弗朗西斯·培根（FrancisBacon，1561—1626），第一代圣阿爾本子爵（1stViscountStAlban），英國文藝復(fù)興時期的散文家、唯物主義哲學(xué)家、實驗科學(xué)和近代歸納法的創(chuàng)始人，為科學(xué)研究程序進行邏輯組織化的先驅(qū)。OfRiches論財富

ByFrancisBacon

ICANNOTcallrichesbetterthanthebaggageofvirtue.TheRomanwordisbetter,impedimenta.Forasthebaggageistoanarmy,soisrichestovirtue.Itcannotbespared,norleftbehind,butithindereththemarch;yea,andthecareofit,sometimeslosethordisturbeththevictory.Ofgreatrichesthereisnorealuse,exceptitbeinthedistribution;therestisbutconceit.SosaithSolomon,Wheremuchis,therearemanytoconsumeit;andwhathaththeowner,butthesightofitwithhiseyes?Thepersonalfruitioninanyman,cannotreachtofeelgreatriches:thereisacustodyofthem;orapowerofdole,anddonativeofthem;orafameofthem;butnosolidusetotheowner.Doyounotseewhatfeignedprices,aresetuponlittlestonesandrarities?andwhatworksofostentationareundertaken,becausetheremightseemtobesomeuseofgreatriches?Butthenyouwillsay,theymaybeofuse,tobuymenoutofdangersortroubles.AsSolomonsaith,Richesareasastronghold,intheimaginationoftherichman.Butthisisexcellentlyexpressed,thatitisinimagination,andnotalwaysinfact.Forcertainlygreatriches,havesoldmoremen,thantheyhaveboughtout.Seeknotproudriches,butsuchasthoumayestgetjustly,usesoberly,distributecheerfully,andleavecontentedly.Yethavenoabstractnorfriarlycontemptofthem.Butdistinguish,asCicerosaithwellofRabiriusPosthumus,Instudioreiamplificandaeapparebat,nonavaritiaepraedam,sedinstrumentumbonitatiquaeri.HarkenalsotoSolomon,andbewareofhastygatheringofriches;Quifestinataddivitias,noneritinsons.筆者認為財富不過是德行的包袱。包袱一詞用拉丁字眼impedimenta更好，因為財富之于德行，不啻輜重之于軍隊。輜重不可缺少，亦不可滯后，但它每每有礙行軍，有時為顧輜重甚至?xí)O誤戰(zhàn)機或妨礙勝利。巨額財富無什么真正的用處，除修齋布施之外，其他用途均屬幻想。因此所羅門有言：財物越多，食者越眾；除了飽飽眼福，財主得何益呢？任何人的個人享用都不可能達到非要巨額錢財?shù)牡夭?，有巨額錢財者只是保管著錢財，或擁有施舍捐贈的權(quán)利，或享有富豪的名聲，但錢財于他們并無實用的用處。君不見有人為幾粒石子或罕見之物開出天價？君不見有人為使巨額財富顯得有用而著手某些鋪張的工程？不過讀者也許會說，錢財可以替人消災(zāi)化難，正如所羅門之言：錢財在富人心里就像一座城堡。然此言正好道破天機，那城堡是在心里，而絕非在現(xiàn)實之中；因為不可否認，錢財替人招災(zāi)致禍的時候遠遠多于替人消災(zāi)化難的時候。別為炫耀而追求財富，只掙你取之有道、用之有度、施之有樂且遺之有慰的錢財。但也別像修道士那樣不食人間煙火，對金錢全然不屑一顧。只是掙錢要分清有道無道，就像西賽羅當(dāng)年替波斯圖穆斯辯護時所說：他追求財富增加顯然不是為滿足其貪婪之心，而是為了得到行善的資力。還應(yīng)聽從所羅門的教誨，別急欲發(fā)財，“急欲發(fā)財者將失去其清白”。