周。在他的南面和西面都是海洋。海洋看上去非常近，就像在他的脚下一样。海水延伸到远方，直到海天相接处。
在巴尔博亚之前，从未有白人来此观望过这片海，甚至没有人听说过它。后来，这位西班牙的冒险家将其命名为南海，因为去南海的路上要穿过地峡，而它看起来就在大陆的南边。但我们知道，它就是大洋中最大的一个——浩瀚的太平洋。
在山巅上，巴尔博亚怀着敬畏和喜悦的复杂感情俯瞰。
他有着鹰一样的眼睛
凝视着太平洋，
其他人相互对视，
胡乱猜测默不作声，
矗立在达连湾的山巅之上。
巴尔博亚并不知道他发现了一个新大洋。他以为，这片大海仅仅是一个冲击着海岸的鸿沟或海湾。也许是印度，也可能是中国。他飞快地来到海滨。站在海滩上，波浪拍打着他的脚踝。他举起长剑指向空中，并以西班牙国王的名义宣布他拥有这片新发现的海洋。
不久，巴尔博亚和他的部下就返回地峡的另一边。他派人向西班牙国王报告了他的新发现。但这时船舰、船员和新的长官已经在去达连湾的路上了。因为国王对这里蕴含丰富的黄金这件事已经有所耳闻了。
新的长官是一个老头，像一只凶猛而无情的老虎。他们一到达达连湾，就开始压迫、屠杀当地的印第安人。数以千计的人在他的残暴统治下丧生。巴尔博亚非常伤心，他同情那些贫苦的印第安人。在第一次回国探亲的船上，他秘密地将新长官的所作所为写信报告给国王。接着他开始为去南海探险做准备了。
在达连湾，巴尔博亚将四艘小船分开，并运到山的对面。在巴尔博亚的带领下，这些小船又被重新组装起来，然后向海洋出发。这是欧洲第一艘漂浮在太平洋上的船舰。
但他们并不准备开始航行。他们还需要一些螺栓加固船只，需要沥青堵住船只上的漏洞。在准备这些东西的时候，长官派人来抓他。这只老恶虎听说了巴尔博亚写给国王的那封控告信。
巴尔博亚做好了服从命令的准备。他再次穿过群山，和逮捕他的人一起回去。“你想谋害我，想让国王不信任我，”冷酷无情的长官说，“你将以叛国者的罪名被处死。”
太阳落山之前，勇敢英俊、充满活力的巴尔博亚死去了。
“Upon a Peak in Darien”
First Story
AFTER Columbus had shown the way to America a great many Spaniards came over. They came to Haiti and Cuba and Porto Rico and the smaller islands near them. Like Columbus they believed that these lands were near the eastern coast of Asia. They believed that they were a part of India, and therefore spoke of them as the Indies. Afterwards, when their mistake became known, these islands were named the West Indies and the true islands of India were called the East Indies.
Far to the southwest of Cuba, Columbus had discovered a long coast which he named Darien. It was the neck of land which we call the Isthmus of Panama, but he supposed that it was a part of the mainland of Asia. A few years later some Spanish sailors visited Darien and carried word back to Haiti that there was gold there. Now at that time a Spaniard would go to the end of the world for gold, and therefore this news caused great excitement among the young men who had come across the ocean for the purpose of adventure. 电子书 分享网站
在达连湾的山巅上（一）（3）
“To Darien!To Darien!” was the cry， and soon a company was formed and two ships were made ready to sail to that land of pro-mise.
The voyage was a delightful one from the start. The sea was calm, the wind was fair, and the vessels sped swiftly on their way. Soon the pleasant shores and green mountains of Haiti were lost to view. Only little rocky islets could be seen. The ship was heading straight into the Caribbean Sea.
Then, what was the surprise of the crew of the larger ship to hear strange rapping in the hold!A voice also was heard, like that of some one calling for help. What could it mean? The sailors could not see any one, and yet the sounds could not be mistaken.
“Please help me out!” The voice seemed to come from among some barrels in which provisions were stored.
“A man is in one of the barrels,” said the captain.
Soon the barrel was found and opened. Out of it leaped a young man, richly clad in a velvet cloak and a silk doublet embroidered with gold. He was a handsome fellow. His eyes were keen and bright, and his face had a determined look, like that of one who is used to hāving his own way about things. At his side hung a long sword, and in his belt was a dagger.
Several of the men knew him; and so he did not need to say that his name was Vasco Nunez de Balboa. They knew that he was a dashing adventurer, always doing and daring, and always borrowing and spending money. But why was he in the barrel?
“The truth of the matter is that,” he said，“I am in debt to almost everybody in Haiti. The officers were looking for me and would hāve taken me to prison. So I persuaded one of my friends to put me in a barrel and send me on board with the salt beef. And now here I am, bound with the rest of you for the rich coast of Darien.”
The captain was very angry. He threatened to put Balboa ashore on one of the rocky islets. “Shame!Shame!” cried the rest of the party. “Let him go with us. He will be a great help.” And so the captain grew kinder and agreed to take him.
Balboa’s manners were so pleasant, and he proved to be so able and brāve, that soon nearly all on the ship looked up to him as their leader. When they reached Darien and began to seek for a good place to settle, Balboa gāve them much help. He had been on the coast before, and he guided them to a safe harbor.
The captain proved to be so overbearing that the men at last refused to obey him. They chose Balboa to be their commander, and the captain was glad to go back to Haiti in one of the ships.
Balboa made a treaty with a powerful Indian chief who lived in a grand house and ruled all the country around. He married the chief’s daughter; and at the wedding feast the chief gāve the Spaniards a great quantity of gold and many slāves.
The Indians did not care much for gold. They did not know that it was worth anything. When they saw the Spaniards molding it into bars and quarreling over it, they were astonished. “If you think so much of that yellow stuff,” they said, “why don’t you go where there is plenty of it?” And then they told Balboa that far to the south, on the other side of the mountains, there was a great sea, and on the shores of the sea there lived a people who had so much gold that they used it to make cups and bowls and even pans and kettles.
在达连湾的山巅上（一）（4）
Balboa made up his mind to go at once in search of that sea. With two hundred men and a pack of bloodhounds, to chase unfriendly Indians, he set off toward the mountains. The distance was not great, but the country was very rough, the forest was almost impassable, and the party had to move slowly. After many days they came to the highest ridge of the mountains. Balboa climbed to the top of the loftiest peak and looked around. South and west of him he beheld a great sea. It was so near that it seemed almost at his feet; and it stretched away and away into the distance until it seemed to meet the blue sky.
No white man had ever beheld that sea before; none had even so much as heard of it. The Spaniards afterwards called it the South Sea, because in going to it across the isthmus it seemed to lie south of the land; but we know it as the largest of all the oceans, the mighty Pacific.
From that peak in Darien, Balboa looked down with mingled feelings of awe and exultation.
With eagle eyes
He stared at the Pacific,—and all his men
Looked at each other with a wild surmise—
Silent, upon a peak in Darien.
Balboa had no idea that he had discovered an ocean. He supposed that the great water was merely a gulf or bay washing the coast, perhaps of India, perhaps of China. He hastened to get down to the shore. He stood on the beach, and as the wāves broke about his feet he raised his sword in the air and declared that he took possession of the new-found sea in the name of the king of Spain.
Balboa with his men soon returned to the other side of the isthmus. He sent word to Spain of the discovery he had made. But ships and men and a new governor were already on their way to Darien; for word had reached the king that plenty of gold was to be had there.
The new governor was an old man, as fierce and heartless as a tiger. No sooner had he arrived in Darien than he began to oppress and kill the Indians. Thousands of them perished through his cruelty. Balboa was grieved to the heart; he felt pity for the poor sāvages. By the first homeward-bound ship he secretly sent complaints to the king about the governor’s doings. Then he set to work getting ready to explore the South Sea.
Four small ships were taken apart at Darien, and Balboa caused the pieces to be carried over the mountains. At the shore on the farther side these pieces were again put together, and the ships were launched upon the sea. They were the first European vessels that ever floated on the Pacific.
But they were not yet ready to sail. They still needed a few bolts to strengthen them and some pitch to stop the leaks. While Balboa was waiting for these things the governor sent for him. The old tiger had heard of the complaints that had been sent to the king.
Balboa was ready to obey orders. He recrossed the mountains and was met by the officers who had been sent to arrest him. “You hāve plotted against me, you hāve tried to turn the king against me,” said the sāvage governor. “You shall die the death of a traitor.”
Before the sun went down, the brāve, dashing, handsome Balboa was dead.
在达连湾的山巅上（二）（1）
在巴尔博亚发现太平洋后70年，有一天，另一个勇敢的探险家站在了达连湾之巅。
这个人叫弗朗西斯?德雷克。他是有史以来公认的最勇敢的航海者。他是一个憎恶西班牙和西班牙人的英国人。和巴尔博亚一样，他到达连湾也是为了寻找黄金。但他打算用武力从被他叫做敌人的人手里把黄金抢过来。
他站在高高的悬崖顶上，那个悬崖距离现在的巴拿马运河不远。在他的下面，有一个幽深的峡谷。沿着峡谷，有一条羊肠小道。当年西班牙人载满财宝穿越群山时，就是沿着这条小路，到达达连港，然后运到西班牙的。靠近这条小路，在岩石和树木后面，蜷缩着德雷克船长的追随者——几个已经全副武装的水手，还有一群手拿矛和棍棒，身手灵巧的印第安人。他们似乎正在等待有人经过那条小路。他们望着悬崖顶上的领袖，谨慎地移动着，手里握着武器以便随时使用。
当德雷克站在悬崖边上的时候，他看见前面有一棵枝繁叶茂的大树，枝叶伸展，就像祼露的硕大的臂膀伸向空中。“啊！”他说，“有谁还想看到比这更好的景象吗？”
身为海员的他轻而易举地爬上了长满树榴的树干。没一会儿，他就站在最高的树干上了。当环顾四周时，他看到了多么壮丽的景色！他的四周全是覆盖着郁郁葱葱的热带树木的山峰。山峰的中间，是深邃、宽阔的峡谷，峡谷里有浓密的森林，长满了参天大树、随处蔓延的葡萄藤以及杂乱的矮丛木，这里从未有过人类的足迹。向北望去，他隐约看到刚刚驶过的那片海洋。他知道，在那片海洋岸边的某个避风港湾里，他的船正安全地藏在西班牙人的视野之外，等待着他的胜利归来。
但在如今他关心的不是北面的风景。于是他转过身来，看向另一面。他从来没有见过比这更壮丽的景色。他清楚地看到前方巨大的西部大洋——太平洋。这是西班牙人巴尔博亚发现的那片大洋，西班牙人不止一次宣布它为西班牙所有。
海水碧波荡漾，在阳光下闪闪发光，就像巴尔博亚时代那样。海水向南部和西部延伸开来，直到海天相接。勇敢的水手的心被深深地打动了，因为他是第一个看到这么伟大景观的英国人。
在他极目远眺的时候，他还能看到西班牙的船舰，就像海面上的小点，这些船舰驶进巴拿马，装着从秘鲁和富饶东方抢来的财宝，来壮大西班牙国王的力量和财富。他热泪盈眶。他握紧拳头，心中的意志坚定。当他想到可恶的西班牙人，想到他们声称要拥有半个世界时，他的呼吸变得急促起来。
这时，他忘记了自己身处何处。他跪在树枝上，祈祷道：“哦，上帝啊，助我挫败西班牙人的傲气吧，帮我提升英国人在海上的荣誉吧。我发誓，我将用毕生的时间和精力去实现这个伟大的事业，永不停息，直到我驾着英国的船只航行在这个伟大的海洋上！”
峡谷下同伴的喊声提醒了他。当他慌忙从树上爬下来时，他就听到了远处山上传来的清脆的铃声。一队骡子满载着从秘鲁的矿山上采来的黄金、白银，正慢慢地前行着。为了抢劫这队人马，德雷克和他的战友们才来到达连湾的山顶的。现在，机会来了。
一个小时以后，德雷克船长在他的随从们中间分财物了。由于财宝中贵重金属太多了，他们无法全部带走，只得将一部分财宝埋在森林中一个秘密的地方。
这位勇敢的船长的传奇故事传到了巴拿马和海峡边上西班牙的其他城镇时，德雷克早就回到了船上，安全离开了。对这位勇敢的海上水手的敬畏传遍了每一个港口，从那时起，西班牙人的傲气日渐低下。
两年后，德雷克船长实现了他的誓言，他驾着英国的船舰，沿着智利和秘鲁的海岸线，航行在太平洋上。他占领了西班牙人的城镇，抢夺了西班牙装有财宝的船只，将恐慌带到西班牙的每一个省。船舰上的财宝多得无法装下时，他便转而向西航行，他是第一个穿越太平洋的英国人。他一直向西行进，经过菲律宾南部，横跨印度洋，绕非洲环行，最后安全回到英国。这是一个伟大的航行——英国人第一次环游世界的航行。
在达连湾的山巅上（二）（2）
当伊丽莎白女王听到德雷克的冒险故事时，她非常高兴。女王大喊道：“他将会成为弗朗西斯?德雷克爵士，我要亲自授予他爵士爵位。”
就这样，他成了弗朗西斯?德雷克爵士。从他的时代起，英国的航海实力开始名震世界。
“Upon a Peak in Dairen”
Second Story
After Balboa’s discovery of the Pacific Ocean, seventy years went by. Then, one day, another bold adventurer stood upon a peak in Darien.
