the Phoenicians were the commercial people par excellence--

出类拔萃的商人腓尼基人的
the Phoenicians would be the best regime.

政体是最好的
But he denies that.

但他否认这说法
Aristotle could never endorse the view stated by a famous American

亚里士多德从未认可一位著名
president that the business of America is business.

美国总统认为美国的本质就是商业的观点
The political partnership, he says, must be regarded for the

他认为政治上的合作必须像
sake of noble acts performed well.

贵族活动那样考虑周全安排得当
Wealth, property, he tells us, exists for the sake of

他告诉我们财富是为了德行而存在的
virtue, not virtue for the sake of wealth.

而并不是德行是为了财富而存在
Just as Aristotle would have been critical of the American tendency to

正象亚里士多德指责美国人把政府当作
regard government as for the sake of business or for the sake

商业机构或者经济机构那样
of the economy, he also criticized beforehand the

他事先就批评到