96、婚姻之爱是人类所特有的，这是因为只有人类才能变得属灵。人能将其理解力提升至属世之爱以上，并从这个高度来看他下面的那些爱，判断它们的品质；还能改善、纠正并逐出它们。这是动物所无法做到的，因为动物的爱欲与其本能的认知完全合而为一；因此，这种认知无法被提升为聪明，更不用说智慧了。所以，动物被植入其认知的爱欲引领，就像盲人被导盲犬引领穿过街道那样。这就是为何婚姻之爱是人类所特有的原因。这爱可以说是人类与生俱来，或所固有的，因为人具有变得智慧的潜能在里面，这种潜能与这爱结合得如此紧密，以致与它合而为一。
96、婚姻之爱是人类特有的，因为只有人类才能有精神上的高度。因为只有人类才能提升思想，在一定高度上对自身的爱做出判断，看它是否是正确的，有原则的，以及是否要摆脱某种爱。动物不能做到这一点，因此动物受其本性指使，就象盲人要由他的狗带路一样。
因此婚姻之爱是人类特有的。因为凡是人类都有这种变得有智慧的能力，这种能力是与婚姻之爱相连的。
96. Conjugial love is peculiar to human beings, because none but human beings can become spiritual. They are able to raise their intellect above their natural loves, and from that height to look down on them and see them for what they are; they can also improve, correct and banish them. This is something no animal can do, for its loves are wholly one with its innate knowledge, so that this cannot be raised to the level of intelligence, much less wisdom. An animal is guided by the love implanted in its knowledge, like a blind man guided through the streets by a dog. This is the reason conjugial love is peculiar to human beings. It can also be called the inborn feature that makes all human beings akin, because they have in them the potentiality to be wise, which is so closely linked with this love as to make one with it.
96. Conjugial love is peculiar to mankind because only a human being can become spiritual. For a human being can raise his understanding above his natural loves and from that elevation view them beneath him, make judgments about their character, and also correct, discipline, and remove them. No animal can do this because its loves are inseparable from its instinctive knowledge, and this knowledge cannot therefore be raised into intelligence, and still less into wisdom. Consequently an animal is carried along by the love enrooted in its knowledge, like a blind man being led through the streets by his dog.
It is because of this that conjugial love is peculiar to mankind. It may even be said to be native or indigenous to mankind, because mankind possesses a capacity for becoming wise, a capacity with which this love is united.
96. Married love is only for people because only a human can become spiritual. You see, he can raise his intellect above his worldly loves, look down on them from that height, and assess them - what they are like and how to revise them, set them right, and remove them. No animal can do this, for his loves are totally tied to his inborn knowledge, which therefore cannot be raised to the point of understanding, much less to the point of wisdom. So the love implanted in his knowledge leads an animal the way a dog leads a blind man through the streets. These are the reasons why married love is only for humans. One could say it is native and appropriate to humans, because people have an inborn faculty that it unites with - the faculty of becoming wise.
96. That conjugial love is proper to man is because man alone can become spiritual; for he can elevate his understanding above his natural loves and from that height can see those loves beneath him and judge of them as to their quality; he can also amend, chasten, and remove them. This, no animal can do, for its loves are wholly united with its connate science, for which reason that science cannot be elevated into intelligence, still less into wisdom. Hence an animal is led by the love implanted in its science, like a blind man led through the streets by a dog. This is the reason why conjugial love is proper to man. It can also be called native and germane to man, because man has within him the faculty of being wise, with which this love makes one.
96. Marital love is peculiar to the human being because only he can become spiritual. He can raise his understanding above his natural loves, from that elevation can see them below himself and judge of what character they are, and can amend, discipline or remove them. This no animal can do, for its loves are bound up with its inborn knowledge, which cannot be heightened to intelligence, still less to wisdom. As a result, an animal is led by the love implanted in its knowledge as a blind man is led through the streets by a dog. Hence marital love is peculiar to the human being. It can be said to be native and germane to man, because he possesses the faculty of becoming wise, with which marital love makes one.
96. The reason why conjugial love is peculiar to man is that man alone can become spiritual. For he can elevate his understanding above his natural loves, and from that height see them beneath him, and judge of them as to what quality they are of; and can also amend, chasten, and remove them. This no animal can do, for his loves are altogether united with his connate knowledge; and this knowledge therefore, cannot be elevated into intelligence, still less into wisdom. For which reason an animal is borne along by the love implanted in his knowledge, as a blind man through the streets by a dog. This is the reason why conjugial love is peculiar to man. And it may also be called native and germane to man, because in man is the faculty for growing wise with which this love makes one.
96. Quod Amor conjugialis sit proprius homini, est quia solus homo potest spiritualis fieri, potest enim intellectum suum elevare supra amores suos naturales, et ex altitudine illa videre illos infra se, et judicare de illis, quales sunt, et quoque emendare, castigare et removere illos; hoc non potest ullum animal, nam amores hujus prorsus uniti sunt cum ejus scientia connata, quare haec non potest elevari in intelligentiam, et minus in sapientiam; unde animal ab amore scientiae suae insito fertur sicut caecus per plateas a cane; haec causa est, quod Amor conjugialis sit proprius homini: potest etiam vocari nativus et germanus homini, quia homini inest facultas sapiendi, cum qua hic amor unum facit.