We dined at an excellent inn at Chapelhouse， where Dr. Johnson expatiated on the felicity of England in its taverns and inns， and triumphed over the French for not having， in any perfection， the tavern life. “There is no private house，” said he， “in which people can enjoy themselves so well as at a capital tavern.” Let there be ever so great plenty of good things， ever so much grandeur， ever so much elegance， ever so much desire that everybody should be easy， in the nature of things it cannot be： there must always be some degree of care and anxiety.

The master of the house is anxious to entertain his guests； the guests are anxious to be agreeable to him； and no man but a very impudent dog indeed can as freely command what is in anothers house as if it were his own. Whereas at a tavern there is a general freedom from anxiety.

You are sure you are welcome； the more noise you make， the more trouble you give， the more good things you call for， the more welcome you are. No servants will attend you with the alacrity which waiters do， who are excited with the prospect of an immediate reward in proportion as they please.

No， sir； there is nothing which has as yet been contrived by man， by which so much happiness is produced as by a good tavern or inn.

我們?cè)诓槠諣柡舅挂患覙O好的小客棧里吃飯，約翰遜博士在那兒詳細(xì)敘述了英格蘭的小客棧和小旅館的妙處，并得意揚(yáng)揚(yáng)地指出法國(guó)人沒(méi)有這等完美的小客棧生活?！叭魏嗡饺俗≌?，”他說(shuō)，“都不能使人們像在一家頂好的小客棧里那樣舒適、愉快?！北M管那里好東西應(yīng)有盡有，盡管屋宇是那樣的宏偉，陳設(shè)是那樣的雅致，盡管主人一心一意要讓每個(gè)人都感到自由自在，而實(shí)際上這是不可能實(shí)現(xiàn)的。相反，人們?cè)谀抢锟偸怯幸欢ǔ潭鹊念檻]。

主人要小心地招待客人，客人要留神地迎合主人。除了非常無(wú)禮的魯莽家伙，絕沒(méi)有人在別人的屋子里會(huì)像在自己家里那樣可以隨心所欲、頤指氣使。然而在小客棧里就根本沒(méi)有這種顧慮。

在這里，你肯定是受歡迎的。你嗓門越大，你越添麻煩，你要的好東西越多，你就越受歡迎。沒(méi)有一個(gè)仆人會(huì)像受到小費(fèi)刺激的店倌那樣殷勤地侍候你，因?yàn)槟銓?duì)店倌的侍候越中意，你給小費(fèi)就越慷慨。

沒(méi)有的，先生，在人類迄今所創(chuàng)造的一切事物中，沒(méi)有什么能像一家優(yōu)美的鄉(xiāng)村小客棧或者小旅館那樣給人們提供那么多的樂(lè)趣。

作者：詹姆斯·鮑斯韋爾（1740—1795），是英國(guó)家喻戶曉的文學(xué)大師、現(xiàn)代傳記文學(xué)的開(kāi)創(chuàng)者，出生在蘇格蘭貴族家庭。