Chapter 38 - England's Greatest Queen / 第三十八章 - 英格兰最伟大的女王

Do you remember回忆，记得/rɪˈmembər/ Henry VIII, the English king国王/kɪŋ/ who had six wives妻子们/waɪvz/? He kept getting married结婚/ˈmærid/ because he wanted to have a son儿子/sʌn/. And then, when his third wife Jane Seymour finally gave birth出生，分娩/bɜːrθ/ to a baby boy, he hoped for another one.

Back in the early days of the Renaissance文艺复兴/ˈrenəsɑːns/, people often died死亡/daɪd/ of illnesses疾病/ˈɪlnəsɪz/ that wouldn't really be very serious严重的/ˈsɪriəs/ today. So Henry VIII wanted another son in case anything happened to his oldest boy, little Prince Edward.

But Henry VIII never had another son. When he died死亡/daɪd/, Prince Edward became King Edward VI of England. Edward was only nine years old, so his uncles叔叔们/ˈʌŋkəlz/ helped rule统治/ruːl/ England for him. And Edward wasn't in very good health健康/helθ/. He kept coughing咳嗽/ˈkɔːfɪŋ/, and he was very thin瘦弱的/θɪn/.

As Edward got older, he became even weaker更虚弱/ˈwiːkər/. By the time he was sixteen he was forced to stay in bed床/bed/. Physicians医生们/fɪˈzɪʃənz/ tried every cure治疗方法/kjʊr/ they knew. One cure was to put leeches水蛭/liːtʃɪz/ on the young king to suck out some of his blood血液/blʌd/. Another was to have him swallow吞咽/ˈswɑːloʊ/ a live spider蜘蛛/ˈspaɪdər/ covered in molasses糖浆/məˈlæsɪz/.

But none of these cures worked. Soon, everyone knew that the king was dying垂死的/ˈdaɪɪŋ/. But who would rule统治/ruːl/ England next? Edward had no brothers兄弟/ˈbrʌðərz/, only two sisters姐妹/ˈsɪstərz/. Mary, the oldest sister, was the daughter女儿/ˈdɔːtər/ of Henry VIII and his first wife Catherine, the princess公主/ˈprɪnsəs/ of Aragon.

Elizabeth, the younger sister, was the daughter of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn, who had been beheaded被斩首/bɪˈhedɪd/. Even though England had never had a woman女人/ˈwʊmən/ on the throne王位/θroʊn/ before, one of these two sisters would have to become queen女王/kwiːn/. Their followers追随者/ˈfɑːloʊərz/ argued over who should have the throne.

Mary's powerful强大的/ˈpaʊərfəl/ supporters won the argument争论/ˈɑːrɡjumənt/. In 1553, Mary was declared宣布/dɪˈklerd/ the first queen of England. She rode through the streets街道/striːts/ of London to the Tower of London to be crowned加冕/kraʊnd/. And her little sister Elizabeth knelt跪下/nelt/ down and promised to be faithful忠诚的/ˈfeɪθfəl/ to the new queen.

Elizabeth was very careful to say only kind友善的/kaɪnd/ things about her sister. In public公开场合/ˈpʌblɪk/, Elizabeth acted humble谦逊的/ˈhʌmbəl/ and loving to Mary. But the truth真相/truːθ/ was that Elizabeth was frightened害怕的/ˈfraɪtənd/. She and Mary had never been good friends朋友/frends/.

Mary had been declared Princess of Wales, heir继承人/er/ to the English throne, when she was born. Until she was a teenager青少年/ˈtiːneɪdʒər/, Mary had been treated like a queen in waiting. She had her own coat of arms纹章/ɑːrmz/, her own private私人的/ˈpraɪvət/ apartments房间/əˈpɑːrtmənts/, and 160 servants仆人/ˈsɜːrvənts/ to wait on her.

She traveled in a velvet天鹅绒/ˈvelvɪt/ litter轿子/ˈlɪtər/ carried by servants and ate her meals餐食/miːlz/ beneath a special canopy华盖/ˈkænəpi/ that showed how important she was. Everywhere she went, people bowed鞠躬/baʊd/ to her and called her "Princess."

