美国学生人类历史 第78期:罗马和迦太基(6)

 　　The Roman Gods were State Functionaries¹. Each one managed his own department with great prudence² and a deep sense of justice, but in turn he was exact in demanding the obedience³ of his worshippers. This obedience the Romans rendered with scrupulous⁴ care. But they never established the cordial personal relations and that charming friendship which had existed between the old Hellenes and the mighty⁵ residents of the high Olympian peak.

　　他们属于国家机构的一分子，每一位神都在努力管理着自己负责的部门。他们面目严肃，神态方圆，谨慎公正地施洒正义。作为回报，他们要求信徒们一丝不苟的顺眼，而罗马人也小心翼翼地献上了他们的服从。不过如古希腊人与奥林匹斯山颠的诸神之间存在着的和谐亲密、发自肺腑的神人关系，罗马人和他们的神抵之间则是从未有过。

　　The Romans did not imitate the Greek form of government, but being of the same Indo-European stock as the people of Hellas, the early history of Rome resembles that of Athens and the other Greek cities. They did not find it difficult to get rid of their kings, the descendants of the ancient tribal⁶ chieftains. But once the kings had been driven from the city, the Romans were forced to bridle⁷ the power of the nobles, and it took many centuries before they managed to establish a system which gave every free citizen of Rome a chance to take a personal interest in the affairs of his town.

　　虽然罗马人与希腊人同属印欧种族而且罗马早期的历史跟雅典和其他的希腊国家很相近，但他们没有模仿希腊人的政治制度。他们发现摆脱他们的国王也就是古老的部落酋长的后裔的束缚并不是那么难。但是一旦国王被驱除出这个城市，罗马人必须被迫束缚贵族的权利。罗马人需要很长的时间来建立一个使罗马的每个公民都能够支配自己的利益的体系。

　　Thereafter the Romans enjoyed one great advantage over the Greeks. They managed the affairs of their country without making too many speeches. They were less imaginative than the Greeks and they preferred an ounce of action to a pound of words. They understood the tendency of the multitude (the "plebe," as the assemblage of free citizens was called) only too well to waste valuable time upon mere⁸ talk. They therefore placed the actual business of running the city into the hands of two "consuls⁹" who were assisted by a council of Elders, called the Senate (because the word"senex" means an old man).

　　他们不愿靠发表一大堆枯燥的言论和滔滔演讲来治理国家，他们的想象力和表现欲不如希腊人丰富，他们宁肯以一个现实的行动代替一百句无用的言辞。在他们看来，平民大会（"pleb"，即自由 民的集会）往往是一种空谈误国的恶习 ，无可救药。因此，他们将管理城市的实际事务交由两名执政官负责，并设立一个由一群老年人组成的"元老院"去辅佐他们。

1 functionaries   

n.公职人员，官员( functionary的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The Indian transmitters were court functionaries, not missionaries. 印度文化的传递者都是朝廷的官员而不是传教士。 来自辞典例句
• All government institutions functionaries must implement state laws, decrees and policies. 所有政府机关极其工作人员都必须认真执行国家的法律，法规和政策。 来自互联网

2 prudence   

n.谨慎，精明，节俭

参考例句：

• A lack of prudence may lead to financial problems.不够谨慎可能会导致财政上出现问题。
• The happy impute all their success to prudence or merit.幸运者都把他们的成功归因于谨慎或功德。

3 obedience   

n.服从，顺从

参考例句：

• Society has a right to expect obedience of the law.社会有权要求人人遵守法律。
• Soldiers act in obedience to the orders of their superior officers.士兵们遵照上级军官的命令行动。

4 scrupulous   

adj.审慎的，小心翼翼的，完全的，纯粹的

参考例句：

• She is scrupulous to a degree.她非常谨慎。
• Poets are not so scrupulous as you are.诗人并不像你那样顾虑多。

5 mighty   

adj.强有力的；巨大的

参考例句：

• A mighty force was about to break loose.一股巨大的力量即将迸发而出。
• The mighty iceberg came into view.巨大的冰山出现在眼前。

6 tribal   

adj.部族的，种族的

参考例句：

• He became skilled in several tribal lingoes.他精通几种部族的语言。
• The country was torn apart by fierce tribal hostilities.那个国家被部落间的激烈冲突弄得四分五裂。

7 bridle   

n.笼头，束缚；vt.抑制，约束；动怒

参考例句：

• He learned to bridle his temper.他学会了控制脾气。
• I told my wife to put a bridle on her tongue.我告诉妻子说话要谨慎。

8 mere   

adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过

参考例句：

• That is a mere repetition of what you said before.那不过是重复了你以前讲的话。
• It's a mere waste of time waiting any longer.再等下去纯粹是浪费时间。

9 consuls   

领事( consul的名词复数 )； （古罗马共和国时期）执政官 （古罗马共和国及其军队的最高首长，同时共有两位，每年选举一次）

参考例句：

• American consuls warned that millions more were preparing to leave war-ravaged districts. 美国驻外领事们预告，还有几百万人正在准备离开战争破坏的地区。
• The legionaries, on their victorious return, refused any longer to obey the consuls. 军团士兵在凯旋归国时，不肯服从执政官的命令。