The name of this man was Francis Drake. He was known far and wide as the most daring sailor on the seas. He was an Englishman, and he hated Spain and the Spaniards with a bitter hatred. Like Balboa, he visited Darien in search of gold; but he meant to get it from those whom he called his enemies—to take it away from them by force.
He stood near the top of a high cliff, not far from the line where the famous Panama Canal is now being built. Below him there was a deep rāvine, and along the rāvine there was a mule path. This mule path was the road along which the Spaniards carried their treasures over the mountains to the seaport of Darien, to be loaded on ships and sent to Spain. Close to this pathway, crouching behind rocks and trees, were Captain Drake’s followers—a few rough sailors armed to the teeth and a band of light-footed Indians with spears and clubs. They seemed to be expecting some one to pass that way; for they moved very caut-iously and kept their weapons in their hands ready for use, while they watched their leader on the steep mountain wall above them.
As Drake stood near the edge of the cliff he saw before him a tall tree with spreading branches reaching like gaunt, bare arms toward the sky. “Ah!” said he, “what better out-look could one want than this?”
Sailor as he was, it was easy enough for him to clamber up the gnarled trunk. Soon he was standing on the very topmost branch. As he looked around him, what a glorious view did he behold!On every side were wooded mountain tops, green with tropical verdure. Between them were deep rāvines and broad valleys, with thick forests of giant trees and sprawling vines and tangled underwoods, through which the feet of man had never passed. Far to the north he caught faint glimpses of the sea on which he had lately sailed, and he knew that in a snug harbor somewhere on the coast of that sea his ship, safe hidden from Spanish eyes, was waiting for his return.
But it was not for the northern view that he cared. He turned and looked in the other direction. Never had he seen a grander sight. There, in plain view before him, was the great western ocean, the mighty Pacific, which the Spaniard Balboa had discovered, and which Spain had ever since claimed as her own.
The waters danced and sparkled in the sunlight, just as they had done in Balboa’s time, and they stretched south and west a marvelous distance, until at last sea and sky seemed mingled in one. The heart of the bold sailor was strangely moved as he lazed upon this scene; for he was the first of Englishmen to behold that greatest of all waters.
在达连湾的山巅上（二）（3）
As he looked he could see the ships of Spain, like specks upon the water, sailing into the port of Panama, and bringing the treasures of Peru and of the golden East to swell the wealth and increase the power of the Spanish king. Tears came to his eyes. He clenched his hands with strong determination. His breath came quickly as he thought of the hated Spaniards and of their claim to the ownership of half the world.
Then, forgetting where he was, he knelt down among the branches.“O God,” he prayed, “help me to humble the pride of Spain, and help me to promote England’s glory on the seas. And I vow to give my time and strength to this cause, and never to rest till I shall sail an English ship on the waters of this great ocean.”
A call from his men in the rāvine below aroused him; and as he hastened to descend from the tree he heard the tinkle of bells far down the mountain pass. A train of mules laden with gold and silver from the mines of Peru was slowly approaching. It was to waylay and capture such a train that he and his followers had come to this peak in Darien; and here, now, was his opportunity.
An hour later Captain Drake was dividing the treasure among his followers. There was so great a weight of precious metals that they could not carry it all, but were obliged to bury a part in a secret place in the forest.
The story of the bold capture was carried to Panama and the other Spanish towns on the isthmus, but Drake was soon safe back on board of his ship. The fear of the bold sea rover spread to every port on the coast, and from that day the pride of Spain began to be humbled.
Two years later Captain Drake fulfilled his vow by sailing an English vessel on the mighty Pacific. Along the coasts of Chile and Peru he sailed. He captured Spanish towns, he waylaid Spanish treasure ships, he carried terror into all the Spanish provinces. Then, when his vessel was loaded with so much treasure that they could carry no more, he turned his course to the west, and was the first Englishman to sail across the Pacific. Westward and still westward he sailed. He passed on the south of the Philippines, he touched at the Spice Islands, he trāversed the Indian Ocean, he sailed around Africa, and finally returned in safety to England. It was a wonderful voyage—the first English voyage round the world.
Queen Elizabeth was so delighted when she heard of Drake’s exploits that she cried out, “He shall be Francis Drake. I myself will make him a knight.”
And Sir Francis Drake it was; and from his time the power of England on the sea began to be felt.
青春之泉（1）
在成群结队涌往美洲寻找黄金的西班牙人当中，有一个名叫胡安?庞塞?德?莱昂的军官。在西班牙军队中，他曾建立过功勋，因此非常富有。他在西班牙国王面前说话也相当管用，的确很管用。不久，他就被派到海地的东部岛屿，任命为当地的长官。
在任职期间，胡安?庞塞?德?莱昂听说在远离东部的地方有一个富饶的岛屿，那里盛产黄金和其他贵金属。印第安人称之为波伦昆，其实这正是几年前哥伦布发现并命名的波多黎各岛。
胡安?庞塞?德?莱昂对波多黎各岛有丰富宝藏的信息非常满意，于是他立刻决定去挖掘宝藏。西班牙国王也乐意讨他欢心，以便取得利益，于是任命他为波多黎各岛的长官。庞塞做事向来果断。他带上八艘坚固的船只，率领几百人，立刻前往他的新领地，并在预期的时间内登上了波多黎各岛。
当地居民友善而温和。他们欢迎这位白人来到他们的快乐家园，尽可能地帮助他们。庞塞却使用了当时西班牙人一贯的回报方式——他抢劫了他们的所有，再把他们沦为他的奴隶。最后，这群遭受苦难的未开化的人们开始反抗压迫者，想把他们驱逐出小岛，但他们怎么是这群狡猾、强大的敌人的对手呢？
庞塞就像野兽一样残酷无情。不久，曾经快乐的小岛就充满了灾难、哀伤和恐怖。印第安人被驱逐出家园。成千上万的人遭到杀害，幸存者沦为侵略者的奴隶。
庞塞开始在这个地方建立了一个名叫普韦布洛?埃尔维耶霍的定居点。不久，他又改变计划，迁到岛屿北部海岸线上一个较好的港口去了。在那里，他为自己建造了一个叫圣胡安的城市。在港口附近，他亲自建造了一所大房子，他称之为卡萨布兰卡或白城。他一度把这里当作自己的家。
尽管家财万贯，但庞塞并不开心。他荒淫无度、放纵任性，青春早已不在。50岁的时候，他已经是一个可怜的老头了。对他来说，世界上再也没有喜悦、幸福可言了。
一天，庞塞忧愁满面地坐在白城里，发生的一件事使他绝望的心境点燃了希望的火花。他不经意间听到一个印第安奴隶说：“在比米尼，没有人会变老。”
“比米尼？什么是比米尼？”他问。
“那是一个美丽的小岛，在离我们很远的北部。”奴隶回答。
“快告诉我更多的内容。”
“那里有一个喷泉，泉水清澈，是世界上最令人惊奇的泉水。在泉水里洗过澡的人都会变得如年轻时一样年轻力壮、精力充沛。在比米尼群岛，人能够青春永驻。”
“你去过那里吗？”
“哦，没有，对于我们这里的人来说，那儿太远了。但我很早就听说过这个有关生命之泉的传说。”
庞塞又向其它印第安奴隶打听比米尼岛和那里神奇的泉水，所有人都说有所耳闻。那是一个芬芳满园的地方。它在远离西北的地方——对一只单薄的独木舟来说，那里太远了。但这位伟大的白人军官可以在几天时间内轻而易举地到达那里。
庞塞决心去寻找那个喷泉。他首先得到国王的许可，去占领比米尼岛，无论它在哪。接着，他带上三艘船和大批随从，浩浩荡荡地驾船朝西北方向出发了。他经过闻名的巴哈马群岛时，只要那里有土著人居住，他都会停下来询问。
“比米尼群岛在哪里？神奇的青春之泉在哪里？”
他们遥指西北，都说不远了，不远了。不过没有人见过那个神奇的喷泉，但是庞塞深信，大家都听说过这个喷泉。
最后，在离巴哈马群岛很远的地方，他发现了一个奇异的海岸，这个岛似乎长满了鲜花。这里是比米尼岛吗？
没人能确定。海岸向北、向南延伸开来，庞塞确定这不是岛屿，而是一个大洲的大陆。这一天正好是复活节，在西班牙又叫百花节。因为这个缘故，再加上这里遍地是鲜花，西班牙人把它命名为佛罗里达。
青春之泉（2）
庞塞在海岸的很多地方登陆，寻找神奇的喷泉。他喝了所到之处的清澈的泉水，还在许多清澈的河流里洗过澡，但是他的青春仍然没有回来。
他向南行进、绕到佛罗里达西岸，不停地问着——
“这是比米尼岛吗？青春之泉在哪里？”
但是居住在那里的印第安人从未听说过比米尼群岛，他们也从未听说过青春之泉。最后，庞塞伤心地放弃了，然后失望地回到了波多黎各。
9年之后，他又一次到达佛罗里达。这一次他带了很多人，目的是征服这个国家，抢夺能找到的所有财宝。此外，他还想勘察那里的森林和河流，寻找神奇的青春之泉。
佛罗里达的印第安人没有任何财宝，但他们勇敢顽强，而且热爱自己的土地。他们不会被征服，也不会缴枪投降甘心做奴隶。当西班牙的侵略者踏上这片土地时，他们就遭到当地人的打击，最后被迫退回到他们的船舰上。
庞塞在战斗中中了箭，他的大腿也受了伤。
“把我送回西班牙，”他说，“我永远不会找到青春之泉。”
他的船带他回到了古巴，但他的伤无法医治。他在痛苦中拖了很长的时间，最后在哀叹他早逝的青春的遗憾中死去了。
The Fountain of Youth
AMONG the Spaniards who flocked to America in the hope of finding gold, there was a certain officer whose name was Juan Ponce de León. He had distinguished himself in the Spanish army and was very rich. He also had much influence with the king—so much, in fact, that he was soon appointed governor of all the eastern part of Haiti.
