A Child's History of England.78

The King, with his two favourites, fled to Bristol, where he left old Despenser in charge of the town and castle, while he went on with the son to Wales. The Bristol men being opposed to the King, and it being impossible to hold the town with enemies everywhere within the walls, Despenser yielded it up on the third day, and was instantly brought to trial for having traitorously influenced what was called 'the King's mind' - though I doubt if the King ever had any. He was a venerable old man, upwards of ninety years of age, but his age gained no respect or mercy. He was hanged, torn open while he was yet alive, cut up into pieces, and thrown to the dogs. His son was soon taken, tried at Hereford before the same judge on a long series of foolish charges, found guilty, and hanged upon a gallows [绞架] fifty feet high, with a chaplet [花冠] of nettles [荨麻] round his head. His poor old father and he were innocent enough of any worse crimes than the crime of having been friends of a King, on whom, as a mere man, they would never have deigned to cast a favourable look. It is a bad crime, I know, and leads to worse; but, many lords and gentlemen - I even think some ladies, too, if I recollect [记得] right - have committed it in England, who have neither been given to the dogs, nor hanged up fifty feet high.

cast a favourable look on whom... cast: 浇铸; cast a vote/ballot: 投票; cast a spell; cast sb as sth: describe, 电影选角; typecast: 类型转换

The wretched [悲惨的] King was running here and there, all this time, and never getting anywhere in particular, until he gave himself up, and was taken off to Kenilworth Castle. When he was safely lodged there, the Queen went to London and met the Parliament. And the Bishop of Hereford, who was the most skilful of her friends, said, What was to be done now? Here was an imbecile [低能的], indolent [懒惰的], miserable King upon the throne; wouldn't it be better to take him off, and put his son there instead? I don't know whether the Queen really pitied him at this pass [stage, one part of a process], but she began to cry; so, the Bishop said, Well, my Lords and Gentlemen, what do you think, upon the whole, of sending down to Kenilworth, and seeing if His Majesty (God bless him, and forbid we should depose [废黜] him!) won't resign?

My Lords and Gentlemen thought it a good notion, so a deputation [代表团] of them went down to Kenilworth; and there the King came into the great hall of the Castle, commonly dressed in a poor black gown; and when he saw a certain bishop among them, fell down, poor feeble-headed man, and made a wretched spectacle of himself. Somebody lifted him up, and then Sir William Trussel, the Speaker of the House of Commons [下院?], almost frightened him to death by making him a tremendous speech to the effect that he was no longer a King, and that everybody renounced [放弃] allegiance [忠诚] to him. After which, Sir Thomas Blount, the Steward of the Household [王室管家?], nearly finished him, by coming forward and breaking his white wand - which was a ceremony only performed at a King's death. Being asked in this pressing manner what he thought of resigning, the King said he thought it was the best thing he could do. So, he did it, and they proclaimed his son next day.

六级/考研单词: flee, yield, tertiary, upward, mercy, guilt, innocent, mere, commit, ballot, wretched, lodge, parliament, bishop, throne, pity, majesty, prohibit, gown, spectacle, fright, tremendous, stewardess, ceremony, proclaim

标签：King,his,cast,England.78,Child,History,was,him,he
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