萬物簡史 第51期:事物的測定(9)

Principia's production was not without drama. ToHalley's horror, just as work was nearing completionNewton and Hooke fell into dispute over thepriority for the inverse square law and Newtonrefused to release the crucial third volume, withoutwhich the first two made little sense. Only with somefrantic shuttle diplomacy and the most liberalapplications of flattery did Halley manage finally toextract the concluding volume from the erraticprofessor.

《原理》的產(chǎn)生不是不帶戲劇性的。令哈雷感到震驚的是，當(dāng)這項工作快要完成的時候，牛頓和胡克為誰先發(fā)明了平方反比定律吵了起來，牛頓拒絕公開關(guān)鍵的第三卷，而沒有這一卷，前面兩卷就意義不大。只是在進(jìn)行了緊張的穿梭外交，說了許多好話以后，哈雷才最后設(shè)法從那位脾氣怪僻的教授那里索得了最后一卷。

Halley's traumas were not yet quite over. The Royal Society had promised to publish the work,but now pulled out, citing financial embarrassment. The year before the society had backed acostly flop called The History of Fishes, and they now suspected that the market for a book onmathematical principles would be less than clamorous.

哈雷的煩惱并沒有完全結(jié)束。英國皇家學(xué)會本來答應(yīng)出版這部作品，但現(xiàn)在打了退堂鼓，說是財政有困難。前一年，該學(xué)會曾經(jīng)為《魚類史》下了賭注，該書成本很高，結(jié)果賠了老本;他們擔(dān)心一本關(guān)于數(shù)學(xué)原理的書不會有多大銷路。

Halley, whose means were not great, paid for the book's publication out of his own pocket.Newton, as was his custom, contributed nothing. To make matters worse, Halley at this timehad just accepted a position as the society's clerk, and he was informed that the society couldno longer afford to provide him with a promised salary of 50 pounds per annum. He was to bepaid instead in copies of The History of Fishes.

哈雷盡管不很富裕，還是自己掏錢支付了這本書的出版費用。和以往一樣，牛頓分文不出。更糟糕的是，哈雷這時候剛剛接受學(xué)會的書記員的職位，他被告知，學(xué)會已經(jīng)無力給他答應(yīng)過的50英鎊年薪，只能用幾本《魚類史》來支付。