I have reckoned upon a medium, that a child just born will weigh 12 pounds, and in a solar year, if tolerably nursed, encreaseth to 28 pounds.

愚曾推算，幼兒初生，重約莫12磅，若照料有度，期年之后，可達(dá)28磅。

I grant this food will be somewhat dear, and therefore very proper for landlords, who, as they have already devoured?most of the parents, seem to have the best title to the children.

devour /d?'va??/ vt. ?毀滅；吞食；凝視（指狼吞虎咽地吃，強(qiáng)調(diào)吃得既快又徹底）

玉食千金，非常人能受，是以量位而供、衡財(cái)而給。名門貴胄，既已刮骨吸髓其親，自可大快朵頤其形。高門大族，受之無(wú)愧，無(wú)出其右。

Infant’s flesh will be in season throughout the year, but more plentiful in March, and a little before and after; for we are told by a grave author, an eminent?French physician, that fish being a prolific diet, there are more children born in Roman Catholic countries about nine months after Lent, than at any other season; therefore, reckoning a year after Lent, the markets will be more glutted?than usual, because the number of Popish infants, is at least three to one in this kingdom, and therefore it will have one other collateral?advantage, by lessening the number of Papists among us.

eminent /'em?n?nt/?adj. 杰出的；有名的；明顯的

Lent 大齋節(jié)，也叫“封齋節(jié)”，“四旬齋”，基督教節(jié)日之一，自“圣灰星期三”(Ash Wednesday)持續(xù)40日，期間不可以吃恒溫動(dòng)物的肉，但可以吃魚(yú)、蝦、蟹、蚌等變溫動(dòng)物。

gult /gl?t/?vt. 暴食；縱情過(guò)度；使厭膩；供過(guò)于求 n.供過(guò)于求；放縱；縱容；盡量

collateral?/k?'l?t(?)r(?)l/ n. 附屬擔(dān)保品 adj.相關(guān)的

嬰兒肉體四序當(dāng)令，而三月前后，供量充足。某一作家（聲名顯赫的法國(guó)內(nèi)科醫(yī)生）嚴(yán)詞指出：魚(yú)類食物促產(chǎn)，故大齋之后，天主教國(guó)家新生兒數(shù)量急劇攀升。而我帝國(guó)，天主教嬰兒數(shù)量至少為三倍于非天主教徒嬰兒。據(jù)此估量，大齋節(jié)之后一年，肉孩市場(chǎng)之盛非常日可擬。正所謂牽一發(fā)而動(dòng)全身，如此行為，我國(guó)天主教徒數(shù)量亦可調(diào)控。

I have already computed the charge of nursing a beggar’s child (in which list I reckon all cottagers, labourers, and four-fifths of the farmers) to be about two shillings per annum, rags included; and I believe no gentleman would repine to give ten shillings for the carcass?of a good fat child, which, as I have said, will make four dishes of excellent nutritive meat, when he hath only some particular friend, or his own family to dine with him. Thus the squire will learn to be a good landlord, and grow popular among his tenants, the mother will have eight shillings neat profit, and be fit for work till she produces another child.

愚已核算，一年僅需約兩先令即可負(fù)擔(dān)乞丐幼兒的衣食住行（對(duì)全體佃戶、勞工與超八成農(nóng)戶同樣成立）；也相信沒(méi)有鄉(xiāng)紳會(huì)為花費(fèi)十先令購(gòu)買一具肥而不膩、肉質(zhì)鮮美的孩童軀體而后悔不已，畢竟，如前所述，宴高朋、飲親友之時(shí)，一個(gè)小孩等同于四道佳肴。由此，地主們必改弦易調(diào)，施恩于民而受敬于民；而孩童母親可獲八先令凈利潤(rùn)，下次生產(chǎn)之前，她還可以參與勞作（不必照顧幼兒）。

Those who are more thrifty (as I must confess the times?require) may flay the carcass; the skin of which, artificially?dressed, will make admirable gloves for ladies, and summer boots for fine gentlemen.