While attending to his duties in Haiti, he learned that at some distance farther eastward there was a rich island abounding in gold and other precious metals. The Indians called this island Borinquen; it was the same land which Columbus had discovered a few years before and called Porto Rico.
Ponce de León was so much pleased by the reports which were brought to him of the great wealth of Porto Rico that he at once made up his mind to get that wealth for himself. The king of Spain was very willing to please him and to hāve a share of the profits, and therefore appointed him governor of Porto Rico. Ponce was not a man to waste time in any undertaking. With eight stanch ships and several hundred men, he at once set sail for his new province and in due time landed upon the island.
The natives were kind and gentle. They welcomed the white men to their pleasant country and tried to help them in such ways as they could. Ponce de León repaid them as the Spaniards at that time usually repaid a kindness,—he robbed them of all they had and made slāves of as many as he could. Then at length the harassed sāvages turned against their oppressors and tried to drive them from the island; but what could they do against enemies so cunning and strong?
Ponce was as heartless and unfeeling as any wild beast. Soon the once happy island was filled with distress and terror. The Indians were hunted from their homes. Thousands of them were killed, and the rest became the slāves of their conq-uerors.
Ponce began to form a settlement at a place now called Pueblo Viejo; but he soon changed his plans and removed to a fine harbor on the north shore of the island. There he laid out the city of San Juan. He built for himself, near the mouth of the harbor, a grand house which he called Casa Blanca, or the White Castle; and there he made his home for some time.
青春之泉（3）
But, with all his wealth, Ponce was not happy. He had lived so carelessly and wildly that his youth went from him early. At fifty years of age he was a miserable old man. There was no more joy in the world for him.
One day as he was sitting unhappy in the White Castle, a thing occurred that kindled a spark of hope in his despairing mind. He overheard an Indian slāve say, “In Bimini no one grows old.”
“Bimini! What is Bimini?” he asked.
“It is a beautiful island that lies far, far to the north of us,” was the answer.
“Tell me about it.”
“There is a fountain there, a spring of clear water, the most wonderful in the world. Every one that bathes in it becomes as young and strong as he was in his best days. No one grows old in Bimini.”
“Hāve you ever been there?”
“Ah, no. It is too far away for any of our people to make the voyage. But we hāve heard talk of the fountain all our lives.”
Ponce asked other Indians about Bimini and its magic fountain. All had heard of it. It was a land fragrant with flowers. It lay far to the northwest—too far for frail canoes to venture. But the great ships of the white men could easily make the voyage in a few days.
Ponce made up his mind to discover the fountain. He first got the king’s permission to conquer Bimini, wherever it might be. Then with three ships and a number of followers he sailed toward the northwest. He passed through the great group of islands known as the Bahamas; and, wherever there were natives living, he stopped and made inquiries.
“Where is Bimini? Where is the magic fountain of youth?”
They pointed to the northwest. It was always a little farther and a little farther. No one had ever seen the fountain, but Ponce understood that every one had heard of it.
At length, after leāving the Bahamas far behind them, the Sp-aniards discovered a strange coast where the land seemed to be cov-ered with flowers. Was this Bimini?
Nobody could tell. The coast stretched so far northward and southward that Ponce felt sure it was no island but the mainland of a continent. The day was Easter Sunday, which in Spain is called Pascua de Flores, or the Feast of Flowers. For this reason, and also because of the abundance of flowers, the Spaniards named the land Florida.
Ponce de Le?仵n went on shore at many places and sought for the wonderful fountain. He drank from every clear spring. He bathed in many a limpid stream. But his lost youth did not come back to him.
He sailed southward and around to the western coast of Florida, asking everywhere, —
“Is this Bimini? And where is the fountain of youth?”
But the Indians who lived there had never heard of Bimini, and they knew of no fountain of youth. And so, at last, the search was given up, and Ponce returned disappointed to Porto Rico.
Nine years passed, and then he sailed again for Florida. This time he took a number of men with him in order to conquer the country and seize upon whatever treasures he might find there. More than this, he expected to explore its woods and rivers and seek again for the mysterious fountain of youth.
The Florida Indians did not hāve any treasures; but they were brāve and loved their homes. They would not be conquered and enslāved without a struggle. They therefore fell upon the Spaniards when they landed, and drove them back to their ships.
Ponce de Le?仵n was struck by an arrow. He was wounded in the thigh.
“Take me back to Spain,” said he, “for I shall never find the fountain of youth.”
His ship carried him to Cuba; but no skill could heal his wound. He lingered in pain for a long time, and then died, bewailing his lost youth.
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“我发现了！”（1）
从前，叙拉古有一个国王，他的名字叫希尔罗。他统治的国家非常小，正因为这个原因，他却想戴上世界上最大的王冠。所以，他找来一个擅长做各种细致精巧工艺品的著名金匠。希尔罗给了他十磅纯金。
“拿着，”希尔罗说，“用它做成其他国王都想得到的王冠。你得保证我给你的每一两黄金都不浪费，并且不能混进其它金属。”
“我会按你所说的去做的。我从你这里拿了十磅纯金，90天之后，我会如数奉还一个十磅的王冠的。”金匠说。
正如金匠所言，90天后，他奉献给国王一顶漂亮的王冠。所有见到的人都说，这个王冠无与伦比。希尔罗戴在头上感觉很不舒服，但是他并不在乎——他确定其它国王肯定没有这么精美的王冠。在对他的王冠反反复复地观赏了一番之后，他把王冠放在自己的天平上。不多不少，重量恰好是他所要求的。
“真该好好嘉奖你，”他对金匠说，“你制作得这么精致巧妙，而且一点黄金也没有少。”
国王的宫殿里有一个非常聪明的人，他叫阿基米德。当被召见欣赏国王的王冠时，他拿着王冠翻来覆去地看了很多次，还细心地检查。
“哦，你觉得这个王冠如何？”希尔罗问。
“手工的确很精巧，”阿基米德说，“但是，但是，金子——”
“金子全都在这里，”国王喊着，“我在天平上已经称过了。”
“确实如此，”阿基米德说，“但它却并不像原来金块那样富丽的红色，而且它一点都不是红色的。只是灿烂的黄|色，这是显而易见的。”
“绝大多数金子都是黄|色的，”希尔罗说，“但你说起这个，我想起当它还是金块的时候，的确颜色更深一些。”
“如果金匠从里面拿走一磅或两磅黄金，然后用白银或黄铜补足，会怎样呢？”阿基米德问。
“噢，他不会那么做的。”希尔罗说，“金子只是在制作过程中改变了颜色而已。”
但是越想他就越不舒服。最后，他对阿基米德说：“有什么方法检验一下，金匠的确欺骗了我，还是诚实地如数奉还了呢？”
“我毫无办法。”阿基米德说。
但阿基米德不是那种轻言放弃的人。他对难题怀有极大的兴趣。如果有什么难题让他迷惑不解时，他就会一直研究，直到得出答案来。几天来，他思考着黄金的事情，用各种方法检验，破解怎么做到检验但又不将王冠损坏的方法。
一天早晨，他在准备洗澡时还在思考这个问题。大浴盆里的水装得满满的，一直到了盆的边缘。当他跨进浴盆的时候，一些水溢到了石板上。类似的事情以前发生过上百次，但阿基米德第一次注意到了这件事。
“当我跨进到浴盆时，有多少水溢了出来呢？”他自语道，“大家都可以看出溢出水的体积和我身体的体积相等。一个有我一半体积的人，就会溢出一半的水。”
“现在假设，并不是我自己跨进这个浴盆，而是将希尔罗的王冠放进去，有和王冠体积一样的水溢出来。嗯，想想，黄金远比银子重。十磅纯金的体积不可能和七磅的黄金和三磅的白银混合的物体体积一样。如果国王的王冠是纯金的，那么它溢出的水，应该和其它十磅纯金的体积是一样的。但是如果它一部分是黄金，一部分是白银，那么排出水的体积应该比十磅纯金的体积大。我彻底明白了！我发现了！我发现了！”
他忘记了其他事情，从浴盆里蹦了出来，衣服都没有穿好，就穿过大街朝着国王的宫殿一路喊道：“尤里卡！尤里卡！尤里卡！”这是句拉丁语，意即“我发现了！我发现了！”
王冠被拿去检验。结果，王冠溢出的水比十磅纯金溢出的水多出许多。事实证明，金匠有罪。但是，金匠是否受到了惩罚，我不知道，也不关心。
阿基米德在浴盆中的这个小小发现的价值，远远超过国王的王冠。你知道为什么吗？
“我发现了！”（2）
“Eureka!”
THERE was once a king of Syracuse whose name was Hiero. The country over which he ruled was quite small, but for that very reason he wanted to wear the biggest crown in the world. So he called in a famous goldsmith, who was skillful in all kinds of fine work, and gāve him ten pounds of pure gold.
“Take this,” he said, “and fashion it into a crown that shall make every other king want it for his own. Be sure that you put into it every grain of the gold I give you, and do not mix any other metal with it.”
“It shall be as you wish,” said the goldsmith.“Here I receive from you ten pounds of pure gold; within ninety days I will return to you the finished crown which shall be of exactly the same weight.”
Ninety days later, true to his word, the goldsmith brought the crown. It was a beautiful piece of work, and all who saw it said that it had not its equal in the world. When King Hiero put it on his head it felt very uncomfortable, but he did not mind that—he was sure that no other king had so fine a headpiece. After he had admired it from this side and from that, he weighed it on his own scales. It was exactly as heāvy as he had ordered.
“You deserve great praise,” he said to the goldsmith. “You hāve wrought very skillfully and you hāve not lost a grain of my gold.”
There was in the king’s court a very wise man whose name was Archimedes. When he was called in to admire the king’s crown he turned it over many times and examined it very closely.
“Well, what do you think of it?” asked Hiero.
“The workmanship is indeed very beautiful,” answered Archimedes, “but—but the gold—”
“The gold is all there,” cried the king.“I weighed it on my own scales.”
“True,” said Archimedes,“but it does not appear to hāve the same rich red color that it had in the lump. It is not red at all, but a brilliant yellow, as you can plainly see.”
“Most gold is yellow,” said Hiero，“but now that you speak of it I do remember that when this was in the lump it had a much richer color.”
