4.The King‘s health now began to give way；and Northumberland，thirsting for still greater power，got him to make a will leaving the crown to the Earl’s daughter-in-law，Lady Jane Grey.Lady Jane was the grand-daughter of Mary Tudor，a sister of Henry the Eighth.As Henry‘s two daughters，Mary and Elizabeth，were alive，Lady Jane had no right to the crown.
5.Edward grew worse；and Northumberland，ever by his bedside，placed him under the care of an old woman，who engaged to cure him.The young King，a Mary.-That is，Mary Stewart，afterwards beheaded at Fotheringay.
b Pinkie.-About 5miles east of Edinburgh.
however，grew worse and worse，till at last he died；and it is even said by some that his end was hastened，if not by poison，at least by neglect.He was amiable and learned，and his death caused much sorrow to the nation.
中文阅读
1.爱德华六世乃先王与简·西摩的儿子，由于他即位时年仅十岁，因此他的叔父萨默塞特成了摄政王。他是一位新教徒，在克兰默大主教以及雷德利与拉蒂默主教的支持下，他为英格兰的宗教改革运动做了大量的推动工作。
2.先王亨利曾决心要让爱德华与苏格兰年轻女王玛丽a结婚，如今正是提出婚约时，苏格兰人却不同意。萨默塞特公爵于是一不做二不休，直接率兵入侵苏格兰，在平其b战役中大破苏军。但此时玛丽已被送往法国，并在那里与法国国王的长子结婚了。
3.这之后不久，萨默塞特公爵由于过于贪权揽势，渐渐众叛亲离；他的对手，诺森白兰伯爵开始寻找机会，要置他于死地。于是叛乱与阴谋一个接一个，其目的都是针对于他。1552年，他因严重的叛国罪被斩首，其摄政王的地位也由诺森白兰伯爵取而代之。
4.国王的健康状况一天不如一天，诺森白兰伯爵的野心也越来越大，为了能获取更大的权力，他让国王表态死后将王位传给他的儿媳妇，简·格雷女士。简的来头不小，是亨利八世国王的姐姐玛丽·都铎的女儿。但由于亨利的两位女儿玛丽和伊丽莎白均健在，简最终还是无权继承王位。
5.爱德华的病情日益恶化，诺森白兰伯爵一直守候在病榻旁边，并让一位老妇人对他悉心照料，尽力想让国王痊愈。但是依然无力回天，1553年，国王驾崩。但也有人认为他的死有人为原因，即使不是被下毒，也至少是被故意疏于照料。爱德华六世国王为人和蔼可亲，而且博学多闻，他的离世让这个国家举国悲痛。
a 玛丽：即玛丽·斯图尔特，后来被斩首于佛泽林盖。
b 平其：位于爱丁堡以东5英里。
95
MARY I
玛丽一世
1553to 1558A.D.-5years（公元1553~1558年，在位5年）burned at the stake，chained to a post and burned to death.
cold，without affection.
father-in-law，husband’s father.
gloomy，unhappy；miserable.
lost，retaken by the French.mercy，tenderness.preyed，weighed heavily.soured，made harsh.supporters，followers.
1.On Edward‘s death，Lady Jane Grey was proclaimed Queen，by order of her father-in-law，the Protector.This was very much against her own wish；for she knew that，while any child of Henry the Eighth lived，she had no right to the crown.Mary，daughter of Henry and Catherine of Aragon，put forth her claim；and the people being in her favour，Lady Jane gladly gave up the crown to her.
2.Mary ordered Northumberland，Lady Jane，and her husband Lord Dudley，to be seized and put in prison.Northumberland was at once put to death.The others，with sixty of their supporters，were beheaded in the following year.
3.Mary had promised to uphold the religious laws of Edward the Sixth；but，being a Roman Catholic，she at once began to undo the work of the Reformation.Cranmer，Ridley，and Latimer were cast into prison；and soon afterwards they，and many others，were burned at the stake.In the last three years of Mary’s reign，two hundred and eighty-eight men，women，and children were burned to death for their religion.
