All Greece was then profoundly stirred by a faint gleam of the dawn of liberty, and shaken by a suppressed agitation13. The Bourbons again reigned14 in France, and the Greeks built a thousand hopes on an event which changed the basis of the whole European policy. Above all, they reckoned on powerful assistance from Russia. But England had already begun to dread15 anything which could increase either the possessions or the influence of this formidable power. Above all, she was determined16 that the Ottoman Empire should remain intact, and that the Greek navy, beginning to be formidable, must be destroyed. With these objects in view, negotiations with Ali Pacha were resumed. The latter was still smarting under his recent disappointment, and to all overtures18 answered only, “Parga! I must have Parga.”—And the English were compelled to yield it!
Trusting to the word of General Campbell, who had formally promised, on its surrender, that Parga should be classed along with the seven Ionian Isles19; its grateful inhabitants were enjoying a delicious rest after the storm, when a letter from the Lord High Commissioner20, addressed to Lieutenant-Colonel de Bosset, undeceived them, and gave warning of the evils which were to burst on the unhappy town.
On the 25th of March, 1817, notwithstanding the solemn promise made to the Parganiotes, when they admitted the British troops, that they should always be on the same footing as the Ionian Isles, a treaty was signed at Constantinople by the British Plenipotentiary, which stipulated22 the complete and stipulated cession23 of Parga and all its territory to, the Ottoman Empire. Soon there arrived at Janine Sir John Cartwright, the English Consul24 at Patras, to arrange for the sale of the lands of the Parganiotes and discuss the conditions of their emigration. Never before had any such compact disgraced European diplomacy25, accustomed hitherto to regard Turkish encroachments as simple sacrilege. But Ali Pacha fascinated the English agents, overwhelming them with favours, honours, and feasts, carefully watching them all the while. Their correspondence was intercepted26, and he endeavoured by means of his agents to rouse the Parganiotes against them. The latter lamented27 bitterly, and appealed to Christian Europe, which remained deaf to their cries. In the name of their ancestors, they demanded the rights which had been guaranteed them. “They will buy our lands,” they said; “have we asked to sell them? And even if we received their value, can gold give us a country and the tombs of our ancestors?”
Ali Pacha invited the Lord High Commissioner of Great Britain, Sir Thomas Maitland, to a conference at Prevesa, and complained of the exorbitant28 price of 1,500,000, at which the commissioners29 had estimated Parga and its territory, including private property and church furniture. It had been hoped that Ali’s avarice30 would hesitate at this high price, but he was not so easily discouraged. He give a banquet for the Lord High Commissioner, which degenerated31 into a shameless orgy. In the midst of this drunken hilarity32 the Turk and the Englishman disposed of the territory of Parga; agreeing that a fresh estimate should be made on the spot by experts chosen by both English and Turks. The result of this valuation was that the indemnity33 granted to the Christians34 was reduced by the English to the sum of 276,075 sterling35, instead of the original 500,000. And as Ali’s agents only arrived at the sum of 56,750, a final conference was held at Buthrotum between Ali and the Lord High Commissioner. The latter then informed the Parganiotes that the indemnity allowed them was irrevocably fixed36 at 150,000! The transaction is a disgrace to the egotistical and venal37 nation which thus allowed the life and liberty of a people to be trifled with, a lasting38 blot39 on the honour of England!
The Parganiotes at first could believe neither in the infamy40 of their protectors nor in their own misfortune; but both were soon confirmed by a proclamation of the Lord High Commissioner, informing them that the pacha’s army was marching to take possession of the territory which, by May 10th, must be abandoned for ever.
The fields were then in full bearing. In the midst of plains ripening41 for a rich harvest were 80,000 square feet of olive trees, alone estimated at two hundred thousand guineas. The sun shone in cloudless azure42, the air was balmy with the scent43 of orange trees, of pomegranates and citrons. But the lovely country might have been inhabited by phantoms44; only hands raised to heaven and brows bent45 to the dust met one’s eye. Even the very dust belonged no more to the wretched inhabitants; they were forbidden to take a fruit or a flower, the priests might not remove either relics46 or sacred images. Church, ornaments47, torches, tapers48, pyxes, had by this treaty all become Mahommedan property. The English had sold everything, even to the Host! Two days more, and all must be left. Each was silently marking the door of the dwelling49 destined50 so soon to shelter an enemy, with a red cross, when suddenly a terrible cry echoed from street to street, for the Turks had been perceived on the heights overlooking the town. Terrified and despairing, the whole population hastened to fall prostrate51 before the Virgin52 of Parga, the ancient guardian53 of their citadel. A mysterious voice, proceeding54 from the sanctuary55, reminded them that the English had, in their iniquitous56 treaty, forgotten to include the ashes of those whom a happier fate had spared the sight of the ruin of Parga. Instantly they rushed to the graveyards57, tore open the tombs, and collected the bones and putrefying corpses58. The beautiful olive trees were felled, an enormous funeral pyre arose, and in the general excitement the orders of the English chief were defied. With naked daggers59 in their hands, standing21 in the crimson60 light of the flames which were consuming the bones of their ancestors, the people of Parga vowed62 to slay63 their wives and children, and to kill themselves to the last man, if the infidels dared to set foot in the town before the appointed hour. Xenocles, the last of the Greek poets, inspired by this sublime64 manifestation65 of despair, even as Jeremiah by the fall of Jerusalem, improvised66 a hymn67 which expresses all the grief of the exiles, and which the exiles interrupted by their tears and sobs68.
