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Buried inside all the crowing propaganda of the Greenwich ceiling,
藏在浮夸的格林威治天花板中的
there was one crucial nugget of truth.
是一个重要事实
Louis XIV could demand money for his wars,William III had to ask for it.
路易十四可以为他的战争横征暴敛 但威廉三世只能开口祈求
Almost everywhere else in Europe,the more military the state,
而几乎在欧洲的其他任何地方 越是兵强马壮的国度
the stronger the king, except in Britain.
国王也就越强大 除了英国
Here parliament, not the monarchy, signed the cheques.
在这里 最后签支票的是议会而不是皇室
The longer the war went on,the stronger parliament became,
战争越是持久 议会就越强大
as the purse it had grew bigger and bigger.
因为他们能不断靠战争敛财
What's more, the kind of politics raging in Britain,we can recognise as distinctly modern.
更有甚者 一种政治格局在英国大行其道 这样的格局在如今的英国仍能看到
Two parties,the Whigs and Tories,diametrically opposed,not just about the policies of the day,
两大政党 辉格党和托利党针锋相对 不仅仅是针对当时的政策
but about the entire political character of the nation
更是针对整个国家的政治面貌
and the upheaval of 1688 that had created it.
以及造成这种面貌的1688年剧变
Whigs and Tories were not two parties who,when the barracking was done,
辉格党和托利党并非是那种 当一切舆论声浪过去后
could meet up for a drink and a bawdy joke.
就可以友好地喝酒谈天的关系
They went to different taverns, different coffee houses and different clubs.
他们会去不同的酒馆 咖啡店和俱乐部
They were two armed camps.
他们是两大阵营
And the artillery barrages that flew between them were often red hot.
而他们之间的关系 往往是真枪实弹 并且一触即发
250,000 votes were at stake in elections,
选举中25万张选票在摇摆
more than 20% of the adult male population.
超过成年男性选民的20%
And nothing was spared to grab them,money, drink, libels, gangs of toughs.
而所有人都使出浑身解数拉票 金钱 美酒 诽谤和恶棍团伙
This was all-out war at the hustings.
所有人都全身心投入选战
