Thus it is related of Marie Casimire, wife of Sobieski, King of Poland, that one of her amusements was to let herself be drenched13 by the rain, although at the time she might be magnificently dressed. On one occasion, when Monsieur le Comte de Teil, Conseiller du Parlement de Paris, who had been sent to Poland by the King of England, happened to be near the Queen when it rained very heavily, she said to him, “Monsieur l’Envoi, let us take a walk”—a request which he did not dare to refuse. He wore on that day a fine wig15; nevertheless he endured the rain for some time, and then said to her, “Madam, your Majesty16 is getting wet.{11}” “Say, rather,” answered the Queen, “that you are learning how to spoil your fine wig,” and she continued walking in the rain maliciously17 a full half-hour.
This, however, was a comparatively trivial and harmless amusement compared with the cruel and outrageous19 freaks of the Russian Emperor, Ivan IV., who has been described as “one of the most savage20, yet one of the most enlightened monarchs that ever reigned21.” He was only in his teens when he had one of his attendants worried to death by dogs on the public highway; and in one of the so-called frolicsome22 moods he would let slip wild bears among the affrighted citizens in the streets, and would calmly say his prayers whilst gazing at the slaughter23, making compensation “for any irregularity in the matter by flinging a few coins to the wounded after he rose from his knees.” It is even said that Ivan went so far in his insane freaks as to compel parents to slay24 their children, and children one another; and where there was a survivor25, “the amiable26 monarch12, if he was not too weary, would slay him himself, and would laugh at this conclusion to so excellent a joke.” It is not surprising that partial madness eventually overtook him, for what can be said of a ruler who is reported to have sent to the city of Moscow “to provide for him a measure full of fleas27 for a medicine.” They answered it was impossible; and if they could get them, yet they could not measure them, because of their leaping out. Upon which he set a mulct upon the city of 7000 roubles.{12}
But Ivan IV. was not the only Russian monarch who indulged in freaks of an irrational28 nature, although his successors did not stoop to the same cruelty. In the case of Peter III. intemperance29 has been assigned as the probable cause of some of the absurd actions with which his name has been associated in contemporary memoirs30. Rulhière, for instance, who was an eye-witness of the Revolution of the year 1762, tells us that his military mania31 knew no bounds; he wished that a perpetual noise of cannon32 should give him in representation a foretaste of war. Accordingly, he one day gave orders that one hundred large pieces of cannon should be fired simultaneously33, so that he might have some idea of the noise of battle. And it was necessary, in order to prevent the execution of this whim34, to represent to him that such an act would shake the city to the centre. Oftentimes he would rise from table to prostrate35 himself on his knees, with a glass in his hand, before a portrait of Frederick of Prussia, exclaiming, “My brother, we will conquer the universe together.”
In some instances the conduct of the Russian Emperor Paul was most eccentric, and his vagaries were so extraordinary that they have been explained on the theory of madness. One of the most curious stories about him is related by Kotzebue. He was summoned into the presence of the Emperor, who said to him in German, “You know the world too well not to be adequately informed about political occurrences, and must, therefore, have learned how I have figured in it. I have often{13} made rather a foolish exhibition of myself, and,” continued he, laughing, “it’s right that I should be punished, and I have imposed on myself a chastisement36. I want this”—he held a paper in his hand—“to be inserted in the Hamburg Gazette and other newspapers.” He then took him confidentially37 by the arm, and read to him the following paper which he had written in French:—
“On apprend de Petersbourg que l’Empereur de Russie voyant que les puissances de l’Europe ne pouvoit s’accorder entre elle et voulant mettre fin14 à une guerre qui la desoloit depuis onse ans vouloit proposer un lieu ou il inviteroit touts38 les autres souverains de se rendre et y combattre en champ clos ayant avec eux pour ecuyer juge de camp, et héros d’armes leurs ministres les plus éclairés et les generaux les plus habiles tels que Messrs. Thugust, Pitt, Bernstoff, lui même se proposant de prendre avec lui les generaux C. de Palen et Kutusof, on ne s?ait si on doit y ajouter foi, toute fois la chose ne paroit pas destituée de fondement en portant l’empreinte de ce dont il a souvent été taxé.”[3]
We may compare this eccentricity with that of Charles I. of England, who would bind39 himself to a particular line of conduct by a secret obligation. One day he drew aside Dr. Sheldon, afterwards Archbishop of Canterbury, and placed in his hands a paper which detailed41 certain measures he proposed to adopt for the glory of God and for the advancement42 of the Church, intimating that he “had privately43 bound himself by the most awful vow44 to{14} ensure their accomplishment45.” And one particular obligation which the document contained was to perform public penance46 for the injustice47 he had been guilty of to Lord Strafford, in consenting to his death. In delivering this paper to Dr. Sheldon, Charles solemnly conjured48 him to remind him of his contract, should he hereafter ever find him in a condition to perform any one of the articles which it contained.
In his moments of irritation49 Peter the Great, like William III. of England, would not hesitate to strike the person who had given him offence, whatever might be his rank; and, as his Majesty was easily upset, he was at times very lavish50 of his blows. His subjects, it is said, did not consider a blow from the Emperor an affront51, and thought themselves honoured by an apology. But this was not the case with foreigners, for Le Blond, a French architect whom the Czar had invited into his dominions52, having received the stroke of a cane53 in the first transport of imperial anger, took it so much to heart that he sickened of a fever and died.
The Czar Nicholas was fond of frightening or fascinating people by his eyes, and it is said that one of his terrible glances once terrified a Swedish admiral into the Russian service. On another occasion, we are told how happening to encounter a poor fellow who had strolled into the private part of the Imperial Park, Nicholas gazed at him with so fierce a glance that the trespasser54 was stricken with brain-fever. This strange peculiarity55 of the Czar reminds us of Augustus, who, according to{15} Suetonius, was always well pleased with those persons who, when addressing him, looked upon the ground, as though there were a divine splendour in his eyes, too dazzling for them to gaze upon.
Eric XIV. of Sweden in early life was stunned57 by a violent fall, a circumstance which, it is said, in after years accounted for his lack of judgment58, and occasional eccentricity of conduct. His highly suspicious turn of mind made him at times morose59, and almost maniacal60, causing him to interpret “the most natural and insignificant61 of gestures as some dreadful telegraphing of hideous62 treason. At such seasons his violence was frantic63, and, after a day marked by acts of frightful64 outrage18, he would make record against himself in his journal that he had sinned, and would then start to commit further crime.” By a terrible irony65 of fate, when deposed66 by his brother John, he was thrown into a horrible dungeon67, and “there were placed over him men whom he had offended, and who claimed to be avenged68. The vengeance69 which they exacted was diabolical70, for they aggravated71 as far as in them lay the horrors of his position—one of them fastening to his crippled limbs a mass of iron which may yet be seen in the museum at Abo.”[4] But can this be wondered at, when it is remembered how Eric when possessed of power had in his moments of frenzy72 and freaks of passion sent innocent men to the scaffold, and like a lunatic had, after the performance of some diabolical act, wandered about the fields likening himself to Nero, and heaping execration73{16} upon his own head. He was his own enemy, and as such incurred74 his own destruction.
