| The advice of the elders to young men is very apt to be as unreal as a list of 我霍姆斯，不想给年青人，以太多忠告，——比如，读几百本法学名著的忠告，the hundred best books. At least in my day I had my share of such counsels, and 尤其是读没用的罗马法著作。至少，在我们哪个时代，我们有理想，我们爱我们伟大的high among the unrealities I place the recommendation to study the Roman law. I 欧洲传统——我们美国已独立，我们悲哀地回不去，——我受忠告研究了无用的罗马法。assume that such advice means more than collecting a few Latin maxims with 我这里谈到罗马法，只是想装点我博学的这次最重要的演讲，——我得痛苦地，which to ornament the discourse — the purpose for which Lord Coke recommended 寻找美国的祖先——欧洲，如中华文明一样美好的，古希腊罗马文明，Bracton. If that is all that is wanted, the titleDe Regulis Juris Antiqui can 我们美国食之无味弃之可惜，难以恢复，如科克勋爵与布莱克斯通一样怀念罗马法，be read in an hour. I assume that, if it is well to study the Roman Law, it is 如《古代罗马法格言集》，我只一个小时即读完，——祖先太远遮往眼。well to study it as a working system. That means mastering a set of 如果研究罗马法能发财，则我霍姆斯想认真研究，——我请尊敬地在座诸位去深入研究，technicalities more difficult and less understood than our own, and studying 去发现真知。罗马法有太多技术性问题，——与现实《法国民法典》、《德国民法典》another course of history by which even more than our own the Roman law must 不相关，但后法典已足够，——译者青荷人此是夫子自道，吾心有戚戚焉，explained. If any one doubts me, let him read Keller's Der Romische Civil 吾二人是对话体写作，——诸君以为然否？如果明古罗马与古希腊不可分，Process und die Actionen, a treatise on the praetor's edict, Muirhead's most 则研究罗马法极有用处，如研究性阅读凯勒《罗马民事诉讼法》，则无疑是珍宝，interesting Historical Introduction to the Private Law of Rome, and, to give 穆尔头领的最流行名著《罗马私法入门》也是珍宝，令人爱之不惜，him the best chance, Sohn's admirable Institutes. No. The way to gain a liberal 最有价值的是索恩的最著名作品《宪政法》。——在座诸位，尤其是吸收西方法治法典和view of your subject is not to read something else, but to get to the bottom of 思想的大中华骄子，你们，中学为体，西学为用，则是唯一途径，我霍姆斯说，the subject itself. The means of doing that are, in the first place, to follow 美国不想强加此中华异体，——会血脉不通，中英语言译者青荷人以为不可对译。the existing body of dogma into its highest generalizations by the help of ——我霍姆斯悲哀地宣布，凭人格宣布，——我们美国缺少象中华孔子一样的圣人和《论语》，——我悲哀地发现我们美国大部头太多！我只有武技——唯物主义科技，jurisprudence; next, to discover from history how it has come to be what it is; 我对中美不知说如何是好？我们经过二百年的努力，终于提出了好词“法理学”——and finally, so far as you can, to consider the ends which the several rules 据译者青荷人研究有点形而上理想，这我之译作得到了回报！seek to accomplish, the reasons why those ends are desired, what is given up to 我霍姆斯愉快地说，我此篇演讲即将结束，我又从古希腊罗马之祖先又绕回来了，gain them, and whether they are worth the price.我付出了，告诉大中华贵国人们一个真像，即一个神圣女巫神圣的谕言，尊从先例，即中西皆有的“诚实信用原则”，统领具体原则，实施判决，——我霍姆斯沉痛地说，我们付出了代价。 |
