英語聽書《白鯨記》第783期

Is the Duke so very poor as to be forced to this desperate mode of getting a livelihood?

那個公爵真窮得非干起這種不擇手段的謀生方法不可嗎？

It is his.

鯨是他的。

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

我還想靠這條鯨的份兒，給我病倒在床的老母親治病呢。

It is his.

鯨是他的。

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

難道給個四分之一，或者一半，公爵也不滿意嗎？

It is his.

鯨是他的。

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 mariners 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 meddling with other people's business. Is this the still militant old man, standing at the corners of the three kingdoms, on all hands coercing alms of beggars?

總之，那條鯨給沒收了，賣了，韋林頓公爵（韋林頓公爵（1769—1852）——即在滑鐵盧一役打敗拿破侖的名將。據(jù)說他曾任辛格港港口監(jiān)督，這里所提事件，確有其事，寫信的牧師，為沃林福德博士。）大人也拿到錢了。從一種特殊的角度來考慮這事情，這至少應該算是個難以對付的問題，在這種情況下，當?shù)匾晃徽钡哪翈煿Ь吹貙懥藗€便函給這位大人，要求他對這些不幸的水手的這樁事情加以詳細斟酌。這位公爵大人，接到信后，具體回答說（兩封信都公開發(fā)表過），他已經(jīng)這么做了，錢也拿到了，同時還說，牧師先生將來如能不再多管閑事則不勝感激云云。難道這就是這個腳跨三個王國，從各方面勒逼窮人的救濟金、斗氣未減當年的老人嗎？

It will readily be seen that in this case the alleged 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.

從這件事可以明白地看出來，大公爵對大鯨之所以有一種當然的權(quán)利，就因為他是君主的代表。那么，我們不免要問，君主原來又是根據(jù)什么原則而賦有這種權(quán)利呢？

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