Some of the characteristics of one of his successors on the throne—the celebrated75 Christina—were uncommon76, for having been educated by men, and brought up under the guardianship77 of men, she gradually imbibed78 a dislike of all that was womanly. Her ambition seems to have been to be as much like a man as possible, and nothing seems to have pleased her more than to don male attire79. For womanly refinements80, too, she had the most profound contempt, and it only coincided with this trait of character that she expressed her conviction of the utter disability of woman to conduct the affairs of a nation. In short, it is said that there was nothing of the woman in her save her sex, and that her presence, voice, and manners, were altogether masculine. Many of her strange freaks of conduct were attributable to this peculiar whim, in accordance with which she not only swore like a dragoon, but encouraged conversation of a by no means refined character. Thus a writer states that one of his friends used to entertain her with stories of a very unseemly nature, with which she was abundantly delighted, and adds, “Yet because there were some of his narrations82 which did sometimes require more modest expressions than the genuine or natural, chiefly before a Royal Majesty and in a maid’s presence, as she saw him going about his circumlocutions and seeking civil terms, she would boldly speak out the words, though they were never so filthy83, which modesty84 forbids me to{17} write here.” Indeed, her own acknowledgment that she was never nice of speech more or less corresponded with her personal habits, inasmuch as Manneschied, the confessor of Pimentelli, the Spanish ambassador at the Swedish Court, and a great admirer of the Queen, thus wrote of her: “She never combs her hair but once a week, and sometimes lets it go untouched for a fortnight. On Sundays her toilet takes about half-an-hour, but on other days it is despatched in a quarter.” Manneschied then adds, “Her linen85 was ragged86 and much torn.” And occasionally, when a bold person would hint at the salubrity of cleanliness she would reply, “Wash! that’s all very well for people who have nothing else to do!”
Nothing, again, pleased Christina more than to indulge in some outrageous freak whereby she would astonish and horrify87 those around her. When visiting, for instance, the French Court, she startled the stately ladies there by her strange conduct; and according to Madame de Motteville, “In presence of the King, Queen, and the whole Court, she flung her legs up on a chair as high as that on which she was seated, and she altogether exhibited them a great deal too freely.” Then, again, her impatience88 and irreverence89 at church were not infrequently matter of public comment. She would use two chairs, one of purple velvet90 in which she was seated, and one in front of her, “over the back of which she would lean her head or arms, thinking of divers91 matters.” If the sermon was a trifle long and somewhat prosy, she would begin{18} playing with the two spaniels which usually accompanied her, or she would chat with some gentleman-in-waiting; and, if the sermon did not come to a close, she would rattle92 her fan on the back of the chair before her, and distract the attention of the congregation, if she could not stop the preacher. But she was perfectly93 indifferent as to what the public thought of her conduct, and almost up to the end of her life she adhered to the same freedom and laxity of manners. It was towards the close of the year 1688 that she received an anonymous94 letter intimating that her death was not far off, and that she would do well to set her house in order, which she could commence by destroying the indecent paintings and statues with which her mansion95 was crowded.
But this note of warning had no effect on Christina, and with a smile she put it in the fire, little anticipating that the prediction would be fulfilled the following year. Despite her many foibles and follies96, Christina was a great and remarkable97 woman, a riddle98 indeed to many who have read her history. She had a masterful character, and, however much her various eccentricities99 and habits of life may have created disgust, her intellectual powers, on the other hand, were of no mean order. But one reason, perhaps, which induced her to indulge in such extraordinary freaks of conduct was her supreme100 contempt for the parade and symbols of worldly power, and the conventionalities of society.
It was no matter of surprise that Gustavus IV. proved an incapable101 and unreliable monarch, de{19}veloping eccentricity of character bordering on insanity102. What could be expected of one who in his young life was so overdone103 with religious teaching that “he pored over the Book of Revelations till he became nearly insane, recognised himself as one mysteriously alluded104 to in Scripture105, and hailed in his own person that ‘coming man’ who as prophet, priest, and king was to rule the world”? Thus on his wedding-day, at the completion of the marriage ceremony, he took his bride, Princess Frederica of Baden, to her apartment, and opening the Book of Esther, bade her read aloud the first chapter.
She obeyed, and then wonderingly asked for an explanation of his strange conduct. Gustavus at once expounded106 the passage, warning the Queen that should she ever disobey her lord and master she would be punished as Vashti had been, and her dignity would be given to another. This was not a happy inauguration107 of married life, and the young Queen soon found to her bitter disappointment what a miserable108 existence was enforced upon her. On one occasion, when Gustavus discovered his young wife having a romp8 with her German maids, he immediately dismissed her playful attendants, and introduced in their place cold and formal aged81 Swedish ladies, who would have scorned even the idea of such frivolities. But it was in his public as well as his private life that Gustavus indulged in these strange freaks, alienating109 by his conduct the sympathies of the aristocracy, many of whom, “to mark their indig{20}nation, threw up their patents of nobility,” while the people generally did not shrink from showing in an unmistakable manner their annoyance110 and disgust. The climax111 of his follies and freaks was reached when he absented himself from his kingdom—from 1803 to 1806—so that he was advertised for on the walls of Stockholm as a stray king, a suitable recompense being promised to any who should restore him to his “disconsolate subjects.” Ultimately, as is well known, he was deposed—his uncle, the Duke of Sudermania, ascending112 the throne as Charles XIII.—and imprisoned113 in the Castle of Gripsholm, where he amused himself by drawing “a portrait of himself seated on a white horse, trampling114 upon the Beast”![5]
The Duke d’Alen?on, afterwards Duke of Anjou, and his brother Henry III. regarded each other with puerile115 hatred116, a circumstance which led to the most absurd rivalry117 between themselves. Each bestowed118 his favour and time, and lavished119 his resources, on a band of young, handsome, swaggering gallants, to whom the King especially set the example of great extravagance, and, at the same time, effeminacy of dress. The freaks of folly120 they committed seem scarcely credible121, for it is reported that they painted their cheeks, adorned122 their necks with the most outrageous frills of enormous dimensions, and curled their hair with a nicety and care which exceeded male pretensions123. Indeed, Henry III. carried this absurdity124 so far as actually to appear accoutred{21} in a female garb125. “These acts of idiotcy,” writes Crowe,[6] “the people construed127 to be indicative not merely of perverted128 taste, but of degrading crime; and the King’s mignons were the object of such universal execration that when they perished by the hands of each other, or of more invidious foes129, and when Henry III. consoled himself for their loss by the performance of splendid funeral rites126, and the erection of superb mausoleums, the public applauded the acts of vengeance by which these base parasites131 were slain132.” But, contemptible133 as such conduct was, it certainly lacked the brutality134 of his predecessor135, Charles IX., who, when engaged in the chase, is said to have pursued wild beasts more with the fury of their species than the excitement of man. Thus it is recorded that he would cut off the heads of donkeys, embowel pigs, and would take a pleasure in arranging their entrails butcher-fashion.
