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1、THELADY,ORTHETIGER?THELADY,ORTHETIGER?byFrankR.Stockton1THELADY,ORTHETIGER?Intheveryoldentimetherelivedasemi-barbaricking,whoseideas,thoughsomewhatpolishedandsharpenedbytheprogressivenessofdistantLatinneighbors,werestilllarge,florid,anduntrammeled,asbecameth
2、ehalfofhimwhichwasbarbaric.Hewasamanofexuberantfancy,and,withal,ofanauthoritysoirresistiblethat,athiswill,heturnedhisvariedfanciesintofacts.Hewasgreatlygiventoself-communing,and,whenheandhimselfagreeduponanything,thethingwasdone.Wheneverymemberofhisdomestica
3、ndpoliticalsystemsmovedsmoothlyinitsappointedcourse,hisnaturewasblandandgenial;but,whenevertherewasalittlehitch,andsomeofhisorbsgotoutoftheirorbits,hewasblanderandmoregenialstill,fornothingpleasedhimsomuchastomakethecrookedstraightandcrushdownunevenplaces.Am
4、ongtheborrowednotionsbywhichhisbarbarismhadbecomesemifiedwasthatofthepublicarena,inwhich,byexhibitionsofmanlyandbeastlyvalor,themindsofhissubjectswererefinedandcultured.ButevenheretheexuberantandbarbaricfancyasserteditselfThearenaofthekingwasbuilt,nottogivet
5、hepeopleanopportunityofhearingtherhapsodiesofdyinggladiators,nortoenablethemtoviewtheinevitableconclusionofaconflictbetweenreligiousopinionsandhungryjaws,butforpurposesfarbetteradaptedtowidenanddevelopthementalenergiesofthepeople.Thisvastamphitheater,withits
6、encirclinggalleries,itsmysteriousvaults,anditsunseenpassages,wasanagentofpoeticjustice,inwhichcrimewaspunished,orvirtuerewarded,bythedecreesofanimpartialandincorruptiblechance.Whenasubjectwasaccusedofacrimeofsufficientimportancetointeresttheking,publicnotice
7、wasgiventhatonanappointeddaythefateoftheaccusedpersonwouldbedecidedintheking'sarena,astructurewhichwelldeserveditsname,for,althoughitsformandplanwereborrowedfromafar,itspurposeemanatedsolelyfromthebrainofthisman,who,everybarleycornaking,knewnotraditiontowhic
8、hheowedmoreallegiancethanpleasedhisfancy,andwhoingraftedoneveryadoptedformofhumanthoughtandactiontherichgrowthofhisbarbaricidealism.2THELADY,ORTHETIGER?Whenallthepeoplehadassembledinthegalleries
