For at high noon, Media was wont3 to don his dignity with his symbols of state; and sit on his judgment4 divan5 or throne, to hear and try all causes brought before him, and fulminate his royal decrees.
This divan was elevated at one end of a spacious6 arbor7, formed by an avenue of regal palms, which in brave state, held aloft their majestical canopy8.
The crown of the island prince was of the primitive9 old Eastern style; in shape, similar, perhaps, to that jauntily10 sported as a foraging11 cap by his sacred majesty12 King Nimrod, who so lustily followed the hounds. It was a plaited turban of red tappa, radiated by the pointed13 and polished white bones of the Ray-fish. These diverged15 from a bandeau or fillet of the most precious pearls; brought up from the sea by the deepest diving mermen of Mardi. From the middle of the crown rose a tri-foiled spear-head. And a spear- headed scepter graced the right hand of the king.
Now, for all the rant16 of your democrats17, a fine king on a throne is a very fine sight to behold18. He looks very much like a god. No wonder that his more dutiful subjects so swore, that their good lord and master King Media was demi-divine.
A king on his throne! Ah, believe me, ye Gracchi, ye Acephali, ye Levelers, it is something worth seeing, be sure; whether beheld19 at Babylon the Tremendous, when Nebuchadnezzar was crowned; at old Scone20 in the days of Macbeth; at Rheims, among Oriflammes, at the coronation of Louis le Grand; at Westminster Abbey, when the gentlemanly George doffed21 his beaver22 for a diadem23; or under the soft shade of palm trees on an isle24 in the sea.
Man lording it over man, man kneeling to man, is a spectacle that Gabriel might well travel hitherward to behold; for never did he behold it in heaven. But Darius giving laws to the Medes and the Persians, or the conqueror25 of Bactria with king-cattle yoked26 to his car, was not a whit14 more sublime27, than Beau Brummel magnificently ringing for his valet.
A king on his throne! It is Jupiter nodding in the councils of Olympus; Satan, seen among the coronets in Hell.
A king on his throne! It is the sun over a mountain; the sun over law-giving Sinai; the sun in our system: planets, duke-like, dancing attendance, and baronial satellites in waiting.
A king on his throne! After all, but a gentleman seated. And thus sat the good lord, King Media.
Time passed. And after trying and dismissing several minor28 affairs, Media called for certain witnesses to testify concerning one Jiromo, a foolhardy wight, who had been silly enough to plot against the majesty now sitting judge and jury upon him.
His guilt29 was clear. And the witnesses being heard, from a bunch of palm plumes30 Media taking a leaf, placed it in the hand of a runner or pursuivant, saying, "This to Jiromo, where he is prisoned; with his king's compliments; say we here wait for his head."
It was doffed like a turban before a Dey, and brought back on the instant.
Now came certain lean-visaged, poverty-stricken, and hence suspicious-looking varlets, grumbling32 and growling33, and amiable34 as Bruin. They came muttering some wild jargon35 about "bulwarks37," "bulkheads," "cofferdams," "safeguards," "noble charters," "shields," and "paladiums," "great and glorious birthrights," and other unintelligible38 gibberish.
"Go, kneel at the throne," was the answer.
"Our knee-pans are stiff with sciatics," was the rheumatic reply.
And advancing they salamed, and told Media the excuse of those sour- looking varlets. Whereupon my lord commanded them to down on their marrow-bones instanter, either before him or the headsman, whichsoever they pleased.
They preferred the former. And as they there kneeled, in vain did men with sharp ears (who abound41 in all courts) prick42 their auriculars, to list to that strange crackling and firing off of bone balls and sockets43, ever incident to the genuflections of rheumatic courtiers.
In a row, then, these selfsame knee-pans did kneel before the king; who eyed them as eagles in air do goslings on dunghills; or hunters, hounds crouching44 round their calves45.
"Your prayer?" said Media.
