Chapter 48 -2
I had a good rest for a while.As I get rid of the trouble of hope, knowing that in so doing I am gradually losing all hope, feeling that the past has no meaning for me, so I try to put myself exactly in the position of a person who begins life .I thought to myself that in reality we are always only beginning, with no connection in our lives but a succession of present moments; first moment.At every moment of our life we are dying and being born, what good can death do us?If nothing but future events means anything to us, then it is only from the future that we can judge whether we are happy or unhappy.Torturing yourself with past events is tantamount to moaning without disease and looking for trouble.Emile, you are going to be a new man, and you cannot complain more about your destiny than about your nature.Your misfortunes are all unreal, and the dim abyss has swallowed them all; but what is real, what exists for you, is your life, your health, your youth, your reason, Your intellect, your virtue, and finally, if you will, your happiness due to the former.
I set to work again, and waited quietly for my troubled thoughts to settle into some order that would show me what I should do; as I compared my present situation with my past, I felt Confidence: it was entirely my conduct in accordance with the interests of reason, and not due to what happened.If a man is not happy in spite of his possessions, he can at least have peace of mind, whatever his fate may be, if he can keep his mind in order.But such tranquility is not very secure in the mind of a sentient being!He can easily bring his mind into normality, yet he has difficulty keeping it normal.Just when I thought all my decisions were extremely firm, I almost overturned all my decisions.
I went into the master's room, but without attracting much attention.My clothes have always been plain, for you have taught me to dress modestly; I have not acted like that, and a man who is comfortable everywhere must have an easy appearance, and therefore he In the house of a master carpenter, he will not attract people's attention. On the contrary, when he goes to the house of a nobleman, he will attract everyone's attention.From the way I dress, people don't think I look like a workman, but from the way I work, people think that I have indeed been a workman. They think that I once made a small fortune, and then I have fallen so low that I am now doing my job again.A depraved little nouveau riche will not be valued by others; if I say what job I can do, they will immediately agree to do it.Suddenly, I found that the tone of their family’s speech to me changed from being affectionate to being very respectful; people looked surprised when they watched me work; What I do is fine) to get their compliments; they seem to be watching all my movements and postures; they want to treat me the same way as ordinary workers, but it is not easy to get their treatment and it may be out of respect that they did not treat me above the average worker.I did not notice the change at once, as I usually did, because I was thinking about things; but I had acquired the habit of scrutinizing the situation, so that I soon noticed what was going on around me, and it didn't take long before I saw the change. , I have become a strange figure in the minds of these good people, and they are very interesting.
I noticed in particular: the master's wife always looked at me so intently.For those who run the world, women have the right to look at them with a playful look.I started to use the chisel, and every time I chiseled, she was startled.I found: she was very surprised to see that I was not hurt at all. "Master," I said to her once, "I think you don't believe in my skills, are you worried that I am not proficient in my craft?" "Master," she said to me, "I think you You are very proficient in your craft, but, I think, you are only able to do this job for a few days in your life." Hearing this sentence, I think they know me very well, I think Know how I was seen by them.After I had cleared up many mysterious circumstances, I realized that two days ago a woman in a carriage got out at the master's door, and that she would not let me be told that she wanted to see me, she hid herself in a window paneled window. Behind the door, from here you can see me working at the end of the workshop; she is kneeling behind the door, and there is a small child beside her, and she hugs the child tightly from time to time, sighing a long time , shed a handful of tears, her painful appearance moved everyone who saw her very much; people saw her almost wanting to run into the workshop several times, and saw her struggling to restrain herself. Only then did she suppress this thought; finally, after looking at me carefully for a long time, she stood up suddenly, hugged the child, and pressed the child's face against hers. , said in a low voice: "No, he will never make you lose your mother, come on, we don't need to stay here any longer." Then she hurried out; When she kept quiet about the matter to me, she got into the carriage and flew away.
They said that their heartfelt sympathy for the venerable lady obliged them to do what they had promised, and she insisted upon them to keep their word; From her dress, and especially from her features, it was obvious that she was a person of high society, and, from her speech and manner, she must be my wife and no one else. Because they would never treat her as my concubine.
