A Modest Proposal: For preventing the children of poor people in Ireland, from being a burden on their parents or country, and for making them beneficial to the publick — Page 6
I have reckoned upon a medium, that a child just born will weigh 12 pounds, and in a solar year, if tolerably nursed, encreaseth to 28 pounds.
He calculado como término medio que un niño recién nacido pesará 12 libras, y en el transcurso de un año solar, si se le cría razonablemente bien, aumentará hasta 28 libras.
I grant this food will be somewhat dear, and therefore very proper for landlords, who, as they have already devoured most of the parents, seem to have the best title to the children.
Reconozco que este alimento resultará algo caro, y por tanto muy apropiado para los terratenientes, quienes, habiendo ya devorado a la mayoría de los padres, parecen tener el mejor derecho sobre los hijos.
Infant's flesh will be in season throughout the year, but more plentiful in March, and a little before and after; for we are told by a grave author, an eminent French physician, that fish being a prolifick dyet, there are more children born in Roman Catholick countries about nine months after Lent, than at any other season; therefore, reckoning a year after Lent, the markets will be more glutted than usual, because the number of Popish infants, is at least three to one in this kingdom, and therefore it will have one other collateral advantage, by lessening the number of Papists among us.
La carne de infante estará en temporada durante todo el año, pero será más abundante en marzo, y algo antes y después de dicho mes; pues nos dice un serio autor, eminente médico francés, que siendo el pescado una dieta prolífica, nacen más niños en los países católicos romanos aproximadamente nueve meses después de la Cuaresma que en cualquier otra época; por tanto, contando un año después de la Cuaresma, los mercados estarán más saturados que de costumbre, dado que el número de infantes papistas es de al menos tres a uno en este reino, y por ello tendrá además otra ventaja colateral, al reducir el número de papistas entre nosotros.
I have already computed the charge of nursing a beggar's child (in which list I reckon all cottagers, labourers, and four-fifths of the farmers) to be about two shillings per annum, rags included; and I believe no gentleman would repine to give ten shillings for the carcass of a good fat child, which, as I have said, will make four dishes of excellent nutritive meat, when he hath only some particular friend, or his own family to dine with him.
Ya he calculado que el coste de criar al hijo de un mendigo (en cuya lista incluyo a todos los campesinos, jornaleros y cuatro quintas partes de los agricultores) asciende a unos dos chelines anuales, harapos incluidos; y creo que ningún caballero tendría reparo en dar diez chelines por el cuerpo de un buen niño gordo, que, como he dicho, proporcionará cuatro platos de excelente y nutritiva carne, cuando solo tenga algún amigo íntimo o su propia familia a cenar con él.
Vocabulary
- calculado
- Calculated or estimated a numerical value carefully.
- término
- Term, end, or average; used in various contexts.
- medio
- Middle, average, or half; central measure.
- niño
- A young male child or boy.
- recién
- Recently, newly; used before past participles.
- nacido
- Born; past participle of nacer, to be born.
- pesará
- Will weigh; future tense of pesar.
- libras
- Pounds; unit of weight or British currency.
- transcurso
- The course or passage of a period of time.
- solar
- Solar; relating to the sun or a solar year.
- cría
- Raises or rears; present tense of criar.
- razonablemente
- Reasonably; in a sensible or adequate manner.
- aumentará
- Will increase or grow; future tense of aumentar.
- Reconozco
- I recognize or acknowledge; first person of reconocer.
- alimento
- Food or nourishment; something consumed for sustenance.
- resultará
- Will result or turn out; future of resultar.
- caro
- Expensive or dear; high in price.
- apropiado
- Appropriate or suitable for a particular purpose.
- terratenientes
- Landowners; people who own large amounts of land.
- habiendo
- Having; gerund of haber used in perfect constructions.
- devorado
- Devoured; consumed greedily, past participle of devorar.
- mayoría
- Majority; the greater number or part of something.
