第二册第13篇：致富之道

13 Hints For Those That Would Be Rich 致富之道

Benjamin Franklin 本杰明·富兰克林



The Use of Money is all the Advantage there is in having Money. For ￡ 6 a Year you may have the Use of ￡ 100 if you are a Man of known Prudence 1 and Honesty.

有钱的唯一好处就在于用钱。如果你是一个节俭而诚实的人，一年六英镑就可以当一百英镑的钱使用。



He that spends a Groat a day idly, spends idly above ￡ 6 a year, which is the Price of using ￡100.

一天浪费四便士的人，一年就浪费六个多英镑，而六英镑相当于一百英镑的使用价值。



He that wastes idly a Groat's worth of his Time per Day, one Day with another, wastes the Privilege of using ￡ 100 each day.

每天虚度值四便士的时间的人，日复一日，等于浪费了每天使用一百英镑的权利。



He that idly loses 5 s. worth of time, loses 5 s. and might as prudently 2(1) throw 5 s. in the River.

一个游手好闲而损失了价值五先令时间的人，就是失去了五个先令，他还不如把五先令扔进河里的好。



He that loses 5 s. not only loses that Sum, but all the Advantage that might be made by turning it in Dealing 3, which, by the time that a young Man becomes old, amounts to a comfortable Bag of Money.

一个失去五先令的人，不仅失去了那笔钱，还失去了把钱用于经商可能带来的好处，而一个年轻人到年老的时候这笔钱就会等于一笔可观的财产。



Again, He that sells upon Credit, asks a Price for what he sells equivalent to the Principal and Interest of his Money for the Time he is like to be kept out of it(2): therefore He that buys upon Credit, pays Interest for what he buys. And he that pays Ready Money, might let that Money out to Use; so that He that possesses any Thing he has bought, pays Interest for the Use of it.

还有，一个赊帐出售物品的人，对他所售货物要求的价格相当于货物的本钱加上他暂时不能利用的那笔钱的利息。因此，一个赊帐购买的人，要为他所买的货物支付利息。而一个用现金购买的人，如果不买的话，是可以把那笔钱借给别人使用的。所以，一个拥有任何买来的东西的人，都要为使用这东西而支付利息。



Consider then when you are tempted 4 to buy any unnecessary Household stuff, or any superfluous 5 thing, whether you will be willing to pay Interest, and Interest upon Interest for it as long as you live; and more if it grows worse by using. ret, in buying goods, 't is best to pay Ready Money, because, He that sells upon Credit, expects to lose 5 per Cent by Bad Debts(3); therefore he charges, on all he sells upon Credit, an Advance~ that shall make up that deficiency.

当你感到一种引诱，想要买任何并不急需的家用品，或任何不必要的东西的时候，你就要好好考虑一下，你是否愿意为它支付利息，并且终身利上加利，如果这东西是会用坏的，那末还要付得更多。然而，在买东西时，最好还是付现金，因为赊帐售物的人，估计由于吃倒帐会损失百分之五，所以把赊售的所有货物都要加码，以弥补这笔损失。



Those who pay for what they buy upon Credit, pay their Share of this Advance.

那些赊帐购物的人，得支付他们所应分担的这笔加码的价款。



He that pays Ready Money, escapes or may escape that Charge.

而用现金购物的人，则不需或可能不需支付这笔钱。



A Penny sav'd is Twopence clear(5),

省下的一便士是不折不扣的两便士，



A Pin a Day is a Groat a Year.(6)

每天节约一丁点儿一年就是一大笔。

 

英文注释：

(1) might as prudently：结构与一般常用的 might as well相同。might as well含有"反正一样"、"倒不如"的意思。

(2)to be kept out Of it：it代表money。to be kept out of，．．解作"受到阻碍不能享有……"。

(3) bad debts：坏账，倒账。商业用语，指赊卖后不能收到的账款。

(4)advance：通常解作'预付款"，这里作"涨价"或"加码"解。其涵义是，商人赊卖后很可能有一部分账款不能收回，因此对每个顾客多开价百分之五，以弥补将来必然会发生的倒账损失。

(5) clear：十足的，整整的，相当于with out any deduction 6。

(6)在商业上订立的契约和其他重要法律文件中常把要紧的术语以大写字母开始，或整个词中的字母都大写。这篇文章也仿照这个习惯做法，主要名词或词组都用大写，含有幽默之意．