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 12
It would encrease the care and tenderness of mothers towards their children, when they were sure of a settlement for life to the poor babes, provided in some sort by the publick, to their annual profit instead of expence.
Cela accroîtrait le soin et la tendresse des mères envers leurs enfants, lorsqu'elles auraient la certitude d'assurer un établissement pour la vie aux pauvres nourrissons, pourvu en quelque sorte par le public, à leur profit annuel au lieu d'une dépense.
We should soon see an honest emulation among the married women, which of them could bring the fattest child to the market.
On verrait bientôt une honnête émulation parmi les femmes mariées, à qui d'entre elles pourrait amener l'enfant le plus gras au marché.
Men would become as fond of their wives, during the time of their pregnancy, as they are now of their mares in foal, their cows in calf, or sows when they are ready to farrow; nor offer to beat or kick them (as is too frequent a practice) for fear of a miscarriage.
Les hommes deviendraient aussi attachés à leurs femmes, durant le temps de leur grossesse, qu'ils le sont aujourd'hui de leurs juments pleines, de leurs vaches gravides, ou de leurs truies prêtes à mettre bas ; et ne chercheraient plus à les battre ou à les frapper (pratique par trop fréquente) par crainte d'une fausse couche.
Many other advantages might be enumerated.
On pourrait énumérer bien d'autres avantages.
For instance, the addition of some thousand carcasses in our exportation of barrel'd beef: the propagation of swine's flesh, and improvement in the art of making good bacon, so much wanted among us by the great destruction of pigs, too frequent at our tables; which are no way comparable in taste or magnificence to a well grown, fat yearling child, which roasted whole will make a considerable figure at a Lord Mayor's feast, or any other publick entertainment.
Par exemple, l'ajout de quelques milliers de carcasses dans notre exportation de bœuf en barrique : la propagation de la chair de porc, et l'amélioration de l'art de faire du bon lard, dont nous manquons tant en raison de la grande destruction de porcs, trop fréquente à nos tables ; lesquels ne sont en aucune façon comparables en goût ou en magnificence à un enfant d'un an bien développé et bien gras, qui, rôti entier, fera figure considérable au banquet d'un Lord-Maire, ou à tout autre festin public.
But this, and many others, I omit, being studious of brevity.
Mais ceci, et bien d'autres choses, je les omets, soucieux que je suis de brièveté.
Vocabulary
- Cela
- That; used to refer to something previously mentioned.
- accroîtrait
- Would increase or enhance something significantly.
- soin
- Care or attention given to someone or something.
- tendresse
- Tenderness or affection felt toward someone.
- mères
- Mothers; female parents of children.
- envers
- Toward or with respect to someone.
- lorsqu'elles
- When they; conjunction referring to feminine subjects.
- auraient
- Would have; conditional tense of avoir.
- certitude
- Certainty or absolute confidence about something.
- d'assurer
- To ensure or guarantee something for someone.
- établissement
- Establishment; a secure position or settled arrangement.
- pauvres
- Poor; lacking financial resources or wealth.
- nourrissons
- Infants; very young babies still being nursed.
- pourvu
- Provided that; expressing a conditional requirement.
- quelque
- Some or a certain; indefinite adjective in French.
- sorte
- Sort or kind; type of something described.
- public
- The public; the general population or community.
- profit
- Profit or benefit gained from an activity.
- annuel
- Annual; occurring or calculated once each year.
- lieu
- Instead of; place or substitute for something else.
- dépense
- Expense or expenditure of money or resources.
- On
- One or we; impersonal subject pronoun in French.
- verrait
- Would see; conditional tense of voir.
- bientôt
- Soon; in a short amount of time.
- honnête
- Honest or decent; fair and upright in character.
- émulation
- Emulation; competitive drive to match others' success.
- parmi
- Among; in the middle of a group.
- mariées
- Married women; females united in matrimony.
