Suppose that we let him have a hundred ducats and that he give us in return a written guarantee allowing us to fish all we want in all of his rivers. Then he gets the hundred which he needs, but we get the fish and it will be good business all around."
如果我们借给他100元，作为回报，他给我们签署一张允许我们随意在他拥有的所有河流里钓鱼的保证书，这样做如何？他得到了是他急需的100金币，而我们得到鱼，岂不是对大家都有利的交易？"
The day his Lordship accepted this proposition (it seemed such an easy way of getting a hundred gold pieces) he signed the death-warrant of his own power. His clerk drew up the agreement. His Lordship made his mark (for he could not sign his name) and departed for the East. Two years later he came back, dead broke. The townspeople were fishing in the castle pond. The sight of this silent row of anglers annoyed his Lordship. He told his equerry to go and chase the crowd away. They went, but that night a delegation of merchants visited the castle. They were very polite. They congratulated his Lordship upon his safe return. They were sorry his Lordship had been annoyed by the fishermen, but as his Lordship might perhaps remember he had given them permission to do so himself, and the tailor produced the Charter which had been kept in the safe of the jeweller ever since the master had gone to the Holy Land.
公爵大人接受这项交易的那天（看起来倒是轻轻松松得到100金币的好法子），他不知不觉地签署了自己权力的死亡证书。他的文书拟好协议书，公爵大人盖上自己的印章（因为他不会写自己的名字）。一切万事大吉，公爵怀着满腔的激情去东方对付穆斯林了。两年后，他回到家里，已是囊空如洗。镇民们正在城堡的池塘里钓鱼，一排钓竿悠闲安然地此起彼伏于水边上。此情此景让公爵大为光火，他吩咐管家去把众人赶走。他们很听话地走掉了，可当天晚上，一个商人代表团造访了城堡。他们彬彬有礼，先是祝贺大人平安归来。至于大人被钓鱼的人惹火的事情，他们也深感遗憾。可如果大人还记得的话，是大人亲自恩允他们到池塘垂钓的。接着，裁缝出示了那份有大人盖章的特许状，从大人出发去圣地那天起，它便被细心保管在珠宝商的保险箱里。
His Lordship was much annoyed. But once more he was in dire need of some money. In Italy he had signed his name to certain documents which were now in the possession of Salvestro dei Medici, the well-known banker. These documents were "promissory notes" and they were due two months from date. Their total amount came to three hundred and forty pounds, Flemish gold.
这样一来，公爵大人不由得怒上加怒，火上加火。不过，他突然想起自己又急需一笔钱的事情来。在意大利，他往几张文件上签下了自己的大名，它们如今正稳稳呆在著名银行家瓦斯特洛•德梅迪奇手里。这些文件可是要命的"银行期票"，再有两个月就该到期了，总数目是340磅佛兰芒金币。
