托馬斯’潘’
(THOMAS PAINE)’’’’機
The American Crisis
(Library of Congress)
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’’考驗’’’魂’’’’
’’國’立戰’期間’潘’’’’’’’’’機’爲’’’’文章’分爲’六’’’’’’1776－1783’之間’’給’’’’’標’爲’’識’’’中第’’’’’1776’l 2月23日’’滿腔熱情號’’們爲’由而戰’’’’’’’文章’’’’華盛’’’’’’’’福’’’’’落’’隊’讀’’’奮精’’檄文’
儘管潘’’’國著’賣’’’’’’潘’’’’身’分文’’爲’爲’’’’文章’夠’’’’’’讓’’讀’’’絕接’任’’’’潘’’’’’最偉’’’’’傳’之’’1787’’’’’歐’’’望’’’’們對’’’’’’’’’橫跨斯凱基爾’’’橋’’劃’興趣’’而’’’快’’’國革’’’’’1791’’’’’’’’’’’’’衛’國革’’批’’’’’’’’’’對’國革’’反’’’’’’’’答’1792’’潘’’’’’’’’’第’部’批’’’’體’鼓’’滅’’’文’’失’’’策’’國’’’止潘’’’’’議’’’圖’’’’’潘’’’國’’’國’’那’’’選’國民議’’盡管’’衛’’國革’’’’還’批評’’’期’’’’救國’’’’’由’’’樣做’’國’把’關’’裏’’’’潘’’’’’’’’’(’部分’1794’1795’)’’’’’’正統’教’’’’骨仇’’
1802’’潘’’’’國’1809’’’’’市’’’
’’考驗’’’魂’’’’’當’’’機中’精壯’戰’’樂天’’國’’’爲國’’務’’任面’’’不’’’今天’堅’戰鬥’’應當’’’體’’’’戴’’’’’’’’’像’獄’樣’’不’’’打’’’’’我們’’堪慰’’’鬥’’’’巨’勝’’’’’’輕’獲’’’’’我們’不’重’’切’’’價值’’它’’之不’’’’天’’’樣給它’’’’’’當’價’’’’對’由’樣’’’’’反而’價不高’那’’’’’’’憑’隊’推’’’’’’’不’’公’’’’有’’(不’課’)而’“’’切情’’對我們’’’面’’”’’’那樣’’我們還不’奴’’話’那’’’不’’奴’’’’’’’實’們’種說’本身’’褻’’’’’’爲’們’說’那種’限’’’’屬’’’’’
我’任’’’樣’’有什麽’’’’我內心’’’’’爲’而’’’還’’麽’爲’’個曾殫’竭’’’盡’切妥善’辦’’屢次’誠’’’避’戰’之’難’民族’’’’’’’不’聽任’們橫’’’’’’’’我’有那麽’異教’’’’’還不’’’爲’’’’棄對’’’’’’把我們交給’鬼’落’’’我’’’’’’’我’’’不’不’’國’’’’’種’由仰對’天’’’’’’我們’’個’’’藉’’手’’路’’’匪’’’’而’’’’都’找’’個跟’’樣堂’’藉’’
’而有’驚’失措竟’’麽快蔓’’國’’’’’’’’驚’’個國’’’個’’都有’類’’’’’不’’聽說’國平’船隊’’’’’’曾像打’’’樣’抖’’’’’’’’’’體’’對’蘭’’國’’’’’’之’’趕’’竟’’目瞪’’’而’’’雄’’’’由’’’’’’婦’’領’湊’散’’’’’’’’’’天’啓’
’’’’’個’’’鼓’’’’’奮’’’救’’’’難’’’’’’們’’蹂’’掠之’’’
我不’對少數’’而’’’體’’’不’對’個’’那個’’而’’’’個’’’’’’’們迅’奮’’’’’戰’’’’’’’襄’’’’’生’’’’’’’’’’而’’’’寧’太’’不’太少’讓我們’’’’’’’’有’望’’’’’堅’’’’隆’’’’我’’’民’爲’’’’難而’’不’’’’’身而’’’’’敵’’莫’’’’’’喪生’請’’’’’’’’’不’把當’’’擔推給’’’’“用實’’’’’’心”’’樣’’’’’’’’’不分’’’’不分’賤’’禍’福’’’降’’’們’個’’’’’不論’遠’’’’’’還’邊疆’’’’還’’’’喜’’喜’’’’’’’’’’’動’’’心’’’’’’’’’們’’’’駡’’’懦’’爲’’’’’’’’’’’救’體’’’們獲’’福’緊’關’’’’’我’’’’難中’’’’’我’’’’’中’集’’’’’我’’’’’’變’’敢’’’’’’脫’’’’’’’而’’天’堅毅’’爲不’’心’’’’’堅’原’’’’不渝’’我’’’我推’’’路像’’’’樣筆’’’’我’’’’把’’’’’’都給我’’’’誘’我’支援’場’略戰’’’爲我’爲’’’殺’’’’假’’’’賊’’闖’我’’’’’毀我’’’’殺’我’’’’殺我’’’’裏’’’’’’’我“’’切情’’’’’”’’’絕對’志’難’我’甘’’’嗎?