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.
舞臺上的愛情生活比生活中的愛情要美好得多。因為在舞臺上，愛情只是喜劇和悲劇的素材，而在人生中，愛情卻常常招來不幸。它有時象那位誘惑人的魔女(1)，有時又象那位復仇的女神(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（無論是古人、今人，只要是其英名永銘于人類記憶中的），沒有一個是因愛情而發狂的人。因為偉大的事業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，然而后者卻是嚴肅多謀的人。這說明愛情不僅會占領開曠坦闊的胸懷，有時也能闖入壁壘森嚴的心靈----假如手御不嚴的話。
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)曾說過一句笨話：“人生不過是一座大戲臺。”似乎本應努力追求高尚事業的人類，卻只應象玩偶般地逢場作戲。雖然愛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.