A messenger, crossing the sea in all haste, informed the Lord High Commissioner of the terrible threat of the Parganiotes. He started at once, accompanied by General Sir Frederic Adams, and landed at Parga by the light of the funeral pyre. He was received with ill-concealed indignation, and with assurances that the sacrifice would be at once consummated70 unless Ali’s troops were held back. The general endeavoured to console and to reassure71 the unhappy people, and then proceeded to the outposts, traversing silent streets in which armed men stood at each door only waiting a signal before slaying72 their families, and then turning their weapons against the English and themselves. He implored73 them to have patience, and they answered by pointing to the approaching Turkish army and bidding him hasten. He arrived at last and commenced negotiations, and the Turkish officers, no less uneasy than the English garrison74, promised to wait till the appointed hour. The next day passed in mournful silence, quiet as death, At sunset on the following day, May 9, 1819, the English standard on the castle of Parga was hauled down, and after a night spent in prayer and weeping, the Christians demanded the signal of departure.
They had left their dwellings75 at break of day, and scattering76 on the shore, endeavoured to collect some relics of their country. Some filled little bags with ashes withdrawn77 from the funeral pile; others took handfuls of earth, while the women and children picked up pebbles79 which they hid in their clothing and pressed to their bosoms80, as if fearing to be deprived of them. Meanwhile, the ships intended to transport them arrived, and armed English soldiers superintended the embarkation81, which the Turks hailed from afar with, ferocious82 cries. The Parganiotes were landed in Corfu, where they suffered yet more injustice83. Under various pretexts84 the money promised them was reduced and withheld85, until destitution86 compelled them to accept the little that was offered. Thus closed one of the most odious87 transactions which modern history has been compelled to record.
The satrap of Janina had arrived at the fulfilment of his wishes. In the retirement88 of his fairy-like palace by the lake he could enjoy voluptuous89 pleasures to the full. But already seventy-eight years had passed over his head, and old age had laid the burden of infirmity upon him. His dreams were dreams of blood, and vainly he sought refuge in chambers90 glittering with gold, adorned91 with arabesques92, decorated with costly93 armour94 and covered with the richest of Oriental carpets, remorse95 stood ever beside him. Through the magnificence which surrounded him there constantly passed the gale96 spectre of Emineh, leading onwards a vast procession of mournful phantoms, and the guilty pasha buried his face in his hands and shrieked97 aloud for help. Sometimes, ashamed of his weakness, he endeavoured to defy both the reproaches of his conscience and the opinion of the multitude, and sought to encounter criticism with bravado98. If, by chance, he overheard some blind singer chanting in the streets the satirical verses which, faithful to the poetical99 and mocking genius of them ancestors, the Greeks frequently composed about him, he would order the singer to be brought, would bid him repeat his verses, and, applauding him, would relate some fresh anecdote100 of cruelty, saying, “Go, add that to thy tale; let thy hearers know what I can do; let them understand that I stop at nothing in order to overcome my foes101! If I reproach myself with anything, it is only with the deeds I have sometimes failed to carry out.”
Sometimes it was the terrors of the life after death which assailed102 him. The thought of eternity103 brought terrible visions in its train, and Ali shuddered104 at the prospect105 of Al-Sirat, that awful bridge, narrow as a spider’s thread and hanging over the furnaces of Hell; which a Mussulman must cross in order to arrive at the gate of Paradise. He ceased to joke about Eblis, the Prince of Evil, and sank by degrees into profound superstition106. He was surrounded by magicians and soothsayers; he consulted omens107, and demanded talismans108 and charms from the dervishes, which he had either sewn into his garments, or suspended in the most secret parts of his palace, in order to avert109 evil influences. A Koran was hung about his neck as a defence against the evil eye, and frequently he removed it and knelt before it, as did Louis XI before the leaden figures of saints which adorned his hat. He ordered a complete chemical laboratory from Venice, and engaged alchemists to distill110 the water of immortality111, by the help of which he hoped to ascend112 to the planets and discover the Philosopher’s Stone. Not perceiving any practical result of their labours, he ordered, the laboratory to be burnt and the alchemists to be hung.
Ali hated his fellow-men. He would have liked to leave no survivors113, and often regretted his inability to destroy all those who would have cause to rejoice at his death, Consequently he sought to accomplish as much harm as he could during the time which remained to him, and for no possible reason but that of hatred114, he caused the arrest of both Ibrahim Pasha, who had already suffered so much at his hands, and his son, and confined them both in a dungeon115 purposely constructed under the grand staircase of the castle by the lake, in order that he might have the pleasure of passing over their heads each time he left his apartments or returned to them.
It was not enough for Ali merely to put to death those who displeased116 him, the form of punishment must be constantly varied117 in order to produce a fresh mode of suffering, therefore new tortures had to be constantly invented. Now it was a servant, guilty of absence without leave, who was bound to a stake in the presence of his sister, and destroyed by a cannon118 placed six paces off, but only loaded with powder, in order to prolong the agony; now, a Christian accused of having tried to blow up Janina by introducing mice with tinder fastened to their tails into the powder magazine, who was shut up in the cage of Ali’s favourite tiger and devoured119 by it.
