If I know how to manage these affairs,
Thus thrust disorderly upon my hands,
Never believe me —
Richard II.
It was early in the afternoon of St. Valentine’s Day that the prior of the Dominicans was engaged in discharge of his duties as confessor to a penitent1 of no small importance. This was an elderly man, of a goodly presence, a florid and healthful cheek, the under part of which was shaded by a venerable white beard, which descended2 over his bosom3. The large and clear blue eyes, with the broad expanse of brow, expressed dignity; but it was of a character which seemed more accustomed to receive honours voluntarily paid than to enforce them when they were refused. The good nature of the expression was so great as to approach to defenceless simplicity4 or weakness of character, unfit, it might be inferred, to repel5 intrusion or subdue6 resistance. Amongst the grey locks of this personage was placed a small circlet or coronet of gold, upon a blue fillet. His beads7, which were large and conspicuous8, were of native gold, rudely enough wrought9, but ornamented10 with Scottish pearls of rare size and beauty. These were his only ornaments11; and a long crimson12 robe of silk, tied by a sash of the same colour, formed his attire13. His shrift being finished, he arose heavily from the embroidered14 cushion upon which he kneeled during his confession15, and, by the assistance of a crutch16 headed staff of ebony, moved, lame17 and ungracefully, and with apparent pain, to a chair of state, which, surmounted18 by a canopy19, was placed for his accommodation by the chimney of the lofty and large apartment.
This was Robert, third of that name, and the second of the ill fated family of Stuart who filled the throne of Scotland. He had many virtues20, and was not without talent; but it was his great misfortune that, like others of his devoted21 line, his merits were not of a kind suited to the part which he was called upon to perform in life. The king of so fierce a people as the Scots then were ought to have been warlike, prompt, and active, liberal in rewarding services, strict in punishing crimes, one whose conduct should make him feared as well as beloved. The qualities of Robert the Third were the reverse of all these. In youth he had indeed seen battles; but, without incurring22 disgrace, he had never manifested the chivalrous23 love of war and peril24, or the eager desire to distinguish himself by dangerous achievements, which that age expected from all who were of noble birth and had claims to authority.
Besides, his military career was very short. Amidst the tumult25 of a tournament, the young Earl of Carrick, such was then his title, received a kick from the horse of Sir James Douglas of Dalkeith, in consequence of which he was lame for the rest of his life, and absolutely disabled from taking share either in warfare26 or in the military sports and tournaments which were its image. As Robert had never testified much predilection27 for violent exertion28, he did not probably much regret the incapacities which exempted29 him from these active scenes. But his misfortune, or rather its consequences, lowered him in the eyes of a fierce nobility and warlike people. He was obliged to repose30 the principal charge of his affairs now in one member, now in another, of his family, sometimes with the actual rank, and always with the power, of lieutenant31 general of the kingdom. His paternal32 affection would have induced him to use the assistance of his eldest33 son, a young man of spirit and talent, whom in fondness he had created Duke of Rothsay, in order to give him the present possession of a dignity next to that of the throne. But the young prince’s head was too giddy, and his hand too feeble to wield34 with dignity the delegated sceptre. However fond of power, pleasure was the Prince’s favourite pursuit; and the court was disturbed, and the country scandalised, by the number of fugitive35 amours and extravagant36 revels37 practised by him who should have set an example of order and regularity38 to the youth of the kingdom.
The license39 and impropriety of the Duke of Rothsay’s conduct was the more reprehensible40 in the public view, that he was a married person; although some, over whom his youth, gaiety, grace, and good temper had obtained influence, were of opinion that an excuse for his libertinism41 might be found in the circumstances of the marriage itself. They reminded each other that his nuptials42 were entirely43 conducted by his uncle, the Duke of Albany, by whose counsels the infirm and timid King was much governed at the time, and who had the character of managing the temper of his brother and sovereign, so as might be most injurious to the interests and prospects44 of the young heir. By Albany’s machinations the hand of the heir apparent was in a manner put up to sale, as it was understood publicly that the nobleman in Scotland who should give the largest dower to his daughter might aspire45 to raise her to the bed of the Duke of Rothsay.
