策略上的休战

Charles James Fox ，1749—1806，a famous English orator and statesman，was the son of Hon.Henry Fox，afterward Lord Holland；he was also a lineal descendant of Charles II.of England and of Henry IV，of France.He received his education at Westminster，Eton，and Oxford，but left the University without graduating.He was first elected to Parliament before he was twenty years old.During the American Revolution，he favored the colonies；later，he was a friend and fellow-partisan both with Burke and Wilberforce.Burke said of him，“He is the most brilliant and successful debater the world ever saw.”In his later years，Mr.Fox was as remarkable for carelessness in dress and personal appearance，as he had been for the opposite in his youth.He possessed many pleasing traits of character，but his morals were not commendable；he was a gambler and a spendthrift.Yet he exercised a powerful influence on the politics of his times.This extract is from a speech delivered during a truce in the long war between England and France.

“But we must pause，”says the honorable gentleman.What！must the bowels of Great Britain be torn out，her best blood spilt，her treasures wasted，that you may make an experiment？Put yourselves——Oh！that you would put yourselves on the field of battle，and learn to judge of the sort of horrors you excite.In former wars，a man might at least have some feeling，some interest，that served to balance in his mind the impressions which a scene of carnage and death must inflict.

But if a man were present now at the field of slaughter，and were to inquire for what they were fighting——“ Fighting！”，would be the answer；“they are not fighting；they are pausing.”“Why is that man expiring？Why is that other writhing with agony？What means this implacable fury？”The answer must be，“You are quite wrong，sir，you deceive yourself，——they are not fighting，——do not disturb them，——they are merely pausing！This man is not expiring with agony，that man is not dead，——he is only pausing！Bless you，sir，they are not angry with one another；they have now no cause of quarrel；but their country thinks that there should be a pause.All that you see is nothing like fighting，——there is no harm，nor cruelty，nor bloodshed in it；it is nothing more than a political pause.It is merely to try an experiment——to see whether Bonaparte will not behave himself better than heretofore；and，in the meantime，we have agreed to a pause，in pure friendship！”

And is this the way that you are to show yourselves the advocates of order？You take up a system calculated to uncivilize the world，to destroy order，to trample on religion，to stifle in the heart not merely the generosity of noble sentiment，but the affections of social nature；and in the prosecution of this system，you spread terror and devastation all around you.

译文　TRANSLATION

查尔斯·詹姆斯·福克斯（1749—1806）是英国著名演说家和政治家。其父霍恩·亨利·福克斯为荷兰勋爵，他亦是英国国王查尔斯二世和法国国王亨利四世的直系后裔。他先后就读于威斯敏斯特、伊顿、牛津，但在牛津时未能毕业。不到二十岁，查尔斯·詹姆斯·福克斯就被选为议员。北美独立战争期间，他支持殖民地。后来，他成为伯克和威尔伯福斯的朋友和同党。伯克说“他是世界上最杰出和最成功的辩论家。”晚年，查尔斯·詹姆斯·福克斯与其年轻时截然不同并以不修边幅著称。福克斯性格中有很多讨喜之处，但他的品格却并不值得赞美：他嗜赌如命而又挥霍无度。查尔斯·詹姆斯·福克斯对当时的政治有很大的影响。下面这个选段出自他在英法战争的一次休战中所作的演说。

“但我们必须休战，”这位可敬的绅士如是说。什么！难道必须给大不列颠剖肠破肚、必须让她的青春热血四溢横流、她的财富虚耗浪费，你们才会做此实验？你们让自己，哦，让自己去置身战场，然后再试着去评判你们所引发的恐惧吧！在之前的历次战争中，某个士兵至少还有某种感觉、某种利益用以权衡屠戮、死亡的场面所引发的各种印象。

但如果现在某个士兵置身屠场，叩问他们为何而战？“为战而战”或许就是回答。“他们没在战斗，他们在休战！”“为什么这个兵即将断气？为什么那个兵在痛苦地翻来滚去？这难以平息的愤怒意味着什么？”“您完全错了，您在欺骗自己，他们没在战斗，不要打扰他们，他们仅仅在休战！这个兵没有痛苦地就要断气，那个兵也没死，他只是在休战！上帝保佑你，先生，他们并不生彼此的气，他们没理由争执；而且他们的国家认为应该休战。你所看到的一切根本不是战斗，这里面没有伤害、没有残忍，也没有流血。这是策略上的休战，这只是一个实验，看看波拿巴是否会变本加厉。同时，我们是否出于纯粹的友谊一致同意停战。”

你们就用这种方式来展示自己是秩序的倡导者吗？你们着手建立这样一个体系，它苦心孤诣地在使世界野蛮化，在摧毁秩序，在蹂躏宗教。它不仅扼杀人们心中宽容、慷慨的高贵情感，而且窒息各种社群性质的慈爱。在建立这一体系的过程中，你们在你们周边散播着恐惧和毁灭。