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法国人和英国人Itisobviousthatthereisagreatdealofdifferencebetweenbeinginternationalandbeingcos-mopolitan.Allgoodmenareinternational.Nearlyallbadmenarecosmopolitan.Ifwearetobeinternationalwemustbenational.Anditislargelybecausethosewhocallthemselvesthefriendsofpeacehavenotdweltsufficientlyonthisdistinctionthattheydonotimpressthebulkofanyofthenationstowhichtheybelong.Internationalpeacemeansapeacebetweennations,notapeaceafterthedestructionofnations,liketheBuddhistpeaceafterthedestructionofpersonality.ThegoldenageofthegoodEuropeanisliketheheavenoftheChristian:itisaplacewherepeoplewillloveeachother;notliketheheavenoftheHindu,aplacewheretheywillbeeachother.Andinthecaseofnationalcharacterthiscanbeseeninacuriousway.Itwillgenerallybefound,Ithink,thatthemoreamanreallyappreciatesandadmiresthesoulofanotherpeoplethelesshewillattempttoimitateit;hewillbeconsciousthatthereissomethinginittoodeepandtoounmanageabletoimitate.TheEnglishmanwhohasafancyforFrancewilltrytobeFrench;theEnglishmanwhoad-miresFrancewillremainobstinatelyEnglish.ThisistobeparticularlynoticedinthecaseofourrelationswiththeFrench,becauseitisoneoftheoutstandingpeculiaritiesoftheFrenchthattheirvicesareallonthesurface,andtheirextraordinaryvirtuesconcealed.[3]Onemightalmostsaythattheirvicesarethefloweroftheirvirtues.在国际化和见多识广中存在着非常大的差异，这是显而易见的。所有的好人都是国际化的，所有的坏人都是见多识广的。我们如果想变得国际化，首先必须具备民族性。很大程度上正是由于那些自称热爱和平的人并未真正理解这种区别，因此他们的努力甚至不为自己国家的大多数人所接受。国际间的和平意味着民族间的和平，并非破坏一个民族以后的和平，就像破坏个人特性的佛教那样。欧洲最好的时代是像基督教的天堂那般，在那里人们相亲相爱；而非像印度教那样，人们在那里成为彼此。关于民族特性这一点，可以被看作是一种稀奇的方式。我认为总体来说，是一个人不仅仅于欣赏和景仰另一个民族的气质和精神，但也不至于去模仿；他会意识到其他民族文化是很难模仿的，因为有极深极难掌握的东西在其中。对法国着迷的英国人会尝试着变成法国人；而敬仰着法国的英国人却始终坚定地有着英国的痕迹。我们英国同法国的关系需要被多加关注，因为法国人其中一个杰出的特点就是所有的邪恶都在表面上，而且他们特别的美德被封存了。你几乎可以说他们的“恶”其实是他们的“善之花”。Thustheirobscenityistheexpressionoftheirpassionateloveofdraggingallthingsintothelight.Theavariceoftheirpeasantsmeanstheindependenceoftheirpeasants.WhattheEnglishcalltheirrudenessinthestreetsisaphaseoftheirsocialequality.Theworriedlookoftheirwomenisconnectedwiththeresponsibilityoftheirwomen;andacertainunconsciousbrutalityofhurryandgestureinthemenisrelatedtotheirinexhaustibleandextraordinarymilitarycourage.Ofallcoun-tries,therefore,Franceistheworstcountryforasuperficialfooltoadmire.LetafoolhateFrance:ifthefoollovesithewillsoonbeaknave.Hewillcertainlyadmireit,notonlyforthethingsthatarenotcreditable,butactuallyforthethingsthatarenotthere.Hewilladmirethegraceandindolenceofthemostindustriouspeopleintheworld.Hewilladmiretheromanceandfantasyofthemostdeterminedlyrespectableandcommon-placepeopleintheworld.ThismistaketheEnglishmanwillmakeifheadmiresFrancetoohastily;butthemistakethathemakesaboutFrancewillbeslightcomparedwiththemistakethathemakesabouthimself.AnEnglishmanwhoprofessesreallytolikeFrenchrealisticnovels,reallytobeathomeinaFrenchmoderntheatre,reallytoexperiencenoshockonfirstseeingthesavageFrenchcaricatures,ismakingamistakeverydangerousforhisownsincerity.Heisadmiringsomethinghedoesnotunderstand.Heisreapingwherehehasnotsown,andtakingupwherehehasnotlaiddown;heistryingtotastethefruitwhenhehasnevertoiledoverthetree.HeistryingtoplucktheexquisitefruitofFrenchcynicism,whenhehasnevertilledtherudebutrichsoilofFrenchvirtue.因而法国式的下流其实是他们热衷将事情公之于众的一种表达方式。法国农民的贪婪其实意味着他们的独立。当英国人在街头看到的粗鲁实际上是社会平等的阶段。法国妇女面带恶容与她们的责任有关系，而他们男人不经意间流露的匆忙和姿态的残酷与他们不知疲倦和和非凡的军事勇气有关。因此从所有国家看来，对于那些嘴肤浅的傻瓜来说法国是最不值得崇拜的国家。让我们调侃一下法国：如果一个傻瓜爱上法国那么不久之后他会变成恶棍。他会真真切切地爱上法国，不仅仅因为那些根本不值得的事物，甚至是一些不存在的东西。他们会崇拜世界上最勤奋的人的优雅和慵懒，也会敬仰世界上最值得令人尊敬或者是普通人的浪漫和迷人。英国人会急匆匆地崇拜法国，这是他们会犯的错误；但是他在法国犯的错几乎没有办法和自己身上犯的错误做对比。一个自称真正喜欢法国现实主义小说的英国人，真正喜欢呆在法国现代戏剧里，第一次看到野蛮的法国漫画就不会感到震惊，他犯了一个错误，这对他自己的真诚来说是非常危险的。犯下的严重错误有损于他的真诚。他崇拜着他不理解的东西，他收获着他并未播种的东西，占领着他从未拥有过的东西，品尝着他从未悉心照料的果实。他是在试着采摘法国式玩世不恭的果实，然而却从未耕种过法国式美德未开化但肥沃的土壤。3ThethingcanonlybemadecleartoEnglishmenbyturningitround.SupposeaFrenchmancameoutofdemocraticFrancetoliveinEngland,wheretheshadowofthegreathousesstillfallseverywhere,andwhereevenfreedomwas,initsorigin,aristocratic.IftheFrenchmansawouraristocracyandlikedit,ifhesawoursnobbishnessandlikedit,ifhesethimselftoimitateit,weallknowwhatweshouldfeel.WeallknowthatweshouldfeelthatthatparticularFrenchmanwasarepulsivelittlegnat.HewouldbeimitatingEnglisharistocracy;hewouldbeimitatingtheEnglishvice.Buthewouldnotevenunderstandtheviceheplagiarized:especiallyhewouldnotunder-standthattheviceispartlyavirtue.HewouldnotunderstandthoseelementsintheEnglishwhichbalancesnobbishnessandmakeithuman:thegreatkindnessoftheEnglish,theirhospitality,theirunconsciouspoetry,theirsentimentalconservatism,whichreallyadmiresthegentry.TheFrenchRoyalistseesthattheEnglishliketheirking.ButhedoesnotgraspthatwhileitisbasetoworshipaKing,itisalmostnobletoworshipapowerlessKing.TheimportanceoftheHanoverianSovereignshasraisedtheEnglishloyalsubjectalmosttothechivalryanddignityofaJacobite.TheFrenchmanseesthattheEnglishservantisrespectful:hedoesnotrealizethatheisalsodis-respectful;thatthereisanEnglishlegendofthehumorousandfaithfulservant,whoisasmuchapersonalityashismaster;theCalebBalderstone,theSamWeller.HeseesthattheEnglishdoadmireanobleman;hedoesnotallowfort