6.克雷西战役之后，爱德华开始了对加来的围攻。这座英勇的小城镇跟他前后对抗了差不多一年，但当所有粮食耗尽时，城内的居民就不得不投降了。
a 成年：指有能力独自行使国政大权。
b 泰伯恩刑场：位于伦敦西部，地处牛津路即如今牛津大道末尾，截止到公元1783年此地一直是执行死刑的刑场。
c 哈里敦山：地处贝里克西北2英里，由汉密尔顿山脉从诺森白兰延伸而来。
d 加来：位于多佛海峡内的法国海港，地处多佛东南26.5英里。
e 克雷西：靠近索姆，地处加来南部48英里。
f 内维尔十字架：一个为了纪念战争的石头十字架，位于杜伦以西1英里处。
7.公元1349年，一场名叫“黑死病”的可怕瘟疫让战争停了下来。这场瘟疫席卷了整个欧洲大陆，也传染了英格兰，总共夺取了五万人的生命。
8.克雷西战役之后又过了十年，公元1356年，黑王子再一次发动了与法国的战争。在普瓦捷a大战之中，一小众英格兰军队大胜人数七倍于他们的法国军队，并且法国国王父子也成了阶下之囚，被押往英格兰。这样一来，当时便有两位国王成了英格兰的俘虏，苏格兰国王大卫与法国国王约翰。
9.公元1376年，英勇伟岸的黑王子逝世。国王爱德华，他的父亲，也于来年晏驾，在位长达半个世纪。终其一生，爱德华三世可谓英勇贤明，乃一代仁厚英主，并且是一个公正而且心胸宽广的国王。
10.值得记住的是，正是爱德华三世的几位王子开启了兰开斯特王朝与约克王朝；兰开斯特王朝源于他的第四子冈特的约翰，其封号为兰开斯特公爵；约克王朝则源于他的第三子与第五子，莱昂内尔与埃德蒙。在之后的岁月里，这些族权之间长年征战，在玫瑰战争中英格兰又开始了血流成河的历史。
11.在这一时期，上议院与下议院开始分离，独自运作。公爵的称谓恢复使用，黑王太子就被封为康沃尔公爵，从此之后，每一位威尔士王子都承袭此封号。
a 普瓦捷：位于法国西部，地处图尔西南58英里。
61
THE BLACK PRINCE
黑王子
anxious，uneasy.
attempting，trying.
battalions，divisions of an army.
dangerous，unsafe.
grappled，laid hold of one another.
hostile，opposing.
knighted，made a knight.penetrated，pierced.performed，done.
reserve，the third or last line of battle.
triumphal，victorious.
1.Edward Plantagenet，eldest son of King Edward the Third，and commonly called the Black Prince，from the colour of the armour which he wore，was born at Woodstock in 1330.When he was fifteen，he crossed with his warlike fatherainto France，and was knighted on the wet sands of La Hogue，where the armyhad landed.A little later he fought his first fight on the field of Crecy.
2.Having marched towards Paris，King Edward found it necessary to turn off somewhat sharply towards the sea.But he could not get across the river Somme for a long time.At last，when he was almost in despair，a peasant told him of a place，called the White Spot，where he could carry his army over at low water.
3.Starting at dawn，he reached the place when it was high water，and had to wait some hours，during which he was very anxious lest the King of France，who was chasing him，might come up.The English crossed in safety；but before the French reached the place，the tide had risen again，and they were forced tobreturn to Abbeville.
Crecy.
Meanwhile Edward took up a position near the Forest of4.There a great battle was fought，in which the Black Prince won hiscspurs.
He was placed in command of the foremost of the three battalions intowhich the English army was divided；and when the English arrows flew as thick as flakes of snow among the French lines，strewing the ground with dead anda La Hogue.-A promontory on the coast of France，due south of the Isle of Wight.
b Abbbeville.-On the Somme，a few miles south of Crecy.
c Won his spurs.-A knight was said to win his spurs when he gained his first victory.
wounded men，he was attacked with the full force of the bravest men in the hostile army，who had managed to pass the band of archers.
5.King Edward，who commanded the reserve，was watching the progress of the battle from the top of a windmill，which stood on a little hill above the field.He must have felt no small anxiety mingling with his pride，when he saw the dangerous position of his fair-haired son.He knew，however，that it would never do to show the slightest fear or doubt；and so，when a knight camespurring to the old mill with an eager request for help，the King replied，-“Is my son killed，wounded，or thrown to the ground？”
“No，sire，”said the knight；“but he is hard beset.”
“Then，”said Edward，“return to those who sent you，and tell them not to send again to me to-day，or to expect that I shall come as long as my son has life；and say that I command them to let the boy win his spurs.”
6.And to this resolve King Edward kept；for during all that bloody day he did not so much as put on his helmet，but sat watching the prowess of his son and the valour of his troops.
7.The Black Prince was also present at a great naval battle，which was fought in the Strait of Dover，between the fleets of England and Spain.A battle by sea was then almost the same as a battle by land；for after attempting to run each other down，the ships grappled，and the fighting was performed with arrows and lances.
8.In scenes like these this great warrior learned to use his sword and lance，and to direct the movements of armed men.When he acted as Governor ofaGuienne，in the south of France，he penetrated almost to the Loire，and atPoictiers defeated the French King in an attempt which that monarch made to cut him off from the place to which he was retreating.
9.The Battle of Poictiers was gained by ten thousand English over seventy thousand French，owing to the skill displayed in the choice of ground by the Black Prince.Placing his men among hedges and rows of vines，he prevented them from suffering from the full force of the charges made by the French cavalry；and by directing the operations of the archers，who in their green coats then formed a chief part of every English army，he threw the enemy‘s ranks into disorder，and at last scattered them in flight.
10.King John of France was made prisoner in this battle；and when the Black Prince made a triumphal entry into London，some time later，he paid this royal captive a graceful compliment by mounting a little black pony and ridinga The Loire.-A river in France，on which Orleans stands.
as a page after the cream-coloured charger on which John paced solemnly along.
11.The last days of the Black Prince were days of sorrow and gloom.His expedition into Spain may be looked upon as the point at which his path ofalife turned downward to the grave.He went across the Pyreneesto aid thecause of a man called Peter the Cruel，from whom a step-brother had taken the crown of Castile.He caught a sickness in Spain，which ended in his death；and he never wore the English crown.
中文阅读
1.爱德华王子是爱德华三世的长子，他于公元1330年降生于伍德斯托克，由于他喜欢穿戴一顶黑色头盔，因此被人们称为“黑王子”。他十五岁的时候，便与他那英武好战的父王亲征法国，大军刚一登陆，他就在拉霍格b湿漉漉的沙滩上被授予了骑士称号，并很快在克雷西战场上完成了他人生的第一场战争。