“What if the goldsmith has kept out a pound or two of the gold and made up the weight by adding brass or silver?” asked Archimedes.
“Oh, he could not do that,” said Hiero. “The gold has merely changed its color in the working.”
But the more he thought of the matter the less pleased he was with the crown. At last he said to Archimedes, “Is there any way to find out whether that goldsmith really cheated me, or whether he honestly gāve me back my gold?”
“I know of no way,” was the answer.
But Archimedes was not the man to say that anything was impossible. He took great delight in working out hard problems, and when any question puzzled him he would keep studying until he found some sort of answer to it. And so, day after day, he thought about the gold and tried to find some way by which it could be tested without doing harm to the crown.
“我发现了！”（3）
One morning he was thinking of this question while he was getting ready for a bath. The great bowl or tub was full to the very edge, and as he stepped into it a quantity of water flowed out upon the stone floor. A similar thing had happened a hundred times before, but this was the first time that Archimedes had thought about it.
“How much water did I displace by getting into the tub?” he asked himself. “Anybody can see that I displaced a bulk of water equal to the bulk of my body. A man half my size would displace half as much.
“Now suppose, instead of putting myself into the tub, I had put Hiero’s crown into it, it would hāve displaced a bulk of water equal to its own bulk. All, let me see! Gold is much heāvier than silver. Ten pounds of pure gold will not make so great a bulk as say seven pounds of gold mixed with three pounds of silver. If Hiero’s crown is pure gold it will displace the same bulk of water as any other ten pounds of pure gold. But if it is part gold and part silver it will displace a larger bulk. I hāve it at last! Eureka! Eureka!”
Forgetful of everything else he leaped from the bath. Without stopping to dress himself, he ran through the streets to the king’s palace shouting, “Eureka! Eureka! Eureka!” which in English means, “I hāve found it! I hāve found it! I hāve found it!”
The crown was tested. It was found to displace much more water than ten pounds of pure gold displaced. The guilt of the goldsmith was proved beyond a doubt. But whether he was punished or not, I do not know, neither does it matter.
The simple discovery which Archimedes made in his bath tub was worth far more to the world than Hiero’s crown. Can you tell why?
伽利略和灯
300多年前，意大利有一个名叫伽利略的年轻人。和阿基米德一样，他也在一刻不停地思考问题。还喜欢探究事物的根源。他发明了温度计，还发明了简单的望远镜和显微镜。在科学上，他有许多重要的发明。
18岁那年，快到掌灯的时候，他正在比萨大教堂。那个时代，灯只能靠油来点燃，并用一根木竿挂在天花板上。当灯夫碰到它们，或者风吹过教堂时，它们就会像钟摆似的来回摇摆。伽利略注意到了这个问题。于是他开始仔细地研究它。
他注意到，长度相同的木竿上的灯来回摆动的时间相同。那些较短的木竿的灯比那些较长木竿的灯摇晃速度要快。伽利略观察来回摇摆的灯，非常入迷。数百万人曾看到过灯的摇摆，却没有一个人想到要找出重要、实用的发现与现象之间的关系。
伽利略回到自己的房间，便开始了试验工作。他找出一些不同长度的绳子，挂在天花板上，并在每个绳子的末端挂了一个砝码。接着他晃动所有的绳子，让它们像教堂里的灯一样来回摇摆。每根绳子就就像竹竿一样成了钟摆。
经过长期的观察，他发现：如果是一根长39■英寸的绳子，一分钟正好晃动60次。而绳子是前面绳子的四分之一长的话，晃动速度正好是前面速度的2倍；反之亦然。要使它的晃动快两倍，或是原来速度的三分之一，绳子的长度必须是39■的1/9。伽利略使用了各种方式进行试验，最后他终于发现，怎样把摆装在时钟上，也就是今天我们看到的时钟的样子。
因此，世界的一个最普通却最实用的发明——钟摆，因为教堂摇摆的灯和伽利略勤于思考、敢于探索而诞生了。
你也可以自己用绳子和任何的重物制作一个钟摆。假如愿意的话，你还能用它来做试验。也许你就会算出每两秒钟摆动一次的钟摆的摆长应该是多少。
Galileo and the Lamps
IN Italy about three hundred years ago there lived a young man whose name was Galileo. Like Archimedes he was always thinking and always asking the reasons for things. He invented the thermometer and simple forms of the telescope and the microscope. He made many important discoveries in science.
One evening when he was only eighteen years old he was in the cathedral at Pisa at about the time the lamps were lighted. The lamps—which burned only oil in those days—were hung by long rods from the ceiling. When the lamplighter knocked against them, or the wind blew through the cathedral, they would swing back and forth like pendulums. Galileo noticed this. Then he began to study them more closely.
He saw that those which were hung on rods of the same length swung back and forth, or vibrated, in the same length of time. Those that were on the shorter rods vibrated much faster than those on the longer rods. As Galileo watched them swinging to and fro he became much interested. Millions of people had seen lamps moving in this same way, but not one had ever thought of discovering any useful fact connected with the phenomenon.
When Galileo went to his room he began to experiment. He took a number of cords of different lengths and hung them from the ceiling. To the free end of each cord he fastened a weight. Then he set all to swinging back and forth, like the lamps in the cathedral. Each cord was a pendulum, just as each rod had been.
He found after long study that when a cord was 39■ inches long, it vibrated just sixty times in a minute. A cord one fourth as long vibrated just twice as fast, or once every half second. To vibrate three times as fast, or once in every third part of a second, the cord had to be only one ninth of 39■ inches in length. By experimenting in various ways Galileo at last discovered how to attach pendulums to timepieces as we hāve them now.
Thus, to the swinging lamps in the cathedral, and to Galileo’s habit of thinking and inquiring, the world owes one of the commonest and most useful of inventions—the pendulum clock.
You can make a pendulum for yourself with a cord and a weight of any kind. You can experiment with it if you wish; and perhaps you can find out how long a pendulum must be to vibrate once in two seconds.
艾萨克·牛顿爵士和苹果（1）
艾萨克·牛顿爵士是一位伟大的思想家。他懂得如此多的自然规律，透彻地了解万物的逻辑推理，同时代的人无人能及。他的成就来源于细致的观察和艰苦的研究。他总在一刻不停地思考问题。
尽管他是那个时代最聪明、最睿智的人，但他仍然感到所知甚少。他学得越多，就越清楚地知道学海无涯。
当他年老之后，有一天他说：“我好像只是海滩上一个玩耍的小孩，因拾到了几枚光滑的鹅卵石或漂亮的贝壳而兴奋不已，但是真理的大海永远横在我前面，我仍然不了解，也探索不完。”
只有浅薄、无知的人才会认为自己很聪明。
秋日的一天，艾萨克爵士正坐在苹果树下的草地上沉思冥想。突然，一个成熟的苹果落下来，掉在他的旁边。
“为什么苹果会落地呢？”他自言自语。
“它落下来，因为它的蒂不能再支撑它在树枝上。”这是他的第一个想法。
但是艾萨克爵士并不就此满足。“为什么它会落在地面？为什么它不朝其它方向落下去？”他问。
“一切重物都落向地面，为什么呢？因为它们有重量。那不是最好的理由。那为什么任何东西都有重量呢?为什么一件东西比另一件东西重呢?”
当开始思考这个问题时，他无法停止，除非把道理搞明白为止。
无数人都曾见过苹果落地，但是只有艾萨克?牛顿爵士才问苹果为什么落地。他是这样解释的——
“每一个物体都对其他的物体有一种吸引力。
“物体所含的物质越多，它对另一物体的吸引力就越大。
“物体间距离越近，它对另一物体的吸引力就越大。
“物体间的吸引力越大，我们说它重量越大。
“地球的重量是苹果的千百万倍，所以它对苹果的吸引力，远远大于苹果对它的吸引力。
“地球的重量比任何在它表层或靠近它的物体的重量大千百万倍，所以地球吸引这种物体，使物体落向它。
“这就是万物为什么下落，也就是我们常说的落在地上。
“我们知道每个物体都对其它物体有作用力，但不知他们之间为什么有作用力，我只能给这种作用力起个名字。
“我们把这种作用力称为万有引力。
“是万有引力使苹果落地的。
“是万有引力使物体拥有重量的。
“是万有引力使物体间保持适当的距离的。”
假如没有像万有引力这样的作用力，苹果还会落到地面上吗？假如万有引力没有吸引物体落向地面，世界会是怎样的呢？
假如你也像艾萨克?牛顿爵士那样，经常问“为什么”和“怎么样”，以上这些问题也能让你思考一些事情。
Sir Isaac Newton and the Apple
SIR Isaac Newton was a great thinker. No other man of his time knew so much about the laws of nature; no other man understood the reasons of things so well as he. He learned by looking closely at things and by hard study. He was always thinking, thinking.
Although he was one of the wisest men that ever lived, yet he felt that he knew but very little. The more he learned, the better he saw how much there was still to be learned.
When he was a very old man he one day said:“I seem to hāve been only like a boy playing on the seashore. I hāve amused myself by now and then finding a smooth pebble or a pretty shell, but the great ocean of truth still lies before me unknown and unexplored.”
It is only the very ignorant who think themselves very wise.
One day in autumn Sir Isaac was lying on the grass under an apple tree and thinking, thinking, thinking. Suddenly an apple that had grown ripe on its branch fell to the ground by his side.
艾萨克·牛顿爵士和苹果（2）
“What made that apple fall?” he asked himself.
“It fell because its stem would no longer hold it to its branch,” was his first thought.
But Sir Isaac was not satisfied with this answer. “Why did it fall toward the ground? Why should it not fall some other way just as well?” he asked.
“All heāvy things fall to the ground—but why do they? Because they are heāvy. That is not a good reason. For then we may ask why is anything heāvy? Why is one thing heāvier than another?”
When he had once begun to think about this he did not stop until he had reasoned it all out.
Millions and millions of people had seen apples fall, but it was left for Sir Isaac Newton to ask why they fall. He explained it in this way:
“Every object draws every other object toward it.
“The more matter an object contains the harder it draws.
“The nearer an object is to another the harder it draws.
“The harder an object draws other objects, the heāvier it is said to be.
“The earth is many millions of times heāvier than an apple; so it draws the apple toward it millions and millions of times harder than the apple can draw the other way.
“The earth is millions of times heāvier than any object near to or upon its surface; so it draws every such object toward it.
“This is why things fall, as we say, toward the earth.
“While we know that every object draws every other object, we cannot know why it does so. We can only give a name to the force that causes this.
“We call that force Grāvitation.
“It is grāvitation that causes the apple to fall.
“It is grāvitation that makes things hāve weight.
“It is grāvitation that keeps all things in their proper places.”
Suppose there was no such force as grāvitation, would an apple fall to the ground? Suppose that grāvitation did not draw objects toward the earth, what would happen?
To you who, like Sir Isaac Newton, are always asking “Why?” and “How?” these questions will give something to think about.
