《乌合之众·第二编·群体的意见与信念·群体的领袖及其说服手段》第21节
I have invoked, no doubt, in this case a quite exceptional example of prestige, but one it was useful to cite to make clear the genesis of great religions, great doctrines, and great empires. Were it not for the power exerted on the crowd by prestige, such growths would be incomprehensible. Prestige, however, is not based solely on personal ascendency, military glory, and religious terror; it may have a more modest origin and still be considerable. Our century furnishes several examples. One of the most striking ones that posterity will recall from age to age will be supplied by the history of the illustrious man who modified the face of the globe and the commercial relations of the nations by separating two continents. He succeeded in his enterprise owing to his immense strength of will, but also owing to the fascination he exercised on those surrounding him. To overcome the unanimous opposition he met with, he had only to show himself. He would speak briefly, and in face of the charm he exerted his opponents became his friends. The English in particular strenuously opposed his scheme; he had only to put in an appearance in England to rally all suffrages. In later years, when he passed Southampton, the bells were rung on his passage; and at the present day a movement is on foot in England to raise a statue in his honour.
注释摘要
勒庞在这一段中要做一个关键的论证转折。他刚刚用大量笔墨分析了拿破仑那种近乎神化的个人名望，那种让粗鲁的将军们一见之下便浑身战栗的支配力。但他随即意识到，读者可能会认为这种名望太过极端，只属于那些改写历史的非凡人物。因此他立刻声明，名望的根基并不只是个人的威势、军功的荣耀或宗教般的恐怖感，它还完全可以从远为朴素的地方生长出来，而力量同样不可小觑。他要证明的是…