12

HENGIST AND HORSA

亨吉斯特与霍萨

afforded, gave.　　　　　　　　　　　　mead, wine.
chieftains, leaders.　　　　　　　　　　request, thing asked; prayer.
enchanted, delighted; made captive.　　　Rowena, Ro-wee´-na.
enclosed, surrounded.　　　　　　　　sacrifice,giving up.
enfeebled, weakened.　　　　　　　　stratagem, trick; cunning.
expecting, looking for.　　　　　　　　struggle, fight; striving.
intended, meant.

THE LANDING OF THE ENGLISH.

1. Some years after the Roman soldiers had finally left the island, there came to the coast of Britain three keels, or ships, filled with men called Jutes, who, in addition to the usual swords and spears, carried axes and great steel hammers for attacking their enemies. Their leaders were called Hengist and Horsa; and their banner bore the figure of a white horse. They came just at the right time. A struggle for power had been going on between the Britons of the South and the Picts and Scots, and the former were in great need of help.

2. The Jutes helped the Britons; but not for nothing. Their request, indeed,seemed a modest, almost a silly one; for they asked them to sell them as much land as might be covered with the skin of an ox. But the meaning of the thing appeared when the chieftains drew their knives, slit the hide into many narrow thongs, and enclosed with these as much ground as afforded room for the building of a castle.

3. Vortigern, the British chief, was fairly outwitted in this affair; but he paid many visits to Thong-caster, as the stronghold was called. During one of these visits, while wine was fl owing freely, a pretty fai-haired girl, called Rowena, the sister of Hengist, knelt before the British chief, and of ered him a cup of wine,saying, as she placed it in his hand, “Dear King, your health.” It is said that he was so enchanted both by her great beauty and by the winning kindness of her action, that he begged her brother to permit her to marry him, and of ered, as a sort of bribe, to make over Kent to the Jutes.

4. The sacrifice of so fair and fruitful a piece of land did not please the British people, who, not being in love with Rowena, could see with clearer eyes than their King. They rose in rebellion under Vortimir, Vortigern's son; and in the war that followed the Jutes were severely beaten, and for a time driven from the land. But Rowena, who remained behind at the British court, could deal with other cups than those of wine. She poisoned Vortimir, and made sure of the return of her brother Hengist.

5. He came back, resolved to try stratagem again. A meeting, intended to settle all disputed points, was agreed on; and to it Vortigern, expecting nothing but a drinking-bout, went with three hundred of his officers. There was drinking, indeed; but when the mead had confused the brains and enfeebled the arms of the British, a signal-shout from Hengist of “Unsheathe your swords!” caused all the Jutes to start to their feet; and with short blades, which till now had been hidden in their hose, they murdered every one of their guests except Vortigern, who was more useful to them alive than he would be dead.

6. At once the British King yielded up Essex and Sussex; but he did not live long afterwards, for we are gravely told that fi re came down from Heaven and burned him with all his family, as a punishment for his sins, both personal and those that were against the nation he had betrayed.

中文阅读

1. 罗马军队离开了不列颠岛，几年后，三艘大木船开到了不列颠的海岸。船上挤满了朱特人，他们个个刀剑随身，还手握斧头与巨大的钢铁榔头，准备进攻敌人。朱特人的头领是两兄弟，叫做亨吉斯特与霍萨；他们的战旗很醒目，上面绣着一匹白马。朱特人来的正是时候，因为南部不列颠人正与皮克特人和苏格兰人打得热火朝天，而不列颠人已处于劣势，急需援军帮助。

2. 朱特人的确在军事上帮助了不列颠人，但可不是白白帮忙。他们的要求看起来非常谦虚且淳朴憨厚，几乎到了愚蠢的程度，那就是让不列颠人卖给他们一块土地，只要一张牛皮可以覆盖的大小就行。你要按字面理解就错了。朱特人头领们拿刀把一张牛皮切割成许多细长的皮带，再把它们首尾相接成一个很大的圆圈，硬生生把一个城堡给圈了进去。

3. 当时的不列颠人首领沃蒂根，被这件事骗得够呛，但他还是常到这个“皮带城堡”，即朱特人的大本营里去串门。其中有一次，满屋飘着令人陶醉的酒香，一位金发碧眼的大美女端着一杯美酒，款款走到他面前，跪下来将酒杯递到他手上，深情地说：“亲爱的大王，祝您健康长寿，干杯！”这位美女就是亨吉斯特的妹妹，罗威娜。据说沃蒂根被她的美貌与温柔彻底折服，像被施了魔法一样乖乖就范，以致苦苦哀求她的哥哥让她嫁给他，而且作为贿赂，他还将肯特郡一起送上。

4. 把这样一片富饶美丽的土地白送，这让不列颠人愤怒了，毕竟他们可没有爱上罗威娜，因此比国王清醒。于是国人暴动，他的儿子沃蒂默率军与朱特人交战，大败敌方，并暂时把朱特人赶出了这片土地。但罗威娜一直掌控不列颠人的司法院，而且极富手腕，除了能献美酒，还能献毒酒。不久即毒死了沃蒂默，让她的哥哥亨吉斯特又重新回来了。

5. 亨吉斯特一回来，又开始琢磨新的阴谋诡计。他决定召开一次大会，与不列颠人商议那些有争议地域的归属问题。沃蒂根又去了，还带了300多名随从官员，但他期待的只是能像上次那样销魂地喝上一杯而已，别的他可不关心。酒当然是少不了的，但当甜美的蜂蜜酒让这一群草包晕晕乎乎地大呼过瘾之时，亨吉斯特突然大吼一声：“拔剑开干吧！”朱特人拔出一直藏在长筒袜里的短剑，除了沃蒂根之外，把其他人杀了个一干二净。他们留下沃帝根，只是觉得他活着比死了更有利用价值而已。

6. 见此局面，这位不列颠国王立马答应割让了埃塞克斯与苏塞克斯；但他也没能活多久，因为后来人们被严肃地告知，一场天火把他和他的整个家族全都烧成了灰烬。这是他应得的报应，不仅为他自身的罪恶，也为被他出卖背叛的国家与人民。