《旧制度与大革命·卷二·第十五章·何以法国人先求改革后求自由》第11节
That which at all times has so strongly attached the affection of certain men is the attraction of freedom itself, its native charms independent of its gifts--the pleasure of speaking, acting, and breathing without restraint, under no master but God and the law. He who seeks in freedom aught but herself is fit only to serve. There are nations which have indefatigably pursued her through every sort of peril and hardship. They loved her not for her material gifts; they regard herself as a gift so precious and so necessary that no other could console them for the loss of that which consoles them for the loss of everything else. Others grow weary of freedom in the midst of their prosperities; they allow her to be snatched without resistance from their hands, lest they should sacrifice by an effort that well-being which she had bestowed upon them. For them to remain free, nothing was wanting but a taste for freedom. I attempt no analysis of that lofty sentiment to those who feel it not. It enters of its own accord into the large hearts God has prepared to receive it; it fills them, it enraptures them; but to the meaner minds which have never felt it, it is past finding out.
注释摘要
托克维尔在这一段里，把论述从制度史拉到了灵魂史。前面他一直在分析法国人如何先于政治自由而追求全面改革，如何把国家看作改造社会的万能机器。但到了这里，他突然停顿下来，不再谈论行政体系或阶级结构，而是追问一个更根本的问题：人到底为什么会热爱自由。他不是在定义一种政治学说，而是在描述一种心灵状态。他划分出两种截然不同的爱：一种爱自由是为了自由所能带来的物质好处，…