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whom they elect and Popes whose cause they share. Far above all, the successor of St. Peter from his pontifical24 throne claims the whole of Europe as his empire, and dictates25 terms to kings who crouch26 under his reproof27, or are crushed in the vain effort of rebellion. At the other extremity28 of society, the humble29 minister of the altar, with his delegated power over heaven and hell, wields30 in cottage as in castle an authority hardly less potent31, and sways the minds of the faithful with his right to implicit32 obedience33. Even art offers a willing submission34 to the universal mistress, and seeks the embodiment of its noblest aspirations35 in the lofty poise36 of the cathedral spire37, the rainbow glories of the painted window, and the stately rhythm of the solemn chant.
This vast fabric38 of ecclesiastical supremacy39 presents one of the most curious problems which the world’s history affords. A wide and absolute authority, deriving40 its force from moral power alone, marshalling no legions of its own in battle array, but permeating41 everything with its influence, walking unarmed through deadly strife42, rising with renewed strength from every prostration43, triumphing alike over the savage44 nature of the barbarian45 and the enervated46 apathy47 of the Roman tributary48, blending discordant49 races and jarring nations into one great brotherhood50 of subjection—such was the Papal hierarchy51, a marvel52 and a mystery. Well is it personified in Gregory VII., a fugitive53 from Rome, without a rood of ground to call him master, a rival Pope lording it in the Vatican, a triumphant54 Emperor vowed55 to internecine56 strife, yet issuing his commands as sternly and as proudly to prince and potentate57 as though he were the unquestioned suzerain of Europe, and listened to as humbly58 by three-fourths of Christendom. The man wasted away in the struggle; his death was but the accident of time: the church lived on, and marched to inevitable59 victory.
The investigations60 of the curious can hardly be deemed misapplied in analyzing61 the elements of this impalpable but irresistible62 power, and in examining the causes which have enabled it to preserve such unity63 of action amid such diversity of environment, presenting everywhere by turns a solid and united front to the opposing influences of barbarism and civilization. In detaching one of these elements from the group, and tracing out its successive vicissitudes64, I may therefore be pardoned for thinking the subject of sufficient interest to warrant a minuteness of detail that would otherwise perhaps appear disproportionate.
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The Janizaries of the Porte were Christian65 children, recruited by the most degrading tribute which tyrannical ingenuity66 has invented. Torn from their homes in infancy67, every tie severed68 that bound them to the world around them; the past a blank, the future dependent solely69 upon the master above them; existence limited to the circle of their comrades, among whom they could rise, but whom they could never leave; such was the corps70 which bore down the bravest of the Christian chivalry and carried the standard of the Prophet in triumph to the walls of Vienna. Mastering at length their master, they wrung71 from him the privilege of marriage; and the class in becoming hereditary72, with human hopes and fears disconnected with the one idea of their service, no longer presented the same invincible73 phalanx, and at last became terrible only to the effeminate denizens74 of the seraglio. The example is instructive, and it affords grounds for the assumption that the canon which bound all the active ministers of the church to perpetual celibacy75, and thus created an impassable barrier between them and the outer world, was one of the efficient instruments in creating and consolidating76 both the temporal and spiritual power of the Roman hierarchy.
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1
isolated
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adj.与世隔绝的 | |
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sporadic
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adj.偶尔发生的 [反]regular;分散的 | |
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manifestations
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n.表示,显示(manifestation的复数形式) | |
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feudal
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adj.封建的,封地的,领地的 | |
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chivalry
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n.骑士气概,侠义;(男人)对女人彬彬有礼,献殷勤 | |
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condescend
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v.俯就,屈尊;堕落,丢丑 | |
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pervading
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v.遍及,弥漫( pervade的现在分词 ) | |
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imposing
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adj.使人难忘的,壮丽的,堂皇的,雄伟的 | |
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machinery
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n.(总称)机械,机器;机构 | |
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solitude
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n. 孤独; 独居,荒僻之地,幽静的地方 | |
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cloister
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n.修道院;v.隐退,使与世隔绝 | |
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monk
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n.和尚,僧侣,修道士 | |
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desolate
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adj.荒凉的,荒芜的;孤独的,凄凉的;v.使荒芜,使孤寂 | |
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baron
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n.男爵;(商业界等)巨头,大王 | |
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humane
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adj.人道的,富有同情心的 | |
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equitable
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adj.公平的;公正的 | |
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jurisdiction
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n.司法权,审判权,管辖权,控制权 | |
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applied
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adj.应用的;v.应用,适用 | |
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tyrants
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专制统治者( tyrant的名词复数 ); 暴君似的人; (古希腊的)僭主; 严酷的事物 | |
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ecclesiastic
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n.教士,基督教会;adj.神职者的,牧师的,教会的 | |
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brute
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n.野兽,兽性 | |
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supple
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adj.柔软的,易弯的,逢迎的,顺从的,灵活的;vt.使柔软,使柔顺,使顺从;vi.变柔软,变柔顺 | |
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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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pontifical
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adj.自以为是的,武断的 | |
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dictates