In the contest for preference which ensued, George Earl of Dunbar and March, who possessed46, by himself or his vassals48, a great part of the eastern frontier, was preferred to other competitors; and his daughter was, with the mutual49 goodwill50 of the young couple, actually contracted to the Duke of Rothsay.
But there remained a third party to be consulted, and that was no other than the tremendous Archibald Earl of Douglas, terrible alike from the extent of his lands, from the numerous offices and jurisdictions51 with which he was invested, and from his personal qualities of wisdom and valour, mingled52 with indomitable pride, and more than the feudal53 love of vengeance54. The Earl was also nearly related to the throne, having married the eldest daughter of the reigning55 monarch56.
After the espousals of the Duke of Rothsay with the Earl of March’s daughter, Douglas, as if he had postponed57 his share in the negotiation58 to show that it could not be concluded with any one but himself, entered the lists to break off the contract. He tendered a larger dower with his daughter Marjory than the Earl of March had proffered59; and, secured by his own cupidity60 and fear of the Douglas, Albany exerted his influence with the timid monarch till he was prevailed upon to break the contract with the Earl of March, and wed61 his son to Marjory Douglas, a woman whom Rothsay could not love. No apology was offered to the Earl of March, excepting that the espousals betwixt the Prince and Elizabeth of Dunbar had not been approved by the States of Parliament, and that till such ratification62 the contract was liable to be broken off. The Earl deeply resented the wrong done to himself and his daughter, and was generally understood to study revenge, which his great influence on the English frontier was likely to place within his power.
In the mean time, the Duke of Rothsay, incensed63 at the sacrifice of his hand and his inclinations65 to this state intrigue66, took his own mode of venting67 his displeasure, by neglecting his wife, contemning68 his formidable and dangerous father in law, and showing little respect to the authority of the King himself, and none whatever to the remonstrances69 of Albany, his uncle, whom he looked upon as his confirmed enemy.
Amid these internal dissensions of his family, which extended themselves through his councils and administration, introducing everywhere the baneful70 effects of uncertainty71 and disunion, the feeble monarch had for some time been supported by the counsels of his queen, Annabella, a daughter of the noble house of Drummond, gifted with a depth of sagacity and firmness of mind which exercised some restraint over the levities72 of a son who respected her, and sustained on many occasions the wavering resolution of her royal husband. But after her death the imbecile sovereign resembled nothing so much as a vessel73 drifted from her anchors, and tossed about amidst contending currents. Abstractedly considered, Robert might be said to doat upon his son, to entertain respect and awe74 for the character of his brother Albany, so much more decisive than his own, to fear the Douglas with a terror which was almost instinctive75; and to suspect the constancy of the bold but fickle76 Earl of March. But his feelings towards these various characters were so mixed and complicated, that from time to time they showed entirely different from what they really were; and according to the interest which had been last exerted over his flexible mind, the King would change from an indulgent to a strict and even cruel father, from a confiding77 to a jealous brother, or from a benignant and bountiful to a grasping and encroaching sovereign. Like the chameleon78, his feeble mind reflected the colour of that firmer character upon which at the time he reposed79 for counsel and assistance. And when he disused the advice of one of his family, and employed the counsel of another, it was no unwonted thing to see a total change of measures, equally disrespectable to the character of the King and dangerous to the safety of the state.
It followed as a matter of course that the clergy80 of the Catholic Church acquired influence over a man whose intentions were so excellent, but whose resolutions were so infirm. Robert was haunted, not only with a due sense of the errors he had really committed, but with the tormenting81 apprehensions82 of those peccadilloes83 which beset84 a superstitious85 and timid mind. It is scarce necessary, therefore, to add, that the churchmen of various descriptions had no small influence over this easy tempered prince, though, indeed, theirs was, at that period, an influence from which few or none escaped, however resolute86 and firm of purpose in affairs of a temporal character. We now return from this long digression, without which what we have to relate could not perhaps have been well understood.
