英语听书《白鲸记》第783期

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　　那个公爵真穷得非干起这种不择手段的谋生方法不可吗？

　　It is his.

　　鲸是他的。

　　I thought to relieve my old bed-ridden mother by part of my share of this whale.

　　我还想靠这条鲸的份儿，给我病倒在床的老母亲治病呢。

　　It is his.

　　鲸是他的。

　　Won't the Duke be content with a quarter or a half?

　　难道给个四分之一，或者一半，公爵也不满意吗？

　　It is his.

　　鲸是他的。

　　In a word, the whale was seized and sold, and his Grace the Duke of Wellington received the money. Thinking that viewed in some particular lights, the case might by a bare possibility in some small degree be deemed, under the circumstances, a rather hard one, an honest clergyman of the town respectfully addressed a note to his Grace, begging him to take the case of those unfortunate mariners² into full consideration. To which my Lord Duke in substance replied (both letters were published) that he had already done so, and received the money, and would be obliged to the reverend gentleman if for the future he (the reverend gentleman) would decline meddling³ with other people's business. Is this the still militant⁴ old man, standing⁵ at the corners of the three kingdoms, on all hands coercing⁶ alms of beggars?

　　总之，那条鲸给没收了，卖了，韦林顿公爵（韦林顿公爵（1769—1852）——即在滑铁卢一役打败拿破仑的名将。据说他曾任辛格港港口监督，这里所提事件，确有其事，写信的牧师，为沃林福德博士。）大人也拿到钱了。从一种特殊的角度来考虑这事情，这至少应该算是个难以对付的问题，在这种情况下，当地一位正直的牧师恭敬地写了个便函给这位大人，要求他对这些不幸的水手的这桩事情加以详细斟酌。这位公爵大人，接到信后，具体回答说（两封信都公开发表过），他已经这么做了，钱也拿到了，同时还说，牧师先生将来如能不再多管闲事则不胜感激云云。难道这就是这个脚跨三个王国，从各方面勒逼穷人的救济金、斗气未减当年的老人吗？

　　It will readily be seen that in this case the alleged⁷ right of the Duke to the whale was a delegated one from the Sovereign. We must needs inquire then on what principle the Sovereign is originally invested with that right.

　　从这件事可以明白地看出来，大公爵对大鲸之所以有一种当然的权利，就因为他是君主的代表。那么，我们不免要问，君主原来又是根据什么原则而赋有这种权利呢？

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