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And was more startled when I heard a second affirm, with great vehemence, that if the Emperor of Germany was not going off, he should like him better than either of them.
然后，我又聽到第二個人斬釘截鐵地說，如果德國皇帝不退位的話，那么他就最推崇德國皇帝。
He added, that though the season was so changeable, the Duke of Marlborough was in blooming beauty.
聽到這里，我更是驚嘆不已。這個人又補充說，盡管歲月如流水，但馬爾伯勒公爵始終是風流倜儻。
I was wondering to myself from whence they had received this odd intelligence：
他們從哪里知道的這些謬論，我絞盡腦汁也想不明白。
especially when I heard them mention the names of several other great generals, as the Prince of Hess and the King of Sweden, who, they said, were both running away.
還有比這更荒謬的：他們還談到了幾位將軍，其中就有黑森王子和瑞典國王，他們說這兩個人現在正在逃亡中。
To which they added, what I entirely agreed with them in, that the Crown of France was very weak, but that the Marshal Villars still kept his colors.
后來他們所說的，我是完全同意的。他們提到法國國王身體虛弱，維拉爾元帥卻仍舊精神飽滿。
At last, one of them told the company, if they would go along with him, he would show them a chimney-sweeper and a painted lady in the same bed, which he was sure would very much please them.
最后，他們當中的一個人說，如果大家同意跟他一起去，他會叫他們看到一個掃煙囪的人和一個美麗的少女“同床共枕”。 他確信，這樣的場景一定會令大家非常開心。
The shower which had driven them as well as myself into the house, was now over；
我和他們都是跑到這家農合來避雨的，此時大雨已經停了。
and as they were passing by me into the garden, I asked them to let me be one of their company.
當他們從我身旁經過，朝花園走去的時候，我便要求加入到他們的隊伍之中。
The gentleman of the house told me，if I delighted in flowers, it would be worth my while；
農舍的主人對我說，如果我對花感興趣的話，很值得去花園看一看。
for that he believed he could show me such a blow of tulips as was not to be matched in the whole country.
因為他相信，他讓我看的那片郁金香，在全國都找不出可以與之媲美的。
I accepted the offer，and immediately found that they had been talking in terms of gardening，and that the kings and generals they had mentioned were only so many tulips，to which the gardeners，according to their usual custom，had given such high titles and appellations of honor.
我接受了他的邀請，也馬上明白了剛才那幾個人談論的是園藝。他們所說的國王、將帥全是郁金香的名字。花匠們按照習慣做法賦予那些花以頭銜或稱號。