Please think about how I felt when I described this incident?What a problem all this says!In order to find my trace, how anxious was my heart, and how much effort was spent inquiring about me!Is all this done by a person who no longer loves me?What a journey!What a noble motive drove her to travel so far!She saw what I was doing!what!This is not the first time, but at that time she didn't kneel and look at me, and she didn't shed tears one by one.O happy days, happy days!What has become of this angel? ...But what is this woman doing here? ...she brought her son...and mine...why? ... Did she come to see me and say something to me? ...Why did you leave quietly again?Is she here to taunt me? ...why are you crying again?This heartless woman, what is the purpose of coming to see me?To insult me while I am suffering?Could it be that she has forgotten that she is meaningless to me?I tried to find fault with her from her visit to me this time, in order to suppress the tenderness that arose in me, and the desire to run after this unfortunate woman, which, despite all my restraints, disturbed me. restless mood.However, I still stand there.I do not think that her action would have meant anything other than to show that she still loved me; and despite my assumption, it did not in any way alter the decision she had prompted me to take.
After carefully studying all the circumstances of her visit, especially after analyzing the last sentence she said before she left here, I think I have found the motive that prompted her to come here, and found out This is what prompted her to leave so suddenly without my seeing her.Sophie's words were very simple, but what she said opened my heart and made me suddenly understand.She said "he will never make you lose your mother" she was worried that I would make my child lose her mother and that was what motivated her to come, she deeply believed that such a thing would not happen and that's why she went back reason.On what basis did she have this confidence?What did she see?Emile is poised, Emile is at work.In this situation, Emile did not give in to his lust at all, and what he did was very reasonable. Apart from these two conclusions, what other conclusions could she draw?The separation of her from her son seemed unreasonable to her, but it seemed reasonable to me.Who is wrong?This can be judged by taking Sophie's words.Indeed, considering the interests of the children alone, is there anything doubtful about this method itself?I only think of separating the child from his mother, but the mother who has lost her child should also be thought of.So it looks like I was wrong.To take a child from a mother is an irreparable loss, especially at her age, which is tantamount to sacrificing the child to avenge the mother's old grievances; Emotional, rather than rational action, cannot be done unless the child's mother is mad or insane.Sophie was exactly the kind of mother my son needed, and if he could have another mother, it would not be as good as this one.When we cannot raise our child together, it shall be her or me; otherwise, to vent my grievances, he shall be orphaned.But what should I do with my son, given the situation I'm in now?I still have enough reason to see what I can and cannot do, though not what I ought to do.Take such a young child out of town, or, in order to despise this woman, I will raise it for her personally?what!For my safety, I should stay as far away from her as possible.However, when the child was handed over to her, she was worried that the father of the child would be pulled back in the end.To avenge me, let him be alone with her, and let him remind her every day of this unfaithful woman's life of the happiness guaranteed to him, of her lost husband.
Of course, the decision to take my son from her was made in a fit of rage.Only in this matter did emotion drive me blindly, and only in this matter did I change my decision.If my family does what I want, and Sophie raises the child, he will live quite well; but there is also the possibility that Sophie will die because of me; or be content to be me wife, never to be united with another man, if so, I will lose the best years of my life, how many sad tears we have to wash away our mistakes, and then we can forget them by our union again Wrong!
We knew each other so well that, as long as I could tell what she expected to happen if we saw each other, I could tell the reason for her sudden departure.I have a good sense but a weak heart, she knows that; I know very well that this noble and proud man is strong even when he is wrong.Sophie didn't want to go back until she was forgiven.She knew her sins would not be forgotten, and she would rather be punished than forgive; forgiveness was unbecoming to her, and punishment would hurt her less and more. suit her heart.She thought that even if she could make up for her fault, she could not make it up; that even if she suffered all that was due, she could not justly pay her debt.That's why she's so bold and rough in her frankness; she tells you, and all my family, about her sins, but never says anything that would excuse her and benefit her; she is So obstinately withholding it, not mentioning a word, that I will not know the reason until she is dead.
Since she no longer worries about losing her son, she doesn't want me to say anything to her.To impress me is to ruin me; the more unseemly she is, the more she will cherish my honor.Sophie could be a criminal, but her chosen husband should not be cowardly.Only she has such excessive self-esteem, and at the same time, maybe only I can see through her psychology.
Even after leaving her, I was grateful to her for showing me the unwiseness of my vengeful decision.On this point she had a good opinion of me, from a fault of observation; but on reflection, I found her to be not; and in my son's interest alone, I thought he ought to be handed over to him as well. Mother, I decided to do it.Now that I had made up my mind, I resolved not to expose his poor father to the dangers he had just passed through.Since I shouldn't be near her anymore, can I stay away from her?Thanks to her, thanks to her coming this time, I got this inspiration; to act on this inspiration, I must never stay here again and let her enlighten me a second time.
