On Etiquette
Etiquette to society is what apparel is to the individual①．Without apparel men would go in shameful nudity which would surely lead to the corruption of morals;and without etiquette society would be in a pitiable state and the necessary intercourse between its members would be interfered with②by needless offences and troubles．If society were a train，the etiquette would be③the rails along which only the train could rumble forth;if society were a state coach，the etiquette would be the wheels and axis on which only the coach could roll forward．The lack of proprieties would make the most intimate friends turn to be the most decided enemies④and the friendly or allied countries declare war against each other．We can find many examples in the history of mankind．
—William Hazlitt
etiquette n礼仪 rumble v轰鸣
apparel n衣着(文学用词，罕用) state coach n御车
nudity n裸露 propriety n礼貌;规矩
pitiable adj可怜的;可鄙的 intimate adj亲密的
intercourse n沟通 allied countries n盟国
offence n得罪;冒犯
中译 论礼仪
礼仪之于社会，犹如衣服之于个人。人无衣着则赤身露体，不知羞耻，必然导致道德败坏;没有礼节之社会，其境况可怜可鄙，民众之日常交往必然会受到莫须有的冒犯和烦扰。若把社会比作火车，礼仪则犹如轨道，只有沿着轨道，火车才能隆隆地奔向前方;如把社会比作御车，礼节则犹如轮和轴，只有在其上御车方能滚滚地向前奔驰。若朋友间违反礼仪，挚友也会变成死敌;和睦的盟国亦会刀枪相见。古往今来，不乏其例!
——威廉·黑兹利特
原来如此！
在我国，千百年来，“礼义廉耻”(所谓“国之四维”)被视作人们不可缺少之美德。故《论语》有云:“君子博学于文，约之以礼，亦可弗畔矣夫”。这里的礼，泛指礼教，或有教养的人应遵守的行为准则，或狭义的礼仪。在英语里，“礼”这个概念也有多种不同意义及表达法。它可以是指道德规范(morality)或指对人尊重(respect);可以是礼教或正当的道德行为(propriety);可以是社会公认适当的行为(decorum)，或指狭义的礼貌、规矩(manners，politeness)，或再窄些指某社交圈子中的礼貌(etiquette)。礼也可指形式上的东西，即礼仪、礼节(rites，rituals)。由此观之，礼包括真诚的道德行为和虚伪、矫揉造作的“形式主义”(mannerism)。不过，俗语所谓“礼多人不怪”，礼往往被视为人际或社交的“润滑剂”(social lubricant)，它可减少磨擦，改善关系。至于“送礼”(present/gift)却是另一回事。
Hazlitt在本篇中谈到的是一些道德规范。世上若有礼的约束，人与人和国与国之间的交往就不会出轨。
增值英语
①Etiquette to society is what apparel is to the individual
句式 A to B iswhatX is to Y或A is to BwhatX is toY，义为:“A之于B如同X之于Y一样”。
The house is to the man whatthe nest is tothe bird and(what) the cave(is)tothe animal．室之于人，犹如巢之于鸟，穴之于兽。
②intercourse between its members would be interfered with
句式 to be interfered with(被动式);to interfere with (主动式)，义:“受到…妨碍;打扰”。
I'm not going to be interfered with．我不要别人干扰我。
The noise interfered withmy sleep．噪音妨碍我睡觉。
③If society were a train，the etiquette would be…
句式 If…were…，…would…这里用了虚拟语气，表示假设，其中be不论人称或单复数，都用were:
If life werea stage，we would beactors and actresses on it．假如人生是个舞台，那么我们就是台上的演员。
④make the most intimate friends…most decided enemies an intimate friend指好友、密友，又叫bosom friend(知己)。
They have been intimate friendsfor many years．他们是多年挚友。
相反为deadly enemy或decided enemy，即死敌。
The two deadly enemiesmet by chance．两个宿敌恰巧相遇。