第一个印刷家（1）
一
大概500年前仲夏的一个傍晚，一个陌生人闯进了诡异的荷兰古镇哈勒姆。当地的人们好奇地看着他走过主大街，纷纷猜测他是谁。在那个时代，很少有人在哈勒姆旅行——因此人们会关注并津津乐道。毫无疑问，这是一个无足重轻的旅行者，他衣衫褴褛，既无随从左右，也无宝马相伴。他的肩上扛着背包，身上满是灰尘，像是经过长途跋涉似的。
他在市场附近的一个小客栈前停了下来，想要投宿。店主非常喜欢他的相貌。他是一个青年人，目光炯炯有神，身手敏捷。他应该住店里最好的房间。
“我叫约翰?古腾堡，老家在德国的美因兹。”他说。
“啊，美因兹，是吗？”店主惊呼，“那你为什么离开美因兹，来到我们哈勒姆这个好地方呢？”
“我是一个旅行者，”古腾堡说。
“旅行者？你为什么旅行呢？”店主穷追不舍，继续发问。
“我在旅行中学习，”古腾堡说，“我想看看外面的世界，获得书本上没有的知识。我已经去过热那亚、威尼斯和罗马了。”
“哦，你去过这么多地方了吗？那么，你肯定见过大世面了？”店主说。
“是啊，”古腾堡说，“我走过了瑞士和德国，现在要到法国去。”
“太了不起了！”店主赞叹道，“现在你的晚餐正在准备着，请给我讲讲你在路上见到的最奇异的事情吧！”
“最奇异的事？哦，我见过高山和大海；见过野兽和名人，但是我从没见过比平民的无知更奇怪的事了。为什么这么说呢，因为他们仅仅比家里的牲口知道的多一点，他们几乎不了解自己生活的国家，很少听说其它国家的事情。事实上，他们对这个世界发生的事一无所知。”
“我想你是对的，”房东说，“但是，了解得透彻，或者知之甚少，又有什么区别呢？”
“区别太大了，”古腾堡说，“只要平民这样无知，他们就会被有学问的富人欺骗或利用。他们让穷人贫穷、卑微，以此来确保他们的君主和主人生活得富贵和优越。现在，如果有方法让书变得丰富而廉价，即使是最穷的人也会买来阅读，然后他们就会获得知识，就会改善他们的现状。但是，现在的问题是，只有富人才买得起书，每卷书都是手工精心抄写的，结果书的成本远远高于平民的一生所得。”
“啊，”店主说，“哈勒姆有一个做书的人，我不知道他是怎样做的，但是人们都说他卖的书非常便宜。我曾听说，他能在相同的时间里做出10本书来，却只需要一个手快的人抄一本书的时间。他把这叫做印刷，我想。”
“这个人是谁？告诉我在哪里能找到他。”古腾堡异常激动地大声喊着。
“他的名字是劳伦斯——劳伦斯?约翰逊，”店主回答，“40年来，他一直是我们教堂里的司事，因为这个原因，我们称他为劳伦斯司事。”
“他在哪里住？我能见见他吗？”
“为什么不行呢？穿过市场，你就会看见一所大房子，那就是他的家。任何时候你都可以在家找到他。因为他把精力投到奇怪的印刷上后，他就很少离开家到外面了。”
二
年轻的旅行家马上就认识了劳伦斯司事。那位老人也很高兴认识一位对他的工作有兴趣的年轻人。他带着古腾堡看他印刷出来的书，还展示他以前用过的活字和简陋的印刷机。这些活字是用小木块制成的，是司事用小刀刻在上面的。
“我花了很长时间才刻上去的，”司事说，“但是你看，用它印刷却相当快！”
他拿起一小张纸，放在排列好的一些活字上。然后，他小心地调准他们在印刷机上面的位置。接着，他把整个身体都压在印刷机的杆上，操作着粗陋的印刷机长杆。
“现在可以看看印好的这一页了，”司事说着，小心地把印刷好的纸拿出来。“用手写的话，就会用上几个小时，我用印刷机只用几分钟。”书包 网 想看书来
第一个印刷家（2）
古腾堡异常兴奋。
“我是在一个偶然的机会才发现的。”年迈的司事说，“一天下午，我和几个孙子到树林里去，那有许多山毛榉树。小家伙们要在光滑的树皮刻上他们的名字，我答应了，因为我一直随身带着小刀。他们在树林里快乐地四处玩耍，我就劈下一些山毛榉树的树皮，在上面刻上字母，一个字母占一块。我想，这些树皮能让这些小家伙这么高兴，也许还能帮助他们记住字母呢。于是我用软纸包住，带回了家。我回家打开这些纸包时，我惊呆了，一些字母清楚地印在了白纸上面。这促使我思考，最后我想到，用这种方法印刷整套书的计划。”
“一个伟大的想法！”古腾堡赞叹道，“自从我在小学的时候，我就一直梦想发明这样的东西。”
他又问了劳伦斯司事许多问题，劳伦斯司事很和蔼地把他所知道的都告诉了古腾堡。
“哦，知识很快就可以传播到世界的各个角落了！”兴奋的旅行者兴冲冲地回到旅店时说，他迫不及待想要启程。
次日清晨，他就前往斯特拉斯堡了。
在斯特拉斯堡，年轻的古腾堡把自己关在租来的小屋里，开始制造各种形式的、司事展示给他看的活字。他把它们按照词语和句子的形式组合在一起，还不断进行试验，直到比劳伦斯司事的方法的印刷速度还快。
后来，他又试着用一些软金属做模子，结果发现比用木制模子还要好。他研究了油墨的调制方法，这样印刷时墨就不会溅开了。他还制作了毛刷和滚筒，使得印刷更加平整、光滑。他的努力提高了印刷水平。最后，他实现了长期以来强烈的愿望——用自制的印刷机印制便宜书。他的书生产速度快，价格低廉，连穷人都买得起。
印刷术就是这样诞生的。
The First Printer
Ⅰ
ONE evening in midsummer, nearly five hundred years ago, a stranger arrived in the quaint old town of Haarlem, in the Netherlands. The people eyed him curiously as he trudged down the main street, and there were many guesses as to who he might be. A trāveler in those days was a rarity in Haarlem—a thing to be looked at and talked about. This trāveler was certainly a man of no great consequence. He was dressed poorly, and had neither servant nor horse. He carried his knapsack on his shoulder, and was covered with dust, as though he had walked far.
He stopped at a little inn close by the market place, and asked for lodging. The landlord was pleased with his looks. He was a young man, bright of eye and quick of movement. He might hāve the best room in the house.
“My name,” he said, “is John Gutenberg, and my home is in Mayence.”
“Ah, in Mayence, is it?” exclaimed the landlord，“and pray why do you leāve that place and come to our good Haarlem?”
“I am a trāveler,” answered Gutenberg.
“A trāveler! And why do you trāvel?” inquired the landlord.
“I am trāveling to learn,” was the answer.“I am trying to gain knowledge by seeing the world. I hāve been to Genoa and Venice and Rome.”
“Ah, hāve you been so far? Surely, you must hāve seen great things,” said the landlord.
“Yes,” said Gutenberg，“I hāve walked through Switzerland and Germany, and now I am on my way to France.”
“How wonderful!” exclaimed the landlord. “And now, while your supper is being cooked, pray tell me what is the strangest thing you hāve seen while trāveling.”
第一个印刷家（3）
“The strangest thing? Well, I hāve seen towering mountains and the great sea; I hāve seen sāvage beasts and famous men; but nowhere hāve I seen anything stranger than the ignorance of the common people. Why, they know but little more than their cattle. They know nothing about the country in which they live; and they hāve scarcely heard of other lands. Indeed, they are ignorant of everything that has happened in the world.”
“I guess you are right,” said the landlord，“but what difference does it make whether they know much or little?”
“It makes a great difference,” answ-ered Gutenberg. “So long as the common people are thus ignorant they are made the dupes of the rich and powerful who know more. They are kept poor and degraded in order that their lords and masters may live in wealth and splendor. Now, if there were only some way to make books plentiful and cheap, the poorest man might learn to read and thus gain such knowledge as would help him to better his condition. But, as things are, it is only the rich who can buy books. Every volume must be written carefully by hand, and the cost of making it is greater than the earnings of any common man for a lifetime.”
“Well,” said the landlord, “we hāve a man here in Haarlem who makes books. I don’t know how he makes them, but people say that he sells them very cheap. I’ve heard that he can make as many as ten in the time it would take a rapid scribe to write one. He calls it printing, I think.”
“Who is this man? Tell me where I can find him,” cried Gutenberg, now much excited.
“His name is Laurence—Laurence Jaonssen,” answered the landlord.“He has been the coster, or sexton, of our church for these forty years, and for that reason everybody calls him Laurence Coster.”
“Where does he live? Can I see him?”
“Why, the big house that you see just across the market place is his. You can find him at home at any time; for, since he got into this queer business of making books, he never goes out.”
Ⅱ
The young trāveler lost no time in making the acquaintance of Laurence Coster. The old man was delighted to meet with one who was interested in his work. He showed him the books he had printed. He showed him the types and the rude little press that he used. The types were made of pieces of wood that Coster had whittled out with his penknife.
“It took a long time to make them,” he said, “but see how quickly I can print a page with them.”
He placed a small sheet of paper upon some types which had been properly arranged. With great care he adjusted them all in his press. Then he threw the weight of his body upon a long lever that operated the crude machine.
“See now the printed page,” he cried, as he carefully drew the sheet out.“It would hāve taken hours to write it with a pen. I hāve printed it in as many minutes.”
第一个印刷家（4）
Gutenberg was delighted.
“It was by accident that I discovered it,” said old Laurence. “I went out into the woods one afternoon with my grandchildren. There were some beech trees there, and the little fellows wanted me to carve their names on the smooth bark. I did so, for I was always handy with a penknife. Then, while they were running around, I split off some fine pieces of bark and cut the letters of the alphabet upon them—one letter on each piece. I thought they would amuse the baby of the family, and perhaps help him to remember his letters. So I wrapped them in a piece of soft paper and carried them home. When I came to undo the package I was surprised to see the forms of some of the letters distinctly printed on the white paper. It set me to thinking, and at last I thought out this whole plan of printing books.”
“And a great plan it is!” cried Gutenberg. “Ever since I was a boy at school I hāve been trying to invent some such thing.”
He asked Laurence Coster a thousand questions, and the old man kindly told him all that he knew.
“Now, indeed, knowledge will fly to the ends of the earth,” said the delighted young trāveler as he hastened back to his inn. He could scarcely wait to be gone.
The next morning he was off for Strasburg.
At Strasburg young Gutenberg shut himself up in a hired room and began to make sets of type like those which Laurence Coster had shown him. He arranged them in words and sentences. He experimented with them until he was able to print much faster than old Laurence had done.
Finally, he tried types of soft metal and found them better than those of wood. He learned to mix ink so it would not spread when pressed by the type. He made brushes and rollers for applying it evenly and smoothly. He improved this thing and that until, at last, he was able to do that which he had so long desired—make a book so quickly and cheaply that even a poor man could afford to buy it.
And thus the art of printing was discovered.