不管’’’’’國’還’平民’’我’’’還’’國’’’單個暴’還’’支’隊’那對我有什麽’’?’’’’’’’’都’有’’爲’對’’’’’’我們’’種情’’’’’’而’’’種情’’’’’’’那’不公正’’’讓’們把我’’’’’’’’’’’我’不’’’’’’我’’’’’個遲’’’’’’’’’’’’’’傢夥’示’心’’而’我’’魂’爲’妓’樣骯髒’那’’’我’’’鬼’樣’’’’而當末日’’’’’種’’’’’’野嶺’號’’’托’’驚’’’’’’’’’’’寡婦’’’’殺’面’’走’’’我接’’種’’憐憫’我’’樣’’’’’’’
有’情’’論用什麽言詞’’’都不’’’’’’’’個’’’有’’對’’著’們’邪’不’’’’識’’們’望敵’’勝’’’’’’’’’’’’’慰’’’期望那’不’正’’’’’’’’’’’蠢’極’而’’’’’爲目’’’方’’’’’’’不’’戰’’’種詭’’’’’’猾跟’’’暴皮’樣’殘’我們對’’都應當’’’樣’警惕’’
’謝’’’我’’’懼’我’不’有什麽’正值’’懼’’由’我對目’’局勢’’’楚’對’’’’路’’’’’’’’我們堅’不懈’不’不撓’我們’有’望’’’’’結’’’’’’’’膝投降’’結’’’’’’接’’種’禍’’國’’’蹂’’’市’’’減’’民’’’’’備’奴’而’’望’我們’’園’變成黑森雇傭’’營’’妓’’’’還’’’’’堆’不’誰’’們’親’’’’面對’樣’副情景’’不’Ｚ’’!’’’’今日竟還有’個’有’腦’’種不’’’話’那’讓’’’’’’爲’’傷’’
Thomas Paine
The American Crisis
These are the
times that try men's souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in
this crisis, shrink from the service of his country; but he that stands it NOW,
deserves the love and thanks of man and woman. Tyranny, like hell, is not easily
conquered; yet we have this consolation with us, that the harder the conflict,
the more glorious the triumph. What we obtain too cheap, "we esteem too lightly;
'tis dearness only that gives every thing its value. Heaven knows how to put a
proper price upon its goods; and it would be strange indeed, if so celestial an
article as FREEDOM should not be highly rated. Britain, with an army to enforce
her tyranny, has declared that she has a right (not only to TAX) but "to BIND us
in ALL CASES WHATSOEVER," and if being bound in that manner, is not slavery,
then is there no such a thing as slavery upon earth. Even the expression is
impious, for so unlimited a power can belong only to God. . . .
