大宪章史话（2015）

选择兰尼米德，是因为这里不会是，
as the surrounding land was and, indeed, still... damn!
像它周边的土地那样，实际上，它依旧...很糟糕！
..Is too wet and too boggy.
...它太潮湿、太泥泞了。
Horse neighs
[马嘶鸣声]
there wasn't just one meeting at runnymede,
在兰尼米德，不只是会谈过一次，
but several, as the two sides negotiated terms.
而是会谈过几次，因为双方都在讨价还价。
By 10th June, a draft document, not yet magna carta
到6月10日，起草了一份文件草案，这还不是大宪♥章♥，
but an outline settlement, was drawn up.
而是一份解决方案的纲要。
The king then confirmed the settlement, known as the
然后，国王确认了解决方案，这就是为人所知的
articles of the barons, by ordering his great seal to be fixed to it.
“男爵们的条款”，国王下令把他的纹章封印在上面。
And here it is -the very document.
这就是 - 那个文件。
It is headed,
"these are the articles which the barons seek and the king agrees."
标题是，“这些是男爵们所要求的条款，国王同意了。”
And to show, indeed, to guarantee that the king had agreed to it,
为了显示，国王已经保证同意了,
here is his great seal, with the king sitting in majesty.
在这里可以看到国王的大封印，他威严地坐在王位上。
Now, most of the articles are arranged like a shopping list.
现在，大部分条款，都像购物清单一样，列举了出来。
They are written very tersely,like a telegram or a tweet,
它们写得非常简洁，就像电报或“推特”一样，
so that the lines are only half a dozen or a dozen words long.
所以每行只有六个到十二个单词长。
Now, the barons' demands are very prominent,
现在，贵族们的要求非常突出，
but equally, these articles show just how much further the barons
但同样，这些条款也表明了男爵们已经走了多远，
had had to go in appealing outside their own ranks,
他们在向自己的阶级之外的人呼吁，
promising justice not only to the barons but to all free men.
承诺不仅为男爵们，而且为所有自♥由♥人伸张正义。
Well, there's an article that deals with that.
有一项条款，专门讨论这个问题。
In other words, even in this sort of sketch form,
换句话说，即使在这种草案的形式中，
this series of notes of a committee,
在一系列的所涉及的记录中，
the embryo of magna carta shows us that it is so much more
《大宪♥章♥》的雏形向我们展示了
than just an appeal to narrow, aristocratic self-interest.
它不仅仅是对狭隘的，贵族自身利益的诉求。
So what actually did happen on that famous day of 15th June 1215?
那么在1215年6月15日，这个著名日子里，到底发生了什么?
It's the date that textbooks celebrate as the signing of magna carta.
后世教科书将这一天，作为《大宪♥章♥》签署的日子来庆祝。
Except that it wasn't.
但事实并非如此。
John didn't sign the charter.
约翰国王并没有签署这一宪♥章♥。
There is no evidence that the king could write,
没有证据表明国王会写字，
and, in any case, royal documents weren't authenticated with
而且，无论如何，皇室文件的真实性不是
the king's signature,but with his seal.
国王的签名，而是他的印♥章♥。
Probably, indeed, to complete the demolition of the traditional
也许，的确，为了彻底摧毁传统的画像，
picture, on 15th June 1215,there wasn't even a charter to sign.
在1215年6月15日，根本没有什么宪♥章♥可签署。
No original sealed copy of magna carta survives
《大宪♥章♥》没有原始的封印的副本保存下来，
and there is no evidence that one ever existed.
也没有证据表明，它曾经存在过。
Instead, what happened on 15th June was a binding agreement,
相反，6月15日发生的是，一项有约束力的协议，
solemn on both sides between the king and the barons, that the king
国王和贵族之间双方都很庄严，国王将
would issue magna carta and that the barons would swear fealty in return.
颁布《大宪♥章♥》，贵族们将宣誓效忠国王作为回报。
The articles of the barons were then quickly transformed
随后，贵族们的条款从粗糙的列举清单
from a rough shopping list into a smooth, continuous,
迅速转变为流畅、连续、
unambiguous legal form to become...
明确的法律形式，成为...
..Magna carta,the great charter.
