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His great hope was for a settling,
他最大的愿望是一個長久的規劃
but the truth was that the protector himself was anything
但實際上 除了為國家指明未來的方向之外
but settled his mind about the direction he should take the country.
作為護國公 他已經無所不能了
Should Britain be righteous or reasonable?
不列顛應該主持道義 還是遵循理性
It was a civil war he fought over and over again in his own head.
這個難題一直在他腦中縈繞
Squire Cromwell could see the virtues of a reasonable state of affairs.
護國公克倫威爾 能看到遵循理性治國的好處
Given a breathing space, the old world of counties was coming ever so cautiously back to life.
如果給予任何喘息的機會 舊有體制 就會得以慢慢復蘇
Magistrates were sitting at courts,gentlemen riding to hounds,
地方官會端坐于法庭之上 紳士們會外出獵狐貍
war-damaged houses being repaired,children being married off,
被戰爭摧毀的宅邸得以重建 孩子們迎來嫁娶
friends and neighbours asked to dinner.
朋友和鄰居們被邀來共進晚餐
And not least when some of those gentlemen were elected to the Protectorate parliaments,
而當這其中的鄉紳們 被選入護國議會
the old connections between Westminster and the counties,
議會和各郡之間往日的聯系
the secret of English government,were, at last, being put back together.
英國政府的舊制 都將重見天日
But the righteous side of Cromwell fretted
但是主持道義的克倫威爾卻又擔憂
that this return to an older way of doing things was only too successful.
這些舊有體制的復蘇 太過順利了
It was not so much healing as backsliding.Royalism by the back door.
比起重生 這更像是倒退 讓復辟有抬頭之勢
So in 1655,Cromwell turned his mastiffs loose.
所以在1655年 克倫威爾使出了他的殺手锏