I have to escape, this is a major thing I should do, and it is the conclusion I deduced from the reasoning I said earlier.But where to escape?At this point I was always thinking about it, and I didn't see that the choice of place was a very minor matter, since it was enough for me to get away from her.Since it is possible to live or die anywhere, since it is the place where I can only go and live or die there, why should I be so hesitant to consider going to a place?How foolish our self-love is to often expose our nature to care about the little things of life!I can't make up my mind about where to go to live in seclusion. In fact, who ever said that my being here and not being there is a human event, that my weight will upset the balance of the earth?If I had viewed my existence only in terms of what my existence is worth to my fellow beings, I would not have been so anxious to seek my vocations, which do not follow me wherever I go. Yes, a person who likes his vocation can fulfill his vocation as much as he can; I think that no matter where I live, no matter what environment I am in, I should try my best to fulfill my vocation as a human being; if every People live for themselves so well that no one feels that he needs someone to survive.
A wise man lives from day to day, and he does his daily duty around him.Never exceed our abilities, never exceed our lives.My only concern is what I should do today, and I don't know what I should do tomorrow.The thing I should do now is to leave Sophie, I should choose the path which will take me far away from her at once.Let us follow this path.
As soon as I had made up my mind, I proceeded to deal with what I had left in the order of my ideas; I wrote to you, to my family, and to Sophie herself.I have everything arranged, but nothing about myself; I need nothing, I have no servant, no money, no luggage, and especially no desires or concerns, and I walk alone.I've lived among many peoples, I've sailed many seas, I've walked through many deserts, I've wandered here and there for many years, and there's only one thing I've regretted, and yet that's the one thing I'm trying to escape of.If my mind allows me to be at peace, my body will not feel deprived.
Book two
I drank the water that can make people forget the past, everything in the past has disappeared from my memory, and the vast universe has unfolded before my eyes.This passage is what I said when I left my motherland.I am ashamed at the mention of my country, and I harbor contempt and hatred for it, for I derive happiness and respect from myself; my country and its wicked people give me It is calamity that makes me a sacrifice, shame that makes me deeply ashamed.I cut off all ties with my country, and I take the whole world for my country; I can only be a man of the world if I cease to be a citizen.
On a long journey, the reason why we feel that the journey is very difficult is entirely because our destination is far away; if we can reach the destination in one day from where we are now, we will not feel that the journey is difficult. Yes; if we can go day by day to the end of the world, why should we travel so far?When we connected the two ends together, we complained that the distance was too long, and thought it would be better to jump across it at once; Take a walk, and eventually you will reach the end.Travelers always have their own habits, conventions, prejudices, and artificial needs, so that around them, as it were, there is an air circle that separates them from the places they go, and makes them feel that everything is the same as they were originally. Where there is a difference, there are two worlds.A Frenchman always wants to take all of France with him, and when he lacks something that he has in France, he cannot substitute something else of equal value, and is at a loss.When he compares what he sees with what he has been, he feels uncomfortable when he cannot do things as they are; in India, if the bed he sleeps in is not made like the bed he had in Paris. , he couldn't sleep.
As for me, when I want to escape from something, I turn away from it, just as I once turned my back to the shadow of the sun in the woods of Montmorency.Although my walking speed on the road is not fast, but because my heart is very firm and I will never retreat, I can make up for the shortcoming of slow speed.After two days of walking, I passed the border checkpoint, and when I was trying to pass the checkpoint, I had time to think about my affairs.The farther I went, the better I felt, and after I escaped danger, I walked as I liked on the road.As far as the whole plan is concerned, I can carry out as much as I can. The only rule I abide by is: I have to go with the wind. Sometimes I go fast and sometimes I go slowly. It depends on my health, mood and strength. Physical strength is transferred.I don't take it with me, but I have the means of earning a living, so I don't worry about having no car or food.I don't worry about encountering robbers, because my wallet and passport are nothing but my arms, and my clothes are the kitchen cabinets where I put my things; Comfortable to wear and easy to clean up like new even when worn out.Since I didn't wear a traveler's outfit, nor was I in such a hurry, I attracted no attention; and wherever I went, I was taken for a countryman.There is absolutely no such thing as being detained at the border; even if it is detained, it does not matter. Labor; if you want to keep me there forever, it is not difficult for me to stay forever; because I don't seem to be hurrying, in the end, people can let me go wherever I want.Anxiety, as if it were a serious matter, would arouse suspicion; a man who was calm would gain confidence; will let me move freely.
