Part 23

+Weil ich mir stets die größte Mühe gebe.+

trifling matters, +Kleinigkeiten+; ‘was — importance’, say ‘he showed also in more important matters’ (+Angelegenheiten+).

and — nothing, +und er erwarb sich seinen Ruf dadurch, daß er nichts für zu gering erachtete+.

Section 28.

THE MAGNA CHARTA.

The great-grandsons of those who had fought under William, and the great-grandsons of those who had fought under Harold, began to draw near to each other in friendship, and the first pledge of their reconciliation was the Great Charter, won by their united exertions, and framed for their common benefit. Here commences the history of the English nation. The history of the preceding events is the history of wrongs inflicted and sustained by various tribes, which, indeed, all dwelt on English ground, but which regarded each other with aversion such as has scarcely ever existed between communities separated by physical barriers.—MACAULAY, HISTORY OF ENGLAND.

+Die ‘Magna Charta’ ist der am 19ᵗᵉⁿ Juni 1215 dem König Johann ohne Land abgerungene Staatsgrundvertrag, welcher als Grundlage der englischen Verfassung gilt.+

‘of those — Harold’. These two clauses are best rendered in a contracted form, thus: ‘of the men who had fought under W. and H.’

to draw near to each other, +sich einander nähern+; in friendship, +freundschaftlich+, adv.

+die Magna Charta.+

The two clauses containing the two p. ps. must be turned into one contracted relative clause, as explained in S. 7, N. 3, B. Use the verbs in the Impf. of the Passive Voice. To frame, +entwerfen+.

+Ereignis+, n.

The two p. ps. qualifying ‘wrongs’ (+Unbilden+) should be placed before that noun, as explained in S. 7, N. 3, A; of, +von+; to inflict, +verüben+; to sustain, +erleiden+; by — tribes, +verschiedener Volksstämme+.

+zwar+; on = upon; ground = soil.

but — aversion = but (+jedoch+) showed such an aversion against one another. =The Article=, when used in connection with adjectives and adverbs, stands in German generally before those words: such an aversion, +~einen solchen~ Widerwillen+. Since the clause to be translated is in reality but a part of the preceding relative clause, which it completes, the verb must be placed?

such as, +wie+, after which supply the pron. +er+, to give more distinctness to the rendering; to exist, +bestehen+; communities = nations.

+welche durch natürliche Grenzen von einander getrennt sind.+

Section 29.

HONESTY.

Mr. Denham had been in business at Bristol, had failed, compounded, and gone to America. There, by a close application to business as a merchant, he acquired a plentiful fortune in a few years. Returned to England, he invited his old creditors to an entertainment, at which he thanked them for the easy terms (S. 16, N. 10) they had favoured him with, and, though the guests had expected nothing but a good treat, every man, at the first remove, found to his astonishment a cheque under his plate for the full amount of the unpaid remainder, with interest.—DR. B. FRANKLIN.

‘Mr. — Bristol’, translate ‘Mr. D. had had a business at (+in+) B.’, and place the object after the adverbial circumstance of place.

to fail (in business) +fallieren+; to compound, +accordieren+. Verbs from the Latin with the termination +~ieren~+ do not admit of the prefix or augment +~ge~+ in the Past Participle, but follow in all other respects the weak or modern form of conjugation.

Say ‘and was gone to America’. The verb +~gehen~+ is always construed with +=sein=+, which auxiliary is especially =used with Intransitive Verbs= denoting a Passive State of the subject, a change from one State into another, or a Motion, if the place to which the motion is directed, or from which it proceeds, is either expressed or understood.

The words ‘he acquired’ (+erlangen+) should, in an inverted form (App. § 14), follow the adverb ‘There’; ‘by — merchant’, +durch unablässige kaufmännische Thätigkeit+.

plentiful = great. For the position of the object see App. § 9.

+Nach England zurückgekehrt+; entertainment = meal; at which, +wobei+.

+bequem+; terms, +Bedingungen+.

to favour a person with something, +einem etwas gewähren+ (v. tr.); nothing but, +nur+; treat, +Schmaus+, m.