Democracy At Work
A letter by Anthony Henley, MP for Southampton, to his constituent in 1733:
Gentlemen,
I received yours and am surprised at your insolence in troubling me about the excise. You know what I very well know, that I bought you.
And I know well what perhaps you think I don’t know, that you are now selling yourselves to somebody else.
And I know what you don’t know, that I am buying another borough.
May God’s curse light on you all.
May your houses be as open and as common to all excise officers as your wives and daughters were to me when I stood for your scoundrel corporation.
我忍不住把这封经典的信翻译一下，这是伟大普世正确的民主制度下，非常直白、非常坦率的一篇议员回信的范文。 Very civilised, very democratic, and very English.
先生们：
我收到了你们的信，你们这样不知好歹胆敢拿税收的事来麻烦我，实在让人惊讶。你们知道我非常清楚一点：你们是被我收买了的。
我还清楚地知道一件你们可能以为我不知道的事，那就是你们其实正在打算把自己卖给别人。
但我知道你们并不知道的是，我也正在收买另一个选区。
祝上帝的诅咒永远照耀你们所有人。
祝你们的房子向所有税务官员敞开大门任意践踏，就像我还在为你们这个混蛋公司讲话的时候，你们的老婆和女儿对我那样。
Gentlemen,
I received yours and am surprised at your insolence in troubling me about the excise. You know what I very well know, that I bought you.
And I know well what perhaps you think I don’t know, that you are now selling yourselves to somebody else.
And I know what you don’t know, that I am buying another borough.
May God’s curse light on you all.
May your houses be as open and as common to all excise officers as your wives and daughters were to me when I stood for your scoundrel corporation.
我忍不住把这封经典的信翻译一下，这是伟大普世正确的民主制度下，非常直白、非常坦率的一篇议员回信的范文。 Very civilised, very democratic, and very English.
先生们：
我收到了你们的信，你们这样不知好歹胆敢拿税收的事来麻烦我，实在让人惊讶。你们知道我非常清楚一点：你们是被我收买了的。
我还清楚地知道一件你们可能以为我不知道的事，那就是你们其实正在打算把自己卖给别人。
但我知道你们并不知道的是，我也正在收买另一个选区。
祝上帝的诅咒永远照耀你们所有人。
祝你们的房子向所有税务官员敞开大门任意践踏，就像我还在为你们这个混蛋公司讲话的时候，你们的老婆和女儿对我那样。