The King had moved with ungraceful difficulty to the cushioned chair which, under a state or canopy, stood prepared for his accommodation, and upon which he sank down with enjoyment87, like an indolent man, who had been for some time confined to a constrained88 position. When seated, the gentle and venerable looks of the good old man showed benevolence89. The prior, who now remained standing90 opposite to the royal seat, with an air of deep deference91 which cloaked the natural haughtiness92 of his carriage, was a man betwixt forty and fifty years of age, but every one of whose hairs still retained their natural dark colour. Acute features and a penetrating93 look attested94 the talents by which the venerable father had acquired his high station in the community over which he presided; and, we may add, in the councils of the kingdom, in whose service they were often exercised. The chief objects which his education and habits taught him to keep in view were the extension of the dominion95 and the wealth of the church, and the suppression of heresy96, both of which he endeavoured to accomplish by all the means which his situation afforded him. But he honoured his religion by the sincerity97 of his own belief, and by the morality which guided his conduct in all ordinary situations. The faults of the Prior Anselm, though they led him into grievous error, and even cruelty, were perhaps rather those of his age and profession; his virtues were his own.
“These things done,” said the King, “and the lands I have mentioned secured by my gift to this monastery98, you are of opinion, father, that I stand as much in the good graces of our Holy Mother Church as to term myself her dutiful son?”
“Surely, my liege,” said the prior; “would to God that all her children brought to the efficacious sacrament of confession as deep a sense of their errors, and as much will to make amends99 for them. But I speak these comforting words, my liege, not to Robert King of Scotland, but only to my humble100 and devout101 penitent, Robert Stuart of Carrick.”
“You surprise me, father,” answered the King: “I have little check on my conscience for aught that I have done in my kingly office, seeing that I use therein less mine own opinion than the advice of the most wise counsellors.”
“Even therein lieth the danger, my liege,” replied the prior. “The Holy Father recognises in your Grace, in every thought, word, and action, an obedient vassal47 of the Holy Church. But there are perverse102 counsellors, who obey the instinct of their wicked hearts, while they abuse the good nature and ductility103 of their monarch, and, under colour of serving his temporal interests, take steps which are prejudicial to those that last to eternity104.”
King Robert raised himself upright in his chair, and assumed an air of authority, which, though it well became him, he did not usually display.
“Prior Anselm,” he said, “if you have discovered anything in my conduct, whether as a king or a private individual, which may call down such censures105 as your words intimate, it is your duty to speak plainly, and I command you to do so.”
“My liege, you shall be obeyed,” answered the prior, with an inclination64 of the body. Then raising himself up, and assuming the dignity of his rank in the church, he said, “Hear from me the words of our Holy Father the Pope, the successor of St. Peter, to whom have descended the keys, both to bind106 and to unloose. ‘Wherefore, O Robert of Scotland, hast thou not received into the see of St. Andrews Henry of Wardlaw, whom the Pontiff hath recommended to fill that see? Why dost thou make profession with thy lips of dutiful service to the Church, when thy actions proclaim the depravity and disobedience of thy inward soul? Obedience107 is better than sacrifice.”
“Sir prior,” said the monarch, bearing himself in a manner not unbecoming his lofty rank, “we may well dispense108 with answering you upon this subject, being a matter which concerns us and the estates of our kingdom, but does not affect our private conscience.”
“Alas109,” said the prior, “and whose conscience will it concern at the last day? Which of your belted lords or wealthy burgesses will then step between their king and the penalty which he has incurred110 by following of their secular111 policy in matters ecclesiastical? Know, mighty112 king, that, were all the chivalry113 of thy realm drawn114 up to shield thee from the red levin bolt, they would be consumed like scorched115 parchment before the blaze of a furnace.”
