大宪章史话（2015）

The tension had been present ever since the reformation
自从宗教改革以来，这种紧张关系就一直存在，
when Henry viii made the English king head of the English church,
亨利八世让英国国王成为英国教会的领袖，
giving the monarchy huge new powers.
赋予了君主制巨大的新权力。
Under Charles I, it became acute, since the king
在查尔斯一世的统治下,它变得非常尖锐,因为国王
and his leading subjects disagreed fundamentally about religion.
和他的主要臣民根本不同意宗教。
The king wanted a ceremonious religion,
国王想要一个讲究仪式的宗教，
that his opponents both feared and denounced as Roman catholic.
他的反对者既害怕又谴责，因为这是罗马天主教。
His subjects, on the other hand,wanted a stripped down, radical
另一方面，他的臣民想要一种被国王
protestantism that the king sneeringly dismissed as puritan.
嘲笑为清教的，精简激进的新教。
With the fire fanned by this underlying tension about religion,
随着宗教问题的激化，
relations between Charles and the house of commons quickly broke down.
查尔斯与下议院的关系迅速破裂。
Parliament refused to agree to taxes
国会拒绝为查尔斯的
to pay for Charles' military adventures.
军事冒险征税。
Charles, desperate for money,demanded customs duties
查尔斯急需钱，他要求征收关税
and forced loans and when a few brave people refused to pay,
并强制贷款，当一些勇敢的人拒绝付款时，
he imprisoned them and imposed martial law.
他将他们监禁并实施戒♥严♥令。
But one man thought he had the solution to the impasse,sir Edward coke.
但有一个人认为他有办法打破僵局，他就是爱德华·柯克爵士。
Coke was lord chief justice and one of the most successful lawyers ever.
柯克是首席大♥法♥官，也是有史以来最成功的律师之一。
He was also a brutal prosecutor, leading the case
他也是一个残忍♥的检察官，主审了
against sir Walter Raleigh and the gunpowder conspirators.
指控沃尔特·罗利爵士和“火♥药♥阴谋者”的案件。
Coincidentally, coke's legal practice was in the temple
巧合的是，柯克的律师事务所就在这座教堂里，
which had become one of the inns of court.
而这座教堂，已经成为了法庭的客栈之一。
Coke was the law.
柯克就是法律。
Naturally, as a proud as well as principled man,
自然，作为一个骄傲而又有原则的人，
he thought that the law should be supreme.
他认为法律应该至高无上。
So, just like the barons who confronted king John on this
所以，就像很久以前，在这个地方
very spot long ago when it was the headquarters of
对抗约翰国王的贵族们一样，当时这里是
the knights templar,coke turned to magna carta
圣殿骑士团的总部，柯克求助于《大宪♥章♥》
to bridle another overweening king.
来约束另一个傲慢的国王。
On 17th may 1628, sir Edward coke Rose in the house of commons
1628年5月17日，爱德华·柯克·罗斯爵士在下议院宣布，
and declared that magna carta is such a fellow,
《大宪♥章♥》就是这样一个“朋友”，
that he will have no sovereign.
“他”不受君主统治。
The words were deliberately,dangerously, disturbingly bold.
说出这些大胆、危险的妄言，是经过深思熟虑的。
The sovereign was the king.Now coke was declaring there was
当权者就是国王。现在柯克宣布，
another greater sovereign, magna carta, which, as fundamental law,
还有另一个更大的主♥权♥，《大宪♥章♥》，作为根本法律，
neither parliament nor the king himself could touch.
议会和国王本人都无法触及。
Coke took the key principles of magna carta
柯克采纳了《大宪♥章♥》的主要原则，
and tried to turn them into constitutional law,
并试图将其转化为宪法，
into what would become known as the petition of right.
变成了后来被称为“权利请♥愿♥书”的东西。
Charles resisted as vehemently as John had fought off magna carta.
查理的抵♥制♥，就像约翰抵♥制♥《大宪♥章♥》一样激烈。
But, likewise in vain.
但是，同样是徒劳的。
Desperate for a parliamentary Grant of money,
迫切需要国会拨款的查理，
Charles gave his assent to the petition on 7th June 1628,
于1628年6月7日同意了请♥愿♥书，尽管他可能
though probably in as bad faith as John.