But then her father, Henry VIII, married Anne Boleyn, and Elizabeth was born. The minute that Elizabeth drew her first breath呼吸/breθ/, a herald传令官/ˈherəld/ announced to all the people that Elizabeth, not Mary, was now Princess of Wales and heir to the throne. Henry VIII ordered Mary's coat of arms to be stripped剥夺/strɪpt/ from all her clothes衣服/kloʊðz/ and given to Elizabeth.

He sent all of her servants away and told Mary that she had to be her little sister's maid女仆/meɪd/ of honor. Now the baby Elizabeth was carried around on the velvet litter. Mary had to ride骑行/raɪd/ or walk behind her. Elizabeth was given the household of servants, the special place to eat, and beautiful clothes made out of satin缎子/ˈsætɪn/ and silk丝绸/sɪlk/. Mary had to eat down at the foot of the table and live in an uncomfortable不舒适的/ʌnˈkʌmftəbəl/ room in the palace.

How do you think Mary felt about Elizabeth then? It would be hard to love爱/lʌv/ your little sister if your parents父母/ˈperənts/ took everything that belonged to you and gave it to her, and then told you that you had to be her servant仆人/ˈsɜːrvənt/. Mary refused拒绝/rɪˈfjuːzd/ to admit that Elizabeth was now the princess. "That is a title头衔/ˈtaɪtəl/ that belongs only to me!" she told her father.

But he ordered her to accept接受/əkˈsept/ her new place. Elizabeth was the Princess of Wales; Mary was just a lady-in-waiting女侍从/ˈleɪdi ɪn ˈweɪtɪŋ/. But exactly the same thing happened to Elizabeth only a few years later. When Elizabeth was four years old, little Prince Edward was born. Immediately, the herald announced that Edward, not Elizabeth, was now the heir to her throne.

Henry took away Elizabeth's coat of arms, her servants, her velvet litter, and her special place to eat. She was sent to live in a house房子/haʊs/ away from the castle. Her governess女家庭教师/ˈɡʌvərnəs/ wrote a letter to the palace, complaining抱怨/kəmˈpleɪnɪŋ/ that the little girl hadn't been given enough money to live on. "She doesn't even have a decent nightgown睡衣/ˈnaɪtɡaʊn/ or handkerchiefs手帕/ˈhæŋkərtʃɪfs/!" the governess objected.

Now that Elizabeth and Mary had both lost their positions地位/pəˈzɪʃənz/ as Princesses, Mary was kinder更友善/ˈkaɪndər/ to her little sister. But she never forgot how Elizabeth had taken her place. When she became queen, she passed a law法律/lɔː/ saying that Elizabeth had never really been the Princess of Wales. Then she accused指控/əˈkjuːzd/ Elizabeth of plotting密谋/ˈplɑːtɪŋ/ against her.

She ordered her sister imprisoned监禁/ɪmˈprɪzənd/ in the Tower of London. When soldiers士兵/ˈsoʊldʒərz/ came to arrest逮捕/əˈrest/ Elizabeth and take her away, Elizabeth was afraid that she would be killed. She cried out, "Give me a minute to write my sister a letter信件/ˈletər/!" And then she scrawled草草写下/skrɔːld/ on a piece of paper纸/ˈpeɪpər/, "I never talked or thought about any such thing as taking your throne away."

"May I die a shameful羞耻的/ˈʃeɪmfəl/ death if I did such a thing. Do not condemn谴责/kənˈdem/ me!" But Mary refused to even read the letter. Elizabeth spent months in the Tower of London, expecting期待/ɪkˈspektɪŋ/ every morning that soldiers would drag her away and behead斩首/bɪˈhed/ her. Mary couldn't find any evidence证据/ˈevɪdəns/ that Elizabeth had plotted against her, though.

So finally, Mary let her sister go and live in a small, dingy昏暗的/ˈdɪŋi/ house in the country乡村/ˈkʌntri/. Here, Elizabeth was surrounded by servants chosen by Mary and by soldiers who searched her house constantly for any signs of treason叛国/ˈtriːzən/. She wasn't even allowed to go for a walk without special permission许可/pərˈmɪʃən/ from Mary.

