美国学生人类历史 第141期:封建制度(4)

 He looked after the dikes so that the countryside should not be flooded  他还担当着照看水坝的职责，以免四周的乡野受洪水之患

(just as the first noblemen had done in the valley of the Nile four thousand years before). （就像4000年前的埃及法老在尼罗河谷的所作所为）。

He encouraged the Troubadours who wandered from place to place telling the stories of the ancient heroes who had fought in the great wars of the migrations¹. 他赞助走村串户的行吟诗人，让他们向目不识丁的居民们朗诵赞美大迁徙时代的战争英雄的史诗。

Besides, he protected the churches and the monasteries² within his territory, 另外，他还必须保护辖区内的教堂与修道院。

and although he could neither read nor write, (it was considered unmanly to know such things,) 尽管他自己不会读书写字（当时这类事情被认为是缺乏男子气），

he employed a number of priests who kept his accounts 他却雇佣着一小撮教士为他记帐，

and who registered the marriages  and the births and the deaths which occurred within the baronial or ducal domains³. 并登记发生在所属男爵或公爵领地里的婚姻、死亡、出生等等大事。

In the fifteenth century the kings once more became strong enough to exercise those powers which belonged to them because they were "anointed of God." 到公元15世纪，国王们又重新强大起来，能够充分行使他们作为"上帝恩许"之人所应拥有的权力。

Then the feudal⁴ knights⁵ lost their former independence. 这样，封建骑士们丧失了原来的独立王国，沦为普通乡绅。

Reduced to the rank of country squires⁶, they no longer filled a need and soon they became a nuisance. 他们不再适台时势的需要，很快变成令人讨厌的怪物。

But Europe would have perished without the "feudal system" of the dark ages. 但是我想为他们说句公道话，如果没有"封建制度"，欧洲不可能安然度过那个黑暗年代。

There were many bad knights as there are many bad people to-day. 当然，如同今天存在许许多多的坏人一样，那个时代也同样有许多行为不端的骑士。

But generally speaking, the rough-fisted barons⁷ of the twelfth and thirteenth century were hard-working administrators⁸ 但总的来讲，十二、十三世纪的硬拳头男爵们大多数是些刻苦耐劳、工作勤奋的行政管理者，

who rendered a most useful service to the cause of progress. 为历史的进步事业做出过极有价值的贡献。

During that era the noble torch of learning and art which had illuminated⁹ the world of the Egyptians and the Greeks and the Romans was burning very low. 在那个年代，曾经照亮埃及人、希腊人、罗马人的文化与艺术的火炬，它的光芒已异常微弱，差点就要熄灭。

Without the knights and their good friends, the monks¹⁰, civilisation¹¹ would have been extinguished entirely¹², 如果没有骑士及他的好朋友僧侣，欧洲文明将整体灭绝，

and the human race would have been forced to begin once more where the cave-man had left off. 而欧洲人也会回到原始的穴居时代，把历史的进程从茹毛饮血开始，重新走上一遍。

1 migrations   

n.迁移，移居( migration的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• It foundered during the turmoils accompanying the Great Migrations. 它在随着民族大迁徙而出现的混乱中崩溃。 来自辞典例句
• Birds also have built-in timepieces which send them off on fall and spring migrations. 鸟类也有天生的时间感应器指导它们秋春迁移。 来自互联网

2 monasteries   

修道院( monastery的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• In ancient China, there were lots of monasteries. 在古时候，中国有许多寺院。
• The Negev became a religious center with many monasteries and churches. 内格夫成为许多庙宇和教堂的宗教中心。

3 domains   

n.范围( domain的名词复数 )；领域；版图；地产

参考例句：

• The theory of thermodynamics links the macroscopic and submicroscopic domains. 热力学把宏观世界同亚微观世界联系起来。 来自辞典例句
• All three flow domains are indicated by shading. 所有三个流动区域都是用阴影部分表示的。 来自辞典例句

4 feudal   

adj.封建的，封地的，领地的

参考例句：

• Feudal rulers ruled over the country several thousand years.封建统治者统治这个国家几千年。
• The feudal system lasted for two thousand years in China.封建制度在中国延续了两千年之久。

5 knights   

骑士； （中古时代的）武士( knight的名词复数 )； 骑士； 爵士； （国际象棋中）马

参考例句：

• stories of knights and fair maidens 关于骑士和美女的故事
• He wove a fascinating tale of knights in shining armour. 他编了一个穿着明亮盔甲的骑士的迷人故事。

6 squires   

n.地主，乡绅( squire的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The family history was typical of the Catholic squires of England. 这个家族的历史，在英格兰信天主教的乡绅中是很典型的。 来自辞典例句
• By 1696, with Tory squires and Amsterdam burghers complaining about excessive taxes. 到1696年，托利党的乡绅们和阿姆斯特丹的市民都对苛捐杂税怨声载道。 来自辞典例句

7 barons   

男爵( baron的名词复数 )； 巨头； 大王； 大亨

参考例句：

• The barons of Normandy had refused to countenance the enterprise officially. 诺曼底的贵族们拒绝正式赞助这桩买卖。
• The barons took the oath which Stephen Langton prescribed. 男爵们照斯蒂芬？兰顿的指导宣了誓。

8 administrators   

n.管理者( administrator的名词复数 )；有管理（或行政）才能的人；（由遗嘱检验法庭指定的）遗产管理人；奉派暂管主教教区的牧师

参考例句：

• He had administrators under him but took the crucial decisions himself. 他手下有管理人员，但重要的决策仍由他自己来做。 来自辞典例句
• Administrators have their own methods of social intercourse. 办行政的人有他们的社交方式。 来自汉英文学 - 围城

9 illuminated   

adj.被照明的；受启迪的

参考例句：

• Floodlights illuminated the stadium. 泛光灯照亮了体育场。
• the illuminated city at night 夜幕中万家灯火的城市

10 monks   

n.修道士，僧侣( monk的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The monks lived a very ascetic life. 僧侣过着很清苦的生活。
• He had been trained rigorously by the monks. 他接受过修道士的严格训练。 来自《简明英汉词典》

11 civilisation   

n.文明，文化，开化，教化

参考例句：

• Energy and ideas are the twin bases of our civilisation.能源和思想是我们文明的两大基石。
• This opera is one of the cultural totems of Western civilisation.这部歌剧是西方文明的文化标志物之一。

12 entirely   

ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The fire was entirely caused by their neglect of duty. 那场火灾完全是由于他们失职而引起的。
• His life was entirely given up to the educational work. 他的一生统统献给了教育工作。