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About this time I met with an odd volume of the Spectator. It was the third.
大约在这时候，我偶然看到了一本《旁观者》的零本，是第三册。
I had never before seen any of them. I bought it, read it over and over, and was much delighted with it.
在这以前，我从未曾看见过这个刊物。我买了这本散册，反复读了几遍，十分中意。
I thought the writing excellent, and wished, if possible, to imitate it.
我认为文章写得好极了，如果可能的话，我想模仿它的风格。
With this view I took some of the papers, and, making short hints of the sentiment in each sentence, laid them by a few days,
因此我拿了几篇论文把每一句的思想作一个简单的摘要，接着把它搁置几天，
and then, without looking at the book, try'd to compleat the papers again, by expressing each hinted sentiment at length,
然后不看原书，用我自己想得起来的合适辞句，把每一点摘录下来的思想用完整的句子表达出来，
and as fully as it had been expressed before, in any suitable words that should come to hand.
又凑成整篇的论文，使它表达得像以前一样地完整。
Then I compared my Spectator with the original, discovered some of my faults, and corrected them.
然后我把我的《旁观者》与原来的比较，发现一些我的缺点，作了修正。
But I found I wanted a stock of words, or a readiness in recollecting and using them, which I thought I should have acquired before that time if I had gone on making verses;
但是我发现我的词汇贫乏，或是说我不能很快地想起适当的词来用，我想假如我以前没有放弃写诗的话，到那时候我的词汇一定会丰富得多了，
since the continual occasion for words of the same import, but of different length, to suit the measure, or of different sound for the rhyme,
因为经常不断地有机会寻找具有同样意义而有不同长度的词去适合诗的韵律，或是不同音素的词去凑韵脚，
would have laid me under a constant necessity of searching for variety, and also have tended to fix that variety in my mind, and make me master of it.
会迫使我不断地搜索具有不同形式的同义词，会有助于我记忆这些不同的词并使我掌握它们。
Therefore I took some of the tales and turned them into verse; and, after a time, when I had pretty well forgotten the prose, turned them back again.
因此，我把其中的一些故事改写成了诗，过一些时候，当我差不多已经遗忘了原来的散文的时候，我又把它们重新还原。
I also sometimes jumbled my collections of hints into confusion, and after some weeks endeavored to reduce them into the best order, before I began to form the full sentences and compleat the paper.
有时候我也把我摘录的思想搞乱了，经过几个星期以后，设法把它们用最好的次序排列起来，然后再把它们写成完整的句子，拼成论文。
This was to teach me method in the arrangement of thoughts.
这样做是为了教我如何排列思想的方法。
By comparing my work afterwards with the original, I discovered many faults and amended them;
在复原后与原文比较时，我发现了许多缺点，就加以改正。
but I sometimes had the pleasure of fancying that, in certain particulars of small import, I had been lucky enough to improve the method of the language,
但是有时候我喜欢幻想：在某些次要的地方我侥幸改进原文的条理和语言，
and this encouraged me to think I might possibly in time come to be a tolerable English writer, of which I was extremely ambitious.
这种幻想鼓励了我，使我相信在将来我或许可能成为一个不十分坏的英文作家，在这方面，我原是颇有奢望的。
My time for these exercises and for reading was at night, after work or before it began in the morning, or on Sundays,
我阅读书籍和做这类练习的时间是在晚间工作完毕后或是早晨工作开始以前，或是在星期日。
when I contrived to be in the printing-house alone, evading as much as I could the common attendance on public worship which my father used to exact of me when I was under his care,
在星期日，我总是尽可能地躲避参加这种普遍遵守的崇拜仪式，设法独自一人留在印刷所里，尽管我父亲在我还是在他管教之下的时候惯常逼我去做礼拜，
and which indeed I still thought a duty, thought I could not, as it seemed to me, afford time to practise it.
尽管我当时确实还认为做礼拜是我们应尽的义务（虽然我好像无暇参加礼拜）。
When about 16 years of age I happened to meet with a book, written by one Tryon, recommending a vegetable diet.
大概在我十六岁左右的时候，我偶然看到了一个叫屈里昂的人写的一本宣传蔬食的书，
I determined to go into it. My brother, being yet unmarried, did not keep house, but boarded himself and his apprentices in another family.
我就决心实行蔬食。我哥哥因为尚未结婚，无人主持家务，他和他的学徒们就在另外一家人家包饭。
My refusing to eat flesh occasioned an inconveniency, and I was frequently chid for my singularity.
我不吃荤食，引起了麻烦，因此他们常常因我的怪癖而责备我。
I made myself acquainted with Tryon's manner of preparing some of his dishes, such as boiling potatoes or rice, making hasty pudding, and a few others,
我学会了一些屈里昂烹调他自己的食品，如煮山芋、煮饭、做快速布丁等等的方法，
and then proposed to my brother, that if he would give me, weekly, half the money he paid for my board, I would board myself.
然后向我哥哥提出，假如他愿意把我每周的伙食费的半数给我，我愿意自理伙食。
He instantly agreed to it, and I presently found that I could save half what he paid me.
他立刻同意了，不久我就发现我可以从我哥哥给我的伙食费中撙节半数。
This was an additional fund for buying books. But I had another advantage in it.
这就又是一笔买书的钱了。但是这样做还有另外一个便利。
My brother and the rest going from the printing-house to their meals, I remained there alone, and, dispatching presently my light repast,
当我哥哥和其余的人离开印刷所去吃饭的时候，我独自一人留在所中，我不久就草草地吃完了我的轻便点心，
which often was no more than a bisket or a slice of bread, a handful of raisins or a tart from the pastry-cook's, and a glass of water, had the rest of the time till their return for study,
我吃的常常只是一块饼干或是一片面包，一把葡萄干或是从面包铺买来的一块果馅饼和一杯清水，在他们回来以前的这一段时间里我就可以读书了，
in which I made the greater progress, from that greater clearness of head and quicker apprehension which usually attend temperance in eating and drinking.
由于饮食节制常常能使人头脑清醒思想敏捷，所以我的进度比以前更快了。
