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What's truly amazing and very touching about the spring and summer of 1642
1642年春夏 真正令人震驚和觸動的是
is the abundance of evidence we have about the agonies of allegiance:
大量史料證明當時很多人 處在忠義難兩全的窘境之中
The real soul searching that people went through when they were pondering the most painful and weightiest decision of their lives
人們向靈魂深處探尋 試圖做出他們一生中 最痛苦最重大的抉擇
which side to join themselves to,and how earnestly and how honestly they tried to justify that decision to their families,
他們該加入哪個陣營 他們急切而坦誠地試圖向 親朋好友證明決定的正確性
their friends and not least, to themselves.
更重要的是要向他們自己證明
Cruellest of all, it tore fathers away from sons.
最殘酷的是這場戰(zhàn)爭竟導致父子反目
The sad history of one Buckinghamshire family says it all.
白金漢郡一家人家的遭遇是這場悲劇的縮影
The Verneys had been the very model of a loving, companionable gentry family,
瓦內一家本來是 和睦的模范家庭
but they were torn apart in this crisis.
但在這次危機中卻四分五裂
Ralph had sat next to his father during the great parliaments of 1640,
在1640年那次偉大的議會上 拉爾夫就坐在他父親身邊
but now he not only expressed support for the parliamentary cause
當下他不僅表明要支持議會
but actually swore the oath required of all members after the militia ordinance.
而且依照民兵條例 對議會宣誓效忠
Now, oaths were very serious things in the 17th century,
在十七世紀宣誓是很嚴肅的事情
and taking this one split Ralph not only from his father,
為了履行誓言拉爾夫不得不離開父親
but from his hothead younger Royalist brother Edmund,
離開他忠誠于保皇黨的弟弟埃德蒙
who absolutely failed to see why Ralph should not be honouring not only his father but the king.
弟弟顯然不能理解 拉爾夫此刻選擇 違抗父命違抗王命的原因
And yet, and yet, the Verneys did remain a family.
盡管如此瓦內們仍然是一家人
Ralph had made his vow to parliament,
拉爾夫宣誓效忠議會
but his father felt under no less obligation to Charles.
他父親則覺得應該追隨查理
It was a bond of personal loyalty which held,despite Edmund having little enthusiasm for what the king had done.
盡忠只是為了履行義務 事實上埃德蒙 對國王的所作所為毫無好感
