家庭烤牛肉的做法大全:讀孫子兵法學英文／嚴苛法律

摩西。喬伊少校熱烈追求寡婦罕納。華德，可是碰到大難題：罕納的亡夫經商失敗，一身是債。根據法律「遺產占有人」（executor）規定，誰娶了寡婦，誰就須要應付像禿鷹般伺機而動（cash in on）的債主。

按18世紀習慣法，妻財產都歸丈夫。夫死，債務盡歸（carry over）寡婦，而寡婦一身所有仍屬死者。如死者財產不夠還債，任何人娶了寡婦，等於沒有權利而干涉死者財產，依法必須替死者還債（因為結婚時新娘身上所穿衣服仍是死者所有，因而干涉死者財產）。

少校請教律師：如果婚禮上新娘穿上全套新衣，不就可以一舉擺脫（close out）過往糾纏？

律師答道：婚禮前寡婦仍屬死者所有，新衣等於你送給死者遺產的禮物。你們結婚，禮成回收這些衣服，所以仍有還債義務，債權人依法還能從中牟利（pad the bill）。律法如此嚴苛（a draconian code），為免身敗名裂，因小失大（penny-wise and pound foolish），律師力勸少校打消和寡婦結婚的念頭。

面對嚴苛無比的法條（laws of the Medes and Persians），少校和寡婦卻能想出絕招（write like an angel）破解：婚禮時，少校在禮堂靠著牆壁就位，身著襤褸破衣的寡婦，在伴娘陪伴下，走過少校身邊，解下短外衣，丟在地上，往前走，到對面牆邊壁櫥門口，和伴娘走進壁櫥。須臾伴娘出來，拿著一堆衣服，都是先前寡婦所穿的衣著。這時，寡婦一隻纖美的手從壁櫥新挖的洞伸出，在牧師的福證下，這位一絲不掛的寡婦，就這樣站在幽暗的壁櫥中，和少校結婚了。

孫子說：「策之而知得失之計，候之而知動靜之理，形之而知死生之地。」經過仔細研判，得知死生之地的形勢，寡婦使出妙計，在結婚儀式完畢，另一位伴娘捧著漂亮衣服直驅壁櫥，不久，變成少校夫人的寡婦盛裝而出，智取並嘲弄了（have egg on one's face）原本虎視眈眈的債主，讓他們鎩羽而歸。

例：" The creditors would cash in on this marriage to take their money back."「債主獲悉他們要結婚的消息，紛紛上門要債。」

"The widow Hannah Ward is still facing difficult time due to executor de son tort, and she will have to carry over her late husband's debt forever."「受困於先夫債務，寡婦罕納一輩子都要還債。」

"Maj. Moses Joy decided to close out the issue by buying her a whole new outfit to be married in."「少校決定在婚禮上，把新娘子打扮煥然一新，藉以擺脫既往。」

"Her creditors who were waiting like vultures were padding the bill to swoop down on anything valuable."「債權人禿鷹般隨時準備發難，清索舊債。」

"He lived by the draconian code which could have him thrown into prison for years, ruined and locked up."「他所涉及的法律案件相當嚴峻，處理不好會身敗名裂。」

"According to the lawyer, it would be penny wise and pound foolish for his client to become liable for William Ward's debt if his client married Hannah Ward."「律師認為，迎娶寡婦，陷自己於無窮債務，可謂得不償失。」

"Since then, to them, it's been like unto the laws of the Medes and Persians -unchanged and unchangeable."「對當事人而言，這法律過於嚴苛，且完全無法更改。」

"No creditors should expect the bride and groom to be able to write like an angel to such a degree."「新郎新娘招式漂亮，大出債權人意料之外。」"They were completely wrong about this unthinkable idea, and now they have egg on their faces."「面對怪招，他們無從抵擋，大感狼狽不堪。」（作者任教陸軍官校，本專欄每周五刊登）