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These wars were the crucible of our modern history,
这些战争孕育了现代历史
for out of the fires of these wars came eventually a genuinely parliamentary monarchy.
因为正是经过这些炮火的洗礼 真正的议会制政体浴火而生
Of course, no one understood that at the time,
当然了 那个时候没有人意识到这一点
no one was reading from a script which commanded "Go forth and be democratic.
毕竟没有人有现成的剧本 "命令人们"向着民主前进吧"
So when the 24-year-old Charles became king,
因此当24岁的查理一世加冕时
no one in their right mind could possibly have imagined a war between parliament and the Crown.
没有人能想象到 议会与王权会发生战争
No succession in over two centuries had been as settled or as unthreatened.
两个多世纪间 从未有君主受到讨伐和威胁
Charles may have been smaller than life, long faced, painfully formal,
查理一世有可能 身材瘦小 长脸 病态地拘谨
private to the point of being secretive,a stickler for decorum,as cool, as still and as pallid as marble,
孤僻到鬼祟的程度 过于拘泥礼节 如大理石般苍白冰冷 沉默寡言
but to many this was rather a welcome contrast with his father, James,
但对很多人来说 这和他先父詹姆斯一世形成了有趣的对比
who'd been loud-mouthed,pedantic and uncouth.
詹姆斯一世声音洪亮 顽固不化 粗暴无礼
From the beginning, for those paying attention,
从一开始的加冕大典开始
there was something ominously distant about this small man on a big horse,
稍加注意便会发现 国王身躯矮小却要骑上大马
too lofty to bother with a coronation procession.
这便隐隐预示了不祥
A man who believed that kings were little gods on earth.
认为国王是上帝派到世间的最高权威
Charles saw himself as the father of the nation,and like any 17th-century father,
查理一世视自己为国父 与十七世纪的其他普通父亲一样
he thought he was responsible for the well-being of his family,
他认为自己担有家庭幸福的责任
but in return he expected to be strictly obeyed.
作为回报 也希望子民无条件服从自己的统治
