“Hammer and anvil” was the paramount3 method of action in the political world of those days. There was never any possibility of living at peace with one’s neighbor. It was either oppress him or be oppressed by him. There was no middle course.
Let us now follow the campaign of Charlemagne against Desiderius, King of the Lombards.[18] To make its significance and progress as clear as possible we must first of all consider the relations of Charlemagne and his brother Carloman, who, as already stated, died in the third year of his reign.
31
The consent of the grandees4 of the Frankish kingdom was necessary to the validation5 of Pepin’s division of the kingdom between the two sons. The restriction6, however, was made by Pepin that while Charlemagne and Carloman were invested with their new dignities, the Frankish kingdom should remain a united kingdom, its administration only being divided between them. Pepin’s wishes were respected, and measures were taken to maintain the unity7 of the kingdom. But the two brothers had hardly assumed the task of sovereignty when an event occurred which put to the test their good faith and their readiness to carry out the obligations laid down by Pepin.
32
Wolf, chief of the southwestern Frankish dukedom, raised the banner of revolt, believing that he could now accomplish what his predecessor8, Waisar, had striven in vain to do while Pepin was living. Charlemagne promptly9 prepared to suppress the uprising, and called upon his brother Carloman to assist him. Carloman declined, and Charlemagne was forced to act alone; but he quickly succeeded in quelling10 the revolt. It is not strange that he and his Franks were angry at the conduct of his brother, and that there were many, not only in his own, but in his brother’s part of the kingdom, who regretted that Charlemagne had not been made sole ruler. Carloman’s action was not only regarded as faithless toward his brother, but even stigmatized11 as treachery against the united kingdom, the evil consequences of which could be averted13 only by Charlemagne’s strong arm. The latter’s leading warriors14, indeed, had been in favor of taking the field against Wolf without paying any attention to his brother. It was due to Charlemagne’s mother, the royal widow Bertha,[19] that the world of that day was spared the tragedy of a fraternal and civil war.
This distinguished15 lady, who was so greatly beloved by the people that she was celebrated16 in later tradition as “The Swan Maiden,” was tenderly loved by Charlemagne. She determined17 to overcome his resentment18 against his brother and reconcile them. She succeeded in doing this, but had hardly done so when Carloman died. The grandees and church dignitaries thereupon assembled and named Charlemagne ruler of the whole Frankish kingdom. They recognized the danger confronting a divided kingdom and hastened to avert12 it.
33
Gilberga, Carloman’s widow, if she had been wise would have placed herself under the protection of Charlemagne and her mother-in-law, the widow Bertha. Instead of this, she was induced by Charlemagne’s enemies to leave the country, with the intention at a favorable time of asserting the rights of her two sons. This she soon did at the court of the Lombardian King, Desiderius, who entertained strong animosity against the Franks. Pepin had forced King Haistulf, Desiderius’s predecessor, when he was threatening Rome and had seized Ravenna, to give up not only the Roman, but other possessions to the Papacy. This was not forgotten by Desiderius; and when, after Haistulf’s death by a fall from his horse, he succeeded him, he regarded himself as heir to the Papal throne and the avenger19 of Haistulf; and he lost no opportunity of intermeddling in Roman affairs.
34
After the death of Paul the First, in Rome, a layman20, named Constantine, came to the Papal chair. Christoph and Sergius, chiefs of the opposing faction21, thereupon betook themselves to Desiderius and appealed for his assistance, which he was willing to give, as he had his own advantage in view. Constantine was promptly deposed22, seized as a prisoner, and blinded. Desiderius then determined to place a Lombardian in the Papal chair, and instructed the two Lombardian priests, Waldibert and Philip, to organize a party in Rome which should select Philip as Pope. Too late, Christoph and Sergius regretted that they had invoked24 the help of Desiderius. In the meantime, however, they accomplished25 the removal of the two Lombard priests by an uprising. The new Pope Philip and his assistant fled to a church. The right of asylum26, however, was not recognized by their enemies. Philip was consigned27 to the dungeon28 of a monastery29, and Waldibert was torn from the image of the Virgin30, to which he was clinging, and blinded.