The pasha despised the human race as much as he hated it. A European having reproached him with the cruelty shown to his subjects, Ali replied:—
“You do not understand the race with which I have to deal. Were I to hang a criminal on yonder tree, the sight would not deter17 even his own brother from stealing in the crowd at its foot. If I had an old man burnt alive, his son would steal the ashes and sell them. The rabble120 can be governed by fear only, and I am the one man who does it successfully.”
His conduct perfectly121 corresponded to his ideas. One great feast-day, two gipsies devoted122 their lives in order to avert the evil destiny of the pasha; and, solemnly convoking123 on their own heads all misfortunes which might possibly befall him, cast themselves down from the palace roof. One arose with difficulty, stunned124 and suffering, the other remained on the ground with a broken leg. Ali gave them each forty francs and an annuity125 of two pounds of maize126 daily, and considering this sufficient, took no further trouble about them.
Every year, at Ramadan, a large sum was distributed in alms among poor women without distinction of sect127. But Ali contrived128 to change this act of benevolence129 into a barbarous form of amusement.
As he possessed130 several palaces in Janina at a considerable distance from each other, the one at which a distribution was to take place was each day publicly announced, and when the women had waited there for an hour or two, exposed to sun, rain or cold, as the case might be, they were suddenly informed that they must go to some other palace, at the opposite end of the town. When they got there, they usually had to wait for another hour, fortunate if they were not sent off to a third place of meeting. When the time at length arrived, an eunuch appeared, followed by Albanian soldiers armed with staves, carrying a bag of money, which he threw by handfuls right into the midst of the assembly. Then began a terrible uproar131. The women rushed to catch it, upsetting each other, quarreling, fighting, and uttering cries of terror and pain, while the Albanians, pretending to enforce order, pushed into the crowd, striking right and left with their batons132. The pacha meanwhile sat at a window enjoying the spectacle, and impartially133 applauding all well delivered blows, no matter whence they came. During these distributions, which really benefitted no one, many women were always severely134 hurt, and some died from the blows they had received.
Ali maintained several carriages for himself and his family, but allowed no one else to share in this prerogative135. To avoid being jolted136, he simply took up the pavement in Janina and the neighbouring towns, with the result that in summer one was choked by dust, and in winter could hardly get through the mud. He rejoiced in the public inconvenience, and one day having to go out in heavy rain, he remarked to one of the officers of his escort, “How delightful137 to be driven through this in a carriage, while you will have the pleasure of following on horseback! You will be wet and dirty, whilst I smoke my pipe and laugh at your condition.”
He could not understand why Western sovereigns should permit their subjects to enjoy the same conveniences and amusements as themselves. “If I had a theatre,” he said, “I would allow no one to be present at performances except my own children; but these idiotic138 Christians do not know how to uphold their own dignity.”
There was no end to the mystifications which it amused the pacha to carry out with those who approached him.
One day he chose to speak Turkish to a Maltese merchant who came to display some jewels. He was informed that the merchant understood only Greek and Italian. He none the less continued his discourse139 without allowing anyone to translate what he said into Greek. The Maltese at length lost patience, shut up his cases, and departed. Ali watched him with the utmost calm, and as he went out told him, still in Turkish, to come again the next day.
An unexpected occurrence seemed, like the warning finger of Destiny, to indicate an evil omen78 for the pacha’s future. “Misfortunes arrive in troops,” says the forcible Turkish proverb, and a forerunner140 of disasters came to Ali Dacha.
One morning he was suddenly roused by the Sheik Yussuf, who had forced his way in, in spite of the guards. “Behold!” said he, handing Ali a letter, “Allah, who punishes the guilty, has permitted thy seraglio of Tepelen to be burnt. Thy splendid palace, thy beautiful furniture, costly stuffs, cashmeers, furs, arms, all are destroyed! And it is thy youngest and best beloved son, Salik Bey himself, whose hand kindled141 the flames!” So saying; Yussuf turned and departed, crying with a triumphant142 voice, “Fire! fire! fire!”
Ali instantly ordered his horse, and, followed by his guards, rode without drawing rein143 to Tepelen. As soon as he arrived at the place where his palace had formerly144 insulted the public misery145, he hastened to examine the cellars where his treasures were deposited. All was intact, silver plate, jewels, and fifty millions of francs in gold, enclosed in a well over which he had caused a tower to be built. After this examination he ordered all the ashes to be carefully sifted146 in hopes of recovering the gold in the tassels147 and fringes of the sofas, and the silver from the plate and the armour. He next proclaimed through the length and breadth of the land, that, being by the hand of Allah deprived of his house, and no longer possessing anything in his native town, he requested all who loved him to prove their affection by bringing help in proportion. He fixed the day of reception for each commune, and for almost each individual of any rank, however small, according to their distance from Tepelen, whither these evidences of loyalty148 were to be brought.