Four years after Elizabeth's arrest, she was sitting under a tree树/triː/ reading the Bible in Greek希腊语/ɡriːk/. A soldier nearby watched her every move. She heard galloping hooves马蹄声/huːvz/ and lifted her head to watch the road. A messenger信使/ˈmesɪndʒər/ came into sight, wearing the royal colors颜色/ˈkʌlərz/. Was he coming to tell her jailers狱卒/ˈdʒeɪlərz/ that Mary had finally condemned her to death?

Elizabeth stood up and watched the man dismount下马/dɪsˈmaʊnt/ from his horse马/hɔːrs/. But instead of speaking to the soldier behind her, the messenger fell on his knees膝盖/niːz/ in front of Elizabeth. "Mary, queen of England, is dead死了/ded/," he said. "You are now queen of England. God save the Queen!"

Elizabeth was now queen of England. When the people of England heard that Mary was dead, they sang唱歌/sæŋ/ and danced跳舞/dænst/ in the streets. Mary had been very unpopular不受欢迎的/ʌnˈpɑːpjələr/. As queen, Mary wanted to bring England back to the Catholic天主教的/ˈkæθəlɪk/ faith that her father Henry had rejected拒绝/rɪˈdʒektɪd/.

So she had sent men throughout England, demanding that her people swear allegiance忠诚/əˈliːdʒəns/ to the Catholic church. Three hundred men and women who refused were burned烧死/bɜːrnd/ at the stake火刑柱/steɪk/! Mary's subjects臣民/ˈsʌbdʒɪkts/ had begun to call her "Bloody Mary" because of her cruelty残忍/ˈkruːəlti/.

So when Elizabeth rode into London with a thousand men behind her, the streets were lined with cheering欢呼的/ˈtʃɪrɪŋ/ people. Elizabeth arrived at the castle城堡/ˈkæsəl/ and took charge of it. She replaced all of Mary's servants and ladies-in-waiting侍女/ˈleɪdiz ɪn ˈweɪtɪŋ/ with her own and fired most of Mary's advisors顾问/ədˈvaɪzərz/.

And she planned a great ceremony仪式/ˈserəmoʊni/ in which she would be crowned queen. When the day came, Elizabeth was carried to Westminster Abbey, London's most important church教堂/tʃɜːrtʃ/, on a litter covered with gold金子/ɡoʊld/ cloth. Her gown长袍/ɡaʊn/ was also made of gold cloth. Over it, she wore a velvet cape斗篷/keɪp/ with ermine貂皮/ˈɜːrmɪn/ fur on its edges and a heavy necklace of rubies红宝石/ˈruːbiz/ and pearls珍珠/pɜːrlz/.

A heavy gold crown王冠/kraʊn/ was placed on her head. A minister牧师/ˈmɪnɪstər/ put holy oil油/ɔɪl/ on her head, and she was given a scepter权杖/ˈseptər/, a globe球体/ɡloʊb/ with a cross on it (called an orb宝球/ɔːrb/) and a special ring戒指/rɪŋ/ to show her power. Elizabeth was now Elizabeth I, queen of England. The year was 1558.

Elizabeth I would remain on the throne of England for forty-five years. These years became known as the Elizabethan伊丽莎白时代的/ɪˌlɪzəˈbiːθən/ Age. Under Elizabeth, England would become peaceful和平的/ˈpiːsfəl/, rich富有的/rɪtʃ/, and more powerful强大的/ˈpaʊərfəl/ than ever before.

Elizabeth didn't want to make the same mistakes错误/mɪˈsteɪks/ that Mary had made. She wanted her people to love爱/lʌv/ her, not loathe厌恶/loʊð/ her. So although she announced that England would now be a Protestant新教的/ˈprɑːtəstənt/ country again, she did not force强迫/fɔːrs/ her people to swear that they were Protestants.

No more Catholic church services were allowed, and Elizabeth wanted her advisors to be Protestants. But she didn't ask her subjects臣民/ˈsʌbdʒɪkts/ what they were doing in private私下/ˈpraɪvət/. She told her advisors that she didn't intend to make "windows into men's souls灵魂/soʊlz/."

