BBC英国史

Now there was a desperate labour shortage,and the simple operation of the laws of supply and demand

如今劳动力严重短缺 根据简单的供需关系法则

meant that for the first time,you could set the terms of the deal.

这就意味着有史以来第一次 你可以在交易中提条件

He wanted labour out of you, well, you could say,"Why not start by paying me something?"

他需要你的劳动力 那你可以说 那先付我钱吧

He wants you to move into a piece of land which otherwise would go to rack and ruin,

他希望你移居进入他的土地 不然这块地就得全荒废掉了

you respond by saying, "OK, cut the rent."

你就可以回复他 没问题 但得减租

And if the lord says,"No chance, you impertinent so-and-so,"well, you just up sticks and find someone else

如果领主胆敢妄言 没门 你算个什么东西等等 你大可以拔腿就走

who's got a more secure grip on the new economic facts of life.

找个更能把握经济生活新方向的雇主

Well, hundreds of thousands of peasants must have done just that,

成百上千的农民 正是如此做的

and there was nothing anybody could do about it.

对此 无人能改变

It was not just the social order that the plague shook loose.

这场瘟疫撼动的 不仅仅是社会秩序

It also ate away at the sense of security offered by the Church,

它还侵蚀了教堂 赋予人们的安全感

especially since the regular clergy seemed powerless to provide help for the afflicted or even for themselves.

因为普通的牧师对人们的遭遇 无能为力 甚至无力自救

In 1349, the Bishop of Bath and Wells,seeing that there was a serious shortage of priests,

1349年 由于牧师严重短缺 巴思和威尔士的主教

authorised laymen to hear the confession of the dying.

授权让普通人听取将死之人的忏悔

"Or," He wrote,"Even a woman, if no man is available."

或者 他写道 如果没有男人 女人也行

词汇解析

1、desperate

（因绝望而）孤注一掷的，铤而走险的，拼命的

Troops are needed to help get food into Kosovo where people are in desperate need.

需要军队帮助将科索沃人民亟需的食品送抵那里。

Desperate with anxiety, Bob and Hans searched the whole house.

焦急万分的鲍勃和汉斯把整座房子找了个遍。

极需要的;渴望的

They'd been married nearly four years and June was desperate to start a family.

他们结婚已快4年了，琼非常渴望要个孩子。

People are desperate for him to do something.

人们极希望他能做点什么。

极困难的;极严重的;极危险的

India's United Nations ambassador said the situation is desperate.

印度驻联合国大使说形势非常危急。

I decided not to abandon John when he was in such a desperate position.

我决定不在约翰走投无路的时候抛弃他。

2、confession

供状;供词

They forced him to sign a confession.

他们强迫他在一份供词上签名。

声明;告白;表白

Tatyana's confession of love.

塔季扬娜爱的告白

(对使自己羞愧或尴尬之事的)承认，坦白

The diaries are a mixture of confession and observation.

这些日记既有自白，也有评论。

I have a confession to make.

我有件事要坦白。