Lesson 09 Royal Espionage

Posted on 2018-02-20 In English Views: Reading time ≈ 6 mins.

What important thing did King Alfred learn when he penetrated the Danish camp of Guthrum?

Alfred the Great acted his own spy, visiting Danish camps disguised as a minstrel. In those days wandering minstrels were welcome everywhere. They were not fighting men, and their harp was their passport. Alfred had learned many of their ballads in his youth, and could vary his programme with acrobatic tricks and simple conjuring.

While Alfred’s little army slowly began to gather at Athelney, the king himself set out to penetrate the camp of Guthrum, the commander of the Danish invaders. They had settled down for the winter at Chippenham: thither Alfred went. He noticed at once that discipline was slack: the Danes had the self-confidence of conquerors, and their security precautions were casual. They lived well, on the proceeds of raids on neighbouring regions. There they collected women as well as food and drink, and a life of ease had made them soft.

Alfred stayed in the camp a week before he returned to Athelney. The force there assembled was trivial compared with the Danish horde. But Alfred had deduced that the Danes were no longer fit for prolonged battle: and that their commissariat had no organization, but depended on irregular raids.

So, faced with the Danish advance, Alfred did not risk open battle but harried the enemy. He was constantly on the move, drawing the Danes after him. His patrols halted the raiding parties: hunger assailed the Danish army. Now Alfred began a long series of skirmishes — and within a month the Danes had surrendered. The episode could reasonably serve as a unique epic of royal espionage!

📝 文章大意

阿尔弗雷德大帝亲自充当间谍，扮成吟游诗人进入丹麦人的营地。当时吟游诗人到处受欢迎，他们不是武士，竖琴就是通行证；阿尔弗雷德年轻时学过很多民谣，还会杂技和变戏法。他的小股部队在阿塞尔纳集结时，他亲自潜入丹麦首领古斯鲁姆在奇彭纳姆的冬季营地，发现那里纪律松弛、戒备疏忽，丹麦人靠劫掠周边地区过着安逸日子，已经变得软弱。一周后他回到阿塞尔纳，判断出丹麦人已无力打持久战，他们的给养也毫无组织，全靠不定期的劫掠。于是在丹麦人进攻时，他不打正面战，而是不断骚扰，用巡逻队截住劫掠队，让丹麦军队陷入饥饿，再发动一连串小规模战斗，不到一个月丹麦人就投降了。

标题问题的答案：阿尔弗雷德发现丹麦人已经不能打持久战，而且他们的给养毫无组织，全靠不定期的劫掠。

📚 核心单词

单词	音标	词性	含义	文中用法
espionage	/ˈespiənɑːʒ/	n.	间谍活动	royal espionage
disguise	/dɪsˈɡaɪz/	v.	假扮，伪装	disguised as a minstrel
minstrel	/ˈmɪnstrəl/	n.	（中世纪的）吟游诗人	wandering minstrels
harp	/hɑːp/	n.	竖琴	their harp was their passport
ballad	/ˈbæləd/	n.	民谣，歌谣	many of their ballads
acrobatic	/ˌækrəˈbætɪk/	adj.	杂技的	acrobatic tricks
conjuring	/ˈkʌndʒərɪŋ/	n.	变戏法	simple conjuring
penetrate	/ˈpenətreɪt/	v.	潜入，渗透	penetrate the camp
thither	/ˈðɪðə(r)/	adv.	到那里（古旧用法）	thither Alfred went
discipline	/ˈdɪsəplɪn/	n.	纪律	discipline was slack
slack	/slæk/	adj.	松弛的	discipline was slack
conqueror	/ˈkɒŋkərə(r)/	n.	征服者	the self-confidence of conquerors
precaution	/prɪˈkɔːʃn/	n.	预防措施	security precautions
casual	/ˈkæʒuəl/	adj.	漫不经心的	their precautions were casual
proceeds	/ˈprəʊsiːdz/	n.	收入，所得（复数）	on the proceeds of raids
raid	/reɪd/	n.	突袭，劫掠	raids on neighbouring regions
trivial	/ˈtrɪviəl/	adj.	微不足道的	The force was trivial
horde	/hɔːd/	n.	一大群（人）	the Danish horde
deduce	/dɪˈdjuːs/	v.	推断	Alfred had deduced that
prolonged	/prəˈlɒŋd/	adj.	持久的	prolonged battle
commissariat	/ˌkɒmɪˈseəriət/	n.	军需部门，后勤	their commissariat had no organization
harry	/ˈhæri/	v.	骚扰	harried the enemy
patrol	/pəˈtrəʊl/	n.	巡逻队	His patrols halted the raiding parties
assail	/əˈseɪl/	v.	困扰，袭击	hunger assailed the Danish army
skirmish	/ˈskɜːmɪʃ/	n.	小规模战斗	a long series of skirmishes
surrender	/səˈrendə(r)/	v.	投降	the Danes had surrendered
epic	/ˈepɪk/	n.	史诗	a unique epic