Another of the freaks of Charles IX. consisted in his hiring ten young thieves, whom he brought to the Louvre, where he set them to rob the guests of their swords and jewellery, laughing heartily136 “as he witnessed their success, or saw the unconsciousness of the victims, or beheld137 their surprise and indignation after they had been despoiled138.” These young thieves, says Dr. Doran, who were amply rewarded for the exercise of their ability, “rank among the most singular of hirelings paid to excite laughter in a gloomy king.{22}”
The Comte d’Artois, a brother of Louis XVI., was noted139 for his frivolous140 pursuits and his unbecoming follies. One anecdote141 about him shows the levity142 of his conduct; and, as it has been observed, a royal duke “who had tried the same jest in England would have been summoned before the next Justice of the Peace”:—
“The Comte d’Artois has taken it into his head to pull down a country house in the Bois de Boulogne, and to rebuild it from top to bottom. It is to be newly furnished, and a fête is to be given there to the Queen. Everybody thought it absurd to attempt to finish such a piece of work in six or seven weeks; yet it has been done—nine hundred workmen having been employed day and night. The most extraordinary part of the case is that, as there was a deficiency of materials, especially of stones, lime, and plaister, and that time was not to be lost in procuring143 them elsewhere, M. le Comte d’Artois gave orders that patrols of the Swiss Guards should search the main roads, and seize every cart containing materials of this kind which they came across.”
At sixty years of age, Louis I., or Ludwig, King of Bavaria, took under his protection the notorious dancing-woman, Lola Montes, under whose wretched influence the misguided monarch was guilty of the most inconceivable follies. She so outraged144 every idea of propriety145, that on one occasion the mob threatened to pull her house to the ground. But she treated the matter with a high hand; and, to show her contempt for the{23} crowd, flung a dog among them, and she is even said to have thrust her tongue in her cheek at the people. And, when it is remembered that there was scarcely a freak of folly which Ludwig did not do at her bidding, it is not surprising that the public indignation was unbounded. She succeeded, however, in dragging the weak-minded King with her in her fall, whose position, after the terrible scandal and disgrace, had become so unbearable146 that he found himself forced to abdicate147, which took place in the year 1848. In his time of retirement148 one of the pleasantest associations of his past was the velvet-covered mattress149 stuffed with beards and moustaches, which the soldiers of his father’s regiment150 had cut off for the express purpose, and presented to him.
But one of the strangest and most eccentric of modern kings was Ludwig II., known as the “Mad King” of Bavaria, who from his earliest youth appears to have been a dreamer and a visionary. The romantic legends which charmed him as a boy retained their influence over him in after years, and he grew up with the most morbid151 propensities152, never taught to control himself, or to keep his nerves in check. He disliked physical exertion153, and an aversion to anything disagreeable became in him a monomania, for he could not endure even the sight of a cripple or of an ill-formed person.[7]
As a boy, we are told, the Castle of Hohenschwangau in the Bavarian Alps fascinated his{24} imagination, for “knights in armour154 spoke155 to him; Rhine maidens156 drew him into their arms; he saw his ancestors, the old Wittelsbach heroes, seated upon their war-horses, their swords drawn157, fighting their way into Rome, or resting under the palms by the banks of the Nile.” At two and twenty he betrothed158 himself to his cousin, Sophie Charlotte—daughter of Maximilian of Bavaria and sister of the Empress of Austria—who afterwards became Duchesse d’Alen?on, and perished in the fire at the Bazar de la Charité. But for some reason the match was broken off, and henceforth he became “more melancholy160 and more enamoured of solitude,” dwelling161 “in pathetic loneliness, with little society save his brooding dreams—his days, or rather his nights, for he had already begun to invert162 the division of the twenty-four hours, peopled with the heroes and legends of myth.”
Once only, it is said, did he really rouse himself, when he threw in his lot with Prussia in 1870. But after all it was only a fictitious163 enthusiasm, for he would not accompany his army, backing out on the plea that he had strained a sinew. He grew tired of life and disgusted with everything, and there seems to have been in his unbalanced mind some jealousy164 of the Crown Prince Frederick, who had performed the deeds which had ever been the subject of his dreams. And his extraordinary eccentricities got gradually worse, and he acquired the habit of drinking a mixture of champagne165 and Rhenish wine in which violets floated, consorting167 only with his servants. Finally, when it was{25} announced to him that his deposition168 had been decided169, he exclaimed, “Let the traitors170 be thrown into the deepest dungeon, loaded with chains, and leave them to die of starvation.” But not very long afterwards he was removed to the Chateau171 of Berg, where he was mysteriously drowned in the Starnberg Lake.
At an early age Alfonso VI. of Portugal had the misfortune to have his limbs and his reason partially172 paralysed by fever—a circumstance which must account for his wicked and vicious life in after years. On any other ground it is impossible to excuse his conduct, which was infamous173 and contemptible. But some of his freaks were so outrageous as to be attributable only to insanity, and it is surprising that they should have been tolerated for any length of time. What would be said of a monarch at the present day who, with a set of ruffianly companions, roamed the streets at night, “assaulted passengers, fired into the coaches of the nobles, and routed religious processions at the point of the sword.” We nowadays can scarcely realise a responsible ruler attending midnight orgies of the most disreputable and repulsive174 kind, and afterwards returning to his palace with flaunting175 females of the most dissolute and repulsive character. On one occasion, however, in one of his mad freaks he encountered two passengers, and drawing his sword attacked them; but they drew in return, and, after giving his Majesty far more than he bargained for, they left him to be picked up by his followers176, who{26} carried him home to bed. A humiliation177 of this kind was lost on a monarch who was too depraved to have any feeling of self-respect; for, when he was summoned to the bedside of his dying mother, he tarried so long on the way to amuse himself, that when he arrived she had lost the power of sight and speech.
Despite his natural gifts, which were great, there can be no doubt that the texture178 of Don Sebastian’s mind was inwoven with the threads of that hereditary179 insanity which broke out so tragically181 in his cousin, Don Carlos. One of his eccentric freaks was to have the body of John II. lifted from its quiet resting-place in the Abbey of Batalha, where it had lain three-quarters of a century; and which, being found entire and uncorrupted, was placed erect130 on its feet, clad in kingly robes, and was armed with the rusty182 sword it had once wielded183. Whereupon the Duke of Aveiro was commanded as a token of homage184 to kiss the withered185 hand of the corpse186, and Sebastian, exclaiming, “Behold the best officer of our kingly office!” turned away to pursue his sepulchral187 visitations elsewhere.
