A Child's History of England.221

There was a fellow named Blood, who was seized for making, with two companions, an audacious attempt to steal the crown, the globe, and sceptre, from the place where the jewels were kept in the Tower. This robber, who was a swaggering ruffian, being taken, declared that he was the man who had endeavoured to kill the Duke of Ormond, and that he had meant to kill the King too, but was overawed by the majesty of his appearance, when he might otherwise have done it, as he was bathing at Battersea. The King being but [only] an ill-looking fellow, I don't believe a word of this. Whether he was flattered, or whether he knew that Buckingham had really set Blood on to murder the Duke, is uncertain. But it is quite certain that he pardoned this thief, gave him an estate of five hundred a year in Ireland (which had had the honour of giving him birth [那个贼是爱尔兰人]), and presented him at Court to the debauched lords and the shameless ladies, who made a great deal of him [很把他当回事] - as I have no doubt they would have made of the Devil himself, if the King had introduced him.

https://thecrownchronicles.co.uk/explanation/symbols-of-monarchy-sovereigns-orb-and-sceptre/

the globe/orb:  

audacious: showing great courage or confidence in a way that is impressive or slightly shocking
swagger: walk proudly, swinging your shoulders in a way that shows you are very confident
ruffian: violent lawless man
overawe: cause sb to feel a great deal of fear and respect. 其实awe和overawe意思差不多，whelm和overwhelm意思差不多。现在whelm不算词了，awesome, awful还是词。

Infamously pensioned as he was, the King still wanted money, and consequently was obliged to call Parliaments. In these, the great object of the Protestants was to thwart [阻挠] the Catholic Duke of York, who married a second time; his new wife being a young lady only fifteen years old, the Catholic sister of the Duke of Modena. In this they were seconded [附议] by the Protestant Dissenters, though to their own disadvantage: since, to exclude Catholics from power, they were even willing to exclude themselves. The King's object was to pretend to be a Protestant, while he was really a Catholic; to swear to the bishops that he was devoutly attached to the English Church, while he knew he had bargained it away to the King of France; and by cheating and deceiving them, and all who were attached to royalty, to become despotic [tyrannical] and be powerful enough to confess what a rascal he was. Meantime, the King of France, knowing his merry pensioner well, intrigued [密谋] with the King's opponents in Parliament, as well as with the King and his friends.

The fears that the country had of the Catholic religion being restored [country对恢复religion的fear], if the Duke of York should come to the throne, and the low cunning of the King in pretending to share their alarms [恐慌], led to some very terrible results. A certain Dr. Tonge, a dull clergyman in the City, fell into the hands of a certain Titus Oates, a most infamous character, who pretended to have acquired among the Jesuits [天主教耶稣会] abroad a knowledge of a great plot for the murder of the King, and the re-establishment if the Catholic religion. Titus Oates, being produced [showed] by this unlucky Dr. Tonge and solemnly examined before the council, contradicted himself in a thousand ways, told the most ridiculous and improbable stories, and implicated Coleman, the Secretary of the Duchess of York. Now, although what he charged against Coleman was not true, and although you and I know very well that the real dangerous Catholic plot was that one with the King of France of which the Merry Monarch was himself the head, there happened to be found among Coleman's papers, some letters, in which he did praise the days of Bloody Queen Mary, and abuse [诋毁] the Protestant religion. This was great good fortune for Titus, as it seemed to confirm him; but better still was in store. Sir Edmundbury Godfrey, the magistrate [治安官] who had first examined him, being unexpectedly found dead near Primrose Hill, was confidently believed to have been killed by the Catholics. I think there is no doubt that he had been melancholy [抑郁地] mad, and that he killed himself; but he had a great Protestant funeral, and Titus was called the Saver of the Nation, and received a pension of twelve hundred pounds a year.

六级/考研单词: fellow, companion, thief, globe, rob, endeavor, majesty, bathe, flatter, uncertain, shame, devil, confide, swing, timid, awe, overwhelm, oblige, parliament, catholic, dissent, bishop, bargain, cheat, deceive, potent, confess, meanwhile, merry, intrigue, throne, cunning, clergy, notorious, plot, solemn, contradict, ridicule, sovereign, praise, abuse, magistrate, funeral