During five days Ali received these forced benevolences from all parts. He sat, covered with rags, on a shabby palm-leaf mat placed at the outer gate of his ruined palace, holding in his left hand a villainous pipe of the kind used by the lowest people, and in his right an old red cap, which he extended for the donations of the passers-by. Behind stood a Jew from Janina, charged with the office of testing each piece of gold and valuing jewels which were offered instead of money; for, in terror, each endeavoured to appear generous. No means of obtaining a rich harvest were neglected; for instance, Ali distributed secretly large sums among poor and obscure people, such as servants, mechanics, and soldiers, in order that by returning them in public they might appear to be making great sacrifices, so that richer and more distinguished149 persons could not, without appearing ill-disposed towards the pacha, offer only the same amount as did the poor, but were obliged to present gifts of enormous value.
After this charity extorted150 from their fears, the pacha’s subjects hoped to be at peace. But a new decree proclaimed throughout Albania required them to rebuild and refurnish the formidable palace of Tepelen entirely151 at the public expense. Ali then returned to Janina, followed by his treasure and a few women who had escaped from the flames, and whom he disposed of amongst his friends, saying that he was no longer sufficiently152 wealthy to maintain so many slaves.
Fate soon provided him with a second opportunity for amassing153 wealth. Arta, a wealthy town with a Christian population, was ravaged154 by the plague, and out of eight thousand inhabitants, seven thousand were swept away. Hearing this, Ali hastened to send commissioners to prepare an account of furniture and lands which the pacha claimed as being heir to his subjects. A few livid and emaciated155 spectres were yet to be found in the streets of Arta. In order that the inventory156 might be more complete, these unhappy beings were compelled to wash in the Inachus blankets, sheets, and clothes steeped in bubonic infection, while the collectors were hunting everywhere for imaginary hidden treasure. Hollow trees were sounded, walls pulled down, the most unlikely corners examined, and a skeleton which was discovered still girt with a belt containing Venetian sequins was gathered up with the utmost care. The archons of the town were arrested and tortured in the hope of discovering buried treasure, the clue to which had disappeared along with the owners. One of these magistrates157, accused of having hidden some valuable objects, was plunged158 up to his shoulders in a boiler159 full of melted lead and boiling oil. Old men, women, children, rich and poor alike, were interrogated160, beaten, and compelled to abandon the last remains161 of their property in order to save their lives.
Having thus decimated the few inhabitants remaining to the town, it became necessary to repeople it. With this object in view, Ali’s emissaries overran the villages of Thessaly, driving before them all the people they met in flocks, and compelling them to settle in Arta. These unfortunate colonists162 were also obliged to find money to pay the pacha for the houses they were forced to occupy.
This business being settled, Ali turned to another which had long been on his mind. We have seen how Ismail Pacho Bey escaped the assassins sent to murder him. A ship, despatched secretly from Prevesa, arrived at the place of his retreat. The captain, posing as a merchant, invited Ismail to come on board and inspect his goods. But the latter, guessing a trap, fled promptly163, and for some time all trace of him was lost. Ali, in revenge, turned his wife out of the palace at Janina which she still occupied, and placed her in a cottage, where she was obliged to earn a living by spinning. But he did not stop there, and learning after some time that Pacho Bey had sought refuge with the Nazir of Drama, who had taken him into favour, he resolved to strike a last blow, more sure and more terrible than the others. Again Ismail’s lucky star saved him from the plots of his enemy. During a hunting party he encountered a kapidgi-bachi, or messenger from the sultan, who asked him where he could find the Nazir, to whom he was charged with an important communication. As kapidgi-bachis are frequently bearers of evil tidings, which it is well to ascertain164 at once, and as the Nazir was at some distance, Pacho Bey assumed the latter’s part, and the sultan’s confidential165 messenger informed him that he was the bearer of a firman granted at the request of Ali Pacha of Janina.
“Ali of Tepelenir. He is my friend. How can I serve him?”
“By executing the present order, sent you by the Divan166, desiring you to behead a traitor167, named Pacho Bey, who crept into your service a short time ago.
“Willingly I but he is not an easy man to seize being brave, vigorous, clever, and cunning. Craft will be necessary in this case. He may appear at any moment, and it is advisable that he should not see you. Let no one suspect who you are, but go to Drama, which is only two hours distant, and await me there. I shall return this evening, and you can consider your errand as accomplished168.”
The kapidgi-bachi made a sign of comprehension, and directed his course towards Drama; while Ismail, fearing that the Nazir, who had only known him a short time, would sacrifice him with the usual Turkish indifference169, fled in the opposite direction. At the end of an hour he encountered a Bulgarian monk170, with whom he exchanged clothes—a disguise which enabled him to traverse Upper Macedonia in safety. Arriving at the great Servian convent in the mountains whence the Axius takes its rise, he obtained admission under an assumed name. But feeling sure of the discretion171 of the monks172, after a few days he explained his situation to them.
Ali, learning the ill-success of his latest stratagem173, accused the Nazir of conniving174 at Paeho Bey’s escape. But the latter easily justified175 himself with the Divan by giving precise information of what had really occurred. This was what Ali wanted, who profited thereby176 in having the fugitive’s track followed up, and soon got wind of his retreat. As Pacho Bey’s innocence177 had been proved in the explanations given to the Porte, the death firman obtained against him became useless, and Ali affected178 to abandon him to his fate, in order the better to conceal69 the new plot he was conceiving against him.
