四、英國的政治傳統

　　The Englishman has been called a political animal, and he values what is political and practical so much that ideas easily become objects of dislike in his eyes, and thinkers, miscreants, because practice is everything, a free play of the mind is nothing. The notion of the free play of the mind upon all subjects being a pleasure in itself, being an object of desire, being an essential provider of elements without which a nations spirit, whatever compensations it may have for them, must in the long run, die of emptiness, hardly enters into an Englishmans thoughts. It is noticeable that the word curiosity, which in other languages is used in a good sense, to mean, as a high and fine quality of mans nature, just this disinterested love of a free play of the mind on all subjects, for its own sakeit is noticeable, I say, that this word has in our language no sense of the kind, no sense but a rather bad and disparaging one. But criticism, real criticism, is essentially the exercise of this very quality. It obeys an instinct prompting it to try to know the best that is known and thought in the world, irrespectively of practice, politics, and everything of the kind; and to value knowledge and thought as they approach this best, without the intrusion of any other considerations whatever. This is an instinct for which there is, I think, little original sympathy in the practical English nature, and what there was of it has undergone a long benumbing period of blight and suppression in the epoch of Romanticism.

　　It is of the last importance that English criticism should clearly discern what rule for its course, in order to avail itself of the field now opening to it, and to produce fruit for the future, it ought to take. The rule may be summed up in one word-disinterestedness. And how is criticism to show disinterestedness? By keeping aloof from what is called the practical view of things by resolutely following the law of its own nature, which is to be a free play of the mind on all subjects which it touches. By steadily refusing to lend itself to any of those concealed, political, practical considerations about ideas, which plenty of people will be sure to attach to them, but which criticism has really nothing to do with. Its business is, as I have said, simply to know the best that is known and thought in the world, and by in its turn making this known, to create a current of true and fresh ideas. Its business is to do this with inflexible honesty, with due ability; but its business is to do no more.

　　答案

　　46.對所有事物的自由思考本身就是一種樂趣，一種愿望，為民族精神提供了賴以生存的重要因素。離開這些因素，不管有其他什么樣的補償，一個國家的民族精神終究將會由于空洞而消逝。但是這種認識很難進入英國人的思想。

　　47.它遵循一種本能，促使它不考慮實踐、政治和所有類似的事物，汲取世界上知識和思想的精華;并且促使它在這個過程中不受任何其他考慮的侵擾，珍視知識和思想。

　　48.好奇是一種本能，但我認為，英國人講究實際的本性中幾乎找不到這一本能的痕跡;而且僅存的求知欲也在浪漫主義時代里，經歷了長期的不良影響和壓制而變得麻木了。

　　49.至關重要的是，英國的批評界若想利用向它敞開的領域，若想在將來有所收獲，必須清楚應該為自己的發展道路選擇什么樣的原則。

　　50.方法便是：堅決不為那些隱秘的、政治的和功利的觀點服務，盡管很多人肯定會依附于這些觀點，但批評活動卻與它們毫不相干。

　　總體分析

　　英國人素來看重政治和實際，而忽視自由思想和對事物的好奇心。然而對于批評界來說，他們的驅動力應該是對世界了解的欲望，而不是政治和實際。英國的批評界若想有所作為，必須清楚應該采取什么樣的原則。按照作者的主張，英國的批評界應該以求知、傳播和創新思想為己任，杜絕任何政治和功利因素的影響。

　　四、英國的政治傳統

　　The Englishman has been called a political animal, and he values what is political and practical so much that ideas easily become objects of dislike in his eyes, and thinkers, miscreants, because practice is everything, a free play of the mind is nothing. The notion of the free play of the mind upon all subjects being a pleasure in itself, being an object of desire, being an essential provider of elements without which a nations spirit, whatever compensations it may have for them, must in the long run, die of emptiness, hardly enters into an Englishmans thoughts. It is noticeable that the word curiosity, which in other languages is used in a good sense, to mean, as a high and fine quality of mans nature, just this disinterested love of a free play of the mind on all subjects, for its own sakeit is noticeable, I say, that this word has in our language no sense of the kind, no sense but a rather bad and disparaging one. But criticism, real criticism, is essentially the exercise of this very quality. It obeys an instinct prompting it to try to know the best that is known and thought in the world, irrespectively of practice, politics, and everything of the kind; and to value knowledge and thought as they approach this best, without the intrusion of any other considerations whatever. This is an instinct for which there is, I think, little original sympathy in the practical English nature, and what there was of it has undergone a long benumbing period of blight and suppression in the epoch of Romanticism.

　　It is of the last importance that English criticism should clearly discern what rule for its course, in order to avail itself of the field now opening to it, and to produce fruit for the future, it ought to take. The rule may be summed up in one word-disinterestedness. And how is criticism to show disinterestedness? By keeping aloof from what is called the practical view of things by resolutely following the law of its own nature, which is to be a free play of the mind on all subjects which it touches. By steadily refusing to lend itself to any of those concealed, political, practical considerations about ideas, which plenty of people will be sure to attach to them, but which criticism has really nothing to do with. Its business is, as I have said, simply to know the best that is known and thought in the world, and by in its turn making this known, to create a current of true and fresh ideas. Its business is to do this with inflexible honesty, with due ability; but its business is to do no more.

　　答案

　　46.對所有事物的自由思考本身就是一種樂趣，一種愿望，為民族精神提供了賴以生存的重要因素。離開這些因素，不管有其他什么樣的補償，一個國家的民族精神終究將會由于空洞而消逝。但是這種認識很難進入英國人的思想。

　　47.它遵循一種本能，促使它不考慮實踐、政治和所有類似的事物，汲取世界上知識和思想的精華;并且促使它在這個過程中不受任何其他考慮的侵擾，珍視知識和思想。

　　48.好奇是一種本能，但我認為，英國人講究實際的本性中幾乎找不到這一本能的痕跡;而且僅存的求知欲也在浪漫主義時代里，經歷了長期的不良影響和壓制而變得麻木了。

　　49.至關重要的是，英國的批評界若想利用向它敞開的領域，若想在將來有所收獲，必須清楚應該為自己的發展道路選擇什么樣的原則。

　　50.方法便是：堅決不為那些隱秘的、政治的和功利的觀點服務，盡管很多人肯定會依附于這些觀點，但批評活動卻與它們毫不相干。

　　總體分析

　　英國人素來看重政治和實際，而忽視自由思想和對事物的好奇心。然而對于批評界來說，他們的驅動力應該是對世界了解的欲望，而不是政治和實際。英國的批評界若想有所作為，必須清楚應該采取什么樣的原則。按照作者的主張，英國的批評界應該以求知、傳播和創新思想為己任，杜絕任何政治和功利因素的影響。