大宪章史话（2015）

Raucous crowd noise
[人群喧闹声]
relations between a state and its people can all too easily break down,
国家和人♥民♥之间的关系很容易破裂，
from bickering to riot, from anarchy to bloody revolution.
从争吵到暴♥乱♥，从无政♥府♥状态到血腥革命。
The rulers, whether they call themselves kings and emperors
统治者，无论他们自称为国王和皇帝，
or presidents and prime ministers, are arrogant,
还是总统和总理，都是傲慢的，
power-grabbing and often corrupt, while we, the ruled,
攫取权力的，往往是腐♥败♥的，而我们，被统治者，
can be disorderly,irrational and bloody-minded.
可能是无序的，非理性的和血腥的。
But, 800 years ago in england, one such crisis -
但是，在800年前的英国，一场这样的危机 —
local, limited, particular -
地方性的、有限的、特殊的 —
threw up a document that has become a kind of universal model,
催生出了一份文件，这份文件已经成为一种普遍的模式，
a sort of blueprint.
一种蓝图。
They didn't get it right first time, but constantly revisited
他们起初，没有把正确制定它，但不断地重新审视
and readjusted, it has become a working constitution.
和调整，它已经成为一部有效的宪法。
Its words still retain their power to quicken the blood, with ideas
它的文字仍然保持着让人热血沸腾的力量，它的思想
to keep governments in check and fill autocratic regimes with fear.
让政♥府♥受到制约，让专♥制♥政♥权♥充满恐惧。
It's called magna carta, and it matters as much now as then.
它被称为大宪♥章♥，它现在和当时一样重要。
More indeed, perhaps, as we have forgotten so many of its lessons.
更确切地说，也许,我们已经忘记了很多教训。
戴维.斯塔基系列节目之《大宪♥章♥史话》
This is the river thames,
这是泰晤士河，
and I'm travelling upstream from east to west.
我正从东向西逆流而上。
Steam whistle blows
汽笛吹响，
I'm on this lovely pleasure steamer, and nowadays, indeed,
我在这艘可爱的游船上，如今，
the river is largely a tourist attraction.
这条河确实是一个很大的旅游景点。
But back in the middle ages, it was the superhighway of england.
但在中世纪，它是英格兰的“高速公路”。
It's the summer of 1215, and england is bitterly divided about how
这是1215年的夏天，英格兰在如何治理它
it should be governed and,indeed, who should govern it.
以及谁来治理它的问题上，存在严重分歧。
It's what we might call a constitutional crisis.
这就是我们所说的“宪法危机”。
But it has gone beyond words to the very brink of civil war.
但它已经超越了言语，到了内战的边缘。
Back there, some 20 miles downstream,
在那边，下游约20英里处，
is the barons' main camp in London.
是男爵们在伦敦的大本营。
And over there, some five miles upstream, is the king's camp in the
在那边，上游约五英里处，是国王的营地
magnificent, almost impregnable fortress of windsor castle.
在宏伟的，几乎坚不可摧的温莎城♥堡♥。
And here is runnymede.
这就是“兰尼米德草地”。
以下摘自《1215年梅尔罗斯修道院编年史》
"A new state of things has begun in england,
“一种新的情况在英国开始了，
"such a strange affair as had never before been heard,
“这是一件前所未闻的怪事，
"for the body wished to rule the head
“因为身体想要统治头脑，
"and the people desired to be masters over the king."
“而人们（贵族们）想要成为国王的主人。”
So wrote a monk who witnessed the tense confrontations on these
这是一位僧侣写的，他目睹了约翰国王
watery meadows between king John and his rebellious barons.
和反叛的贵族们，在松软的草地上的激烈对抗。
This stand-off is the very stuff of school history lessons.
这种僵局，是如今学校历史课的重要内容。
In fact, it was just the midpoint of a bitter power struggle that
事实上，这只是一场激烈的权力斗争的中点，
would threaten to tear england apart
这场斗争几年前就开始了，
and one that had started several years earlier.
可能会导致英格兰分♥裂♥。
England in the 13th century.
