大宪章史话（2015）

to recapture the castles of his rebellious barons.
夺回反叛贵族的城♥堡♥。
The fate of magna carta now hung in the balance
《大宪♥章♥》的命运现在悬而未定，
and it was fate that would deal the decisive blow.
命运将给予其决定性的打击。
Thunderclap
[霹雳声]
on 19 October 1216,during a violent storm,
1216年10月19日，在一场暴风雨中，
John died unexpectedly.
约翰意外死亡。
Thunderclap
[雷声]
at Newark castle in nottinghamshire
在诺丁汉郡的纽瓦克城♥堡♥，
his enemies alleged from a surfeit of peaches.
据说，他死于吃了过多的桃子。
Birdsong
[鸟叫声]
his nine-year-old son was crowned Henry III.
他九岁的儿子被加冕为亨利三世。
As he was underage,the real power lay
由于他还未成年，真正的权力
with his regent, William the marshal, himself a baron.
掌握在摄政王威廉.马歇尔手中，他本人也是男爵。
He immediately re-issued magna carta, but with a difference.
他立即重新颁布了《大宪♥章♥》，但有所不同。
This is the tomb of William the marshal, Earl of pembroke.
这是彭布罗克伯爵，马歇尔家族威廉的坟墓。
He was the most successful jouster of the age
他是那个时代最成功的竞技比武者，
and arguably the man who,as regent for the boy king Henry,
作为少年国王亨利的摄政王，
saved england, the plantagenet dynasty and magna carta itself.
他拯救了英格兰、金雀花王朝和《大宪♥章♥》本身。
William the marshal wisely saw the clause for a committee of barons to
马歇尔家的威廉明智地看到，由男爵组成委员会
enforce magna carta was dangerously unworkable and stripped it out.
来执行大宪♥章♥的条款是危险的，行不通的，于是将其废除了。
The result was an astonishing reversal of fortune.
其结果是，命运发生了惊人的逆转。
Henry, burdened with none of his father's political baggage,
亨利没有继承父亲的政♥治♥包袱，
proved to be a much more attractive king than John.
事实证明，他比约翰更具吸引力。
Whilst magna carta,hitherto discredited as the occasion of civil war, factional strife
与此同时，《大宪♥章♥》——迄今为止被认为是内战、派系冲突
and foreign intervention,was suddenly transformed
和外国干预的契机，突然转变为
into the squeaky-clean manifesto of an optimistic new regime.
一个乐观的新政♥权♥道德高尚的宣言。
Not all the barons were convinced by the regime change
and some fought on.
并不是所有的贵族，都被政♥权♥更替所说服，一些人继续战斗。
Steel clashes
[钢铁碰撞声]
but marshal, famed not only for his political acumen but also
但马歇尔，不仅以他的政♥治♥智慧而闻名，
for his prowess in combat, routed them at the battle of Lincoln fair.
而且以他的战斗能力而闻名，在“林肯集市战役”中击败了他们。
Louis and his troops fled back to the safety of France.
路易和他的军队，逃回了安全的法国。
Peace and stability were restored to the realm.
王国恢复了和平与稳定。
Then, in 1225, when Henry III was old enough to assume
然后，在1225年，当亨利三世年龄大到
full executive power, magna carta was reissued it its definitive form.
足以承担全部行政♥权♥力时，《大宪♥章♥》以最终形式重新发布。
This time, the charter emphasised that it was granted
这一次，宪♥章♥里强调了，它是由
by the king's full and free consent.
国王的完全和自愿同意的。
The taint of war and coercion
which had dogged the first magna carta was gone.
一直困扰着第一部大宪♥章♥的战争和胁迫，已经消失了。
The charter had achieved something truly revolutionary
and almost by accident.
宪♥章♥里取得了真正革命性的成就,几乎是意想不到的。
The great charter,despite its name,
伟大的宪♥章♥，尽管它的名字，
contained no great general statement of principle.