Not long before his death, Charles II. of Spain had one of those strange funereal188 yearnings, so distinctive189 of the last days of nearly every member of the Austrian House of Spain. Thus, Juana la Loca would not surrender the embalmed190 body of her husband, and Philip II., shortly before he died, called for a skull191 and placed a crown upon it. Philip IV. went and lay in the niche192 destined{27} for him in the Pantheon. And similarly, a weird193 sepulchral fancy animated194 the decaying brain of Charles II. To indulge his morbid and diseased feelings, he would descend195 into the royal mausoleum, open the coffins196, and look face to face on the chiefs of his race who had worn his crown before him. He went down by the light of torches into the dark vault198 of the Pantheon, the huge candelabrum was lit, and all the coffins, beginning with that of Charles V., were opened for him in order. Charles V. was much decayed; the features of Philip II. were distorted; Philip III. was nearly perfectly preserved in form, but crumbled199 into dust as soon as his body was touched. After the kings he passed to the queens, and when that of his first queen was opened, and he saw the form and still charming features of her who had glorified200 his dark life and brain for a while, his throat was convulsed, tears streamed from his eyes, and he fell with outstretched arms on the bier, crying, “My queen, my queen, before a year is past I will come and join you.”[8] This visit of the last descendant of the House of Austria to view the corpses201 of his race is one of the strangest scenes in history.
Charles V. had his funeral rites celebrated before him, but, as Dr. Doran writes, the spectacle of the ex-Emperor celebrating his own funeral service has been divested202 of much of its apparent absurdity by the simple statements of eye-witnesses and modern writers who have reproduced their{28} statements. It was a ceremony, however, on which even Charles did not venture till he had received ecclesiastical permission. He did not attend it in his shroud203, nor lie down in his own coffin197. There were the ordinary ornaments204 which the Romish Church uses at the usual services for the dead, and nothing more. The only exception to the ordinary service was when Charles, extinguishing the light which he held, surrendered it into the hands of a priest, in token of yielding up his life to the will of God.
And similarly, we are reminded how Maria Theresa, who survived her husband fifteen years, lived amid the emblems206 of perpetual mourning. She shut herself up on the 18th of every month, and the whole of every August, the day and month of his death. As her life drew near its end, she spent many days at times in the funeral chapel207 before the picture of her husband, taken as he lay in his coffin, and her last words, well understood by those around her, were, “I come to thee.”
Queen Victoria was not altogether free from the morbid tendency of mind “which comes of excessive study of incidents of sorrow and suffering,” and her habit of accumulating sepulchral memorials of relations and friends was one manifestation208 of it.
Her Majesty, too, was a strong believer in the reality and near presence of the spirit world. A writer in the Quiver (March, 1898) states that Mrs. Oliphant’s “Little Pilgrim in the Unseen” was of great interest to her, as, since the death of{29} the Prince Consort166, she had manifested a special liking209 for writings dealing210 with the mystic and unseen. And to quote from this article:—
“She believes that it is given to our departed loved ones to watch over those who still struggle with the temptations and sorrows of the earthly life. It has been the real consolation211 of her bereaved212 years that she felt that the Prince was watching over the events of her life. During her retirement at Osborne, immediately after the Prince Consort’s death, the Queen found ‘her only comfort in the belief that her husband’s spirit was close beside her, for he had promised that it should be so.’ This was told to Dean Stanley by the Queen’s half-sister, the Princess Hohenlohe.”
The belief of this kind, it may be added, in the spiritual world, was one of the links which bound together her Majesty and the late Poet-Laureate in affectionate sympathy. In one of his published letters to the Queen the poet wrote: “If the dead, as I have often felt, though silent, be more living than the living, and linger about the planet in which their earth-life was passed, then they, while we are lamenting213 that they are not at our side, may still be with us; and the husband, the daughter, and the son, lost by your Majesty, may rejoice when the people shout the name of your Majesty.”
That sentiments such as these found an echo in the heart of her Majesty may be gathered from what she wrote to Lord Tennyson on one of the anniversaries of her wedding-day, which she de{30}scribed as a day that she could never allow to be considered sad: “The reflected light of the sun which has set still remains214. It is full of pathos215, but also full of joyful216 gratitude217, and he who has left me nearly fifty years ago surely blesses me still.”
And in connection with spiritualism associated with royalty218, we may incidentally mention the many stories told of the White Lady of the House of Hapsburg and other weird visitants. Napoleon, as is well known, was haunted by the spirit known as “the little red man,” invariably seen a short time before, it is said, some great disaster befell the Emperor; and among the curious stories of the kind current in this country we are told how George II., when walking on the balcony at Windsor Castle with some of his courtiers, suddenly drew their attention to a singular spectacle in the clouds, where an armed Highlander219 was clearly seen fighting with a British Grenadier. Several times the Grenadier appeared as if getting the worst of the encounter, but at last it was vanquished220, and the picture faded from the sky.
“Thank God,” exclaimed the King, “my kingdom is saved.” Not many days afterwards despatches were received from the Duke of Cumberland, announcing that the Highlanders had been completely routed at Culloden.
And like Henry III., Louis XV. endeavoured to associate profligacy221 with devotional practices; for he would read sermons to his mistresses, and go down on his knees and pray with his victims{31} in the Parc aux Cerfs. He was fond of talking about maladies, death-bed scenes, and graves, and worms, and epitaphs; he professed222 to have the gift of reading death in a courtier’s face, and several of them he terrified with a notice of this kind.[9]
The short and tragic180 life of Don Carlos, son of Philip II., must in a measure be attributed to the vein223 of insanity in his nature. He behaved in so reckless and violent a manner, that some excuse has been made for the acts of severity which cut short his eccentric career. But his wild follies were such as to bring contempt and discredit224 on the throne, for he gave blows to one of his attendant gentlemen, called another by opprobrious225 names, drew his dagger226 upon another, caused children to be beaten, and, according to the historian Cabrera, he wanted to burn a house down because some water had fallen from one of the windows.
His violence, too, extended itself even to animals; he maimed the horses in his own stables, and he so ill-treated one which his father held in particular affection, that the unfortunate animal died in a few days. And yet his cruelties and eccentricities were not unaccompanied with kindness, for he paid the charges of the education of children thrown on the world without resources, although at the time he was himself much embarrassed with debt.
Many anecdotes227 are told of Edward I. of England and his strange doings, and of his merry pranks228 in the royal household. One day, when the Queen{32} went to her palace at Waltham, the King, so runs the story, espied229 her laundress, Matilda of Waltham, among the lookers-on in the courtyard while the hounds were coupling and the hunters were mounting. Thereupon, in a mischievous230 mood, he made a wager231 that Matilda could not ride hunting with them, and be in at the death of the stag. To his surprise she accepted the challenge, mounted the horse, and rode with such success that Edward was fain to pay his fine of forty shillings. In the earlier part of his life Edward appears to have been subject to violent fits of rage; and at the nuptials232 of his daughter Margaret, having given one of his esquires a rap with his wand without just cause, he afterwards paid him as compensation ￡13, 6s. 8d. He is also said on more than one occasion to have thrown coronets behind the fire.