Christoph and Sergius succeeded in electing a Roman as Pope, who took the name of Stephen the Third; but as he did not manage affairs to please them, they determined to depose23 him by force. Realizing the danger which threatened him, Stephen appealed to Desiderius, who again showed himself ready for any service which should inure31 to his own advantage. The most friendly assurances were extended, and Stephen, in letters to Charlemagne and his mother, could hardly find words to sound the praises of Desiderius, who was doing so much for Rome. Christoph and Sergius, who had mustered32 a considerable force, were attacked by Desiderius and defeated, and both were made prisoners and blinded.
35
Stephen now was at the mercy of Desiderius, who used every means in his power to compel him to surrender voluntarily to him the possessions which Pepin had restored to the Church. This proved a fresh source of resentment on Charlemagne’s part against Desiderius. He only waited for Stephen to appeal to him for help, and held himself in readiness to lend it; but his plans were frustrated33 by a new move which he could not resist. His mother, who had gone to Italy, interposed and wrote letters to him which led to anything rather than a warlike view of the situation. Although she had no doubt of the lion-hearted nature of her son, or of the valor34 of his army, she could not view the dangers arising from a conflict between the Franks and the Lombards without the gravest solicitude35. She was sufficiently36 shrewd and experienced to appreciate the situation. She reflected that the Bavarian Duke Thassilo, her dead husband’s nephew, without whose consent Charlemagne could not have attained37 to sovereignty, was as inimical to him as Desiderius was. Thassilo had proved disloyal to Pepin in refusing him the assistance he was in duty bound to furnish in the war against Waisar, Wolf’s predecessor. Bertha knew that death alone prevented her husband from punishing his perfidy38. As Thassilo and Desiderius were now on good terms she feared that if Charlemagne should attack the one, the other would come to his help. Besides this, the Saxons to the north of the Frankish kingdom were in arms again. She also feared in case of war that the West-Frankish dukedom would rise again. Lastly, she knew that Desiderius had promised the widow and sons of Carloman to provoke an uprising in their favor in the Frankish kingdom.
36
To avert these dangers Bertha planned to bring Desiderius, Thassilo, and Charlemagne into a tri-partite relationship, and thus establish friendly conditions. She proposed that Charlemagne and Thassilo should marry daughters of Desiderius and that Adalgis, Desiderius’s only son, should marry Gisela, Charlemagne’s sister. The plan was accepted by all concerned except the fair Gisela, who chose to go to a convent and engage in its pious39 duties, rather than wear a crown.[20] She is honored in the Catholic Church to-day under the name of Itisberg.
37
The daughter of Desiderius selected by Bertha as the spouse40 of her son was named Desiderata. She is described as a princess of beautiful face and stately mien41. Bertha presented her to Charlemagne, who, in the meantime, had separated from his first wife, the daughter of a Frankish nobleman. At that time marital42 separations and remarriages were not uncommon43 among the upper classes, and some of the very highest class had several wives. Bertha had managed this business secretly, and the Pope did not hear of her plans until Desiderata had gone to the Frankish country. It is not strange that the news caused him the greatest anxiety, for he clearly foresaw that if Charlemagne became the son-in-law of Desiderius, he could no longer look to the Franks for the protection of the territory which Pepin had taken from the Lombards and given to the Church. He wrote an urgent letter to Charlemagne, imploring44 him to break off marriage with Desiderata, even going so far as to declare that the Lombards, notwithstanding they had been living with the Roman people, were still little better than carrion45, and the descendants of lepers. He closed with these words:
“We have sent you this our appeal, from the grave of Saint Peter, and with our tears. Should you—which we cannot believe—defy the authority of Peter, our master, the ban will be imposed upon you. You will be banished46 from God’s Kingdom eternally to consort47 with the devil and the wicked in the everlasting48 fires of hell.”
38
When Charlemagne received this letter the wedding festivities were already over. The warning had come too late. Whether of itself it would have thwarted49 the plans of Bertha is uncertain, but in any event it strengthened the prejudice of Charlemagne against Desiderata which he had had from the first. It was not long before she became so unbearable50 to him that he sent her back to her father. The conciliatory work of his mother, well intended as it had been, was ruined.
Desiderius, enraged51 to the extreme both against Charlemagne and the Pope, held the latter principally responsible for the affront52 put upon his daughter, and resolved to wreak53 vengeance54 at once. He demanded that the Pope should crown the son of Carloman as King of the Franks, intending after that to incite55 an uprising in that country in his favor. The time seemed auspicious56, as Charlemagne was now at war with the Saxons. While the Pope was hesitating, and just as Desiderius was about to use force, Stephen died and was succeeded by Hadrian.
