With the Bennett sisters among her most famous creations, it comes as no surprise that Jane Austen left most of her worldly assets to her own sibling, according to her will published online today.
根据日前在网上公布的英国女作家简·奥斯汀的遗嘱,她将自己的大部分遗产都留给了自己的兄弟姐妹,对此我们并不吃惊——这位作家曾经创作了文学史上著名的班纳特姐妹形象,可见她对手足之情的重视。
The novelist's last request was for her 'dearest' sister Cassandra to receive all of her possessions, worth around £800 (more than £27,000 today), spare the cost of her funeral, £50 - the equivalent of £1,700 in today's money - to her brother Henry and another £50 to his cook.
这位小说家最后的愿望是,希望她“最亲爱的” 姐姐卡桑德拉接受她的全部财产,约为800英镑(相当于今天的2.7万英镑),除了她的葬礼花销,奥斯汀还给弟弟亨利和弟弟的厨师各留下50英镑(相当于当今的1700英镑)。
Austen's will was among a collection of thousands, including those of William Shakespeare and Sir Francis Drake, which were published online for the first time today.
除了奥斯汀的遗嘱,日前网上还首次公布了其他很多英国名人的遗嘱,如威廉·莎士比亚和冒险家弗朗西斯·德瑞克爵士。
According to his will, William Shakespeare left £150 (£14,400 today) to his daughter Judith in 1616, and famously decreed that his 'second best bed' should go to his wife Anne.
英国最著名的剧作家莎士比亚在他1616年订立的遗嘱中,给女儿留下了150英镑(相当于今天的1.44万英镑)。莎士比亚的遗嘱中很著名的一条,是把“第二好的床”留给了自己的妻子安妮。
Sir Francis Drake, who died of dysentery at the age of 55 in January 1596, left £40 (£4,000 today) to the 'poor people' of Plymouth.
伊丽莎白一世时代的航海家和冒险家德瑞克给普莱茅斯的“穷人” 们留下40英镑(相当于今天的4000英镑)。他在1596年1月因痢疾去世,享年55岁。
Miriam Silverman of Ancestry.co.uk said: 'These probate records provide fascinating insight into the final fortunes of some of our nation's most famous names. They are an incredibly valuable family history resource, covering a period in history from which few official documents remain.'
Ancestry网站的米里亚姆·希尔曼说:“这些遗嘱文件生动地展现了英国历史上一些最著名的人物生前最后的财产状况。这些文件是极为珍贵的家族史资源。它所涵盖的历史时期在其它官方文件中很罕有体现。”