When I can't find work in my trade (which is rare), I do other work.You have given me a universal tool.Sometimes I am a farmer, sometimes a craftsman, sometimes an artist, and sometimes I can even be a talented servant; Knowledge, so whether to take them out and use them can be mastered by myself.One of the results of my education is that when I say I can do a job, I immediately convince others that I can concentrate on that job, because I am very simple and do not covet another job when I have one job. a post.Therefore, what I do is always in line with my status, and people will always let me do it.
If I was sick--and a man of my temperament, who neither eats nor worries too much, works too much, or rests too much, is rarely ill--I would not say a word. Lying on the ground, neither eager to seek medical treatment nor afraid of death.When animals are sick, they don’t eat and stay in one place quietly, or they get better, or they die; I do the same way, and my disease gets better.If I am not satisfied with my position, if I pester people with complaints and complaints over and over again, they may hate me, and they will not be like this now, seeing that I am very patient and treating me very kindly and caring.When they see that I don't bother anyone, and that I don't complain at all, they will show concern for me, and if I ask them hard for such concern, they will refuse it.
I have said a hundred times that the more you force people to treat you like this or that, the more you will make them ignore you; people like to act freely, and the reason why they try to treat you as best they can is to get what you deserve the benefits of.Asking others to do good deeds is tantamount to usurping their rights, and giving alms is tantamount to repaying a debt; a selfish person would rather give a favor than repay a debt.
I travel so far like a pilgrim, without the pomp and pomp of a well-to-do traveler, that people may accuse me of being a vagabond, in which case if I have When I ask myself: "What am I doing? Where am I going? What is my purpose?" I have to ask myself: "What did I do when I was born? What prompted me to do this once and only to die?" travel?" I am doing my mission, I am standing in my place, and I will live my short life in simplicity and innocence; I do not do evil among my fellow men, and thus do evil among them. A great good; when I satisfy the needs of others I satisfy my own; I serve them and never do them harm, and I set them an example of carefree, happy, goodness.I renounce my inheritance, and I live; I do no injustice, and I live; I do not ask for alms, and I live.It is good for others that I earn my own food and clothing, because people will never give away things for nothing without reason.
As it is not my intention to describe my journey from beginning to end, I will omit all incidents which are only momentary.I arrived at Marseilles, and in order to go on my way, I boarded a boat bound for Naples; the boat had to be paid for, and you had already prepared it for me, because you had taught me how to do it ; Sailing in the Mediterranean Sea is not necessarily more difficult than sailing in the Atlantic Ocean. After a few brief conversations, the differences between the two sailings can be clarified.I am a sailor.The captain of this ship is a man with a background, a traitor sent by the enemy.He was once captured by pirates, and it is said that he escaped from the pirates without being discovered by the pirates.Some merchants from Naples called him captain of another ship, this time on his second voyage; and to anyone who would listen, he would tell the story of his life, he was so He loves to boast about himself, so that as long as you act like he likes to listen to him, he will regard you as a bosom friend.His hobbies, like the adventures he tells of, are very eccentric: he is always trying to find ways to amuse and distract his crew; , he fired all night; I never saw a ship whose captain was so merry.
For my part, I am glad that I have exercised my seamanship; and when I am not on watch, I seldom leave my post or the helm.My inexperience was more than made up for by my concentration on maneuvers; and I soon found that our ship was greatly out of course to the west.The bearing lines on the compass were not bad, but the sun and stars seemed to me to be moving so differently from the direction the compass was pointing that I felt that the compass needle must be greatly off.When I told this to the captain, he jeered at me with a long talk of gibberish; and as the sea was breaking up and the sky was overcast at this time, I could not consider what he meant by what he said.We had a strong wind, which carried us into the middle of the sea; for two days it blew, and on the third day we saw land to our left in the distance.I asked the captain what that place was, and he said it was the "holy place of worship," and a sailor thought it was the coast of Sardinia, and they all yelled at him; for, though he was an old seaman, he Like me, I have never seen this coast.
It did not matter to me where we ended up; but what this man had said aroused my curiosity, and I began to poke around the compass case to see if someone had accidentally placed some iron that might have made the compass Needle deviation.Sure enough, I found a huge magnet hidden in one corner of the box!I removed the magnet and the compass returned to its original direction.At the same time someone cried out, "Sailboat." The captain, looking through his glass, said it was a little French ship.As the boat was coming towards us, and we did not avoid it, it was in front of us for a second, so clear, that each of us saw that it was a wild man's boat.The three Neapolitan merchants on board (whose property was in our ship) immediately uttered a cry that shook the sky.Only then did I understand the mystery.I walked up to the captain and whispered in his ear, "Captain, if they catch us, you will lose your life, just wait and see." When he spoke, the tone was so calm that he didn't feel the slightest fear, and he pretended not to hear it.