“Good father prior,” said the King, on whose timorous116 conscience this kind of language seldom failed to make an impression, “you surely argue over rigidly117 in this matter. It was during my last indisposition, while the Earl of Douglas held, as lieutenant general, the regal authority in Scotland, that the obstruction118 to the reception of the Primate119 unhappily arose. Do not, therefore, tax me with what happened when I was unable to conduct the affairs of the kingdom, and compelled to delegate my power to another.”
“To your subject, sire, you have said enough,” replied the prior. “But, if the impediment arose during the lieutenancy120 of the Earl of Douglas, the legate of his Holiness will demand wherefore it has not been instantly removed, when the King resumed in his royal hands the reins121 of authority? The Black Douglas can do much — more perhaps than a subject should have power to do in the kingdom of his sovereign; but he cannot stand betwixt your Grace and your own conscience, or release you from the duties to the Holy Church which your situation as a king imposes upon you.”
“Father,” said Robert, somewhat impatiently, “you are over peremptory122 in this matter, and ought at least to wait a reasonable season, until we have time to consider of some remedy. Such disputes have happened repeatedly in the reigns123 of our predecessors124; and our royal and blessed ancestor, St. David, did not resign his privileges as a monarch without making a stand in their defence, even though he was involved in arguments with the Holy Father himself.”
“And therein was that great and good king neither holy nor saintly,” said the prior “and therefore was he given to be a rout125 and a spoil to his enemies, when he raised his sword against the banners of St. Peter, and St. Paul, and St. John of Beverley, in the war, as it is still called, of the Standard. Well was it for him that, like his namesake, the son of Jesse, his sin was punished upon earth, and not entered against him at the long and dire126 day of accounting127.”
“Well, good prior — well — enough of this for the present. The Holy See shall, God willing, have no reason to complain of me. I take Our Lady to witness, I would not for the crown I wear take the burden of wronging our Mother Church. We have ever feared that the Earl of Douglas kept his eyes too much fixed128 on the fame and the temporalities of this frail129 and passing life to feel altogether as he ought the claims that refer to a future world.”
“It is but lately,” said the prior, “that he hath taken up forcible quarters in the monastery of Aberbrothock, with his retinue130 of a thousand followers131; and the abbot is compelled to furnish him with all he needs for horse and man, which the Earl calls exercising the hospitality which he hath a right to expect from the foundation to which his ancestors were contributors. Certain, it were better to return to the Douglas his lands than to submit to such exaction132, which more resembles the masterful license of Highland133 thiggers and sorners [sturdy beggars], than the demeanour of a Christian134 baron135.”
“The Black Douglasses,” said the King, with a sigh, “are a race which will not be said nay136. But, father prior, I am myself, it may be, an intruder of this kind; for my sojourning hath been long among you, and my retinue, though far fewer than the Douglas’s, are nevertheless enough to cumber137 you for their daily maintenance; and though our order is to send out purveyors to lessen138 your charge as much as may be, yet if there be inconvenience, it were fitting we should remove in time.”
“Now, Our Lady forbid!” said the prior, who, if desirous of power, had nothing meanly covetous139 in his temper, but was even magnificent in his generous kindness; “certainly the Dominican convent can afford to her sovereign the hospitality which the house offers to every wanderer of whatever condition who will receive it at the hands of the poor servants of our patron. No, my royal liege; come with ten times your present train, they shall neither want a grain of oats, a pile of straw, a morsel140 of bread, nor an ounce of food which our convent can supply them. It is one thing to employ the revenues of the church, which are so much larger than monks141 ought to need or wish for, in the suitable and dutiful reception of your royal Majesty142, and another to have it wrenched143 from us by the hands of rude and violent men, whose love of rapine is only limited by the extent of their power.”
“It is well, good prior,” said the King; “and now to turn our thoughts for an instant from state affairs, can thy reverence144 inform us how the good citizens of Perth have begun their Valentine’s Day? Gallantly145, and merrily, and peacefully; I hope.”
