BBC英国史

Of course, like James before him,he would listen to the people

当然了 就和前任詹姆斯一世一样 他也通过议会

through their representatives in parliament,

倾听民间疾苦

but only when he chose and only on matters he saw fit to be discussed.

但仅限他自选 也仅限讨论他认为合适的事件

But the House of Commons was filled with historians and lawyers,

然而下议院充斥着历史学家和律师

and for them parliament was not simply a matter of royal convenience.

对他们而言 议会不仅是为方便皇室而存在的场所

Ever heard of Magna Carta?

听说过《大宪章》吗

For these men,parliamentary history, the history they were reading and writing,

对于这群人来说 议会的历史 他们所闻所写的历史

was an ongoing epic of liberty,and they were the keepers of the flame.

就是民主前进过程中的一个章节 他们是光明的守护者

The countdown to the civil wars started now,though nobody heard it.

内战已经步步紧趋 但还没人意识到

It was a countdown that could have been stopped time and again,

内战的脚步本可以被半路阻止

but the ticking grew louder and louder.

但脚步声步步紧逼而来

Until by 1642 it would be deafening.And what triggered that countdown?Money.

到1642年时已经近在咫尺 那是什么点燃了内战导火索 金钱

One of the first things this young king did was declare war on Spain,

年轻的国王 上任三把火之一便是向西班牙宣战

and nothing was more ruinously expensive than foreign war.

然而耗资最浩大的 莫过于对外战争

There was the added complication that in England,

英格兰有个格外的复杂情况

even a little gods on earth had to go cap in hand to parliament for the money to fight.

就算是天神下凡 向议会伸手要钱时也得毕恭毕敬

For Charles, the issue was personal.

而查理一世因私人恩怨开启战事

Wars of religion were tearing Europe apart.

宗教战争使欧洲分崩离析

Protestants and Catholics were killing each other from Sweden to Hungary with unspeakable cruelty.

新教徒和天主教徒 北至瑞典南至匈牙利 相互厮杀 穷凶极恶

They'd forced his own sister,the Queen of Bohemia, into exile.

他们将查理一世的亲姐姐 波西米亚王后流放出境

词汇解析

1、convenience

方便;便利;合宜

He was happy to make a detour for her convenience.

为了她方便，他很乐意绕道。

the need to put the rights of citizens above the convenience of elected officials.

需要把公民的权利置于当选官员的便利之上

便利设施;便利装置

Some TVRs have power steering and conveniences such as central locking and powered windows.

一些特雷沃车型配有动力转向系统以及中央锁和电动窗之类的便利装置。

an apartment with all the modern conveniences.

现代化便利设施一应俱全的公寓

带来方便的事物

Mail order is a convenience for buyers who are too busy to shop.

邮购对于那些没有时间逛商店的购物者来说是一项非常方便的服务。

2、trigger

(枪的)扳机

A man pointed a gun at them and pulled the trigger.

一名男子拿枪指着他们，接着扣动了扳机。

引爆;启动;触发

The thieves must have deliberately triggered the alarm and hidden inside the house.

盗贼肯定是故意触发了报警器，然后躲在房子里。

The one thousand pound bomb was triggered by a wire.

那颗重达 1,000 磅的炸弹是由一根导线引爆的。

引起;发动;促使

the incident which triggered the outbreak of the First World War.

导致第一次世界大战爆发的事件

The current recession was triggered by a slump in consumer spending

目前的经济衰退是由消费支出骤跌引起的。