...保障自♥由♥法令，即《大宪♥章♥》。
In a dense, almost impenetrable Latin text,
这是一篇密密麻麻的、几乎让人看不透的拉丁文，
some 4,000 words were squeezed just onto one membrane of parchment
大约4000个单词挤在一张羊皮纸上，羊皮纸是用
made from dried and smoothed sheepskin.
干燥光滑的羊皮做成的。
13 copies were produced to be circulated across the realm.
13份制成的副本，在王国治下被传阅。
For the barons, the clauses that really mattered in magna carta
对贵族们来说，《大宪♥章♥》中真正重要的条款
dealt with the inheritance,marriages and ownership of land.
涉及继承、婚姻和土地所有权。
These may seem remote now, but they established what
这些现在看来似乎遥不可及，但它们确立了
half the world, from Russia to China, still lacks -
从俄♥罗♥斯♥到中国等半个世界，仍然缺乏的东西 —
that the state can't help itself to private property at will.
即：政♥府♥不能随心所欲地，控制私有财产。
And then there are the famous clauses which best have come
还有一些最著名的条款，来自
to symbolise the universal freedoms promised by magna carta -
《大宪♥章♥》中，被标志着承诺保障普遍自♥由♥ —
clauses 39 and 40.
— 第39条和第40条。
"No free man shall be seised or imprisoned,
“任何自♥由♥人不得以任何其他方式被扣押或监禁，
"or stripped of his rights or possessions,
“或被剥夺其权利或财产，
"or outlawed or exiled or deprived of his standing in any other way,
“或被宣布为非法，或被流放，或被剥夺其地位，
"nor will we proceed with force against him or send others to do so,
“我们也不会对他采取武力，或派其他人这样做，
"except by the lawful judgment of his equals
“除非是根据，与他平等地位者的合法判断，
"or by the law of the land.
“或根据当地法律。
"To no-one will we sell, to no-one deny or delay right or justice."
“我们不会向任何人出♥售♥，不会向任何人否认，或拖延权利和正义。”
There was, indeed, there is,something here that really matters.
确实，这里有一些真正重要的东西。
The sense that magna carta protects
从《大宪♥章♥》中能感觉出，它保护了
and defines those three key fundamental freedoms of the
在盎格鲁-撒克逊世界里，定义的三大关键基本自♥由♥—
anglo-Saxon world - life,Liberty and property - is spot on.
— 生命、自♥由♥和财产 — 这种感觉，跃然纸上。
With the 800th anniversary,
the British library is mounting a special magna carta exhibition.
在八百周年纪念中，大英图书馆正在举办一场特别的《大宪♥章♥》展览。
The centrepiece - one of the original 1215 copies,
最中间的一幅是1215年的原件中的一份，
of which only four still survive.
目前仅存4份。
This is a document which is in Latin, a language which,
这是一份用拉丁文写的文件，这种语言，
nowadays, very, very few people can read readily.
现在很少，很少有人能轻易地读懂。
Do you think this has an irretrievable
你认为，这会产生一种不可挽回的
effect of distancing, of separating and making it feel remote?
疏远、分离和遥不可及感吗?
Well, it is written in medieval Latin and it is written
in medieval handwriting as well, of course.
嗯，它是用中世纪拉丁语写成的，当然也是用中世纪的笔迹写的。
Which is even worse, yes!
这更难懂，是的！
And here it is on this parchment made from sheepskin
就在这张羊皮羊皮纸上它不是最...
（克莱尔.布利博士，《大宪♥章♥》-法律、自♥由♥及遗产展馆馆长）
and it isn't the most... in fact,it is an actual sheep, isn't it?
事实上，它是一只真正的羊，不是吗?
We should see the head there, we should see the legs
我们应该看到它的头在那里，我们应该看到
on either side and the tail sticking out there. Absolutely.
它的腿在两边，尾巴伸出来在那里。绝对的。
And nobody could say that it is the most beautiful collection item
没有人能说，它是我们拥有的最美丽的藏品，
that we have, but I never fail to be amazed
但我总是惊讶于，
by the impression that it makes on visitors to the library and how
它给来图书馆的游客留下的印象，
much people value the opportunity to be in proximity to this incredibly...
以及人们是多么珍惜，接近这个令人难以置信的...
