‘How do you teach and train young people of good family？If the last son of an old family dies，how do you make new lords for the House of Lords？Are these lords really the most suitable people to make the country's laws？And in the House of Commons，are these men really so honest and intelligent？Do rich men never buy their way into this House？You say the lawmakers receive no pay，but are you sure that they never ac-cept bribes？’
“你们怎么教育、训练好家族的年青人？如果一个古老家族的最后一个儿子去世了，你们怎么给上议院选定新的议员？这些议员真是最适合给这个国家制定法律的人吗？在下议院中，这些人是真的诚实而聪明吗？富人从来不用钱买路进入议院吗？你说法律制定者不收报酬，但是你敢肯定他们从来不收受贿赂吗？”
Then he asked questions about our lawcourts．‘Why are your trials so long and so expensive？How much do your lawyers and judges really know about the laws？How carefully do they decide between right and wrong？’
然后他问了一些关于我们的法庭的问题。“你们的审判为什么那么耗时而费钱？你们的律师和法官究竟知道多少你们的法律？他们判定正误有多仔细？”
‘And why，’he went on，‘are you so often at war？Either you enjoy fighting，or you have very difficult neighbours！Why do you need an army at all？You would not be afraid of any other country，if you were peaceful people．And in the last hundred years you've done nothing but rob，fight，and mur-der！Your recent history shows the very worst effects of cruel－ ty，jealousy，dishonesty，and madness！’
“为什么，”他接着说，“你们经常打仗？或者是你们喜欢战争，或者是你们的邻居很难处！究竟为什么你们需要军队？如果你们是热爱和平的人民，你们不应该害怕别的国家。而在过去的百年里，你们除了掠夺、打仗和谋杀没有干别的！你们最近的历史显示了残酷、嫉妒、欺诈和疯狂的最糟糕的结果！”
I tried to answer the King as well as I could，but he did not think our system was a good one．
我力图尽可能满意地回答国王，可是他并不认为我们的制度好。
‘No，my little friend’he said kindly but seriously，‘I'm sorry for you．You've proved to me that your country has nothing valuable to offer us．Perhaps once，in the past，your political life was adequately organized，but now it is clear that there is laziness and selfishness in every part of the system．Your politicians can be bribed，your soldiers aren't really brave，your judges and lawyers are neither reasonable nor hon-est，and your lawmakers themselves know little and do less．I sincerely hope that you，who have spent most of your life trav-elling，have a better character than most Englishmen．But from what you've told me，I'm afraid that your countrymen are foe worst little nation of insects that has ever crawled upon the ground．’
“不，我的小朋友，”他和善而认真地说，“我为你感到遗憾。你向我证明了你们没有什么有价值的东西提供给我们。也许在过去，你们的政治生活曾经组织得恰当，可是现在很明显，这个制度的每一部分都充满了惰性和自私。你们的政客可以受贿赂，你们的战士并不真的勇敢，你们的法官和律师既不通情理也不诚实，而你们的法律制定者自己知道得很少，做得更少。你一生的大多数时光都用于旅行了，我真诚地希望你比大多数英国人品行要好，不过据你所告诉我的，我担心你的国人是地上曾经爬行过的昆虫中最糟糕的小国民。”
I am very sorry to have to report these words of the King’ s，and I only do so because of my love of the truth．I must tell you exactly what happened，even if I do not agree with it．I had to listen patiently，while he was giving his extraordinary opinions of my dear country．We must remember，however，that this King lives in a country almost completely separate from the rest of the world．Because he does not know other countries systems or customs，he has a certain narrowness of thinking，which we Europeans do not have，of course.
我非常遗憾不得不转述国王的这些话，我这样做只是因为我对真相的热爱。我必须原原本本地告诉你们发生的事，即使我并不赞同。在他发表关于我亲爱的祖国的不同寻常的看法时，我不得不耐心地听着。不过我们必须记住，这个国王生活在几乎完全与世隔绝的国度里，因为他不知道别的国家的制度或习俗，他的想法中有一定的狭隘性，这当然是我们欧洲人所没有的。
You will find it difficult to believe what happened next．
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