Meditations — Page 7
他沿着前人开辟的道路前行，
He trod the path beaten by his predecessors,
只求尽职尽责，并防止腐败滋生。
seeking only to do his duty as well as he could, and to keep out corruption.
他确实做过一些不明智的事情。
He did some unwise things, it is true.
像他那样在帝国中树立一个共治者，是一项危险的创新，只有当两人之中有一人甘居幕后时才能成功；
To create a compeer in empire, as he did with Verus, was a dangerous innovation which could only succeed if one of the two effaced himself;
而在戴克里先统治时期，正是这一先例导致了罗马帝国分裂为两半。
and under Diocletian this very precedent caused the Roman Empire to split into halves.
他在民政管理上的过失在于过度集权。
He erred in his civil administration by too much centralising.
但他统治的闪光之处在于司法的公正施行。
But the strong point of his reign was the administration of justice.
马可竭力立法保护弱者，减轻奴隶的苦难，并以父亲之位庇护无父的孤儿。
Marcus sought by-laws to protect the weak, to make the lot of the slaves less hard, to stand in place of father to the fatherless.
慈善基金会得以设立，用于养育和教育贫困儿童。
Charitable foundations were endowed for rearing and educating poor children.
各行省免受压迫之苦，遭受灾难的城市或地区也获得了公共援助。
The provinces were protected against oppression, and public help was given to cities or districts which might be visited by calamity.
他名声上最大的污点——确实令人难以解释——是他对基督徒的迫害。
The great blot on his name, and one hard indeed to explain, is his treatment of the Christians.
在他统治期间，罗马的查士丁因信仰而殉道，士每拿的波利卡普也同样如此，我们还知晓各行省爆发的多起狂热迫害事件，导致许多信徒遇难。
In his reign Justin at Rome became a martyr to his faith, and Polycarp at Smyrna, and we know of many outbreaks of fanaticism in the provinces which caused the death of the faithful.
以他对以其名义犯下的暴行一无所知为借口，是站不住脚的：
It is no excuse to plead that he knew nothing about the atrocities done in his name:
了解这些乃是他的职责所在，若他真的不知情，他本人也会第一个承认自己有失职守。
it was his duty to know, and if he did not he would have been the first to confess that he had failed in his duty.
Vocabulary
- trod
- tread的过去式，意为踩踏、走过
- path
- 小路、道路，也指人生道路或方式
- beaten
- 被反复走过的，已开辟的（路）
- predecessors
- 前任者，前辈，在某职位之前的人
- seeking
- 寻求，努力追求某事物
- duty
- 职责，义务，应尽之本分
- corruption
- 腐败，贪污，道德或制度的败坏
- unwise
- 不明智的，缺乏判断力的
- create
- 创造，建立，使某物存在
- compeer
- 同等地位者，同僚，共同执政者
- empire
- 帝国，由皇帝统治的广大国家
- dangerous
- 危险的，可能造成伤害或风险
- innovation
- 创新，革新，引入新制度或方法
- succeed
- 成功，达到目的或预期效果
- effaced
- 使自身消隐，退居幕后不显声色
- precedent
- 先例，前例，可供后来参照之事
- caused
- 导致，引起某结果发生
- Roman
- 罗马的，与古罗马有关的
- Empire
- 帝国，尤指罗马帝国
- split
- 分裂，分成两部分或多部分
- halves
- 两半，half的复数，各占一半
- erred
- 犯错，做出错误判断或决定
- civil
- 民政的，与国家内部行政有关的
- administration
- 行政管理，政府机构的管治工作
- centralising
- 集权化，将权力集中于中央
- reign
- 统治时期，君主在位的时间
- justice
- 正义，公正，依法公平处事
- sought
- seek的过去式，寻求，努力争取
- by-laws
- 附则，细则，补充性法规条例
- protect
- 保护，防止受到伤害或不公
- weak
- 弱者，软弱的人，处于弱势群体
- lot
- 命运，境遇，一个人所处的生活状况
- slaves
- 奴隶，被他人完全控制无自由之人
- stand
- 担任，代替，充当某角色
- fatherless
- 无父的，失去父亲的孤儿
- Charitable
- 慈善的，出于善意帮助他人的
- foundations
- 基金会，慈善机构，为公益设立的组织
- endowed
- 被捐资设立，获得资金支持
- rearing
- 抚养，养育，将孩子带大
- educating
- 教育，培养，给予知识和技能
- provinces
- 行省，帝国或国家的地方行政区域
- protected
- 受到保护，被防止受到伤害
- oppression
- 压迫，欺压，以权力残酷对待他人
- districts
- 地区，区域，行政划分的小区域
- visited
- 遭受，（灾难）降临到某地
- calamity
- 灾难，严重的不幸事件或祸患
- blot
- 污点，污迹，名誉上的瑕疵
- indeed
- 确实，的确，表示强调或认可
- explain
- 解释，说明，阐明原因或理由
- treatment
- 对待方式，处置方法，处理手段
- Christians
- 基督徒，信奉基督教的人们
- martyr
- 殉道者，为信仰而牺牲生命之人
- faith
- 信仰，宗教信念，对某事物的坚信
- outbreaks
- 突发事件，（暴力或迫害的）爆发
- fanaticism
- 狂热主义，极端偏执的宗教或政治热情
- faithful
- 信徒，忠实的信众，笃信者
- excuse
- 借口，辩解，为错误行为找理由
- plead
- 辩称，声称，以……为由进行辩解
- atrocities
- 暴行，极端残忍的行为，骇人听闻之事
- confess
- 承认，坦白，承认错误或事实
- failed
- 失败，未能成功，辜负了期望
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