Athanasius Vaya, chief assassin of the Kardikiotes, to whom Ali imparted his present plan for the destruction of Ismail, begged for the honour of putting it into execution, swearing that this time Ismail should not escape. The master and the instrument disguised their scheme under the appearance of a quarrel, which astonished the whole town. At the end of a terrible scene which took place in public, Ali drove the confidant of his crimes from the palace, overwhelming him with insults, and declaring that were Athanasius not the son of his children’s foster-mother, he would have sent him to the gibbet. He enforced his words by the application of a stick, and Vaya, apparently overwhelmed by terror and affliction, went round to all the nobles of the town, vainly entreating179 them to intercede180 for him. The only favour which Mouktar Pacha could obtain for him was a sentence of exile allowing him to retreat to Macedonia.
Athanasius departed from Janina with all the demonstrations181 of utter despair, and continued his route with the haste of one who fears pursuit. Arrived in Macedonia, he assumed the habit of a monk, and undertook a pilgrimage to Mount Athos, saying that both the disguise and the journey were necessary to his safety. On the way he encountered one of the itinerant182 friars of the great Servian convent, to whom he described his disgrace in energetic terms, begging him to obtain his admission among the lay brethren of his monastery183.
Delighted at the prospect of bringing back to the fold of the Church a man so notorious for his crimes, the friar hastened to inform his superior, who in his turn lost no time in announcing to Pacho Bey that his compatriot and companion in misfortune was to be received among the lay brethren, and in relating the history of Athanasius as he himself had heard it. Pacho Bey, however, was not easily deceived, and at once guessing that Vaya’s real object was his own assassination184, told his doubts to the superior, who had already received him as a friend. The latter retarded185 the reception of Vaya so as to give Pacho time to escape and take the road to Constantinople. Once arrived there, he determined to brave the storm and encounter Ali openly.
Endowed by nature with a noble presence and with masculine firmness, Pacho Bey possessed also the valuable gift of speaking all the various tongues of the Ottoman Empire. He could not fail to distinguish himself in the capital and to find an opening for his great talents. But his inclination186 drove him at first to seek his fellow-exiles from Epirus, who were either his old companions in arms, friends, of relations, for he was allied187 to all the principal families, and was even, through his wife, nearly connected with his enemy, Ali Pacha himself.
He had learnt what this unfortunate lady had already endured on his account, and feared that she would suffer yet more if he took active measures against the pacha. While he yet hesitated between affection and revenge, he heard that she had died of grief and misery. Now that despair had put an end to uncertainty188, he set his hand to the work.
At this precise moment Heaven sent him a friend to console and aid him in his vengeance189, a Christian from OEtolia, Paleopoulo by name. This man was on the point of establishing himself in Russian Bessarabia, when he met Pacho Bey and joined with him in the singular coalition190 which was to change the fate of the Tepelenian dynasty.
Paleopoulo reminded his companion in misfortune of a memorial presented to the Divan in 1812, which had brought upon Ali a disgrace from which he only escaped in consequence of the overwhelming political events which just then absorbed the attention of the Ottoman Government. The Grand Seigneur had sworn by the tombs of his ancestors to attend to the matter as soon as he was able, and it was only requisite191 to remind him of his vow61. Pacho Hey and his friend drew up a new memorial, and knowing the sultan’s avarice, took care to dwell on the immense wealth possessed by Ali, on his scandalous exactions, and on the enormous sums diverted from the Imperial Treasury192. By overhauling193 the accounts of his administration, millions might be recovered. To these financial considerations Pacho Bey added some practical ones. Speaking as a man sure of his facts and well acquainted with the ground, he pledged his head that with twenty thousand men he would, in spite of Ali’s troops and strongholds, arrive before Janina without firing a musket194.
However good these plans appeared, they were by no means to the taste of the sultan’s ministers, who were each and all in receipt of large pensions from the man at whom they struck. Besides, as in Turkey it is customary for the great fortunes of Government officials to be absorbed on their death by the Imperial Treasury, it of course appeared easier to await the natural inheritance of Ali’s treasures than to attempt to seize them by a war which would certainly absorb part of them. Therefore, while Pacho Bey’s zeal195 was commended, he obtained only dilatory196 answers, followed at length by a formal refusal.
Meanwhile, the old OEtolian, Paleopoulo, died, having prophesied197 the approaching Greek insurrection among his friends, and pledged Pacho Bey to persevere198 in his plans of vengeance, assuring him that before long Ali would certainly fall a victim to them. Thus left alone, Pacho, before taking any active steps in his work of vengeance, affected to give himself up to the strictest observances of the Mohammedan religion. Ali, who had established a most minute surveillance over his actions, finding that his time was spent with ulemas and dervishes, imagined that he had ceased to be dangerous, and took no further trouble about him.
