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金钱与友情，孰轻孰重？文中聪明的法官做出了公正的判决。生活中，是不是也会有人为了金钱而背叛朋友呢？
Once upon a time a Merchant was going on a journey. He left two bags of money with a friend. “My friend,” said the Merchant, “there are three hundred ducats1 in these bags. Will you keep them for me while I go upon a long journey? If I do not return， give the money to the poor and ask them to pray for me. But if I do return， give me back whatever you want.”
The Merchant went on a long journey. When he returned, he went to his friend and asked for his three hundred ducats.
But the man said,“Before you went on your journey, you left me two bags of money. You said that if you did not return from your journey, I was to give the money to the poor and ask them to pray for you.”
“Yes,” said the Merchant. “That is what I said.”
The man said again,“You also said that if you returned from your journey, I was to give back to you whatever I wanted.”
“What you say is true.” the Merchant said. “I did tell you to give me back what you wanted. But I thought you were my friend.”
“I want to give back to you only ten ducats. And I want to keep two hundred and ninety ducats for myself.”
The Merchant was very angry and he said, “You are not my friend. You are a robber.”
“No!No!” said the man. “I am only being honest and keeping my word to you. Let us go and ask the Judge if I am not right.” The Merchant and the man went before the Judge.
The Merchant said to the Judge, “Before I went on my journey, I left two bags of money with this man. And I said ‘There are three hundred ducats in these bags. Will you keep them for me while I go upon a long journey? If I do not return, give the money to the poor and ask them to pray for me. But if I do return, give me back whatever you want.’”
“And when he came back,” said the man. “I wanted to give him back ten ducats. And so I kept my word to him.”
“The Merchant said that you were to return to him whatever you wanted,” said the Judge. “That was the bargain2.”
The man smiled at the Merchant and was about to hand the Merchant ten ducats.
The Judge said again, “But wait. Is it not true that you want the two hundred and ninety ducats that are in the bags? Now since you are to return to the Merchant whatever you want, you are to return to him the two hundred and ninety ducats. You may keep the ten ducats.”
“You are a just and wise judge,” said the Merchant as he took his two bags of money and went home.
从前有个商人要去旅行，临行前他把两袋钱币交给一位朋友。商人说：“我的朋友，这些袋子里共有300个金币，能不能在我出远门的时候替我保管？如果我没回来，就把钱送给穷人，请他们为我祈祷。如果我回来了，按你所想的还给我。”
商人开始了他漫长的旅行。当他回来时，他去找他的朋友要回那300个金币。
可是这位朋友却说：“你去旅行前只留了两袋钱给我。你说如果你没回来，就让我把钱送给穷人，还要他们为你祈祷。”
“没错，我是那么说的。”商人回答。 朋友又说：“你还说，如果你回来了，我就按我所想的还给你。”
“你说的都没错，”商人说，“我确实告诉你按你所想的还给我。可是我把你当成了朋友呀！”
“我想的是只还给你10个金币，剩下的290个金币给我自己。”
商人很生气，他说：“你不是我的朋友！你是强盗！”
“不对！不对！”朋友说，“我只是诚实地遵守了我对你的诺言。让我们去问问法官，看我是不是错了。”于是商人和他的朋友来到法官面前。
商人对法官说：“在我去旅行前，我留下两袋钱给这个人，并对他说‘袋子里共有300个金币，能不能在我出远门时帮我保管？如果我没回来，把钱送给穷人，请他们为我祈祷。如果我回来了，按你所想的还给我。’”
“而当他回来后，”朋友接着说，“我所想的是还他10个金币，所以我遵守了对他的诺言。”
“这位商人说你要还他你所想的，”法官说，“这是协议。”
朋友笑了，准备交给商人10个金币。
法官又说：“但是等一下，现在你想要的难道不是袋子里的290个金币吗？既然你必须还商人你所想要的，你就应该还他290个金币，你可以留下另外10个金币。”
“你是个公正贤明的法官。”商人拿了两袋钱回家时，对法官这样说道。
方逸舟 译刘武摘自World
Once upon a time a Merchant was going on a journey. He left two bags of money with a friend. “My friend,” said the Merchant, “there are three hundred ducats1 in these bags. Will you keep them for me while I go upon a long journey? If I do not return， give the money to the poor and ask them to pray for me. But if I do return， give me back whatever you want.”
