世界小史 第133期:貴族

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 　　These were the patricians2 – the word means something like 'city fathers' – although in those days they weren't citizens as we know them,

　　這些人是patricians（貴族）——這個(gè)詞的意思大致相當(dāng)于“市議員”——但是你不可以把這個(gè)時(shí)代的市議員想象為真正的城市居民，

　　but old landowning families with vast estates of fields and meadows.

　　其實(shí)他們只是擁有大片牧場(chǎng)和農(nóng)田的富裕農(nóng)民。

　　And they alone had the right to choose officials to govern the city, once there were no more kings.

　　自從不再有國(guó)王以后，只有這些人有權(quán)選舉城市的官員。

　　In Rome the highest officials were the consuls4.

　　羅馬的高級(jí)官員叫執(zhí)政官。

　　There were always two of them ruling jointly5, and they held office for just one year.

　　總是同時(shí)有兩名執(zhí)政官，他們只行使一年職權(quán)。

　　Then they had to stand down.

　　然后他們就必須下臺(tái)。

　　Of course, the patricians weren't the only people who lived in the city,

　　當(dāng)然，古羅馬貴族不是居住在這座城市的唯一居民。

　　but if you didn't have illustrious ancestors or great estates you weren't noble.

　　但是如果你不是出生于名門望族或只有少量農(nóng)田，你就不高貴。

　　The others were the plebeians7, and they were almost a caste of their own as in India.

　　其他人被稱為平民，他們幾乎自成一個(gè)等級(jí)，就像在印度那樣。

　　A plebeian6 couldn't marry a patrician1. Still less could he become a consul3.

　　一個(gè)平民男子不可以娶貴族女子為妻。他自然更不會(huì)成為執(zhí)政官。

　　He wasn't even allowed to voice his opinion at the People's Assembly on the Field of Mars outside the city gates.

　　是的，連在城外戰(zhàn)神廣場(chǎng)上的公民大會(huì)上投票表決的權(quán)利他都沒有。

　　But the plebeians were many and every inch as strong-willed and stubborn as the patricians.

　　但平民人數(shù)眾多并且是跟貴族一樣嚴(yán)酷而又意志堅(jiān)強(qiáng)的人。