约翰·古腾堡和声音（1）
一天晚上，约翰·古腾堡在他的印刷机上工作到很晚。最近，他一直在印刷大开本的拉丁文《圣经》。几周以来，他全身心地投入到工作中，现在他正在完成最后几页。虽然他筋疲力尽，但是依然对完成的工作颇为自豪。他把头靠在印刷机的框架上，沉思了起来。
突然，他从铅字那里听到了两个人的声音。他们用低低的声音交谈着，语气真挚，内容似乎是古腾堡及其发明。
“他是个快乐、幸福的人！”一个人说，轻柔而甜美，充满了赞许和鼓励。“让他继续完成他已开始的工作吧。现在的书又多又便宜，即使最穷的人都买得起，每个儿童都能学习了。睿智、优秀和意志的语言印在成百上千张纸上，并传播到世界各地。千家万户都将阅读到，无知时代已经走到了末日。人们将学会思考、了解外面的世界，并知道怎样为人处世。他们将不再是国王的奴隶，而约翰?古腾堡——印刷术的发明家，这个名字将被世人永远铭记。”
接着，另一个声音响起，它严厉、坚强，却并不惹人厌恶，充满了警告的意味。这个声音说：“让约翰?古腾堡对自己所做的事多加警惕吧。他的发明将被历史证明，是诅咒而非福祉。的确，他印刷的书丰富而便宜，但是，并非所有的书都是好书。粗俗、下流、恶劣的书也被印刷了。他们也被传到千家万户，毒害孩子的思想，引起人们的思想混乱，男人、女人都会怀疑真理，鄙弃美好的品质。约翰?古腾堡应该警惕，否则，人们将记住，约翰?古腾堡是危害世界的魔鬼，而非造福人类的天使。”
两个声音还在讨论、争辩，一个声称，印刷术将造福整个人类，另一个坚决反对，说这将是一个诅咒。约翰?古腾堡感到非常灰心，他不知道应该怎么做。他想到，如果印刷不健康的书将会造成巨大的损害——它会腐蚀一个纯洁的灵魂，还会激起一个人心灵的邪念。
突然，他抓到一把重重的锤子，开始砸他的印刷机。“以后再也不会有谁说我推波助澜，让世界更糟了吧！”他绝望地喊着。
但当他疯狂地毁掉花费了他无数心血制成的印刷机的时候，他又听到了第三个声音。这个声音似乎来自于印刷机本身。它用甜美的音调劝说道：
“请再想一想，不要轻率行事。上帝赐予的最好的礼物可能被滥用，他们本身并没有错。印刷术给世界以启蒙，它带来的福祉是它造成损害的一千倍。住手吧，约翰?古腾堡，记住，你在使人类变得更加美好，而不是变得更糟。”
举起的锤子从他手中滑落了，锤子掉落在地板上的声音惊醒了他。他揉揉眼睛，环顾四周。他想知道，刚才自己是否在做梦。
John Gutenberg and the Voices
ONE night John Gutenberg worked until very late at his press. He was printing a large folio edition of the Bible in Latin. For weeks he had given all his thoughts to this great work, and now he was completing the last sheets. He was worn out with fatigue, but proud of that which he had accomplished. He leaned his head upon the framework of his press, and gāve himself up to thought.
Suddenly from among the types two voices were heard. They were speaking in low but earnest tones, and seemed to be talking about Gutenberg and his invention.
“Happy, happy man!” said the first voice, which was gentle and sweet and full of encouragement. “Let him go on with the work he has begun. Books will now be plentiful and cheap. The poorest man can buy them. Every child will learn to read. The words of the wise and the good will be printed on thousands of sheets and carried all over the world. They will be read in every household. The age of ignorance will be at an end. Men will learn to think and know and act for themselves. They will no longer be the slāves of kings. And the name of John Gut-enberg, inventor of printing, will be remembered to the end of time.”
约翰·古腾堡和声音（2）
Then the other voice spoke. It was a stern, strong voice, although not unplea-sant, and it spoke in tones of warning.“Let John Guten-berg beware of what he is doing. His invention will prove to be a curse rather than a blessing. It is true that books will be plentiful and cheap, but they will not all be good books. The words of the vulgar and the vile will also be printed. They will be carried into millions of households to poison the minds of children and to make men and women doubt the truth and despise virtue. Let John Gutenberg beware lest he be remembered as one who brought evil into the world rather than good.”
And so the two voices went on, one claiming that the printing press would bless all mankind, the other saying that it would surely prove to be a curse. John Gutenberg felt much distressed. He did not know what to do. He thought of the great harm that might be done through the printing of bad books—how they would corrupt the minds of the innocent, how they would stir up the passions of the wicked.
Suddenly he seized a heāvy hammer and began to break his press in pieces. “It shall not be said of me that I helped to make the world worse,” he cried.
But as he was madly destroying that which had cost him so much pains to build, he heard a third voice. It seemed to come from the press itself, and it spoke in tones of sweet persuasion.
“Think still again,” it said, “and do not act rashly. The best of God’s gifts may be abused, and yet they are all good. The art of printing will enlighten the world. Its power for blessing mankind will be a thousand times greater than its power for doing harm. Hold your hand, John Gutenberg, and remember that you are helping to make men better and not worse.”
The upraised hammer dropped from his hands. The sound of its striking the floor aroused him. He rubbed his eyes and looked around. He wondered if he had been dreaming.
詹姆士·瓦特和水壶（1）
一个苏格兰小男孩正坐在他祖母的厨房里，望着宽大的壁炉里跃动的红色火焰，静静地思考着事情的原因。的确，他是一个很特别的男孩，他的心里充满了疑惑，总是想问为什么。
“奶奶，”没过一会儿，他就开始问了，“什么让火焰燃烧的？”
这已经不是第一次问这样无法回答的问题来难为他的奶奶了。所以奶奶继续准备晚饭，不去理会孙儿的问题。
火炉上面是一个老式的水壶，水壶的水开始起泡，薄薄的水蒸汽从壶嘴升起。不久，水壶的盖子就开始晃动起来，发出咔哒咔哒的声音。蒸汽在热的地方变得稀薄。但是，当好奇的少年窥视盖子下面时，他却什么也看不见。
“奶奶，是什么在水壶里呢？”他问道。
“水，孩子，除了水，什么都没有。”
“但是我知道肯定还有别的什么在里边，那些东西鼓动盖子，让它发出咔哒咔哒的声音。”
奶奶慈祥地笑了，她说：“哦，那只是水蒸气，你能看到它从壶口冒出来，在壶盖底下鼓动着。”
“但你刚才说水壶里只有水，没有其它的，蒸汽怎么在壶盖底下鼓动盖子呢？”
“哎呀，亲爱的，因为它是水变成的，热水产生了蒸汽。”奶奶开始为难了。
小家伙拿起壶盖，又一次窥视壶内。但他什么都看不到，只有沸腾的水翻腾着。水蒸气根本看不见，只有从水壶里冒出来后，才可以清楚地看到。
“真奇怪！”他说，“水蒸气肯定很强很有力，它能顶起重重的铁盖。奶奶，你往水壶加了多少水啊？”
“一夸脱吧，杰米。”
“嗯，如果这么点水就有这么大的能量，那么大量的水能量会不会非常大呢？那样的话，它不就能举起更沉的东西了？为什么不让它推动车轮呢？”
祖母无言以对。她觉得，小杰米的想法总是令人费解，而且没有实用价值。她静静地准备晚饭。杰米依然坐在外面的椅子上，研究水壶的问题。
怎样弄明白水蒸气蕴含的能量，怎样让它做更有意义的事情，而不只是在水壶里顶着壶盖发出咔哒咔哒的声音，那就是詹姆士?瓦特，这位好奇的苏格兰男孩思考、解决的问题。他日复一日地在思考着这个问题。他每天晚上都坐在祖母的火炉边，望着稀薄、|乳白的蒸汽从水壶里冒出来，又望着它们在黑色的烟筒里慢慢消失。随着他长大成|人，这个想法也变得根深蒂固。经过几年的观察研究，他渐渐推导出，水蒸气具有的一些用途和应用领域。
“水蒸气里蕴含着令人惊异的能量，”他自言自语道，“这是任何大力士都无法相比的。如果我们知道怎样利用那种力量，那它为我们做的事将不可限量。它不仅能举起重物，而且能带动各种形式的机器运转。比如，它能拉动马车，推动油轮，耕犁播种，还可以带动纺车编织。几千年来，人们在这种巨大的能量旁边劳作，居然从未梦想有一天，我们可以让它为我们服务的。但是怎样做到呢？这真是个问题。”
他开始了一个又一个的试验，经历了一次又一次的失败。但是，他都能从失败中学到新的东西。这时候，一些人开始嘲笑他。“真可笑，”他们说，“他居然妄想让水蒸气带动机器！”
但是詹姆士·瓦特一直坚持着，从未放弃。最后，他终于造成了世界上第一台成功的蒸汽机模型。所以说，从研究一个如普通的水壶那样简单的东西开始，就能研制出最实用的新发明！
James Watt and the Teakettle
A little Scotch boy was sitting in his grandmother’s kitchen. He was watching the red flames in the wide open fireplace and quietly wondering about the causes of things. Indeed, he was always wondering and always wanting to know.
“Grandma,” he presently asked, “what makes the fire burn?”txt电子书分享平台
詹姆士·瓦特和水壶（2）
This was not the first time he had puzzled his grandmother with questions that she could not answer. So she went on with her preparations for supper and paid no heed to his query.
Above the fire an old-fashioned teakettle was hanging. The water within it was beginning to bubble. A thin cloud of steam was rising from the spout. Soon the lid began to rattle and shake. The hot vapor puffed out at a furious rate. Yet when the lad peeped under the lid he could see nothing.
“Grandma, what is in the teakettle?” he asked.
“Water, my child—nothing but water.”
“But I know there is something else. There is something in there that lifts the lid and makes it rattle.”
The grandmother laughed. “Oh, that is only steam,” she said. “You can see it coming out of the spout and puffing up under the lid.”
“But you said there was nothing but water in the kettle. How did the steam get under the lid?”
“Why, my dear, it comes out of the hot water. The hot water makes it.” The grandmother was beginning to feel puzzled.
The lad lifted the lid and peeped inside again. He could see nothing but the bubbling water. The steam was not visible until after it was fairly out of the kettle.
“How queer!” he said. “The steam must be very strong to lift the heāvy iron lid. Grandma, how much water did you put into the kettle?”
“About a quart, Jamie.”
“Well, if the steam from so little water is so strong, why would not the steam from a great deal of water be a great deal stronger? Why couldn’t it be made to lift a much greater weight? Why couldn’t it be made to turn wheels?”
The grandmother made no reply. These questions of Jamie’s were more puzzling than profitable, she thought. She went about her work silently, and Jamie sat still in his place and studied the teakettle.
How to understand the power that is in steam, and how to make it do other things than rattle the lids of teakettles—that was the problem which James Watt, the inquisitive Scotch boy, set himself to solve. Day after day he thought about it, and evening after evening he sat by his grandmother’s fireside and watched the thin, white vapor come out of the teakettle and lose itself in the yawning black throat of the chimney. The idea grew with him as he grew into manhood, and by long study he began to reason upon it to some purpose.
“There is a wonderful power in steam,” he said to himself. “There was never a giant who had so much strength. If we only knew how to harness that power, there is no end to the things it might do for us. It would not only lift weights, but it would turn all kinds of machinery. It would draw our wagons, it would push our ships, it would plow and sow, it would spin and weāve. For thousands of years men hāve been working alongside of this power, never dreaming that it might be made their servant. But how can this be done? That is the question.”