“For gallantly, my liege, I know little of such qualities. For peacefully, there were three or four men, two cruelly wounded, came this morning before daylight to ask the privilege of girth and sanctuary146, pursued by a hue147 and cry of citizens in their shirts, with clubs, bills, Lochaber axes, and two handed swords, crying ‘Kill and slay,’ each louder than another. Nay, they were not satisfied when our porter and watch told them that those they pursued had taken refuge in the galilee of the church, but continued for some minutes clamouring and striking upon the postern door, demanding that the men who had offended should be delivered up to them. I was afraid their rude noise might have broken your Majesty’s rest, and raised some surprise.”
“My rest might have been broken,” said the monarch; “but that sounds of violence should have occasioned surprise — Alas! reverend father, there is in Scotland only one place where the shriek148 of the victim and threats of the oppressor are not heard, and that, father, is — the grave.”
The prior stood in respectful silence, sympathising with the feelings of a monarch whose tenderness of heart suited so ill with the condition and manners of his people.
“And what became of the fugitives149?” asked Robert, after a minute’s pause.
“Surely, sire,” said the prior, “they were dismissed, as they desired to be, before daylight; and after we had sent out to be assured that no ambush150 of their enemies watched them in the vicinity, they went their way in peace.”
“You know nothing,” inquired the King, “who the men were, or the cause of their taking refuge with you?”
“The cause,” said the prior, “was a riot with the townsmen; but how arising is not known to us. The custom of our house is to afford twenty-four hours of uninterrupted refuge in the sanctuary of St. Dominic, without asking any question at the poor unfortunates who have sought relief there. If they desire to remain for a longer space, the cause of their resorting to sanctuary must be put upon the register of the convent; and, praised be our holy saint, many persons escape the weight of the law by this temporary protection, whom, did we know the character of their crimes, we might have found ourselves obliged to render up to their pursuers and persecutors.”
As the prior spoke151, a dim idea occurred to the monarch, that the privilege of sanctuary thus peremptorily152 executed must prove a severe interruption to the course of justice through his realm. But he repelled153 the feeling, as if it had been a suggestion of Satan, and took care that not a single word should escape to betray to the churchman that such a profane154 thought had ever occupied his bosom; on the contrary, he hasted to change the subject.
“The sun,” he said, “moves slowly on the index. After the painful information you have given me, I expected the Lords of my Council ere now, to take order with the ravelled affairs of this unhappy riot. Evil was the fortune which gave me rule over a people among whom it seems to me I am in my own person the only man who desires rest and tranquillity155!”
“The church always desires peace and tranquillity,” added the prior, not suffering even so general a proposition to escape the poor king’s oppressed mind without insisting on a saving clause for the church’s honour.
“We meant nothing else,” said Robert. “But, father prior, you will allow that the church, in quelling156 strife157, as is doubtless her purpose, resembles the busy housewife, who puts in motion the dust which she means to sweep away.”
To this remark the prior would have made some reply, but the door of the apartment was opened, and a gentleman usher158 announced the Duke of Albany.