He ordered resistance.But none of the guns were usable, and we used up so much powder that when it came time to use the two revolving guns, there was only enough powder left for two shots.Our resistance was utterly useless, and when our ship came within their range, they did not even bother to fire their guns, but told us to draw near, and, as soon as the words were spoken, their ship came alongside ours.From the beginning to the present, the captain looked at me unabashedly with suspicion, but as soon as he saw that the pirate had boarded our ship, he stopped paying attention to me and walked towards the pirate with confidence.At this time, I think that I should act as a judge, as an executor of the law, avenge my companions, get rid of this rebellion for mankind, and destroy a monster for the sea.I ran up to him, and shouted to him, "I told you long ago that I will do as I say." With the saber I held in my hand, I chopped off his head with one blow.At this moment, I saw the captain of the pirates coming towards me in a menacing manner. I stood firmly and waited for him, and turned the knife upside down, and sent the hilt to him. "Here, boss," I said to the pirate in Frankish He said, "I have done justice just now, and now it is your turn to do justice." He took the knife and held it up to my head, and I waited silently for him to cut it down; but he smiled After a moment, he stretched out his hand to me, and forbade the pirates to chain me up like the others; he didn't ask me why I had to kill the captain so quickly just now; From this point of view, I think he understands the reason why I do that very well.They gave me such special treatment all the way to Algiers. When we arrived at the port, we were taken off the ship two by two, like hunting dogs, and escorted to prison.
Up to now my whole attention has been absorbed in what I have seen, and therefore I am less concerned about myself.But as soon as the excitement subsided, I turned to consider the change in my present situation, and I had feelings in my mind that made me say to myself with a feeling of satisfaction: "This incident has caused me to lose my life." What? Lost the ability to do stupid things. I am freer than ever." "Emile is a slave!" I went on, "ah! a slave in what sense? In my primitive freedom , what liberties have I lost? Am I not born a slave to need? What new shackles can they put on me? Make me work? When I am free, am I also working? Am I not full? How many times have I voluntarily starved! Call me to suffer? All human violence upon me seems to me nothing more than a grain Sand. Restrain me? Could it be that their restraints are tighter than my original chains? The original chains bound me so tightly that I was unwilling to break free. Since I was born bound by human desires, Someone else or I have to wear this kind of chain for me, because it's not meant to be worn anyway? Who knows whose chain is easier to wear? When I wear someone else's chain, I can at least use mine Reason to ease my desires; has she not many times bound me to my desires? Who can make me wear two chains? Haven't I worn a chain before? Only the slavery of nature is true Man is but the instrument of his slavery. To be butchered by a master, or to be crushed to death by a rock, is one thing to me; in the life of a slave, at its worst , I am no more subject to tyrants than to rocks. Finally, if I have liberty, how can I use it? What can I hope for in my present situation? Ah! for In order not to fall into depression and downfall, when my own lack of will, I need to be inspired by another person's will."
One conclusion I drew from these thoughts was that the changes in my situation were superficial rather than real; will be free; everything depends on things, and is diverted by severe needs, so everyone is very weak; whoever is most able to act according to needs is the freest, because he never compels to do what he does not want do things.
Yes, my father, I may say that my days of servitude were precisely my days of renown, and that I had the best command over myself when I put on the pirate's chains.Since I am swayed by their desires, but do not share them with them, I am best able to understand which desires I have.Their absurdities seem to me more vivid than your education to me, and the philosophy I have learned under these stern teachers is far more useful than the philosophy I have learned from you.
