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The Awakening of Europe, 32. The Dutch at Sea

32. The Dutch at Sea

"To navigate is necessary, to live is not." —Motto of the Hanseatic League.

The Thirty Years' War was over. A general peace had been made, which included most of the nations of Europe. Holland and Spain made peace, too, after long years of fighting, and the King of Spain admitted that Holland was now free—no longer dependent on Spain.

The little country reclaimed from the sea had never been so great before. She made the most of her opportunity, and soon rose to be foremost amid all the nations of Europe. Ever a sea-faring people, it was now to the sea that they again turned. Commerce was almost as necessary to Holland as the religious liberty for which she had fought so long. Since the days when the Beggars of the Sea had taken Brille, and the fireships of Antwerp had helped in the defeat of the Spanish Armada, her sea-power had been rapidly growing. If England had formed an East India Company, Holland had followed her quickly with a Dutch East India Company. And even before the death of Sir Walter Raleigh her ships had outwitted those of England.

"The Hollanders send into France, Spain, Portugal, and Italy," he cried to his king, "with Baltic produce about 2000 merchant ships, and we have none. They traffic into every city and port around about this land with five or six hundred ships, and we into three towns in their country with forty ships." So the ships of Holland grew and multiplied; they were better and faster than the English; they had ousted the Portuguese from their strong positions in the East. To carry on better their trade with India and the Spice Islands, the Dutch had built themselves a town in the Island of Java. It was like a miniature Amsterdam, with its busy dockyards, its crowded wharfs, its shaded canals, and its huge warehouses. Indeed it was built upon a swamp and called after their old country, Batavia. It soon became the headquarters of the Dutch East India Company, and is to-day the centre of the Dutch colonial empire.

Here, at Batavia, they shipped the spices which made their country so wealthy. It is hard to understand how eagerly our forefathers loved these Eastern spices. Ginger, pepper, mace, nutmegs—these were always in great demand, and at feasts in Europe a seat near the spice-box was the seat of honour.

The sale of these spices brought untold wealth into Holland, as they would let no one else sell them. So the Dutch people bought nutmegs at 4d. per lb. in the East to sell them at 3s. per lb. in Europe.

Pepper, which cost 2 ½ d. per lb. out there, was sold at nearly 2s. elsewhere.

Not only did they sail to the East, but also to the West. One day a Dutch admiral, Piet Hein, chased some Spanish ships in the Atlantic. They were bringing home to Spain a rich cargo of silver from Mexico, all of which Piet Hein captured.

"Piet Hein. Short is his name. But great is his fame, For the silver fleet he's ta'en," sang his countrymen as they stored their riches at Amsterdam.

All their riches and merchandise the Dutch stored at Amsterdam. There they built warehouses supported on piles driven into the swampy soil, in which they stowed the treasures of the world, until Amsterdam was the most famous city in Europe.

Not only was Holland teaching the rest of the world the value of the sea, but she was teaching them how to make more of the land. As soon as peace had come to the country the people had begun to reclaim more land for cultivation. They pumped and pumped till they had got a great piece of rich meadow-land from what had been a vast shallow lake of water. The cattle grazing on this land became the finest in Europe; the produce of Dutch dairies found a ready market in foreign countries.

Then, too, their market-gardens were better than any of their neighbours. They cultivated and exported potatoes and turnips nearly a century before England. They discovered the use of clover and improved grasses for fodder.

Keen as they were after profit to be obtained by trade, diligent in working out the resources of their country, they were also distinguished in art, literature, and painting. They had their artists in Rembrandt and Vandyke, their poet in Vondel.

Toward the end of the seventeenth century the Dutch were more famous by land and sea than any other nation in Europe. They were also the first to colonise the Cape of Good Hope, on the site now occupied by Cape Town.

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32. The Dutch at Sea 32. Die Niederländer auf See 32. Los holandeses en el mar 32. Les Hollandais en mer 32. Gli olandesi in mare 32.海上のオランダ人 32. 바다의 네덜란드 32. Olandai jūroje 32. Os holandeses no mar 32. Голландцы на море 32. Hollandalılar Denizde 32. Голландці в морі 32. 海上的荷兰人 32. 海上的荷蘭人

"To navigate is necessary, to live is not." |导航|||||| "Navigare è necessario, vivere no". "航行することは必要だが、生きることは必要ではない" "航行是必要的,生活并非如此。" —Motto of the Hanseatic League. |||汉萨同盟|汉萨同盟 —Motto van de Hanze. ——汉萨同盟的座右铭。

