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1、THELADY,ORTHETIGER?byFrankR.StocktonIntheveryoldentimetherelivedasemi-barbaricking,whoseideas,thoughsomewhatpolishedandsharpenedbytheprogressivenessofdistantLatinneighbors,werestilllarge,florid,anduntrammeled,asbecamethehalfofhimwhichwasbarbaric.Hewasamanofexu
2、berantfancy,and,withal,ofanauthoritysoirresistiblethat,athiswill,heturnedhisvariedfanciesintofacts.Hewasgreatlygiventoself-communing,and,whenheandhimselfagreeduponanything,thethingwasdone.Wheneverymemberofhisdomesticandpoliticalsystemsmovedsmoothlyinitsappoint
3、edcourse,hisnaturewasblandandgenial;but,whenevertherewasalittlehitch,andsomeofhisorbsgotoutoftheirorbits,hewasblanderandmoregenialstill,fornothingpleasedhimsomuchastomakethecrookedstraightandcrushdownunevenplaces.Amongtheborrowednotionsbywhichhisbarbarismhadbe
4、comesemifiedwasthatofthepublicarena,inwhich,byexhibitionsofmanlyandbeastlyvalor,themindsofhissubjectswererefinedandcultured.ButevenheretheexuberantandbarbaricfancyasserteditselfThearenaofthekingwasbuilt,nottogivethepeopleanopportunityofhearingtherhapsodiesofdy
5、inggladiators,nortoenablethemtoviewtheinevitableconclusionofaconflictbetweenreligiousopinionsandhungryjaws,butforpurposesfarbetteradaptedtowidenanddevelopthementalenergiesofthepeople.Thisvastamphitheater,withitsencirclinggalleries,itsmysteriousvaults,anditsuns
6、eenpassages,wasanagentofpoeticjustice,inwhichcrimewaspunished,orvirtuerewarded,bythedecreesofanimpartialandincorruptiblechance.Whenasubjectwasaccusedofacrimeofsufficientimportancetointeresttheking,publicnoticewasgiventhatonanappointeddaythefateoftheaccusedpers
7、onwouldbedecidedintheking'sarena,astructurewhichwelldeserveditsname,for,althoughitsformandplanwereborrowedfromafar,itspurposeemanatedsolelyfromthebrainofthisman,who,everybarleycornaking,knewnotraditiontowhichheowedmoreallegiancethanpleasedhisfancy,andwhoingraf
8、tedoneveryadoptedformofhumanthoughtandactiontherichgrowthofhisbarbaricidealism.Whenallthepeoplehadassembledinthegalleries,andtheking,surroundedbyhiscourt,sathighuponhisthroneofroya
