How the Furred Law-cats live on corruption¹.

Friar John had hardly said those words ere he perceived seventy-eight galleys² and frigates³ just arriving at the port. So he hied him thither⁴ to learn some news; and as he asked what goods they had o’ board, he soon found that their whole cargo⁵ was venison, hares, capons, turkeys, pigs, swine, bacon, kids, calves⁶, hens, ducks, teals, geese, and other poultry⁷ and wildfowl.

He also spied among these some pieces of velvet⁹, satin, and damask. This made him ask the new-comers whither and to whom they were going to carry those dainty goods. They answered that they were for Gripe-men-all and the Furred Law-cats.

Pray, asked he, what is the true name of all these things in your country language? Corruption, they replied. If they live on corruption, said the friar, they will perish with their generation. May the devil be damned, I have it now: their fathers devoured¹⁰ the good gentlemen who, according to their state of life, used to go much a-hunting and hawking¹¹, to be the better inured¹² to toil¹³ in time of war; for hunting is an image of a martial¹⁴ life, and Xenophon was much in the right of it when he affirmed that hunting had yielded a great number of excellent

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1 corruption
n.腐败，堕落，贪污
参考例句：
The people asked the government to hit out against corruption and theft.人民要求政府严惩贪污盗窃。 The old man reviled against corruption.那老人痛斥了贪污舞弊。

2 galleys
n.平底大船，战舰( galley的名词复数 )；（船上或航空器上的）厨房
参考例句：
Other people had drowned at sea since galleys swarmed with painted sails. 自从布满彩帆的大船下海以来，别的人曾淹死在海里。 来自辞典例句 He sighed for the galleys, with their infamous costume. 他羡慕那些穿着囚衣的苦工。 来自辞典例句

3 frigates
n.快速军舰( frigate的名词复数 )
参考例句：
Frigates are a vital part of any balanced sea-going fleet. 护卫舰是任何一个配置均衡的远洋舰队所必需的。 来自互联网 These ships are based on the Chinese Jiangwei II class frigates. 这些战舰是基于中国的江卫II型护卫舰。 来自互联网

4 thither
adv.向那里；adj.在那边的，对岸的
参考例句：
He wandered hither and thither looking for a playmate.他逛来逛去找玩伴。 He tramped hither and thither.他到处流浪。

5 cargo
n.(一只船或一架飞机运载的)货物
参考例句：
The ship has a cargo of about 200 ton.这条船大约有200吨的货物。 A lot of people discharged the cargo from a ship.许多人从船上卸下货物。

6 calves
n.(calf的复数)笨拙的男子，腓；腿肚子( calf的名词复数 )；牛犊；腓；小腿肚v.生小牛( calve的第三人称单数 )；（冰川）崩解；生（小牛等），产（犊）；使（冰川）崩解
参考例句：
a cow suckling her calves 给小牛吃奶的母牛 The calves are grazed intensively during their first season. 小牛在生长的第一季里集中喂养。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 poultry
n.家禽，禽肉
参考例句：
There is not much poultry in the shops. 商店里禽肉不太多。 What do you feed the poultry on? 你们用什么饲料喂养家禽?

8 fowl
n.家禽，鸡，禽肉
参考例句：
Fowl is not part of a traditional brunch.禽肉不是传统的早午餐的一部分。 Since my heart attack,I've eaten more fish and fowl and less red meat.自从我患了心脏病后，我就多吃鱼肉和禽肉，少吃红色肉类。

9 velvet
n.丝绒，天鹅绒；adj.丝绒制的，柔软的
参考例句：
This material feels like velvet.这料子摸起来像丝绒。 The new settlers wore the finest silk and velvet clothing.新来的移民穿着最华丽的丝绸和天鹅绒衣服。

10 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
参考例句：
She devoured everything she could lay her hands on: books, magazines and newspapers. 无论是书、杂志，还是报纸，只要能弄得到，她都看得津津有味。 The lions devoured a zebra in a short time. 狮子一会儿就吃掉了一匹斑马。

11 hawking
利用鹰行猎
参考例句：
He is hawking his goods everywhere. 他在到处兜售他的货物。 We obtain the event horizon and the Hawking spectrumformula. 得到了黑洞的局部事件视界位置和Hawking温度以及Klein—Gordon粒子的Hawking辐射谱。

12 inured
adj.坚强的，习惯的
参考例句：
The prisoners quickly became inured to the harsh conditions.囚犯们很快就适应了苛刻的条件。 He has inured himself to accept misfortune.他锻练了自己，使自己能承受不幸。

13 toil
vi.辛劳工作，艰难地行动；n.苦工，难事
参考例句：
The wealth comes from the toil of the masses.财富来自大众的辛勤劳动。 Every single grain is the result of toil.每一粒粮食都来之不易。

14 martial
adj.战争的，军事的，尚武的，威武的
参考例句：
The sound of martial music is always inspiring.军乐声总是鼓舞人心的。 The officer was convicted of desertion at a court martial.这名军官在军事法庭上被判犯了擅离职守罪。

15 warriors
武士，勇士，战士( warrior的名词复数 )
参考例句：
I like reading the stories ofancient warriors. 我喜欢读有关古代武士的故事。 The warriors speared the man to death. 武士们把那个男子戳死了。

16 hearsay
n.谣传，风闻
参考例句：
They started to piece the story together from hearsay.他们开始根据传闻把事情的经过一点点拼湊起来。 You are only supposing this on hearsay.You have no proof.你只是根据传闻想像而已，并没有证据。

17 riddle
n.谜，谜语，粗筛；vt.解谜，给…出谜，筛，检查，鉴定，非难，充满于；vi.出谜
参考例句：
The riddle couldn't be solved by the child.这个谜语孩子猜不出来。 Her disappearance is a complete riddle.她的失踪完全是一个谜。

18 strictly
adv.严厉地，严格地；严密地
参考例句：
His doctor is dieting him strictly.他的医生严格规定他的饮食。 The guests were seated strictly in order of precedence.客人严格按照地位高低就座。

19 inhibiting
抑制作用的，约束的
参考例句：
The high cost of borrowing is inhibiting investment by industry in new equipment. 借款的高成本抑制了企业对新设备的投资。 The pesticides affect the nervous system by inhibiting the enzyme cholinesterase. 这类农药抑制胆碱酯酶而影响神经系统。

20 Christian
adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒
参考例句：
They always addressed each other by their Christian name.他们总是以教名互相称呼。 His mother is a sincere Christian.他母亲是个虔诚的基督教徒。

21 trespassing
[法]非法入侵
参考例句：
He told me I was trespassing on private land. 他说我在擅闯私人土地。 Don't come trespassing on my land again. 别再闯入我的地界了。

22 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。

23 bribes
n.贿赂( bribe的名词复数 )；向（某人）行贿，贿赂v.贿赂( bribe的第三人称单数 )；向（某人）行贿，贿赂
参考例句：
It was alleged that he had taken bribes while in office. 他被指称在任时收受贿赂。 corrupt officials accepting bribes 接受贿赂的贪官污吏

24 formerly
adv.从前，以前
参考例句：
We now enjoy these comforts of which formerly we had only heard.我们现在享受到了过去只是听说过的那些舒适条件。 This boat was formerly used on the rivers of China.这船从前航行在中国内河里。

25 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。