時(shí)世不濟(jì)，勤儉之家自可剝?nèi)バ『⑵っぜ?xì)作一番，制成精美手套以樂(lè)貴婦，裁成夏季革履以歡豪紳。

As to our City of Dublin, shambles?may be appointed for this purpose, in the most convenient parts of it, and butchers?we may be assured will not be wanting; although I rather recommend buying the children alive, and dressing them hot from the knife, as we do roasting pigs.

shambles /'??mb(?)lz/??n. <口>混亂,雜亂；毀壞(景象)；廢墟；屠宰場(chǎng)；大屠殺場(chǎng)面

butcher?/'b?t??/ ?vt. 屠殺 ?n. 屠夫

于我們都柏林，屠宰場(chǎng)或是這一舉措的最佳實(shí)現(xiàn)場(chǎng)所，我們也將保證屠工人數(shù)充足（盡管愚以為，如烤乳豬一般，購(gòu)買鮮活小孩，再用刀活生生地把他們的皮剝下來(lái)會(huì)更好）。

A very worthy person, a true lover of his country, and whose virtues I highly esteem, was lately pleased in discoursing on this matter, to offer a refinement upon my scheme. He said, that many gentlemen of this kingdom, having of late destroyed their deer, he conceived that the want of venison?might be well supplied by the bodies of young lads and maidens, not exceeding fourteen years of age, nor under twelve; so great a number of both sexes in every county being now ready to starve for want of work and service: and these to be disposed of by their parents if alive, or otherwise by their nearest relations. But with due?deference to so excellent a friend, and so deserving a patriot, I cannot be altogether in his sentiments; for as to the males, my American acquaintance assured me from frequent experience, that their flesh was generally tough and lean, like that of our schoolboys, by continual exercise, and their taste disagreeable, and to fatten them would not answer the charge. Then as to the females, it would, I think, with humble submission, be a loss to the publick, because they soon would become breeders themselves: and besides, it is not improbable that some scrupulous?people might be apt to censure such a practice, (although indeed very unjustly) as a little bordering upon cruelty, which, I confess,?hath always been with me the strongest objection against any project, how well soever?intended.

venison /'ven?s(?)n/??n. 鹿肉；[古]野味

due /dju:/ adj. 到期的；應(yīng)得的；應(yīng)付的；預(yù)期的 ?n. 應(yīng)付款；應(yīng)得之物 ?adv.正（置于方位詞前）

scrupulous /'skru?pj?l?s/??adj. 嚴(yán)格認(rèn)真的，一絲不茍的；絕對(duì)正直的 ?adv.&n. 一絲不茍

soever?/s??'ev?/ ?adv. 任何，不論何種；無(wú)論

近來(lái)，一位愛(ài)國(guó)財(cái)主樂(lè)于談?wù)摯耸?，并就我的?jì)策提出了改進(jìn)措施。他德高望重，為人親善，愚深表景仰。他指出：近期，帝國(guó)豪紳狩獵無(wú)度以致群鹿絕跡，未來(lái)十二至十四周歲童男童女的肉或?qū)⒊蔀槁谷獾奶娲?；英?guó)各郡，工位缺乏、服務(wù)缺失，不數(shù)男女早已準(zhǔn)備忍饑挨餓，若他們幸存于世，則將由他們的父母或近親處置。然而，縱其人才高八斗，赤膽忠心，愚亦不敢茍同這一論斷。我的美國(guó)朋友以經(jīng)驗(yàn)告訴我，男孩，例如學(xué)校男生，因常鍛煉，肉質(zhì)柴瘦，食而無(wú)味，喂胖再吃則得不酬失。而愚以為，女孩較男孩雖更易規(guī)訓(xùn)，但她們即將成為生兒育女，食之損益于公。此外，正直之士或?qū)⒇?zé)難于此著實(shí)不公的殘忍行徑。這種責(zé)難常有，不論方案意圖所在。

