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 5
I have been assured by a very knowing American of my acquaintance in London, that a young healthy child well nursed, is, at a year old, a most delicious nourishing and wholesome food, whether stewed, roasted, baked, or boiled; and I make no doubt that it will equally serve in a fricasee, or a ragoust.
Un Américain très avisé de ma connaissance à Londres m'a assuré qu'un jeune enfant en bonne santé, bien nourri, est, à l'âge d'un an, un aliment des plus délicieux, nourrissants et sains, qu'il soit mijoté, rôti, cuit au four ou bouilli ; et je ne doute pas qu'il convienne tout aussi bien en fricassée ou en ragoût.
I do therefore humbly offer it to publick consideration, that of the hundred and twenty thousand children, already computed, twenty thousand may be reserved for breed, whereof only one fourth part to be males; which is more than we allow to sheep, black cattle, or swine, and my reason is, that these children are seldom the fruits of marriage, a circumstance not much regarded by our savages, therefore, one male will be sufficient to serve four females.
Je propose donc humblement à la considération publique que, sur les cent vingt mille enfants déjà recensés, vingt mille soient réservés à la reproduction, dont un quart seulement de mâles ; ce qui est davantage que ce que nous accordons aux moutons, au bétail noir ou aux porcs, et ma raison est que ces enfants sont rarement le fruit du mariage, circonstance peu considérée par nos sauvages, aussi un mâle suffira-t-il pour satisfaire quatre femelles.
That the remaining hundred thousand may, at a year old, be offered in sale to the persons of quality and fortune, through the kingdom, always advising the mother to let them suck plentifully in the last month, so as to render them plump, and fat for a good table.
Que les cent mille restants puissent, à l'âge d'un an, être mis en vente auprès des personnes de qualité et de fortune à travers le royaume, en conseillant toujours à la mère de les laisser téter abondamment durant le dernier mois, afin de les rendre dodus et gras pour une bonne table.
A child will make two dishes at an entertainment for friends, and when the family dines alone, the fore or hind quarter will make a reasonable dish, and seasoned with a little pepper or salt, will be very good boiled on the fourth day, especially in winter.
Un enfant fournira deux plats lors d'un repas entre amis, et lorsque la famille dîne seule, le quartier avant ou arrière constituera un plat convenable, et assaisonné d'un peu de poivre ou de sel, sera très bon bouilli le quatrième jour, surtout en hiver.
Vocabulary
- Américain
- Person from America; American nationality
- très
- Adverb meaning 'very,' intensifying adjectives or adverbs
- avisé
- Shrewd, wise, or well-informed person
- connaissance
- Acquaintance; knowledge or familiarity with someone
- Londres
- Capital city of England; London
- assuré
- Assured, confirmed, or guaranteed something to someone
- jeune
- Adjective meaning young in age
- enfant
- A child; young human being
- santé
- Health; state of physical or mental well-being
- bien
- Adverb meaning 'well' or 'very'
- nourri
- Fed, nourished; having received adequate food
- âge
- Age; the number of years someone has lived
- an
- Year; a period of twelve months
- aliment
- Food item; substance consumed for nourishment
- délicieux
- Delicious; extremely pleasing to taste or smell
- nourrissants
- Nourishing, nutritious; providing good sustenance
- sains
- Healthy, wholesome; free from disease or harm
- soit
- Subjunctive of 'être': 'be,' used in hypothetical contexts
- mijoté
- Simmered slowly in liquid over low heat
- rôti
- Roasted; cooked by dry heat in an oven
- cuit
- Cooked; having been prepared by applying heat
- four
- Oven; appliance used for baking or roasting food
- bouilli
- Boiled; cooked in boiling water or liquid
- doute
- Doubt; uncertainty about something being true
- convienne
- Subjunctive of 'convenir': to be suitable or fitting
- tout
- Adjective or pronoun meaning 'all,' 'every,' or 'whole'
- aussi
- Adverb meaning 'also,' 'too,' or 'as well'
- fricassée
- Dish of meat cooked in white sauce
- ragoût
- Stew of meat and vegetables cooked slowly
- propose
- First-person singular of 'proposer': to suggest or propose
- donc
- Conjunction meaning 'therefore,' 'so,' or 'thus'
- humblement
- Humbly; in a modest or unassuming manner
- considération
- Consideration; careful thought or attention given to something
