7.皇家律师讲述了阴谋政变的整个案情，为了对她提出严厉指控，还将她与巴宾顿之间的往来信件公之于众，以此证明正是在她的怂恿与教唆之下，才发生了西班牙入侵英格兰的战事以及刺杀伊丽莎白的密谋。宣读信件的整个过程中，当念到诺福克公爵的儿子阿伦德尔的名字的时候，她的坚强终于被击溃，顿时泪如雨下；因为他的父亲就是因为她而死在了断头台上，他儿子又被关进伦敦塔，后来也是因她而死。
8.轮到她回应指控的时候，她说她“绝不会从事刺杀伊丽莎白这样的罪行，让她的灵魂如此沉沦”。她被禁止使用律师辩护，只能自说自话。没过多久，这场发生在福泽林盖的审判便结束了；王公大臣们于1586年12月的一天在威斯敏斯特大教堂的星室法庭a再次碰头，审判秘书官复印了玛丽的相关信件，交由众大臣审阅，以证明其真实性而非伪造。最后，玛丽被判处死刑。
9.两个月之后，英格兰典礼大臣带着狱中玛丽女王的死刑判决书来到了福泽林盖，决定在第二天早上8点执行。当天晚上吃晚餐的时候，她将她的随从们叫到她周围，在她们的哭泣中，她与大家举杯纪念，以此作为最后道别。
10.黑暗的夜色在睡梦和祈祷中渐渐走远，黎明时分，她便起床了。宣读完她对仆从们的遗愿之后，她将所有的衣服当作礼物送给了她们，只剩下身上这一身黑缎衣服和棉麻面纱。然后她又做了一会儿祷告，最后手握一个象牙做的耶稣受难十字架，在执行官的招呼之下走入了城堡大厅。
11.去的路上正好遇到了她的管家罗伯特·梅尔维尔，这是一位忠心耿耿的老人。一想到将不得不带着玛丽的死讯回到苏格兰，他一下跪在地上，像个孩子一样伤心地哭起来。但是她安慰他说应该高兴才对，因为她这一生的痛苦遭遇终于要画上句号了。起初承担监刑这一痛苦任务的大臣们并不允许她的仆从进入执行现场，肯特伯爵鲁略粗地说道：“我们担心，她们可能因为迷信而用手帕去蘸您尊贵的鲜血。”但是最后，他们还是同意让她的部分仆从进入现场，陪伴她到最后时刻。
12.离地面三英尺高的地方已摆好一个断头台，上面的木凳、跪垫、木桩全是肃穆的黑色。她坐上木凳，旁边走上来一个黑衣人，此人正是从伦敦塔受派来此的刽子手。他手里的斧头正闪烁着令人恐怖的寒光，与周围的黑色形成鲜明对比。
13.死刑判决书宣读完毕，彼得伯勒主教开始致祷告辞；但此时的玛丽女王已经不会再去听他的例行说教了。她的颈部被人为露出来，眼睛被一张金边头巾蒙住，然后跪在垫子上，俯下身将脖子伸长趴在木桩上，嘴里依旧念念有词地祈祷。
14.行刑的刽子手也并非铁石心肠，玛丽的红颜薄命与坎坷曲折的人生经历让他也有点发怵，他砍了三下才让玛丽的头颅落在铺着黑布的台子上。陪伴玛丽多年的那条宠物哈巴狗，这时跑过去趴在玛丽的衣襟旁，之后又蜷卧在玛丽的头颅与身子之间，久久不忍离去。
a 星室法庭：15~17世纪英国的著名司法机构，位于威斯敏斯特大教堂内，得名于其所在那间屋天花板上装饰的星状图案。因为其专断暴虐滥用酷刑而臭名昭著，与1614年被废除。--译者注98THE SPANISH ARMADA西班牙无敌舰队
appetite，desire.canvas，sail-cloth.confusion，disorder.
embarked in，went on board of.
exchanged，passed from one to another.
explosion，bursting.
inflict，strike；lay.
invincible，not able to be conquered.
muzzles，mouths.
pursuing，chasing.
1.One July evening，while a number of naval officers were playing a game at bowls on the green sward of what is called the Hoe of Plymouth，there was seen away on the edge of the sea the white speck of a sail.It came nearer，and soon distinctly took the shape of a little barque，that pressed on under every rag of canvas she could show towards the harbour of Plymouth.Oftener than once the players，in the pauses of the game，exchanged guesses about the sail；for they were gathered there on the watch.for a great Spanish fleet，which the boastful Philip had called The Invincible Armada.
2.When the ship reached the land，her master hurried up to the Hoe，and，breathless with haste，told the officers that he had seen the great shipcastles of the Spaniards only that morning-that he had been chased by one of them-but that his little cutter had out-raced the larger ship.Some of the captainsawere for hurrying off at once to heave up their anchors；but Drake，whosefame is great as a sailor and a discoverer，insisted that the game of bowls should be finished.“For，”he said，“we have plenty of time to finish our match and to beat the Spaniards too.”
3.In spite of the wind that blew，the English fleet sailed out of harbour that night；and the next day the men on the masts saw the first signs of the Spanish Armada.The ships lay in a great half-moon of wooden castles for fully seven miles along the sea.
a Drake，Sir Francis.-A famous admiral and navigator.He sailed round the world in 1577-80.At this time he was vice-admiral under Howard.He died in 1596.
4.There were vessels of different kinds and sizes.There was the great galleon，with oaken ribs as thick as a wall，and masts twined with pitched cables，as closely as the handle of a cricket-bat is bound with waxed cord.There was the galliass，a vessel like the old Roman galley，in which slaves rowed large heavy oars in banks or tiers，one above the other.And there were many smaller ships and boats to fill the spaces in the great half-moon.
5.The English Admiral，a brave Roman Catholic nobleman，Lord Howard of Effingham，looked carefully at the huge ships，and let them sail slowly past his lighter vessels.Then，when they had gone some distance on the way to Calais，the English guns opened fire on the stragglers in the rear.
6.In this first exchange of shots the English had the best of the fighting；for the Spanish cannons were so fixed on the lofty decks that their muzzles could not be lowered，and the balls were sent flying far above the English ships.Another advantage which the English had，lay in the lightness of their hulls，which enabled them to move easily and to sail round the big galleons of Spain.
7.The two fleets sailed up the English Channel toward the Strait of Dover-the Spaniards first，the English following，and fighting as long as their supply of powder lasted.So slow was the rate of progress，that it took a whole week toreach Calais；and Dunkirk，where the Duke of Parmalay with an army ready
for the invasion of England，was somewhat farther on.Parma‘s soldiers never embarked in the Spanish ships，which now lay so very near them.
8.One night a few daring Englishmen took eight barges，which had been previously filled with things that burned long and fiercely，such as pitch and resin，and towed them toward the Spanish fleet.When they were near enough to the tall，dark masses，they set fire to the eight boats，and allowed them to drift before the wind into the midst of the Spanish hulls.
9.The Spaniards had been scorched before by a similar device；and when theddreadful cry，“The Fire of Antwerp，”
more dreadful on account of the darkness
of the night and the dim terrors of an unknown sea，rose upon the air，there was great confusion among the Spanish vessels.Ships ran violently against each other in the effort to escape from the neighbourhood of the flaming barges.
10.The explosion of some cunningly prepared firework in the burning ships often lighted a wide circle of the dark，heaving sea with a sudden brightness，a Howard，Charles.-Afterwards Earl of Nottingham；died in 1624.
b Dunkirk.-In the north of France，45miles east of Dover.It was then a Flemish town.Charles II.sold it to the French King in 1664.