I am their slave, but I have not yet tasted the cruelty I expected.I have been treated badly, but less than they have been treated among us; It is also inevitable that it will not happen.They are not kind, but they are fair. Although we can't get warmth and compassion from them, we don't need to worry about their ill-intentioned and willful behavior towards us.They want us to do as much as we can, but they don't force us to do what we can't do; they never punish a person because of his lack of ability, they punish people only because that person has bad intentions.如果欧洲人在美洲也拿这种正直的心对待黑人的话，黑人的生活就会幸福得很了，可是，由于欧洲人把可怜的黑人只看做是劳动的工具，因此，他完全看黑人对他有什么用，他才决定怎样对待他们；他心目中的公正，是拿他的利益做衡量的标准的。
我换了几次主人，因为据他们说这是把我卖出去了，人还可以拿去卖的吗？他们可以卖我双手做出的东西，但是，我的意志，我的智慧，我这个人，所有这些使我之所以为我而不是另外一个人的东西，当然是不能卖的；关于这一点的论据是：我第一次违反我的所谓的主人的意志行事，我就取得了胜利。这件事情值得叙述一下。
起初，我受到的待遇是相当好的，他们以为我要赎身，可是我攸攸闲闲地呆了几个月，看我自己是不是能领略忧愁烦闷的滋味。最后，他们看见我同欧洲各国的领事和僧侣都没有来往，不仅谁也没有谈论过我的赎金，而且连我自己也好象没有考虑这个问题，因此，他们就想用其他的办法从我身上得到好处；他们叫我去做工。我对他们在对待我的做法上的改变，既不感到吃惊，也不感到生气。我对劳苦的活儿一点也不在乎，反而觉得很有趣味。我想了一个办法走进一个工场去，工场的师傅马上就看出我是内行。我干这门活儿给我的主人赚得的钱，比他原先叫我干的那种活儿赚的钱多，为了他的利益，他就把我安置在那里，认为这样做最好。
我发现，监牢中的老伙伴一个个都走了，有钱赎身的人就赎了身，而不能赎身的人，尽管同我的命运一样，但是他们都没有得到我这样的优厚待遇。其中，有两个马耳他岛上的贵族竟无人过问。他们的家里很穷。教会是不赎这样的俘虏的，神父没有办法赎回所有的人，因此同领事一样，他们自然而然地有所偏心；这种偏心不能说不公正，因为，赎回的人一定要给他们带来更大的好处，他们才优先赎他的。这两个贵族，一个年轻一个年老，他们都受过训练，所以都有长处，但是这种长处在他们目前的处境是无法发挥的。他们有天才，又有手腕，懂拉丁文，还懂文学。他们有可以拿来炫耀和博得赞赏的才能，但是这种才能对做奴隶的人来说，是没有多大用处的。最糟糕的是，他们带着铁链时表现得很不耐心；他们极端吹嘘的哲学，也丝毫没有使这两位骄傲的绅士懂得，应当乖乖地服务于卑贱的人和匪徒；他们一直称他们的主人为卑贱的人和匪徒。我很同情这两个穷人，他们是贵族，所以他们失去了人的地位，没有人的地位，在阿尔及尔就一文不值了，不仅一文不值，而且比一文不值还不如，因为，在海盗当中，一个原来是敌对的海盗，尽管成了奴隶，也不能被看做是一文不值的人的。对于那个年老的贵族，我只能够对他提一点劝告；其实我的劝告完全是多余的，因为他知道的东西比我多，至少就他所炫耀的那门学问来说，他是比我渊博的；他对为人的训诫是彻底了解的，他对种种箴言也是很熟悉的，他所缺乏的是身体力行，他不愿意受需要的桎梏的约束。那个年轻的贵族，比年老的贵族还要急躁，不过，他为人比较热情、活跃和勇敢；他有几次反叛的阴谋和计划全都失败，未能成功，而且，总是计划还没有实行，就被发觉，因此更加深了他的苦难。我竭力勉励他学我的样子，用他的双手做工，以改善他的处境；但是，他把我的忠告当耳边风，满不在乎；他骄傲地对我说，他懂得应该怎样死法。