Chapter 9 -5

The other rites of initiation, though performed, have hitherto lacked that part of the sacrament which only priests can bestow among us. But they know what a sacrament is, and eagerly desire its administration. And they earnestly contend that, in Can a Christian Bishop be chosen from among them for the Priesthood without a Christian Bishop being sent. It seems they will put out a candidate, but when we left, not yet. , neither prevents obedience, nor offends those who already do. While I was there, only one believer was disciplined. Once baptized, he spoke publicly of Christianity with a high degree of fanaticism and imprudence, despite our admonitions He preached in a passionate manner, saying that Christianity was better than all other religions, and condemning all other religions. He declared that these religions were blasphemous, and that their believers were impious and insulting to the gods. He should be punished forever. After preaching like this for a long time, he was finally arrested and tried. He was convicted not of contempt for the religion of the Utopians, but of instigating trouble among the masses. After he was found guilty, he was punished by exile. It turned out that the Utopians had a The oldest system, no one can be punished because of his beliefs. King Utopu first heard that before his arrival, the local people were constantly quarreling because of different beliefs. He also noticed that in each sect When fighting in the defense of his country, this general dissent afforded him an opportunity of subjugating them all. Therefore, since his victories, he made it a legal sanction for every man to follow the religion of his choice. Yes, a man may preach his own teachings to others, and persuade them to accept them, but only in a gentle and quiet manner, and with reason in defense of his own teachings, and if he fails in persuasion, all other teachings should not be dismissed. Destroy viciously, do not use violence, and do not resort to verbal abuse. If someone expresses his opinion, Lu Lu argues, and his attitude is too fierce, he will be punished by exile or slavery.

King Utop made this law partly for the sake of stability (he knew that constant quarrels and incomprehensible animosity used to completely destroy peace) On the other hand, he feels that such a solution is beneficial to religion itself. On religious issues, Utop does not draw arbitrary conclusions lightly. And thus not to indoctrinate different people with different views. But he affirms the point that forcing and threatening everyone to accept what you believe to be the truth is both brutal and stupid. And, even if that were the case—only one Religion is the truth, and the rest is heresy, and Utopus also foresees that, if the matter is dealt with in a gentle and reasonable manner, the truth will sooner or later reveal itself and be noticed by its own natural force. If the settlement of this dispute is By force and riot, and the worst of men are always the most obstinate, the best and holiest religions are drowned in a mass of competing heresies, as golden harvests are choked to death by a thicket of thorns Same. Utopus therefore treats the whole question of religion as a problem yet to be solved, and allows everyone to choose his own belief. But there are exceptions, such as he strictly forbids anyone to lower the dignity of man, so far as to believe that the soul perishes with the body, or Believe that the world is at the mercy of blindness rather than God. Therefore, Utopians believe that after death, those who have done something will be punished, and those who are virtuous will be rewarded. If someone has a different view, Utopians even think that he is not worthy of being a human being because To reduce the sublime nature of one's soul to the gross body of the beast. They do not recognize such a man as a citizen of Utopia, because all laws and customs would be of no use to him if he were not afraid of it. When a man fears nothing but the law, and expects nothing but the body, there is no doubt that, in order to satisfy his private desires, he will try his best to evade the laws of the state, or try to use violence to break the laws of the state.

