Benjamin Franklin
... having, in 1742, invented an open stove for the better warming of rooms, and at the same time saving fuel, as the fresh air admitted was warmed in entering, I made a present of the model to Mr. Robert Grace, one of my early friends, who, having an iron-furnace, found the casting of the plates for these stoves a profitable1thing, as they were growing in demand. To promote that demand, I wrote and published a pamphlet,... This pamphlet had a good effect. Governor Thomas was so pleased with the construction of this stove, as described in it, that he offered to give me a patent for the sole vending of them for a term of years; but I declined it2from a principle which has ever weighed with me on such occasions, viz., that, as we enjoy great advantages from the inventions of others, we should be glad of an opportunity to serve others by an invention of ours; and this we should do freely and generously.
An iron-monger in London, however, assuming3a good deal of my pamphlet, and working3 it up into his own, and making some small changes in the machine, which rather hurt its operation, got a patent for it there, and made, as I was told, a little fortune by it. And this
cast v. 铸造
pamphlet n. 小册子
patent n. 专利权
sole adj. 独享的
sole vending (vend) v. 独家销售
decline v. 拒绝
iron-monger n. 小五金商
assume v. 夺取
contest v. 争论
is not the only instance of patents taken out for my inventions by others, though not always with the same success, which I never contested, as having no desire of profiting1 by patents myself, and hating disputes.
— Benjamin Franklin
中译 无意发财（富兰克林）
1742年，我发明了一种敞开式炉子，用于改进室内取暖。同时，这种取暖炉能够节省燃料，因为新鲜空气在进入室内时就被加热了。我把这种炉子的样品作为礼物送给我的老友罗伯特·格雷斯先生。他有一只熔铁炉，发现浇铸这种炉子的金属板有利可图，因为这种金属板的需求量正在增长。为了促进这种需求，我撰写并出版了一本小册子，这本小册子的效果颇佳。汤姆斯总督对小册子中所描绘的炉子的结构极为满意，表示要给我为期若干年独家经营的专利权。但是我婉言拒绝了，这是由于在这种场合有一准则对我是很重要的，即当我们受益于他人的发明创造时，我们应当为有机会利用自己的发明创造为他人服务而感到高兴。这种事情我们不应该索取报偿，而应该慷慨大方。
然而，伦敦的一个小五金商僭取了我小册子上的大量内容，归入了他自己的发明。他只是对炉子作了一些小小的改动。这反而使炉子的运作受到损害。他在当地获得了专利权。有人对我说，他因此还发了小财。别人拿我的发明作为自己的专利，不只是这一例，尽管他们并不都获得成功。我从不为此与他们争辩，因为我没有靠专利发财的愿望，而我也不喜欢与人争辩。
——〔美〕富兰克林
原来如此！
Benjamin Franklin（富兰克林，1706-1790），美国政治家、哲学家、科学家。他是美国启蒙运动的开创者、美国独立革命的领导人之一。他参加了许多重要的活动，如起草《独立宣言》（1776）、出使法国（1776-1785）、与英国签订承认美国独立的和约（1783）等。他有不少科学研究和发明，其中避雷针（lightning rod）为世人皆知。他著述甚多，代表作有《自传》（Autobiography）。本篇轶事即选自该书。
成功的科学家往往醉心研究、发现、发明。他们伟大之处在于只求完成发明，为人类服务，而不求名利。
增值英语
1 a profitable thing / no desire of profiting
由 profit 衍生出来的词汇有：profitable（adj. 有利可图的）；profiting / to profit from（v. 赚取利润）；profitless（adj. 无利
55
可图的）；profit-making（adj./n. 牟利的）；nonprofit-making（adj. 非牟利的）；profiteering（n. 牟取暴利、投机倒把）。
Certain businesses are more profitable than others. 有些生意比其他生意更赚钱。
This school is run on a nonprofit-making basis. 这所学校不以牟利为目的。
Profiteering has undermined the economy. 投机倒把活动破坏了经济。
We can always profit from reading. 我们从读书中总能得到益处。
2 ...but I declined it...
to decline sth / to-v. 婉言拒绝，谢绝= to refuse（拒绝）/ to reject（拒绝 / 摈弃）。decline 语气最轻；reject 最重：
We sent him an invitation but he declined (the invitation). 我们给他发出邀请，但他谢绝了。
He declined to say more about it. 他婉言拒绝对此说更多的情况。
I refused his invitation politely. 我婉言拒绝了他的邀请。
3 An ironmonger, assuming..., working..., and making..., got a patent...
句式 这里用了分词（participle），把原本多句 An ironmonger assumed... He worked... He made and he got a patent 串成一句，列出了各动作的先后次序：
He is a good boy, always listening attentively in class, doing his homework properly, being polite to others and helping his classmates in need. 他是一个好孩子，一向在上课时留心听讲，在家认真做作业，对人有礼貌，帮助有困难的同学。
If a man empties his purse into his head,
名言
no one can take it from him. — Benjamin Franklin
如果一个人倾其所有的金钱用于装备头脑，是没有人拿得走的。——富兰克林