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 13
Supposing that one thousand families in this city, would be constant customers for infants flesh, besides others who might have it at merry meetings, particularly at weddings and christenings, I compute that Dublin would take off annually about twenty thousand carcasses; and the rest of the kingdom (where probably they will be sold somewhat cheaper) the remaining eighty thousand.
En supposant qu'un millier de familles dans cette ville soient des clientes régulières de chair d'enfants, sans compter celles qui pourraient en consommer lors de joyeuses réunions, notamment aux mariages et aux baptêmes, j'estime que Dublin absorberait annuellement environ vingt mille carcasses, et le reste du royaume (où elles seront probablement vendues un peu moins cher) les quatre-vingt mille restantes.
I can think of no one objection, that will possibly be raised against this proposal, unless it should be urged, that the number of people will be thereby much lessened in the kingdom.
Je ne vois aucune objection qui puisse être soulevée contre cette proposition, à moins que l'on fasse valoir que le nombre d'habitants du royaume s'en trouvera considérablement réduit.
This I freely own, and was indeed one principal design in offering it to the world.
Je l'admets volontiers, et c'était effectivement l'un des principaux objectifs que je poursuivais en la soumettant au monde.
I desire the reader will observe, that I calculate my remedy for this one individual Kingdom of Ireland, and for no other that ever was, is, or, I think, ever can be upon Earth.
Je souhaite que le lecteur remarque bien que je calcule mon remède pour ce seul et unique Royaume d'Irlande, et pour nul autre qui ait jamais existé, qui existe, ou qui, je crois, pourra jamais exister sur Terre.
Vocabulary
- supposant
- Assuming or supposing something to be true
- millier
- A thousand or so; approximately one thousand
- soient
- Subjunctive form of 'être', meaning 'are'
- clientes
- Female customers or regular clients of a business
- régulières
- Regular, consistent, or habitual (feminine plural)
- chair
- Flesh or meat of a body
- compter
- To count or include in a calculation
- celles
- Demonstrative pronoun meaning 'those' (feminine)
- pourraient
- Conditional form of 'pouvoir', meaning 'could'
- consommer
- To consume or use up a product or food
- lors
- Preposition meaning 'at the time of'
- joyeuses
- Joyful or happy (feminine plural adjective)
- réunions
- Gatherings or meetings of people together
- notamment
- Notably or in particular; especially
- mariages
- Weddings or marriages; ceremonies uniting couples
- baptêmes
- Baptisms; religious ceremonies welcoming newborns
- estime
- To estimate or to hold in esteem
- absorberait
- Conditional form of 'absorber'; would absorb
- annuellement
- Annually; on a yearly basis
- environ
- Approximately or about a certain quantity
- carcasses
- Carcasses; dead bodies or skeletal remains of animals
- reste
- The rest or remainder of something
- royaume
- A kingdom; territory ruled by a monarch
- seront
- Future tense of 'être', meaning 'will be'
- probablement
- Probably; with a high degree of likelihood
- vendues
- Sold (past participle, feminine plural)
- cher
- Expensive or dear in price
- quatre-vingt
- Eighty; the number four times twenty
- restantes
- Remaining; left over after a portion is taken
- aucune
- No or none (feminine); not any at all
- objection
- An objection; a reason to oppose something
- puisse
- Subjunctive form of 'pouvoir'; can or may
- soulevée
- Raised or brought up (past participle, feminine)
- proposition
- A proposal or suggestion put forward for consideration
- fasse
- Subjunctive form of 'faire'; to do or make
- valoir
- To be worth; to have a certain value
- nombre
- Number or quantity of something
- habitants
- Inhabitants; people who live in a place
- trouvera
- Future tense of 'trouver'; will find or be found
- considérablement
- Considerably; to a significant or notable degree
- réduit
- Reduced; decreased in size or number
- admets
- First-person of 'admettre'; to admit or acknowledge
- volontiers
- Willingly or gladly; with pleasure
- effectivement
- Indeed or effectively; confirming something stated
- principaux
- Main or principal (masculine plural adjective)
- objectifs
- Objectives or goals one aims to achieve
- poursuivais
- Imperfect of 'poursuivre'; was pursuing or following
- soumettant
- Submitting or presenting something to someone
- souhaite
- To wish or desire something
- lecteur
- Reader; a person who reads written material
- remarque
- To notice or remark; a comment or observation
- calcule
- To calculate or compute a numerical result
- remède
- A remedy or cure for a problem or illness
- seul
- Alone or only; singular without others
- unique
- Unique or sole; one of a kind
- Royaume
- Kingdom; territory governed by a king or queen
- nul
- No one or null; having no value or effect
- ait
- Subjunctive form of 'avoir'; has or may have
- jamais
- Never or ever; at no time
- existé
- Past participle of 'exister'; existed or had existence
- existe
- Third-person singular of 'exister'; exists now
- crois
- First-person of 'croire'; to believe or think
- pourra
- Future tense of 'pouvoir'; will be able to
- exister
- To exist; to have real being or presence
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