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n.命令,规定,要求( dictate的名词复数 )v.大声讲或读( dictate的第三人称单数 );口授;支配;摆布 | |
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crouch
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v.蹲伏,蜷缩,低头弯腰;n.蹲伏 | |
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reproof
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n.斥责,责备 | |
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extremity
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n.末端,尽头;尽力;终极;极度 | |
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humble
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adj.谦卑的,恭顺的;地位低下的;v.降低,贬低 | |
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wields
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手持着使用(武器、工具等)( wield的第三人称单数 ); 具有; 运用(权力); 施加(影响) | |
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potent
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adj.强有力的,有权势的;有效力的 | |
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implicit
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a.暗示的,含蓄的,不明晰的,绝对的 | |
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obedience
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n.服从,顺从 | |
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submission
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n.服从,投降;温顺,谦虚;提出 | |
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aspirations
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强烈的愿望( aspiration的名词复数 ); 志向; 发送气音; 发 h 音 | |
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poise
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vt./vi. 平衡,保持平衡;n.泰然自若,自信 | |
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spire
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n.(教堂)尖顶,尖塔,高点 | |
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fabric
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n.织物,织品,布;构造,结构,组织 | |
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supremacy
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n.至上;至高权力 | |
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deriving
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v.得到( derive的现在分词 );(从…中)得到获得;源于;(从…中)提取 | |
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41
permeating
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弥漫( permeate的现在分词 ); 遍布; 渗入; 渗透 | |
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strife
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n.争吵,冲突,倾轧,竞争 | |
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prostration
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n. 平伏, 跪倒, 疲劳 | |
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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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barbarian
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n.野蛮人;adj.野蛮(人)的;未开化的 | |
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enervated
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adj.衰弱的,无力的v.使衰弱,使失去活力( enervate的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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apathy
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n.漠不关心,无动于衷;冷淡 | |
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tributary
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n.支流;纳贡国;adj.附庸的;辅助的;支流的 | |
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discordant
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adj.不调和的 | |
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brotherhood
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n.兄弟般的关系,手中情谊 | |
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hierarchy
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n.等级制度;统治集团,领导层 | |
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marvel
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vi.(at)惊叹vt.感到惊异;n.令人惊异的事 | |
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fugitive
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adj.逃亡的,易逝的;n.逃犯,逃亡者 | |
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triumphant
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adj.胜利的,成功的;狂欢的,喜悦的 | |
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vowed
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起誓,发誓(vow的过去式与过去分词形式) | |
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internecine
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adj.两败俱伤的 | |
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potentate
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n.统治者;君主 | |
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humbly
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adv. 恭顺地,谦卑地 | |
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inevitable
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adj.不可避免的,必然发生的 | |
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investigations
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(正式的)调查( investigation的名词复数 ); 侦查; 科学研究; 学术研究 | |
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61
analyzing
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v.分析;分析( analyze的现在分词 );分解;解释;对…进行心理分析n.分析 | |
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irresistible
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adj.非常诱人的,无法拒绝的,无法抗拒的 | |
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unity
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n.团结,联合,统一;和睦,协调 | |
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vicissitudes
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n.变迁,世事变化;变迁兴衰( vicissitude的名词复数 );盛衰兴废 | |
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Christian
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adj.基督教徒的;n.基督教徒 | |
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ingenuity
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n.别出心裁;善于发明创造 | |
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infancy
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n.婴儿期;幼年期;初期 | |
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severed
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v.切断,断绝( sever的过去式和过去分词 );断,裂 | |
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solely
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adv.仅仅,唯一地 | |
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corps
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n.(通信等兵种的)部队;(同类作的)一组 | |
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wrung
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绞( wring的过去式和过去分词 ); 握紧(尤指别人的手); 把(湿衣服)拧干; 绞掉(水) | |
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hereditary
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adj.遗传的,遗传性的,可继承的,世袭的 | |
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invincible
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adj.不可征服的,难以制服的 | |
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denizens
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n.居民,住户( denizen的名词复数 ) | |
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celibacy
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n.独身(主义) | |
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consolidating
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v.(使)巩固, (使)加强( consolidate的现在分词 );(使)合并 | |
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