Oliver Cromwell, Lord Protector of England, was one day engaged in a warm argument with a lady. She maintained that eloquence could only be acquired by those who made it their study in early youth, while Cromwell declared that there was no eloquence but that which sprang from the heart.
Some days later, the lady's husband was arrested and conducted to the Tower of London as a traitor to the government. The agonised wife flew to the Lord Protector, threw herself at his feet, and with great eloquence pleaded for her husband's life and innocence. After a while Cromwell's stern countenance relaxed into a smile. Extending to her an immediate liberation of her husband, he said,"I think all who have a witnessed this scene, will vote on my side of the question, in the dispute between us the other day."
有一天，英國監國公奧立佛．克倫威爾和一位女士激辯。那女士堅稱，不是年紀輕輕就研習，不可能雄辯滔滔；克倫威爾則說，言出由中，才能雄辯。
幾天之後，那女士的丈夫被捕，送到倫敦塔，罪名是背叛政府。那女士非常苦惱，跑到監國公跟前，拜倒在他腳下，力言丈夫無罪，為丈夫乞命，滔滔雄辯。
過了一會，克倫威爾緊繃的臉露出笑容。他答應馬上釋放女士的丈夫，並說：「任何人見到剛才的情景，大概都會認為，幾天之前我們辯論的問題，還是我說得對。」
【附注】克倫威爾是英國十七世紀一名出色軍人，廢除帝制，建立共和國，自任監國公。
（古德明）
No comments:
Post a Comment