2.决定挥师巴黎之后，爱德华国王觉得有必要向海岸适当转移，但是很长时间都没能渡过索姆河。最后就在他濒临绝望的时候，一位乡下农民给他指引了一个叫做“白点”的地方，说那里水位很低，大军可以过河。
3.于是天没亮爱德华就出发，但到达此地后水位还是很高，只得花时间等待。就在等待期间，爱德华心急如焚，因为他担心一直在追赶他的法国国王很快追上来。没多久英军安全过河，法军还没赶到，河水水位又涨高了，于是法军只得撤回阿布维尔c。爱德华则在克雷西森林附近占领了一个据点，驻扎下来。
4.一场鏖战打响，黑王子在此战奠定首功d。英军的主力部队兵分三路，皆由黑王子统帅；随后弓箭手发起攻击，密集的箭簇像雪片一样飞向法军，对方顿时遍地哀嚎，死伤无数。但敌人队伍中最凶悍的士兵们立即对黑王子展开了猛烈攻击，并且最终突破了英军弓箭手的防线。
5.爱德华国王则统领预备部队，在一座风车楼上观察战情，此楼就位于战场边的一座小山上。看到他那金发碧眼的儿子处境危急，他的内心在感到骄傲的同时，也一定免不了担心与焦虑。但是他知道，这个时候一定不能显露哪怕一丝恐惧与疑惑；因此当一位骑士很焦急地冲进来要求上场为王子助战时，国王回应道：
“我儿子是死了，负伤了，还是被撂翻在地了？”“都没有，陛下。”骑士回禀道，“但是他现在处境非常危急啊。”
a Pyrenees.-The chain of mountains separating France from Spain.
b 拉霍格：法国海岸的一个海角，位于怀特岛正南方。c 阿布维尔：位于索姆河畔，地处克雷西以南几公里处。d 奠定首功：获得骑士身份之后赢得的首次胜利。
“好了，”爱德华说，“回去复命吧，告诉他们今天不要再派你来了，也不要指望我会在我儿子还活着时候上场助战，我率领大家来这里就是让这小子为他自己赢得荣誉的。”
6.既然已下定决心，爱德华国王在这血雨腥风的一天里连头盔都没有戴，仅仅端坐塔楼之上，看着他儿子率领部众顽强作战。
7.黑王子还参加了一场大规模海战，此战发生在英国舰队与西班牙舰队之间，地点在多佛海峡。当时的海战其实跟陆战差不太多，为了击败对方，将士们会在舰船之间近距离打斗，所用的攻击武器也主要是弓箭和长矛。
8.在这样的环境中，这位勇士很快就学会了如何使用刀剑长矛砍杀敌人，以及如何指挥全军将士奋力抗战。在担任法国南部省份吉耶纳省长的期间，他一路征伐，最后将兵力延伸到了卢瓦尔河a。之后又在普瓦捷大挫法国国王，当时法王企图在他撤退之时断其后路，但结果被他将计就计全面包抄，大败而归。
9.在公元1356年的普瓦捷之战中，英国军队一万人对阵法国军队七万人，之所以取得胜利，完全取决于黑王子的统领之功。为了避免遭受法国骑兵部队的猛烈攻击，他巧妙地安排英军全都埋伏在田野的葡萄藤架中，然后指挥身着绿色伪装外衣的弓箭手全力进军，很快就掌握主动权，法军阵脚大乱，最终四散而逃。
10.法国国王约翰在此役之中成了俘虏，当黑王子凯旋伦敦之时，他却对这位皇家囚徒恭敬了一番，他骑上一匹小黑马，在约翰所骑的白色高大军马周围兜了几圈，以表示对这位皇家囚徒的致意。这让约翰很不是滋味。
11.但是黑王子最后的日子却很惨淡，他远征西班牙可以看作是他人生走向失败的拐点。当时他穿越比利牛斯山去帮助酷王彼得完成大业，此人的一个异母兄弟已经夺去了卡斯蒂尔b王国的王位。黑王子在西班牙时不幸染病，最后不治身亡，因此终其一生他都没有登上国王宝座。
a 卢瓦尔河：法国的一条河流，奥尔良市就位于该河沿岸。
b 卡斯蒂尔：西班牙历史上的一个王国，由西班牙西北部的老卡斯蒂尔和中部的新卡斯蒂尔组成。它逐渐和周边王国融合，形成了西班牙王国。现在西班牙的君主就是从卡斯蒂尔王国一脉相传的。--译者注62RICHARD II.-BORDEAUX理查德二世--波尔多王
1377to 1399A.D.-22years（公元1377~1399年，在位22年）common people，working-classes.