39
Hadrian could not be induced to crown the young prince, either by flattery or by threats. Desiderius thereupon began harrying57 the Papal territory and advanced to lay siege to Rome. As he occupied all land communications, Hadrian sent messengers to Marseilles and thence to Diedenbofen[21] the seat of Charlemagne’s court at that time. In his letter Hadrian informed the King of Desiderius’s demand and his threatening movement, and implored58 him not to let him fall into Desiderius’s hands. Immediately after the receipt of this letter Charlemagne received one from Desiderius, in which the latter, to gain time for carrying out his designs against Rome, assured him he had given up everything to the Pope which belonged to him.
Charlemagne, however, was not deceived. The favor which Desiderius had shown to the son of Carloman clearly revealed his hostility59 to himself. He decided60 upon war with the Lombards at once, and the campaign was begun in the autumn of the year 773.
Charlemagne mustered his forces at Geneva. Their equipment was essentially61 different from that formerly62 used by the Franks. They were armed with the longer Roman spear as well as the larger shield, the latter furnishing better protection for the body than the round Frankish shield. In place of the old leathern head-covering they wore the brazen63 helmet and visor. The body was also protected by a coat of mail. Many of the soldiers carried heavy clubs in place of the long swords. These formidable weapons were made of knotted oak, cased in iron, and sometimes made entirely64 of that metal.
40
Upon the advice of those Franks who were hostile to Charlemagne and had been entertained at the court of Desiderius, the Alpine65 passes leading into Lombardy were obstructed66 besides being strongly guarded. In this way Desiderius felt certain he could defy Charlemagne. Another event increased his feeling of security. Charlemagne, in consideration of the natural resentment of a father whose daughter had been humiliated67, sought once more to establish friendly relations with him. He appealed to him to acquiesce68 in Pepin’s assignment of territory to the Church and to abstain69 from any assault upon his sovereignty. Unfortunately for Desiderius, he looked upon this as a proof that Charlemagne recognized the impossibility of invading Italy. Thereupon he contemptuously rejected the offer and went so far with his insolence70 that the latter, realizing now that war was inevitable71, exclaimed: “He does not fear the barking of the German dog so long as it does not come out of its kennel72.”
41
Charlemagne prepared for every emergency. Immediately upon the receipt of Desiderius’s reply, he began a forward movement. He led the main part of his army over Mont Cenis by a route which Desiderius had supposed to be impassable; while his uncle Bernhard with another division crossed Mount Joll. The two divisions met at the southern base of the Alps. No resistance had been offered except at one spot, and that was easily overcome. Charlemagne pressed forward without delay, defeated the Lombard forces of Adalgis and the Frankish leader Ottocar, and advanced to the siege of Pavia,[22] whither Ottocar had fled to join Desiderius. As the siege might be a long one, Charlemagne at the head of one division of his army advanced toward Rome, taking possession, on the way, of many Roman cities which had fallen into the hands of the Lombards.
42
There was as great rejoicing in Rome as there was consternation73 among the Lombards at Charlemagne’s victorious74 progress. Preparations were made to welcome the rescuer. Ozanam says:
“On Easter Saturday Charlemagne appeared before the gates of Rome. The clergy75 bearing crosses, the senators and magistrates76 waving banners, and the children carrying palm branches and singing hymns77, went out to meet him. He ascended78 to the Vatican where Pope Hadrian awaited him. On the following day he donned the tunic79 and laticlavium and sat in the court of justice. Military authority and civil jurisdiction80 were exercised alike by patricians81.”[23]
Shortly after this Charlemagne set out for his uncle’s camp before Pavia. The chronicles of St. Gall82 describe his arrival. Desiderius, who was shut in there, mounted a high tower with Ottocar, from which he espied83 Charlemagne’s army approaching in the distance. At first they saw only the war machines.
“Is not Charlemagne there with this great expedition?” asked Desiderius.
Ottocar replied that he was not.
But when Desiderius saw the large force of warriors following, he said, “Surely Charlemagne is among that multitude.”
“No, not yet,” said Ottocar.
“But what shall we do,” said Desiderius, who was growing very anxious, “if he should come with a still greater number of soldiers?”
While he was speaking, the bodyguards84 appeared, at sight of whom the panic-stricken Desiderius cried out, “There comes Charlemagne.” Ottocar again assured him he was not there.