This was an unusual不寻常的/ʌnˈjuːʒuəl/ attitude for a Renaissance ruler to take. Many other European rulers were busy making sure that all of their subjects swore allegiance to either the Catholic or Protestant faiths. But Elizabeth was more worried about whether or not her subjects were loyal忠诚的/ˈlɔɪəl/ to her.

Elizabeth was also determined决心的/dɪˈtɜːrmɪnd/ not to marry. Mary had married a Spanish西班牙的/ˈspænɪʃ/ prince who convinced her to send English soldiers to help with Spanish battles. The English didn't like this prince, whose name was Philip. They thought he was arrogant傲慢的/ˈærəɡənt/ and selfish自私的/ˈselfɪʃ/—and above all, a foreigner外国人/ˈfɔːrənər/.

They didn't want English soldiers to go fight in foreign wars. And when Philip started to help Mary make laws for England, many of Mary's people ran through the streets, yelling, "We will have no foreigner for our king!" All of Elizabeth's advisors expected期望/ɪkˈspektɪd/ her to get married as soon as possible. As a matter of fact, when Elizabeth called her first Parliament议会/ˈpɑːrləmənt/ (the group of representatives代表/ˌreprɪˈzentətɪvz/ who would help her to pass laws), Parliament told her, "We can't talk about laws until we've arranged a wedding婚礼/ˈwedɪŋ/ for you."

But Elizabeth knew that if she got married, her husband would be the real ruler of England. Back in those days, most people thought that men were always wiser, smarter, and stronger than women. If Elizabeth married a prince, more and more of her power would go to him. Elizabeth had no intention意图/ɪnˈtenʃən/ of giving up any of her power.

Parliament insisted坚持/ɪnˈsɪstɪd/. They didn't think that a woman could do a good job of ruling England. (Mary certainly hadn't!) Elizabeth needed a man to help her. And she needed to have children孩子/ˈtʃɪldrən/. What if she died without an heir继承人/er/? Who would be king after her?

Philip, Mary's husband, offered to take on the job of marrying Elizabeth. He had enjoyed享受/ɪnˈdʒɔɪd/ the power that came with the throne of England, and he wanted it back. Of course, he didn't say, "I want to marry Elizabeth so that I can be king of England again." He put it in much grander words. "I have decided," he wrote to Parliament, "to render提供/ˈrendər/ this service to God and offer to marry the queen of England. It would be better for herself and her kingdom if she would take a consort配偶/ˈkɑːnsɔːrt/ [a husband] who might relieve her of those labors劳作/ˈleɪbərz/ which are only fit for men."

But Elizabeth put her foot down. She took off the ring she had been given when she was crowned and held it up in front of all of those men. "Behold," she said, "the pledge of this my wedlock婚姻/ˈwedlɑːk/ and marriage with my kingdom. Every one of you, and as many as are Englishmen, are children孩子/ˈtʃɪldrən/ and kinsmen亲属/ˈkɪnzmən/ to me." Elizabeth's words meant that she was "married" to England. She had no room for a husband; the job of being queen would take up all of her time.

And Elizabeth did put all of her time into ruling England. She worked hard, making alliances联盟/əˈlaɪənsɪz/ with other countries, sending explorers探险家/ɪkˈsplɔːrərz/ out to claim undiscovered lands for England, and defending her land against invasion入侵/ɪnˈveɪʒən/. Thirty years after she became queen, Elizabeth encouraged her soldiers before a battle by shouting out, "[I am] resolved, in the midst and heat of the battle, to live and die amongst you all; to lay down for my God, and for my kingdom, and my people, my honour and my blood, even in the dust."

"I know I have the body but of a weak and feeble虚弱的/ˈfiːbəl/ woman; but I have the heart and stomach勇气/ˈstʌmək/ of a king, and of a king of England too!" Elizabeth was right. She was the best ruler England ever had. Her people loved her, and gave her the nickname绰号/ˈnɪkneɪm/ Good Queen Bess.