大宪章史话（2015）

Some were economic migrants,
有些是为了经济而移♥民♥，
some were escaping religious persecution back home.
有些人是要逃离国内的宗教迫♥害♥。
But they all thought of themselves as English, bringing with them
但他们都认为自己是英国人，在大洋彼岸
the rights of englishmen as they set up their little englands across the sea.
建立自己的小英格兰时，他们带来了英国人的权利。
From the beginning, the idea was formally written into their laws.
从一开始，这个想法就被正式写入了他们的法律。
Starting with the charter of Virginia,
从1606年爱德华·柯克亲自
drafted by Edward coke himself in 1606,
起草的《弗吉尼亚宪♥章♥》开始，
the settlers were given the same rights as if they had been abiding
移♥民♥们就被赋予了同样的权利，就好像他们一直生活在
and born within this,our realm of england.
我们的英格兰王国一样。
And the ark of the covenant of those English rights was
这些英格兰人♥权♥利的约柜是
magna carta, which retained all its old subversive power
as it crossed the Atlantic ocean.
《大宪♥章♥》，它在跨越大西洋时，保留了所有旧有的颠覆性力量。
But these rights were to be turned on their colonial
但是，这些权利在世界历史上
masters in one of the great upheavals in world history.
最伟大的动荡之一中，转向了他们的殖民♥主♥子。
In 1765, the government of king George III
imposed a tax on the sale of paper.
1765年，英王乔治三世的政♥府♥对售卖♥♥纸张类货物施行征税。
The notorious stamp act produced an immediate outcry that it was
臭名昭著的《印花税法案》立即引起强烈抗♥议♥，认为它
against magna carta and the natural rights of englishmen.
违反了《大宪♥章♥》和英国人的自然权利。
Tensions between the governed and the governors
被统治者和统治者之间的紧张关系
escalated into a demand for independence, soon all-out war.
升级为要求独♥立♥，很快就爆发了全面战争。
As the conflict raged, one American patriot, George Mason wrote,
随着冲突愈演愈烈，一位美国爱国者乔治·梅森写道，
"we claim nothing but the Liberty and privileges of englishmen,
“我们只要求，作为英国人的自♥由♥和特权，
"in the same degree as if we continued
among our brethren in Great Britain."
“就像我们在大不列颠的兄弟中一样。”
Soon it became clear to those who
很快，那些后来被称为
would become known as the founding fathers, that they
“开国元勋”们就明白了，他们必须
would have to draft their own magna carta.
起草自己的大宪♥章♥。
This elegantly understated Georgian building, built as the seat
这座典雅低调的乔治王朝风格建筑
of government of the state of Pennsylvania,is america's runnymede.
是宾夕法尼亚州政♥府♥所在地，是美国的“兰尼米德”。
And it is here america's founding fathers, principal among them,
在这里,美国的开国元勋,他们中的主要人物,
Thomas Jefferson, whose cane still rests across a desk, ratified that
托马斯·杰斐逊,他的手杖还摆在书桌上,
most precious of American documents
- the declaration of independence.
批准了最珍贵的美国文件——《独♥立♥宣言》。
But alongside the declaration's thrillingly new or at least newish
但是，除了宣言中令人激动的新主张，或者至少是新颖的主张，
claim, that all men are created equal and endowed with certain
即人人生而平等，并被赋予某些不可剥夺的权利之外，
inalienable rights, the declaration also uses a much older language,
宣言还使用了一种更古老的语言，
as old, indeed, as magna carta which Jefferson consciously invokes.
事实上，与杰斐逊有意识地援引的《大宪♥章♥》一样古老。
Like another king John,Jefferson accused George III
如同谴责另一位国王约翰，杰斐逊指责乔治三世
and his government of taxing without consent,
和他的政♥府♥在没有同意的情况下征税,
interfering with freedom of trade and punishing in life,
干涉了贸易的自♥由♥，在没有正当法律程序的情况下，
limb and property without due process of law.
