美国语文第五册 第51期:英王查尔斯二世与威廉-佩恩先生(3)

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　　The right of discovery? A strange kind of right, indeed. 发现的权力？真是莫名其妙。

　　Now suppose, friend Charles, that some canoe load of these Indians, crossing the sea, 不妨推想一下，查尔斯，我的朋友，假如这些印第安人乘独木舟漂洋过海，

　　and discovering this island of Great Britain, were to claim it as their own, 最终发现了大不列颠群岛，倘若他们宣称这岛屿属于他们，

　　and set it up for sale over thy head, what wouldst thou think of it? 并在你眼皮底下将其标价出售，你将如何喙置？

　　Why—why—why—I must confess, I should think it a piece of great impudence² in them. 呃，呃，呃——我得承认，这实在有点太厚颜无耻了。

　　Well, then, how canst thou, a Christian, and a Christian prince, too, 那么，好了，一位基督徒，堂堂的基督徒国王，

　　do that which thou so utterly³ condemnest in these people whom thou callest savages⁴? 你指控野蛮人最该受到谴责，却对你所称为野蛮的人做出同样最该谴责的事。

　　And suppose, again, that these Indians, on thy refusal to give up thy island of Great Britain, were to make war on thee, 再假设一下，倘若这些印第安人拒绝放弃你的大不列颠群岛，甚至对你进行开战，

　　and, having weapons more destructive than thine, were to destroy many of thy subjects, and drive the rest away—wouldst thou not think it horribly cruel? 手中的武器比你的厉害，他们大规模屠戮你的臣民，再将你的臣民全部撵走，你难道不觉得这种行为恐怖残忍？

　　Why, I must say, friend William, that I should; how can I say otherwise? 威廉，我的朋友，我必须承认，我应该这么说，否则，我还该怎么说？

　　Well, then, how can I, who call myself a Christian, do what I should abhor⁵ even in the heathen? 好了，既然这样，我怎么能，能说自己是基督徒？做那些我最憎恶的事，哪怕针对那些异教徒？

　　No. I will not do it. But I will buy the right of the proper owners, even of the Indians themselves. 不！我不会那样做。但我会从合法的拥有者手中购买权利，即便这些拥有者就是印第安人。

　　By doing this, I shall imitate God himself in his justice and mercy, and thereby⁶ insure his blessing⁷ on my colony, 通过购买的方式，我无非在效仿上帝本身的正义与悲悯，从而确保上帝佑福降临我管辖的领地，

　　if I should ever live to plant one in North America. 当然，如果，我能在北美洲活下来，先要种下一棵心愿之树。

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