But among the merry scenes which took place between Edward and the Queen’s ladies, with whom he now and then indulged in romping233, was his being “heaved” on Easter Monday, 1290. It is recorded how seven of Queen Eleanora’s ladies unceremoniously invaded the chamber234 of the King, and seizing their majestic235 master, proceeded to “heave” him in his chair, till he was glad to pay a fine of ￡14 to enjoy “his own peace,” and be set at liberty.
Levity of deportment has been laid to the charge of Edward II., and in one of his freaks he is accused of having made a party on the Thames in a returned fagot-barge, and of buying cabbages of the gardeners on the banks of the river to make his soup. On one{33} occasion, when he was keeping his Court with his queen at Westminster during the Whitsuntide festival of 1317, as they were dining in public in the great banqueting-hall, a masked woman entered on horseback, and riding up to the royal table, delivered a letter to King Edward, who, thinking it contained some elegant compliment, ordered it to be opened and read aloud for the amusement of his courtiers; but, to his great disgust and mortification236, it was a cutting satire237 on his unkingly propensities, setting forth159 the various calamities238 which his misgovernment had brought on the country.
But Edward’s frolics were nothing compared with the wild dissipation and mad pranks of Henry V. when Prince of Wales. His poverty, it has been urged, made him reckless, and forced him into company below his rank. Thus one of his freaks caused him to see the inside of a London prison. In one of the street uproars239 common at the period, the Lord Mayor arrested his favourite servant and carried him before Judge Gascoigne. As soon as the Prince of Wales heard of the detention240 of his servant, he rushed into the court of justice, where the man stood arraigned241 at the bar, and endeavoured there and then with his own hands to free him from his fetters242, and on the judge interposing he struck him. Gascoigne fearlessly reproved the Prince, and committed him to the prison of the King’s Bench—a punishment to which he submitted with so good a grace that Henry IV. made the well-known remark: “He was proud of having a son who would thus submit himself to the laws, and that{34} he had a judge who could so fearlessly enforce them.”
On another occasion his mad frolic made him an inmate243 of Coventry gaol244, for some of his most outrageous acts were done at a manor245 of his close to Coventry, called Cheylesmore, a residence appertaining to his Duchy of Cornwall. But John Hornesby, the Mayor of Coventry, disregarding his royal position, took him and some of his friends into custody246 for raising a riot.
As long as the world lasts the strange marriage freaks of Henry VIII. will be matter of comment. And a peculiarity of Elizabeth, which gave rise to many amusing scenes, was her indecision—a trait of character which occasioned considerable inconvenience, her ministers not even knowing what freak her Majesty’s fickleness247 of will would next take. The story goes that a carter was once ordered to go with his cart to Windsor to remove a portion of the royal wardrobe. But on his arrival he ascertained248 that her Majesty had altered the day, causing him to make the second journey in vain; and when on a third summons he attended, and was informed, after waiting a considerable time, that “the remove did not hold,” he clapped his hands and exclaimed, “Now I see that the Queen is a woman as well as my wife!” Elizabeth, as she stood at an open window, overheard this remark and inquired, “What villain249 is this?” afterwards sending him three angels as a compensation for the inconvenience she had caused him.{35}
A bit of mischief250 her successor, James I., much enjoyed was to listen to personal allusions251 in the pulpit. Among those who pandered252 to this freak was Neile, Bishop40 of Lincoln, and afterwards Archbishop of York. On one occasion one of the royal chaplains selected for his text St. Matt. iv. 8: “And the devil took Jesus to the top of a mountain, and showed him all the kingdoms of the world, saying, All these will I give thee,” &c. He first proceeded “to demonstrate the power of the devil at that period; he then brought his kingdom down to the present time, expressing his belief that as the devil was in possession of such large dominions, there could be no doubt but that he had his viceroys, councillors of state, treasurers254, &c. This gave him an opportunity of attributing the several vices205 of which James’s advisers255 were accused to the ministers of his Satanic majesty, and portraying256 their characters accordingly. At last he came to the devil’s treasurer253, when he fixed257 his eyes on the Earl of Cranfield, and pointing at him, he exclaimed: ‘That man who makes himself rich and his master poor is a fit treasurer for the devil.’ Cranfield kept his hat over his eyes, while James sat smiling at his minister’s discomfiture258.”[10]
William III. behaved in a strange fashion at church. If ever he happened to be uncovered during the recital259 of the liturgy260, he assumed his hat directly the sermon began. His partisans261 observed that such was the custom among the Dutch congregations, and pleaded that Jews did the same. But members of the Church of England considered{36} the King’s behaviour irreverent, and were in no way pacified262 by the examples he followed.
In speaking of his Majesty’s religious freaks, we are reminded of Queen Anne, who was in the habit of dressing56 herself while her chaplain prayed. On one occasion, when decency263 compelled the attendants to close the door while the Queen put on some of her under garments, the chaplain suddenly stopped; and on her Majesty’s inquiry264 as to the reason of this pause, he replied, “Because I will not whistle the Word of God through a keyhole.”