Therefore, a person with this mentality, the Utopians strip him of all honors, do not give him office, and do not make him responsible for any duties. He is generally regarded as a lazy bastard. What a man wishes to believe is beyond his control. They do not coerce or threaten him to conceal his views. In this matter, they do not tolerate falsehood. They hate falsehood above all, and regard it as almost indistinguishable from deceit. They forbid He defended his opinion before ordinary citizens, but allowed and encouraged him to do so before priests or important persons, convinced that such absurdity would finally give way to reason. There were others in Utopia, not a few, so Utopia does not interfere with them. Such people have another kind of error, that is, they believe that beasts also have immortal souls, but they are not as dignified as human souls, nor can they be destined. The same happiness. Almost all Utopians are very sure and firmly believe that people can achieve infinite happiness in heaven. They express their sorrow for the sick, but they have no regrets for the dead, unless they are extremely greedy for life and do not want to leave this world. A When a person is about to die, they think it is ominous, it means that his soul is hopeless, he has guilt, he has a silent premonition of the imminent punishment, so he is afraid of death. They also think that when a person is called by God, he is not Willingly and hastily obey but begrudgingly to go, God will not be pleased with his coming. They cannot help being horrified at seeing a man die like this, and in melancholy silence send the dead man to the grave, begging God for mercy The dead and forgive their sins, and then bury the body. On the contrary, they do not express condolences to those who die happily and optimistically, but hold funerals for them in singing, and deliver the souls of the dead to God affectionately. Then, with reverence rather than grief, they set fire to the deceased and burned the body. They set up monuments on the spot to record the fine qualities of the deceased. After they returned, they told the character and deeds of the deceased, and the most talked about and boastful It is the spirit of contentment in his dying. The Utopians believe that commemorating the virtue of integrity in this way is not only the most effective way to encourage the living to yearn for good deeds, but also give the dead the respect they are most willing to accept. The Utopians believe that when they talk about When the dead come to the dead, the dead are present, though invisible to the dull eyes of the world. It is contradictory to what happens to the soul that enjoys the bliss of heaven if it is not free to come and go as it pleases. It would be ungrateful to deny the desire to return to friends, to whom there was mutual affection in life. Liberty, they reckon, like other good things, does not diminish but increases in all good men after death. Therefore, they feel that the dead will come and go among the living and witness their words and deeds. So Utopians go about their work with more confidence, pleading for the protection of the dead. Don't dare to do shame in private. Utopians are extremely contemptuous and non-smiling in other countriesAll divination, involving superstition, is of great attention. But they adore miracles that do not occur naturally, as efficacies and revelations of divine powers at work. Miracles, they say, often occur in Utopia. Sometimes in great crises They openly prayed for miracles to come, and with the faith that sincerity leads to spirituality, they finally responded to their requests. They believed that exploring nature and praising nature during exploration was a form of worship acceptable to God. However, some people, There are still not a few people who, out of religious motives, do not engage in professional knowledge and scientific investigations, but do not sneak away. They think that in order to be happy after death, they must work hard and do good deeds. Therefore they have Taking care of the sick, some repairing roads and clearing ditches, rebuilding bridges, digging weeds and sand, chopping trees, and transporting firewood and grain to the city with vehicles. Also sell your strength. Wherever there are heavy, laborious and dirty ways of life, most people feel tired, annoying, and helpless, so they are discouraged, but they happily undertake all this way of life. They work hard on their own and let others They are at ease, but they don't take credit for it. They neither disparage others' way of life nor praise their own. The more slavishly they operate, the more respected they are by all. There are two groups of these people. One is Single men, who are not close to women, abstain from meat, and some of them do not even taste any meat. They abstain from the pleasures of this world, thinking that it is harmful. They stay up all night sweating, just for the hope of the afterlife. Because they expect such The next life comes soon, and they are both happy and active. The other group also loves labor, but approves of marriage, does not despise the happiness of family and family, and feels that they have an obligation to nature to form a spouse and to the country to have children. They do not shun any pleasure which interferes with their labour. They prefer meat, on the grounds that it will make them stronger for any kind of labor. The Utopians hold that this party is wiser, and the aforementioned party sanctified. If the first party prefers celibacy to marriage, and hardship to comfort, it is based on reason, which would arouse the laughter of Utopians. Make the Utopians respect them. Because the Utopians are the most cautious and not easy to draw arbitrary conclusions, than on the issues related to religion. Therefore, they call the first kind of people in their native language "Buserei" ska"