Thepoetsfeign,thatwhenPlutus(whichisRiches)issentfromJupiter,helimpsandgoesslowly;butwhenheissentfromPluto,heruns,andisswiftoffoot.Meaningthatrichesgottenbygoodmeans,andjustlabor,paceslowly;butwhentheycomebythedeathofothers(asbythecourseofinheritance,testaments,andthelike),theycometumblinguponaman.ButitmoughtbeappliedlikewisetoPluto,takinghimforthedevil.Forwhenrichescomefromthedevil(asbyfraudandoppression,andunjustmeans),theycomeuponspeed.Thewaystoenricharemany,andmostofthemfoul.Parsimonyisoneofthebest,andyetisnotinnocent;foritwithholdethmenfromworksofliberalityandcharity.Theimprovementoftheground,isthemostnaturalobtainingofriches;foritisourgreatmother’sblessing,theearth’s;butitisslow.Andyetwheremenofgreatwealthdostooptohusbandry,itmultipliethrichesexceedingly.IknewanoblemaninEngland,thathadthegreatestauditsofanymaninmytime;agreatgrazier,agreatsheep-master,agreattimberman,agreatcollier,agreatcorn-master,agreatlead-man,andsoofiron,andanumberofthelikepointsofhusbandry.Soastheearthseemedaseatohim,inrespectoftheperpetualimportation.在詩人的虛構(gòu)中，財神普路圖斯受天帝朱庇特派遣時總是磨磨蹭蹭，而受冥王普路托差遣時卻跑得飛快。這段虛構(gòu)的寓意是，靠誠實和汗水致富通常很慢，但靠他人的死亡發(fā)財（如繼承遺產(chǎn)之類）則快如錢財從天而降。但若把普路托視為魔鬼，這種虛構(gòu)也恰如其分；因為當(dāng)財富來自魔鬼時（如靠欺詐、壓迫和其他不公正的手段獲取財富），的確來得很快。致富的途徑千條萬條，可多半都是邪路歪道；其中吝嗇最為清白，但也并非清白無瑕，因為它阻止世人樂善好施。利用土地致富是最合理的生財之道，因土地提供的財富乃大地之母的恩賜，只是走這條路致富較慢。但已有萬貫家財者若肯屈尊經(jīng)營土地，其家財定會成倍增加。筆者曾識一位英格蘭貴族，他當(dāng)時需審計的賬目為全國之最，因為他擁有大片的麥田、林場、牧場和羊群，還擁有巨大的煤礦、鉛礦、鐵礦和諸如此類的產(chǎn)業(yè)，所以大地于他就像是一片財源滾滾且永不枯竭的海洋。

Itwastrulyobservedbyone,thathimselfcameveryhardly,toalittleriches,andveryeasily,togreatriches.Forwhenaman’sstockiscometothat,thathecanexpecttheprimeofmarkets,andovercomethosebargains,whichfortheirgreatnessarefewmen’smoney,andbepartnerintheindustriesofyoungermen,hecannotbutincreasemainly.Thegainsofordinarytradesandvocationsarehonest;andfurtheredbytwothingschiefly:bydiligence,andbyagoodname,forgoodandfairdealing.Butthegainsofbargains,areofamoredoubtfulnature;whenmenshallwaituponothers’necessity,brokebyservantsandinstrumentstodrawthemon,putoffotherscunningly,thatwouldbebetterchapmen,andthelikepractices,whicharecraftyandnaught.Asforthechoppingofbargains,whenamanbuysnottoholdbuttoselloveragain,thatcommonlygrindethdouble,bothupontheseller,anduponthebuyer.Sharingsdogreatlyenrich,ifthehandsbewellchosen,thataretrusted.Usuryisthecertainestmeansofgain,thoughoneoftheworst;asthatwherebyamandotheathisbread,insudorevultusalieni;andbesides,dothploughuponSundays.Butyetcertainthoughitbe,ithathflaws;forthatthescrivenersandbrokersdovalueunsoundmen,toservetheirownturn.Thefortuneinbeingthefirst,inaninventionorinaprivilege,dothcausesometimesawonderfulovergrowthinriches;asitwaswiththefirstsugarman,intheCanaries.Thereforeifamancanplaythetruelogician,tohaveaswelljudgment,asinvention,hemaydogreatmatters;especiallyifthetimesbefit.Hethatrestethupongainscertain,shallhardlygrowtogreatriches;andhethatputsalluponadventures,dothoftentimesbreakandcometopoverty:itisgood,therefore,toguardadventureswithcertainties,thatmayupholdlosses.Monopolies,andcoemptionofwaresforre-sale,wheretheyarenotrestrained,aregreatmeanstoenrich;especiallyifthepartyhaveintelligence,whatthingsareliketocomeintorequest,andsostorehimselfbeforehand.Richesgottenbyservice,thoughitbeofthebestrise,yetwhentheyaregottenbyflattery,feedinghumors,andotherservileconditions,theymaybeplacedamongsttheworst.Asforfishingfortestamentsandexecutorships(asTacitussaithofSeneca,testamentaetorbostamquamindaginecapi),itisyetworse;byhowmuchmensubmitthemselvestomeanerpersons,thaninservice.有人說他掙小錢很難賺大錢卻很容易，此話一點不假。因為一個人若像他那樣擁有雄厚的資金，便可囤積居奇，恃強凌弱并與人合伙經(jīng)營年輕人的行當(dāng)，這樣他非賺大錢不可。一般行當(dāng)和職業(yè)掙的是老實錢，其掙錢手段主要有二：一是勤勞奮勉，二是童叟無欺。但靠講盤議價而盈利，其公道就令人生疑；凡乘人急需而漫天要價，凡賄賂雇員和代理人而招攬生意，或是耍手腕排擠其他可能更公平的商人等等，都是奸詐卑劣之舉。至于做投機買賣，即購物并非為自己所用，而是為了再高價出售，這對原賣主和二手顧客都可謂敲詐。如果選擇的搭檔可靠，合伙經(jīng)營通常有大利可圖。放債取息乃最可靠的發(fā)財之路，但也是最有害的邪路，因放債取息者不僅讓別人流汗自己吃面包，而且還在安息日盈利。不過放債取息雖說可靠，但也并非沒有風(fēng)險，因公證人和中間人常常為了私利替沒有償還能力的人作信譽擔(dān)保。若有幸率先獲得某項發(fā)明或某項專利，有時候也可大發(fā)橫財，如最先在加那利群島建糖廠的那人。因此，一個人若能充當(dāng)真正的邏輯學(xué)家，即善于發(fā)現(xiàn)又善于判斷，那他就可以大撈一把，尤其是遇上走運得幸之時?？抗潭ㄊ杖肷钫呓K歸難成巨富，而傾其所有投機者又往往會傾家蕩產(chǎn)；所以最好是有份固定收入作投機冒險的后盾，這樣即使投機失敗也有退路。在沒有法律限制的地方，壟斷商品并囤積待售乃發(fā)財之重要手段，在當(dāng)事者能預(yù)見何種商品將供不應(yīng)求，從而事先囤積時更是如此。出仕受祿固然最為風(fēng)光，但若俸祿之獲取是靠阿諛奉承、偷合茍容或其它奴顏婢膝的行徑，那這種錢亦可列為最卑污之類。至于攫取遺囑及遺囑執(zhí)行人身份（像塔西佗所說的塞內(nèi)加那樣用網(wǎng)捕撈遺囑和遺孤監(jiān)護權(quán)），這比前者更為卑污，因前者討好的畢竟是公侯君王，而后者得討好一些卑鄙小人。Believenotmuch,themthatseemtodespiseriches;fortheydespisethem,thatdespairofthem;andnoneworse,whentheycometothem.Benotpenny-wise;richeshavewings,andsometimestheyflyawayofthemselves,sometimestheymustbesetflying,tobringinmore.Menleavetheirriches,eithertotheirkindred,ortothepublic;andmoderateportions,prosperbestinboth.Agr