1.当亨利二世国王在法国生活时，一位身材魁梧的爱尔兰人拜访了他，此人名叫德莫特·麦克摩罗，这次拜访直接导致了诺曼人入侵爱尔兰的事件。故事的起因是这样的：有位不检点的妇人，名叫德沃尔吉拉，她是当时一位爱尔兰王子的王妃。她勾引了身为伦斯特国王的德莫特，让他把她从米斯郡的一个岛上接走，他那暴戾的丈夫一直把她囚禁于此。这件事后来便引发了战争，德莫特被打败，连王位也丢了。
2.德莫特找到亨利，承诺说如果英王亨利能让他恢复王位，他将会把自己的国家作为英国的属国，也就是臣服于英国。由于当时亨利不能立即跨海前往，便修书一封给德莫特，保证会让属下贵族出面帮他摆平此事。
3.德莫特在布里斯托尔停留了很长时间，试图说服周边的贵族们加入他的行列与敌作战。最后彭布洛克伯爵理查德·斯特朗博终于同意出手帮他；作为回报，德莫特将女儿艾娃许配于他，还指定他作为伦斯特王权的继承人。公元1169年，在斯特朗博做好出征准备之前，他麾下的两位骑士就已经跨海出发了，很快以不足百人的队伍攻取了都柏林与韦克斯福德诸城。当三百爱尔兰人的人头堆在德莫特面前时我们或许就能理解这是怎样的一场战争了。
4.不久之后，另一位诺曼骑士代表斯特朗博前来参战，他就是大胖子雷蒙德。一般而言，胖子大多比较和善温厚，但雷蒙德可能是个例外。他曾将七十多名战俘带到高高的山崖上，山崖下面就是惊涛拍岸的大海，他先用棍棒把这些人全部打成粉碎性骨折，然后再把他们全部扔进海里。
5.斯特朗博后来也亲自来到战斗前线，虽然亨利已经私下告诉他无需如此。斯特朗博来了之后的第一件事便是围攻沃特福德。当时每座城几乎都有城墙，因此当务之急便是在城墙上打洞，或者也可称之为在防御工事上凿出缺口。由于城墙上有一座小木屋，可以连通城墙内外，于是斯特朗博想办法砍掉了木屋的支撑架，木屋轰然倾覆，城墙被打开一个大缺口。诺曼大军从这个缺口蜂拥而入，很快城内满街便尸骨横。
6.斯特朗博又挥师前往都柏林，攻城的方式跟上一次差不多。就在这时英王亨利下令要求所有忠诚的骑士都必须从战场撤回，这让斯特朗博的兵力大幅削弱。而恰逢此时，一帮披坚执锐的丹麦敌寇也来入侵都柏林，他们的一脸红毛依然是当地人的恐怖记忆。不过还好，诺曼骑士们很快就把这帮粗鄙的海盗打得落花流水。然而敌军此后对都柏林进行了封锁，并且持续长达两个月，这让诺曼大军的战斗力严重受损，最后实在难以支撑，几乎快要缴械投降了。
7.就在这千钧一发之际，诺曼军决定背水一战。在一天早晨的九点钟，他们从敞开的城门倾巢出动，攻势突然而迅猛，让号称三万大军的爱尔兰阵营乱作一团，对方士兵们看见这些披坚执锐的骑兵头扎羽缨，策马而来，全都抱头鼠窜。
8.这次胜利让诺曼人在爱尔兰站稳了脚跟。战事结束后，亨利国王也原谅了斯特朗博的抗命之举，并御驾渡海来到了爱尔兰。他将都柏林定为爱尔兰辖区的中心城市，并修建了一座藤条编制的大房子，并在那里邀请了许多爱尔兰首领与他一起共进圣诞晚宴。
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RICHARD I.-COEUR DE LION，OR THE LION-HEART理查德一世--狮心王1189to 1199A.D.-10years（公元1189~1199年，在位10年）cell，room in the prison.
changeable，not to be depended on.
his absence，the time he had been away.
musiclan，player of music.
outlaw，robber.
ransom，price of freedom.
welfare，good.
1.Richard succeeded to the throne，as his elder brothers had died before their father.He cared very little for the welfare of his subjects；and，though King for ten years，he only spent six months in England.During the rest of his reign he was in Palestine and on the Continent.
2.Wishing to join the Third Crusade，he began his reign by raising all the money he could.For this purpose he used improper means.He sold the offices of State；and took away by force much wealth from the rich Jews.Many of them were basely murdered，and their dwellings were plundered and burned to the ground.