没有包含伟大的一般原则声明。
However, its multitude of detailed clauses did imply one -
然而，它的众多详细条款确实暗示了一个问题，
that the king, however great his power,
即国王，无论他的权力有多大，
however much the law was his law,
不管他如何制定法律，
was, finally, under the law.
最后，他得在法律之下。
Not surprisingly, kings, the good ones as well as the bad ones,
不出所料，国王们，不管是好国王还是坏国王，
found the idea difficult to accept
都觉得这个想法，难以接受，
and it would be disputed for centuries in peace and war.
这个问题，在和平与战争中，争论了几个世纪。
However, magna carta quietly,
然而，《大宪♥章♥》悄悄地，
but with enormous cumulative effect, laid the foundations
却产生了巨大的累积效应，奠定了
of the two key institutions
两个关键制度的基础，
that in time would bridle the English monarchy.
这两个制度，最终约束了英国君主制。
They were both based here in the heart of royal england,westminster.
他们都根植在英格兰皇家的中心，威斯敏斯特。
Colloquially, we call this building here the houses of parliament.
通俗地说，我们把这座建筑叫做议会大厦。
Actually, it's the palace of westminster.
实际上，它是威斯敏斯特宫。
But it was the principal and indeed the only palace
但它是中世纪英格兰国王的主要宫殿，
properly so-called of the medieval kings of england.
也是唯一一座真正意义上的宫殿。
How it becomes a seat of parliament is a very long story.
它是如何成为召开议会场地的，这是一个很长的故事。
But the story, like so much of our political structure,
但这个故事，就像我们的许多政♥治♥结构一样，
begins with magna carta.
始于大宪♥章♥。
The demands of the great charter led to an assembly of bishops and
根据《大宪♥章♥》的要求，主教们和贵族们
barons who met to approve taxation and sanction its collection.
召开了一次会议，开会同意征税并批准其收税。
This assembly was the embryo of the modern parliament,
这个会议是现代议会的雏形，
with its two houses of lords and commoners.
有上议院和平民两院。
The precedent of this relatively painless way of raising taxation
这种相对无痛的增税方式的先例，对于像爱德华一世和爱德华三世，
was irresistible for revenue-hungry kings
这样对收入如饥似渴的国王来说，
like Edward I and Edward III,
是富有诱惑力的，
with their perpetual endless wars against
the Welsh, the Scots and the French.
因为他们与威尔士人、苏格兰人和法国人，进行着无休止的战争。
Parliament used the Grant of taxation
议会利用《征税授权书》
to extort concessions from the crown.
迫使王权让步。
Kings didn't like it, but if they wanted the money -
国王们不喜欢这样，但如果他们想要钱 -
and they almost always did - they had to lump it.
他们几乎总是这样 - 他们也得无奈地接受。
Monarchs also found themselves grappling with the new idea
君主们也发觉他们自己，迫不得已与新的理念打交道，
of a legal system whose first home was westminster hall here.
这一理念的法律体系的依据，就是出自这里的威斯敏斯特大厅。
Magna carta called for professional judges
and a fixed place for the law courts.
《大宪♥章♥》要求设立专业法官和固定的法庭场所。
Before, kings administered justice themselves
以前，国王自己执行司法，
and the courts moved with the king. Magna carta changed that.
法♥院♥随国王而动。《大宪♥章♥》改变了这一点。
The king's law was becoming the common law of england.
国王的法律，正在成为英格兰的普通法。
For hundreds of years magna carta determined the rules of engagement
几百年来，《大宪♥章♥》决定了国王和臣民之间的
between the king and his subjects, but it was not to last.
交战规则，但这并没有持续下去。
Fierce cries
[激烈地叫喊声]
four centuries on from the meeting at runnymede, england found herself
在兰尼米德的会议的四百年后,英格兰人发现自己
in another crisis more bloody and more protracted
在另一场危机中更加血腥,甚至比
than even the confrontation with king John.
与约翰国王的对抗更长♥期♥。
On the throne was Charles I.