- d'entre
- Among or from among a group of people.
- pourrait
- Could; conditional tense of pouvoir.
- amener
- To bring or lead someone or something somewhere.
- gras
- Fat or plump; having a lot of flesh.
- marché
- Market; place where goods are bought and sold.
- deviendraient
- Would become; conditional tense of devenir.
- attachés
- Attached or fond; emotionally connected to someone.
- durant
- During; throughout the course of a period.
- grossesse
- Pregnancy; the period of carrying a developing child.
- aujourd'hui
- Today; on the current day.
- juments
- Mares; adult female horses.
- pleines
- Full or pregnant; referring to animals carrying young.
- vaches
- Cows; adult female cattle.
- gravides
- Gravid; pregnant, referring to female animals.
- truies
- Sows; adult female pigs.
- prêtes
- Ready; prepared to do something immediately.
- mettre
- To put or place; also to give birth in animals.
- bas
- Low; also refers to giving birth in animals.
- chercheraient
- Would seek or try; conditional tense of chercher.
- battre
- To beat or hit someone physically.
- frapper
- To strike or hit someone forcefully.
- pratique
- Practice; a habit or customary action performed regularly.
- trop
- Too or too much; excessively beyond desired degree.
- fréquente
- Frequent; occurring very often or repeatedly.
- crainte
- Fear or apprehension about something potentially harmful.
- fausse
- False or miscarried; incorrect or failed outcome.
- couche
- Layer or birth; fausse couche means miscarriage.
- énumérer
- To enumerate or list items one by one.
- avantages
- Advantages; benefits or favorable conditions gained.
- exemple
- Example; an instance illustrating a general point.
- l'ajout
- The addition; adding something to an existing group.
- quelques
- A few or some; referring to a small number.
- milliers
- Thousands; a large number in the thousands.
- carcasses
- Carcasses; dead bodies of animals, especially slaughtered.
- exportation
- Export; sending goods abroad for trade.
- bœuf
- Beef or ox; meat from cattle or a bovine.
- barrique
- Barrel; a large cylindrical container for storing goods.
- propagation
- Propagation; the spread or increase of something.
- chair
- Flesh or meat; the soft tissue of a body.
- porc
- Pork or pig; the meat or animal itself.
- l'amélioration
- The improvement; making something better than before.
- lard
- Lard or bacon fat; rendered pig fat for cooking.
- dont
- Of which or whose; relative pronoun in French.
- manquons
- We lack; to be missing or short of something.
- tant
- So much or so many; indicating a great degree.
- raison
- Reason; cause or rational explanation for something.
- destruction
- Destruction; the act of completely ruining something.
- porcs
- Pigs; domesticated animals raised for meat.
- lesquels
- Which; relative pronoun referring to previously mentioned things.
- aucune
- No or none; negative indefinite adjective feminine form.
- façon
- Way or manner; a method of doing something.
- comparables
- Comparable; able to be compared or similar to.
- goût
- Taste; the flavor of food or personal preference.
- magnificence
- Magnificence; impressive grandeur or splendor.
- développé
- Developed or well-nourished; grown to full potential.
- rôti
- Roasted; cooked meat prepared by roasting in heat.
- entier
- Whole or entire; complete without any missing parts.
- fera
- Will make; future tense of faire.
- figure
- Figure or impression; making a notable appearance.
- considérable
- Considerable; large or significant in size or extent.
- banquet
- Banquet; a large formal meal or celebratory feast.
- Lord-Maire
- Lord Mayor; the chief mayor of a major city.
- festin
- Feast; a lavish meal or grand celebration.
- ceci
- This; demonstrative pronoun referring to nearby things.
- omets
- I omit; to leave out or skip something intentionally.
- soucieux
- Concerned or anxious; worried about something in particular.
- brièveté
- Brevity; the quality of being short and concise.
Unlock audio playback, vocabulary games, and reading progress tracking.
Create free account →