LESSON 58 The romans in Britain
第五十八課 羅馬人在英國
It was the afternoon of a September day, and the forest leaves were already touched with the first tints of autumn,
那是九月的一個下午,森林里的樹葉已經(jīng)有了一絲秋天的氣息,
when Julius Caesar's fleet of eighty ships drew up off the shore of Kent.
凱撒大帝率領(lǐng)著由80艘船組成的艦隊在肯特王國的岸邊登陸。
The natives lined the beach with horse, foot, and chariots, and stood prepared to defend their island home.
當?shù)厝擞械尿T著馬,有的光著腳,有的在戰(zhàn)車上,準備抵御外敵,保衛(wèi)國土。
The Roman soldiers, clad as they were in heavy plate-armour of brass,
羅馬士兵穿著銅制鎧甲,
and afraid of being struck down before they could gain firm footing, hesitated to leap into the water.
擔心還未站穩(wěn)腳跟就會被敵軍沖殺,所以都畏畏縮縮不敢下船。
Caesar opened on the Britons a heavy discharge of stones and darts from the engines used in sieges, which his galleys had on board.
凱撒用上了裝在船上的重型投石器,對著岸上的英國人投擲石塊和箭鑣,
This made the enemy give back a little.
迫使敵軍后退了一些。
Still the soldiers hesitated to leap from the ships.
可是,士兵們還是不敢下船。
Then the standard-bearer of the tenth legion,
這時,第十軍團的旗手大喊:
crying "Leap, comrades, unless you wish to see your standard taken by the enemy!"
“同志們,快跳啊,難道你們想看著敵人攻過來嗎?”
sprang overboard, and began to carry forward the standard.
他跳下船,扛著軍旗向前推進。
Roused by his example, the whole twelve thousand soldiers dashed at once into the sea.
將士們都倍受鼓舞,十萬兩千名將士立即沖入大海。
The Britons met them in the water.
英國人就在水里和他們交戰(zhàn),
A fierce and deadly struggle took place, and much brave blood reddened the waves.
戰(zhàn)斗很激烈,鮮血染紅了海浪。
Gradually the Romans fought their way to land.
羅馬軍隊漸漸將英軍逼上了岸。
They formed and charged, and the terrible rush of their disciplined battalions swept the Britons before them.
羅馬軍隊登陸后馬上排成戰(zhàn)斗隊形,這支訓練有素的軍隊橫掃英軍。
This was the beginning of the Roman invasion of Britain.
這是羅馬入侵英國的開端。
Nearly a century and a half passed after this, however, before they invaded Scotland.
但就在一個半世紀左右前,他們?nèi)肭至藧蹱柼m。
Up to the year 80 after Christ, while nearly the whole of England had been reduced to the condition of a Roman province,
公元80年,整個英國幾乎都被羅馬軍隊征服,劃入羅馬帝國的版圖,
the Romans possessed no land north of the Solway Firth.
打到索爾韋灣后,羅馬軍隊才停止了侵略步伐。