托马斯·潘恩/Thomas Paine
托马斯·潘恩（1737—1809），英国散文家、政论家。出生于英格兰，才华出众，家境寒微，自学成才，学识广博，在自然科学和人文科学上都作过深入研究，渴望重建公平的社会秩序。37岁来到美国费城，深受富兰克林的赏识。本书所摘《常识》是他的成名作。其他代表作有《危机》、《理性时代》。文笔质朴，说理深入浅出，文风平易近人。
In the following pages I offer nothing more than simple facts,plain arguments,and common sense,and have no other preliminaries to settle w ith the reader,than that he will divest himself of prejudice and prepos session,and suffer his reason and his feelings to determine for themsel ves:that he will put on,or rather that he will not put off,the true c haracter of a man,and generously enlarge his views beyond the present d ay.
Volumes have been written on the subject of the struggle between Eng land and America.Men of all ranks have embarked in the controversy,fro m different motives,and with various designs;but all have been ineffec tual,and the period of debate is closed.Arms as the last resource deci de the contest;the appeal was the choice of the King,and the continent has accepted the challenge.
It has been reported of the late Mr.Pelham (who though an able mini ster was not without his faults) that on his being attacked in the House of Commons on the score that his measures were only of a temporary kind,replied,"they will last my time." Should a thought so fatal and unmanly possess the colonies in the present contest,the name of ancestors will be remembered by future generations with detestation.
The sun never shined on a cause of greater worth.It's not the affa ir of a city,a county,a province,or a kingdom;but of a continent --o f at least one eighth part of the habitable globe.It's not the concern of a day,a year,or an age;posterity are virtually involved in the con test,and will be more or less affected even to the end of time,by the proceedings now.Now is the seed time of continental union,faith and ho nor.The least fracture now will be like a name engraved with the point of a pin on the tender rind of a young oak;the wound would enlarge with the tree,and posterity read it in full grown characters.