【百天聆听】第54天 原典英语训练教材

昔日的英国王室

Chapter Two: War, Peace and Taxes

King Henry was a very ambitious man. He wanted the glory of a war and in 1512 he invaded France unsuccessfully. The following year Henry was more successful. The English won a battle that Henry called "The Battle of the Spurs."

While Henry was in France, the Scottish King, James IV, invaded northern England. After a violent battle the English won at Flodden Field. King James IV and thousands of Scots were killed.

Henry was pleased with the success in France and he wanted to return the following year. However, the war cost a lot of money and only a little land was conquered.

Henry's adviser, Cardinal Thomas Wolsey, did not want another war. He convinced Henry to make peace with France. He was a very ambitious and greedy man . In 1515 he became Lord Chancellor of England.

He was the most powerful man in the country after the King! Wolsey became very rich. He used his money to build the 1,000-room palace of Hampton Court. He later gave it to Henry to win his favor.

During this period there were many religious problems. The Catholic Church was very powerful and very rich. Many people in England did not like the Church or the priests. They were tired of paying high taxes to the Church.

In October 1517 a German monk called Martin Luther protested against

the Catholic Church. He wanted to make radical changes. This was the beginning of the Reformation and the Protestant Church.

Henry did not like Martin Luther's ideas and wrote the "Defence of the Seven Sacraments." He dedicated it to Pope Leo X. The Pope was pleased and gave Henry the title of "Defender of the Faith."

For eight years Cardinal Wolsey kept peace with France. In 1520 he organized a meeting in Piccardy in France, between the two Kings. Wolsey wanted the Kings to sign a peace treaty.

Elaborate tents made of gold cloth and a beautiful palace were created for the two Kings and their courts. The entire English court of 5,800 people went to Piccardy. There were jousts and elaborate banquets. An immense amount of money was spent for this occasion. Henry wore a cloak made of gold cloth. The extravagant finery gave the meeting its name "The Field of the Cloth of Gold." The two Kings signed a peace treaty but after two years they were at war again!

Henry and his court lived in luxury. His clothes and jewels were always more magnificent . Henry soon spent most of his father's money.

During almost 20 years of marriage Catherine gave birth to four sons, but they all died. Only a girl, Princess Mary, survived . Henry was desperate.

He didn't want a daughter. He wanted a son to become king after his death.

Catherine was too old to have other children and Henry lost interest in her.

Chapter Three: The Break with Rome

Early in 1526 Henry met a young English lady of the court. Her name was Anne Boleyn. She had long, black hair and dark eyes. She spoke French and wore elegant French clothes. She was very lively, intelligent and interested in politics . Henry fell in love with her immediately. Several men of the court fell in love with her too. Anne had a sixth finger on her left hand.

Her enemies called her a witch!

Henry wanted to marry Anne Boleyn and have a son with her. He decided to divorce Catherine, but he needed permission from the Pope in Rome. He asked Cardinal Wolsey to convince the Pope. After a few years the Pope refused the divorce.

Henry was furious with Wolsey and the Church. He accused Cardinal Wolsey of treason and he died soon after. In 1529 Henry chose Sir Thomas More, a great scholar and an honest man, as Lord Chancellor of England. Sir Thomas More was Lord Chancellor until 1532 when he was beheaded because he opposed Henry's break with Rome.

In 1533 Henry also chose a new Archbishop of Canterbury, Thomas Cranmer. Cranmer wanted to change the Church. He believed in the absolute power of the King. Cranmer encouraged the use of the Bible in English.

He also helped to establish the Protestant Church in England. He later annulled Henry's marriage to Catherine of Aragon.

In January 1533 Henry and Anne Boleyn were secretly married. Catherine of Aragon was banished from court and died alone three years later.

By May 1533 Anne Boleyn was Queen of England. Four months later she gave birth to Princess Elizabeth. Another girl! Henry was desolate . He wanted a son more than anything.

In 1534 Thomas Cromwell, Henry's new Lord Chancellor, helped put into effect the Act of Supremacy . With this Act Henry became the Supreme Head of the Church of England.

Henry was soon tired of Anne because she did not give him a son. He then met another lady called Jane Seymour and fell in love with her.

Anne, Henry's second wife, was accused of adultery and treason. She was imprisoned in the Tower of London and was beheaded in May 1536.

Eleven days after Anne Boleyn's execution Henry married Jane Seymour.

She was a quiet, docile lady who brought happiness to the royal family.

In October 1537 Jane gave birth to a son, Prince Edward. King Henry was overjoyed and the whole country celebrated. Unfortunately, after twelve days the Queen died from an infection.

Henry mourned her for a long time. Jane, his third wife, was probably his favorite.

Henry now had an heir - Prince Edward was the future King of England.

