常春藤生活英语【90】Louis XIV 法王路易十四

Louis XIV was the king of France from 1643 to 1715. Many thought his birth was a miracle1. This is because King Louis XIII and his wife had been married for 23 years without having a child. When Louis was finally born, he was named Louis-Dieudonné, which means "given by God." The whole nation of France was relieved that there was an heir2 to take over the country, and they celebrated² his birth.

Louis became king of France at the age of four after his father passed away. When he was young, his mother and a cardinal3 helped him rule. During this time, there were several rebellions4 against the government, but they failed. When the cardinal³ died, Louis XIV declared that he would govern France all by himself. He was only 23 years old.

Louis XIV thought he was very special. When he became king, he used pictures of the sun to represent himself. He believed that, like the sun, everything centered around him. He was called the Sun King and Louis the Great because he was so powerful.

Louis XIV

路易十四是1643到1715年间的法国国王。许多人都将他的诞生视为奇迹。这是因为国王路易十三和他的妻子结褵二十三年来一直都膝下无子。当路易终于出生时，他被取名为Louis-Dieudonné，意指『上帝所赐』。全法国对有继位者来掌管国家一事皆感宽慰，大家更一起欢庆他的诞生。

年仅四岁的路易在他父王过世后，便即位成为法王。当他年纪尚轻时，他的母亲和一位红衣主教在旁辅政。在这段期间，反抗政府的叛乱活动频频发生，不过都终告失败。红衣主教过世时，路易十四便宣布他会自力统驭法国。当时的他年仅二十三岁。

路易十四觉得自己很特别。他在成为国王时，就用太阳的图案来象征自己。他相信自己就像太阳一样，万物都以他为中心。他是如此有权有势，因而被称为『太阳王』和『路易大帝』。

Building Your Vocabulary

1. relieved　a. 宽慰的，不再忧虑的
Greg was relieved when he found his cat.
葛瑞找到他的猫时松了一口气。
2. declare　vt. 宣布；声称
Rita declared that she would retire soon.
丽塔宣布她即将退休。
3. govern　vt. 管理，统治（国家）
That country is governed by a violent man.
那个国家是由一位暴君所统治。
4. powerful　a. 权力强大的，有势力的
Al is the most powerful person in this office.
艾尔是这间公司里权力最大的人。

Phrases for Learning

1. take over...　　接管∕接任……
Who will take over Ron's job after he quits?
朗恩辞职后，谁会接手他的工作？
2. center around...　　以……为中心
Meg's life centers around her children.
玛格的生活以她的孩子们为中心。

参考字词

1. miracle　n. 奇迹
2. heir¹　n. 继任人；继承人
3. cardinal　n. 红衣主教，枢机主教
4. rebellion⁴　n. 叛乱；造反

Tips In Use

Louis XIV was the king of France from 1643 to 1715.
（路易十四是1643到1715年间的法国国王。）

本文中使用了一些罗马数字（Roman numerals），它们看似复杂，但其实有迹可循，只要掌握『左减右加』的原则，大家就能一目了然。另外，若在上面加上一小杠（ˉ），就是再乘 1,000。

I or i = 1 → II = 2, III = 3
V or v = 5 → IV = 4, VIII = 8
X or x = 10 → XIX = 19, XXI = 21
L or l = 50 → LIV = 54
C or c = 100 → CL = 150
D or d = 500 → DC = 600
M or m = 1,000 → M = 1,000,000

1 heir   

n.继承人，接班人

参考例句：

• The King's eldest son is the heir to the throne.国王的长子是王位的继承人。
• We don't recognised him to be the lawful heir.我们不承认他为合法继承人。

2 celebrated   

adj.有名的，声誉卓著的

参考例句：

• He was soon one of the most celebrated young painters in England.不久他就成了英格兰最负盛名的年轻画家之一。
• The celebrated violinist was mobbed by the audience.观众团团围住了这位著名的小提琴演奏家。

3 cardinal   

n.(天主教的)红衣主教；adj.首要的，基本的

参考例句：

• This is a matter of cardinal significance.这是非常重要的事。
• The Cardinal coloured with vexation. 红衣主教感到恼火，脸涨得通红。

4 rebellion   

n.造反，叛乱，反抗

参考例句：

• The next year they rose up in rebellion.第二年他们就揭竿起义了。
• The new government quickly suppressed the rebellion.新政府迅速把叛乱镇压下去。