- publique
- Public; relating to people or the community generally
- cent
- The number one hundred
- vingt
- The number twenty
- mille
- The number one thousand
- enfants
- Children; plural of 'enfant'
- déjà
- Already; by or before a particular time
- recensés
- Counted, tallied; having been included in a census
- soient
- Subjunctive plural of 'être': 'be'
- réservés
- Reserved, set aside for a particular purpose
- reproduction
- Reproduction; process of producing offspring
- dont
- Relative pronoun meaning 'of which,' 'whose,' or 'from which'
- quart
- Quarter; one fourth of a whole
- seulement
- Adverb meaning 'only' or 'merely'
- mâles
- Males; masculine individuals of a species
- davantage
- More; to a greater degree or extent
- accordons
- First-person plural of 'accorder': to grant or allow
- moutons
- Sheep; domesticated ruminant animals
- bétail
- Livestock; farm animals kept for agricultural purposes
- noir
- Black; the darkest color, absence of light
- porcs
- Pigs; domesticated swine raised for meat
- raison
- Reason; cause or justification for something
- rarement
- Rarely; not often, seldom occurring
- fruit
- Fruit; result or product of something
- mariage
- Marriage; legally recognized union between partners
- circonstance
- Circumstance; a condition or factor affecting a situation
- peu
- Adverb meaning 'little,' 'few,' or 'not very'
- considérée
- Considered; regarded or taken into account
- sauvages
- Savages; wild or uncivilized people
- mâle
- Male; masculine individual of a species
- suffira-t-il
- Will it be enough; inverted future of 'suffire'
- satisfaire
- To satisfy; to meet needs or expectations fully
- quatre
- The number four
- femelles
- Females; female individuals of a species
- restants
- Remaining; those left over after a selection
- puissent
- Subjunctive plural of 'pouvoir': 'can' or 'may'
- être
- Infinitive 'to be'; fundamental auxiliary and main verb
- mis
- Past participle of 'mettre': put or placed somewhere
- vente
- Sale; the act of selling goods or services
- auprès
- Near, close to; in the presence of someone
- personnes
- Persons; individual human beings
- qualité
- Quality; degree of excellence or social standing
- fortune
- Fortune; great wealth or financial prosperity
- travers
- Through; across, used in phrase 'à travers'
- royaume
- Kingdom; territory ruled by a king or queen
- conseillant
- Advising; present participle of 'conseiller'
- toujours
- Always; at all times, or still continuing
- mère
- Mother; female parent of a child
- laisser
- To let, allow; to leave or permit something
- téter
- To suckle; to nurse at the breast or bottle
- abondamment
- Abundantly; in large quantities, plentifully
- durant
- During; throughout the course of a period
- dernier
- Last; final one in a series or most recent
- mois
- Month; one of twelve divisions of a year
- afin
- In order to; used in 'afin de/que' constructions
- rendre
- To make or render; to give back or cause
- dodus
- Plump, chubby; pleasantly rounded and well-fed
- gras
- Fat, fatty; having a lot of fat or grease
- table
- Table; flat surface used for eating or working
- fournira
- Future of 'fournir': will provide or supply
- deux
- The number two
- plats
- Dishes; prepared food items served at a meal
- lors
- At the time of; used in 'lors de' construction
- repas
- Meal; occasion when food is eaten
- entre
- Preposition meaning 'between' or 'among'
- amis
- Friends; people one knows well and likes
- lorsque
- When; at the time that something occurs
- famille
- Family; group of related people living together
- dîne
- Third-person singular of 'dîner': to dine or have dinner
- seule
- Alone, only; feminine form of 'seul'
- quartier
- Quarter; one fourth portion, or neighborhood
- avant
- Front; before in time or position
- arrière
- Rear, back; the part behind or at the back
- constituera
- Future of 'constituer': will constitute or form
- plat
- Dish, course; a prepared food item
- convenable
- Suitable, appropriate; fitting for a purpose
- assaisonné
- Seasoned; flavored with spices or condiments
- poivre
- Pepper; spice used to flavor food
- sel
- Salt; mineral used to flavor and preserve food
- sera
- Future of 'être': 'will be'
- bon
- Good; of high quality or pleasing nature
- quatrième
- Fourth; ordinal number for position four
- jour
- Day; period of twenty-four hours
- surtout
- Especially, above all; most importantly
- hiver
- Winter; coldest season of the year
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