此时，在王位上是，查尔斯一世。
The second king of the house of Stuart, his reign began in 1625,
斯图尔特王朝的第二个国王,他的统治始于1625年,
but it's hard to imagine two more different men.
但很难想象出，还有比他俩更不同的两位君主。
John, lecherous, murderous and systematically dishonest,
约翰，好色，杀人，不诚实
was a pantomime villain, whilst Charles,
是童话闹剧中的反派，而查尔斯
dignified and devoted to his family,was the very model of a good man.
他为人端庄，忠于家庭，是一个好男人的典范。
All of which raises some awkward questions -
所有这些，都提出了一些尴尬的问题 —
why was such a good man such a bad king?
为什么这么好的一个人，会成为这么坏的国王?
And why does magna carta wake from slumber to play
为什么《大宪♥章♥》会从沉睡中醒来，在这些
a key role in these tragic events?
悲剧事件中扮演关键角色?
Those great creations of magna carta, parliament
《大宪♥章♥》、议会和普通法法庭
and the common law courts still flourished,
这些伟大的创举仍然盛行，
but the real locus of royal government had moved to
但王国政♥府♥的真正所在地，已经转移到
different institutions, to the court, the council and the church.
不同的机构，宫廷、议会和教会。
And to a different place,the palace of whitehall.
去另一个地方，怀特霍尔宫（白厅）。
This splendid interior now known as the banqueting house,
这间富丽堂皇的内饰现在被称为“伦敦宴会厅”，
was the principal reception room of Charles's palace of whitehall.
是查尔斯在怀特霍尔宫（白厅）的主要接待室。
In the very latest classical style, it's designed by inigo Jones,
最新的古典风格，由伊尼戈·琼斯设计，
the most fashionable architect of the day.
他是当时最时尚的建筑师。
Whilst the ceiling is painted by sir Peter Paul rubens,
而天花板是由当时最著名的艺术家
the most famous contemporary artist.
彼得·保罗·鲁本斯爵士绘制的。
But rubens' ceiling is more than lavish decoration,
但鲁本斯的天花板不仅仅是奢华的装饰，
it also has a powerful political message.
它还传达着强有力的政♥治♥信息。
The central oval represents the ascent to heaven
中间的椭圆形代表了查尔斯一世的父亲
of Charles i's father, James I.
詹姆斯一世升♥天♥的过程。
James declared that
詹姆斯宣称
"the state of monarchy is the most supremest thing on earth,
even by god himself."
“君主政体是世界上最至高无上的东西，即使是上帝自己也是如此。”
Kings are called gods.
君权神授。
Ruben's genius transmutes James's words into soaring,
天才的鲁本斯，将詹姆斯的话语转化为
swirling imagery in which kings not only reign by divine right
高耸入云的意象，其中国王不仅凭借神的权力统治，
but are divinities themselves.
而且自己就是神。
And in whitehall,Charles could be forgiven
而在怀特霍尔宫（白厅），查尔斯也许能被原谅，
for thinking that rubens'extravagant painting
因为考虑到鲁本斯的奢华画作
told no more than the simple truth.
只说明了一个简单的事实。
But only a few hundred yards away, there was another palace,
但只有几百码远的地方,还有一座宫殿,
a very different palace,the palace of westminster.
一个非常不同的宫殿,威斯敏斯特的宫殿。
Here, the king summoned and dissolved parliament but
在这里，国王召集和解散国会
without the agreement of the lords and commons, he could do nothing.
但没有上议院和下议院的同意，他什么也做不了。
So, who was the real king of england?
那么，谁是真正的英格兰国王呢?
The magna carta limited king of westminster or Charles,
是限制国王查尔斯的威斯敏斯特宫殿，
absolute monarch of whitehall?
还是身居怀特霍尔宫的绝对君主？
Normally, the choice never needed to be made, but there was one
通常情况下，不需要做出选择，
area of conflict which threatened to destabilise everything.
但有一个冲突领域，威胁到一切的稳定。
Religion.
宗教。