PREFACE.

 DURING the course of my apprenticeship¹ with Messrs. Negri and Gunter, in Berkeley Square, many housekeepers² to noblemen and gentlemen, on special occasions, were frequently present, in order to observe our peculiar³ method of preparing confects.

 

Since I left Messrs. Negri and Gunter, I have had frequent applications from those persons, as well as others, for receipts and information respecting improvements and additions to this art. But being engaged in the service of several noblemen, and thereby⁴ deprived of the opportunity of attending to the numerous applications from respective housekeepers for New Receipts, I determined⁵ to form the following Treatise⁶, that they might present it to their friends; and that it might supply the place of personal application, I have comprized in it every article that is necessary to render the reader a proficient⁷ in the art.

 

From the nature of my occupation, and the time necessary to acquire a due knowledge of it, I cannot be supposed qualified⁸ to write in a masterly stile; and am therefore inclined to hope the candid⁹ reader will be disposed to overlook IVany little errors that may be observed in this Treatise, considering it not as the production of a scholar, but the essay of a man, who has devoted¹⁰ the greater part of his life to the pursuit of the art under consideration.

 

I presume my having served an apprenticeship to men of such eminence¹¹ in the line of Confectionary, and such respectability in their connections as Messrs. Negri & Gunter, that it will be considered as a recommendation of the following sheets; and as all the Treatise I have seen contain only old and exploded Receipts, render it necessary that something new should appear on the subject; and as the receipts I have given are the result of my own practice and experience, I think it will add a sanction to the present undertaking¹².

 

Upon the whole, as I have not omitted any article that can be useful to housekeepers in particular, and families in general, I trust I have not arrogated¹³ to myself a right to which I have no claim, in prefixing to my work the title of

 

THE HOUSEKEEPER’S VALUABLE PRESENT.

R. ABBOT.

1 apprenticeship   

n.学徒身份；学徒期

参考例句：

• She was in the second year of her apprenticeship as a carpenter. 她当木工学徒已是第二年了。
• He served his apprenticeship with Bob. 他跟鲍勃当学徒。

2 housekeepers   

n.（女）管家( housekeeper的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Can you send up one of your housekeepers to make bed? 请你派个女服务员来整理床铺好吗？ 来自互联网
• They work as gas station attendants, firemen, housekeepers,and security personnel. 本句翻译：机器人也能够作为煤气站的服务员，救火队员等保安作用。 来自互联网

3 peculiar   

adj.古怪的，异常的；特殊的，特有的

参考例句：

• He walks in a peculiar fashion.他走路的样子很奇特。
• He looked at me with a very peculiar expression.他用一种很奇怪的表情看着我。

4 thereby   

adv.因此，从而

参考例句：

• I have never been to that city,,ereby I don't know much about it.我从未去过那座城市，因此对它不怎么熟悉。
• He became a British citizen,thereby gaining the right to vote.他成了英国公民，因而得到了投票权。

5 determined   

adj.坚定的；有决心的

参考例句：

• I have determined on going to Tibet after graduation.我已决定毕业后去西藏。
• He determined to view the rooms behind the office.他决定查看一下办公室后面的房间。

6 treatise   

n.专著；(专题)论文

参考例句：

• The doctor wrote a treatise on alcoholism.那位医生写了一篇关于酗酒问题的论文。
• This is not a treatise on statistical theory.这不是一篇有关统计理论的论文。

7 proficient   

adj.熟练的，精通的；n.能手，专家

参考例句：

• She is proficient at swimming.她精通游泳。
• I think I'm quite proficient in both written and spoken English.我认为我在英语读写方面相当熟练。

8 qualified   

adj.合格的，有资格的，胜任的，有限制的

参考例句：

• He is qualified as a complete man of letters.他有资格当真正的文学家。
• We must note that we still lack qualified specialists.我们必须看到我们还缺乏有资质的专家。

9 candid   

adj.公正的，正直的；坦率的

参考例句：

• I cannot but hope the candid reader will give some allowance for it.我只有希望公正的读者多少包涵一些。
• He is quite candid with his friends.他对朋友相当坦诚。

10 devoted   

adj.忠诚的，忠实的，热心的，献身于...的

参考例句：

• He devoted his life to the educational cause of the motherland.他为祖国的教育事业贡献了一生。
• We devoted a lengthy and full discussion to this topic.我们对这个题目进行了长时间的充分讨论。

11 eminence   

n.卓越，显赫；高地，高处；名家

参考例句：

• He is a statesman of great eminence.他是个声名显赫的政治家。
• Many of the pilots were to achieve eminence in the aeronautical world.这些飞行员中很多人将会在航空界声名显赫。

12 undertaking   

n.保证，许诺，事业

参考例句：

• He gave her an undertaking that he would pay the money back with in a year.他向她做了一年内还钱的保证。
• He is too timid to venture upon an undertaking.他太胆小，不敢从事任何事业。

13 arrogated   

v.冒称，妄取( arrogate的过去式和过去分词 )；没来由地把…归属（于）

参考例句：

• That firm arrogated itself the right to develop this area. 那家企业冒称有权开发这一地区。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• She arrogated to herself a certain importance. 她妄自尊大。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》