小客棧的樂趣

We dined at an excellent inn at Chapelhouse， where Dr. Johnson expatiated on the felicity of England in its taverns and inns， and triumphed over the French for not having， in any perfection， the tavern life. “There is no private house，” said he， “in which people can enjoy themselves so well as at a capital tavern.” Let there be ever so great plenty of good things， ever so much grandeur， ever so much elegance， ever so much desire that everybody should be easy， in the nature of things it cannot be： there must always be some degree of care and anxiety.

The master of the house is anxious to entertain his guests； the guests are anxious to be agreeable to him； and no man but a very impudent dog indeed can as freely command what is in anothers house as if it were his own. Whereas at a tavern there is a general freedom from anxiety.

You are sure you are welcome； the more noise you make， the more trouble you give， the more good things you call for， the more welcome you are. No servants will attend you with the alacrity which waiters do， who are excited with the prospect of an immediate reward in proportion as they please.

No， sir； there is nothing which has as yet been contrived by man， by which so much happiness is produced as by a good tavern or inn.

我們在查普爾壕斯一家極好的小客棧里吃飯，約翰遜博士在那兒詳細敘述了英格蘭的小客棧和小旅館的妙處，并得意揚揚地指出法國人沒有這等完美的小客棧生活。“任何私人住宅，”他說，“都不能使人們像在一家頂好的小客棧里那樣舒適、愉快。”盡管那里好東西應有盡有，盡管屋宇是那樣的宏偉，陳設是那樣的雅致，盡管主人一心一意要讓每個人都感到自由自在，而實際上這是不可能實現的。相反，人們在那里總是有一定程度的顧慮。

主人要小心地招待客人，客人要留神地迎合主人。除了非常無禮的魯莽家伙，絕沒有人在別人的屋子里會像在自己家里那樣可以隨心所欲、頤指氣使。然而在小客棧里就根本沒有這種顧慮。

在這里，你肯定是受歡迎的。你嗓門越大，你越添麻煩，你要的好東西越多，你就越受歡迎。沒有一個仆人會像受到小費刺激的店倌那樣殷勤地侍候你，因為你對店倌的侍候越中意，你給小費就越慷慨。

沒有的，先生，在人類迄今所創造的一切事物中，沒有什么能像一家優美的鄉村小客棧或者小旅館那樣給人們提供那么多的樂趣。

作者：詹姆斯·鮑斯韋爾（1740—1795），是英國家喻戶曉的文學大師、現代傳記文學的開創者，出生在蘇格蘭貴族家庭。