“先生，”我对他说道，“更要紧的是应该懂得怎样生活。”我终于想出了一些减轻他的痛苦的办法，而他也很乐意地怀着感激的心情采纳了我的办法，不过这些办法并未使他领会我的意图。他继续搞他的阴谋，想拚那么一下就完全取得自由；他浮躁不安的思想终于使他的主人（也是我的主人）失去了耐心；我们的主人对他和我都不相信了，对我们两人的关系开始感到怀疑；当我和他谈话的时候，我们的主人以为我是在帮助他搞阴谋，其实我是在尽量劝他不要搞阴谋，我们两个人被转卖给一个公共建筑的承造人，在一个野蛮的监工监督之下干活；这个监工也和我们一样是奴隶，但是，他为了讨好主人，就硬要我们去干那些非人的力量所能胜任的事情。
开头几天，我把那些活儿看得如同儿戏。由于分给我们的工作是相等的，由于我比所有的人都强壮和手脚麻利，所以我总比别人先干完我的活儿，干完以后，我就去帮助那些体力最弱的人，减轻他们一部分工作。可是，那个狗腿子看见我干活勤奋，体力又强，便不许我把这一股劲头用去帮助别人；他把我的工作增加一倍，而且一直逐渐逐渐地往上增加，最后竟把我的话儿增加到那样多，那样重，以致尽管我的精力充沛，但在这样多活儿的重压之下，我马上就有弄垮身体的危险；我的伙伴，不论身体壮的或身体弱的，都吃得很坏，受到恶劣的待遇，在过度的劳累之下，一个个都变得十分的消瘦。
这种情况简直是不能再忍受，因此我决心冒一切危险，摆脱这种处境。我把我的决定告诉那个年轻的贵族，他很兴奋地表示赞成。我很了解他，每当他在大众的眼前时，他总表现出是一个有勇气和有魄力的人，所以，要进行这种英勇的事情，我是很信任他的。我的策略全都是放在我的心里的，要把我的计划付之实行，我也不需要任何人的帮助；不过，这一点的确是对的，即：同我的难友们齐心协力来实行我的计划，其效果要好得多；因此，我决定在把我的计划告诉这个贵族的时候，也同时告诉我的难友。
我费了很大的劲，才使他同意我事先不使用任何诡计而坦率地向伙伴们提出我的计划。我们利用吃饭的时间来谈这件事情，因为吃饭的时候，我们比较集中，主人对我们的监视也比较松懈。我首先用我的本国话向在场的十几位本国同胞讲，我之所以不用法兰克语讲，怕的是被当地的人听见。“伙伴们，”我向他们说道，“仔仔细细地听我讲一讲，按他们加在我身上的工作来看，我剩下的精力还不够两个星期用了，尽管我是大伙儿当中最强壮的人之一；要马上结束这种局面，只有采取一种极其猛烈的手段，要么一下子就把身体彻底弄垮，要么就采取一种防止这种情况的措施。我选择了后一个办法，我决定从明天起拒绝干一切活儿，即使因此而牺牲生命和受到种种可能的对待，也在所不惜。我是算了一算，然后才选择这个办法的。如果我继续象现在这样干下去，不用多久的时间，准定会弄垮身体，一点办法也没有的，可是，我这样拚它几天，就可以取得一个解决的办法。我采取的手段可以吓唬我们的监工，使我们的主人明白他真正的利益何在。如果达不到这个目的，我的命运再坏也不过是这个样子。如果等到我的身体已经弄垮，什么活儿也不能干的时候才采取这个办法，那就为时太晚，得不到效果了；现在，少了我这个人，他们就少得利益；结果我的性命，他们无非省一点粮食罢了。牺牲了我的性命，对他们来说是一项损失，因此，最好就选择这个时候行事。如果你们当中，谁觉得我的话说得对，并且愿意向这个勇敢的贵族学习，采取我这种办法，那么，我们人数一多，效果就愈大，就可以使我们的暴君规矩一点；不过，即使只有他和我愿意这样做，我们也一点不动摇我们的决心，仍然要坚决地拒绝为他们干活，那时候，请你们大家都来作证，看这个办法灵不灵。”
我把这几句简单的话朴朴实实地说出来了，可是受感动的人不多。有五、六个人叫我相信他们是可靠的，说他们也要象我那样干。其余的人没有发言，静静地站着。那位贵族对这种沉默的表示感到不满，于是就用他的本国话向大家慷慨激昂地发表意见。由于人数很多，所以他就大声地把我们目前的境遇以及主人和监工的残酷做了一番动人的描写；他通过对我们的恶劣处境的描写，引起了大家的愤慨，使大家产生了火热的复仇心；最后，他对不惧苦刑、能战胜强暴的人大大地赞赏了一番，从而把在场的人的勇气鼓动到这样的程度，以致大伙儿都喊叫起来，打断了他的话，发誓要学我们的榜样，至死也不动摇。
