美國語文第五冊 第51期：英王查爾斯二世與威廉-佩恩先生（03）

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Why, the right of discovery, to be sure; the right which the Pope and all Christian kings have agreed to give one another.

天呀，我有發(fā)現(xiàn)的權利，確切地說，羅馬教皇和所有基督教國王無一不贊同相互之間給予的權力。

The right of discovery? A strange kind of right, indeed.

發(fā)現(xiàn)的權力？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，查爾斯，我的朋友，假如這些印第安人乘獨木舟漂洋過海，

and discovering this island of Great Britain, were to claim it as their own,

最終發(fā)現(xiàn)了大不列顛群島，倘若他們宣稱這島嶼屬于他們，

and set it up for sale over thy head, what wouldst thou think of it?

并在你眼皮底下將其標價出售，你將如何喙置？

Why—why—why—I must confess, I should think it a piece of great impudence in them.

呃，呃，呃——我得承認，這實在有點太厚顏無恥了。

Well, then, how canst thou, a Christian, and a Christian prince, too,

那么，好了，一位基督徒，堂堂的基督徒國王，

do that which thou so utterly condemnest in these people whom thou callest savages?

你指控野蠻人最該受到譴責，卻對你所稱為野蠻的人做出同樣最該譴責的事。

And suppose, again, that these Indians, on thy refusal to give up thy island of Great Britain, were to make war on thee,

再假設一下，倘若這些印第安人拒絕放棄你的大不列顛群島，甚至對你進行開戰(zhàn)，

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?

手中的武器比你的厲害，他們大規(guī)模屠戮你的臣民，再將你的臣民全部攆走，你難道不覺得這種行為恐怖殘忍？

Why, I must say, friend William, that I should; how can I say otherwise?

威廉，我的朋友，我必須承認，我應該這么說，否則，我還該怎么說？

Well, then, how can I, who call myself a Christian, do what I should abhor even in the heathen?

好了，既然這樣，我怎么能，能說自己是基督徒？做那些我最憎惡的事，哪怕針對那些異教徒？

No. I will not do it. But I will buy the right of the proper owners, even of the Indians themselves.

不！我不會那樣做。但我會從合法的擁有者手中購買權利，即便這些擁有者就是印第安人。

By doing this, I shall imitate God himself in his justice and mercy, and thereby insure his blessing on my colony,

通過購買的方式，我無非在效仿上帝本身的正義與悲憫，從而確保上帝佑福降臨我管轄的領地，

if I should ever live to plant one in North America.

當然，如果，我能在北美洲活下來，先要種下一棵心愿之樹。