[Grammar] Problematic to translate

[Instrukcija4]

Hello. I have been trying to translate the sentence, but I am not able to understand the following part of it:

"...my business began to fail for my conscience would not suffer me to imitate the bad practice of too many among my brethren."

May someone help me to identify the exact meaning of it?

 

[charliedeut]

Hi,

As I read it, it means "my business started to go wrong because my mind would not tolerate my imitation (doing the same) of the bad practice (doing things wrong) of too many among my brothers/fellow businessmen/equals (that is, other businessmen)."

charliedeut

PS: Welcome to the Forums :hi:

 

[Barb_D]

Others in the industry were behaving badly to make their business succeed. My integrity would not let me behave in the same way. So my business began to fail.

 

[5jj]

Note that Gulliver's Travels, in which your words appear, was published in 1726. The language sounds very dated today.

 

[Barb_D]

Wow - good catch, 5jj.

 

[5jj]

Wow - good catch, 5jj.

I'm pretty swift sometimes. ;-)

 

[Barb_D]

Groan.

 

[5jj]

Groan.

You don't like my home-groan wit?

 

[Rover_KE]

You don't like my home-groan wit?

When are you going away again?