Areopagitica A Speech for the Liberty of Unlicensed Printing to the Parliament of England

This is true liberty, when free-born men, Having to advise the public, may speak free, Which he who can, and will, deserves high praise; Who neither can, nor will, may hold his peace: What can be juster in a state than this?

这才是真正的自由，当自由人有责任向公众提供建议时，他们可以自由地发言，能够并且愿意这样做的人应受到高度赞扬；不能或者不愿意这样做的人可以保持沉默：还有什么比这更公正的呢？

For this is not the liberty which we can hope, that no grievance ever should arise in the Commonwealth—that let no man in this world expect; but when complaints are freely heard, deeply considered and speedily reformed, then is the utmost bound of civil liberty attained that wise men look for.

因为我们所希望的自由并不是这样的，即在联邦中永远不会出现不满——在这个世界上，没有人可以期待这一点；但是当抱怨可以自由地被听到，深入地考虑并且迅速地改革时，那么智慧的人所期望的公民自由的最高限度就达到了。