和约翰一样不诚实。
In 1629, Charles did away with parliament and the law
1629年，查理废除了议会、法律及律师，
and lawyers, contrary to what coke hoped, did nothing to stop him.
这与柯克的期望相反，但什么也阻止不了他。
Matters came to a head in the summer of 16♥4♥2, when Charles
16♥4♥2年夏，事态发展到了白刃化的地步，
raised his standard over Nottingham and declared war on parliament.
查尔斯在诺丁翰竖起王旗，向议会宣战。
The bloody clash followed that would tear england apart.
随后的血腥冲突，撕裂了英格兰。
Though it would take seven years,eventually the king was beaten
尽管花了七年时间，国王最终还是被打败了，
and for the first time in history, in 16♥4♥9,
16♥4♥9年，历史上第一次，
an English king would be put on public trial under
英国国王在克伦威尔率领的
the watchful eyes of cromwell's new model army.
新式模范军的监视下，接受公开审判。
Charles was brought under armed guard
into the great hall at westminster here.
查尔斯在武装警卫的护卫下，被带到威斯敏斯特的大厅。
The king was dressed entirely in black, with the silver star of the
国王一身黑衣，肩上挂着
order of the garter on his shoulder and its blue ribbon round his neck.
吊袜带勋章（嘉德骑士勋章）的银星，脖子上系着蓝♥丝♥带♥。
He kept his hat firmly on throughout,
他始终都安稳地戴着帽子，
as did his judges in a sartorial stand-off of mutual contempt.
就像他的法官们一样，蔑视着对方的服饰，默然对峙着。
They, for his office of king, he,for their claim to be his judges.
他们，对峙着他的王位，他，对峙着法官们对他的权利索求。
Worse was to come.
还有更糟的。
As a prosecuting counsel Rose, Charles tapped him on the
作为控方律师罗斯，查尔斯用他的
shoulder with his silver topped cane and commanded him to hold.
银制手杖头轻拍他的肩膀，表示授予他任职。
The counsel ignored him.
律师没有理睬他。
Then, as the charges were read out,
然后，当指控被宣读时，
the top fell off Charles' cane.
查理的手杖的银质头，掉了下来。
The king looked round, expecting that somebody would pick it up.
国王环顾四周，希望有人会把它捡起来。
Nobody did. Instead, he, the king, had to stoop to retrieve it.
没有人去做。相反，他，身为国王，不得不弯腰去取回它。
The charge continued that he had employed a tyrannical power
指控继续声张，说他利用暴虐的权力，
to rule according to his will
and to overthrow the rights and liberties of the people.
按照他的意志统治，推♥翻♥人♥民♥的权利和自♥由♥。
Charles' response was that a monarch was not subject to
查理的回答是，君主不受世俗权威
earthly authority and he refused to enter a plea.
的约束，他拒绝认罪。
But here in the great hall,legalities were soon set aside.
但在这个大厅里，合法性很快就被搁置一边了。
The show trial found Charles Stuart guilty.
经过“摆摆样子”的审判，查尔斯·斯图尔特被判有罪。
He was sentenced to death for crimes against the people.
他因反人♥民♥罪，而被判处死刑，
The place of his execution was quite deliberate,
outside the banqueting house.
处决他的地点很慎重，就在伦敦宴会厅的外面。
Passing under the great Ruben's ceiling,
穿过伟大的鲁本斯所绘制的天花板下，
and his father ascending to heaven,Charles stepped from a window
在那上面，画着他父亲升上了天堂，查尔斯从窗户
directly onto a high scaffold at the front of the building.
直接走到建筑前面的一个高高的受刑台上。
This time, it had taken a civil war and the beheading of a king
这一次，经历了一场内战，砍掉了一个国王的头颅，
to enforce the principles of magna carta.
《大宪♥章♥》的原则，得到了执行。
But, the resort to violence destroyed the freedom it
但是，诉诸暴♥力♥，破坏了它试图保护的自♥由♥，
sought to protect, leading to a military dictatorship under
导致了护国公克伦威尔统治下的军事独♥裁♥，
lord protector cromwell, who proved just as despotic as any monarch
克伦威尔被证明和任何君主一样专♥制♥，
and who famously denounced magna carta as magna farta.
