English Original
The English author, Richard Savage, was once living in London in great poverty. To earn a little money, he had written the story of his life. However, not many copies of the book sold, and Savage was living from hand to mouth. Due to lack of food, he became very ill. Thanks to the skill of the doctor who treated him, he eventually recovered.
After a week or two, the doctor sent Savage a bill for his visits. Poor Savage had no money and could not pay it. The doctor waited a month and sent the bill again, but still received no payment. After several more weeks, he sent another reminder. Finally, he went to Savage's house and demanded payment, saying, "You know you owe your life to me, and I expected some gratitude from you."
"I agree," said Savage, "that I owe my life to you. To prove I am not ungrateful for your work, I will give my life to you."
With these words, he handed the doctor two volumes entitled The Life of Richard Savage.
中文翻译
英国作家理查德·萨维奇曾一度在伦敦过着极度贫困的生活。为了赚点钱，他写下了自己的人生故事。然而，这本书销量不佳，萨维奇只能勉强糊口。由于食物匮乏，他病得很重。幸亏为他治疗的医生医术高明，他才最终康复。
一两周后，医生给萨维奇寄去了出诊账单。可怜的萨维奇身无分文，无法支付。医生等了一个月，再次寄出账单，但仍未收到付款。又过了几周，他再次寄信催款。最后，他亲自来到萨维奇家索要费用，说道：“你知道你的命是我救的，我期望你能表示一些感激。”
“我承认，”萨维奇说，“我的命是你救的。为了证明我对你的工作并非忘恩负义，我将把我的生命给你。”
说完这些话，他将两卷书递给了医生，书名是《理查德·萨维奇的一生》。