世界小史 第185期:皇位

 　　To restore respect and dignity to the role of emperor,

　　为了使皇权重新获得威望和受人敬畏，

　　he introduced new rituals and court ceremony, and magnificent, richly embroidered¹ robes for his courtiers and officials.

　　他实行了一套严格的宫廷礼仪并让宫廷人员和官员穿奢华、昂贵的刺绣衣服。

　　He was particularly insistent² that people should make sacrifices to the emperor, and so ruthlessly persecuted³ Christians⁴ throughout the empire.

　　他当然特别注重物色皇帝的牺牲品并因此而在全国尤为强烈地迫害基督徒。

　　This was the last and most violent of all the persecutions.

　　这是最后一次、最厉害的一次迫害。

　　After a reign⁵ of more than 20 years, Diocletian renounced⁶ his imperial title and retired⁷, a sick man, to his palace in Dalmatia.

　　在位了20多年之后，戴克里先放弃了自己的皇位并以疲惫、患病的私人身份在达尔马提亚的一座宫殿里过着隐居的生活。

　　There he lived long enough to see the futility⁸ of his battle against Christianity.

　　他不得不在那里看到，他与基督教的斗争多么徒劳无益。

　　It is said that his successor, the Emperor Constantine, abandoned this struggle on the eve of a battle against his rival, Maxentius.

　　因为他的皇位继承人君士坦丁，放弃了这场斗争。据说是君士坦丁在戴克里先的一位前副皇帝马克森提会战前

　　He had a dream in which he saw the Cross, and heard the words: "Beneath this sign you will be victorious⁹."

　　他在梦中见到了十字架并听见了这样的话：“这个标记将保佑你获胜。”

　　Victorious in that battle, he issued a decree in 313 that Christians should no longer be persecuted.

　　他获胜后，便在313年规定，基督教不再受到迫害。

　　He himself remained a pagan for a long time, and was only baptized on his death-bed.

　　不过他自己却是在很长时间内一直是异教徒，在临死前不久才接受洗礼。

1 embroidered   

adj．绣花的

参考例句：

• She embroidered flowers on the cushion covers. 她在这些靠垫套上绣了花。
• She embroidered flowers on the front of the dress. 她在连衣裙的正面绣花。

2 insistent   

adj.迫切的，坚持的

参考例句：

• There was an insistent knock on my door.我听到一阵急促的敲门声。
• He is most insistent on this point.他在这点上很坚持。

3 persecuted   

（尤指宗教或政治信仰的）迫害(~sb. for sth.)( persecute的过去式和过去分词 )； 烦扰，困扰或骚扰某人

参考例句：

• Throughout history, people have been persecuted for their religious beliefs. 人们因宗教信仰而受迫害的情况贯穿了整个历史。
• Members of these sects are ruthlessly persecuted and suppressed. 这些教派的成员遭到了残酷的迫害和镇压。

4 Christians   

n.基督教徒( Christian的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Christians of all denominations attended the conference. 基督教所有教派的人都出席了这次会议。
• His novel about Jesus caused a furore among Christians. 他关于耶稣的小说激起了基督教徒的公愤。

5 reign   

n.统治时期，统治，支配，盛行；v.占优势

参考例句：

• The reign of Queen Elizabeth lapped over into the seventeenth century.伊丽莎白王朝延至17世纪。
• The reign of Zhu Yuanzhang lasted about 31 years.朱元璋统治了大约三十一年。

6 renounced   

v.声明放弃( renounce的过去式和过去分词 )；宣布放弃；宣布与…决裂；宣布摒弃

参考例句：

• We have renounced the use of force to settle our disputes. 我们已再次宣布放弃使用武力来解决争端。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Andrew renounced his claim to the property. 安德鲁放弃了财产的所有权。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 retired   

adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的

参考例句：

• The old man retired to the country for rest.这位老人下乡休息去了。
• Many retired people take up gardening as a hobby.许多退休的人都以从事园艺为嗜好。

8 futility   

n.无用

参考例句：

• She could see the utter futility of trying to protest. 她明白抗议是完全无用的。
• The sheer futility of it all exasperates her. 它毫无用处，这让她很生气。

9 victorious   

adj.胜利的，得胜的

参考例句：

• We are certain to be victorious.我们定会胜利。
• The victorious army returned in triumph.获胜的部队凯旋而归。