It was a petition, that thereafter all differences between man and man in Ode, together with all alleged46 offenses47 against the state, might be tried by twelve good men and true. These twelve to be unobnoxious to the party or parties concerned; their peers; and previously48 unbiased touching50 the matter at issue. Furthermore, that unanimity51 in these twelve should be indispensable to a verdict; and no dinner be vouchsafed52 till unanimity came.
Loud and long laughed King Media in scorn.
"This be your judge," he cried, swaying his scepter. "What! are twelve wise men more wise than one? or will twelve fools, put together, make one sage31? Are twelve honest men more honest than one? or twelve knaves53 less knavish54 than one? And if, of twelve men, three be fools, and three wise, three knaves, and three upright, how obtain real unanimity from such?
"But if twelve judges be better than one, then are twelve hundred better than twelve. But take the whole populace for a judge, and you will long wait for a unanimous verdict.
"If upon a thing dubious55, there be little unanimity in the conflicting opinions of one man's mind, how expect it in the uproar56 of twelve puzzled brains? though much unanimity be found in twelve hungry stomachs.
"Judges unobnoxious to the accused! Apply it to a criminal case. Ha! ha! if peradventure a Cacti57 be rejected, because he had seen the accused commit the crime for which he is arraigned58. Then, his mind would be biased49: no impartiality59 from him! Or your testy60 accused might object to another, because of his tomahawk nose, or a cruel squint61 of the eye.
"Of all follies62 the most foolish! Know ye from me, that true peers render not true verdicts. Jiromo was a rebel. Had I tried him by his peers, I had tried him by rebels; and the rebel had rebelled to some purpose.
"Away! As unerring justice dwells in a unity63, and as one judge will at last judge the world beyond all appeal; so—though often here below justice be hard to attain—does man come nearest the mark, when he imitates that model divine. Hence, one judge is better than twelve."
"And as Justice, in ideal, is ever painted high lifted above the crowd; so, from the exaltation of his rank, an honest king is the best of those unical judges, which individually are better than twelve. And therefore am I, King Media, the best judge in this land."
"Subjects! so long as I live, I will rule you and judge you alone. And though you here kneeled before me till you grew into the ground, and there took root, no yea to your petition will you get from this throne. I am king: ye are slaves. Mine to command: yours to obey. And this hour I decree, that henceforth no gibberish of bulwarks and bulkheads be heard in this land. For a dead bulwark36 and a bulkhead, to dam off sedition64, will I make of that man, who again but breathes those bulky words. Ho! spears! see that these knee-pans here kneel till set of sun."
High noon was now passed; and removing his crown, and placing it on the dais for the kneelers to look at during their devotions, King Media departed from that place, and once more played the agreeable host.
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收听单词发音
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1
simplicity
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| n.简单，简易；朴素；直率，单纯 | |
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2
demeanor
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| n.行为；风度 | |
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wont
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| adj.习惯于；v.习惯；n.习惯 | |
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4
judgment
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| n.审判；判断力，识别力，看法，意见 | |
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5
divan
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| n.长沙发；（波斯或其他东方诗人的）诗集 | |
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spacious
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| adj.广阔的，宽敞的 | |
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7
arbor
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| n.凉亭；树木 | |
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8
canopy
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| n.天篷，遮篷 | |
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9
primitive
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| adj.原始的；简单的；n.原(始)人，原始事物 | |
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10
jauntily
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| adv.心满意足地；洋洋得意地；高兴地；活泼地 | |
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11
foraging
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| v.搜寻（食物），尤指动物觅（食）( forage的现在分词 )；（尤指用手）搜寻（东西） | |
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12
majesty
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| n.雄伟，壮丽，庄严，威严；最高权威，王权 | |
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13
pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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14
whit
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| n.一点，丝毫 | |
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15
diverged
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| 分开( diverge的过去式和过去分词 )； 偏离； 分歧； 分道扬镳 | |
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16
rant
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| v.咆哮；怒吼；n.大话；粗野的话 | |
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17
democrats
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| n.民主主义者，民主人士( democrat的名词复数 ) | |
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18
behold
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| v.看，注视，看到 | |
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19
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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20
scone
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| n.圆饼，甜饼，司康饼 | |
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21
doffed
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| v.脱去，（尤指）脱帽( doff的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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22