惩罚人身、附庸和财产。
The founding fathers sat at these tables
国父们坐在这些桌子旁，
and being 18th-century gentlemen,
作为18世纪的绅士，
they wore powder,wigs and knee breeches,
他们扑着粉，戴着假发和过膝马裤,
but they were also substantial landowners,
但他们也是大地主,
masters of dozens of slaves, and so,
拥有几十个奴隶的主人,
like the great land-owning barons at runnymede,
所以,就像当年在兰尼米德，拥有大量的土地上的贵族一样,
they saw themselves as cutting a tyrant down to size.
他们看到自己把一个暴君，砍得粉碎。
Today, Americans still take their history, and therefore ours,very seriously.
今天，美国人仍然非常认真地对待他们的历史，因此也是我们的历史。
Magna carta was not only to provide
much of the rhetoric of the American revolution,
《大宪♥章♥》不仅为美国革命，提供了的大部分理论,
the great charter also remains fundamental to the American constitution
《大宪♥章♥》也对美国宪法和美国政♥府♥本身的日常行为
and the everyday conduct of American government itself.
仍然是，至关重要的核心基础。
I'm here in the crypt of the American capitol in Washington.
我在华盛顿的美国国会大厦的地下室里。
Above me is one of the biggest, most impressive
在我的上方，是世界上最大、最令人印象深刻、
and most famous buildings in the world.
最著名的建筑之一。
It's the seat of the American congress or parliament.
它是美国国会或议会的所在地。
To one side is the senate chamber, to the other
一边是参议院会议厅，另一边
is the house of representatives,
是众议院，
and directly above me is the central lobby or rotunda,
我的正上方是中♥央♥大厅或圆形大厅，
with its huge, massive dome.
有一个巨大的圆顶。
Down here in the crypt is this - it's a golden copy of magna carta -
在地下室里有这个——这是一份金色的《大宪♥章♥》，
complete with John's seal, also in gold,
上面还有约翰的印♥章♥，也是金色的，
and it stands as a kind of intellectual foundation,
它是一种思想的基础，
timeless and incorruptible
for the soaring structure of American government
永恒的，不可腐蚀的，为美国政♥府♥高耸的结构和上面的政♥治♥雄心
and political ambition above.
奠定了基础。
For while the American revolution
因为，虽然美国革命
rejected English political authority,
反对英国的政♥治♥权威，
it did not reject the authority of English law.
但它并没有反对英国法律的权威。
And to this day, magna carta,
直到今天，《大宪♥章♥》
with all its clauses, including the removal of fish-weirs on the medway,
及其所有条款，包括类似像“拆除梅德韦河上拦鱼堰”的这种小事，
（详见《大宪♥章♥》原文第33条）
stands in full on the statute books of 17 of the 52 states.
在美国52个州中有17个州的法典中，得到了充分的体现。
The institutions of magna carta also took root.
《大宪♥章♥》的体系也在生根发芽。
Congress, where I've just been, is the parliament.
我刚去过的美国国会，就相当于英国议会，
The senate is the lords
参议院相当于上院，
and the house of representatives is the commons.
而众议院相当于下院。
Whilst the white house is the seat of the president,
而白宫是总统的住所，
who is king George III without his wig.
他相当于没有戴假发的“乔治三世”。
But this is novel and has no real English equivalent.
而这是一个新鲜事物，在英国，没有真正的对应词。
It's the supreme court, and its cast bronze doors have a story to tell.
这是“最高法♥院♥”，它的铸青铜大门，讲述了一个故事。
The four panels on the left-hand door
左边门上的四个嵌板
deal with the origins of law in the ancient world,
讲述的是古代世界法律的起源，
but here, on the right-hand door, three out of the four panels
但是在右边门上，四个嵌板中的三个
represent the actual origins of the supreme court in English law.
代表了英国法律中，最高法庭的真正起源。
Down at the bottom, of course, we've got magna carta - John and a baron.
