LESSON 86

AN EVENING ADVENTURE

夜间奇遇

Not long since, a gentleman was traveling in one of the counties of Virginia, and about the close of the day stopped at a public house to obtain refreshment and spend the night. He had been there but a short time, before an old man alighted from his gig, with the apparent intention of becoming his fellow guest at the same house.

As the old man drove up, he observed that both the shafts of his gig were broken, and that they were held together by withes, formed from the bark of a hickory sapling. Our traveler observed further that he was plainly clad, that his knee buckles were loosened, and that something like negligence pervaded his dress. Conceiving him to be one of the honest yeomanry of our land, the courtesies of strangers passed between them, and they entered the tavern. It was about the same time, that an addition of three or four young gentlemen was made to their number; most, if not all of them, of the legal profession.

As soon as they became conveniently accommodated, the conversation was turned, by one of the latter, upon the eloquent harangue which had that day been displayed at the bar. It was replied by the other that he had witnessed, the same day, a degree of eloquence no doubt equal, but it was from the pulpit. Something like a sarcastic rejoinder was made as to the eloquence of the pulpit, and a warm and able altercation ensued, in which the merits of the Christian religion became the subject of discussion. From six o’clock until eleven, the young champions wielded the sword of argument, adducing with ingenuity and ability everything that could be said pro and con.

During this protracted period, the old gentleman listened with the meekness and modesty of a child, as if he were adding new information to the stores of his own mind; or perhaps he was observing, with a philosophic eye, the faculties of the youthful mind, and how new energies are evolved by repeated action; or perhaps, with patriotic emotion, he was reflecting upon the future destinies of his country, and on the rising generation, upon whom those future destinies must devolve; or, most probably, with a sentiment of moral and religious feeling, he was collecting an argument which no art would be “able to elude, and no force to resist.” Our traveler remained a spectator, and took no part in what was said.

At last one of the young men, remarking that it was impossible to combat with long and established prejudices, wheeled around, and with some familiarity exclaimed, “Well, my old gentleman, what think you of these things?” “If,” said the traveler, “a streak of vivid lightning had at that moment crossed the room, their amazement could not have been greater than it was from what followed.” The most eloquent and unanswerable appeal that he had ever heard or read, was made for nearly an hour by the old gentleman. So perfect was his recollection, that every argument urged against the Christian religion was met in the order in which it was advanced. Hume’s sophistry on the subject of miracles, was, if possible, more perfectly answered than it had already been done by Campbell. And in the whole lecture there was so much simplicity and energy, pathos and sublimity, that not another word was uttered.

“An attempt to describe it,” said the traveler, “would be an attempt to paint the sunbeams.” It was now a matter of curiosity and inquiry who the old gentleman was. The traveler concluded that it was the preacher from whom the pulpit eloquence was heard; but no, it was John Marshall, the Chief Justice of the United States.

【中文阅读】

就在不久前，一位绅士在弗吉尼亚州的某县旅行，约摸天黑时分进了一家酒吧，要了茶点，准备在那儿过夜。在一位上了年纪的人驾着他的两轮马车闪过时，他只在那儿呆了不长时间，显然这位老者打算与这位旅行者在同一家酒吧结伴过夜。

在这位老者将车停下时，他注意到马车两侧的车轴都断了，用山胡桃树幼苗树皮做成的细枝条捆绑在一起。我们这位旅行者进一步注意到，这位老者膝盖上的裤扣都松了，衣着显得有点漫不经心。想必他是一位老实可靠的自耕农，他们走进小旅馆时，举手投足尽显异乡人的风范。几乎在同一时间，另外三四位年轻的绅士也相继进来，如果不是全部的话，至少大多都从事法律职业。

他们一旦适应这里的气氛，交谈便展开了，后来的这拨人其中一位高谈阔论，是那天酒吧中最显眼的一位。在同一天，其雄辩的程度能与他不相上下的是教堂神职人员的布道。这是对教堂布道的慷慨激昂颇有几分讽刺意味的反驳。通过一种温和争辩的方式，基督教的价值成为讨论的主题。从六点到十一点，这几个年轻人剑拔弩张地各执己见，在涉及正反两面的任何事情上运用智谋和能力进行论证。

在这个长时间辩论过程中，这位年长的绅士像个孩子似的听着，温顺而谦逊，仿佛在为自己的思维仓库储存新的信息材料；抑或他以哲学家的睿智目光在考察年轻人的思维能力，这些年轻人在这个重复的活动中是如何注入新的活力的。或者，他抱有爱国的热忱，在思考他的国家未来的命运，而正在成长的一代正是国家未来命运之所系。最有可能的情形是，凭借道德情操和宗教情感，他在搜集“没有任何技巧能规避，没有任何能力量能抗拒”的论据。我们这位旅行者一直作为看客不动声色，没有插言。

最后，其中一位年轻人指出不可能与长期以来形成的偏见进行斗争，他环顾四周，以老相识的口吻大声问道：“那位老先生，不知君意如何？”“如果这时，”这位旅行者开口道，“一道亮光划过房间，他们的惊愕不会比接下来发生的事情所带来的惊愕更大。”这个他听过或在书上读到的最雄辩和无法回答的诉求，是这位年长的绅士用了将近一小时搜肠刮肚才想出来的。他的回忆非常准确，针对基督教提出的每一反对理由，都是预先设定的。如果可能的话，在这个令人惊奇的话题上休谟的诡辩术，要比坎贝尔已经做出的回答显得更恰到好处。在整个演讲中无处不体现出简洁和活力，激起怜悯的因素和庄严，没有一句毫无意义的废话。

“要想描述出来，”这位旅行者说，“无异于在阳光光束上着色。”现在，人们好奇和想知道这位老绅士是谁。这位旅行者断定从讲坛传来的洪亮的声音是布道者的；但不是这样，原来他是美国首席大法官约翰•马歇尔。