BBC英国史

In fact,Becket saw right through Henry's game of studied informality,

贝克特由此了解亨利的不拘礼节

the way he avoided wearing the crown,his preference of ordinary riding clothes.

比如 他刻意不戴王冠 以及偏爱穿着普通骑马服

Becket knew that when Henry extended the hand of friendship,

贝克特深知亨利何时友善

he was capable of following it by frosty withdrawals of affection,

何时又热情退却 冷若冰霜

unpredictable explosions of carpet biting, incendiary fury.

抑或是毫无预兆的怒火中烧 勃然大怒

It was this pseudo-sibling relationship that gave Becket the confidence later on

正是这种亲如手足的关系 给予贝克特极大的信心 使其在日后

to treat the King as a virtual equal with catastrophic results for all concerned.

将自己与国王一视同仁 最终造就了那灾难性的后果

Time and again he would tell his dwindling band of followers,I know this looks bad but trust me.

他曾反复告诫那些日渐减少的追随者 我知道这看上去很糟糕 但相信我

I know the way this man operates.

我了解这个男人的性格"

But even in the early days, beneath the jesting, there was,if Thomas looked for it, a kind of ominous tension.

即使在早期的玩笑之下 如果托马斯稍作留意 就会发现不祥预兆

When, for example, the King and chancellor rode through london,

比如 国王和大法官骑马穿过伦敦时

Henry pointed to the countless destitute, and, eyeing Thomas's gorgeous scarlet and grey minever-edged cloak,

亨利指着众多贫苦的人们 看着托马斯身上猩红色镶灰毛边的华丽斗篷

let it be known "how charitable it would be to clothe the poor man's nakedness.

对他说 "如果这个穷苦人 能获得一衣之蔽那该多好

Well, yes, said Becket, you should attend to it right away.

贝克特说 是的 您应该说到做到

Oh, no, no, no, you should have the credit,insisted the King,Pulling at Becket's cape.

不不 此项殊荣应该交付于你 国王坚持如是说 说着就拉扯贝克特的斗篷

An undignified tug of war then followed,with both men trying to pull the capes off each other.

接着演变成一场有损尊严的的拉扯之争 两个男人都极力想扯下对方身上的斗篷

At last the chancellor had no alternative but to allow the King to overcome him and give his cape to the poor man.

最终 大法官别无选择 只能乖乖听命于国王 将自己的斗篷给了那个穷人

词汇解析

1、ordinary

平常的；普通的；一般的；平凡的

I strongly suspect that most ordinary people would agree with me.

我坚定地认为绝大部分老百姓会赞同我的观点。

It has 25 calories less than ordinary ice cream.

它所含热量比普通的冰激凌少了25卡路里。

平庸的；平淡无奇的

I'm just a very ordinary, boring normal guy.

我只是一个颇为平庸无趣的普通人。

Your life since then must have seemed very ordinary.

你的生活从那时起一定非常平淡无奇。

不寻常的；非凡的；特殊的

The boy's knowledge was out of the ordinary.

这个男孩懂得的知识非比寻常。

I've noticed nothing out of the ordinary.

我没注意到什么特别之处。

2、equal

同样的;相等的

Investors can borrow an amount equal to the property's purchase price.

投资者可以获得与房产购买价格相等的借款额。

in a population having equal numbers of men and women.

在男女人数相等的人口中

（权利、待遇等）平等的，均等的

We will be justly demanding equal rights at work.

我们将要求享有工作中应得的平等权利。

the commitment to equal opportunities.

对机会均等的承诺