终于肝完了《佩皮斯日记》（带注解版本）的前言，不得不说英国人是有一点子幽默在身上的。摘取了几段前言中提及的通信原文选段，附上我自己粗糙的中文翻译——你们英国文化人儿写的东西真的好难翻译。


塞缪尔·佩皮斯

写了九年日记，事无巨细全要记，肝了150万字出来

  • 毕业于剑桥大学莫德林学院，专业不详，有一个文学学士学位

  • 长难句爱好者


1660年 塞缪尔·初进宫·天真烂漫·佩皮斯（时年27岁）

当你要向某人每年付100英镑，如今这个人突然挂了的时候，佩皮斯教你如何表达自己的心情：

“For which God knows my heart I could be as sorry as is possible for one to be for a stranger by whose death he gets L100 per annum, he being a worthy honest man; but when I come to consider the providence of God by this means unexpectedly to give me L100 a year more in my estate, I have cause to bless God, and do it from the bottom of my heart.”

上帝知道我的心，对于一位每年能拿到100英镑，且同时是位值得尊敬的诚实之人的陌生人的去世，我能为其感到深深的、由衷的遗憾；但当我想到这是上帝的眷顾，竟以这种方式让我的财产每年增加100英镑之时，我有理由感谢上帝，而且是发自内心地去感谢。

1679年 塞缪尔·钮祜禄·摸爬滚打·佩皮斯 （时年46岁）

“His Majesty of his gracious regard to me, and the justification of my innocence, was then pleased at my humble request to dispence with my said brother goeing (with ye shippe about that time designed for Tangier) and to give leave to his goeing into France (the scene of ye villannys then in practice against me), he being the only person whom (from his relation to me, together with his knowledge in the place and language, his knowne dilligence and particular affection towards mee) I could at that tyme and in soe greate a cause pitch on, for committing the care of this affaire of detecting the practice of my enemies there.”

国王陛下出于对我的亲切关怀，以及对我之清白的维护，在我的卑微请求下，欣然同意我所提及的那位内弟出行（搭乘即将开往丹吉尔的船），并允许他前往法国（针对我的恶行的发生之地）。他是我在此时此刻、在如此重大的情况之下的唯一选择（鉴于他和我的关系，加上他了解那个地方和当地语言，还有他有目共睹的尽职勤勉，以及他与我之间的特殊情分），只能将查明我的敌人在那里的所为一事委托他来处理。

“I would not omit giving you the knowledge of my having at last obtained what with as much reason I might have expected a year ago, my full discharge from the bondage I have, from one villain’s practice, so long lain under.”

我不会漏掉将这个消息告知于您：我终于得到了我一年前所期望的一切，我因某个小人的行为而桎梏加身如此之久，如今终得解除。

“Being this day become once again a free man in every respect, I mean but that of my obligation to you and the rest of my friends, to whom I stand indebted for my being so, I think it but a reasonable part of my duty to pay you and them my thanks for it in a body; but know not how otherwise to compass it than by begging you, which I hereby do, to take your share with them and me here, to-morrow, of a piece of mutton, which is all I dare promise you, besides that of being ever,

Your most bounden and faithful humble servant,
S. P.”

我想，如今能再度恢复全方位的自由之身，全是蒙了您和其他几位朋友的恩情，对此我感激不尽，我认为报答您和他们乃我应行必行之事。尽管如此，我却无从着手，只能请求您——我在此请求您——请于明日大驾光临，与他们一道、和我一同大快朵颐，共享一块羊肉——我胆敢向您承诺的不止于此，我也将永远是——

您最坚定、忠诚且谦卑的仆人，

S. P.


沙夫茨伯里伯爵

佩皮斯的政敌，世袭贵族

  • 长难句爱好者二号
  • 宫斗十级选手
  • 屡次三番设计诬陷佩皮斯的幕后黑手

“Sir,—That there might be no mistake, I thought best to put my answer in writing to those questions that yourself, Sir William Coventry, and Mr. Garroway were pleased to propose to me this morning from the House of Commons, which is that I never designed to be a witness against any man for what I either heard or saw, and therefore did not take so exact notice of things inquired of as to be able to remember them so clearly as is requisite to do in a testimony upon honour or oath, or to so great and honourable a body as the House of Commons, it being some years distance since I was at Mr. Pepys his lodging. Only that particular of an altar is so signal that I must needs have remembered it had I seen any such thing, which I am sure I do not. This I desire you to communicate with Sir William Coventry and Mr. Garroway to be delivered as my answer to the House of Commons, it being the same I gave you this morning.

阁下，为了不出错，我想最好以书面形式回答您、威廉·考文垂爵士和加罗韦先生今天上午在下议院向我提出的那些问题，我从未想过要因我的所见或所闻而做不利于某人的证人，因此对于所询问之事，我那时并未付诸特别留意，毕竟距离上次我到访佩皮斯先生的住所已经过了好些年月，我的记忆达不到凭名誉或誓言作证词，或提交给下议院这样伟大而光荣的机构所要求的那般清晰。只是如圣坛这般显眼的特殊之物，若我看见任何这类事物，我必定记得，而我确信我并未看到。我希望您将这封信一如我今天上午交给您那般原封不动地交给威廉·考文垂爵士和加罗韦先生，作为我给下议院的回复。


后世读者、单纯的克里斯蒂先生在读完上面的信后，发表了这样的评价：

“Painful indeed is it to reflect to what length the bad passions which party violence inflames could in those days carry a man of Shaftesbury’s rank, station, and abilities.”

这着实痛苦地反映出那个时代的党派暴力所点燃的邪恶激情能将如沙夫茨伯里这般地位、身份和能力之人裹挟至何种程度。

“It is clear from the letter to Meres that Shaftesbury showed no malice and much scrupulousness when a formal charge, involving important results, was founded on his loose private conversations.”

从这封写给米雷斯的信中可以清楚看到，当一项牵扯重大的正式指控建立在自己不严谨的私人谈话上时，沙夫茨伯里没有表现出任何恶意，而且非常谨慎。


概括版（不知为何有某种即视感）

克里斯蒂：这怎么能全怪他呢

克里斯蒂：他没有恶意的

沙夫茨伯里伯爵：😊


伊丽莎白·圣米歇尔

佩皮斯的老婆。结婚时她15岁，佩皮斯23岁。

  • 对佩皮斯记错结婚纪念日一事毫无反应，因为她也记错了

  • 对比上面两个难度突降，谢谢太太说人话

“Dear father, though in my tender years I was by my low fortune in this world deluded to popery, by the fond dictates thereof I have now (joined with my riper years, which give me some understanding) a man to my husband too wise and one too religious to the Protestant religion to suffer my thoughts to bend that way any more.”

亲爱的父亲，虽然年幼之时我因在这世上时运不济而被天主教所迷惑，所幸我如今拥有了一个睿智而虔诚的新教徒男人作我的丈夫，在他的良好影响之下（再加上我长了年岁，更明事理了）我的思想不会再被引上那般弯路。