①, can be translated as "religious people". Utopian priests are extremely religious, and therefore few in number. ① Buthrescas - invented from Greek, meaning "very religious person". ——Chinese translator No more than thirteen people in a city (there are also thirteen churches) , except in times of war. In case of war, seven of them set off with the army, and another seven filled their vacancies. The official priests who returned from the war all returned to their original positions. At this time, those who filled the vacancies had the right to serve as bishop When a priest dies, it will be replaced. There is only one bishop, who is the leader of all priests. All priests are elected by the people, just like officials are also elected by the people. The method is to vote in secret to prevent favoritism. Priests are consecrated by their church colleagues. Priests preside over worship, take charge of religious ceremonies, and monitor social discipline. Anyone who is summoned or reprimanded by a priest for his licentious life is considered a shame. Now the priest's duties are limited to persuasion and It is admonishment, but it is up to the governor and other civil officials to stop and punish the violators. However, the clergy may excommunicate those whom they consider to be very bad, and not allow them to attend services. This is almost a most terrible punishment, which makes people feel extremely uncomfortable Glorious, tormented by hidden religious fears, and soon even physically insecure, the Council arrests them for impiety if they do not show to the priests that they have promptly repented. Priests have the duty of educating children and the tasks of the youth, as regards the cultivation of their virtues as much as their interest in their studies and knowledge. From the first the priests inculcate in the tender and adaptable minds of the children a sense of the health which is conducive to the maintenance of their country. This consciousness, once firmly received by the child, is never forgotten in manhood, and is of great help to the interest in the state of the country. The country can never decay except from the evils caused by wrong opinions. The priesthood of women is not Excluded, but elected only to old widows, very few. If the priest is a man, his wife must be the best woman in the country. No other public office is more respected in Utopia than the priesthood, so that even the priest To commit a crime is not to be brought to court, but to be judged by God and one's own conscience. Utopians think it is wrong for men to arrest priests forcibly, because no matter what crime a priest commits, he alone has made himself holy. The Utopians had no difficulty in observing this custom, for they had few clergymen, and they were chosen with great care. Moreover, a man raised to such a noble position by virtue of merit, The only consideration for selection is virtue, and such a person will go down the path of corruption and evil, which will not happen easily. Even if such a thing will happen, because human nature can be changed, but the number of priests is very small , and apart from its honorary status, has no real power, so there is no need to worry that it will cause great harm to the country. In fact, the reason why the number of priests is small and special is to prevent the dignified priesthood they now give high respect to It becomes worthless because too many people share. This is especially true, because Utopians find it difficult to recruit many people who are virtuous enough to be qualified for such an honorable position. People with only ordinary moral cultivation are not enough. Utopian priests of this position are not respected in foreign countriesThe respect received in his own country. This can be seen from the following facts, which I think are the reason why the priests of Utopia are respected. When the two armies are at war, the priests are aside, but not too far from the warriors. Kneeling on the ground, clothed in cassocks, with arms outstretched, praying first for peace and then for the victory of the motherland with little bloodshed on both sides. Indiscriminate killing. As long as the defeated army sees the priest and appeals to him, he can save his life. If the defeated army touches the vestment fluttering on the priest, he can save his property from any damage caused by the war. Utopia This quality of the clergy endows him everywhere with respect and real majesty in foreign countries, and often protects his own citizens from the massacre of his enemies, and often saves the lives of his enemies from his own citizens. The following examples are well known. Sometimes Utopia One side's position was shaken, and the situation was very critical in the retreat, while the enemy was rushing all the way, wanting to kill and loot. However, as a result of the priest's intervention, the killing was prevented. Any country, no matter how barbaric, cruel and vicious, recognizes that Utopia priests are sacred and inviolable. The new day and the end of the month, New Year's Day and New Year's Eve are regarded as festivals in Utopia. Each year is divided into several months. It is calculated according to the movement of the moon in its orbit, just as the year is determined according to the course of the sun.