📖 难句解析

1. Alfred the Great acted his own spy, visiting Danish camps disguised as a minstrel.

act one's own spy = 亲自当间谍，act 在这里作系动词，意为”充当”
visiting Danish camps 是现在分词短语作伴随状语
disguised as a minstrel 是过去分词短语作状语；be disguised as = 假扮成
译: 阿尔弗雷德大帝亲自充当密探，假扮成吟游诗人出入丹麦人的营地。

2. Alfred had learned many of their ballads in his youth, and could vary his programme with acrobatic tricks and simple conjuring.

had learned 是过去完成时，表示在他做间谍之前就学会了
vary sth with sth = 用……使……有变化
译: 阿尔弗雷德年轻时学过很多吟游诗人的歌谣，还能穿插表演一些杂技和简单的魔术，使节目富于变化。

3. They had settled down for the winter at Chippenham: thither Alfred went.

settle down = 安顿下来
thither Alfred went 是倒装句，= Alfred went thither (there)；thither 是古旧用法，营造历史叙事的语气
冒号后面的句子补充说明前面的内容
译: 他们在奇彭纳姆安营过冬，阿尔弗雷德就去了那里。

4. He noticed at once that discipline was slack: the Danes had the self-confidence of conquerors, and their security precautions were casual.

冒号后的两个分句具体说明 discipline was slack
the self-confidence of conquerors = 征服者的自信，暗指骄傲自满
译: 他立刻注意到他们纪律松弛：丹麦人有征服者的那种自信，安全防范措施也很马虎。

5. They lived well, on the proceeds of raids on neighbouring regions.

live on sth = 靠……生活，这里用逗号隔开，强调 on 后面的内容
the proceeds of raids = 劫掠所得
译: 他们靠劫掠邻近地区所得的财物过着舒服的日子。

6. There they collected women as well as food and drink, and a life of ease had made them soft.

There 指邻近地区
A as well as B = 不但 B 而且 A
make sb soft = 使某人变得软弱；had made 表示在阿尔弗雷德到达前就已经造成了这种结果
译: 他们在那里不仅搜集食物和酒，还掳掠妇女，安逸的生活已使他们变得软弱。

7. The force there assembled was trivial compared with the Danish horde.

there assembled 是放在名词后的过去分词短语，修饰 the force，= the force that had assembled there
compared with = 与……相比，是过去分词短语作状语
译: 在那里集结的部队与丹麦大军相比，实在是微不足道。

8. But Alfred had deduced that the Danes were no longer fit for prolonged battle: and that their commissariat had no organization, but depended on irregular raids.

deduced 后面跟了两个并列的 that 宾语从句，用 and 连接
no longer = 不再；be fit for = 适合、胜任
第二个从句里 had no organization 和 depended on 是两个并列谓语，用 but 连接
译: 但是阿尔弗雷德已经推断出，丹麦人已不能打持久战，而且他们的军需供应毫无组织，只是靠不定期的劫掠来维持。

9. So, faced with the Danish advance, Alfred did not risk open battle but harried the enemy.

faced with 是过去分词短语作状语，= when he was faced with
not ... but ... = 不是……而是……
risk open battle = 冒险打正面战，risk 后接名词或动名词
译: 因此，面对丹麦人的进攻，阿尔弗雷德没有冒险同他们正面交战，而是不断骚扰敌人。

10. He was constantly on the move, drawing the Danes after him.

be on the move = 在移动中，四处转移
drawing the Danes after him 是现在分词短语作结果状语：引得丹麦人跟在后面追
译: 他不断转移，引诱丹麦人跟着他跑。

11. The episode could reasonably serve as a unique epic of royal espionage!

serve as = 作为，充当
reasonably = 有理由地，完全可以
royal espionage 呼应标题：国王亲自做的间谍工作
译: 这段故事完全可以作为一部由国王亲自充当间谍的独特史诗！