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1 artillery | |
n.(军)火炮,大炮;炮兵(部队) | |
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2 esteem | |
n.尊敬,尊重;vt.尊重,敬重;把…看作 | |
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3 apparently | |
adv.显然地;表面上,似乎 | |
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4 besought | |
v.恳求,乞求(某事物)( beseech的过去式和过去分词 );(beseech的过去式与过去分词) | |
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5 motives | |
n.动机,目的( motive的名词复数 ) | |
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6 ecclesiastics | |
n.神职者,教会,牧师( ecclesiastic的名词复数 ) | |
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7 negotiations | |
协商( negotiation的名词复数 ); 谈判; 完成(难事); 通过 | |
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8 Christian | |
adj.基督教徒的;n.基督教徒 | |
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9 honourable | |
adj.可敬的;荣誉的,光荣的 | |
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10 decided | |
adj.决定了的,坚决的;明显的,明确的 | |
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11 citadel | |
n.城堡;堡垒;避难所 | |
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12 astonishment | |
n.惊奇,惊异 | |
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13 agitation | |
n.搅动;搅拌;鼓动,煽动 | |
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14 reigned | |
vi.当政,统治(reign的过去式形式) | |
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15 dread | |
vt.担忧,忧虑;惧怕,不敢;n.担忧,畏惧 | |
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16 determined | |
adj.坚定的;有决心的 | |
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17 deter | |
vt.阻止,使不敢,吓住 | |
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18 overtures | |
n.主动的表示,提议;(向某人做出的)友好表示、姿态或提议( overture的名词复数 );(歌剧、芭蕾舞、音乐剧等的)序曲,前奏曲 | |
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岛( isle的名词复数 ) | |
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20 commissioner | |
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21 standing | |
n.持续,地位;adj.永久的,不动的,直立的,不流动的 | |
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22 stipulated | |
vt.& vi.规定;约定adj.[法]合同规定的 | |
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23 cession | |
n.割让,转让 | |
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24 consul | |
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25 diplomacy | |
n.外交;外交手腕,交际手腕 | |
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26 intercepted | |
拦截( intercept的过去式和过去分词 ); 截住; 截击; 拦阻 | |
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27 lamented | |
adj.被哀悼的,令人遗憾的v.(为…)哀悼,痛哭,悲伤( lament的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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28 exorbitant | |
adj.过分的;过度的 | |
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29 commissioners | |
n.专员( commissioner的名词复数 );长官;委员;政府部门的长官 | |
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30 avarice | |
n.贪婪;贪心 | |
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31 degenerated | |
衰退,堕落,退化( degenerate的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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32 hilarity | |
n.欢乐;热闹 | |
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33 indemnity | |
n.赔偿,赔款,补偿金 | |
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34 Christians | |
n.基督教徒( Christian的名词复数 ) | |
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35 sterling | |
adj.英币的(纯粹的,货真价实的);n.英国货币(英镑) | |
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36 fixed | |
adj.固定的,不变的,准备好的;(计算机)固定的 | |
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37 venal | |
adj.唯利是图的,贪脏枉法的 | |
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38 lasting | |
adj.永久的,永恒的;vbl.持续,维持 | |
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39 blot | |
vt.弄脏(用吸墨纸)吸干;n.污点,污渍 | |
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40 infamy | |
n.声名狼藉,出丑,恶行 | |
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41 ripening | |
v.成熟,使熟( ripen的现在分词 );熟化;熟成 | |
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42 azure | |
adj.天蓝色的,蔚蓝色的 | |
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43 scent | |
n.气味,香味,香水,线索,嗅觉;v.嗅,发觉 | |
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44 phantoms | |
n.鬼怪,幽灵( phantom的名词复数 ) | |
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45 bent | |
n.爱好,癖好;adj.弯的;决心的,一心的 | |
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46 relics | |
[pl.]n.遗物,遗迹,遗产;遗体,尸骸 | |
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47 ornaments | |
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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48 tapers | |
(长形物体的)逐渐变窄( taper的名词复数 ); 微弱的光; 极细的蜡烛 | |
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49 dwelling | |
n.住宅,住所,寓所 | |
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50 destined | |
adj.命中注定的;(for)以…为目的地的 | |
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51 prostrate | |
v.拜倒,平卧,衰竭;adj.拜倒的,平卧的,衰竭的 | |
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52 virgin | |
n.处女,未婚女子;adj.未经使用的;未经开发的 | |
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53 guardian | |
n.监护人;守卫者,保护者 | |
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54 proceeding | |
n.行动,进行,(pl.)会议录,学报 | |
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55 sanctuary | |
n.圣所,圣堂,寺庙;禁猎区,保护区 | |
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56 iniquitous | |
adj.不公正的;邪恶的;高得出奇的 | |
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57 graveyards | |
墓地( graveyard的名词复数 ); 垃圾场; 废物堆积处; 收容所 | |
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58 corpses | |
n.死尸,尸体( corpse的名词复数 ) | |
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59 daggers | |
匕首,短剑( dagger的名词复数 ) | |
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60 crimson | |
n./adj.深(绯)红色(的);vi.脸变绯红色 | |
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61 vow | |
n.誓(言),誓约;v.起誓,立誓 | |
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62 vowed | |
起誓,发誓(vow的过去式与过去分词形式) | |
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63 slay | |
v.杀死,宰杀,杀戮 | |
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64 sublime | |
adj.崇高的,伟大的;极度的,不顾后果的 | |
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65 manifestation | |
n.表现形式;表明;现象 | |
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66 improvised | |
a.即席而作的,即兴的 | |
