A continuation of the storm, with a short discourse¹ on the subject of making testaments² at sea.

To make one’s last will, said Epistemon, at this time that we ought to bestir ourselves and help our seamen³, on the penalty of being drowned, seems to me as idle and ridiculous a maggot as that of some of Caesar’s men, who, at their coming into the Gauls, were mightily⁴ busied in making wills and codicils⁵; bemoaned⁶ their fortune and the absence of their spouses⁷ and friends at Rome, when it was absolutely necessary for them to run to their arms and use their utmost strength against Ariovistus their enemy.

This also is to be as silly as that jolt-headed loblolly of a carter, who, having laid this waggon⁸ fast in a slough⁹, down on his marrow-bones was calling on the strong-backed deity¹⁰, Hercules, might and main, to help him at a dead lift, but all the while forgot to goad¹¹ on his oxen and lay his shoulder to the wheels, as it behoved him; as if a Lord have mercy upon us alone would have got his cart out of the mire¹².

What will it signify to make your will now? for either we shall come off or drown for it. If we ‘scape, it will not signify a straw to us; for testaments are of no value or authority but by the death of the testators. If we are drowned, will it not be drowned too? Prithee, who will transmit it to the executors? Some kind wave will throw it

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1 discourse
n.论文，演说；谈话；话语；vi.讲述，著述
参考例句：
We'll discourse on the subject tonight.我们今晚要谈论这个问题。 He fell into discourse with the customers who were drinking at the counter.他和站在柜台旁的酒客谈了起来。

2 testaments
n.遗嘱( testament的名词复数 )；实际的证明
参考例句：
The coastline is littered with testaments to the savageness of the waters. 海岸线上充满了海水肆虐过后的杂乱东西。 来自互联网 A personification of wickedness and ungodliness alluded to in the Old and New Testaments. 彼勒《旧约》和《新约》中邪恶和罪孽的化身。 来自互联网

3 seamen
n.海员
参考例句：
Experienced seamen will advise you about sailing in this weather. 有经验的海员会告诉你在这种天气下的航行情况。 In the storm, many seamen wished they were on shore. 在暴风雨中，许多海员想，要是他们在陆地上就好了。

4 mightily
ad.强烈地；非常地
参考例句：
He hit the peg mightily on the top with a mallet. 他用木槌猛敲木栓顶。 This seemed mightily to relieve him. 干完这件事后，他似乎轻松了许多。

5 codicils
n.遗嘱的附件( codicil的名词复数 )
参考例句：
The content of a book or document exclusive of prefatory matter, codicils, indexes, or appendices. 正文除去序言、补遗、索引和附录的书或文献的主要部分。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 bemoaned
v.为（某人或某事）抱怨( bemoan的过去式和过去分词 )；悲悼；为…恸哭；哀叹
参考例句：
The farmer bemoaned his loss. 农夫抱怨他所受到的损失。 来自《简明英汉词典》 He only bemoaned his fate. 他忍受了。 来自汉英文学 - 家（1-26） - 家（1-26）

7 spouses
n.配偶，夫或妻( spouse的名词复数 )
参考例句：
Jobs are available for spouses on campus and in the community. 校园里和社区里有配偶可做的工作。 来自辞典例句 An astonishing number of spouses-most particularly in the upper-income brackets-have no close notion of their husbands'paychecks. 相当大一部分妇女——特别在高收入阶层——并不很了解他们丈夫的薪金。 来自辞典例句

8 waggon
n.运货马车，运货车；敞篷车箱
参考例句：
The enemy attacked our waggon train.敌人袭击了我们的运货马车队。 Someone jumped out from the foremost waggon and cried aloud.有人从最前面的一辆大车里跳下来，大声叫嚷。

9 slough
v.蜕皮，脱落，抛弃
参考例句：
He was not able to slough off the memories of the past.他无法忘记过去。 A cicada throws its slough.蝉是要蜕皮的。

10 deity
n.神，神性；被奉若神明的人(或物)
参考例句：
Many animals were seen as the manifestation of a deity.许多动物被看作神的化身。 The deity was hidden in the deepest recesses of the temple.神藏在庙宇壁龛的最深处。

11 goad
n.刺棒，刺痛物；激励；vt.激励，刺激
参考例句：
The opposition is trying to goad the government into calling an election.在野反对党正努力激起政府提出选举。 The writer said he needed some goad because he was indolent.这个作家说他需要刺激，因为他很懒惰。

12 mire
n.泥沼，泥泞；v.使...陷于泥泞，使...陷入困境
参考例句：
I don't want my son's good name dragged through the mire.我不想使我儿子的名誉扫地。 He has rescued me from the mire of misery.他把我从苦海里救了出来。

13 ashore
adv.在(向)岸上，上岸
参考例句：
The children got ashore before the tide came in.涨潮前，孩子们就上岸了。 He laid hold of the rope and pulled the boat ashore.他抓住绳子拉船靠岸。

14 fresco
n.壁画；vt.作壁画于
参考例句：
This huge fresco is extremely clear and just like nature itself.It is very harmonious.这一巨幅壁画，清晰有致且又浑然天成，十分和谐。 So it is quite necessary to study the influence of visual thinking over fresco.因此，研究视觉思维对壁画的影响和作用是十分必要的。

15 nay
adv.不；n.反对票，投反对票者
参考例句：
He was grateful for and proud of his son's remarkable,nay,unique performance.他为儿子出色的，不，应该是独一无二的表演心怀感激和骄傲。 Long essays,nay,whole books have been written on this.许多长篇大论的文章，不，应该说是整部整部的书都是关于这件事的。

16 ERECTED
adj. 直立的，竖立的，笔直的 vt. 使 ... 直立，建立
参考例句：
A monument to him was erected in St Paul's Cathedral. 在圣保罗大教堂为他修了一座纪念碑。 A monument was erected to the memory of that great scientist. 树立了一块纪念碑纪念那位伟大的科学家。

