A Child's History of England.141

It was bad for Cardinal Wolsey that he had left Cranmer to render [give] this help. It was worse for him that he had tried to dissuade the King from marrying Anne Boleyn. Such a servant as he, to such a master as Henry, would probably have fallen in any case; but, between the hatred of the party of the Queen that was, and the hatred of the party of the Queen that was to be [Anne Boleyn], he fell suddenly and heavily. Going down one day to the Court of Chancery, where he now presided [主持会议], he was waited upon by the Dukes of Norfolk and Suffolk, who told him that they brought an order to him to resign that office, and to withdraw quietly to a house he had at Esher, in Surrey. The Cardinal refusing, they rode off to the King; and next day came back with a letter from him, on reading which, the Cardinal submitted. An inventory [清单] was made out of all the riches in his palace at York Place (now Whitehall), and he went sorrowfully up the river, in his barge, to Putney. An abject [lacking all pride] man he was, in spite of his pride; for being overtaken [所阻], riding out of that place towards Esher, by one of the King's chamberlains [管家] who brought him a kind message and a ring, he alighted [下骡] from his mule, took off his cap, and kneeled down in the dirt. His poor Fool [小丑], whom in his prosperous days he had always kept in his palace to entertain him, cut a far better figure than he; for, when the Cardinal said to the chamberlain that he had nothing to send to his lord the King as a present, but that jester who was a most excellent one, it took six strong yeomen to remove the faithful fool from his master.

yeoman - an official providing honorable service in a royal or high noble household , ranking between a squire [扈从] and a page [侍者].

The once proud Cardinal was soon further disgraced, and wrote the most abject letters to his vile sovereign; who humbled him one day and encouraged him the next, according to his humour [mood], until he was at last ordered to go and reside in his diocese [教区] of York. He said he was too poor; but I don't know how he made that out [理解, 得出结论], for he took a hundred and sixty servants with him, and seventy-two cart-loads of furniture, food, and wine. He remained in that part of the country for the best part of a year, and showed himself so improved by his misfortunes, and was so mild and so conciliating [conciliate:抚慰], that he won all hearts. And indeed, even in his proud days, he had done some magnificent things for learning and education. At last, he was arrested for high treason; and, coming slowly on his journey towards London, got as far as Leicester. Arriving at Leicester Abbey after dark, and very ill, he said - when the monks came out at the gate with lighted torches to receive him - that he had come to lay his bones among them. He had indeed; for he was taken to a bed, from which he never rose again. His last words were, 'Had I but [only] served God as diligently as I have served the King, He would not have given me over [up], in my grey hairs. Howbeit [however], this is my just [fair] reward for my pains and diligence, not regarding my service to God, but only my duty to my prince.' The news of his death was quickly carried to the King, who was amusing himself with archery in the garden of the magnificent Palace at Hampton Court, which that very Wolsey had presented to him. The greatest emotion his royal mind displayed at the loss of a servant so faithful and so ruined, was a particular desire to lay hold of fifteen hundred pounds which the Cardinal was reported to have hidden somewhere.

The summers here are usually filled with sunshine and blue skies, making this one of the best times to visit England. The wettest month in England is November, although December is often pretty cold and blustery too.

The opinions concerning the divorce, of the learned doctors and bishops and others, being at last collected, and being generally in the King's favour, were forwarded to the Pope, with an entreaty [请求] that he would now grant it. The unfortunate Pope, who was a timid man, was half distracted between his fear of his authority being set aside in England if he did not do as he was asked, and his dread of offending the Emperor of Germany, who was Queen Catherine's nephew. In this state of mind he still evaded and did nothing. Then, Thomas Cromwell, who had been one of Wolsey's faithful attendants, and had remained so even in his decline, advised the King to take the matter into his own hands, and make himself the head of the whole Church. This, the King by various artful means, began to do; but he recompensed [补偿] the clergy by allowing them to burn as many people as they pleased, for holding Luther's opinions. You must understand that Sir Thomas More, the wise man who had helped the King with his book, had been made Chancellor in Wolsey's place. But, as he was truly attached to the Church as it was even in its abuses, he, in this state of things, resigned.

托马斯·克伦威尔(1485-1540)于1540年被亨利八世判处斩首。奥利弗·克伦威尔(Oliver Cromwell, 1599-1658), 曾逼迫英国君主退位，解散国会，并转英国为资产阶级共和国，建立英吉利共和国，出任护国公。Oliver Cromwell was descended from a junior branch of the Cromwell family, distantly related from (as great, great grand-uncle) Thomas Cromwell, chief minister to King Henry VIII.

六级/考研单词: cardinal, render, probable, gradual, preside, inventory, sorrow, barge, overtake, mule, kneel, dirt, entertain, superb, noble, rank, farther, sovereign, humble, accord, humour, reside, furnish, misfortune, mild, splendid, educate, torch, diligent, gray, princess, amuse, ruin, desire, seldom, divorce, bishop, timid, distract, dread, offend, emperor, niece, evade, advice, clergy, wise, chancellor, abuse, descend