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penitent
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| adj.后悔的；n.后悔者；忏悔者 | |
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descended
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| a.为...后裔的，出身于...的 | |
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bosom
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| n.胸，胸部；胸怀；内心；adj.亲密的 | |
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simplicity
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| n.简单，简易；朴素；直率，单纯 | |
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repel
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| v.击退，抵制，拒绝，排斥 | |
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subdue
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| vt.制服，使顺从，征服；抑制，克制 | |
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beads
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| n.（空心）小珠子( bead的名词复数 )；水珠；珠子项链 | |
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conspicuous
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| adj.明眼的，惹人注目的；炫耀的，摆阔气的 | |
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wrought
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| v.引起；以…原料制作；运转；adj.制造的 | |
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ornamented
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| adj.花式字体的v.装饰，点缀，美化( ornament的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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ornaments
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| n.装饰( ornament的名词复数 )；点缀；装饰品；首饰v.装饰，点缀，美化( ornament的第三人称单数 ) | |
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crimson
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| n./adj.深(绯)红色(的)；vi.脸变绯红色 | |
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attire
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| v.穿衣，装扮[同]array；n.衣着；盛装 | |
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embroidered
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| adj．绣花的 | |
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confession
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| n.自白，供认，承认 | |
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crutch
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| n.T字形拐杖；支持，依靠，精神支柱 | |
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lame
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| adj.跛的，(辩解、论据等)无说服力的 | |
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surmounted
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| 战胜( surmount的过去式和过去分词 )； 克服（困难）； 居于…之上； 在…顶上 | |
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canopy
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| n.天篷，遮篷 | |
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virtues
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| 美德( virtue的名词复数 )； 德行； 优点； 长处 | |
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devoted
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| adj.忠诚的，忠实的，热心的，献身于...的 | |
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incurring
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| 遭受，招致，引起( incur的现在分词 ) | |
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chivalrous
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| adj.武士精神的；对女人彬彬有礼的 | |
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peril
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| n.(严重的)危险；危险的事物 | |
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tumult
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| n.喧哗；激动，混乱；吵闹 | |
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warfare
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| n.战争(状态)；斗争；冲突 | |
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predilection
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| n.偏好 | |
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exertion
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| n.尽力，努力 | |
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exempted
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| 使免除[豁免]( exempt的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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repose
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| v.(使)休息；n.安息 | |
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lieutenant
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| n.陆军中尉，海军上尉；代理官员，副职官员 | |
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paternal
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| adj.父亲的，像父亲的，父系的，父方的 | |
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eldest
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| adj.最年长的，最年老的 | |
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wield
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| vt.行使，运用，支配；挥，使用(武器等) | |
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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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extravagant
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| adj.奢侈的；过分的；(言行等)放肆的 | |
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revels
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| n.作乐( revel的名词复数 )；狂欢；着迷；陶醉v.作乐( revel的第三人称单数 )；狂欢；着迷；陶醉 | |
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regularity
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| n.规律性，规则性；匀称，整齐 | |
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license
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| n.执照，许可证，特许；v.许可，特许 | |
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reprehensible
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| adj.该受责备的 | |
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libertinism
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| n.放荡，玩乐，（对宗教事物的）自由思想 | |
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nuptials
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| n.婚礼；婚礼( nuptial的名词复数 ) | |
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entirely
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| ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地 | |
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prospects
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| n.希望，前途(恒为复数) | |
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aspire
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| vi.(to，after)渴望，追求，有志于 | |
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possessed
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| adj.疯狂的；拥有的，占有的 | |
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vassal
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| n.附庸的；属下；adj.奴仆的 | |
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48
vassals
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| n.奴仆( vassal的名词复数 )；（封建时代）诸侯；从属者；下属 | |
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49
mutual
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| adj.相互的，彼此的；共同的，共有的 | |
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50
goodwill
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| n.善意，亲善，信誉，声誉 | |
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51
jurisdictions
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| 司法权( jurisdiction的名词复数 )； 裁判权； 管辖区域； 管辖范围 | |
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52
mingled
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| 混合，混入( mingle的过去式和过去分词 )； 混进，与…交往[联系] | |
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53
feudal
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| adj.封建的，封地的，领地的 | |
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54