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67 hymn | |
n.赞美诗,圣歌,颂歌 | |
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68 sobs | |
啜泣(声),呜咽(声)( sob的名词复数 ) | |
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69 conceal | |
v.隐藏,隐瞒,隐蔽 | |
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70 consummated | |
v.使结束( consummate的过去式和过去分词 );使完美;完婚;(婚礼后的)圆房 | |
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71 reassure | |
v.使放心,使消除疑虑 | |
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72 slaying | |
杀戮。 | |
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73 implored | |
恳求或乞求(某人)( implore的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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74 garrison | |
n.卫戍部队;驻地,卫戍区;vt.派(兵)驻防 | |
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75 dwellings | |
n.住处,处所( dwelling的名词复数 ) | |
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76 scattering | |
n.[物]散射;散乱,分散;在媒介质中的散播adj.散乱的;分散在不同范围的;广泛扩散的;(选票)数量分散的v.散射(scatter的ing形式);散布;驱散 | |
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77 withdrawn | |
vt.收回;使退出;vi.撤退,退出 | |
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78 omen | |
n.征兆,预兆;vt.预示 | |
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79 pebbles | |
[复数]鹅卵石; 沙砾; 卵石,小圆石( pebble的名词复数 ) | |
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80 bosoms | |
胸部( bosom的名词复数 ); 胸怀; 女衣胸部(或胸襟); 和爱护自己的人在一起的情形 | |
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81 embarkation | |
n. 乘船, 搭机, 开船 | |
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82 ferocious | |
adj.凶猛的,残暴的,极度的,十分强烈的 | |
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83 injustice | |
n.非正义,不公正,不公平,侵犯(别人的)权利 | |
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84 pretexts | |
n.借口,托辞( pretext的名词复数 ) | |
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85 withheld | |
withhold过去式及过去分词 | |
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86 destitution | |
n.穷困,缺乏,贫穷 | |
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87 odious | |
adj.可憎的,讨厌的 | |
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88 retirement | |
n.退休,退职 | |
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89 voluptuous | |
adj.肉欲的,骄奢淫逸的 | |
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90 chambers | |
n.房间( chamber的名词复数 );(议会的)议院;卧室;会议厅 | |
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91 adorned | |
[计]被修饰的 | |
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92 arabesques | |
n.阿拉伯式花饰( arabesque的名词复数 );错综图饰;阿拉伯图案;阿拉贝斯克芭蕾舞姿(独脚站立,手前伸,另一脚一手向后伸) | |
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93 costly | |
adj.昂贵的,价值高的,豪华的 | |
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94 armour | |
(=armor)n.盔甲;装甲部队 | |
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95 remorse | |
n.痛恨,悔恨,自责 | |
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96 gale | |
n.大风,强风,一阵闹声(尤指笑声等) | |
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97 shrieked | |
v.尖叫( shriek的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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98 bravado | |
n.虚张声势,故作勇敢,逞能 | |
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99 poetical | |
adj.似诗人的;诗一般的;韵文的;富有诗意的 | |
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100 anecdote | |
n.轶事,趣闻,短故事 | |
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101 foes | |
敌人,仇敌( foe的名词复数 ) | |
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102 assailed | |
v.攻击( assail的过去式和过去分词 );困扰;质问;毅然应对 | |
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103 eternity | |
n.不朽,来世;永恒,无穷 | |
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104 shuddered | |
v.战栗( shudder的过去式和过去分词 );发抖;(机器、车辆等)突然震动;颤动 | |
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105 prospect | |
n.前景,前途;景色,视野 | |
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106 superstition | |
n.迷信,迷信行为 | |
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107 omens | |
n.前兆,预兆( omen的名词复数 ) | |
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108 talismans | |
n.护身符( talisman的名词复数 );驱邪物;有不可思议的力量之物;法宝 | |
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109 avert | |
v.防止,避免;转移(目光、注意力等) | |
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110 distill | |
vt.蒸馏,用蒸馏法提取,吸取,提炼 | |
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111 immortality | |
n.不死,不朽 | |
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112 ascend | |
vi.渐渐上升,升高;vt.攀登,登上 | |
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113 survivors | |
幸存者,残存者,生还者( survivor的名词复数 ) | |
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114 hatred | |
n.憎恶,憎恨,仇恨 | |
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115 dungeon | |
n.地牢,土牢 | |
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116 displeased | |
a.不快的 | |
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117 varied | |
adj.多样的,多变化的 | |
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118 cannon | |
n.大炮,火炮;飞机上的机关炮 | |
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119 devoured | |
吞没( devour的过去式和过去分词 ); 耗尽; 津津有味地看; 狼吞虎咽地吃光 | |
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120 rabble | |
n.乌合之众,暴民;下等人 | |
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121 perfectly | |
adv.完美地,无可非议地,彻底地 | |
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122 devoted | |
adj.忠诚的,忠实的,热心的,献身于...的 | |
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123 convoking | |
v.召集,召开(会议)( convoke的现在分词 ) | |
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124 stunned | |
adj. 震惊的,惊讶的 动词stun的过去式和过去分词 | |
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125 annuity | |
n.年金;养老金 | |
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126 maize | |
n.玉米 | |
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127 sect | |
n.派别,宗教,学派,派系 | |
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128 contrived | |
adj.不自然的,做作的;虚构的 | |
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129 benevolence | |
n.慈悲,捐助 | |
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130 possessed | |
adj.疯狂的;拥有的,占有的 | |
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131 uproar | |
n.骚动,喧嚣,鼎沸 | |
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132 batons | |
n.(警察武器)警棍( baton的名词复数 );(乐队指挥用的)指挥棒;接力棒 | |
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133 impartially | |