43
Then came bishops85, abbés, the clergy of the royal chapel1, and the grandees. Desiderius exclaimed with a groan86, “Let us hide ourselves in the bowels87 of the earth, far away from the sight of this terrible enemy!”
Hardly had he uttered these words when they saw something in the west like a black cloud driven by the northeast wind. The glimmer88 of weapons foretold89 a day for the doomed90 city as dark as night. Then Charlemagne himself appeared—that man of iron, iron-helmeted and gauntleted, his breast and shoulders in coat of iron mail, with lance uplifted in his right hand, his left grasping his sword-hilt.
Famine and pestilence91 forced the surrender of the city. Desiderius was deposed and his throne declared forfeited92, and he was sent first to Luttich and thence to the monastery of Corvey,[24] where he was compelled to spend his remaining days in the exercise of penance93. His son, Adalgis, escaped a like fate by flight. After the surrender the Archbishop of Milan crowned Charlemagne with the Iron Crown, so called because a nail from the Cross, said to have been brought by the Empress Hélène from Jerusalem, was set among its jewels.
44
Immediately after the coronation, Paulus Diaconus,[25] famous as a historian, tried to incite revolt. He was arrested, brought before the military court, and sentenced to a shameful94 death. Charlemagne, however, did not execute the penalty. He admired the man for his patriotism95 and gave him his freedom. He established a constitution and laws for the Lombards, and after settling the affairs of their kingdom, received news of the Saxon uprising.
点击收听单词发音
1 chapel | |
n.小教堂,殡仪馆 | |
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2 reign | |
n.统治时期,统治,支配,盛行;v.占优势 | |
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3 paramount | |
a.最重要的,最高权力的 | |
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4 grandees | |
n.贵族,大公,显贵者( grandee的名词复数 ) | |
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5 validation | |
n.确认 | |
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6 restriction | |
n.限制,约束 | |
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7 unity | |
n.团结,联合,统一;和睦,协调 | |
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8 predecessor | |
n.前辈,前任 | |
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9 promptly | |
adv.及时地,敏捷地 | |
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10 quelling | |
v.(用武力)制止,结束,镇压( quell的现在分词 ) | |
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11 stigmatized | |
v.使受耻辱,指责,污辱( stigmatize的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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12 avert | |
v.防止,避免;转移(目光、注意力等) | |
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13 averted | |
防止,避免( avert的过去式和过去分词 ); 转移 | |
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14 warriors | |
武士,勇士,战士( warrior的名词复数 ) | |
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15 distinguished | |
adj.卓越的,杰出的,著名的 | |
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16 celebrated | |
adj.有名的,声誉卓著的 | |
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17 determined | |
adj.坚定的;有决心的 | |
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18 resentment | |
n.怨愤,忿恨 | |
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19 avenger | |
n. 复仇者 | |
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20 layman | |
n.俗人,门外汉,凡人 | |
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21 faction | |
n.宗派,小集团;派别;派系斗争 | |
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22 deposed | |
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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23 depose | |
vt.免职;宣誓作证 | |
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24 invoked | |
v.援引( invoke的过去式和过去分词 );行使(权利等);祈求救助;恳求 | |
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25 accomplished | |
adj.有才艺的;有造诣的;达到了的 | |
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26 asylum | |
n.避难所,庇护所,避难 | |
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27 consigned | |
v.把…置于(令人不快的境地)( consign的过去式和过去分词 );把…托付给;把…托人代售;丟弃 | |
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28 dungeon | |
n.地牢,土牢 | |
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29 monastery | |
n.修道院,僧院,寺院 | |
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30 virgin | |
n.处女,未婚女子;adj.未经使用的;未经开发的 | |
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31 inure | |
v.使惯于 | |
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32 mustered | |
v.集合,召集,集结(尤指部队)( muster的过去式和过去分词 );(自他人处)搜集某事物;聚集;激发 | |
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33 frustrated | |
adj.挫败的,失意的,泄气的v.使不成功( frustrate的过去式和过去分词 );挫败;使受挫折;令人沮丧 | |
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34 valor | |
n.勇气,英勇 | |
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35 solicitude | |
n.焦虑 | |
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36 sufficiently | |
adv.足够地,充分地 | |
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37 attained | |
(通常经过努力)实现( attain的过去式和过去分词 ); 达到; 获得; 达到(某年龄、水平、状况) | |
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38 perfidy | |
n.背信弃义,不忠贞 | |
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39 pious | |
adj.虔诚的;道貌岸然的 | |
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40 spouse | |
