A Child's History of England.159

CHAPTER 31 ENGLAND UNDER ELIZABETH

There was great rejoicing all over the land when the Lords of the Council went down to Hatfield, to hail [拥戴] the Princess Elizabeth as the new Queen of England. Weary of the barbarities of Mary's reign, the people looked with hope and gladness to the new Sovereign. The nation seemed to wake from a horrible dream; and Heaven, so long hidden by the smoke of the fires that roasted men and women to death, appeared to brighten once more.

Queen Elizabeth was five-and-twenty years of age when she rode through the streets of London, from the Tower to Westminster Abbey, to be crowned. Her countenance [面孔] was strongly marked, but on the whole, commanding [having the confidence to make people respect and obey you] and dignified; her hair was red, and her nose something too long and sharp for a woman's. She was not the beautiful creature her courtiers made out [说的; 编的] ; but she was well enough, and no doubt looked all the better for coming after the dark and gloomy Mary. She was well educated, but a roundabout [拐弯抹角的] writer, and rather a hard swearer [咒骂者] and coarse talker. She was clever, but cunning and deceitful, and inherited much of her father's violent temper. I mention this now, because she has been so over-praised by one party, and so over-abused by another, that it is hardly possible to understand the greater part of her reign without first understanding what kind of woman she really was.

Elizabeth I - the last Tudor monarch - was born at Greenwich on 7 September 1533, the daughter of Henry VIII and his second wife, Anne Boleyn. She was then third in line behind her Roman Catholic half-sister, Princess Mary. Elizabeth succeeded to the throne on her half-sister's death in November 1558. She was very well-educated (fluent in five languages), and had inherited intelligence, determination and shrewdness from both parents. Her 45-year reign is generally considered one of the most glorious in English history.

She began her reign with the great advantage of having a very wise and careful Minister, Sir William Cecil, whom she afterwards made Lord Burleigh. Altogether, the people had greater reason for rejoicing than they usually had, when there were processions in the streets; and they were happy with some reason. All kinds of shows and images were set up; Gog and Magog were hoisted to the top of Temple Bar, and (which was more to the purpose) the Corporation [市政当局] dutifully [恭顺地] presented the young Queen with the sum of a thousand marks [unit of money] in gold - so heavy a present, that she was obliged to take it into her carriage with both hands. The coronation was a great success; and, on the next day, one of the courtiers presented a petition to the new Queen, praying that as it was the custom to release some prisoners on such occasions, she would have the goodness to release the four Evangelists, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, and also the Apostle [使徒] Saint Paul, who had been for some time shut up in a strange language so that the people could not get at them.

Gog and Magog was a mysterious northern force of evil.
Temple Bar was the principal ceremonial entrance to the City of London from the City of Westminster.
Evangelists: any of the authors of the four Gospels in the New Testament.
咳，是个比喻。天主教的圣经用拉丁文，英国国教的用英语。

To this, the Queen replied that it would be better first to inquire of themselves whether they desired to be released or not; and, as a means of finding out, a great public discussion - a sort of religious tournament - was appointed to take place between certain champions [斗士] of the two religions, in Westminster Abbey. You may suppose that it was soon made pretty clear to common sense, that for people to benefit by what they repeat or read, it is rather necessary they should understand something about it. Accordingly, a Church Service in plain English was settled, and other laws and regulations were made, completely establishing the great work of the Reformation. The Romish bishops and champions were not harshly dealt with, all things considered; and the Queen's Ministers were both prudent and merciful.

they should understand something about it... BBC的The Adventure of English里提到：牧师不出声地"读"拉丁文的圣经，到关键地方摇铃。后来发现有些牧师/主教根本不懂拉丁文。

六级/考研单词: rejoice, hail, princess, weary, reign, sovereign, roast, confide, obey, dignity, gorgeous, gloom, educate, coarse, cunning, temper, seldom, tertiary, catholic, throne, fluent, intellect, shrewd, wise, procession, hoist, temple, oblige, petition, pray, goodness, saint, wicked, headmaster, author, gospel, inquiry, desire, secular, tournament, necessity, accordingly, regulate, reform, bishop, harsh, mercy, adventure