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For the more effectual cleaning and keeping clean the streets of London and Westminster, it is proposed that the several watchmen be contracted with to have the dust swept up in dry seasons, and the mud rak'd up at other times, each in the several streets and lanes of his round;
为了更有效地打扫和保持伦敦和韦斯敏斯德的街道清洁起见，本人建议雇用守更人若干名，在干旱的季节里扫除泥土，在雨季里耙刮泥泞，每名看守人负责巡逻几条大街小巷。
that they be furnish'd with brooms and other proper instruments for these purposes, to be kept at their respective stands, ready to furnish the poor people they may employ in the service.
他们要置备扫帚和其他清道用具，放置在一定的场所，以便他们所雇用的穷人扫街之用。
That in the dry summer months the dust be all swept up into heaps at proper distances, before the shops and windows of houses are usually opened, when the scavengers, with close-covered carts, shall also carry it all away.
在干旱的夏季里，在通常商店开始营业和住家打开窗户之前，每隔适当距离，将垃圾集成一堆，清道夫将用紧闭的车子把它全部运走。
That the mud, when rak'd up, be not left in heaps to be spread abroad again by the wheels of carriages and trampling of horses, but that the scavengers be provided with bodies of carts, not plac'd high upon wheels, but low upon sliders,
耙集在一起的泥土不要堆积在街上，免得车轮和马足又把它散播开去，清道夫应备有若干车辆，车身不是高高地装在车轮上，而是低低地装在滑盘上。
with lattice bottoms, which, being cover'd with straw, will retain the mud thrown into them, and permit the water to drain from it, whereby it will become much lighter, water making the greatest part of its weight;
车底用格子构成，上铺稻草，可以保持倒入的污泥，允许水分从底下排出，这样泥浆的分量将大大减轻，因为其中大部分重量是水。
these bodies of carts to be plac'd at convenient distances, and the mud brought to them in wheelbarrows; they remaining where plac'd till the mud is drain'd, and then horses brought to draw them away.
这种车辆应放置在适当距离的地方，泥浆将用手推车运来，泥车将停留原处直到水分排干时，然后用马匹把它们拖走。
I have since had doubts of the practicability of the latter part of this proposal, on account of the narrowness of some streets, and the difficulty of placing the draining-sleds so as not to encumber too much the passage; but I am still of opinion that the former, requiring the dust to be swept up and carry'd away before the shops are open, is very practicable in the summer, when the days are long;
从那时以后我对这个建议的后半部是否切实可行，有点怀疑了，因为有些街道很狭窄，泥车放在那里就不能不占去太多的地位，以致阻塞交通，但是我还以为那前半部（主张在商店营业前扫清街道运走垃圾），在夏天是切实可行的，因为夏天日子长。
for, in walking thro' the Strand and Fleet-street one morning at seven o'clock, I observ'd there was not one shop open, tho' it had been daylight and the sun up above three hours;
有一天早晨七点钟，我走过伦敦河滨街和佛里特街，看见虽然天已经亮了，太阳已经出来三小时多了，可是还没有一家店铺开门。
the inhabitants of London chusing voluntarily to live much by candle-light, and sleep by sunshine, and yet often complain, a little absurdly, of the duty on candles, and the high price of tallow.
伦敦的市民宁愿在烛光下生活，在白天睡觉，但是在另一方面，他们常常抱怨烛税太高，烛价过昂，真有点荒唐。
Some may think these trifling matters not worth minding or relating;
也许有人以为这些小事不值得留心或加以叙述，
but when they consider that tho' dust blown into the eyes of a single person, or into a single shop on a windy day, is but of small importance, yet the great number of the instances in a populous city, and its frequent repetitions give it weight and consequence, perhaps they will not censure very severely those who bestow some attention to affairs of this seemingly low nature.
虽然在刮风的时候，灰沙吹进一个人的眼睛或是一家店铺，那是小事，但是假如他们考虑到在人口众多的城市里有千千万万的人或店铺受到灰沙的袭击以及这些袭击的经常反复，他们就会觉得这是一件重要的大事，可能他们就不会过分地非难那些留意这些似乎微不足道的事项的人了。
Human felicity is produced not so much by great pieces of good fortune that seldom happen, as by little advantages that occur every day.