But in order to justify my friend, he confessed, that this expedient?was put into his head by the famous Psalmanaazor, a native of the island Formosa, who came from thence to London, above twenty years ago, and in conversation told my friend, that in his country, when any young person happened to be put to death, the executioner sold the carcass to persons of quality, as a prime dainty; and that, in his time, the body of a plump girl of fifteen, who was crucified for an attempt to poison the Emperor, was sold to his imperial majesty’s prime minister of state, and other great mandarins of the court in joints from the gibbet, at four hundred crowns. Neither indeed can I deny, that if the same use were made of several plump young girls in this town, who without one single groat to their fortunes, cannot stir abroad without a chair, and appear at a playhouse and assemblies in foreign fineries?which they never will pay for, the kingdom would not be the worse.

expedient /'ven?s(?)n/??adj. 應(yīng)急有效的;權(quán)宜之計(jì)的 ?n. 應(yīng)急辦法，權(quán)宜之計(jì)

Psalmanaazor 即George Psalmanazar，自稱來(lái)自于福爾摩沙（今臺(tái)灣島），著有《福爾摩沙的歷史與地理描述》，欺瞞歐洲近百年才被識(shí)破。

dainty??/'de?nt?/ ?adj. 精致的, 嬌俏的, 優(yōu)雅的, 美味的；（指人）品位高雅的, 難以取悅的, 講究的, 挑剔的

finery?/'fa?n(?)r?/ ?n. 服飾；裝飾；華麗的服飾，鮮艷服裝

但必須表明，此番權(quán)宜之計(jì)源于著名的“福爾摩沙”的原住民——普薩爾瑪納扎?，敿{扎自20多年前來(lái)到倫敦。他在與我的好友交談時(shí)透露了一件事：在他們國(guó)家，年輕人處死之后，劊子手便以珍饈之名，將其血肉賣與名門大族。曾經(jīng)，一豐腴女子，及笄之年，欲以毒弒君。然事跡敗露，縛于木，受凌遲，最后更以400克朗之價(jià)賣與達(dá)官貴胄。無(wú)可厚非，若以相同手段招待帝國(guó)的豐腴少女，帝國(guó)前路或?qū)㈤_(kāi)朗。畢竟，她們身無(wú)分文卻無(wú)轎不行，一毛不拔而人前錦衣。

Some persons of a desponding?spirit are in great concern about that vast number of poor people, who are aged, diseased, or maimed; and I have been desired to employ my thoughts what course may be taken, to ease the nation of so grievous an incumbrance. But I am not in the least pain upon that matter, because it is very well known, that they are every day dying, and rotting, by cold and famine, and filth, and vermin, as fast as can be reasonably expected. And as to the young labourers, they are now in almost as hopeful a condition.?They cannot get work, and consequently pine away?from want of nourishment, to a degree, that if at any time they are accidentally hired to common labour, they have not strength to perform it, and thus the country and themselves are happily delivered from the evils to come.

rot /r?t/ ?n. 腐爛, 腐朽 ?v. (使)腐爛, (使)腐朽

個(gè)人觀點(diǎn)：“ They cannot get work ... from the evils to come.”句的意思是年輕人找不到工作便會(huì)挨餓，從而導(dǎo)致無(wú)力參與工作，逐漸加入老弱病殘的行列之中，過(guò)上忍饑挨餓，同疾病、害蟲(chóng)等共生的生活，日漸虛弱直至死亡腐爛，這對(duì)于年輕人自己是一種解脫，對(duì)于“國(guó)家”而言，“有助于”削減老弱病殘的窮人這一負(fù)擔(dān)。這句話與該段開(kāi)頭緊密聯(lián)系，諷刺深刻。

悲情之人，哀憫蒼生，見(jiàn)老弱則苦，逢病殘則慟。老弱之多，病殘之盈，實(shí)乃國(guó)家重負(fù)。愚亦常謀算于此，欲為國(guó)分憂，而今卻似無(wú)益之功。如各位所見(jiàn)，他們以饑寒為朋、與穢物成伙、同蟲(chóng)豸為伍，朝死夕腐，何足憂慮？年輕勞力更無(wú)需擔(dān)憂。他們無(wú)處工作，缺乏吃食，日漸消瘦，縱使有幸受雇于人，亦無(wú)力行事。如此一來(lái)，于國(guó)于民，自與苦難相悖而行。