He tried one experiment after another. He failed again and again, but from each failure he learned something new. Men la-ughed at him. “How ridiculous,” they said, “to think that steam can be made to run machinery!”
But James Watt persevered, and in the end was able to give to the world the first successful form of the steam engine. Thus, from the study of so simple a thing as a common teakettle, the most useful of all modern inve-ntions was finally produced.
约翰逊博士和他的父亲（1）
一
在英国利奇菲尔德市的一家小书店里，屋内的地板刚刚被清扫过，小窗户上的百叶窗也被拉了下来。时间还早，所以还没有顾客上门。屋外的雨一直下个不停。
挨着门的一张小桌子旁，一个满头白发的老人正在给一些书打包，他的身体看起来很虚弱。正当他要把这些书放进一个大篮子的时候，他好像被痛苦侵扰着，时不时地停下来。他把手放在一侧，很痛苦地咳嗽了起来，然后他坐了下来，把胳膊肘支在桌子上休息。
“塞缪尔！”他大声喊道。
在房间远处的一个角落里，一个年轻男子正在阅读放在他面前的一本大书。这个家伙长相古怪，大概18岁，但是看起来却很成熟。他身材高大，看起来有些笨拙，一张大圆脸，某种奇怪的疾病在他的脸上留下了伤疤。他的视力一定很差，因为他读书的时候弯着身子，脸距离书本非常近。
“塞缪尔！”这个老人又喊道。
然而，塞缪尔没有答应。他看得非常入迷，根本没有听见别人在叫他。这次，老人歇了更长的时间，停下手中打包的活。他提起那个笨重的大篮子，放在桌子上。由于用力，他的咳嗽又发作了一阵。等不咳嗽了，他第三次叫道：“塞缪尔！”
“什么事，父亲？”这次他听到了父亲的叫声。
“你知道的，塞缪尔，”他说，“明天尤托克西特有集市，我们必须得摆一个货摊。我们店里的一些朋友要去那里，他们希望我带一些新书给他们。今天上午，我们两个人中的一个必须去集市，把一切都准备好。但是，我感觉自己的身体没办法跑这一趟。我的咳嗽病给我制造了一些麻烦，而且，你也看到了，外面雨下得很大。”
“是的，父亲，我为你感到难过。”塞缪尔答道，然后他把脸又转向书本。
“我想，或许你可以去市场，我留在书店里。”他的父亲说。但是，塞缪尔没听见他说的话，他正在潜心研究拉丁名著。
老人走到门口，朝外面看了看。雨依然下着。他颤抖了起来，接着他把外套穿上。
到尤托克西特有20英里的路程。还有不到五分钟的时间，一辆驿车就将从门前经过。
“塞缪尔，这次你是不是不会替我去市场？”
老人穿上了一件大外套。他正在伸手拿帽子。篮子挎在了胳膊上。
他用恳求的目光看了看儿子，希望他在最后时刻能够萌生怜悯。
“驿车来了，塞缪尔。”老人又是一阵咳嗽，几乎要窒息了。
我并不清楚塞缪尔是否听到了。他仍然在读书，没有任何反应，动也没动。
驿车顺着街道卡嗒卡嗒地驶过来了。
老人挎着一篮子书，蹒跚地走出门去。当他爬进车内的时候，马车停了一小会儿。然后，车夫挥舞着鞭子，扬长而去。
塞缪尔仍旧在书店里，伏身看书。
屋外依然下着雨。
二
50年后，还是尤托克西特的集市日。
街上下着雨，那些摊贩都在屋檐下、有顶的货摊和售货亭下挤成一团。
一辆从利奇菲尔德驶来的轻便马车，在市场的入口处停了下来。
一个老人从车上走了下来，他看上去大概有70岁。他身材魁梧，但是身材已走了样。他的脸缝合过，并留下了疤痕。从马车上爬下来的时候，他的脸上露出了一种怪异的痛苦表情。他呼吸困难，不停喘息着，好像被哮喘病折磨着。他走路时拄着一根笨重的拐棍。
他拖着缓慢沉重的脚步走进了市场，并向四周看了看，似乎不知道在下雨。
他看着沿市场围墙排列的货摊。一些有顶的货摊成了这个闹市的中心。其他的则没有人使用，已经空出来了。
这个陌生人在后面的一个货摊前停了下来。“是的，就是这个。”他说道。他有一个奇怪的习惯，就是大声地自言自语。“我记得很清楚，在固定的集市日，我的父亲就是在这儿，把书卖给乡村的神职人员。那些善良的人从各个教区来到这儿，看看他的书，听听他对这些书的介绍。”书包 网 想看书来
约翰逊博士和他的父亲（2）
他突然转过身。“是的，就是这个地方。”他重复着。
他一动不动，直挺挺地站在那里，就站在那个陈旧的小货摊的前面。他把帽子摘了下来，夹在胳膊下面。他的那根大拐棍倒在了水沟中。他低下头，紧握双手，似乎不知道在下雨。
市场上方钟塔里的钟敲了11下。过路人停了下来，盯着陌生人。市场里的人也从货摊和售货亭里盯着他。当雨水顺着他那张留下伤疤的苍老面孔上流下来时，一些人大笑起来。那是雨水？还是泪水？
一些男孩子冲着他大声叫喊着。一些更加粗鲁的人甚至暗示朝他扔泥巴。然而，一种羞愧感使他们没有做出这样的行为。
“他是一个可怜的疯子。随他去吧。”一些稍有同情心的人说。
雨水落在了他光秃的头顶和宽阔的肩膀上。他全身已经湿透了，而且冻得僵硬。然而，他一动不动地站在那里，一言不发，眼睛直瞪瞪地看着前方。
“那个老蠢货是谁？”一个碰巧经过这里的年轻人脱口而出。
“你问他是谁吗？”一个从伦敦来的绅士答道，“哎呀，他就是塞谬尔?约翰逊博士，英国最有名气的人。《拉塞拉斯》《诗人传》《艾琳》，还有许多其他被大众称道的作品，都是他写的。我们这个时代最令人惊奇的书籍——伟大的《英语词典》也是他编著的。在伦敦，最尊贵的贵族绅士和女士都以能向他问好而感到荣幸。他是英国的文学名流。”
“那么，他为什么来到尤托克西特，还这样站在滂沱大雨中呢？”
“我无法回答你的问题，然而，毫无疑问，他这么做是有原因的。”接着，那个绅士就走开了。
暴风雨终于停了。小鸟在屋顶之间唧唧喳喳地鸣叫起来。人们想知道雨是否停了，就大胆地走进了湿滑的街道。
市场上方钟塔里的钟敲了12下。那个有名气的陌生人一动不动地在市场里站了整整一个小时。紧接着，雨又下了起来。
这时，他缓缓地戴上帽子，在拐棍倒落的地方找到了它。他虔诚地向天空看了一会儿，然后，笨拙而气派地走进街道，那辆准备返回利奇菲尔德的轻便马车正在那儿等着他。
在淅淅沥沥的雨中，我们跟随他到了他出生的城镇。
“哎呀，约翰逊博士！”女主人惊叫道。“我们一整天没见到你。你全身又湿又冷！你去哪里了？”
“夫人，”这个伟大的人说道，“50年前的今天，我沉默地拒绝服从父亲。我一定让他感到痛苦了，从那时到现在，这件事情一直萦绕在我的心头。为了洗脱那个时候造成的罪恶，今天早上，我坐着一辆轻便马车去了尤托克西特，并且在父亲以前用过的货摊前公开地忏悔了。”
这个伟大的男人把头埋在双手中，啜泣起来。
屋外，雨一直下着。
Dr. Johnson and His Father
Ⅰ
IT is in a little bookshop in the city of Lichfield, England. The floor has just been swept and the shutter taken down from the one small window. The hour is early, and customers hāve not yet begun to drop in. Out of doors the rain is falling.
At a small table near the door, a feeble, white-haired old man is making up some packages of books. As he arranges them in a large basket, he stops now and then as though disturbed by pain. He puts his hand to his side; he coughs in a most distressing way; then he sits down and rests himself, leaning his elbows upon the table.
“Samuel!” he calls.
In the farther corner of the room there is a young man busily reading from a large book that is spread open before him. He is a very odd-looking fellow, perhaps eighteen years of age, but you would take him to be older. He is large and awkward, with a great round face, scarred and marked by a strange disease. His eyesight must be poor, for, as he reads, he bends down until his face is quite near the printed 电子书分享平台
约翰逊博士和他的父亲（3）
“Samuel!” again the old man calls.
But Samuel makes no re-ply. He is so deeply interested in his book that he does not hear. The old man rests himself a little longer and then finishes tying his packages. He lifts the heāvy basket and sets it on the table. The exertion brings on another fit of coughing; and when it is over he calls for the third time, “Samuel!”
“What is it, father?” This time the call is heard.
“You know, Samuel,” he says,“that tomorrow is market day at Uttoxeter, and our stall must be attended to. Some of our friends will be there to look at the new books which they expect me to bring. One of us must go down on the stage this morning and get everything in readiness. But I hardly feel able for the journey. My cough troubles me quite a little, and you see that it is raining very hard.”
“Yes, father; I am sorry,” answers Samuel; and his face is again bent over the book.
“I thought perhaps you would go down to the market, and that I might stay here at the shop,” says his father. But Samuel does not hear. He is deep in the study of some Latin classic.
The old man goes to the door and looks out. The rain is still falling. He shivers, and buttons his coat.
It is a twenty-mile ride to Uttoxeter. In five minutes the stage will pass the door.
“Samuel, will you not go down to the market for me this time?”
The old man is putting on his great coat. He is reaching for his hat. The basket is on his arm.
He casts a beseeching glance at his son, hoping that he will relent at the last moment.
“Here comes the coach, Samuel，” and the old man is choked by another fit of coughing.
Whether Samuel hears or not, I do not know. He is still reading, and he makes no sign nor motion.
The stage comes rattling down the street.
The old man with his basket of books staggers out of the door. The stage halts for a moment while he climbs inside. Then the driver swings his whip, and all are away.
Samuel, in the shop, still bends over his book.
Out of doors the rain is falling.
Ⅱ
Just fifty years hāve passed, and again it is market day at Uttoxeter.
The rain is falling in the streets. The people who hāve wares to sell huddle under the eāves and in the stalls and booths that hāve roofs above them.
A chaise from Lichfield pulls up at the entrance to the market square.
An old man alights. One would guess him to be seventy years of age. He is large and not well-shaped. His face is seamed and scarred, and he makes strange grimaces as he clambers out of the chaise. He wheezes and puffs as though afflicted with asthma. He walks with the aid of a heāvy stick.
With slow but ponderous strides he enters the market place and looks around. He seems not to know that the rain is falling.
He looks at the little stalls ranged along the walls of the market place. Some hāve roofs over them and are the centers of noisy trade. Others hāve fallen into disuse and are empty.
约翰逊博士和他的父亲（4）
The stranger halts before one of the latter. “Yes, this is it,” he says. He has a strange habit of talking aloud to himself. “I remember it well. It was here that my father, on certain market days, sold books to the clergy of the county. The good men came from every parish to see his wares and to hear him describe their contents.”
