● When the Mediterranean ceased to be a world sea and the discovery of America made the Atlantic Ocean the center of commerce and civilization, Italy lost its former advantages. Without coal and iron she could not hope to compete with the industrial countries of the west. But for almost twelve hundred years, from the founding of Rome in 753 B.C. till the fourth century of our era, Italy dominated and administered every part of Europe south of the Elbe and the Danube.

当地中海不再是世界性的海域，而美洲的发现使大西洋成为经济和文明中心时，意大利便失去了以往的优势。由于缺少煤炭和钢铁，意大利没有希望与西部工业国一较高下，但几乎在1200年之内，从罗马帝国于公元前753年建立到我们的纪元开始后的第四个世纪，意大利一直统治和管理着易北河和多瑙河以南的欧洲。

● Unto the wild Germanic tribes that had just arrived from Asia and were now quarreling violently for the possession of this desirable “far west” Italy gave their first conception of law and order and the superior advantages of a semi-civilized life over the uncertainties and filth of a merely nomadic existence. Of course she enriched herself incredibly at the expense of every one else. But while taking a heavy toll of taxes, she delivered certain “goods” that were to shape the destinies of all those different regions for all times to come. And even today, the more than casual observer, visiting Paris or Bucharest, Madrid or Treves, will at once be struck by a certain similarity of look and outlook on the part of the inhabitants. He will be surprised that he can read the signs on the shops, no matter whether they are in French or Spanish or Romanian or Portuguese. And then he will realize:”I am in an old Roman colony here. All this land once upon a time belonged to Italy just as the Philippines today belong to us. The first houses were built by Italian architects, the first streets were laid out by Italian generals, the first traffic and commercial regulations were written in the tongue of central Italy”, and he will begin to appreciate what tremendous natural advantages were enjoyed by this country that was at once an island and part of the mainland.

当野蛮的日耳曼部落从亚洲移民欧洲，且正在为称心如意的“远西”统治权而狂暴争吵时，意大利诞生了法律和命令的概念，相对于道德败坏的不稳定的流浪生活方式，这种半文明生活有着更大的优势。在以牺牲其他任何一个国家的利益之时，意大利不可思议地富裕起来。在意大利征收沉重的税收的同时分发一定“物资”，这些物资决定了所有这些不同地区未来的命运。甚至在今天，一些偶然的观察者，他们参观巴黎或巴伐利亚、马德里或特里尔时，立刻会注意到这些地方居民的外表和看法有着某种程度相似性。他们将会极为惊讶地发现商店的标志不论是用法语、西班牙语、罗马尼亚语还是葡萄牙语所写，都极其相似。然后，他们将会意识到：“我正处于某个古罗马殖民地，所有这些陆地曾经一度隶属于意大利，就好比菲律宾今天隶属于我们一样。最早的房屋是由意大利建筑师建的，最早的街道是有意大利将军开拓的，最早的交通和贸易规则也是用意大利中部地区的语言书写的。”然后，他们将会开始赞叹，这个一度由一个岛屿和部分陆地所组成的国家拥有多么大的天然优势啊。

● At the same time the fortunate geological accident which had enabled Italy to conquer the whole of the known world carried with it certain very decided drawbacks. A country born out of volcanic upheavals was forever threatened to be killed by the very mother that had given it birth. For Italy is not only the classical land of moonlit ruins, orange trees, mandolin concerts and picturesque peasants. It is also the classical land of volcanic eruptions.

同时，这些幸运的地质事件一方面使意大利有能力征服整个已知世界，另一方面却也携带着某些致命的欠缺。一个诞生于火山骚乱的国家永远面临着被生养它的伟大母亲杀死的危险。意大利不仅仅是一块拥有月光下的废墟、橘子林、曼陀林演奏会和英俊农夫的古陆，同时也是一块火山频发的古陆。

● Every Italian who reaches the normal threescore and ten is sure to have been an active participant in at least one major earthquake and a couple of minor ones before he is reverently carried to the family lot in the Gampo Santo. The seismograph reported 300 quakes for the period of 1905-1907 alone. The next year, 1908, Messina was completely destroyed.

每一个能活到70岁这一常见年龄的意大利人，在他最终被送到家族陵墓前，至少将会是一次大地震和两次较小地震的参与者。地震仪仅在1905至1907年期间便报告了300次震动。接下来的一年，也就是1908年，墨西拿被彻底摧毁。