n.配偶(指夫或妻) | |
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41 mien | |
n.风采;态度 | |
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42 marital | |
adj.婚姻的,夫妻的 | |
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43 uncommon | |
adj.罕见的,非凡的,不平常的 | |
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44 imploring | |
恳求的,哀求的 | |
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45 carrion | |
n.腐肉 | |
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46 banished | |
v.放逐,驱逐( banish的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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47 consort | |
v.相伴;结交 | |
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48 everlasting | |
adj.永恒的,持久的,无止境的 | |
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49 thwarted | |
阻挠( thwart的过去式和过去分词 ); 使受挫折; 挫败; 横过 | |
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50 unbearable | |
adj.不能容忍的;忍受不住的 | |
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51 enraged | |
使暴怒( enrage的过去式和过去分词 ); 歜; 激愤 | |
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52 affront | |
n./v.侮辱,触怒 | |
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53 wreak | |
v.发泄;报复 | |
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54 vengeance | |
n.报复,报仇,复仇 | |
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55 incite | |
v.引起,激动,煽动 | |
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56 auspicious | |
adj.吉利的;幸运的,吉兆的 | |
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57 harrying | |
v.使苦恼( harry的现在分词 );不断烦扰;一再袭击;侵扰 | |
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58 implored | |
恳求或乞求(某人)( implore的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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59 hostility | |
n.敌对,敌意;抵制[pl.]交战,战争 | |
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60 decided | |
adj.决定了的,坚决的;明显的,明确的 | |
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61 essentially | |
adv.本质上,实质上,基本上 | |
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62 formerly | |
adv.从前,以前 | |
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63 brazen | |
adj.厚脸皮的,无耻的,坚硬的 | |
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64 entirely | |
ad.全部地,完整地;完全地,彻底地 | |
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65 alpine | |
adj.高山的;n.高山植物 | |
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66 obstructed | |
阻塞( obstruct的过去式和过去分词 ); 堵塞; 阻碍; 阻止 | |
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67 humiliated | |
感到羞愧的 | |
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68 acquiesce | |
vi.默许,顺从,同意 | |
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69 abstain | |
v.自制,戒绝,弃权,避免 | |
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70 insolence | |
n.傲慢;无礼;厚颜;傲慢的态度 | |
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71 inevitable | |
adj.不可避免的,必然发生的 | |
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72 kennel | |
n.狗舍,狗窝 | |
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73 consternation | |
n.大为吃惊,惊骇 | |
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74 victorious | |
adj.胜利的,得胜的 | |
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75 clergy | |
n.[总称]牧师,神职人员 | |
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76 magistrates | |
地方法官,治安官( magistrate的名词复数 ) | |
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77 hymns | |
n.赞美诗,圣歌,颂歌( hymn的名词复数 ) | |
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78 ascended | |
v.上升,攀登( ascend的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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79 tunic | |
n.束腰外衣 | |
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80 jurisdiction | |
n.司法权,审判权,管辖权,控制权 | |
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81 patricians | |
n.(古罗马的)统治阶层成员( patrician的名词复数 );贵族,显贵 | |
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82 gall | |
v.使烦恼,使焦躁,难堪;n.磨难 | |
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83 espied | |
v.看到( espy的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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84 bodyguards | |
n.保镖,卫士,警卫员( bodyguard的名词复数 ) | |
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85 bishops | |
(基督教某些教派管辖大教区的)主教( bishop的名词复数 ); (国际象棋的)象 | |
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86 groan | |
vi./n.呻吟,抱怨;(发出)呻吟般的声音 | |
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87 bowels | |
n.肠,内脏,内部;肠( bowel的名词复数 );内部,最深处 | |
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88 glimmer | |
v.发出闪烁的微光;n.微光,微弱的闪光 | |
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89 foretold | |
v.预言,预示( foretell的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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90 doomed | |
命定的 | |
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91 pestilence | |
n.瘟疫 | |
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92 forfeited | |
(因违反协议、犯规、受罚等)丧失,失去( forfeit的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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93 penance | |
n.(赎罪的)惩罪 | |
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94 shameful | |
adj.可耻的,不道德的 | |
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95 patriotism | |
n.爱国精神,爱国心,爱国主义 | |
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