He turns abruptly around. “Yes, this is the place,” he repeats.
He stands quite still and upright, directly in front of the little old stall. He takes off his hat and holds it beneath his arm. His great walking stick has fallen into the gutter. He bows his head and clasps his hands. He does not seem to know that the rain is falling.
The clock in the tower above the market strikes eleven. The passers-by stop and gaze at the stranger. The market people peer at him from their booths and stalls. Some laugh as the rain runs in streams down his scarred old cheeks. Rain is it? Or can it be tears?
Boys hoot at him. Some of the ruder ones even hint at throwing mud; but a sense of shame withholds them from the act.
“He is a poor lunatic. Let him alone,” say the more com-passionate.
The rain falls upon his bare head and his broad shoulders. He is drenched and chilled. But he stands motionless and silent, looking neither to the right nor to the left.
“Who is that old fool?” asks a thoughtless young man who chances to be passing.
“Do you ask who he is?” answers a gentleman from London. “Why, he is Dr. Samuel Johnson, the most famous man in England. It was he who wrote Rasselas and The Lives of the Poets and Irene and many another work which all men are praising. It was he who made the great English Dictionary, the most wonderful book of our times. In London, the noblest lords and ladies take pleasure in doing him honor. He is the literary lion of England.”
“Then why does he come to Uttoxeter and stand thus in the pouring rain?”
“I cannot tell you; but doubtless he has reasons for doing so，” and the gentleman passes on.
At length there is a lull in the storm. The birds are chirping among the housetops. The people wonder if the rain is over, and venture out into the slippery street.
The clock in the tower above the market strikes twelve. The renowned stranger has stood a whole hour motionless in the market place. And again the rain is falling.
Slowly now he returns his hat to his head. He finds his walking stick where it had fallen. He lifts his eyes reverently for a moment, and then, with a lordly, lumbering motion, walks down the street to meet the chaise which is ready to return to Lichfield.
We follow him through the pattering rain to his native town.
“Why, Dr. Johnson!” exclaims his hostess; “we hāve missed you all day. And you are so wet and chilled! Where hāve you been?”
“Madam,” says the great man, “fifty years ago, this very day, I tacitly refused to oblige or obey my father. The thought of the pain which I must hāve caused him has haunted me ever since. To do away the sin of that hour, I this morning went in a chaise to Uttoxeter and did do penance publicly before the stall which my father had formerly used.”
The great man bows his head upon his hands and sobs.
Out of doors the rain is falling.
韦伯斯特和土拨鼠（1）
在新汉普郡小山间的一座农场里，有一个叫丹尼尔?韦伯斯特的小男孩。在同龄的孩子中间，他是个头最小的一个。他长着一头乌黑的头发，大眼睛又黑又亮，见过他的人永远都不会忘记。
他长得还不够强壮，还不能在农场上帮什么忙。因此，他大部分时间就在森林和旷野中玩耍。与很多农夫的孩子不同，他心地非常善良。他热爱花草树木，还有那些在花草树木间筑巢的无害的野生动物。
但是，他并非所有的时间都在玩耍。在远远不到上学年龄的时候，他就已经开始认字读书了，他读得非常动听，大家都喜欢听他阅读，从不会感到厌倦。每当邻居们从他父亲的房子前经过，都会把马停下来，让丹尼尔?韦伯斯特出来朗读给他们听。
那个时候，不像现在这样有那么多的儿童读物。在新汉普郡农民的家中，不管是哪个种类的书数量都很少。然而，丹尼尔能找到什么书就读什么书。他把那些书读了一遍又一遍，直到了解了其中所有的内容。就这样，他学习了《圣经》中的大量内容，并且学得非常好，他能够抑扬顿挫地背诵其中的内容，却不出现一个错误。而且，这些篇章他终生记得。
丹尼尔的父亲不仅是一个农民，还是乡村法院的一名法官。他非常热爱法律，并且希望丹尼尔长大以后成为一名律师。
那件事发生在一个夏天，一只土拨鼠在韦伯斯特家房子附近的小山边安了家。在漆黑温暖的夜晚，它都会从山上跑到菜园里，偷吃种在那里的卷心菜和其他植物的嫩叶。没人知道，这最终会造成多大的损失。
丹尼尔和哥哥伊奇基尔下定决心要抓住那只土拨鼠。他们尝试过各种各样的抓捕方法，然而，很长时间以来，那些方法对于狡猾的土拨鼠来说不起任何作用。后来，他们在土拨鼠的必经之路设了一个陷阱。第二天早晨，土拨鼠就困在了陷阱中。
“我们终于捉到它了！”伊奇基尔喊道。“现在，土拨鼠先生，你罪大恶极，我将要处死你。”
然而，丹尼尔觉得这只小动物很可怜。“不，不要伤害它，”他说道，“我们把它带到山那头远处的森林中，把它放了。”
然而，伊奇基尔不同意这么做。他的心地不如他的弟弟那么善良。他一心想要杀死这只土拨鼠，并且嘲笑放生的提议。
“我们去问问父亲的意见。”丹尼尔说道。
“好吧，”伊奇基尔说道，“我知道法官将会如何判决。”
他们抬着装着土拨鼠的陷阱去找父亲，询问应该怎么做。
“好吧，孩子们，”韦伯斯特先生说道，“我们将用下面这种方法解决这件事。我们就在这儿设立一个法庭。我作法官，你们当律师。你们两个人都要进行辩护，支持或反对囚犯，我将会判决如何惩罚罪犯。”
作为检举人的伊奇基尔首先辩护。他陈述了囚犯的重大罪行。他表示所有的土拨鼠都是有害的，不能相信。他谈及了捉捕这个贼所耗费的时间和精力，并且宣称如果现在把它放掉，它将会变成一个比以前危害更大的贼。
“一张土拨鼠皮，”他说道，“或许能够卖10美分。这一小笔钱能够对它偷吃的卷心菜做一些赔偿。但是，如果我们把它放生了，我们将如何获得补偿，即使是我们损失的一美分？显然，它被处死比活着有更大的价值，因此，它应该马上被处死。”
伊奇基尔的辩护很精彩，这大大取悦了法官。他的陈述真实中肯，这让丹尼尔难以做出任何答复。
丹尼尔开始为这只可怜动物的生命进行辩护。他仰头看着法官的脸，然后说道：“上帝创造了土拨鼠。他让它生活在明媚的阳光和清新的空气中。他让它享受自由的大自然和绿色的森林。土拨鼠有生存的权利，因为上帝赐予了它这一切。
“上帝赐给我们食物。我们现在所拥有的一切都是他恩赐的。对于上帝赐予我们的礼物，它拥有同样的权利。因此，难道我们应该拒绝与这只不会说话的可怜动物分享一点点吗？ txt小说上传分享
韦伯斯特和土拨鼠（2）
“土拨鼠与令人厌恶的狼或狐狸不一样，它生活在宁静与和平中。它所需要的只是山边的一个洞|茓和一点点的食物。除了为了生存吃一点点的庄稼外，它没有任何危害。它有生存、吃东西和自由的权利。而且，我们没有权利说它不能拥有这些。
“看看这双温柔、充满祈求的眼睛，看看它因恐惧而发抖的身体。它不能为自己辩护，这是它唯一能够为自己美好生命辩护的方式。我们杀死它是不是太残忍了？如果我们剥夺了上帝赋予它的生命是不是太自私了？”
法官听着听着，泪水溢满了双眼。他的心颤动了起来。他认为上帝赐给了他一个以后将会闻名世界的儿子。
没等丹尼尔结束发言，他便站了起来，一边拭去眼中的泪水，一边喊道：“伊奇基尔，把土拨鼠放掉！”
Webster and the Woodchuck
ON a farm among the hills of New Hampshire there once lived a little boy whose name was Daniel Webster. He was a tiny fellow for one of his age. His hair was jet black, and his eyes were so dark and wonderful that nobody who once saw them could ever forget them.
He was not strong enough to help much on the farm; and so he spent much of his time in playing in the woods and fields. Unlike many farmers’ boys, he had a very gentle heart. He loved the trees and flowers and the harmless wild creatures that made their homes among them.
But he did not play all the time. Long before he was old enough to go to school, he learned to read; and he read so well that everybody liked to hear him and never grew tired of listening. The neighbors, when driving past his father’s house, would stop their horses and call for Dannie Webster to come out and read to them.
At that time there were no children’s books such as you hāve now. Indeed, there were but very few books of any kind in the homes of the New Hampshire farmers. But Daniel read such books as he could get; and he read them over and over again till he knew all that was in them. In this way he learned a great deal of the Bible so well that he could repeat verse after verse without making a mistake; and these verses he remembered as long as he lived.
Daniel’s father was not only a farmer, but he was a judge in the county court. He had a great love for the law, and he hoped that Daniel when he became a man would be a lawyer.
It happened one summer that a woodchuck made its burrow in the side of a hill near Mr. Webster’s house. On warm, dark nights it would come down into the garden and eat the tender leāves of the cabbages and other plants that were growing there. Nobody knew how much harm it might do in the end.
Daniel and his elder brother Ezekiel made up their minds to catch the little thief. They tried this thing and that, but for a long time he was too cunning for them. Then they built a strong trap where the woodchuck would be sure to walk into it; and the next morning, there he was.
“We hāve him at last!” cried Ezekiel.“Now, Mr. Woodchuck, you’ve done mischief enough, and I’m going to kill you.”txt电子书分享平台
韦伯斯特和土拨鼠（3）
But Daniel pitied the little animal. “No, don’t hurt him,” he said. “Let us carry him over the hills, far into the woods, and let him go.”
Ezekiel，however,would not agree to this. His heart was not so tender as his little brother’s. He was bent on killing the woodchuck, and laughed at the thought of letting it go.
“Let us ask father about it,” said Daniel.
“All right,” said Ezekiel， “I know what the judge will decide.”
They carried the trap, with the woodchuck in it, to their father, and asked what they should do.
“Well, boys,” said Mr. Webster, “we will settle the question in this way. We will hold a court right here. I will be the judge, and you shall be the lawyers. You shall each plead your case, for or against the prisoner, and I will decide what his punishment shall be.”
Ezekiel, as the prosecutor, made the first speech. He told about the mischief that had been done. He showed that all woodchucks are bad and cannot be trusted. He spoke of the time and labor that had been spent in trying to catch the thief, and declared that if they should now set him free he would be a worse thief than before.
“A woodchuck’s skin,” he said, “may perhaps be sold for ten cents. Small as that sum is, it will go a little way toward paying for the cabbage he has eaten. But, if we set him free, how shall we ever recover even a penny of what we hāve lost? Clearly, he is of more value dead than alive, and therefore he ought to be put out of the way at once.”
Ezekiel’s speech was a good one, and it pleased the judge very much. What he said was true and to the point, and it would be hard for Daniel to make any answer to it.
Daniel began by pleading for the poor animal’s life. He looked up into the judge’s face, and said:
“God made the woodchuck. He made him to live in the bright sunlight and the pure air. He made him to enjoy the free fields and the green woods. The woodchuck has a right to his life, for God gāve it to him.
“God gives us our food. He gives us all that we hāve. And shall we refuse to share a little of it with this poor dumb creature who has as much right to God’s gifts as we hāve?