托马斯·厄斯金/Thomas Erskine
托马斯·厄斯金（1750—1823），英国人，19世纪早期杰出的律师，因为著名革命家、激进民主主义者托马斯·潘恩辩解而闻名于世。在为他的法庭辩护中，他发表了著名的《论出版自由》。
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The proposition which I mean to maintain as the basis of the liberty of the press, and without which it is an empty sound, is this: that every man, not intending to mislead, but seeking to enlighten others with what his own reason and conscience, however erroneously, have dictated to him as truth, may address himself to the universal reason of a whole nation, either upon the subject of government in general, or upon that of our own particular country: that he may analyze the principles of its constitution, point out its errors and defects, examine and publish its corruptions, warn his fellow-citizens against their ruinous consequences, and exert his whole faculties in pointing out the most advantageous changes in establishments which he considers to be radically defective, or sliding from their object by abuse. All this every subject of this country has right to do, if he contemplates only what he thinks would be for its advantage, and but seeks to change the public mind by the conviction which flows from reasonings dictated by conscience.
If, indeed, he writes what he does not think; if contemplating the misery of others, he wickedly condemns what his own understanding approves; or, even admitting his real disgust against the government or its corruptions, if he calumniates living magistrates, or holds out to individuals that they have a right to run before the public mind in their conduct; that they may oppose by contumacy or force what private reason only disapproves; that they may disobey the law, because their judgment condemns it; or resist the public will, because they honestly wish to change it—he is then a criminal upon every principle of rational policy, as well as upon the immemorial precedents of English justice; because such a person seeks to disunite individuals from their duty to the whole, and excites to overt acts of misconduct in a part of the community, instead of endeavouring to change, by the impulse of reason, that universal assent which, in this and in every country, constitutes the law for all.
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Let me not, therefore, be suspected to be contending that it is lawful to write a book pointing out defects in the English Government, and exciting individuals to destroy its sanctions and to refuse obedience. But, on the other hand, I do contend that it is lawful to address the English nation on these momentous subjects; for had it not been for this inalienable right (thanks be to God and our fathers for establishing it!), how should we have had this constitution which we so loudly boast of? If, in the march of the human mind, no man could have gone before the establishments of the time he lived in, how could our establishment, by reiterated changes, have become what it is? If no man could have awakened the public mind to errors and abuses in our Government, how could it have passed on from stage to stage, through reformation and revolution, so as to have arrived from barbarism to such a pitch of happiness and perfection, that the Attorney-General considers it as profanation to touch it further, or to look for any further amendment?
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如果没有一定的基础，我所指的出版自由就只能是一句空话，而我所指的基础就是：一个人，如果不是有意误导他人，而是力求以自认为正确的理性和良知来启发他人，那么，不管他的看法多么错误，也无论他的看法是关于笼统的政府还是关于我们这个具体的国家，他都可以向全体有理性的国民发表他的见解。他可以分析国家宪法的原则，指出其谬误和缺陷，审查并公布国家的腐败堕落，警示他的同胞们注意到腐败的毁坏性后果，并尽全力提出最有利的改革方案，用以消除他认为的最根本的缺陷或因为职权的滥用而产生的偏差。我们国家的每一位国民都有权采取以上这些行动，只要他认为这对国家有益并且能通过发自良知的理性去说服公众，改变公众的看法。
但是，如果他所写的并非内心所想；如果看到他人痛苦时他面露鄙夷、口是心非地谴责自己本来信奉的东西；如果他对政府及其腐败深恶痛绝却违心地对现任官员歌功颂德；或者支持某些人利用权力不顾公众的意志而随心所欲地横行，认为他们可以坚决抵制或者用武力对抗他们个人所厌恶的事物，认为只要他们觉得法律不妥当，就可以不遵守它，认为只要他们真心想改变民意，就可以坚决抵制它——那么，无论是从任何理性政策的原则来讲，还是从英国法律的古老先例来讲，他都是个罪人——这样的人不是努力地去促进社会的进步或者使自己的行为符合公认的行为准则，相反，他们专门进行分裂活动，扰乱社会秩序。
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因此，你们不用怀疑我在这里的目的是力图著书指出英国政府的缺陷，或是激起人们破坏和不服从政府的约束并将这些行为合法化。但是，另一方面，我确实认为英国人民就这些重大的问题提出自己的见解是合法的，因为如果没有这项不可剥夺的权利（感谢上帝和祖先们给了我们这项权利！），我们又怎能拥有这部如此引以为荣的宪法呢？如果在人类思想的发展过程中，没有人能走在他那个时代的制度之前，那么我们的制度又怎能得到反复的修改，成为今天的样子呢？如果没有人唤醒公众，注意到政府的错误和弊端，它又怎能代代相传，经历修改和革命，从蛮荒时期进入今天这个充满快乐的完美时代呢？这个时代完美得让我们的总检察长认为再前进一步或再作进一步的改进都是亵渎神灵了。
W词汇笔记
faculty ［?f?k?lti］n.能力；全体教员；科；系
例 The strength of university lies in the strength of the faculty.
有教员力量之大才能有大学力量之大。
disunite ［?disju:?nait］v.分散；分离；变得分离
例 The party members disunited on the issue.
党员们在这个问题上发生分歧。
impulse ［?imp?ls］n.冲动；脉冲；刺激；推动力；神经冲动
例 And also in a moment a strong impulse moved him to battle with his desperate fate.
过了一会，强烈的冲动也驱使他要和绝望的命运作斗争。
sanction ［?s??k??n］n.制裁；处罚；认可；支持
例 The sanction on the country evidently enraged its people.
对于这个国家的制裁显然激怒了该国的人民。
S小试身手
一个人，如果不是有意误导他人，而是力求以自认为正确的理性和良知来启发他人，那么，不管他的看法多么错误，也无论他的看法是关于笼统的政府还是关于我们这个具体的国家，他都可以向全体有理性的国民发表他的见解。
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我们国家的每一位国民都有权采取以上这些行动，只要他认为这对国家有益并且能通过发自良知的理性去说服公众，改变公众的看法。
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但是，另一方面，我确实认为英国人民就这些重大的问题提出自己的见解是合法的，因为如果没有这项不可剥夺的权利，我们又怎能拥有这部如此引以为荣的宪法呢？
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P短语家族
...havedictated to him as truth, may address himself to the universal reason of a whole nation...
dictate to：向……口述；使听写；发号施令
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...through reformation and revolution, so as to havearrived from barbarism to such a pitch of happiness and perfection...
arrive from：从某地来（这里）
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