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 8
But with due deference to so excellent a friend, and so deserving a patriot, I cannot be altogether in his sentiments; for as to the males, my American acquaintance assured me from frequent experience, that their flesh was generally tough and lean, like that of our schoolboys, by continual exercise, and their taste disagreeable, and to fatten them would not answer the charge.
Mais avec tout le respect dû à un si excellent ami et à un patriote si méritant, je ne puis être entièrement de son avis ; car pour ce qui est des mâles, ma connaissance américaine m'a assuré, par une fréquente expérience, que leur chair était généralement dure et maigre, comme celle de nos écoliers, en raison d'un exercice continuel, et que leur goût était désagréable, et qu'il ne vaudrait pas la peine de les engraisser.
Then as to the females, it would, I think, with humble submission, be a loss to the publick, because they soon would become breeders themselves: and besides, it is not improbable that some scrupulous people might be apt to censure such a practice, (although indeed very unjustly) as a little bordering upon cruelty, which, I confess, hath always been with me the strongest objection against any project, how well soever intended.
Puis, quant aux femelles, ce serait, je crois, sauf votre respect, une perte pour le public, parce qu'elles deviendraient bientôt elles-mêmes des reproductrices ; et de plus, il n'est pas improbable que certaines personnes scrupuleuses pourraient être portées à censurer une telle pratique, (bien qu'en effet très injustement) comme frôlant quelque peu la cruauté, ce qui, je l'avoue, a toujours été pour moi la plus forte objection contre tout projet, si bien intentionné soit-il.
Vocabulary
- Mais
- Conjunction meaning 'but', used to contrast ideas.
- avec
- Preposition meaning 'with', indicating accompaniment.
- tout
- Adjective or pronoun meaning 'all' or 'every'.
- respect
- Noun meaning 'respect', regard for someone's worth.
- dû
- Past participle of 'devoir', meaning 'owed' or 'due'.
- si
- Adverb meaning 'so' or 'such', intensifying a quality.
- excellent
- Adjective meaning 'excellent', of very high quality.
- ami
- Noun meaning 'friend', a close companion.
- patriote
- Noun meaning 'patriot', devoted to one's country.
- méritant
- Adjective meaning 'deserving' or 'meritorious'.
- puis
- First-person singular of 'pouvoir', meaning 'I can'.
- être
- Infinitive verb meaning 'to be'.
- entièrement
- Adverb meaning 'entirely' or 'completely'.
- avis
- Noun meaning 'opinion' or 'view' on a subject.
- car
- Conjunction meaning 'because' or 'for', giving a reason.
- pour
- Preposition meaning 'for' or 'in order to'.
- mâles
- Noun or adjective meaning 'males', the masculine sex.
- connaissance
- Noun meaning 'knowledge' or 'acquaintance' with something.
- américaine
- Adjective meaning 'American', relating to America.
- assuré
- Past participle of 'assurer', meaning 'assured' or 'confirmed'.
- par
- Preposition meaning 'by' or 'through'.
- fréquente
- Adjective meaning 'frequent', happening often or regularly.
- expérience
- Noun meaning 'experience' or 'experiment'.
- leur
- Possessive adjective meaning 'their', belonging to them.
- chair
- Noun meaning 'flesh' or 'meat' of a body.
- était
- Imperfect of 'être', meaning 'was' or 'used to be'.
- généralement
- Adverb meaning 'generally' or 'in most cases'.
- dure
- Adjective meaning 'hard' or 'tough' in texture.
- maigre
- Adjective meaning 'thin', 'lean', or 'meager'.
- comme
- Conjunction meaning 'like' or 'as', making a comparison.
- celle
- Demonstrative pronoun meaning 'that one' (feminine).
- écoliers
- Noun meaning 'schoolchildren' or 'pupils'.
- raison
- Noun meaning 'reason' or 'cause' for something.
- exercice
- Noun meaning 'exercise', physical or mental activity.
- continuel
- Adjective meaning 'continual', happening repeatedly without stopping.
- goût
- Noun meaning 'taste', the flavor or sense of flavor.
- désagréable
- Adjective meaning 'unpleasant' or 'disagreeable'.
- vaudrait
- Conditional of 'valoir', meaning 'would be worth'.
- peine
- Noun meaning 'trouble', 'effort', or 'sorrow'.
- engraisser
- Verb meaning 'to fatten' an animal or person.
- Puis
- Adverb meaning 'then' or 'next', indicating sequence.
- quant
- Used in 'quant à', meaning 'as for' or 'regarding'.
- femelles
- Noun meaning 'females', the feminine sex of animals.
- serait
- Conditional of 'être', meaning 'would be'.
- crois
- First-person singular of 'croire', meaning 'I believe'.
- sauf
- Preposition meaning 'except' or 'save for'.
- votre
- Second-person plural possessive adjective meaning 'your'.
- perte
- Noun meaning 'loss', the act of losing something.
- public
- Noun or adjective meaning 'public', relating to the community.
- deviendraient
- Conditional of 'devenir', meaning 'they would become'.
- bientôt
- Adverb meaning 'soon' or 'shortly'.
- elles-mêmes
- Reflexive pronoun meaning 'themselves' (feminine).
- reproductrices
- Noun meaning 'breeders' or 'females used for reproduction'.
- plus
- Adverb meaning 'more' or 'no longer' in negation.
- improbable
- Adjective meaning 'improbable' or 'unlikely'.
- certaines
- Adjective meaning 'certain' or 'some' (feminine plural).
- personnes
- Noun meaning 'persons' or 'people'.
- scrupuleuses
- Adjective meaning 'scrupulous', having strong moral principles.
- pourraient
- Conditional of 'pouvoir', meaning 'they could' or 'might'.
- portées
- Adjective meaning 'inclined' or 'prone to' (feminine).
- censurer
- Verb meaning 'to censure' or 'to criticize strongly'.
- telle
- Demonstrative adjective meaning 'such' (feminine singular).
- pratique
- Noun meaning 'practice' or 'custom'; adjective 'practical'.
- bien
- Adverb meaning 'well' or 'very'; noun meaning 'good'.
- effet
- Noun meaning 'effect' or 'result' of an action.
- très
- Adverb meaning 'very', intensifying adjectives or adverbs.
- injustement
- Adverb meaning 'unjustly' or 'unfairly'.
- frôlant
- Present participle of 'frôler', meaning 'brushing' or 'bordering on'.
- quelque
- Adjective meaning 'some' or 'a certain'.
- peu
- Adverb meaning 'a little' or 'slightly'.
- cruauté
- Noun meaning 'cruelty', causing unnecessary pain or suffering.
- avoue
- First-person singular of 'avouer', meaning 'I admit'.
- toujours
- Adverb meaning 'always' or 'still'.
- été
- Past participle of 'être', meaning 'been'.
- forte
- Adjective meaning 'strong' or 'powerful' (feminine).
- objection
- Noun meaning 'objection', a reason or argument against.
- contre
- Preposition meaning 'against' or 'opposed to'.
- projet
- Noun meaning 'project' or 'plan' for future action.
- intentionné
- Adjective meaning 'well-intentioned' when preceded by 'bien'.
- soit-il
- Subjunctive phrase meaning 'however ... it may be'.
Unlock audio playback, vocabulary games, and reading progress tracking.
Create free account →