A Child's History of England.203

Posted 2022-01-24 _

Oliver had been appointed by the Parliament to command the army in Ireland, where he took a terrible vengeance [复仇] for the sanguinary [血腥的]rebellion, and made tremendous havoc, particularly in the siege of Drogheda, where no quarter [mercy] was given, and where he found at least a thousand of the inhabitants shut up together in the great church: every one of whom was killed by his soldiers, usually known as Oliver\'s Ironsides. There were numbers of friars [修士] and priests among them, and Oliver gruffly [粗暴地] wrote home in his despatch [按他的调遣] that these were \'knocked on the head\' like the rest.

But, Charles having got over [across] to Scotland where the men of the Solemn League and Covenant led him a prodigiously [very large or great in a surprising or impressive way]] dull life and made him very weary with long sermons and grim Sundays, the Parliament called the redoubtable [可怕的] Oliver home to knock the Scottish men on the head for setting up [put up, 树立] that Prince. Oliver left his son-in-law, Ireton, as general in Ireland in his stead [instead of him] (he died there afterwards), and he imitated the example of his father-in-law with such good will that he brought the country to subjection, and laid it 比喻 at the feet of the Parliament. In the end, they passed an act for the settlement of Ireland, generally pardoning all the common people, but exempting from this grace pardon such of the wealthier sort as had been concerned [涉及] in the rebellion, or in any killing of Protestants, or who refused to lay down their arms. Great numbers of Irish were got out of the country to serve under Catholic powers abroad, and a quantity of land was declared to have been forfeited [没收] by past offences, and was given to people who had lent money to the Parliament early in the war. These were sweeping measures; but, if Oliver Cromwell had had his own way fully, and had stayed in Ireland, he would have done more yet.

However, as I have said, the Parliament wanted Oliver for Scotland; so, home Oliver came, and was made Commander of all the Forces of the Commonwealth of England, and in three days away he went with sixteen thousand soldiers to fight the Scottish men. Now, the Scottish men, being then - as you will generally find them now - mighty cautious, reflected [沉思] that the troops they had were not used to war like the Ironsides, and would be beaten in an open fight. Therefore they said, \'If we live quiet in our trenches in Edinburgh here, and if all the farmers come into the town and desert the country, the Ironsides will be driven out by iron hunger and be forced to go away.\' This was, no doubt, the wisest plan; but as the Scottish clergy would interfere with what they knew nothing about, and would perpetually preach long sermons exhorting [规劝] the soldiers to come out and fight, the soldiers got it in their heads that they absolutely must come out and fight. Accordingly, in an evil [倒霉] hour for themselves, they came out of their safe position. Oliver fell upon [attack] them instantly, and killed three thousand, and took ten thousand prisoners.

六级/考研单词: parliament, tremendous, havoc, siege, inhabit, priest, dispatch, solemn, weary, grim, princess, imitate, exempt, grace, uprising, catholic, forfeit, commonwealth, thereby, trench, hunger, clergy, interfere, perpetual, preach, accordingly, wicked

哎，Oliver有点像古罗马的凯撒，the Parliament有点像元老院，the Scottish clergy有点像监军太监。