五、婉而谑之乐观语
（二月廿二日）
At the age of fifty we discover that not much is done in a lifetime, and yet that, not withstanding all the immeasurable ignorance and stupidity of the majority of the race, there is a gradual and sensible victory being gained over barbarism and wrong of every kind. I think we may, in some sort, console ourselves. If we cannot win as fast as we wish, we know that our opponents cannot in the long run win at all.
— Trevelyan's Life of John Bright, Page 297.
〔中译〕
年届五十，吾辈始发觉自己一生碌碌无为。然就某种意义言，吾辈尚可自慰。虽然大多数国人麻木不仁、愚昧无知、野蛮粗俗、丑态百出，但是，对此吾人仍渐渐地取得了较为明显的成绩。如果我们不能很快获得预期的成功，那么，从长远的观点来看，我们的对手也终将一无所获。
——约翰·布赖特：《特里维廉的一生》，第279页
上所录亦是乐观之语，而其言何婉而谑也！
