美国语文第六册 第192期:新英格兰清教徒先辈的品格(4)

As deeply seated as was the principle of liberty and resistance to arbitrary power in the breasts of the Puritans,

自由的原则和对专制势力奋起反抗，在清教徒心中深深扎根，

it was not more so than their piety¹ and sense of religious obligation.

这与他们的虔诚和宗教责任感如出一辙。

They were emphatically a people whose God was the Lord.

他们都强调以上帝为君主的人。

Their form of government was as strictly² theocratical, if direct communication be excepted, as was that of the Jews;

如果接受直接交流的话，他们的政府体制严格符合犹太人的神权政治；

insomuch that it would be difficult to say where there was any civil authority among them entirely³ distinct from ecclesiastical jurisdiction⁴.

就此程度而言，很难说在他们中间存在完全有别于教会裁判权的民权。

Whenever a few of them settled a town, they immediately gathered themselves into a church;

一旦他们中有些人在一座城镇定居下来，他们很快就会组建一个教堂；

and their elders were magistrates⁵, and their code of laws was the Pentateuch.

其中年长者是地方法官，所依据的法典则是《摩西五书》。

These were forms, it is true, but forms which faithfully indicated principles and feelings;

这些虽然是一些组织形式，但实际上忠实于原则和情感，

for no people could have adopted such forms, who were not thoroughly⁶ imbued⁷ with the spirit, and bent⁸ on the practice, of religion.

因为没有谁会采纳这样没有完全激发基督教精神，而倾向于宗教常规的形式。

God was their King; and they regarded him as truly and literally⁹ so, as if he had dwelt in a visible palace in the midst of their state.

上帝是他们的王；他们将上帝视为真正和真实的存在，仿佛他就住在他们国家一个能看得见的宫殿里似的。

They were his devoted¹⁰, resolute¹¹, humble¹² subjects; they undertook nothing which they did not beg of him to prosper¹³;

他们是他虔敬、坚决且谦恭的臣民；他们只要祈求他保佑他们繁荣兴旺，什么都可以承担；

they accomplished¹⁴ nothing without rendering¹⁵ to him the praise;

他们不吝对他的赞美，任何事业都可以完成；

they suffered nothing without carrying their sorrows to his throne; they ate nothing which they did not implore¹⁶ him to bless.

只要向他倾诉衷肠，任何困苦都不在话下。

1 piety   

n.虔诚，虔敬

参考例句：

• They were drawn to the church not by piety but by curiosity.他们去教堂不是出于虔诚而是出于好奇。
• Experience makes us see an enormous difference between piety and goodness.经验使我们看到虔诚与善意之间有着巨大的区别。

2 strictly   

adv.严厉地，严格地；严密地

参考例句：

• His doctor is dieting him strictly.他的医生严格规定他的饮食。
• The guests were seated strictly in order of precedence.客人严格按照地位高低就座。

3 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。

4 jurisdiction   

n.司法权，审判权，管辖权，控制权

参考例句：

• It doesn't lie within my jurisdiction to set you free.我无权将你释放。
• Changzhou is under the jurisdiction of Jiangsu Province.常州隶属江苏省。

5 magistrates   

地方法官，治安官( magistrate的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• to come up before the magistrates 在地方法院出庭
• He was summoned to appear before the magistrates. 他被传唤在地方法院出庭。

6 thoroughly   

adv.完全地，彻底地，十足地

参考例句：

• The soil must be thoroughly turned over before planting.一定要先把土地深翻一遍再下种。
• The soldiers have been thoroughly instructed in the care of their weapons.士兵们都系统地接受过保护武器的训练。

7 imbued   

v.使（某人/某事）充满或激起（感情等）( imbue的过去式和过去分词 )；使充满；灌输；激发（强烈感情或品质等）

参考例句：

• Her voice was imbued with an unusual seriousness. 她的声音里充满着一种不寻常的严肃语气。
• These cultivated individuals have been imbued with a sense of social purpose. 这些有教养的人满怀着社会责任感。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 bent   

n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的

参考例句：

• He was fully bent upon the project.他一心扑在这项计划上。
• We bent over backward to help them.我们尽了最大努力帮助他们。

9 literally   

adv.照字面意义，逐字地；确实

参考例句：

• He translated the passage literally.他逐字逐句地翻译这段文字。
• Sometimes she would not sit down till she was literally faint.有时候，她不走到真正要昏厥了，决不肯坐下来。

10 devoted   

adj.忠诚的，忠实的，热心的，献身于...的

参考例句：

• He devoted his life to the educational cause of the motherland.他为祖国的教育事业贡献了一生。
• We devoted a lengthy and full discussion to this topic.我们对这个题目进行了长时间的充分讨论。

11 resolute   

adj.坚决的，果敢的

参考例句：

• He was resolute in carrying out his plan.他坚决地实行他的计划。
• The Egyptians offered resolute resistance to the aggressors.埃及人对侵略者作出坚决的反抗。

12 humble   

adj.谦卑的，恭顺的；地位低下的；v.降低，贬低

参考例句：

• In my humble opinion,he will win the election.依我拙见，他将在选举中获胜。
• Defeat and failure make people humble.挫折与失败会使人谦卑。

13 prosper   

v.成功，兴隆，昌盛；使成功，使昌隆，繁荣

参考例句：

• With her at the wheel,the company began to prosper.有了她当主管，公司开始兴旺起来。
• It is my earnest wish that this company will continue to prosper.我真诚希望这家公司会继续兴旺发达。

14 accomplished   

adj.有才艺的；有造诣的；达到了的

参考例句：

• Thanks to your help,we accomplished the task ahead of schedule.亏得你们帮忙,我们才提前完成了任务。
• Removal of excess heat is accomplished by means of a radiator.通过散热器完成多余热量的排出。

15 rendering   

n.表现，描写

参考例句：

• She gave a splendid rendering of Beethoven's piano sonata.她精彩地演奏了贝多芬的钢琴奏鸣曲。
• His narrative is a super rendering of dialect speech and idiom.他的叙述是方言和土语最成功的运用。

16 implore   

vt.乞求，恳求，哀求

参考例句：

• I implore you to write. At least tell me you're alive.请给我音讯，让我知道你还活着。
• Please implore someone else's help in a crisis.危险时请向别人求助。