①, the name of the end of the month "Trapemeni" ②, which means "the first festival" and "the last festival" respectively. The churches of the Utopians are beautiful, finely crafted, and can accommodate many people, which is also necessary, because only a few of the residents are priests. The churches are not very bright. This feature is not due to ignorance of architecture, but because of It is due to the intention of the priest. The priest believes that too much light will distract the mind, and weak light can concentrate the spirit and promote piety. As mentioned above, in Utopia, everyone has different beliefs. However, although the manifestations of belief are different Not one, it can be said that all roads lead to one goal, which is to worship the Godhead. Therefore, everything seen and heard in the church does not appear to be inconsistent with all common beliefs. If any sect has its own ceremony, it can be held in everyone's home. Place

①Cynemenes (Cynemernes) - invented from the Greek, one said it means "the beginning of the day" , the original word is quite obscure. ——Chinese translator ②Trapemernes——Invented from Greek, commentators refer to "the last day of a month". ——Chinese translator Since there are no statues of gods in the church, individuals are free to experience the image of God, no matter which one he likes the most pious way. Utopians call God "Mithra" , and no other special name. They agreed that this name can be used to reflect the nature of divine power, no matter what the nature is. The prayer used is that everyone can say it, so as not to conflict with their own beliefs. At the end of each month On the night of these festivals or New Year's Eve, they gather in the church, fast, and thank God that they have been lucky enough to pass a month or a year, and now it is the last festival. The church prays for their happiness and prosperity in the coming month or year, so New Year’s Day or New Year’s Day becomes a festival that heralds the beginning of auspiciousness. But every last festival, before going to church, the wife falls at her husband’s feet , children fall at the feet of their parents, confess their faults or dereliction of duty, and beg for forgiveness. In this way, the shadow of discord caused by any family will be completely dissipated, so that people can go to the offering with a clean heart. Therefore, if they feel hatred or anger towards someone, they must make peace with that person before attending the sacrifice ceremony, so as to purify their own hearts, so as not to be punished quickly. Great condemnation. When reaching the church, the crowd parted, the men tended to the right, and the women to the left. Then they arranged to sit, the men of each household sat before their fathers, and the women sat before their mothers, so that at home Parents who control their children still supervise every behavior of their children when they go out. They also notice that the young must sit with the elders, fearing that if the children take care of each other by themselves, they will play and play mischievously. There should be reverence and reverence for God, which is the greatest and almost the only incentive to practice good deeds. They do not kill animals for sacrifice. Since God is merciful and has the virtue of being good to all things, they think that God will not They take pleasure in the sight of bloodshed and carnage. They burn incense and other fragrant things, and burn candles in abundance. They understand that God is God without any help from incense sticks, any more than from human prayers. But they Loved such a harmless way of worshiping God. People felt that burning incense and candles, and other rituals, somehow lifted their spirits and worshiped God with greater devotion. In church, people wore white coats. Priests Wearing vestments of various colors, the design and style are very wonderful, but the material is not as expensive as people expected, neither embroidered with gold nor inlaid with gems, but skillfully woven with various bird feathers, the value of its handwork Not equal to any precious material. Besides, they say, the vestments of priests, since they are intertwined with feathers and clearly concealed, have a mysterious meaning. God's grace to himself, and thus he remembered his piety to God and the mutual obligations of people. As soon as the priest dressed in this way came out of the vestry, all the people fell respectfully on the ground. At this time, everything was silent There was no sound, and one person felt terrified when he saw the whole congregation in the church, as if some kind of divine power was in front of his eyes. After everyone fell on the ground for a while, the priest made a gesture, and they got up.At this time, they sang songs of praise, mixed with the notes played by instruments. The instruments are very different in form from what we have here. Many instruments are more harmonious than ours, but some instruments are not even compatible with our However, in one point they are indeed far more advanced than us. All their music, whether instrumental or vocal, can express natural emotions, sound and content are seamlessly integrated, whether it is prayers, expressing happiness, Whether it is words of consolation, worry, sadness or anger, the meaning can be expressed in the form of tone, which will deeply move the audience and excite their hearts. Finally, the priest and the congregation recite a solemn prayer with a fixed form together. This prayer The words and phrases were written so that whatever was recited in common, each could apply to himself. From the prayers, each recognized God as the creator of all things, the ruler, and the giver of all other blessings. Everyone thanks God for all the blessings he has bestowed upon him, and especially for the privilege of being born in the happiest country and accepting what he hopes is the truest religion. If he is wrong on these matters, or if he is more than Seeing that there was something better and more acceptable to God in his country and faith, he begged God to be merciful and to give him some understanding, for he was willing to follow any path God showed him. But if his country If his form is the best, and his faith the truest, he prays to God to make him steadfast, and to lead all others to live the same way, and to have the same conception of God, unless each There is something in these different beliefs that gives joy to the inconceivable will of God. Finally, everyone prays for easy deliverance from the world and surrender to God, but the supplicant dare not decide whether this deliverance will come sooner or later. However, if it is not If he offends God’s power, he would rather die in pain and return to God than covet the glory of the world and have no way to approach God earlier. After saying such prayers, the congregation fell on the ground for a while, then got up and walked away to eat. This The rest of the day they spend in games, sports, and tactical practice.