I have as
little superstition in me as any man living, but my secret opinion has ever
been, and still is, that God Almighty will not give up a people to military
destruction, or leave them unsupportedly to perish, who have so earnestly and so
repeatedly sought to avoid the calamities of war, by every decent method which
wisdom could invent. Neither have I so much of the infidel in me, as to suppose
that He has relinquished the government of the world, and given us up to the
care of devils; and as I do not, I cannot see on what grounds the king of
Britain can look up to Heaven for help against us: a common murderer, a
highwayman, or a housebreaker, has as good a pretence as he.
"Tis
surprising to see how rapidly a panic will sometimes run through a country. All
nations and ages have been subject to them: Britain has trembled like an ague at
the report of a French fleet of flat bottomed boats; and in the fourteenth
century the whole English army, after ravaging the kingdom of France, was driven
back like men petrified with fear; and this brave exploit was performed by a few
broken forces collected and headed by a woman, Joan of Arc. Would that heaven
might inspire some Jersey maid to spirit up her countrymen, and save her fair
fellow sufferers from ravage and ravishment! ...
. . . I
call not upon a few, but upon all: not on this state or that state, but on every
state; up and help us; lay your shoulders to the wheel; better have too much
force than too little, when so great an object is at stake. Let it be told to
the future world, that in the depth of winter, when nothing but hope and virtue
could survive, that the city and the country, alarmed at one common danger, came
forth to meet and to repulse it. Say not that thousands are gone, turn out your
tens of thousands; throw not the burden of the day upon Providence, but "show
your faith by your works, " that God may bless you. It matters not where you
live, or what rank of life you hold, the evil or the blessing will reach you
all. The far and the near, the home counties and the back, the rich and the
poor, will suffer or rejoice alike. The heart that feels not now, is dead: the
blood of his children will curse his cowardice, who shrinks back at a time when
a little might have saved the whole, and made them happy. I love the man that
can smile in trouble, that can gather strength from distress, and grow brave by
reflection. 'Tis the business of little minds to shrink; but he whose heart is
firm, and whose conscience approves his conduct, will pursue his principles unto
death. My own line of reasoning is to myself as straight and clear as a ray of
light. Not all the treasures of the world, so far as I believe, could have
induced me to support an offensive war, for I think it murder; but if a thief
breaks into my house, burns and destroys my property, and kills or threatens to
kill me, or those that are in it, and to "bind me in all cases whatsoever, " to
his absolute will, am I to suffer it? What signifies it to me, whether he who
does it is a king or a common man; my countryman or not my countryman: whether
it be done by an individual villain, or an army of them? If we reason to the
root of things we shall find no difference; neither can any just cause be as
signed why we should punish in the one case and pardon in the other. Let them
call me rebel, and welcome, I feel no concern from it; but I should suffer the
misery of devils, were I to make a whore of my soul by swearing allegiance to
one whose character is that of a sottish, stupid, stubborn, worthless, brutish
man. I conceive likewise a horrid idea in receiving mercy from a being, who at
the last day shall be shrieking to the rocks and mountains to cover him, and
fleeing with terror from the orphan, the widow, and the slain of America.
There are
cases which cannot be overdone by language, and this is one. There are persons
too who see not the full extent of the evil which threatens them, they solace
themselves with hopes that the enemy, if they succeed, will be merciful. It is
the madness of folly, to expect mercy from those who have refused to do justice;
and even mercy, where conquest is the object, is only a trick of war; the
cunning of the fox is as murderous as the violence of the wolf; and we ought to
guard equally against both. . . .
I thank
God that I fear not. I see no real cause for fear. I know our situation well,
and can see the way out of it. . . . By perseverance and fortitude we have the
prospect of a glorious issue; by cowardice and submission, the sad choice of a
variety of evils--a ravaged country--a depopulated city--habitations without
safety, and slavery without hope--our homes turned into barracks and
bawdy-houses for Hessians, and a future race to provide for, whose fathers we
shall doubt of. Look on this picture and weep over it! and if there yet remains
one thoughtless wretch who believes it not, let him suffer it unlamented. ...
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