vengeance
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| n.报复，报仇，复仇 | |
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55
reigning
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| adj.统治的，起支配作用的 | |
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56
monarch
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| n.帝王，君主，最高统治者 | |
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57
postponed
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| vt.& vi.延期，缓办，（使）延迟vt.把…放在次要地位；[语]把…放在后面（或句尾）vi.（疟疾等）延缓发作（或复发） | |
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58
negotiation
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| n.谈判，协商 | |
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59
proffered
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| v.提供，贡献，提出( proffer的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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60
cupidity
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| n.贪心，贪财 | |
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61
wed
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| v.娶，嫁，与…结婚 | |
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62
ratification
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| n.批准，认可 | |
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63
incensed
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| 盛怒的 | |
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64
inclination
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| n.倾斜；点头；弯腰；斜坡；倾度；倾向；爱好 | |
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65
inclinations
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| 倾向( inclination的名词复数 )； 倾斜； 爱好； 斜坡 | |
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66
intrigue
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| vt.激起兴趣，迷住；vi.耍阴谋；n.阴谋，密谋 | |
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67
venting
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| 消除； 泄去； 排去； 通风 | |
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68
contemning
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| v.侮辱，蔑视( contemn的现在分词 ) | |
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69
remonstrances
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| n.抱怨，抗议( remonstrance的名词复数 ) | |
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70
baneful
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| adj.有害的 | |
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71
uncertainty
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| n.易变，靠不住，不确知，不确定的事物 | |
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72
levities
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| n.欠考虑( levity的名词复数 )；不慎重；轻率；轻浮 | |
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73
vessel
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| n.船舶；容器，器皿；管，导管，血管 | |
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74
awe
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| n.敬畏，惊惧；vt.使敬畏，使惊惧 | |
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75
instinctive
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| adj.(出于)本能的；直觉的；(出于)天性的 | |
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76
fickle
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| adj.(爱情或友谊上)易变的，不坚定的 | |
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77
confiding
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| adj.相信人的，易于相信的v.吐露（秘密，心事等）( confide的现在分词 )；（向某人）吐露（隐私、秘密等） | |
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78
chameleon
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| n.变色龙，蜥蜴；善变之人 | |
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79
reposed
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| v.将（手臂等）靠在某人（某物）上( repose的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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80
clergy
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| n.[总称]牧师，神职人员 | |
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81
tormenting
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| 使痛苦的，使苦恼的 | |
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82
apprehensions
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| 疑惧 | |
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83
peccadilloes
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| n.轻罪，小过失( peccadillo的名词复数 ) | |
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84
beset
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| v.镶嵌；困扰，包围 | |
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85
superstitious
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| adj.迷信的 | |
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86
resolute
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| adj.坚决的，果敢的 | |
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87
enjoyment
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| n.乐趣；享有；享用 | |
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88
constrained
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| adj.束缚的,节制的 | |
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89
benevolence
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| n.慈悲，捐助 | |
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90
standing
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| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
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91
deference
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| n.尊重，顺从；敬意 | |
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92
haughtiness
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| n.傲慢；傲气 | |
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93
penetrating
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| adj.（声音）响亮的，尖锐的adj.（气味）刺激的adj.（思想）敏锐的，有洞察力的 | |
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94
attested
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| adj.经检验证明无病的，经检验证明无菌的v.证明( attest的过去式和过去分词 )；证实；声称…属实；使宣誓 | |
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95
dominion
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| n.统治，管辖，支配权；领土，版图 | |
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96
heresy
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| n.异端邪说；异教 | |
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97
sincerity
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| n.真诚，诚意；真实 | |
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98
monastery
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| n.修道院，僧院，寺院 | |
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99
amends
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| n. 赔偿 | |
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100
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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101
devout
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| adj.虔诚的，虔敬的，衷心的 (n.devoutness) | |
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102
perverse
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| adj.刚愎的；坚持错误的，行为反常的 | |
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103
ductility
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| n.展延性，柔软性，顺从；韧性；塑性；展性 | |
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104
eternity
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| n.不朽，来世；永恒，无穷 | |
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105
censures
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| v.指责，非难，谴责( censure的第三人称单数 ) | |
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106
bind
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| vt.捆，包扎；装订；约束；使凝固；vi.变硬 | |
