弗朗西斯·培根/Francis Bacon
VIRTUE is like a rich stone, best plain set; and surely virtue is best in a body that is comely, though not of delicate features; and that hath rather dignity of presence, than beauty of aspect. Neither is it almost seen, that very beautiful persons are otherwise of great virtue; as if nature were rather busy not to err, than in labor to produce excellency. And therefore they prove accomplished, but not of great spirit; and study rather behavior than virtue. But this holds not always: for Augustus Caesar, Titus Vespasianus, Philip le Bel of France, Edward the Fourth of England, Alcibiades of Athens, Ismael the Sophy of Persia, were all high and great spirits; and yet the most beautiful men of their times. In beauty, that of favor is more than that of color; and that of decent and gracious motion more than that of favor. That is the best part of beauty, which a picture cannot express; no nor the first sight of the life. There is no excellent beauty that hath not some strangeness in the proportion. A man cannot tell whether Apelles or Albert Durer were the more trifler: whereof the one would make a personage by geometrical proportions; the other, by taking the best parts out of divers faces, to make one excellent. Such personages, I think, would please nobody but the painter that made them...
If it be true that the principal part of beauty is in decent motion, certainly it is no marvel though persons in years seem many times more amiable; pulchrorum autumnus pulcher“beautiful persons have a beautiful autumn”; for no youth can be comely but by pardon, and considering the youth as to make up the comeliness. Beauty is as summer fruits, which are easy to corrupt, and cannot last; and for the most part it makes a dissolute youth, and an age a little out of countenance; but yet certainly again, if it light well, it maketh virtue shine, and vices blush.
美德好比宝石，它在相互背景的衬托下反而更华丽。同样，一个打扮并不华贵却端庄严肃而有美德的人，是令人肃然起敬的。美貌的人并不都有其他方面的才能。因为造物是吝啬的，他给了此就不再予彼。所以许多容颜俊秀的人却一无作为，他们过于追求外形美而放弃了内在美。但这话也不全对，因为奥古斯都、菲斯帕斯、腓力普王、爱德华四世、阿尔西巴底斯、伊斯梅尔等，都既是大丈夫，又是美男子。仔细考究起来，形体之美要胜于颜色之美，而优雅行为之美又胜于形体之美。最极致的美是画家所无法表现的，因为它是难于直观的。这是一种奇妙的美。曾经有两位画家——阿皮雷特和丢勒滑稽地认为，可以按照几何比例，或者通过摄取不同人身上最美的点，作画合成一张最完美的人像。其实像这样画出来的美人，恐怕只有画家本人喜欢。美是不能制订规范的，创造它的常常是机遇，而不是公式。有许多脸型，就它的部分看并不优美，但作为整体却非常动人。