造成人类幸福的与其说是千载难逢的巨大的幸运，倒不如说是每日发生的细小的方便。
Thus, if you teach a poor young man to shave himself, and keep his razor in order, you may contribute more to the happiness of his life than in giving him a thousand guineas.
所以如果你教会一个贫穷的年轻人自己修面，保养他的剃刀，你对他一生幸福所做的贡献可能比给他一千金币还大。
The money may be soon spent, the regret only remaining of having foolishly consumed it; but in the other case, he escapes the frequent vexation of waiting for barbers, and of their sometimes dirty fingers, offensive breaths, and dull razors;
钱可能很快地花光，只留下了用钱不当的懊恨。但是假如教会他自己修面，他就可以避免经常等待理发师修面的麻烦，避免理发师有时候肮脏的手指，令人不快的呼吸和迟钝的剃刀。
he shaves when most convenient to him, and enjoys daily the pleasure of its being done with a good instrument.
他可以在最方便的时候修面，每天享受用锋利剃刀修面的快乐。
With these sentiments I have hazarded the few preceding pages, hoping they may afford hints which some time or other may be useful to a city I love, having lived many years in it very happily, and perhaps to some of our towns in America.
在这种思想的支配之下，我冒昧地写下了前面这几页，希望它们包含了一些启发性的东西，这些东西可能有时对我亲爱的城市（我在这城里快乐地住了许多年了），或许对我们美洲的其他城市不无参考的价值。
Having been for some time employed by the postmaster-general of America as his comptroller in regulating several offices, and bringing the officers to account, I was, upon his death in 1753, appointed, jointly with Mr. William Hunter, to succeed him, by a commission from the postmaster-general in England.
在一段时间内我被美洲邮政总长委任为他的会计检查员，管理若干邮政分局并监督邮局职员，在1753年当他过世时，我和威廉·罕特一同被英国的邮政总长委任为美洲邮政总长，继任他的遗职。
The American office never had hitherto paid anything to that of Britain.
在这以前美洲的邮局从没有向英国的邮局上缴过利润。
We were to have six hundred pounds a year between us, if we could make that sum out of the profits of the office.
我们两人的年薪是六百镑，假如我们可以从邮局的盈余中获得这一数目的话。
To do this, a variety of improvements were necessary; some of these were inevitably at first expensive, so that in the first four years the office became above nine hundred pounds in debt to us.
为了要达到这一目的，我们得做许多改进工作，其中有几项在刚开始时不可避免地要花费许多钱，所以在起初的四年中邮局欠了我们薪金达九百余镑之多。
But it soon after began to repay us; and before I was displac'd by a freak of the ministers, of which I shall speak hereafter, we had brought it to yield three times as much clear revenue to the crown as the post-office of Ireland.
但是不久邮局就开始付清我们的欠薪了。当英王政府的大臣们异想天开地把我免职时（我以后还要提到此事），我们已经使得它向英王政府上缴的净收益较爱尔兰邮局多三倍之多。
Since that imprudent transaction, they have receiv'd from it -- not one farthing!
自从他们轻举妄动地把我免职以后，他们连一文钱也没有拿到过。
The business of the post-office occasion'd my taking a journey this year to New England, where the College of Cambridge, of their own motion, presented me with the degree of Master of Arts.
邮局的事务使我在这一年到新英格兰去旅行了一趟，新英格兰的剑桥大学自动地赠我文学硕士学位。
Yale College, in Connecticut, had before made me a similar compliment.
康涅狄格州的耶鲁大学以前也授与过我一个类似的学位。
Thus, without studying in any college, I came to partake of their honours.
这样，虽然我没有受过大学教育，却获得大学的荣誉。
They were conferr'd in consideration of my improvements and discoveries in the electric branch of natural philosophy.
这些学位的赠予是由于我在物理学电学部分中有所改进和发明。