第二天，正如我们所料到的，当我们一拒绝工作，我们马上就受到残酷的虐待；可是我们两个人，还有三四位老伙伴，对这些残酷的虐待满不在乎，连气都不吭一声。那位贵族鼓动的效果并不十分持久。他那些闹闹嚷嚷的本国伙伴，几分钟以后就不能坚持，挨了一阵牛筋鞭子以后，就象羊羔似地又乖乖地去干活儿。那位贵族对这种懦弱的表现感到愤慨，因此，当监工去打他的时候，他就破口大骂，可是那些人却不听他的。我竭力叫他逃跑，这个办法我早就考虑过，而且也向他讲过。我知道，漂亮的讲话的效果是很好的，不过是暂时的。容易受言辞激动的人，也同样是容易冷下来的。冷静而严正地讲道理，是不能煽动人们的狂热的，但是，一到这些道理深入人心，则产生的效果是永远不会消失的。
那些可怜的人的懦弱表现，却产生了一个我预料不到的结果，其所以会产生这种结果，我认为是由于一种民族的好胜心，再加上我坚定而沉着的模范行为。在法国人当中，有几个人并没有跟着我做，但是，当他们看见那些人又去做工的时候，便吆喝他们，同他们远远地离开，并且，为了嘲弄他们的那种胆怯样子，都来到我的身边，这种行为也带动了其他的人，顷刻间到处都发出了一片造反的声音，以致惊动主人亲自来弹压。
我们的监工说了些什么话去开脱自己的责任和唆使主人来镇压我们，这你是可以想象得到的。他马上指着我说是这次骚乱的主谋，是造反的人的头子，说我企图利用这种暴乱来吓唬人。主人看着我，说道：“是你带坏了我的奴隶吗？刚才指控你的话，你已经听见了；如果你有什么话要分辩的，那就说吧。”一个贪得无厌的人面临破产的危险，尽管盛怒已极，但也能显得如此地克制，这一点，不能不使我感到惊异，因为，在这种情况下，要是一位欧洲的主人的话，由于利欲熏心，不但不听我分辩，反倒早已打了我一千皮鞭。“主人，”我用法兰克话向他说道，“你不能怨我们，你对我们的情况一点不了解；我们也不怨你，我们所受的苦不是你造成的，你根本不晓得。我们知道要担负需要的枷锁，服从于你。我们毫不吝惜我们的气力为你干活，因为命运已经注定我们要干这种活儿；可是，由于你那位监工叫我们超过我们的体力去干，这就等于是在使我们丧失体力，等于是在用搞垮我们身体的办法来搞垮你的财产。请你相信我的话，派一个比较贤明的人来管理，因为这个监工随心所欲地滥用权力，对你不利。合理地分配工作，我们也不会少干你的活儿，而且这样，你的奴隶都会勤奋地干，日子一久，你所得的利益，比他这样用加重我们劳累的办法给你带来的利益多得多。我们的苦是应该诉的，我们的要求也是很微少的。如果你不理睬我们的要求的话，我们就照我们的计划行事；你那位监工已经尝到过那种滋味，你也可以尝一尝。”
我说完就不作声，那个监工企图答辩，主人不准许他讲话。他用眼睛一个个地打量我的伙伴，他们苍白的脸色和瘦弱的身体证明我的指控是真实的，同时，他们坚定的神情表明他们绝不是害怕威胁的人。跟着，他又重新把我仔细地端详了一下，说道：“你好象是一个明理的人，我想看一看你讲的办法对不对。你指责那个监工的行为，好吧，让我们瞧一瞧你做监工是怎么做的。现在，我叫你去担任他的工作，叫他来做你的事情。”他一下命令，人们马上就取掉我身上的铁链，并且把它拿去戴在那个监工的身上。这一切都是当场办理，顷刻实现的事情。
我无须向你叙述我在我的新岗位上是怎样做法的，因为这不是我要在这里论述的主要问题。我的勇敢的行为传出去了，主人是有意把它散布出去成为阿尔及尔的一条新闻的；最后，连总督也听到我的事情了，因此他想见一见我。主人把我带去见他，并且发现总督很喜欢我，于是就把我送给总督。这样一来，你的爱弥儿又成为阿尔及尔总督的奴隶了。
我在这个新的工作岗位上所遵循的办事法则，是从我早已知晓的原理中推演出来的；这些原理，在我们游历的旅途中曾经讨论过；尽管它们是应用在我所处的境地中，而且也应用得不完全，范围也很小，但是，其效果还是十分可靠，一点不差的。经过的细节，我就不讲了，因为这在你和我之间是用不着讲的。我的成功，赢得了我的主人的尊敬。
阿桑-奥格路是通过最光荣的道路而取得最高的权柄的，因为，他是一个普通的水兵，是一级一级地在海军和国民军中提升为国家领导人之一的，并且，在他的前任死了以后，土耳其人和摩尔人，军人和法官，都一致选举他继掌大权。他所治理的是一个野蛮不驯的民族，是时起兵变、唯恐天下不乱的杂牌军队，这些人，连自己要做些什么也不明白，他们只知道骚动，不管事情搞不搞得好，只要把事情搞个两样就行了，但即使这样，阿桑拉奥格路也光荣地担任了那个艰难的职位达十二年之久。在他的治理之下，尽管未满足人们所预期的希望，但是人们对他还是无可指责的。在他执政期间，国家是相当的安定，一切都比从前好，商业和农业很发达，海军很强盛，人人有饭吃。但是，从他成效卓著的措施中，人们丝毫没有……