万物简史 第51期:事物的测定(9)

Principia's production was not without drama. ToHalley's horror, just as work was nearing completionNewton and Hooke fell into dispute over thepriority for the inverse square law and Newtonrefused to release the crucial third volume, withoutwhich the first two made little sense. Only with somefrantic shuttle diplomacy and the most liberalapplications of flattery did Halley manage finally toextract the concluding volume from the erraticprofessor.

《原理》的产生不是不带戏剧性的。令哈雷感到震惊的是，当这项工作快要完成的时候，牛顿和胡克为谁先发明了平方反比定律吵了起来，牛顿拒绝公开关键的第三卷，而没有这一卷，前面两卷就意义不大。只是在进行了紧张的穿梭外交，说了许多好话以后，哈雷才最后设法从那位脾气怪僻的教授那里索得了最后一卷。

Halley's traumas were not yet quite over. The Royal Society had promised to publish the work,but now pulled out, citing financial embarrassment. The year before the society had backed acostly flop called The History of Fishes, and they now suspected that the market for a book onmathematical principles would be less than clamorous.

哈雷的烦恼并没有完全结束。英国皇家学会本来答应出版这部作品，但现在打了退堂鼓，说是财政有困难。前一年，该学会曾经为《鱼类史》下了赌注，该书成本很高，结果赔了老本;他们担心一本关于数学原理的书不会有多大销路。

Halley, whose means were not great, paid for the book's publication out of his own pocket.Newton, as was his custom, contributed nothing. To make matters worse, Halley at this timehad just accepted a position as the society's clerk, and he was informed that the society couldno longer afford to provide him with a promised salary of 50 pounds per annum. He was to bepaid instead in copies of The History of Fishes.

哈雷尽管不很富裕，还是自己掏钱支付了这本书的出版费用。和以往一样，牛顿分文不出。更糟糕的是，哈雷这时候刚刚接受学会的书记员的职位，他被告知，学会已经无力给他答应过的50英镑年薪，只能用几本《鱼类史》来支付。