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107
obedience
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| n.服从，顺从 | |
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108
dispense
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| vt.分配，分发；配(药)，发(药)；实施 | |
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109
alas
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| int.唉(表示悲伤、忧愁、恐惧等) | |
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110
incurred
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| [医]招致的，遭受的； incur的过去式 | |
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111
secular
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| n.牧师，凡人；adj.世俗的，现世的，不朽的 | |
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112
mighty
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| adj.强有力的；巨大的 | |
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113
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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114
drawn
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| v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的 | |
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115
scorched
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| 烧焦，烤焦( scorch的过去式和过去分词 )； 使（植物）枯萎，把…晒枯； 高速行驶； 枯焦 | |
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116
timorous
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| adj.胆怯的，胆小的 | |
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117
rigidly
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| adv.刻板地，僵化地 | |
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118
obstruction
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| n.阻塞，堵塞；障碍物 | |
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119
primate
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| n.灵长类（目）动物，首席主教；adj.首要的 | |
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120
lieutenancy
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| n.中尉之职，代理官员 | |
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121
reins
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| 感情，激情； 缰( rein的名词复数 )； 控制手段； 掌管； （成人带着幼儿走路以防其走失时用的）保护带 | |
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122
peremptory
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| adj.紧急的，专横的，断然的 | |
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123
reigns
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| n.君主的统治( reign的名词复数 )；君主统治时期；任期；当政期 | |
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124
predecessors
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| n.前任( predecessor的名词复数 )；前辈；（被取代的）原有事物；前身 | |
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125
rout
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| n.溃退，溃败；v.击溃，打垮 | |
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126
dire
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| adj.可怕的，悲惨的，阴惨的，极端的 | |
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127
accounting
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| n.会计，会计学，借贷对照表 | |
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128
fixed
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| adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的 | |
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129
frail
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| adj.身体虚弱的；易损坏的 | |
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130
retinue
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| n.侍从；随员 | |
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131
followers
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| 追随者( follower的名词复数 )； 用户； 契据的附面； 从动件 | |
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132
exaction
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| n.强求，强征；杂税 | |
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133
highland
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| n.(pl.)高地，山地 | |
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134
Christian
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| adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒 | |
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135
baron
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| n.男爵；(商业界等)巨头，大王 | |
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136
nay
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| adv.不；n.反对票，投反对票者 | |
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137
cumber
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| v.拖累，妨碍；n.妨害；拖累 | |
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138
lessen
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| vt.减少，减轻；缩小 | |
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139
covetous
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| adj.贪婪的，贪心的 | |
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140
morsel
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| n.一口，一点点 | |
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141
monks
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| n.修道士，僧侣( monk的名词复数 ) | |
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142
majesty
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| n.雄伟，壮丽，庄严，威严；最高权威，王权 | |
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143
wrenched
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| v.（猛力地）扭( wrench的过去式和过去分词 )；扭伤；使感到痛苦；使悲痛 | |
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144
reverence
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| n.敬畏，尊敬，尊严；Reverence:对某些基督教神职人员的尊称；v.尊敬，敬畏，崇敬 | |
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145
gallantly
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| adv. 漂亮地，勇敢地，献殷勤地 | |
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146
sanctuary
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| n.圣所，圣堂，寺庙；禁猎区，保护区 | |
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147
hue
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| n.色度；色调；样子 | |
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148
shriek
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| v./n.尖叫，叫喊 | |
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149
fugitives
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| n.亡命者，逃命者( fugitive的名词复数 ) | |
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150
ambush
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| n.埋伏(地点)；伏兵；v.埋伏；伏击 | |
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151
spoke
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| n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说 | |
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152
peremptorily
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| adv.紧急地，不容分说地，专横地 | |
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153
repelled
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| v.击退( repel的过去式和过去分词 )；使厌恶；排斥；推开 | |
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154
profane
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| adj.亵神的，亵渎的；vt.亵渎，玷污 | |
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155
tranquillity
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| n. 平静, 安静 | |
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156
quelling
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| v.（用武力）制止，结束，镇压( quell的现在分词 ) | |
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157
strife
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| n.争吵，冲突，倾轧，竞争 | |
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158
usher
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| n.带位员，招待员；vt.引导，护送；vi.做招待，担任引座员 | |
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