The Thirty Years' War was over. 三十年戦争は終わった。 三十年战争结束了。 A general peace had been made, which included most of the nations of Europe. ヨーロッパのほとんどの国を含む一般的な講和が結ばれていた。 Holland and Spain made peace, too, after long years of fighting, and the King of Spain admitted that Holland was now free—no longer dependent on Spain. オランダとスペインも長年の戦いの末に和平を結び、スペイン国王はオランダがもはやスペインに依存することなく自由であることを認めた。

The little country reclaimed from the sea had never been so great before. Il piccolo paese strappato al mare non era mai stato così grande. 海から埋め立てられた小さな国は、かつてこれほど素晴らしいものではなかった。 Маленькая страна, отвоеванная у моря, еще никогда не была так велика. 这个从海里恢复的国家从未如此伟大过。 She made the most of her opportunity, and soon rose to be foremost amid all the nations of Europe. 彼女はそのチャンスを最大限に生かし、やがてヨーロッパのあらゆる国の中でトップの座に上り詰めた。 她充分利用了自己的机会,不久就在欧洲各国中脱颖而出。 Ever a sea-faring people, it was now to the sea that they again turned. Da sempre popolo di navigatori, si rivolgevano di nuovo al mare. 海の民であった彼らは、再び海に向かった。 作为一个常年以海为生的民族,他们再次转向了大海。 Commerce was almost as necessary to Holland as the religious liberty for which she had fought so long. オランダにとって商業は、長い間戦ってきた宗教的自由と同じくらい必要なものだった。 对于荷兰来说,商业几乎与她为之奋斗了很久的宗教自由同样重要。 Since the days when the Beggars of the Sea had taken Brille, and the fireships of Antwerp had helped in the defeat of the Spanish Armada, her sea-power had been rapidly growing. ||||||||||占领|布里尔|||||安特卫普|||||||||||||||| منذ الأيام التي استولى فيها متسولو البحر على بريل ، وساعدت حرائق أنتويرب في هزيمة الأسطول الأسباني ، كانت قوتها البحرية تنمو بسرعة. Dai giorni in cui i Mendicanti del Mare avevano preso Brille e le navi da fuoco di Anversa avevano contribuito alla sconfitta dell'Armada spagnola, la sua potenza marittima era cresciuta rapidamente. 海の乞食たちがブリーユを占領し、アントワープの消防船がスペイン艦隊の撃退に貢献した時代から、その海上権力は急速に拡大していた。 Sinds de dagen dat de Geuzen van de Zee Brille hadden ingenomen en de brandschepen van Antwerpen hadden geholpen bij de nederlaag van de Spaanse Armada, was haar zeemacht snel gegroeid. 自从海盗占领布里尔和安特卫普的火船帮助击败西班牙无敌舰队以来,她的海权迅速增强。 If England had formed an East India Company, Holland had followed her quickly with a Dutch East India Company. |||||||公司||||||||||| إذا كانت إنجلترا قد شكلت شركة الهند الشرقية ، فقد تبعتها هولندا بسرعة مع شركة الهند الشرقية الهولندية. イングランドが東インド会社を設立すれば、オランダはすぐにオランダ東インド会社を設立した。 如果英国成立了东印度公司,那么荷兰很快也成立了荷兰东印度公司。 And even before the death of Sir Walter Raleigh her ships had outwitted those of England. ||||||沃尔特·罗利爵士|沃尔特|拉尔赫||||智胜||| ウォルター・ローリー卿が亡くなる前から、彼女の船はイングランドの船を凌駕していた。 甚至在沃尔特·雷利爵士去世之前,她的船只已经智胜了英国的船只。