并以公开诋毁《大宪♥章♥》为“大屁章”而闻名。
The restoration of the Stuart monarchy after cromwell's
克伦威尔死后，斯图亚特王朝的复辟
death, seemed a blessed relief.
似乎是一种幸事。
However, religious tensions resurfaced
然而,宗教的紧张局势再现了，
when James ii secretly converted to catholicism and then
当詹姆斯二世秘密地皈依天主教,然后
married a catholic, sparking panic among the protestant elite.
还娶了一个天主教♥徒♥,引发了新教精英们的恐慌。
It seemed as though the bad old days of the civil war had returned.
看来内战的坏日子，又要回来了。
But James ii, in contrast with his father, Charles i's
但是詹姆斯二世，与他父亲查尔斯一世相比，
iron resolve, lost his nerve and fled abroad.
少了那份钢铁般的决心，惊惶失措地逃到了国外。
The royal family indivisibly united in the civil war split with
王室在内战中不可分割地团结在一起，
James' daughter, Mary, and her husband,
William of orange,leading the resistance.
詹姆斯的女儿玛丽，和她的丈夫“奥兰治的威廉”领导了抵抗运动。
The result was a bloodless coup which opened the way to a radically
结果是一场不流血的政♥变♥，为一个全新的政♥治♥解决方案
new political settlement, an updated version of magna carta called
开辟了道路，这是一个更新版的大宪♥章♥，被称为
the bill of rights in deference to coke's petition of right.
《权利法案》，以尊重柯克的《权利请♥愿♥书》。
The crown was offered to William
王位被授予了威廉
and Mary on condition that they accepted its terms.
和玛丽，条件是他们两口子须接受条款。
On the 13th February 1689,
1689年2月13日，
it was back to the banqueting house for the denouement of what became
人们回到伦敦宴会厅，见证了后来被称为
known as the glorious revolution.
“光荣革命”的结局。
William and Mary took their place under the canopy on the dais,
威廉和玛丽在天篷下的讲坛上就座，
the lords, to the right, and the commons, to the left,
贵族院议员在右边，平民院议员在左边，
led by their respective speakers,approached the steps of the throne.
在各自发言人的带领下，走向王座的台阶。
The clerk read out the bill of rights
书♥记♥员宣读了《权利法案》，
and a nobleman offered William and Mary the crown.
一位贵族向威廉和玛丽，献上了王冠。
William accepted it and the pair were proclaimed king
威廉接受了它,两人在号♥角声中，
and queen to the sound of trumpets.
被宣布为：国王和王后。
Nothing would ever quite be the same again.
一切都不再是原来的样子了。
England or Great Britain as it would soon become with union with
英格兰或大不列颠，很快与苏格兰联合，
Scotland, had exchanged the sovereignty of kings,
两地的王权交汇了，
not as coke would have wished for the sovereignty of the law,
不是柯克所希望的“法律治权”，
but for another sovereignty,that of parliament.
而是另一种主♥权♥，即“议会治权”。
However, coke's dream for magna carta as fundamental law didn't die.
然而,柯克的《大宪♥章♥》的梦想，并没有消亡。
It was to change its identity and move far away from its birthplace.
它要改变自己的“身份”，远离自己的“出生地”。
Runnymede is the most English of places
兰尼米德是最具英国特色的地方，
and magna carta, the most English of events.
《大宪♥章♥》是最具英国特色的事件。
But what perhaps is most English of all, is that there is nothing
但也许最具英国特色的是，在人类历史上
much to Mark the spot of one of the most famous events in human history.
最著名的事件之一发生的地方，没有什么值得纪念的。
Nothing English,but there is this.
没有英国特色，以此可见。
It's erected in 1957 by the American bar association to
它于1957年由美国律师协会建立，以纪念
commemorate magna carta,symbol of freedom under the law.
《大宪♥章♥》，这是法律下自♥由♥的象征。
It's here because magna carta matters in america too.
这是因为《大宪♥章♥》，在美国也很重要。
It's our very first English export there, because magna carta was
这是我们英国第一次出口到那里，因为《大宪♥章♥》
carried in the minds of the English colonists themselves.
是英国殖民者自己，怀揣着的思想。
The settlers came here to this wild
移♥民♥们来到这片蛮荒之地，
and untamed land for many different reasons.
有很多不同的原因。