The Merchant went on a long journey. When he returned, he went to his friend and asked for his three hundred ducats.
But the man said,“Before you went on your journey, you left me two bags of money. You said that if you did not return from your journey, I was to give the money to the poor and ask them to pray for you.”
“Yes,” said the Merchant. “That is what I said.”
The man said again,“You also said that if you returned from your journey, I was to give back to you whatever I wanted.”
“What you say is true.” the Merchant said. “I did tell you to give me back what you wanted. But I thought you were my friend.”
“I want to give back to you only ten ducats. And I want to keep two hundred and ninety ducats for myself.”
The Merchant was very angry and he said, “You are not my friend. You are a robber.”
“No!No!” said the man. “I am only being honest and keeping my word to you. Let us go and ask the Judge if I am not right.” The Merchant and the man went before the Judge.
The Merchant said to the Judge, “Before I went on my journey, I left two bags of money with this man. And I said ‘There are three hundred ducats in these bags. Will you keep them for me while I go upon a long journey? If I do not return, give the money to the poor and ask them to pray for me. But if I do return, give me back whatever you want.’”
“And when he came back,” said the man. “I wanted to give him back ten ducats. And so I kept my word to him.”
“The Merchant said that you were to return to him whatever you wanted,” said the Judge. “That was the bargain2.”
The man smiled at the Merchant and was about to hand the Merchant ten ducats.
The Judge said again, “But wait. Is it not true that you want the two hundred and ninety ducats that are in the bags? Now since you are to return to the Merchant whatever you want, you are to return to him the two hundred and ninety ducats. You may keep the ten ducats.”
“You are a just and wise judge,” said the Merchant as he took his two bags of money and went home.
从前有个商人要去旅行，临行前他把两袋钱币交给一位朋友。商人说：“我的朋友，这些袋子里共有300个金币，能不能在我出远门的时候替我保管？如果我没回来，就把钱送给穷人，请他们为我祈祷。如果我回来了，按你所想的还给我。”
商人开始了他漫长的旅行。当他回来时，他去找他的朋友要回那300个金币。
可是这位朋友却说：“你去旅行前只留了两袋钱给我。你说如果你没回来，就让我把钱送给穷人，还要他们为你祈祷。”
“没错，我是那么说的。”商人回答。 朋友又说：“你还说，如果你回来了，我就按我所想的还给你。”
“你说的都没错，”商人说，“我确实告诉你按你所想的还给我。可是我把你当成了朋友呀！”
“我想的是只还给你10个金币，剩下的290个金币给我自己。”
商人很生气，他说：“你不是我的朋友！你是强盗！”
“不对！不对！”朋友说，“我只是诚实地遵守了我对你的诺言。让我们去问问法官，看我是不是错了。”于是商人和他的朋友来到法官面前。
商人对法官说：“在我去旅行前，我留下两袋钱给这个人，并对他说‘袋子里共有300个金币，能不能在我出远门时帮我保管？如果我没回来，把钱送给穷人，请他们为我祈祷。如果我回来了，按你所想的还给我。’”
“而当他回来后，”朋友接着说，“我所想的是还他10个金币，所以我遵守了对他的诺言。”
“这位商人说你要还他你所想的，”法官说，“这是协议。”
朋友笑了，准备交给商人10个金币。
法官又说：“但是等一下，现在你想要的难道不是袋子里的290个金币吗？既然你必须还商人你所想要的，你就应该还他290个金币，你可以留下另外10个金币。”
“你是个公正贤明的法官。”商人拿了两袋钱回家时，对法官这样说道。
方逸舟 译刘武摘自World