Similarly, it was Queen Caroline’s custom while she dressed herself to have prayers read in an outer room, where there hung a picture of a naked Venus. Dr. Maddox, afterwards Bishop of Worcester, was one day the chaplain on duty, when the bed-chamber woman-in-waiting conveyed to him the Queen’s command to begin the service, at which he looked up archly at the picture and said, “And a very pretty altar-piece is here! ”
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1
eccentricity
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| n.古怪，反常，怪癖 | |
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atrocities
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| n.邪恶，暴行( atrocity的名词复数 )；滔天大罪 | |
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plunged
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| v.颠簸( plunge的过去式和过去分词 )；暴跌；骤降；突降 | |
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possessed
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| adj.疯狂的；拥有的，占有的 | |
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banter
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| n.嘲弄，戏谑；v.取笑，逗弄，开玩笑 | |
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sincerity
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| n.真诚，诚意；真实 | |
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motives
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| n.动机，目的( motive的名词复数 ) | |
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romp
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| n.欢闹；v.嬉闹玩笑 | |
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peculiar
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| adj.古怪的，异常的；特殊的，特有的 | |
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vagaries
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| n.奇想( vagary的名词复数 )；异想天开；异常行为；难以预测的情况 | |
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monarchs
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| 君主，帝王( monarch的名词复数 ) | |
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monarch
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| n.帝王，君主，最高统治者 | |
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drenched
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| adj.湿透的；充满的v.使湿透( drench的过去式和过去分词 )；在某人（某物）上大量使用（某液体） | |
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fin
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| n.鳍；(飞机的)安定翼 | |
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wig
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| n.假发 | |
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majesty
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| n.雄伟，壮丽，庄严，威严；最高权威，王权 | |
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maliciously
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| adv.有敌意地 | |
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outrage
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| n.暴行，侮辱，愤怒；vt.凌辱，激怒 | |
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outrageous
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| adj.无理的，令人不能容忍的 | |
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savage
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| adj.野蛮的；凶恶的，残暴的；n.未开化的人 | |
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reigned
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| vi.当政，统治（reign的过去式形式） | |
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frolicsome
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| adj.嬉戏的，闹着玩的 | |
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slaughter
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| n.屠杀，屠宰；vt.屠杀，宰杀 | |
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slay
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| v.杀死，宰杀，杀戮 | |
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survivor
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| n.生存者，残存者，幸存者 | |
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amiable
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| adj.和蔼可亲的，友善的，亲切的 | |
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fleas
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| n.跳蚤( flea的名词复数 )；爱财如命；没好气地（拒绝某人的要求） | |
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irrational
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| adj.无理性的，失去理性的 | |
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intemperance
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| n.放纵 | |
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memoirs
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| n.回忆录；回忆录传( mem,自oir的名词复数) | |
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mania
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| n.疯狂；躁狂症，狂热，癖好 | |
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cannon
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| n.大炮，火炮；飞机上的机关炮 | |
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simultaneously
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| adv.同时发生地，同时进行地 | |
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whim
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| n.一时的兴致，突然的念头；奇想，幻想 | |
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prostrate
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| v.拜倒，平卧，衰竭；adj.拜倒的，平卧的，衰竭的 | |
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chastisement
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| n.惩罚 | |
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confidentially
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| ad.秘密地，悄悄地 | |
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touts
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| n.招徕( tout的名词复数 )；（音乐会、体育比赛等的）卖高价票的人；侦查者；探听赛马的情报v.兜售( tout的第三人称单数 )；招揽；侦查；探听赛马情报 | |
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39
bind
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| vt.捆，包扎；装订；约束；使凝固；vi.变硬 | |
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bishop
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| n.主教，（国际象棋）象 | |
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41
detailed
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| adj.详细的，详尽的，极注意细节的，完全的 | |
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42
advancement
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| n.前进，促进，提升 | |
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43
privately
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| adv.以私人的身份，悄悄地，私下地 | |
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44
vow
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| n.誓(言)，誓约；v.起誓，立誓 | |
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45
accomplishment
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| n.完成，成就，（pl.）造诣，技能 | |
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46
penance
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| n.（赎罪的）惩罪 | |
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47
injustice
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| n.非正义，不公正，不公平，侵犯（别人的）权利 | |
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48
conjured
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| 用魔术变出( conjure的过去式和过去分词 )； 祈求，恳求； 变戏法； （变魔术般地） 使…出现 | |
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49
irritation
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| n.激怒，恼怒，生气 | |
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50
lavish
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| adj.无节制的；浪费的；vt.慷慨地给予，挥霍 | |
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51
affront
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| n./v.侮辱，触怒 | |
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52
dominions
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| 统治权( dominion的名词复数 )； 领土； 疆土； 版图 | |
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53
cane
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| n.手杖，细长的茎，藤条；v.以杖击，以藤编制的 | |
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54
trespasser
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| n.侵犯者；违反者 | |
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55
peculiarity
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| n.独特性，特色；特殊的东西；怪癖 | |
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56
dressing
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| n.(食物)调料；包扎伤口的用品，敷料 | |
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57
stunned
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| adj. 震惊的，惊讶的 动词stun的过去式和过去分词 | |
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58
judgment
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| n.审判；判断力，识别力，看法，意见 | |
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morose
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| adj.脾气坏的，不高兴的 | |
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maniacal
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| adj.发疯的 | |
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61
insignificant
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| adj.无关紧要的，可忽略的，无意义的 | |
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hideous
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| adj.丑陋的，可憎的，可怕的，恐怖的 | |
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frantic
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| adj.狂乱的，错乱的，激昂的 | |
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frightful
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| adj.可怕的；讨厌的 | |
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65
irony
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| n.反语，冷嘲；具有讽刺意味的事，嘲弄 | |
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66
deposed
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| v.罢免( depose的过去式和过去分词 )；（在法庭上）宣誓作证 | |
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dungeon
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| n.地牢，土牢 | |
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68
avenged
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| v.为…复仇，报…之仇( avenge的过去式和过去分词 )；为…报复 | |
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vengeance
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| n.报复，报仇，复仇 | |
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diabolical
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| adj.恶魔似的，凶暴的 | |
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71
aggravated
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| 使恶化( aggravate的过去式和过去分词 )； 使更严重； 激怒； 使恼火 | |
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72
frenzy
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| n.疯狂，狂热，极度的激动 | |
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execration
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| n.诅咒，念咒，憎恶 | |
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74
incurred
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| [医]招致的，遭受的； incur的过去式 | |
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celebrated
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| adj.有名的，声誉卓著的 | |
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uncommon
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| adj.罕见的，非凡的，不平常的 | |
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guardianship
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| n. 监护, 保护, 守护 | |
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imbibed
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| v.吸收( imbibe的过去式和过去分词 )；喝；吸取；吸气 | |
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attire
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| v.穿衣，装扮[同]array；n.衣着；盛装 | |
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refinements
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| n.（生活）风雅；精炼( refinement的名词复数 )；改良品；细微的改良；优雅或高贵的动作 | |
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aged
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| adj.年老的，陈年的 | |
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narrations
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| 叙述事情的经过，故事( narration的名词复数 ) | |
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filthy
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| adj.卑劣的；恶劣的，肮脏的 | |
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84
modesty
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| n.谦逊，虚心，端庄，稳重，羞怯，朴素 | |
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linen
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| n.亚麻布，亚麻线，亚麻制品；adj.亚麻布制的，亚麻的 | |
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ragged
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| adj.衣衫褴褛的，粗糙的，刺耳的 | |
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87
horrify
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| vt.使恐怖，使恐惧，使惊骇 | |
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88
impatience
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| n.不耐烦，急躁 | |
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irreverence
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| n.不尊敬 | |
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velvet