levied on，collected from.
lists，place set apart for the fight.
mace，club.
sports，hunting，etc.
surrender，yield；give up.
take vengeance，punish the slayers of Tyler.
tax，charge.
tiler，coverer of houses with tiles.
1.Richard the Second，the son of the Black Prince，and grandson of the late King，came to the throne when only eleven years of age；and the kingdom was ruled by a council of twelve nobles until he came of age.
2.The first great event of his reign was a rebellion of the common people，headed by a tiler named Walter-hence Wat Tyler.It was caused by a tax of one shilling a-head levied on every person above fifteen years of age.
3.This tax was felt to be unjust，as the poor had to pay as much as the rich.A greatmob of lawless men，therefore，with Tyler at their head，entered London，destroyed the houses of the nobility，and murdered every one that looked like a gentleman.
a
4.Next day the King met them in Smithfield.
Wat Tyler spoke to him so
rudely，that Sir William Walworth，the Lord Mayor，struck him from his horse with a blow of his mace.One of the King’s knights then rode up and slew him.The rebels were preparing to take vengeance；but young Richard bravely rode up to them，and told them not to mind Tyler‘s death-he himself would now be their leader，and would do all they wished.
5.This bold address at once quieted the rebels，who soon went home.Richard，however，did not keep his promise；and hundreds of them were afterwards hanged.
6.When Richard came into power，he was found to be a vain，weak，and foolish King-quite unable to rule the fierce spirits of the time.He thereforea Smithfield.-In the heart of London.Famous as a place of execution.Wallace was executed there in1305.Also the scene of tournaments，fairs，and，in later times，of a cattle market.
soon lost the good opinion of his subjects；and at length an event happened which cost him his crown and his life.
7.A quarrel having arisen between the Dukes of Hereford and Norfolk，Richard ordered them to decide it by single combat.When they entered the lists，he would not allow them to fight，but banished them both-Hereford for ten years，and Norfolk for life.
8.Soon afterwards，Hereford’s father，the Duke of Lancaster，died，and Richard seized his estates.When Hereford heard of this，he was so enragedathat he resolved to drive the King from the throne.He landed at Ravenspur inYorkshire with a few followers.The nobles were very much in his favour，and he was soon at the head of an army of 60，000men，with which he entered London.
9.Richard was at that time in Ireland，and when he returned he found that his kingdom had passed from his hands.He who had left England as King had to surrender himself a captive to Hereford，who had now become Duke of Lancaster.He was taken to London，where he gave up the crown.He wasbafterwards confined in Ponte-fractCastle，where he was murdered in the
thirty-fourth year of his age.He was the last King of the House of Anjou.
10.Richard the Second was a weak monarch and a selfish and passionate man.Being a lover of pleasure more than of duty，he was fond of show，and lived in grand style.There were in his household ten thousand persons-in his kitchen alone，three hundred.During his reign the great reformer John Wycliffe lived.He translated the Bible into English.His followers were called Lollards.
d
11.In this reign （1388）was fought the famous Battle of Otterburn，betweenthe Douglases and the Percies.The English were defeated，and Percy was taken prisoner；but Douglas was slain.