真理的高处仍须怜悯

英文原文

The poet, that beautified the sect, that was otherwise inferior to the rest, saith yet excellently well: It is a pleasure, to stand upon the shore, and to see ships tossed upon the sea; a pleasure, to stand in the window of a castle, and to see a battle, and the adventures thereof below: but no pleasure is comparable to the standing upon the vantage ground of truth (a hill not to be commanded, and where the air is always clear and serene), and to see the errors, and wanderings, and mists, and tempests, in the vale below; so always that this prospect be with pity, and not with swelling, or pride. Certainly, it is heaven upon earth, to have a man's mind move in charity, rest in providence, and turn upon the poles of truth.

中文译文

那位为一个本来不及其他学派的学派增光的诗人，倒说得极好：站在岸上，看船只在海上颠簸，是一种乐趣；站在城堡的窗前，看下面的战斗和种种遭际，也是一种乐趣；但没有什么乐趣，比得上立于真理的有利高地，那是一座无处可以居高临下俯制它、空气永远清澈宁静的山丘，观看下方山谷里的错误、迷途、云雾与风暴。不过，这样的观看必须怀着怜悯，而非自大或骄傲。的确，让人的心灵在仁爱中行动，在上帝的眷顾中安息，并绕着真理的轴心运转，便是人间的天堂。