Text A Flowers of History(第1页)
TextAFlowersofHistory
RogerofWendover
Pre-reading
RogerofWendover(?-1236)wasanEnglishiclerofthe13thtury。AtaehebekatSt。AlbaerwardsheointedpriorofthecellofBelvoir,butheforfeitedthisdignityintheearlyyearsofHenryⅢ,havingbeenfoundguiltyofwastis。HislateryearswerepassedatSt。Albans,wherehediedon6May1236。
WendoverworkedatSt。Albansaoworkwiththeseriesofimportanticlers。TheFlowersofHistoryishisbest-knownicle。ItisbasedionmaterialwhichalreadyexistedatSt。Albans。Probablytheaucleusoftheearlyparter’sFlowersofHistoryissupposedtohavebeeionofJohnofWallingford,whowasabbotofSt。Albansfrom1195to1214。
TheworkdonebyJohheyear1188,andwasrevisedanduedbyRogerupto1235,theyearbeforehisdeath。Rogerhisprefacetohaveselethebooksofcatholicwritersworthyofcredit,justasflowersofvariatheredfromvariousfields”。ThatiswhyhecalledhisworkFloresHistoriarum—atitleappropriatedihturytoalongpilationbyvarioushands。ItletedatWestmiinuingtotheyear1326,whichwasstartedatSt。AlbaheiatthewParis。Thoughitisnowknownthatnoactualiclerofthated,theworkwaslooominster”。
Promptsf
1。Whatdoyouthinkisthepurppastevents?Isittoeaioriesainstevildoingsortoeducatethemtofollowgoodmodels?
2。WhatisRoger’siiraph1?Doeshewahewonderfulaspethepastortoredressmisuandingofthevaluesofhistory?
3。ReyoftheBiblestoriesthatcoodandevildeeds。Arethereanylessonswedrawfromthem?
4。AsanEnglishiclerofthe13thtury,Rogerbaseshiseventsontworesources。Whataretheyandwhattsdotheygenerally?
5。Somehistoricalworkstendtobedull。Hersolvethisprobleminhishist?
[1]Wehavethoughtgoodbrieflytohetsofpasttimes,ahelineageofourSaviorfromthebeginning,withthesusdomsoftheworldandoftheirrulers,fortheinstruofposterity,andtoaidthediligeudioushearer。But,firstwewilladdressawordtodullcavilers,whoaskwhathereismen’slivesahs,orthevariousceswhichbefallthem;orofittingtthedifferentprodigiesofheaveh,as?Noouldhavesusknowthatthelivesofgoodmearesetforthfortheimitatioimes;andthattheexamplesofevilmen,whensuchocottobefollowed,buttobeshuheprodigiesaousocesofpastdays,whetherintheestilenotherchastisementsofGod’swrath,arenotwithoutadmonitiohful。Thereforeisthememoryofthemittedt,thatifeverthelikeshallagainomaypresehemselvestorepentandbythisremedyappeasethedivinevehiscause,therefmanyothers,Moses1,thelaw-giver,setsforthinthesacredhistory,theinnoceofAbel,theenvyof2,thesiyofJob3,thedissimulatiohemaliceofelevenofthesonsofIsrael5,thegoodnessofJosephthetwelfth,thepuhefivetheirdestrubyfireandbrimsto6wemayimitatethegood,aurnfromthewaysofthewidthisnotonlydoesMoses,butalsoallthewritersofthesacredpage,who,byendingvirtue,andholdiestatioheloveandfearofGod。Theyare,therefore,nottobeheeded,whosaythatbooksoficles,especiallythosebyCatholicauthors,areunward;fhthem,whateverisneanwisdomandsalvatioudiousinquirermaybeabletoacquirebyhismemory,apprehendbyhislearnihbyhiseloquence。
[2]Thefollowingwork,then,isdividedintotwobooks,thefirstofwhichtreatsbrieflyoftheOldTestamentofthelawofGhfiveagesoftheworld,untotheingoftheSavior,asthesamearemarkedbyMosesthelaw-giver,withthesusofthekiilesanddoms,withoutwhichthelawofGodottlybesetforth。ForLuke7,theeva,inwritingtheGospelofChrist,madementionofTiberiusCaesar8,andthekingsoftheJewishnation,whosedaysandyearsntoall,totheendthattheadventoftheSavimen,andHisereoflhtetotheknowledgeofall,bymeansofthatwhichhadmoreofsplendorahisihewayofalmostallthewritersofthesacredpage,forthereasoiohesedbookofthisworktreatsofthe,engwiththeinofdhisnativity,andnoticeseveryyear,withoutomittioourtimes,onwhomtheendsoftheworldaree,illtreateinitsproperplaevertheless,forthesakeoffastidiousreaders,whoareeasilywearied,wethinkitgoodtoaimatbrevityinthisourhistory,totheendthatwhiletheyexperieinashortandpleasingnarration,wemaykiheirmindsalthatwhiotweary,and,fromlistlesshearersandfastidiousreaders,vertthemiudents。Finally,thatwhichfollowshasbeehebooksofCatholicwritersworthyofcredit,justasflowersofvariatheredfromvariousfields,totheendthattheveryvariety,hediversityoftheaybegratefultothevariousmindsofthereaders,aingsomewhicheachmayrelish,maysufficefortheprofitaofall。。。
[3]Thesedbookofthiswork,engwiththetimeofgrace,treatsofthenativityofourSavior,andofhisworksihegoftheapostles,asofGodnowglorifiedinheaven,arrangedagtotheyearsofin,withoutomittioourtimes,onwhomtheendsoftheworldaree;inthecourseofwhichittreatsofalltheRomanpontiffsatreats,moreover,ofarchbishops,bishops,aiesofthechurgs,ahergreatmen,whoiimeslivediregions,as,whethergoodorevil。Ittreats,moreover,ofthevariouscesthathavebefallenmankind,theprodigiousaousmaionofGod’swrath,totheendthat,beingadmoevils,mehemselvestohumiliatioakingaatiood,andshunningthewaysoftheperverse。
Notes
1。Moses:摩西(OldTestament),theHebrewprophetwholedtheIsraelitesfromEgyptacrosstheRedseaonajourneyknownastheExodus。MosesreceivedtheTenentsfromGodonMountSinai。
2。Abeland:亚伯和该隐(OldTestameaertheFallofMan。Abelwaskilledby。
3。Job:约伯(OldTestament),aJewishherowhomaintainedhisfaithinGodinspiteofafflisthattestedhim。
4。Esau:以扫(OldTestamesonofIsaacwhowouldhaveihetthatGodmadewithAbrahamandthatAbrahampassedontoIsaac。HetradedhisbirthrighttohistwinbrotherJaessofpottage。
5。Israel:以色列,即雅各的别名,有12个儿子,约瑟(Joseph)为其第12子。