A Child's History of England.107

There is no doubt, now, that Joan believed she saw and heard these things. It is very well known that such delusions are a disease which is not by any means uncommon. It is probable enough that there were figures [肖像] of Saint Michael, and Saint Catherine, and Saint Margaret, in the little chapel (where they would be very likely to have shining crowns upon their heads), and that they first gave Joan the idea of those three personages [名人,要人]. She had long been a moping [闷闷不乐], fanciful girl, and, though she was a very good girl, I dare say she was a little vain [conceited], and wishful for notoriety [the state of well-known for sth bad {notorious}].

Her father, something wiser than his neighbours, said, 'I tell thee [you], Joan, it is thy [your] fancy. Thou [you] hadst [had] better have a kind husband to take care of thee, girl, and work to employ [占用] thy mind!' But Joan told him in reply, that she had taken a vow never to have a husband, and that she must go as Heaven directed her, to help the Dauphin.

It happened, unfortunately for her father's persuasions, and most unfortunately for the poor girl, too, that a party of the Dauphin's enemies found their way into the village while Joan's disorder was at this point, and burnt the chapel, and drove out the inhabitants. The cruelties she saw committed, touched Joan's heart and made her worse. She said that the voices and the figures were now continually with her; that they told her she was the girl who, according to an old prophecy, was to deliver [解救] France; and she must go and help the Dauphin, and must remain with him until he should be crowned at Rheims: and that she must travel a long way to a certain lord named Baudricourt, who could and would, bring her into the Dauphin's presence.

As her father still said, 'I tell thee, Joan, it is thy fancy,' she set off [出发] to find out this lord, accompanied by an uncle, a poor village wheelwright [造/修轮子的] and cart-maker, who believed in the reality of her visions. They travelled a long way and went on and on, over a rough country, full of the Duke of Burgundy's men, and of all kinds of robbers and marauders [unpleasant and dangerous people], until they came to where this lord was.

When his servants told him that there was a poor peasant girl named Joan of Arc, accompanied by nobody but an old village wheelwright and cart-maker, who wished to see him because she was commanded to help the Dauphin and save France, Baudricourt burst out a-laughing, and bade [bid,吩咐] them send the girl away. But, he soon heard so much about her lingering in the town, and praying in the churches, and seeing visions, and doing harm to no one, that he sent for [派人去叫/请] her, and questioned her. As she said the same things after she had been well sprinkled with holy water as she had said before the sprinkling, Baudricourt began to think there might be something in it. At all events [whatever happens, in any case], he thought it worth while to send her on to the town of Chinon, where the Dauphin was. So, he bought her a horse, and a sword, and gave her two squires [骑士扈从] to conduct her. As the Voices had told Joan that she was to wear a man's dress, now, she put one on, and girded [系上] her sword to her side, and bound spurs to her heels, and mounted her horse and rode away with her two squires. As to her uncle the wheelwright, he stood staring at his niece in wonder until she was out of sight - as well he might - and then went home again. The best place, too.

worth while: important, interesting or rewarding enough to justify the time, money or effort that is spent

六级/考研单词: delude, probable, saint, chapel, dare, vain, notorious, vow, inhabit, commit, perpetual, accord, rob, peasant, arc, burst, linger, pray, sprinkle, holy, sword, conduct, bind, spur, heel, mount, niece

标签：her,England.107,Joan,she,Child,girl,he,was,History
来源： https://www.cnblogs.com/funwithwords/p/15780321.html