After the earthquake, which had destroyed three-fourths of the city of Lisbon, the sages of that country could think of no means more effectual to preserve the kingdom from utter ruin than to entertain the people with an auto-da-fe, it having been decided by the University of Coimbra, that the burning of a few people alive by a slow fre, and with great ceremony, is an infallible preventive of earthquakes.
In consequence thereof they had seized on a Biscayan for marrying his godmother, and on two Portuguese for taking out the bacon of a larded pullet they were eating;after dinner they came and secured Dr. Pangloss, and his pupil Candide, the one for speaking his mind, and the other for seeming to approve what he had said.They were conducted to separate apartments, extremely cool, where they were never incommoded with the sun.Eight days afterwards they were each dressed in a sanbenito, and their heads were adorned with paper mitres.The mitre and sanbenito worn by Candide were painted with flames reversed and with devils that had neither tails nor claws;but Dr.Pangloss's devils had both tails and claws, and his fames were upright.In these habits they marched in procession, and heard a very pathetic sermon, which was followed by an anthem, accompanied by bagpipes.Candide was fogged to some tune, while the anthem was being sung;the Biscayan and the two men who would not eat bacon were burned, and Pangloss was hanged, which is not a common custom at these solemnities.The same day there was another earthquake, which made most dreadful havoc.
Candide, amazed, terrifed, confounded, astonished, all bloody, and trembling from head to foot, said to himself,“If this is the best of all possible worlds, what are the others?If I had only been whipped, I could have put up with it, as I did among the Bulgarians;but, not withstanding, oh my dear Pangloss!My beloved master!Thou greatest of philosophers!That ever I should live to see thee hanged, without knowing for what!O my dear Anabaptist, thou best of men, that it should be thy fate to be drowned in the very harbor!O Miss Cunegund, you mirror of young ladies!That it should be your fate to have your body ripped open!”
He was making the best of his way from the place where he had been preached to, whipped, absolved and blessed, when he was accosted by an old woman, who said to him,“Take courage, child, and follow me.”
地震把里斯本毀了四分之三,地方上一般有道行的人,覺得要防止全城毀滅,除了替民眾辦一個大規(guī)模的功德會,別無他法??朴〔沾髮W(xué)[11]的博士們認為,在莊嚴的儀式中用文火活活燒死幾個人,是阻止地震萬試萬靈的秘方。
因此他們抓下一個波斯加伊人,兩個葡萄牙人。波斯加伊人供認娶了自己的干媽[12],葡萄牙人的罪名是吃雞的時候把同煮的火腿扔掉。剛吃過飯的邦葛羅斯和他的門徒老實人也被捕了,一個是因為說了話,一個是因為聽的神氣表示贊成。兩人被分別帶進一間十分涼快、永遠不會受到陽光刺激的屋子。八天以后,他們倆穿上特制的披風(fēng),頭上戴著尖頂紙帽:老實人的披風(fēng)和尖帽,畫的是倒垂的火焰,一些沒有尾巴、沒有爪子的魔鬼;邦葛羅斯身上的魔鬼又有尾巴又有爪子,火焰是向上的。他們裝束停當(dāng)[13],跟著大隊游行,聽了一篇悲壯動人的講道,緊跟著又是很美妙的幾部合唱的音樂。一邊唱歌,一邊就有人把老實人按著節(jié)拍打屁股。波斯加伊人和兩個吃雞沒吃火腿的葡萄牙人被燒死了,邦葛羅斯是被吊死的,雖然這種刑罰與習(xí)慣不合。當(dāng)天會后,又轟隆隆地來了一次驚心動魄的地震[14]。
老實人嚇得魂不附體,目瞪口呆,頭里昏昏沉沉,身上全是血跡,打著哆嗦,對自己說道:“最好的世界尚且如此,別的世界還了得?我挨打屁股倒還罷了,保加利亞人也把我打過的;可是親愛的邦葛羅斯!你這個最偉大的哲學(xué)家!我連你罪名都不知道,竟眼看你被吊死,難道是應(yīng)該的嗎?噢,親愛的雅各,你這個最好的好人,難道應(yīng)該淹死在港口里嗎?噢,居內(nèi)貢小姐,你這女中之寶,難道應(yīng)當(dāng)被人開腸剖肚嗎?”
老實人聽過布道,打過屁股,受了赦免,受了祝福,東倒西歪,掙扎著走回去,忽然有個老婆子過來和他說:“孩子,鼓起勇氣來,跟我走。”
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