But this affair having turned my thoughts to marriage, I look'd round me and made overtures of acquaintance in other places; but soon found that, the business of a printer being generally thought a poor one, I was not to expect money with a wife, unless with such a one as I should not otherwise think agreeable.
但是这件事却使我想结婚了,所以我向周围观看,向其他地方去找朋友,但是不久我发现,因为一般人认为印刷业不是一种赚钱的行业,我不能希望从妻子处得到钱财,除非从那些否则不合我心意的女人那里。
A friendly correspondence as neighbours and old acquaintances had continued between me and Mrs. Read's family, who all had a regard for me from the time of my first lodging in their house.
在这期间,作为邻居和老朋友,我和李得太太全家继续维持着一种友好的通信关系,从我寄住在她们家里的第一天起,她们都很尊敬我。
I was often invited there and consulted in their affairs, wherein I sometimes was of service.
她们常常请我去,和我商量她们的事情,有时候我也能在这些事上给她们一些帮助。
I piti'd poor Miss Read's unfortunate situation, who was generally dejected, seldom chearful, and avoided company.
我对可怜的李得小姐的不幸遭遇表示同情,她总是没精打采的,很少高高兴兴的,并且不愿意跟人来往。
I considered my giddiness and inconstancy when in London as in a great degree the cause of her unhappiness, tho' the mother was good enough to think the fault more her own than mine, as she had prevented our marrying before I went thither, and persuaded the other match in my absence.
我认为我在伦敦期间的轻浮与变心应当对她的痛苦负相当大的责任,虽然她母亲很善良地以为她自己的责任比我的还大,因为她曾经阻止我们在我到英国去之前结婚,而且在我出国期间又劝她嫁给别人。
Our mutual affection was revived, but there were now great objections to our union.
我们相互的感情又恢复了,但是现在我们要结婚却有许多困难。
The match was indeed looked upon as invalid, a preceding wife being said to be living in England; but this could not easily be prov'd, because of the distance; and, tho' there was a report of his death, it was not certain.
她第一次的结婚果然是无效的,因为据说他的前妻还在英国活着,但是由于距离的关系,这一点不容易证明,再则,虽然传说他已经死了,这也不能确定。
Then, tho' it should be true, he had left many debts, which his successor might be call'd upon to pay.
即使他真的死了,他留下了许多欠账,他的继承人也许得负责偿付。
We ventured, however, over all these difficulties, and I took her to wife, September 1st, 1730.
但是我们毕竟冒着这些危险,我跟她在1730年9月1日结婚了。
None of the inconveniences happened that we had apprehended; she proved a good and faithful helpmate, assisted me much by attending the shop; we throve together, and have ever mutually endeavour'd to make each other happy.
我们意料中那些麻烦一件也没有发生,她是一个善良的忠实的伴侣,大力地帮助我照料铺子,我们在一起兴旺起来了,我们一直总是努力相互安慰体贴。
Thus I corrected that great erratum as well as I could.
这样,我总算尽可能地改正了那一大过错。
About this time, our club meeting, not at a tavern, but in a little room of Mr. Grace's, set apart for that purpose, a proposition was made by me, that, since our books were often referr'd to in our disquisitions upon the queries, it might be convenient to us to have them altogether where we met, that upon occasion they might be consulted;
大概在这时候我们社团不再在酒馆里,而是在葛莱丝家里的一间小房间里开会了,那间房间是特别留作这一用途的,因此我提议:既然我们在讨论论文时我们常常要引证我们的书籍,若是把我们的书籍凑起来放在我们聚会的地方,或许可以对我们方便多了,需要的时候我们可以参考,
and by thus clubbing our books to a common library, we should, while we lik'd to keep them together, have each of us the advantage of using the books of all the other members, which would be nearly as beneficial as if each owned the whole.
这样,把我们的书籍集中在一个共同的藏书室中,只要我们愿意把它们放在一起,我们每个人就有机会可以利用所有其他会员的书籍了,这样几乎像各人拥有全部书籍一样的有益。
It was lik'd and agreed to, and we fill'd one end of the room with such books as we could best spare.
大家喜欢这个提议,大家就同意了,这样我们就把我们一时不用的书籍放在房间的一端。
The number was not so great as we expected; and tho' they had been of great use, yet some inconveniences occurring for want of due care of them, the collection, after about a year, was separated, and each took his books home again.
书籍的本数并没有像我们预料那样的多,虽然放在一起有很大的便利,因为没有人对这些书籍加以应有的保管,也产生了一些麻烦和不便,所以大约在一年以后,这些书籍又拆散,各人把他的书拿回家去了。
And now I set on foot my first project of a public nature, that for a subscription library.
这时候我开始提出了我第一个公共性质的计划,就是建立一个订阅图书馆的计划。
I drew up the proposals, got them put into form by our great scrivener, Brockden, and, by the help of my friends in the Junto, procured fifty subscribers of forty shillings each to begin with, and ten shillings a year for fifty years, the term our company was to continue.
我拟定了提案,请我们的大律师勃劳克田把它写成适当的格式,靠着我在“密社”中的朋友们,我们一开始就获得了五十个订阅户,每户在开始时出四十先令,以后在五十年中每年出十先令,五十年就是我们公司存在的期限。
We afterwards obtain'd a charter, the company being increased to one hundred: this was the mother of all the North American subscription libraries, now so numerous.
以后当订阅人数增加到一百时,我们取得了一张执照,这就是所有北美订阅图书馆的鼻祖,现在它们是如此的普遍了。
It is become a great thing itself, and continually increasing.
这种图书馆本身已经成为一种伟大的事业,它的数字在不断地增多。
These libraries have improved the general conversation of the Americans, made the common tradesmen and farmers as intelligent as most gentlemen from other countries, and perhaps have contributed in some degree to the stand so generally made throughout the colonies in defense of their privileges.
这些图书馆改善了美洲人的日常谈话,使得普通的工人和农民变成像别国大多数绅士那样的聪明,并且或许在某种程度上帮助了在殖民地各地普遍展开的保卫他们自身权利的斗争。