Well, I have endeavored to describe to you exactly how this country is constituted, and consider it not only the best, but the only one worthy of the name. In Utopia, private property does not exist, and people are seriously concerned with public affairs. Of course, both of the above situations have their own reasons. For, in other countries, many people know that no matter how prosperous the country is, if If they do not think otherwise for themselves, they will starve. Therefore, they must put their personal interests above the interests of the nation, that is, above the interests of others. In Utopia, on the contrary, everything belongs to the whole people, so as long as the public No one doubts that any private person feels any want when the barn is full of grain. The reason is that the distribution of supplies is very generous here. There are no poor and beggars to be seen here. Everyone has nothing and everyone is rich. When people have no worries , live happily and peacefully, don’t worry about food, don’t worry about wives making noise, don’t worry about boys’ poverty, don’t worry about girls’ dowry, but for yourself and your wife, children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, Great-great-grandchildren, as well as the life and happiness of the endless endless descendants, are assured, so what is a greater wealth for them?Let us also take into account that those who have been in labor and are no longer able to do so are treated in the same way as those who are still in labor. Here, I would like to hear who dares to make this kind of impartiality and universality common in other countries. I can assure you that in those countries I will not find even the slightest trace of justice and disinterestedness. Aristocrats of any kind and goldsmiths and usurers, and actually doing nothing or doing nothing People who are not in urgent need of the state, they all live in luxury and luxury in wandering and futile running!

What kind of justice is this? But the common labourers, the carters, the carpenters, and the peasants, are constantly toiling, not as good as oxen and horses, but their labor is so necessary that no country can last even a year without it. , life is miserable, and it is not worth what the oxen and horses suffer. The oxen and horses do not have to work incessantly in this way, and the fodder they eat is not necessarily worse, but actually tastes better. Not only do they have to toil and suffer for nothing now, but they also feel very painful for the impoverished old age in the future. Their daily income is so meager that it is not even enough for the day's expenses, let alone have savings that can be saved for the elderly every day. Isn't this a lack? Just and ungrateful country?The so-called upper-class gentlemen, gold shop owners, etc., do not work, parasitize in vain, pursue useless pleasures, but get great rewards from the state. On the contrary, the state treats farmers, miners, ordinary laborers, coachmen and carpenters There is no generosity, and without them there would be no country. These people, after wasting their youthful labor for the country, suffered from old diseases and lived in poverty, but the country forgot their long nights without sleep, and forgot to work from their hands All the great benefits gained, are rewarded by the most merciless death in poverty. What is worse is that the rich not only cheat privately, but use public decrees to appropriate a part of the daily income of the poor. Even if the rich It already seems unfair that those who have done the most to the country should receive the least reward, when men have not been so appropriative. But now the rich have further undermined and degraded justice, so that they make laws that make it pass as justice. Therefore, I Having considered all the prosperous nations of the present day everywhere, I affirm that I have seen nothing but the collusion of the rich, who use the name of the state for their own gain. Exploitation of the labor of all the poor at very low wages. When the rich, under the guise of the public, that is to say, of the poor, make their tricks obligatory, and such tricks become law!