13世纪的英格兰。
Contrary to our popular perception,this is not some dark age -
与我们普遍的看法相反，这不是什么黑暗时代 —
quite the reverse.
— 恰恰相反。
England is ruled by tiny strips of parchment with
英格兰由小小的羊皮纸来统治，
a government of writing and sealing.
它由当权的政♥府♥书写和封印。
It has seen an enormous explosion in sophisticated law, offering
它见证了复杂法律的巨大发展，伸张正义，
justice, settling disputes, dealing with an increasingly complex world.
解决争端，应对日益复杂的世界。
But it is this almost insatiable demand for a fairer society
但是，正是这种对更公平社会几乎永不满足的要求，
that will bring people to conflict with their monarch, king John.
将人们（贵族们）与他们的君主，约翰国王发生冲突。
To offer justice is one of the fundamental responsibilities of kingship.
伸张正义，是王权的基本职责之一。
And it was one that John,
whose tutor had been a leading judge, found especially congenial.
约翰的导师曾是一位首席法官，他觉得这是一本恰逢其时的书。
It was also something that people wanted.
这也是人们（贵族们）想要的东西。
However, law and justice are a two-edged sword.
然而，法律和正义是一把双刃剑。
They're a vital necessity.
他们是至关重要的。
On the other hand, they can be so easily perverted into a means
另一方面,他们很容易被歪曲为
for the king to exercise excessive and arbitrary power
国王行使过度武断的权力,
and to delve excessively into his subjects' pockets.
并在他的臣民的口袋里，过度“搜刮”。
And king John certainly knew how to abuse power.
约翰国王当然知道，他是如何滥用权力。
A ruthless megalomaniac, he was accused of murdering his nephew
他是一个无情的自大狂，被指控谋杀了自己的侄子，
and dishonouring his noblemen's wives.
羞辱了贵族的妻子。
By all accounts,he was a bad king.
大家都说，他是个坏国王。
For most monastic chroniclers,
对大多数修道院编年史家来说，
John was the very measure of human depravity.
约翰是人类堕落的标准。
"Foul as it is," one declared,
“地狱虽然肮脏，”有人宣称，
"hell itself was defiled by the foulness of John."
“地狱本身也被约翰的肮脏玷污了。”
John's many defects of character - his violent rages, his lusts
约翰性格上的许多缺陷 —暴怒、好色
and his shifty unreliability - also damaged relations with his barons.
和不可靠 — 也损害了他与贵族们的关系。
But their principal grievance was to be financial.
但他们的主要不满，还是在财政上。
John wanted to regain a great continental empire he had inherited but lost.
约翰想要夺回他继承，而失去的在欧洲大♥陆♥的帝国。
The expenditure needed would be enormous.
需要的军费开支，将是巨大的。
From 1206, and following the loss of most of his lands in France,
从1206年开始，在失去了他在法国的大部分领地之后，
John concentrated on england and on raising and hoarding cash.
约翰把注意力集中在英格兰，筹集和贮藏现金。
He targeted everybody - nobles and townsmen, Jews and the church,
他的目标是所有人 — 贵族和市民，犹太人和教会，
and he used any and every means.
他用尽了一切手段。
He was astonishingly successful.
他取得了惊人的成功。
He doubled royal revenue and more,
他使王室收入翻了一番，
and by 1212, he had accumulated a gigantic cash hoard
到1212年，他积累了巨额现金储备，
of at least 拢132,000 in coin, in castle treasuries.
至少132000枚硬币,在城♥堡♥里。
And then he blew the lot.
然后，他又花费了很多。
In the summer of 1212, John lodged an ambitious counterattack
1212年夏天，约翰向腓力·奥古斯都
against king Philip Augustus to recapture his lands in France.
发起了雄心勃勃的反击，夺回了他在法国的土地。
But it ended in disaster.
但它以灾难告终。
Horse whinnies
[马的嘶叫]
at bouvines, north of Paris,in the summer of 1214,
1214年夏天，在巴黎北部的布汶，
John's allies were comprehensively put to flight by the French king.