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| n.丝绒，天鹅绒；adj.丝绒制的，柔软的 | |
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divers
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| adj.不同的；种种的 | |
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rattle
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| v.飞奔，碰响；激怒；n.碰撞声；拨浪鼓 | |
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perfectly
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| adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地 | |
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anonymous
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| adj.无名的；匿名的；无特色的 | |
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mansion
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| n.大厦，大楼；宅第 | |
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follies
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| 罪恶，时事讽刺剧； 愚蠢，蠢笨，愚蠢的行为、思想或做法( folly的名词复数 ) | |
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remarkable
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| adj.显著的，异常的，非凡的，值得注意的 | |
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riddle
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| n.谜，谜语，粗筛；vt.解谜，给…出谜，筛，检查，鉴定，非难，充满于；vi.出谜 | |
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eccentricities
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| n.古怪行为( eccentricity的名词复数 )；反常；怪癖 | |
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supreme
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| adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的 | |
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incapable
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| adj.无能力的，不能做某事的 | |
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102
insanity
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| n.疯狂，精神错乱；极端的愚蠢，荒唐 | |
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103
overdone
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| v.做得过分( overdo的过去分词 )；太夸张；把…煮得太久；（工作等）过度 | |
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alluded
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| 提及，暗指( allude的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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105
scripture
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| n.经文，圣书，手稿；Scripture:(常用复数)《圣经》，《圣经》中的一段 | |
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106
expounded
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| 论述，详细讲解( expound的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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107
inauguration
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| n.开幕、就职典礼 | |
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108
miserable
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| adj.悲惨的，痛苦的；可怜的，糟糕的 | |
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109
alienating
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| v.使疏远( alienate的现在分词 )；使不友好；转让；让渡（财产等） | |
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110
annoyance
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| n.恼怒，生气，烦恼 | |
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111
climax
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| n.顶点；高潮；v.(使)达到顶点 | |
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112
ascending
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| adj.上升的，向上的 | |
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113
imprisoned
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| 下狱，监禁( imprison的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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114
trampling
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| 踩( trample的现在分词 )； 践踏； 无视； 侵犯 | |
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115
puerile
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| adj.幼稚的，儿童的 | |
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116
hatred
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| n.憎恶，憎恨，仇恨 | |
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117
rivalry
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| n.竞争，竞赛，对抗 | |
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118
bestowed
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| 赠给，授予( bestow的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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119
lavished
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| v.过分给予，滥施( lavish的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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120
folly
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| n.愚笨，愚蠢，蠢事，蠢行，傻话 | |
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121
credible
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| adj.可信任的，可靠的 | |
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122
adorned
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| [计]被修饰的 | |
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123
pretensions
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| 自称( pretension的名词复数 )； 自命不凡； 要求； 权力 | |
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124
absurdity
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| n.荒谬，愚蠢；谬论 | |
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125
garb
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| n.服装，装束 | |
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126
rites
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| 仪式，典礼( rite的名词复数 ) | |
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127
construed
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| v.解释（陈述、行为等）( construe的过去式和过去分词 )；翻译，作句法分析 | |
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128
perverted
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| adj.不正当的v.滥用( pervert的过去式和过去分词 )；腐蚀；败坏；使堕落 | |
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129
foes
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| 敌人，仇敌( foe的名词复数 ) | |
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130
erect
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| n./v.树立，建立，使竖立；adj.直立的，垂直的 | |
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131
parasites
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| 寄生物( parasite的名词复数 )； 靠他人为生的人； 诸虫 | |
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132
slain
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| 杀死，宰杀，杀戮( slay的过去分词 )； (slay的过去分词) | |
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133
contemptible
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| adj.可鄙的，可轻视的，卑劣的 | |
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134
brutality
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| n.野蛮的行为，残忍，野蛮 | |
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135
predecessor
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| n.前辈，前任 | |
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136
heartily
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| adv.衷心地，诚恳地，十分，很 | |
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137
beheld
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| v.看，注视( behold的过去式和过去分词 )；瞧；看呀；（叙述中用于引出某人意外的出现）哎哟 | |
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138
despoiled
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| v.掠夺，抢劫( despoil的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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139
noted
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| adj.著名的，知名的 | |
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140
frivolous
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| adj.轻薄的；轻率的 | |
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141
anecdote
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| n.轶事，趣闻，短故事 | |
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142
levity
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| n.轻率，轻浮，不稳定，多变 | |
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143
procuring
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| v.（努力）取得， （设法）获得( procure的现在分词 )；拉皮条 | |
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144
outraged
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| a.震惊的，义愤填膺的 | |
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145
propriety
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| n.正当行为；正当；适当 | |
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146
unbearable
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| adj.不能容忍的；忍受不住的 | |
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147
abdicate
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| v.让位，辞职，放弃 | |
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148
retirement
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| n.退休，退职 | |
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149
mattress
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| n.床垫，床褥 | |
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150
regiment
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| n.团，多数，管理；v.组织，编成团，统制 | |
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151
morbid
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| adj.病的；致病的；病态的；可怕的 | |
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152
propensities
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| n.倾向，习性( propensity的名词复数 ) | |
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153
exertion
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| n.尽力，努力 | |
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154
armour
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| （=armor）n.盔甲；装甲部队 | |
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155
spoke
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| n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说 | |
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156
maidens
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| 处女( maiden的名词复数 )； 少女； 未婚女子； （板球运动）未得分的一轮投球 | |
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157
drawn
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| v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的 | |
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158
betrothed
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| n. 已订婚者 动词betroth的过去式和过去分词 | |
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159
forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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160
melancholy
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| n.忧郁，愁思；adj.令人感伤（沮丧）的，忧郁的 | |
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161
dwelling
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| n.住宅，住所，寓所 | |
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162
invert
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| vt.使反转，使颠倒，使转化 | |
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163
fictitious
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| adj.虚构的，假设的；空头的 | |
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164
jealousy
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| n.妒忌，嫉妒，猜忌 | |
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165
champagne
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| n.香槟酒；微黄色 | |
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166
consort
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| v.相伴；结交 | |
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167
consorting
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| v.结伴( consort的现在分词 )；交往；相称；调和 | |
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168
deposition
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| n.免职，罢官；作证；沉淀；沉淀物 | |
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169
decided
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| adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的 | |
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170
traitors
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| 卖国贼( traitor的名词复数 )； 叛徒； 背叛者； 背信弃义的人 | |
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171
chateau
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| n.城堡，别墅 | |
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172
partially
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| adv.部分地，从某些方面讲 | |
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173
infamous
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| adj.声名狼藉的，臭名昭著的，邪恶的 | |
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174
repulsive
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| adj.排斥的，使人反感的 | |
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175
flaunting
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| adj.招摇的，扬扬得意的，夸耀的v.炫耀，夸耀( flaunt的现在分词 )；有什么能耐就施展出来 | |
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176
followers
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| 追随者( follower的名词复数 )； 用户； 契据的附面； 从动件 | |
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177
humiliation
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| n.羞辱 | |