beaver
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| n.海狸，河狸 | |
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23
diadem
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| n.王冠，冕 | |
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24
isle
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| n.小岛，岛 | |
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25
conqueror
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| n.征服者，胜利者 | |
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26
yoked
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| 结合（yoke的过去式形式） | |
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27
sublime
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| adj.崇高的，伟大的；极度的，不顾后果的 | |
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28
minor
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| adj.较小(少)的，较次要的；n.辅修学科；vi.辅修 | |
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29
guilt
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| n.犯罪；内疚；过失，罪责 | |
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30
plumes
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| 羽毛( plume的名词复数 )； 羽毛饰； 羽毛状物； 升上空中的羽状物 | |
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31
sage
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| n.圣人，哲人；adj.贤明的，明智的 | |
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32
grumbling
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| adj. 喃喃鸣不平的, 出怨言的 | |
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33
growling
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| n.吠声, 咆哮声 v.怒吠, 咆哮, 吼 | |
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34
amiable
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| adj.和蔼可亲的，友善的，亲切的 | |
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35
jargon
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| n.术语，行话 | |
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36
bulwark
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| n.堡垒，保障，防御 | |
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37
bulwarks
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| n.堡垒( bulwark的名词复数 )；保障；支柱；舷墙 | |
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38
unintelligible
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| adj.无法了解的，难解的，莫明其妙的 | |
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39
worthies
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| 应得某事物( worthy的名词复数 )； 值得做某事； 可尊敬的； 有（某人或事物）的典型特征 | |
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40
artifice
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| n.妙计，高明的手段；狡诈，诡计 | |
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41
abound
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| vi.大量存在；(in，with)充满，富于 | |
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42
prick
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| v.刺伤，刺痛，刺孔；n.刺伤，刺痛 | |
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43
sockets
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| n.套接字，使应用程序能够读写与收发通讯协定(protocol)与资料的程序( Socket的名词复数 )；孔( socket的名词复数 )；（电器上的）插口；托座；凹穴 | |
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44
crouching
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| v.屈膝，蹲伏( crouch的现在分词 ) | |
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45
calves
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| n.(calf的复数)笨拙的男子，腓；腿肚子( calf的名词复数 )；牛犊；腓；小腿肚v.生小牛( calve的第三人称单数 )；（冰川）崩解；生（小牛等），产（犊）；使（冰川）崩解 | |
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46
alleged
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| a.被指控的，嫌疑的 | |
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47
offenses
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| n.进攻( offense的名词复数 )；（球队的）前锋；进攻方法；攻势 | |
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48
previously
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| adv.以前，先前（地） | |
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49
biased
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| a.有偏见的 | |
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50
touching
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| adj.动人的，使人感伤的 | |
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51
unanimity
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| n.全体一致，一致同意 | |
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52
vouchsafed
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| v.给予，赐予( vouchsafe的过去式和过去分词 )；允诺 | |
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53
knaves
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| n.恶棍，无赖( knave的名词复数 )；（纸牌中的）杰克 | |
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54
knavish
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| adj.无赖（似）的，不正的；刁诈 | |
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55
dubious
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| adj.怀疑的，无把握的；有问题的，靠不住的 | |
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56
uproar
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| n.骚动，喧嚣，鼎沸 | |
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57
cacti
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| n.（复）仙人掌 | |
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58
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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59
impartiality
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| n. 公平, 无私, 不偏 | |
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60
testy
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| adj.易怒的；暴躁的 | |
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61
squint
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| v. 使变斜视眼, 斜视, 眯眼看, 偏移, 窥视; n. 斜视, 斜孔小窗; adj. 斜视的, 斜的 | |
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62
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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63
unity
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| n.团结，联合，统一；和睦，协调 | |
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64
sedition
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| n.煽动叛乱 | |
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