约翰 弥尔顿《论出版自由》节选（许国璋 英译）

    I deny not, but that it is of greatest concernment in the church and commonwealth, to have a vigilant eye how books demean themselves, as well as men; and thereafter to confine, imprison, and do sharpest justice on them as malefactors; for books are not absolutely dead things, but do contain a potency of life in them to be as active as that soul was whose progeny they are; nay, they do preserve as in a vial the purest efficacy and extraction of that living intellect that bred them. I know they are as lively, and as vigorously productive, as those fabulous dragon’s teeth: and being sown up and down, may chance to spring up armed men. And yet, on the other hand, unless wariness be used, as good almost kill a man as kill a good book: who kills a man kills a reasonable creature, God’s image; but he who destroys a good book, kills reason itself, kills the image of God, as it were, in the eye.

-- From a speech of John Milton

For the Liberty of UNLICENC'D PRINTING, To the PARLAMENT of ENGLAND

许国璋  译：

    教会与国家，于书之为好书坏书，公民之为好人坏人，不能不表极大关注。此点余亦承认。治坏人，或予禁闭，或投牢中，或处以极刑。然则书非可以致死者也。书之生命力，乃作者灵魂所赋予。书，作家智慧之精华，如炼金丹，升华净化，臻于至纯，乃纳玉壶，以为珍藏。谚言，龙之齿，植地生幼龙。书之孳衍，与龙似。植书于野，异日或生持矛武士。人可以错杀，好书亦可以错毁。是不可不慎也。杀一人，杀一有理性之生命，杀一上帝之子孙耳。若毁一好书，实毁理性本身，无异毁上帝之目。