adv.公平地,无私地 | |
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134 severely | |
adv.严格地;严厉地;非常恶劣地 | |
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135 prerogative | |
n.特权 | |
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136 jolted | |
(使)摇动, (使)震惊( jolt的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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137 delightful | |
adj.令人高兴的,使人快乐的 | |
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138 idiotic | |
adj.白痴的 | |
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139 discourse | |
n.论文,演说;谈话;话语;vi.讲述,著述 | |
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140 forerunner | |
n.前身,先驱(者),预兆,祖先 | |
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141 kindled | |
(使某物)燃烧,着火( kindle的过去式和过去分词 ); 激起(感情等); 发亮,放光 | |
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142 triumphant | |
adj.胜利的,成功的;狂欢的,喜悦的 | |
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143 rein | |
n.疆绳,统治,支配;vt.以僵绳控制,统治 | |
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144 formerly | |
adv.从前,以前 | |
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145 misery | |
n.痛苦,苦恼,苦难;悲惨的境遇,贫苦 | |
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146 sifted | |
v.筛( sift的过去式和过去分词 );筛滤;细查;详审 | |
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147 tassels | |
n.穗( tassel的名词复数 );流苏状物;(植物的)穗;玉蜀黍的穗状雄花v.抽穗, (玉米)长穗须( tassel的第三人称单数 );使抽穗, (为了使作物茁壮生长)摘去穗状雄花;用流苏装饰 | |
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148 loyalty | |
n.忠诚,忠心 | |
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149 distinguished | |
adj.卓越的,杰出的,著名的 | |
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150 extorted | |
v.敲诈( extort的过去式和过去分词 );曲解 | |
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151 entirely | |
ad.全部地,完整地;完全地,彻底地 | |
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152 sufficiently | |
adv.足够地,充分地 | |
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153 amassing | |
v.积累,积聚( amass的现在分词 ) | |
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154 ravaged | |
毁坏( ravage的过去式和过去分词 ); 蹂躏; 劫掠; 抢劫 | |
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155 emaciated | |
adj.衰弱的,消瘦的 | |
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156 inventory | |
n.详细目录,存货清单 | |
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157 magistrates | |
地方法官,治安官( magistrate的名词复数 ) | |
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158 plunged | |
v.颠簸( plunge的过去式和过去分词 );暴跌;骤降;突降 | |
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159 boiler | |
n.锅炉;煮器(壶,锅等) | |
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160 interrogated | |
v.询问( interrogate的过去式和过去分词 );审问;(在计算机或其他机器上)查询 | |
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161 remains | |
n.剩余物,残留物;遗体,遗迹 | |
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162 colonists | |
n.殖民地开拓者,移民,殖民地居民( colonist的名词复数 ) | |
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163 promptly | |
adv.及时地,敏捷地 | |
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164 ascertain | |
vt.发现,确定,查明,弄清 | |
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165 confidential | |
adj.秘(机)密的,表示信任的,担任机密工作的 | |
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166 divan | |
n.长沙发;(波斯或其他东方诗人的)诗集 | |
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167 traitor | |
n.叛徒,卖国贼 | |
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168 accomplished | |
adj.有才艺的;有造诣的;达到了的 | |
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169 indifference | |
n.不感兴趣,不关心,冷淡,不在乎 | |
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170 monk | |
n.和尚,僧侣,修道士 | |
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171 discretion | |
n.谨慎;随意处理 | |
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172 monks | |
n.修道士,僧侣( monk的名词复数 ) | |
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173 stratagem | |
n.诡计,计谋 | |
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174 conniving | |
v.密谋 ( connive的现在分词 );搞阴谋;默许;纵容 | |
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175 justified | |
a.正当的,有理的 | |
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176 thereby | |
adv.因此,从而 | |
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177 innocence | |
n.无罪;天真;无害 | |
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178 affected | |
adj.不自然的,假装的 | |
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179 entreating | |
恳求,乞求( entreat的现在分词 ) | |
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180 intercede | |
vi.仲裁,说情 | |
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181 demonstrations | |
证明( demonstration的名词复数 ); 表明; 表达; 游行示威 | |
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182 itinerant | |
adj.巡回的;流动的 | |
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183 monastery | |
n.修道院,僧院,寺院 | |
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184 assassination | |
n.暗杀;暗杀事件 | |
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185 retarded | |
a.智力迟钝的,智力发育迟缓的 | |
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186 inclination | |
n.倾斜;点头;弯腰;斜坡;倾度;倾向;爱好 | |
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187 allied | |
adj.协约国的;同盟国的 | |
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188 uncertainty | |
n.易变,靠不住,不确知,不确定的事物 | |
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189 vengeance | |
n.报复,报仇,复仇 | |
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190 coalition | |
n.结合体,同盟,结合,联合 | |
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191 requisite | |
adj.需要的,必不可少的;n.必需品 | |
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192 treasury | |
n.宝库;国库,金库;文库 | |
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193 overhauling | |
n.大修;拆修;卸修;翻修v.彻底检查( overhaul的现在分词 );大修;赶上;超越 | |
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194 musket | |
n.滑膛枪 | |
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195 zeal | |
n.热心,热情,热忱 | |
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196 dilatory | |
adj.迟缓的,不慌不忙的 | |
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197 prophesied | |
v.预告,预言( prophesy的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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198 persevere | |
v.坚持,坚忍,不屈不挠 | |
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