The sacred text, yes!
神圣的文本，是的！
..Incredibly famous document.
...难以置信的著名文件。
And people do almost treat it with the sort of reverence
that you might expect of a sacred text.
人们几乎用你对神圣文本的崇敬来对待它。
But, back in 1215,magna carta came close to
becoming an obscure footnote in history.
但是，早在1215年，《大宪♥章♥》就差一点成为历史上一个不起眼的注脚。
Publicly, John had accepted magna carta
and reconciled himself with his subjects.
在公开场合，约翰接受了《大宪♥章♥》，并与臣民达成和解。
Privately, he burned with resentment and threw a characteristic
私下里，他怒不可遏，大发雷霆，
fit of rage, gnashing his teeth, as a chronicler reports,
咬牙切齿，据一位编年史家记载，
scowling with his eyes and gnawing on the very twigs and branches.
他皱着眉头，啃着树枝。
He would not keep his word a second longer than he had to.
除非迫不得已，他一秒钟也不肯多遵守诺言。
John immediately appealed to Rome
约翰立即向罗马教廷上诉，
and to pope innocent III to have magna carta annulled.
并请求教皇英诺森三世，下令废除《大宪♥章♥》。
One clause in particular was difficult for John to stomach.
有一个特别的条款，让约翰感到非常难受。
Clause 61 set out how magna carta was to be enforced.
第61条规定了如何执行《大宪♥章♥》。
It set up a committee of 25 barons to hold John to every last jot
它成立了一个由25位男爵组成的委员会，
and tittle by any and every means, including the levying of war.
以任何方式控制约翰的一举一动，包括发动战争。
Now, the idea was seductive but it proved to be disastrous,
这个想法很诱人，但结果却是灾难性的，
because it tried to protect magna carta by effectively
因为它试图通过破坏王室主♥权♥
destroying royal sovereignty.
来维护《大宪♥章♥》的执行。
And no king, least of all John,could possibly agree to that.
没有哪个国王，尤其是约翰，会同意这样做。
Pope innocent responded swiftly to John's request
to have magna carta quashed.
教皇英诺森迅速回应了，约翰的撤销《大宪♥章♥》的请求。
He immediately spotted the threat it posed to all autocrats,
himself included.
他立即发现了，它对包括他自己在内的所有独♥裁♥者，构成的威胁。
He sent a firm reply in a papal bull.
他以教皇训谕的形式，作出了坚定的答复。
Magna carta, the bull says, had been "extorted by force
训谕说，《大宪♥章♥》是“被武力勒索的”
"and violence, such as would've affrighted the most courageous man.
“这种暴♥力♥，哪怕是最勇敢的人，也会害怕的。
"It was unjust, illegal,harmful to royal rights
“这是不公正的、非法的、损害王室权利的，
"and shameful to the English people."
“也是英格兰人的耻辱。”
So, a mere ten weeks after those heady June days at runnymede,
所以,在6月的时候,在兰尼米德,
magna carta had been declared null and void and of non-effect
《大宪♥章♥》已被中世纪人类所知的
by the highest earthly authority known to medieval man.
尘世上的最高权威，宣布为无效。
And, do you know, it made not a jot of difference
而且，你知道吗，这对任何参与其中的人
to the behaviour of anybody involved.
的行为，都没有丝毫影响。
Both sides now prepared for civil war.
双方都在准备内战。
John recruited mercenaries,whilst the barons resorted
约翰招募雇佣兵，而贵族们
to the traditional tactic of backing
则采取传统策略，
an alternative claimant to the throne.
支持另一个王位继承人。
In a measure of their desperation,
出于绝望，
they offered the crown to a frenchman, prince Louis.
他们把王位，让给了法兰西的路易王子。
Louis had a vague hereditary claim
路易有一个模糊的继承主张，
but his real strength was that he was the anybody-but-John candidate.
但他真正的优势在于，他是除了约翰以外，最强有力的候选人。
In the invasion we rarely talk about,
在这场我们很少提及的入侵中，
Louis arrived in London with 7,000 French troops.
路易率领七千法军抵达伦敦。
Whilst John travelled north to places like here at headingley,
而约翰则北上，到达了一个叫黑丁利的地方，