"The Hollanders send into France, Spain, Portugal, and Italy," he cried to his king, "with Baltic produce about 2000 merchant ships, and we have none. ||派遣|||||||||||||||大约|||||| 「オランダ人はフランス、スペイン、ポルトガル、イタリアに商船を送り込んでいる。 They traffic into every city and port around about this land with five or six hundred ships, and we into three towns in their country with forty ships." 彼らは5、600隻の船でこの土地のあらゆる町や港に出入りしており、我々は40隻の船で彼らの国の3つの町に出入りしている」。 So the ships of Holland grew and multiplied; they were better and faster than the English; they had ousted the Portuguese from their strong positions in the East. |||||||繁殖|||||||||||驱逐||||||强势地位||| オランダの船はイギリスよりも速く、優れており、東洋における強固な地位からポルトガルを追放した。 所以荷兰的舰队不断壮大和增加;他们比英国的舰队更好更快;他们已经将葡萄牙人驱逐出他们在东方的坚固据点。 To carry on better their trade with India and the Spice Islands, the Dutch had built themselves a town in the Island of Java. |||||||||||群岛||||||||||||爪哇岛 Per proseguire meglio il loro commercio con l'India e le isole delle spezie, gli olandesi si erano costruiti una città nell'isola di Giava. インドや香辛料諸島との貿易をより円滑に進めるため、オランダ人はジャワ島に町を建設した。 为了更好地与印度和香料群岛开展贸易,荷兰人在爪哇岛建立了一个城镇。 It was like a miniature Amsterdam, with its busy dockyards, its crowded wharfs, its shaded canals, and its huge warehouses. |||||阿姆斯特丹|||||||码头||||||| 賑やかな造船所、混雑した埠頭、木陰の運河、巨大な倉庫など、まるでアムステルダムのミニチュアのようだった。 它就像一个迷你阿姆斯特丹,有繁忙的船坞、拥挤的码头、阴凉的运河和巨大的仓库。 Indeed it was built upon a swamp and called after their old country, Batavia. ||||||沼泽|||||||巴达维亚 Infatti è stata costruita su una palude e chiamata come il loro vecchio paese, Batavia. 実際、ここは沼地の上に建てられ、彼らの祖国バタビアにちなんでこう呼ばれた。 确实它建在沼泽上,并以他们的老国名巴塔维亚命名。 It soon became the headquarters of the Dutch East India Company, and is to-day the centre of the Dutch colonial empire. やがてオランダ東インド会社の本部となり、現在ではオランダ植民地帝国の中心地となっている。 它很快成为荷兰东印度公司的总部,至今是荷兰殖民帝国的中心。

Here, at Batavia, they shipped the spices which made their country so wealthy. ||||运送|||||||| Qui, a Batavia, imbarcarono le spezie che resero il loro Paese così ricco. ここバタビアで、彼らは自国をこれほど裕福にした香辛料を出荷した。 在这里,巴塔维亚,他们运送了使他们的国家如此富裕的香料。 It is hard to understand how eagerly our forefathers loved these Eastern spices. ||||||热切地||祖先|||| 私たちの祖先がどれほど熱心に東洋のスパイスを愛したか、理解するのは難しい。 理解我们的祖先是多么热爱这些东方香料是很困难的。 Ginger, pepper, mace, nutmegs—these were always in great demand, and at feasts in Europe a seat near the spice-box was the seat of honour. 姜|||肉豆蔻|||||||||||||||||||||| 生姜、胡椒、メース、ナツメグ......これらは常に需要が高く、ヨーロッパの祝宴では、香辛料入れの近くの席が名誉の席だった。 姜、胡椒、肉豆蔻——这些香料一直是需求量很大的,在欧洲的宴会上,靠近香料盒的座位是荣誉座位。

The sale of these spices brought untold wealth into Holland, as they would let no one else sell them. La vendita di queste spezie portò all'Olanda un'incalcolabile ricchezza, poiché non le lasciarono vendere a nessun altro. このスパイスの販売は、オランダに計り知れない富をもたらした。 这些香料的销售给荷兰带来了无法估量的财富,因为他们不允许其他人出售这些香料。 So the Dutch people bought nutmegs at 4d. |||||肉豆蔻|| Così gli olandesi compravano le noci moscate a 4d. だからオランダ人はナツメグを4dで買った。 所以荷兰人以4便士的价格购买肉豆蔻, per lb. |每磅 per libbra. 每磅, in the East to sell them at 3s. 然后以3先令的价格出售。 per lb. in Europe.

Pepper, which cost 2 ½ d. per lb. out there, was sold at nearly 2s. elsewhere.

Not only did they sail to the East, but also to the West. 東洋だけでなく、西洋にも航海した。 One day a Dutch admiral, Piet Hein, chased some Spanish ships in the Atlantic. ||||||海因|追逐|||||| ある日、オランダの提督ピート・ハインが大西洋でスペインの船を追っていた。 有一天,一位荷兰海军上将皮特·海因在大西洋追逐一些西班牙船只。 They were bringing home to Spain a rich cargo of silver from Mexico, all of which Piet Hein captured. |||||||||||||全部|||||捕获 Stavano riportando in Spagna un ricco carico di argento dal Messico, che Piet Hein catturò. 彼らはメキシコから豊富な銀貨をスペインに持ち帰り、ピート・ハインはそのすべてを捕獲した。 他们将从墨西哥运回的一批丰厚的白银货物运回西班牙,皮特·海因将其全部捕获。

"Piet Hein. "皮特·海因。 Short is his name. But great is his fame, For the silver fleet he's ta'en," ||||||||||所乘 しかし、彼の名声は偉大である。 但他的名声大噪,因为他掳获了银舰, sang his countrymen as they stored their riches at Amsterdam. |||||储存||||阿姆斯特丹 と、アムステルダムに富を蓄える同胞たちは歌った。 他的同胞们在阿姆斯特丹储存他们的财富时唱道。

