Magna Charter

大宪章

THERE also happened in this reign the memorable Charta, known as Magna Charter on account of the Latin Magna (great) and Charter (a Charter); this was the first of the famous Chartas and Gartas of the Realm and was invented by the Barons on a desert island in the Thames called Ganymede. By congregating there, armed to the teeth, the Barons compelled John to sign the Magna Charter, which said:

在约翰的任期内，还诞生了一份著名的宪章，即人们所知的大宪章。大宪章一词来源于拉丁文 Magna（伟大的）和 Charter（宪章），这是英国境内第一份著名的宪章，由一群伯爵在泰晤士河畔一个叫盖尼米德（Ganymede）的荒岛上起草而成。他们聚集在那儿，武装到牙齿，强迫约翰王签署了那份宪章。宪章上写道：

1. That no one was to be put to death, save for some reason – (except the Common People).

2. 不得无故处死人（平民除外）。

3. That everyone should be free – (except the Common People).

4. 人人皆得自由（平民除外）。

5. That everything should be of the same weight and measure throughout the Realm – (except the Common People).

6. 王国内的一切事物皆应被同等对待，被用同样的方式处理（平民除外）。

7. That the Courts should be stationary, instead of following a very tiresome medieval official known as the King’s Person all over the country.

8. 当有固定的法庭，而非跟随者国王身边那些极度乏味的中世纪官僚，在全国各地巡游。

9. That ‘no person should be fined to his utter ruin’ (except the King’s Person).

10. 不得惩罚一个人超过他所能承受的限度（国王的亲信除外）。

11. That the Barons should not be tried except by a special jury of other Barons who would understand.

12. 不得随意将伯爵定罪，除非经过由其他伯爵组成的特别陪审团的审判。

Magna Charter was therefore the chief cause of Democracy in England, and thus a Good Thing for everyone (except the Common People). After this King John hadn’t a leg to stand on and was therefore known as ‘John Lackshanks’.

大宪章因此成为英格兰民主的主要原因，这对所有人都好（除了平民）。由于约翰王没有理由拒绝，因此又被人称为“无腿的约翰”。

Final Acts of Misgovernment

弊政的最后法令

John finally demonstrated his utter incompetence by losing the Crown and all his clothes in the wash and then dying of a surfeit of peaches and no cider; thus his awful reign came to an end.

约翰最终证明自己毫无能力，他在清洗中失去了王位和所有华服，死在成堆的桃子中，而没有苹果酒。他糟糕的统治也因此划上了句号。