在底层那块，当然讲的是《大宪♥章♥》 — 约翰和某位男爵。
Here, we've got the great lawgiver English king, Edward I.
这里是伟大的立法者，英国国王爱德华一世。
And up there, on the third panel,
上面，也就是第三块嵌板，
we have sir Edward coke confronting James I,
我们看到的是爱德华.柯克爵士面对詹姆士一世，
and it's coke who really matters.
而真正重要的是柯克。
Coke's attempt in 1628 to use the petition of right
1628年，柯克试图利用《权利请♥愿♥书》
to make magna carta fundamental law inviolable by parliament
使《大宪♥章♥》成为议会，或国王不可侵犯的基本法律，
or by the king failed in england,
但在英国失败了，
but it succeeded in america where the founding fathers
但在美国却成功了。美国的开国元勋们
made the constitution effectively untouchable,
使《大宪♥章♥》实际上是不可侵犯的，
fundamental law to be interpreted not by congress,
基本法律，不是由国会解释的，
still less by the president, but by the judges of the supreme court.
更不是由总统解释的，而是由最高法♥院♥的法官解释的。
And it is to magna carta
最高法♥院♥的法官们
that the supreme court judges turn again and again...
一次又一次地求助于《大宪♥章♥》...
From 1790 to the present,
从1790年到现在，
it has been cited an astonishing 400 times.
它被引用了惊人的400次。
But magna carta is not only a mantra in the supreme court.
但在最高法♥院♥，《大宪♥章♥》不仅仅是一首颂歌♥。
It is a ready-made banner,quickly raised in the political arena.
这是一个现成的旗帜，在政♥治♥竞技场上迅速升起。
As was the case when another monarch -
就像另一位君主 —
only this time it was a president, Richard Nixon -
只不过这次是，总统理查德·尼克松 —
thought he was above the law.
认为自己凌驾于法律之上。
I have been guided by the principle that the law
法律必须公平对待每一个人，这一原则
（众议员彼得.罗迪诺，众议院司法委员会主席）
must deal fairly with every man.
一直指导着我。
（众议员彼得.罗迪诺，众议院司法委员会主席）
Seven centuries have now passed
七个世纪过去了，
since the English barons proclaimed the same principle
自从英国的贵族们声张相同的原则，
by compelling king John at the point of a sword
用剑锋逼着约翰国王
to accept the great doctrine of magna carta.
接受《大宪♥章♥》的伟大教义。
In 1974, facing impeachment
1974年，面临遭弹劾的
over his involvement in the Watergate scandal,
尼克松，卷入了“水门事件”丑闻，
Nixon resigned rather than face the wrath of magna carta.
他宁愿辞职，也不愿面对《大宪♥章♥》的愤怒。
But in more recent times, a much more threatening shadow
但在最近的时代，一个更具威胁性的阴影
has been thrown over all our constitutional liberties.
笼罩了我们所有的立宪自♥由♥。
Siren blares
[警报鸣响]
with the attack on the twin towers,
由于对世贸中心双子塔的袭击，
the bush administration announced america was at war -
布♥什♥政♥府♥宣布美国处于战争状态 —
war on terror.
—反恐战争。
For the foreseeable future,
在可预见的未来，
the security of the western world was Paramount.
西方世界的安全，是至高无上的。
Rights and freedoms - for which the war was ostensibly being waged -
权利和自♥由♥ — 这场战争表面上是为之而战 —
would have to take a back seat.
将不得不，退居次要地位。
Accusations of torture,waterboarding and extraordinary rendition
对酷刑、水刑和非常规引渡的指控
hit the very heart of the United States government.
击中了美国政♥府♥的核心。
But there were those who were prepared to challenge the executive
但也有人准备以《大宪♥章♥》和
in the name of magna carta and the constitution.
宪法的名义，挑战行政部门。
As suspected terrorists were interned in Guantanamo bay,
当恐♥怖♥分♥子♥嫌疑人被关押在关塔那摩湾时，
lawyers, working for free,
律师们提供免费的工作，
brought cases against the bush administration