All their riches and merchandise the Dutch stored at Amsterdam. Tutte le loro ricchezze e merci gli olandesi le conservarono ad Amsterdam. オランダ人はすべての富と商品をアムステルダムに保管した。 荷兰人将他们所有的财富和商品储存于阿姆斯特丹。 There they built warehouses supported on piles driven into the swampy soil, in which they stowed the treasures of the world, until Amsterdam was the most famous city in Europe. ||||||桩子|打入||||||||||世界的财富|||||||||||| Lì costruirono magazzini sostenuti da pali conficcati nel terreno paludoso, in cui stivarono i tesori del mondo, finché Amsterdam divenne la città più famosa d'Europa. アムステルダムはヨーロッパで最も有名な都市となった。 在那里,他们建造了支撑在湿软土壤上、用桩子支撑的仓库,在这些仓库中,他们储存了世界的财富,直到阿姆斯特丹成为欧洲最著名的城市。

Not only was Holland teaching the rest of the world the value of the sea, but she was teaching them how to make more of the land. ||||||其余的||||||||||||||如何||利用|||| L'Olanda non solo stava insegnando al resto del mondo il valore del mare, ma stava anche insegnando loro come sfruttare meglio la terra. オランダは世界の国々に海の価値を教えるだけでなく、陸地をもっと活用する方法を教えていたのだ。 荷兰不仅在教导世界海洋的价值,还在教导他们如何更好地利用土地。 As soon as peace had come to the country the people had begun to reclaim more land for cultivation. ||||||||||||||重新开垦|||| この国に平和が訪れるとすぐに、人々は耕作地を増やし始めた。 一旦国家实现了和平,人们就开始征 reclaimed更多的土地用于耕种。 They pumped and pumped till they had got a great piece of rich meadow-land from what had been a vast shallow lake of water. |抽水||||||||||||草地||||||||||| Hanno pompato e pompato finché non hanno ricavato un grande pezzo di terreno ricco di prati da quello che era un vasto lago d'acqua poco profondo. 他们不停地抽水,最终从一片曾经是辽阔浅水湖的地方获得了一大片肥沃的草地。 The cattle grazing on this land became the finest in Europe; the produce of Dutch dairies found a ready market in foreign countries. |牛群||||||||||||||乳品厂|找到|||||| この土地で放牧されていた家畜はヨーロッパで最高級のものとなり、オランダの酪農で生産されたものは外国ですぐに市場に出回るようになった。 在这片土地上放牧的牛群成为了欧洲最优良的;荷兰乳制品在国外找到了畅销市场。

Then, too, their market-gardens were better than any of their neighbours. それから、彼らのマーケット・ガーデンは近隣のどこよりも優れていた。 此外,他们的菜园比邻国的任何菜园都要好。 They cultivated and exported potatoes and turnips nearly a century before England. ||||||萝卜||||| イギリスより1世紀近く早く、ジャガイモやカブを栽培し、輸出していたのだ。 他们在英格兰之前近一个世纪就开始种植和出口土豆和萝卜。 They discovered the use of clover and improved grasses for fodder. ||这||||||||饲料 彼らはクローバーや改良牧草を飼料に使うことを発見した。 他们发现了使用三叶草和改良草作为饲料。

Keen as they were after profit to be obtained by trade, diligent in working out the resources of their country, they were also distinguished in art, literature, and painting. 渴望|如同||||利润|||获得|||勤奋||开发||||||||||杰出||||| Appassionati del profitto che si può ottenere con il commercio, diligenti nel valorizzare le risorse del loro Paese, si distinsero anche nell'arte, nella letteratura e nella pittura. 彼らは貿易で利益を得ることに熱心で、自国の資源を使い果たすことに勤勉であったが、芸術、文学、絵画の分野でも卓越していた。 虽然他们渴望从贸易中获得利润,努力开发国家的资源,但在艺术、文学和绘画方面也颇有成就。 They had their artists in Rembrandt and Vandyke, their poet in Vondel. |||||伦勃朗||范迪克||||冯德尔 他们有伦勃朗和范戴克这样的艺术家,还有诗人冯德尔。

Toward the end of the seventeenth century the Dutch were more famous by land and sea than any other nation in Europe. 17世紀末には、オランダはヨーロッパのどの国よりも陸と海で有名になっていた。 They were also the first to colonise the Cape of Good Hope, on the site now occupied by Cape Town. ||||||||||||||||占据||| 彼らはまた、現在のケープタウンがある喜望峰を最初に植民地にした。 他们也是第一个在现在由开普敦占据的好望角地区建立殖民地的。