However, although these villains have divided up all the wealth that can satisfy the entire people, they are still far from enjoying the happiness of the Utopian country!In Utopia, money is not used, and people are not greedy for money. How many troubles will be cut off! How much evil is thus eradicated! Who doesn't know that since money is cancelled, cheating, theft, robbery, quarrels, riots, noise, rebellion, assassination, treachery, poisoning, and other crimes that are punished every day but can only be punished but cannot be stopped, will not happen?Who doesn't know that fear, anxiety, worry, hard work, and sleepless nights will also disappear with the disappearance of money?Moreover, poverty seems to be caused by the mere lack of money, and as soon as money is abolished everywhere, poverty is reduced and disappears. To make this assertion clearer, suppose we have a bad year with bad harvests, and thousands of people starve Death. I want to stress that, at the end of the famine, if we search the granaries of the rich, we will find such a quantity of food that no one would have felt the climate and the soil if all the people who died of starvation and disease had been given this food in the first place. Has caused poor harvests. The necessities of life are easy to come by, but the damned invention of money, which is said to facilitate our obtaining necessities, actually prevents us from obtaining the necessities. Doubtless even the rich Feel: how much more than enough to eat, how much more troubles to be relieved, than to be surrounded by mountains of treasures. There is no doubt that people's concern for their own interests and people's concern for our Savior Christ ( Christ, because of his great wisdom, could not fail to know what is best; because of his charity, he could not fail to take what he knew to be best as advice)

, would have made the whole world adopt the laws of the utopian state long ago, if it had not been opposed by a single monster, which is pride, the king of all evils and the mother of all evils. Pride measures prosperity not by its own advantage, but by the disadvantages of others. Pride, even if it could become a goddess, would not be a goddess if she could no longer see the wretch she could bully and laugh at. , if she cannot show her fortune before the wretches of these wretches, if her boasted riches do not make these wretches tortured by poverty and poorer. Like a remora ①, it hinders people from taking a better life. Arrogance has been deeply rooted in the human body and is not easy to pull out. So, I am very happy to see that at least Utopians enjoy it. I wish everyone could enjoy it. That form of state. Utopians have adopted that system of life in order to lay the foundation of their state, which is not only the happiest, but which, so far as one can foresee, will last forever. Utopians have eradicated ambition and Factions, and the root of all other evils. They are therefore in no danger of dissension by civil strife, which has been the sole cause of the destruction of many a city's steady prosperity. So long as a nation is harmonious within itself, and has sound institutions, then , the rulers of neighboring countries cannot shake such a country. Although these rulers have covetous intentions and often come to disturb, they are always repulsed.

When Raphael finished his story, it seemed to me that much of what he told of the customs and laws of the people seemed utterly absurd, not only their methods of warfare, their rites and religion, and other institutions, especially as That characteristic which is fundamental to the whole structure of their society. I mean their public life ①Remora fish—English has names such as suckfish, suckerfish, remora, etc., and it is also called "printhead fish" in Chinese , with an oval sucker, often adsorbed on the body of a big fish or the bottom of a boat and migrate far away. ——Chinese translator Living and sustenance—no need for money to circulate at all. This alone makes all the noble grandeur and majestic dignity that people think a country is proud of. But I know Raphael has been tired of talking, Not quite sure whether he tolerated any opposition to his opinions, and I recall especially that he has criticized those who find fault with other people's discoveries lest they should be seen to be less intelligent. I therefore commend the Utopians for their way of life, praised Raphael for his talk, took his arm to take others to dinner. But I say this first: there will be an opportunity in the future to consider these issues more deeply and discuss them more fully with him . I hope this will be possible someday! At the same time, although in other respects he is the most genuinely learned man and the most profound knowledge of human affairs, I cannot agree with everything he says. But I am willing to admit that Utopian countries have many characteristics. These countries also have it, but after all it is difficult to hope to see this feature realized. Part Two Finale Raphael concludes his afternoon talk on the hitherto little known laws and customs of Utopia Island, reported by Mr. Thomas More, the most famous and learned London citizen and Sheriff