[請益] Speenhamland
以下是一段關於Speenhamland System的內容以及自己試譯
有些語句不通或者怪怪的地方希望能一起討論
The Speenhamland System was a method of giving relief to the poor, based on
the price of bread and the number of children a man had. It further
complicated the 1601 Elizabethan Poor Law because it allowed the able-bodied
- those who were able to work - to draw on the poor rates. It was set up in
the Berkshire village of Speen by local magistrates who held a meeting at the
Pelican Inn on 6 May 1795. They felt that 'the present state of the poor law
requires further assistance than has generally been given them'. A series of
bad harvests had put wheat in short supply and consequently the price of
bread had risen sharply. The situation was made worse by the growing
population and because of the French Wars. This meant that grain could not be
imported from Europe. Things were so bad that famine was a distinct
possibility and there was a fear among the ruling classes that the lower
orders might be tempted to emulate the French, and revolt. There had been a
spate of food riots in the spring of 1795.
史賓漢連制是一項以麵包價格以及孩子數量為基礎的緩和窮人負擔的方法。由於此法案適
用於有生產能力者，使得窮人法的使用上更加困難。此法案是在1975年的5月6日經由柏克
夏爾村落的地方官員制定。他們覺得現行的窮人法需要更多的補充。一連串的收穫淡季使
得小麥的供給短缺並導致麵包價格的急速攀升。此情況也因為擴張的人口以及法國戰爭而
更加惡化。因為這意味著英國無法從歐洲進口糧食。而更糟糕的是逐漸嚴重的飢荒問題以
及統治階級們對底層人民可能造反的恐懼，就像在法國發生的那樣。在1975年的春天英國
面臨嚴重的糧食問題。
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最後一句單獨放怎麼看都很奇怪，不知道該怎麼讓他變得更融入這段內文裡面。
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The magistrates decided to bring in an allowance scale. The idea was that a
labourer would have his income supplemented to subsistence level by the
parish: a type of 'top-up' on very low wages. The magistrates also suggested
that farmers and other employers should increase the wages of their
employees, but this latter idea met with little success. The idea of these
allowances spread rapidly in the south of England and it is thought that the
system saved many families from starvation. Although this method of poor
relief was not a national system it was particularly common in the so-called
'Swing' counties. However, as time passed, contemporary writers, such as
Thomas Malthus, said that the system tended to increase the population
because it encouraged labourers to marry earlier than they might have done;
it was also believed that it encouraged couples to have more children so the
family could claim on the poor rates.
地方官員們制訂了一項補貼制度。這項制度使得勞工們可以獲得地方的收入津貼達到其能
維持生存的條件，也就是所謂的"加薪"給那些僅得低廉工資者。而這些地方官員們也建議
農人及其他雇主最好增加雇員的工資，但這項提議並無太大成效。這項制度很快地遍行整
個英格蘭南部地區並被視為一個拯救許多家庭免於挨餓的方法。儘管這項制度並未擴展至
全國領域，但也在所謂的"搖擺"郡之內普遍實施。然而，經過一段時間後，當代的作家，
例如馬爾薩斯認為這項制度會鼓勵勞工提早結婚年齡且生育更多小孩以達到獲得補貼的標
準，進而導致人口的增長。
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第三行裡面的top-up字典查到為"追加的貸款"在這邊試譯作"加薪"，但還是覺得有更好的
中文詞對應。
'Swing' counties應該就是我們中文所說的'中立選區'的概念，但在這段文章中並沒有
選區的意思 (當時也還沒有選舉，而這看起來也不像是對於這項制度的態度），
有板友對當時英格蘭歷史比較熟悉的能幫在下解惑嗎?
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感謝~!
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