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178
texture
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| n.(织物)质地；(材料)构造；结构；肌理 | |
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179
hereditary
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| adj.遗传的，遗传性的，可继承的，世袭的 | |
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180
tragic
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| adj.悲剧的，悲剧性的，悲惨的 | |
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181
tragically
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| adv. 悲剧地，悲惨地 | |
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182
rusty
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| adj.生锈的；锈色的；荒废了的 | |
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183
wielded
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| 手持着使用（武器、工具等）( wield的过去式和过去分词 )； 具有； 运用（权力）； 施加（影响） | |
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184
homage
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| n.尊敬，敬意，崇敬 | |
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185
withered
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| adj. 枯萎的，干瘪的，（人身体的部分器官）因病萎缩的或未发育良好的 动词wither的过去式和过去分词形式 | |
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186
corpse
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| n.尸体，死尸 | |
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187
sepulchral
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| adj.坟墓的，阴深的 | |
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188
funereal
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| adj.悲哀的；送葬的 | |
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189
distinctive
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| adj.特别的，有特色的，与众不同的 | |
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190
embalmed
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| adj.用防腐药物保存（尸体）的v.保存（尸体）不腐( embalm的过去式和过去分词 )；使不被遗忘；使充满香气 | |
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191
skull
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| n.头骨；颅骨 | |
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192
niche
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| n.壁龛；合适的职务(环境、位置等) | |
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193
weird
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| adj.古怪的，离奇的；怪诞的，神秘而可怕的 | |
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194
animated
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| adj.生气勃勃的，活跃的，愉快的 | |
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195
descend
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| vt./vi.传下来，下来，下降 | |
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196
coffins
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| n.棺材( coffin的名词复数 )；使某人早亡[死，完蛋，垮台等]之物 | |
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197
coffin
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| n.棺材，灵柩 | |
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198
vault
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| n.拱形圆顶，地窖，地下室 | |
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199
crumbled
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| （把…）弄碎， （使）碎成细屑( crumble的过去式和过去分词 )； 衰落； 坍塌； 损坏 | |
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200
glorified
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| 美其名的，变荣耀的 | |
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201
corpses
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| n.死尸，尸体( corpse的名词复数 ) | |
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202
divested
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| v.剥夺( divest的过去式和过去分词 )；脱去（衣服）；2。从…取去…；1。（给某人）脱衣服 | |
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203
shroud
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| n.裹尸布，寿衣；罩，幕；vt.覆盖，隐藏 | |
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204
ornaments
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| n.装饰( ornament的名词复数 )；点缀；装饰品；首饰v.装饰，点缀，美化( ornament的第三人称单数 ) | |
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205
vices
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| 缺陷( vice的名词复数 )； 恶习； 不道德行为； 台钳 | |
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206
emblems
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| n.象征，标记( emblem的名词复数 ) | |
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207
chapel
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| n.小教堂，殡仪馆 | |
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208
manifestation
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| n.表现形式；表明；现象 | |
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209
liking
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| n.爱好；嗜好；喜欢 | |
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210
dealing
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| n.经商方法，待人态度 | |
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211
consolation
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| n.安慰，慰问 | |
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212
bereaved
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| adj.刚刚丧失亲人的v.使失去（希望、生命等）( bereave的过去式和过去分词)；（尤指死亡）使丧失（亲人、朋友等）；使孤寂；抢走（财物） | |
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213
lamenting
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| adj.悲伤的，悲哀的v.（为…）哀悼，痛哭，悲伤( lament的现在分词 ) | |
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214
remains
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| n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹 | |
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215
pathos
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| n.哀婉，悲怆 | |
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216
joyful
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| adj.欢乐的，令人欢欣的 | |
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217
gratitude
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| adj.感激，感谢 | |
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218
royalty
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| n.皇家，皇族 | |
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219
highlander
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| n.高地的人，苏格兰高地地区的人 | |
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220
vanquished
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| v.征服( vanquish的过去式和过去分词 )；战胜；克服；抑制 | |
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221
profligacy
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| n.放荡，不检点，肆意挥霍 | |
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222
professed
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| 公开声称的，伪称的，已立誓信教的 | |
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223
vein
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| n.血管，静脉；叶脉，纹理；情绪；vt.使成脉络 | |
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224
discredit
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| vt.使不可置信；n.丧失信义；不信，怀疑 | |
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225
opprobrious
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| adj.可耻的，辱骂的 | |
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226
dagger
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| n.匕首，短剑，剑号 | |
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227
anecdotes
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| n.掌故，趣闻，轶事( anecdote的名词复数 ) | |
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228
pranks
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| n.玩笑，恶作剧( prank的名词复数 ) | |
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229
espied
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| v.看到( espy的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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230
mischievous
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| adj.调皮的，恶作剧的，有害的，伤人的 | |
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231
wager
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| n.赌注；vt.押注，打赌 | |
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232
nuptials
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| n.婚礼；婚礼( nuptial的名词复数 ) | |
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233
romping
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| adj.嬉戏喧闹的，乱蹦乱闹的v.嬉笑玩闹( romp的现在分词 )；（尤指在赛跑或竞选等中）轻易获胜 | |
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234
chamber
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| n.房间，寝室；会议厅；议院；会所 | |
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235
majestic
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| adj.雄伟的，壮丽的，庄严的，威严的，崇高的 | |
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236
mortification
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| n.耻辱，屈辱 | |
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237
satire
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| n.讽刺，讽刺文学，讽刺作品 | |
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238
calamities
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| n.灾祸，灾难( calamity的名词复数 )；不幸之事 | |
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239
uproars
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| 吵闹，喧嚣，骚乱( uproar的名词复数 ) | |
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240
detention
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| n.滞留，停留；拘留，扣留；(教育)留下 | |
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241
arraigned
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| v.告发( arraign的过去式和过去分词 )；控告；传讯；指责 | |
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242
fetters
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| n.脚镣( fetter的名词复数 )；束缚v.给…上脚镣，束缚( fetter的第三人称单数 ) | |
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243
inmate
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| n.被收容者；(房屋等的)居住人；住院人 | |
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244
gaol
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| n.(jail)监狱；(不加冠词)监禁；vt.使…坐牢 | |
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245
manor
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| n.庄园，领地 | |
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246
custody
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| n.监护，照看，羁押，拘留 | |
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247
fickleness
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| n.易变；无常；浮躁；变化无常 | |
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248
ascertained
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| v.弄清，确定，查明( ascertain的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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249
villain
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| n.反派演员，反面人物；恶棍；问题的起因 | |
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250
mischief
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| n.损害，伤害，危害；恶作剧，捣蛋，胡闹 | |
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251
allusions
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| 暗指，间接提到( allusion的名词复数 ) | |
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252
pandered
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| v.迎合（他人的低级趣味或淫欲）( pander的过去式和过去分词 )；纵容某人；迁就某事物 | |
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253
treasurer
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| n.司库，财务主管 | |
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254
treasurers
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| （团体等的）司库，财务主管( treasurer的名词复数 ) | |
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255
advisers
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| 顾问，劝告者( adviser的名词复数 )； （指导大学新生学科问题等的）指导教授 | |
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256
portraying
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| v.画像( portray的现在分词 )；描述；描绘；描画 | |
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257
fixed
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| adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的 | |
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258
discomfiture
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| n.崩溃；大败；挫败；困惑 | |
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259
recital
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| n.朗诵，独奏会，独唱会 | |
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260
liturgy
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| n.礼拜仪式 | |
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261
partisans
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| 游击队员( partisan的名词复数 )； 党人； 党羽； 帮伙 | |
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262
pacified
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| 使（某人）安静( pacify的过去式和过去分词 )； 息怒； 抚慰； 在（有战争的地区、国家等）实现和平 | |
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263
decency
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| n.体面，得体，合宜，正派，庄重 | |
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264
inquiry
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| n.打听，询问，调查，查问 | |
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