约翰的盟军被法王彻底击溃。
Very few medieval battles resulted in complete rout,
很少有中世纪的战争，导致彻底溃败，
but this was one of them.
但这是其中之一。
A weakened and impoverished king John returned home
虚弱而穷困的约翰国王回到家中，
to find his realm in disarray, his angry barons now in open revolt.
发现他的王国一片混乱，愤怒的贵族们公开造♥反♥。
This is where the real novelty of 1215 began.
这就是1215年初，真正的不同以往之处。
There had been plenty of earlier revolts against royal misgovernment,
以往曾发生过许多，反对王室治理不当的叛乱，
but they had taken the form of rebellions
in favour of rival claimants to the throne.
但这些叛乱，都以支持王位争夺者的形式出现。
In this winter of 1214-15, however, there were no such rival claimants,
然而，在1214年至1215年的冬天，没有这样的竞争对手，
and John's opponents risked being rebels without a cause.
约翰的对手们，冒着无缘无故进行造♥反♥的风险。
Instead, they took the revolutionary step of rebelling
相反，他们采取了革命的步骤，
not in the name of a person, but of an idea.
不是以个人的名义，而是以一种理念的名义，进行反抗。
Led by Robert fitzwalter,
在自封为上帝之军元帅的
the self-styled marshal of the army of god, the barons decided
罗伯特·菲茨沃尔特的带领下，男爵们决定
they would demand the king restore their ancient rights and liberties.
要求国王，恢复他们古老的权利和自♥由♥。
There were precedents,and talk turned to the
这是有先例的，话题转向了
charter of liberties granted by Henry I over 100 years previously.
一百多年前，亨利一世授予的自♥由♥宪♥章♥。
It seemed the perfect solution.
这似乎是一个完美的解决方案。
Armed and ready for war, in early January 1215, the barons went to
1215年1月初，男爵们全副武装，准备开战，
confront John about their grievances at the temple church in London.
在伦敦的圣殿教堂里，诸侯们与约翰对簿公堂。
John was there under the protection of the immensely rich,
约翰在那里，受到极其富有和强大的
immensely powerful crusading order of the knights templar.
十字军骑士团 - 圣殿骑士团的保护。
The barons entered and demanded John agree to Henry i's
贵族们进来，要求约翰国王同意其先祖亨利一世的
charter of liberties and reaffirm by oath their ancient freedoms.
自♥由♥特许状，并宣誓重申他们古老的自♥由♥。
He refused.
他拒绝了。
According to one chronicler,he angrily declared he would
根据一位编年史家的记载，他愤怒地宣称，
never Grant them liberties that would render him their slave.
他永远不会给他们自♥由♥，否则，他就会成为他们的奴隶。
John countered with an oath of his own, by requiring his barons to
约翰以他自己的誓言作为反击，他要求他的贵族们
reswear their traditional oath of allegiance,
重申他们传统的效忠誓言，
but with an extra clause -
但有一个额外的条款 -
to follow him not only against all men, but also against the charter.
跟随他，不仅反对所有的人，也要反对特许状。
The two sides were now further apart than ever.
现在，双方的分歧，比以往要大得多了。
Both now manoeuvred for advantage.
双方都在争取主动。
John appealed to Rome,the barons hit back.
约翰向罗马教廷求助，遭到贵族们的反击。
They renounced their allegiance to the throne on the 5th of may.
他们在五月五日宣布，放弃对王位的效忠。
And 12 days later, their forces took London. This was decisive.
12天后，他们的军队占领了伦敦。这是决定性的主动。
The loss of his capital forced John into serious negotiation...
在掌控首都地位上的损失，约翰认真地考虑了和谈...
And to runnymede.
接下就是兰尼米德。
The watery meadows were a convenient midway point
between the two rival forces.
在这两个敌对势力之间,水汪汪的野草地，是一个便利的中途路口。
But places between two armed camps,
但是，两个武装阵营之间的地方，
each bitterly hostile to the other, risked becoming battlefields.
彼此都非常敌对，这里随时有成为战场的危险。
Runnymede was chosen precisely because it couldn't,