評論
打印
Like all human institutions, Knighthood was doomed to perish as soon as it had outlived its usefulness.
像所有的人類制度一樣，騎士制度一旦衰老無用，它便注定了滅亡的命運。
The crusades, about which one of the next chapters tells, were followed by a great revival of trade. Cities grew overnight.
十字軍東征帶動了商業的復興。城市一夜之間星羅棋布于歐洲的原野。
The townspeople became rich, hired good school teachers and soon were the equals of the knights.
城鎮的人們變得富有起來 他們雇傭了好的學校的老師 不久他們也變得跟騎士一樣了
The invention of gun-powder deprived the heavily armed "Chevalier" of his former advantage
火藥的發明取代了曾經騎士們認為很好用但是攜帶起來很不方便的武器
and the use of mercenaries made it impossible to conduct a battle with the delicate niceties of a chess tournament.
使用雇傭軍作戰，便不可能再像下棋那樣，以精致的步驟和富于美感的策劃來指揮一場戰役。
The knight became superfluous.
騎士變成了純粹多余的擺設，騎士精神成為了不合時宜的奢侈品。
Soon he became a ridiculous figure, with his devotion to ideals that had no longer any practical value.
當騎士們獻身理想的高尚情操失去其實用價值后，他們本人也淪為某種荒誕可笑的角色。
It was said that the noble Don Quixote de la Mancha had been the last of the true knights.
據說，尊貴的堂吉河德先生是世界上最后一位真正的騎士。
After his death, his trusted sword and his armour were sold to pay his debts.
自從他去世后，伴他相依為命、勇闖天涯的盔甲和寶劍被相繼拍賣，以抵償他留下的個人債務。
But somehow or other that sword seems to have fallen into the hands of a number of men.
不過不知怎么，他的寶劍似乎還落到過許多人之手。在福奇谷的嚴冬里，華盛頓將軍佩帶過它。
Washington carried it during the hopeless days of Valley Forge.
在喀土穆被包圍的絕望日子里，
It was the only defence of Gordon, when he had refused to desert the people who had been entrusted to his care,
戈登將軍拒絕拋棄把生命托付給他的人民，
and stayed to meet his death in the besieged fortress of Khartoum.
勇敢地等待著死亡的命運。當時，這把寶劍是他唯一的武器。
And I am not quite sure but that it proved of invaluable strength in winning the Great War.
我不太清楚它在剛剛過去的世界大戰究竟中發揮了多大作用，但事實證明，它的價值是難以估量的。