17 tarpaulin
n.涂油防水布，防水衣，防水帽
参考例句：
The pool furniture was folded,stacked,and covered with a tarpaulin.游泳池的设备都已经折叠起来，堆在那里，还盖上了防水布。 The pool furniture was folded,stacked,and covered with a tarpaulin.游泳池的设备都已经折叠起来，堆在那里，还盖上了防水布。

18 gnaw
v.不断地啃、咬；使苦恼，折磨
参考例句：
Dogs like to gnaw on a bone.狗爱啃骨头。 A rat can gnaw a hole through wood.老鼠能啃穿木头。

19 bum
n.臀部；流浪汉，乞丐；vt.乞求，乞讨
参考例句：
A man pinched her bum on the train so she hit him.在火车上有人捏她屁股，她打了那人。 The penniless man had to bum a ride home.那个身无分文的人只好乞求搭车回家。

20 Founder
n.创始者，缔造者
参考例句：
He was extolled as the founder of their Florentine school.他被称颂为佛罗伦萨画派的鼻祖。 According to the old tradition,Romulus was the founder of Rome.按照古老的传说，罗穆卢斯是古罗马的建国者。

21 hull
n.船身；(果、实等的)外壳；vt.去(谷物等)壳
参考例句：
The outer surface of ship's hull is very hard.船体的外表面非常坚硬。 The boat's hull has been staved in by the tremendous seas.小船壳让巨浪打穿了。

22 exclamation
n.感叹号，惊呼，惊叹词
参考例句：
He could not restrain an exclamation of approval.他禁不住喝一声采。 The author used three exclamation marks at the end of the last sentence to wake up the readers.作者在文章的最后一句连用了三个惊叹号，以引起读者的注意。

23 virgin
n.处女，未婚女子；adj.未经使用的；未经开发的
参考例句：
Have you ever been to a virgin forest?你去过原始森林吗？ There are vast expanses of virgin land in the remote regions.在边远地区有大片大片未开垦的土地。

24 alas
int.唉(表示悲伤、忧愁、恐惧等)
参考例句：
Alas!The window is broken!哎呀！窗子破了！ Alas,the truth is less romantic.然而，真理很少带有浪漫色彩。

25 harp
n.竖琴；天琴座
参考例句：
She swept her fingers over the strings of the harp.她用手指划过竖琴的琴弦。 He played an Irish melody on the harp.他用竖琴演奏了一首爱尔兰曲调。

26 chattering
n. （机器振动发出的）咔嗒声，(鸟等)鸣，啁啾 adj. 喋喋不休的，啾啾声的 动词chatter的现在分词形式
参考例句：
The teacher told the children to stop chattering in class. 老师叫孩子们在课堂上不要叽叽喳喳讲话。 I was so cold that my teeth were chattering. 我冷得牙齿直打战。

27 dangles
悬吊着( dangle的第三人称单数 )； 摆动不定； 用某事物诱惑…； 吊胃口
参考例句：
A kite dangles from a telephone wire. 一只风筝悬挂在电话线上晃来晃去。 Her hand, which dangles over the side, sparkles cold with jewels. 她一只手耷拉在一边，闪耀着珠宝的寒光。

28 calf
n.小牛，犊，幼仔，小牛皮
参考例句：
The cow slinked its calf.那头母牛早产了一头小牛犊。 The calf blared for its mother.牛犊哞哞地高声叫喊找妈妈。

29 ragged
adj.衣衫褴褛的，粗糙的，刺耳的
参考例句：
A ragged shout went up from the small crowd.这一小群人发出了刺耳的喊叫。 Ragged clothing infers poverty.破衣烂衫意味着贫穷。

30 wilt
v.(使)植物凋谢或枯萎；(指人)疲倦，衰弱
参考例句：
Golden roses do not wilt and will never need to be watered.金色的玫瑰不枯萎绝也不需要浇水。 Several sleepless nights made him wilt.数个不眠之夜使他憔悴。

31 peruse
v.细读，精读
参考例句：
We perused the company's financial statements for the past five years.我们翻阅了公司过去5年来的财务报表。 Please peruse this report at your leisure.请在空暇时细读这篇报道。

32 mighty
adj.强有力的；巨大的
参考例句：
A mighty force was about to break loose.一股巨大的力量即将迸发而出。 The mighty iceberg came into view.巨大的冰山出现在眼前。

33 pedants
n.卖弄学问的人，学究，书呆子( pedant的名词复数 )
参考例句：
Only pedants believe in the advantage of obfuscation. 只有书呆子才相信使人困惑会有好处。 来自辞典例句 Those cold-blooded pedants are not insensible. 那些冷血腐儒，都不是没有知觉。 来自辞典例句

34 wretches
n.不幸的人( wretch的名词复数 )；可怜的人；恶棍；坏蛋
参考例句：
The little wretches were all bedraggledfrom some roguery. 小淘气们由于恶作剧而弄得脏乎乎的。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》 The best courage for us poor wretches is to fly from danger. 对我们这些可怜虫说来，最好的出路还是躲避危险。 来自辞典例句

35 fixed
adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的
参考例句：
Have you two fixed on a date for the wedding yet?你们俩选定婚期了吗？ Once the aim is fixed,we should not change it arbitrarily.目标一旦确定，我们就不应该随意改变。

36 lashing
n.鞭打；痛斥；大量；许多v.鞭打( lash的现在分词 )；煽动；紧系；怒斥
参考例句：
The speaker was lashing the crowd. 演讲人正在煽动人群。 来自《简明英汉词典》 The rain was lashing the windows. 雨急打着窗子。 来自《简明英汉词典》