- parecen
- They seem or appear; third person plural of parecer.
- derecho
- Right, law, or straight; a legal or moral entitlement.
- carne
- Meat or flesh; edible animal tissue.
- infante
- Infant or young child; very young human being.
- temporada
- Season or period; a defined span of time.
- abundante
- Abundant, plentiful; available in large quantities.
- dicho
- Said, mentioned; past participle of decir.
- pues
- Well, since, then; causal or explanatory conjunction.
- serio
- Serious, grave; not joking or trivial.
- autor
- Author; a person who writes books or texts.
- eminente
- Eminent, distinguished; highly respected in a field.
- médico
- Doctor, physician; a licensed medical professional.
- francés
- French; relating to France or its people.
- siendo
- Being; gerund of ser, indicating a continuous state.
- pescado
- Fish (as food); fish that has been caught.
- dieta
- Diet; the food and drink regularly consumed.
- prolífica
- Prolific; producing many offspring or results abundantly.
- nacen
- Are born; third person plural present of nacer.
- católicos
- Catholics; members of the Roman Catholic Church.
- romanos
- Romans or Roman; relating to Rome or Roman Catholicism.
- aproximadamente
- Approximately; roughly or about a given amount.
- Cuaresma
- Lent; forty-day Christian fasting period before Easter.
- cualquier
- Any, whichever; indefinite adjective before a noun.
- época
- Era, epoch, time period; a distinct span of time.
- contando
- Counting, considering; gerund of contar.
- mercados
- Markets; places where goods are bought and sold.
- saturados
- Saturated, flooded; completely full or overwhelmed with supply.
- costumbre
- Custom, habit; a traditional or habitual practice.
- dado
- Given; past participle of dar, also meaning considering.
- infantes
- Infants; very young children or babies.
- papistas
- Papists; derogatory term for Roman Catholics.
- reino
- Kingdom or realm; a territory ruled by a monarch.
- ello
- It; neuter third person pronoun referring to abstract ideas.
- además
- Furthermore, besides; additive adverb introducing extra information.
- ventaja
- Advantage or benefit; a favorable condition or factor.
- colateral
- Collateral, secondary; accompanying but not the main effect.
- reducir
- To reduce; to make smaller in number or size.
- coste
- Cost, expense; the price paid for something.
- criar
- To raise, rear; to bring up a child or animal.
- mendigo
- Beggar; a person who lives by asking for charity.
- cuya
- Whose; feminine relative possessive pronoun.
- lista
- List; an enumeration of items or names.
- incluyo
- I include; first person singular present of incluir.
- campesinos
- Peasants, farmers; rural agricultural workers.
- jornaleros
- Day laborers; workers paid daily wages.
- quintas
- Fifths; feminine plural of quinto.
- agricultores
- Farmers, agriculturalists; people who cultivate land.
- asciende
- Amounts to, rises; third person singular of ascender.
- chelines
- Shillings; former British currency units.
- anuales
- Annual; occurring or calculated once per year.
- harapos
- Rags, tatters; worn-out torn pieces of clothing.
- incluidos
- Included; past participle of incluir, masculine plural.
- ningún
- No, not any; negative adjective before a masculine noun.
- caballero
- Gentleman or knight; a man of rank or good manners.
- tendría
- Would have; conditional tense of tener.
- reparo
- Objection or scruple; a hesitation or reservation.
- cuerpo
- Body; the physical structure of a person or animal.
- gordo
- Fat, plump; having a large or heavy body.
- proporcionará
- Will provide or yield; future of proporcionar.
- platos
- Dishes, plates; courses of food or serving vessels.
- excelente
- Excellent; of very high quality or standard.
- nutritiva
- Nutritious; providing nourishment and essential nutrients.
- tenga
- Has, have; present subjunctive of tener.
- íntimo
- Intimate, close; a very dear or close friend.
- cenar
- To have dinner; to eat the evening meal.
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