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barons, nobles; chief men. haughty, proud.
in his favour, on his side. dungeon, prison.
estates, own land. permission, leave.
gained, won. skilful, clever.
1. Although Stephen, Earl of Blois,
had sworn to support Maud, he yet claimed the crown; and many of the nobles and clergy were in his favour, as they did not like to be governed by a woman. He promised that they should be allowed to build castles on their estates, and to hunt in their own forests. By such promises he gained over a great party, and was crowned.
SIEGE OF A NORMAN CASTLE.
2. But David, King of Scotland, who was the uncle of Maud, invaded England, laid waste Northumberland, and entered Yorkshire. Here he was met by Stephen's barons, and a great battle was fought at Northallerton,
in which the Scots were defeated. This was called the Battle of the Standard, because the English carried into the field a large cross hung with banners
3. For some time after this the country was a scene of bloodshed. At last Stephen was defeated at Lincoln, taken prisoner, and cast into a dungeon in Bristol Castle.
4. Maud then became Queen; but her haughty spirit displeased the nation, and so great was the power raised against her that she had to fl ee. Her half-brother and chief supporter, Robert, Earl of Gloucester, was taken prisoner.He was exchanged for Stephen,who once more sat on the throne.
5. The following winter, Maud was besieged at Oxford. The ground being covered with snow,she dressed herself in white, that she might not be seen, crossed the Thames on the ice, and soon after escaped to Normandy.
6. Maud had a son named Henry, now almost grown up. By-and-by he invaded England to claim the throne. But Stephen agreed that at his death Henry should have the crown; and so the quarrel ended. Henry had not to wait long, for Stephen died in 1154, after a reign of nineteen years.
7. Stephen was brave, kind-hearted, and active; but he was not skilful or wise as a ruler. By his permission, one hundred and twenty-six castles were built in dif erent parts of England, and the barons became very powerful
中文阅读
1. 尽管布洛瓦
伯爵斯蒂文曾发誓要誓死效忠莫德，但后来他还是来争夺王位了；而且当时很多王公贵族和教职人员都站在他这一边，因为他们都不愿意在一个女人面前俯首称臣。斯蒂文还郑重许诺，允许这些人在自己领地上修建城堡，也允许他们在自有的林地里自由打猎。这些承诺效果显著，很快为他赢得了众多支持者，并且让他最后成功加冕。
2. 但莫德的叔父，苏格兰国王大卫率军入侵英格兰，将诺森白兰郡践踏成一片焦土之后，又挥兵约克郡。在这里他与斯蒂文的皇家部队正面相遇，两军在诺思阿勒尔顿
大战一场，最后以苏格兰人的失败而告终，这就是史上著名的“军旗之战”。之所以起这个名字，是因为英格兰军队在军旗上悬挂了一个巨大的十字架，以此彰显正义。
3. 从此之后，这个国家陷入了惨烈的长期混战。斯蒂文最终也在林肯郡被打败，成了俘虏，被囚禁在布里斯托尔城堡的地牢里。
4. 莫德于是继位成为女王，但她骄傲自大的个性让国人很是反感，反对她的声浪持续高涨，叛军在各地风起云涌，她最终不得不落荒而逃。她的主要支持者，她的哥哥，格洛斯特伯爵罗伯特当了她的替死鬼，成了叛军的阶下囚。而他后来又被当作俘虏与斯蒂文进行交换，罗伯特获得自由，斯蒂文则又一次登上了王位。
5. 紧接着冬天来临，莫德被围困于牛津。当时大地完全被白茫茫的冰雪覆盖，她便穿上一身白衣伪装起来，穿过了泰晤士河的冰面，很快便逃到了诺曼底。
6. 莫德有一个儿子，名叫亨利，现在也差不多长大成人了。公元1152年，亨利率军攻入英格兰，要求继承王位。国王斯蒂文答应，在他百年之后就将王位传于亨利；于是争斗总算平息了下来。不过亨利并没有等待很长时间，公元1154年斯蒂文驾崩，在位总共19年。
7. 总的说来，斯蒂文英武勇敢，宅心仁厚，而且做事积极；但是作为一个统治者，他就显得很蹩脚了。拜他的惠允，人们在整个英格兰一共修建了126座城堡，而且贵族阶层也在他当国时期变得十分强大。