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A file photo of Charles Darwin.With someone to polish his shoes, make his bed and stoke the fire in his spacious rooms, Charles Darwin enjoyed the sort of pampered university life that today's debt-laden British students can only dream about.
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With someone to polish his shoes, make his bed and stoke the fire in his spacious rooms, Charles Darwin enjoyed the sort of pampered university life that today's debt-laden British students can only dream about.
Two hundred years after his birth, academics have uncovered new details of his comfortable existence at the University of Cambridge before he embarked on the grueling five-year voyage that would transform science's view of the world.
Six leather-bound ledgers unearthed in the university archives reveal how he lived in the most expensive rooms available to a student of his rank from 1828 to 1831.
He hired a battery of staff to help him with the daily chores, including a scullion (dishwasher), a laundress and a shoeblack (someone who cleans shoes).
A tailor, hatter and barber made sure he was well presented, while a chimney sweep and a coalman kept his fire going. He even paid five and a half pence extra each day to have vegetables with the basic ration of meat and beer at Christ's College.
Darwin scholar Dr John van Wyhe, of the University of Cambridge, said little was known about the scientist's student life before his outgoings were found in the mainly hand-written ledgers detailing students' finances.
"It is just wonderful to have a previously unknown insight into what Darwin was up to in this part of his life," he said. "These are really intimate details."
The archives were published on the Internet on Monday at http://darwin-online.org.uk.
Darwin's bill topped 636 pounds during his three years of study for a general bachelor of arts degree at Cambridge, a time he would later describe as "the most joyful of my happy life".
That substantial sum would have been fairly typical for a student at Cambridge in the 19th century. The bills were paid by his wealthy father, Robert Darwin, a doctor.
"Cambridge was full of well-to-do gentlemen living a pretty good life," van Wyhe said. "When you look at the books, you see he is just one of a hundred students or whatever. He is well off, but they are all well off."
As well as the paid help, Darwin could also rely on the college "gyp", the Cambridge nickname for a valet or servant.
With so much help and just two hours of mathematics and classics lectures each morning, there was plenty of time for socializing or private study, van Wyhe said.
"He would be out shooting, collecting beetles, doing his scientific hobbies or visiting friends," he said. "They played cards and drank wine at night, just like students always have."
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(Agencies)
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有專人為他擦皮鞋、鋪床以及照管寬敞房間里的壁爐——查爾斯?達爾文奢華的大學生活一定是當今受債務(wù)所困的英國學生們的夢想。
在達爾文誕辰200周年之際，一些研究人員公布了他在劍橋大學讀書期間奢侈生活的種種細節(jié)，在這之后，達爾文便開始了他艱苦的五年環(huán)球之旅，這五年對于他科學世界觀的轉(zhuǎn)變具有決定性影響。
研究人員在大學檔案資料中發(fā)現(xiàn)了記錄當年達爾文（在上學期間日常開銷）的六本皮革邊賬本，從這些賬本中可以了解到從1828年至1831年達爾文在學校最昂貴的宿舍度過他大學生活的種種細節(jié)，當時這種宿舍只提供給他所屬的富裕階層。
當時達爾文雇了很多人幫他打理日常事務(wù)，其中包括廚房傭人（洗碗工），洗衣女工和擦鞋匠。
此外，還分別有一名裁縫、制帽師和理發(fā)師專門負責他的外表儀容。另有一名掃煙囪工人和送煤工人負責為他照看爐火。當時達爾文就讀的基督學院供應的伙食只有肉和啤酒，而達爾文每天會多付5.5便士買蔬菜吃。
劍橋大學達爾文研究專家約翰?范維爾博士稱，這些以手寫記錄為主的帳本填補了我們對達爾文學生生活了解的空白。
范維爾說：“能深入了解達爾文之前未知的這段生活經(jīng)歷是一件令人興奮的事，這些都屬于非常隱私性的細節(jié)問題。”
這些賬本于本周一在http://darwin-online.org.uk網(wǎng)站上公開。
在劍橋大學攻讀普通文學學士學位的三年時間內(nèi)，達爾文的賬目總額超過636磅。之后達爾文將這段時期描述為“一生中最快樂的時光”。
然而如此龐大的生活開銷在19世紀的劍橋大學其實相當常見。達爾文的這些開銷都由他富裕的醫(yī)生父親羅伯特?達爾文“埋單”。
范維爾說：“當時劍橋大學到處都是過著奢侈生活的富家子弟。你看看賬本就會明白他只是眾多富家子弟中的一員。他有錢，但這些人都很有錢。”
也正因為此，達爾文可以雇傭大學“校工”。“校工”是當時劍橋大學里的男仆或傭人的別稱。
范維爾稱，有這么多人服侍，而且每天上午只需上兩小時的數(shù)學和名著課，所以達爾文有充足的時間來社交和自學。
范維爾說：“他可以經(jīng)常外出狩獵、搜集甲蟲、研究科學愛好或者走訪朋友。晚上他們也和其他學生一樣打牌喝酒。
相關(guān)閱讀：
達爾文故居被提名為世界遺產(chǎn)
（實習生許雅寧 英語點津姍姍編輯）
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