3.Richard was joined in the Crusade by the King of France.They raised a vast army，and at Acre，a town in Palestine，they fought a great battle，in which thousands were slain.After taking this strong city，Richard marched to Jerusalem；but his army was not strong enough to take it，so he left for England.
4.On his way home，he was shipwrecked on the northern coast of the Gulf of Venice.While he was making his way through Austria，in the dress of a pilgrim，he was seized by the Duke of Austria，and was sold for a great sum of money to the Emperor ofGermany，who cast him into prison.
RICHARD THE LION-HEART.
5.It is said that a French musician，who knew Richard，happened to arrive at the walls of the very castle where he was confined，and beneath the grated window of his cell played on his harp a tune which Richard had made.Richard，hearing it，remembered the harper，and sang the same tune in reply.
6.The harper at once knew the voice of the King，and went and made known in England the place where he was imprisoned.-This is a pretty story，but many persons do not believe it.It is quite true，however，that a great ransom was paid for Richard’s freedom，and that he returned home.
7.During his absence the country had got into a shocking state.It was overrun by bands of robbers，and neither life nor property was safe.The famous outlaw Robin Hood lived about this time.
8.Shortly after Richard‘s return from the Holy Land he was shot by an archer while he was besieging a castle in France.The wound caused his death.-King Richard was a very brave and skilful soldier；but he was changeable and often fierce in temper.
中文阅读
1.由于所有的兄长都先于父王亨利夭亡，因此理查德顺理成章继承了王位。他在位期间，对民生福利关心甚少；尽管享国十年，真正待在英格兰的时间只有区区六个月，其他时间全部花在了巴勒斯坦和欧洲大陆。
2.由于希望加入第三次十字军东征，他刚一继位就尽可能地敛财，并且不惜采取不妥的手段。他把国家官职卖掉，还用强权抢夺了一些犹太富商的财富。许多犹太人因此被残忍杀害，住处也被洗劫并付之一炬。
3.理查德后来如愿以偿，被法国国王拉入了十字军。于是二人率领大军来到巴勒斯坦的阿卡镇，与敌军展开了一场鏖战，死伤数千人。攻占此城之后，理查德便挥师耶路撒冷，但由于兵力还不足以取胜，便又只得返回英格兰。
4.就在回来的路上，理查德一行在威尼斯湾的北部海岸附近遭遇了一场海难。于是他取道奥地利继续前行，身上还穿着一身朝圣者的服饰。但就在此过程中，理查德被奥地利公爵抓了起来，以大价钱卖给了德国国王，并进了监狱。
5.据说一位法国乐师认识理查德，碰巧来到关押他的监狱高墙之下，用竖琴弹奏理查德谱写的一首曲子，琴声通过囚室的窗洞传到了理查德的耳朵里，他一下记起了这位琴师，于是和着曲调哼唱了起来。
6.琴师一下就听出了理查德国王的声音，于是立即来到英格兰，告诉了国人国王目前的处境和羁押地点。这个故事听起来的确温馨动人，但是相信的人却不多。
不过有一点却是实实在在的，那就是在公元1194年交了一大笔赎金之后，理查德获得自由并返回了英格兰。
7.理查德在国外时，英格兰一片混乱。遍地土匪强盗，人民的生命财产完全得不到保障。著名的亡命之徒罗宾汉就生活在这一时期。
8.从圣地回来不久，理查德在法国一次围攻城堡的战事中被弓箭射中而死去。总体而言，理查德国王算是一位英武之君，也是一位武艺高超的战将；但总是喜怒无常，脾气很坏。
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THE ADVENTURES OF THE LION-HEART
狮心王的大冒险
1191A.D.（公元1191年）
arrested，seized.
commend，commit；give up.
destined，doomed.dignity，rank.discovery，being found.echo，answering sound.
frightened，filled with fear.
glimpse，short or passing view.
induce，lead.infldel，unbeliever.occurred，happened.produced，made.
ransomed，bought back.
revenge，desire to strike back.scornfully，with scorn or contempt.wonderful，surprising.
1.A great thundering of drums and pealing of horns greeted the ships of theaEnglish King as they sailed into the roads of Acre.
For two years the siege of
that city had been going on，and the plain around was rough with the gravesband bones of the fallen.Saladin，perched like a watchful eagle on the top ofcMount Carmel，had actually for some time been besieging the besiegers.