BBC英国史

Buried inside all the crowing propaganda of the Greenwich ceiling,

藏在浮夸的格林威治天花板中的

there was one crucial nugget of truth.

是一个重要事实

Louis XIV could demand money for his wars,William III had to ask for it.

路易十四可以为他的战争横征暴敛 但威廉三世只能开口祈求

Almost everywhere else in Europe,the more military the state,

而几乎在欧洲的其他任何地方 越是兵强马壮的国度

the stronger the king, except in Britain.

国王也就越强大 除了英国

Here parliament, not the monarchy, signed the cheques.

在这里 最后签支票的是议会而不是皇室

The longer the war went on,the stronger parliament became,

战争越是持久 议会就越强大

as the purse it had grew bigger and bigger.

因为他们能不断靠战争敛财

What's more, the kind of politics raging in Britain,we can recognise as distinctly modern.

更有甚者 一种政治格局在英国大行其道 这样的格局在如今的英国仍能看到

Two parties,the Whigs and Tories,diametrically opposed,not just about the policies of the day,

两大政党 辉格党和托利党针锋相对 不仅仅是针对当时的政策

but about the entire political character of the nation

更是针对整个国家的政治面貌

and the upheaval of 1688 that had created it.

以及造成这种面貌的1688年剧变

Whigs and Tories were not two parties who,when the barracking was done,

辉格党和托利党并非是那种 当一切舆论声浪过去后

could meet up for a drink and a bawdy joke.

就可以友好地喝酒谈天的关系

They went to different taverns, different coffee houses and different clubs.

他们会去不同的酒馆 咖啡店和俱乐部

They were two armed camps.

他们是两大阵营

And the artillery barrages that flew between them were often red hot.

而他们之间的关系 往往是真枪实弹 并且一触即发

250,000 votes were at stake in elections,

选举中25万张选票在摇摆

more than 20% of the adult male population.

超过成年男性选民的20%

And nothing was spared to grab them,money, drink, libels, gangs of toughs.

而所有人都使出浑身解数拉票 金钱 美酒 诽谤和恶棍团伙

This was all-out war at the hustings.

所有人都全身心投入选战

词汇解析

1、demand

（强烈）要求;强令

Mr Byers last night demanded an immediate explanation from the Education Secretary.

昨晚拜尔斯先生要求教育大臣立刻作出解释。

Russia demanded that Unita send a delegation to the peace talks.

俄罗斯要求安盟派代表团参加和谈。

需要

He said the task of reconstruction would demand much patience, hard work and sacrifice.

他说重建任务将需要付出极大的耐心、艰辛和牺牲。

There would be fewer international crises demanding his attention.

需要他去关注的国际危机将会减少。

（坚决的）要求

There have been demands for services from tenants up there.

那里的房客要求提供服务。

They consistently rejected the demand to remove US troops.

他们一再拒绝撤走美国部队的要求。

2、political

政治的；政治上的

All other political parties there have been completely banned.

那里其他所有政党已被彻底取缔。

The Canadian government is facing another political crisis.

加拿大政府面临着又一场政治危机。

对政治感兴趣的；从事政治的

Oh I'm not political, I take no interest in politics.

噢，我不关心政治，对政治一点也不感兴趣。

This play is very political.

这部戏政治味太浓。