He was first in succession to the throne because he was a male. Edward was intelligent and received an excellent education from the best scholars.

To show his power and importance Henry VIII built magnificent palaces such as St James' Palace and Whitehall Palace. He also built castles and more than fifty houses around England.

福尔摩斯

Part Two 

Then Mr Grant Munro left, and Holmes and I discussed the case.

'I am afraid that this is a case of blackmail ,' said Holmes.

'And who is the blackmailer ?' I asked.

'Well, it must be that creature with the yellow face. Upon my word,

Watson, there is something very attractive about that yellow face at the window, and I would not miss this case for worlds .'

'Have you got a theory?' I asked.

'Yes,' Holmes replied, 'I think her first husband is in the cottage. This is what I think happened: This woman was married in America. Her husband got a terrible disease. That is why he has that horrible yellow face. She ran away from him at last, and came back to England, where she changed her name and started a new life. After three years of marriage, she feels safe again, but her first husband, or some unscrupulous woman attached to him,discovers where she lives. They write to her and tell her to send them a hundred pounds, or they will tell her new husband everything. When her husband tells her that someone is living in the cottage, she knows that they are her blackmailers. In the middle of the night, while her husband is sleeping, she decides to go to the cottage. That night she is not able to convince her blackmailers to leave her alone, so she returns the next day.

That was when her husband saw her coming out of the house. She then promises her husband that she will not return, but she wants to get rid of her blackmailers. She decides to go again, and this time she brings a photograph, which they probably asked her for. Fortunately for her, her maid warns her that her husband is coming, and she and her blackmailers leave the house in time.

'Now we can do nothing except wait for Mr Munro to call us, and then we will see if my theory is correct.'

We did not have to wait long. After tea we received a message from Mr Munro saying, 'There are people in the house.'

That night Holmes and I took a train to Norbury. Mr Munro was waiting for us at the station, and he took us to the cottage.

When we arrived there, Holmes asked Mr Munro if he was sure he wanted to enter the cottage. Mr Munro said he was sure and we went to the door of the cottage. As we approached the door, a woman suddenly appeared. It was Effie.

'For God's sake, don't Jack!' she cried. 'Trust me!'

'I have trusted you too long, Effie!' he cried sternly. 'Let go of me! My friends and I are going to solve this mystery.'

We rushed up the stairs to the lighted room. In one corner there was a desk, and at that desk there appeared to be a little girl. Her face was turned away from us when we entered the room, but we could see she was wearing a red dress and long white gloves. She turned around to us, and gave a cry of surprise and horror. Her face was the strangest yellow colour and it had absolutely no expression .

A moment later the mystery was explained. Holmes, with a laugh, put his hand behind the ear of the little girl, and pulled off the mask, and there was a little coal-black girl.

She laughed, and I laughed too, but Grant Munro stood staring with his hand holding his throat.

'My God!' he cried, 'what does this mean?'

'I will tell you everything,' cried his wife with a proud face. 'You have forced me, and now we must both accept the situation. My husband died at Atlanta. My child survived.'

'Your child!' cried Grant Munro.

She pulled out a locket, and inside the locket was the picture of a very handsome and intelligent man, but a man who was obviously of African descent.

'This is John Hebron, of Atlanta,' said Mrs Munro, 'and he was a very noble man. I cut myself off from my race to marry him, but I never regretted it for a moment. Unfortunately, our only child took after his people rather than mine. She is very dark, but she is my dear little girl.'

When the little girl heard these words, she ran to her mother.

'I left her in America with a trusted servant,' Mrs Munro continued,

'because she was not very healthy, but I never considered abandoning her.

When I met you by chance and learned to love you, I was afraid to tell you about my child. I was afraid to lose you. I kept her existence a secret from you for three years, but finally I had to see my little girl. I sent the servant a hundred pounds, and told her to come to this cottage. I took every possible precaution so that there would not be gossip about a little black girl.

That is why she wore that yellow mask.

'You told me about her arrival in the cottage, and that night I had to see her,

and that was the beginning of my troubles. And now, tonight, you know everything. What are you going to do about me and my child?'

Mr Grant Munro did not say anything for two minutes, and his answer was one of which I love to think. He lifted the little child, kissed her, and, with the little girl in his arms, he gave his other hand to his wife.

'We can talk it over more comfortably at home,' he said. 'I am not a very good man, Effie, but I think that I am better than you thought.'

We all left the cottage together, and then Holmes and I returned to London.

We did not say another word about the case until late that night at Holmes'

house in Baker Street, just before Holmes went to bed.

'Watson,' he said, 'if you should ever think that I am becoming too confident in my powers, or that I am not working hard enough on a particular case, please whisper "Norbury" in my ear, and I will be infinitely obliged to you.'