[英國]丹尼爾·笛福/Daniel Defoe
丹尼爾·笛福（1660-1731），英國著名且極具影響力的小說家與散文家。除了作為高產作家外，他同時是商人、政客、密探、冒險家、編輯、評論家等。他一生寫了二百餘部作品，其代表作《魯濱遜漂流記》、《辛格頓船長》等一係列主要描寫中下層社會青年航海或其他冒險的小說，在世界各地廣為流傳，同時也開創了英國現實主義小說之先河。
What then is the work of life?What the business of great men, that pass the stage of the world in seeming triumph as these men we call heroes have done?Is it to grow great in the mouth of fame and take up so many pages in history?Alas!That is no more than making a tale for the reading of posterity till it turns into fable and romance. Is it to furnish subjects to the poets, and live in their immortal rhymes as they call them?That is, in short, no more than to be hereafter turned into ballad and song and be sung by old women to quiet children, or at the corner of the street to gather crowds in aid of the pickpocket and the poor. Or is their business rather to add virtue and piety to their glory, which alone will pass them into eternity and make them truly immortal?What is glory without virtue?A great man without religion is no more than a great beast without a soul. What is honour without merit?And what can be called true merit but that which makes a person be a good man as well as a great man?
人生的工作是什麽？那些偉大的人物們，被我們稱作英雄的人們，他們得意洋洋地走過了世界的舞台又做了些什麽呢？難道就是要在眾口盛傳中變得偉大，以及在曆史上占據許多篇章嗎？唉！那隻不過是編一個故事，供後人閱讀，直到它變成了神話或傳奇罷了。難道就是要供給詩人們以吟詠的題材，生活在他們那些所謂不朽的詩篇之中嗎？說起來那隻不過是在將來變為歌謠，由老奶奶唱給凝神靜聽的孩子，或由賣唱的在街角唱出，以吸引大批的聽眾，使扒手和窮人多了一個謀生機會而已。他們所應做的事情，是不是要為自己的榮耀添加上美德和虔誠呢？隻有這兩樣東西才可以使他們進入永生，真正不朽！如果沒有美德，榮耀又算什麽呢？一個沒有宗教信仰的偉人，和一隻沒有靈魂的巨獸又有什麽區別？如果沒有價值存在，榮譽又算什麽呢？被稱作真正有價值的東西，除了那種不僅把一個人造就成偉人，並且使他具有好人的本質之外，還有什麽呢？