereof the former was indeed a voluptuous man, and inordinate; but the latter was an austere and wise man: and therefore it seems (though rarely) that love can find entrance, not only into an open heart, but also into a heart well fortified, if watch be not well kept.
你可以看到，一切真正偉大的人物（無(wú)論是古人、今人，只要是其英名永銘于人類(lèi)記憶中的），沒(méi)有一個(gè)是因愛(ài)情而發(fā)狂的人。因?yàn)閭ゴ蟮氖聵I(yè)只有羅馬的安東尼和克勞底亞是例外(3)。前者本性就好色荒淫，然而后者卻是嚴(yán)肅多謀的人。這說(shuō)明愛(ài)情不僅會(huì)占領(lǐng)開(kāi)曠坦闊的胸懷，有時(shí)也能闖入壁壘森嚴(yán)的心靈----假如手御不嚴(yán)的話(huà)。
It is a poor saying of Epicurus, Satis magnum alter alteri theatrum sumus; as if man, made for the contemplation of heaven, and all noble objects, should do nothing but kneel before a little idol, and make himself a subject, though not of the mouth (as beasts are), yet of the eye; which was given him for higher purposes.
埃辟克拉斯(4)曾說(shuō)過(guò)一句笨話(huà)：“人生不過(guò)是一座大戲臺(tái)。”似乎本應(yīng)努力追求高尚事業(yè)的人類(lèi)，卻只應(yīng)象玩偶般地逢場(chǎng)作戲。雖然愛(ài)情的奴隸并不同于那班只顧吃喝的禽獸，但畢竟也只是眼目色相的奴隸，而上帝賜人以眼睛本來(lái)是有更高尚的用途的。
It is a strange thing, to note the excess of this passion, and how it braves the nature, and value of things, by this; that the speaking in a perpetual hyperbole, is comely in nothing but in love. Neither is it merely in the phrase; for whereas it hath been well said, that the arch-flatterer, with whom all the petty flatterers have intelligence, is a man's self; certainly the lover is more. For there was never proud man thought so absurdly well of himself, as the lover doth of the person loved; and therefore it was well said, That it is impossible to love, and to be wise. Neither doth this weakness appear to others only, and not to the party loved; but to the loved most of all, except the love be reciproque. For it is a true rule, that love is ever rewarded, either with the reciproque, or with an inward and secret contempt.