4.Mary had married Philip the Second of Spain.His conduct towards her was cold and careless.This，together with the hatred of her subjects，preyed on her mind.Then came the news that Calais，in France，which had been in the hands of the English for two hundred years，was lost.This broke her spirit.She fell into a slow fever，of which she died，after an unhappy reign of five years.
5.Mary‘s temper was soured by the troubles of her early life，and in her later years she became sad and gloomy.She has been called Bloody Mary.We should，however，rather pity the Queen whose heart had lost the mercy natural to woman，and who died hated by her subjects.
中文阅读
1.爱德华国王驾崩之后，简·格雷女士宣称继承王位，不过这并非她本人的意愿，而是出于她当摄政王的公公的命令。因为她清楚地知道，亨利八世国王的孩子还健在，她根本无权继承王位。很快亨利与凯瑟琳·阿拉贡的女儿玛丽便宣称继承王位，并且得到了国民支持，简也只能将王位让给了她。
2.玛丽很快下令将诺森白兰伯爵、简·格雷女士和她的丈夫达德利勋爵抓了起来，并投入死牢。诺森白兰伯爵被立即处死，其他人以及他们六十多个同党在第二年也全部被斩首。
3.玛丽曾发誓支持爱德华六世的宗教改革法案，但成为一名罗马天主教徒之后，她便立即开始抵制宗教改革运动。克兰默、雷德利、拉蒂默这几位大主教全被抓捕下狱，不久便和其他人一起被处以火刑。在玛丽执政的最后三年，共有288人包括小孩因宗教信仰在火刑柱上被活活烧死。
4.玛丽嫁给了西班牙国王菲利普二世，但她的丈夫对她却极其冷漠，毫不关心。这样的精神苦闷以及国民对她的憎恨相互交织，让她的内心不断扭曲。不久法国的加来失守，这片英国统治了两百多年的土地落入了法国人手中，这让玛丽的精神彻底崩溃了。1558年她患上慢热病，很快就死了，结束了她这毫无快乐可言的五年当国。
5.玛丽的恶劣脾气是由她早年种种不顺生活导致的，后来的生活也悲哀而沮丧。她被人们称为“血腥玛丽”，不过对于这样一个女人，我们也许该报以些许同情。她失去了女人天性中的仁慈与善良，连死都是在国民对她的无限憎恨中死去。
96
ELIZABETH.（PART I.）
伊丽莎白（一）
1558to 1603A.D.-45years（公元1558~1603年，在位45年）anchored，stayed their ships by anchors.
doomed，sentenced.
fireships，ships full of burning matter to set the enemy’s ships on fire.
fleet，number of ships.navy，war-ships.rejected，refused.terrified，frightened.
1.Elizabeth was the daughter of Henry the Eighth and Anne Boleyn.When she came to the throne the nation was filled with joy.The Protestant religion was set up again，and the Church of England took its present form.The Thirty-nine Articles of belief，which Cranmer had written，were placed in the Prayer Book.
2.Mary，Queen of Scotland，who had married the Dauphin of France，now laid claim to the crown of England；but her husband died，and she left France a widow only nineteen years old，with none to press her claim.She was disliked by her Scottish subjects，as she was a Roman Catholic；and after seven years of trouble she was dethroned.
3.She fled to England，and threw herself on the mercy of Elizabeth.But Elizabeth could never look on Mary in any other way than as a rival for her crown.Her presence in England was a cause of real danger，as many persons thought that she had a better right to the throne than Elizabeth，and all the Roman Catholics were in her favour.
4.Queen Mary was therefore thrown into prison，and was confined for upwards of eighteen years.During that time several plots were formed by her friends for her release.At last one，headed by Antony Babington，was discovered，by which it was intended to murder Elizabeth and to set Mary on the throne.