第四十七课 宾夕法尼亚
It was not till the year 1682 that the uneventful but quietly prosperous career of Pennsylvania began. The Stuarts were again upon the throne of England. They had learned nothing from their exile; and now, with the hour of their final rejection at hand, they were as wickedly despotic as ever.
直到1682年,平淡却悄然繁荣的宾夕法尼亚开始诞生了。斯图亚特王室又一次重登王位宝座。他们从他们的流放中没有学到任何东西;现在,在即将到来的最后的拒绝时刻,他们还是一如既往地实行邪恶专制。
William Penn was the son of an admiral who had gained victories for England, and enjoyed the favour of the royal family as well as of the eminent statesmen of his time. The highest honours of the State would in due time have come within the young man's reach, and the brightest hopes of his future were reasonably entertained by his friends.
威廉佩恩是一个曾为英国获得胜利的将军的儿子,受到当时王室和著名的政治家的青睐。在适当的时候,他获得了国家的最高荣誉奖,他的朋友们非常羡慕他未来光明的前途。
To the dismay of all, Penn became a Quaker. It was an unspeakable humiliation to the well-connected admiral. He turned his son out of doors, trusting that hunger would subdue his intractable spirit. After a time, however, he relented, and the youthful heretic was restored to favour. His father's influence could not shield him from persecution. Penn had suffered fine, and had lain in the Tower for his opinions.
面对所有的沮丧,佩恩成为贵格会的一名成员。这是对地位优越的上将而言难以启齿的屈辱。他把他的儿子赶出家门,相信饥饿制服他那倔强的脾气。然而,过了一段时间,他心软了,并且这是对年轻的异教徒恢复有利的时期。他父亲的影响力无法使他免遭迫害。佩恩曾遭受罚款,并因为他的意见被关进了高塔里。
Ere long the admiral died, and Penn succeeded to his possessions. It deeply grieved him that his brethren in the faith should endure such wrongs as were continually inflicted upon them. He could do nothing at home to mitigate the severities under which they groaned. Therefore he formed the great design of leading them forth to a new world. King Charles II. had owed to the admiral a sum of £16,000 of arrears, and this doubtful investment had descended from the father to the son. Penn offered to take payment in land, and the king readily bestowed upon him a vast region stretching westward from the river Delaware.
不久,将军死了,佩恩继承了他的财产,对他那些有着信仰的弟兄们来说,忍受这样的痛苦使他们感到深深地折磨,好像这些痛苦一直加注在他们身上。在家里他想不到任何方法来减轻他们所呻吟的严重的疼痛感。因此他做了一个伟大的设计,把他们领入一个新世界。查尔斯二世国王总共欠上将16,000英镑,并且这项可疑的投资已经从父亲传到了儿子身上。潘恩主动提议用土地抵债,而且国王很乐意将从特拉华河向西的一大片区域授予他。