3.但是自此之后，她似乎再没有从他的死而导致的内心创伤中恢复过来。据说后来有一天，弥留之际的诺丁汉伯爵的夫人在病榻上向女王送去口信，希望仁慈的女王能见她最后一面。伊丽莎白去了。当行将离世的伯爵夫人气喘吁吁断断续续地说出她关于戒指的欺君之罪时，女王彻底疯了，她站起来抓住已虚弱至极的伯爵夫人的双肩疯狂推搡，不停对她责骂。
4.渐渐的，女王的健康状况急转直下。她彻夜失眠，不思茶饭，嘴唇和喉咙滚烫，需要不停喝凉水来降温。一些无谓的预言说她不会在床上寿终正寝，这让她一直惦记在心，到后来完全拒绝上床睡觉。她躺在地板上的垫子上，像个孩子一样始终把食指含在嘴里，一双眼睛全无神色，从地面直勾勾地瞪着天花板--这位以铁腕统治英格兰长达半个世纪的顽强女人，如今却落得这幅悲惨光景。
5.她的仆从将她抬上床，这样可以让她看似在聆听身边的主教们的祷告。他们在她生命的最后关头来此给她心灵的忠告与安慰。几位大臣过来问她关于王位继承的问题，这位都铎家族的女儿厉声言道：“我的王位是国王们才配拥有的王位，没有其他人可以继承。”
6.经过大臣们的一番劝说，让她把话做些明白的解释，她才建议她的表兄弟苏格兰国王可以继承王位。之后她就说不出话来。那只僵硬的手做出的最后一个动作，是在头上指了指，好像在比划一个王冠，然后便目光呆滞地与世长辞了。她离世的时候很安静，因为没人知道，到底是什么时候她彻底撒手人寰的。
102
SOCIAL CONDITION-THE TUDORS
都铎王朝的社会状况（一）
architecture，designing houses.
doublet，waistcoat.
expensive，costly.
luxurious，fond of fine living.
（PART I）
pillion，a cushion behind the saddle.reduced，brought down；lowered.unmolested，not disturbed.
wattles，twigs；slender branches.
1.Before the English Reformation crime was fearfully common.In the reign of Henry the Eighth about two thousand persons were hanged in a year for robbery alone.In the days of Elizabeth the number was reduced to three or four hundred a year.Most of the silver coins now current were in use，crowns，half-crowns，and sixpences having been issued by Edward the Sixth.
2.The Tudor style of architecture has been called Florid，from the amountof ornament on the buildings.Henry the Seventh‘s Chapel at Westminster is a good example of the style.Brick and stone were beginning to be used in the houses of the great，and glass windows became common.The poor lived in hovels made of wattles plastered over with clay.The fire was in the middle of the floor，and the smoke escaped through a hole in the blackened roof.This was the case in all houses until the reign of Henry the Seventh，when chimneys began to be built.
3.Erasmus，a Professor of Greek at Oxford under Henry the Eighth，gives no pleasant description of the floors of the poorer houses.He says：“The floors are commonly of clay，strewed with rushes；under which lies unmolested an ancient collection of beer，grease，fragments，bones，and everything that is nasty.”To these uncleanly habits were owing the terrible plagues that fell on the people.
4.In Elizabeth’s time，however，houses were built chiefly of oak.Then，too，many changes were made in furniture.Bedding was much improved.In early Tudor reigns，a straw pallet，a coarse sheet and rug，and a log of wood for a bolster were commonly used.The man whose head lay on a pillow of chaff was thought luxurious.Servants lay on bare straw.
5.Before the time of Elizabeth，all dishes and spoons were wooden，or，as they were called，“treene.”In her reign pewter platters and metal spoons came into use among farmers and persons of the same class.About the year 1580coaches were introduced：before that time ladies rode on a pillion behind their chief servants，whom they held by the belt.
6.Potatoes were brought by Sir Francis Drake from Santa Fe，in South America，and were first planted in Lancashire.They were introduced into Ireland by Sir Walter Ralegh.Ralegh also brought tobacco from the West Indies，and taught the English its use.Beef and mutton sold in the time of Henry the Eighth for a halfpenny per pound，veal and pork for three farthings.
7.The families of the nobles and gentry still dined in the great hall with all the servants.Halfway down the table stood a large salt-cellar of silver or pewter.The seats of honour were “above the salt.”There sat the master，his family，and guests.“Below the salt”sat retainers and servants of all degrees.The nobles kept up princely style.The Earl of Leicester，who owned Kenilworth Castle，kept arms there for 10，000men.There in 1576heentertained Elizabeth for seventeen days with the most splendid feasts and shows.
8.The countr y folks wore a doublet of russetbrown leather.But the court-fashions were，like those of our own day，always changing.The courtiers of Henry the Eighth stuffed their clothes as the King grew fat，in order that their figuresmight resemble his.Queen Catherine Howard introduced pins from France；and as these wereexpensive at first，a separate sum for this luxury was granted to the ladies by their husbands.Hence the expression “pinmoney.”
9.Ruffs of plaited linen were worn by both sexes on the neck and the wrists.These were at first held out by pieces of wood or of ivory，but in Elizabeth‘s time they were stiffened with yellow starch.The farthingale was introduced from Spain in Mary’s reign.It was a large hooped petticoat.Cloth hose were worn by all，until in the third year of her reign Elizabeth received a pair of blackRUFF.
BEEF-EATER
a Kenilworth.-4.5miles north of Warwick.The old castle is still kept in fine preservation.
silk stockings.After that she wore no other kind.Three thousand dresses were found in the wardrobe of this Queen after her death！
10.The gentlemen wore their hair either short and curled or set up on end.Their beards were long and pointed.The costume of the yeomen of theaQueen‘s guard，commonly called “beef-eaters，”
dress worn by men in the Tudor Period.
中文阅读
gives a very good idea of the
1.在英格兰宗教改革以前，社会犯罪极其普遍。在亨利八世时期，仅因抢劫罪每年就有两千人被处以绞刑。到了伊丽莎白时代，这一数字下降到每年三四百人。大部分现在我们使用的银币比如克朗硬币、半克朗硬币以及六先令硬币在爱德华六世时期就已颁行。
2.都铎王朝的建筑风格被称为“绚丽式”，因为建筑物上的装饰物极其繁多。亨利七世位于威斯敏斯特大教堂里的祈祷室就是这类建筑的典型样本。砖石被大量运用于普通家庭房屋的修建，玻璃窗也已开始普遍使用。底层人民一般住茅舍，房屋主体先由藤条编制，再和以泥灰黏土。灶火位于屋中央，炊烟从屋顶的一个黑孔中排出。在亨利七世时代以前，所有房屋都是这样的排烟方式，到了亨利七世时代才开始修建烟囱。
3.伊拉斯谟，亨利八世时期牛津大学的一位希腊文化教授，曾对这类简陋房屋的室内状况做了很不愉快的描述，他写道：“地面就是极普通的黏土地，到处散落着灯心草杆，底下更是沉积着长年以来的酒渍、油渍、垃圾碎片、碎骨等等，反正都是极其肮脏的东西。”这些不洁净的生活方式与习惯因此也时常导致严重瘟疫，肆虐人间、涂炭生灵。
4.到了伊丽莎白时代，人们修建房屋时开始用到橡木，家具也有了明显的变化。首先卧室家居有了很大改善。从都铎王朝早期开始，人们开始用稻草铺床，使用粗糙的床单被褥，并用小圆木来做长枕头，能睡上稻谷枕头就算很奢侈了。下等仆人一般直接在稻草上睡觉。
