Базовый курс английского языка - Эккерсли К.Э.
ISBN 5-7871-0174-X
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Mr. Evans told us two stories that I want to tell you. He told us the first one as we came into the little town of Beddgelert that lies in a lovely valley about ten or twelve miles from Snowdon. We got out of the car and he took us a short walk along the side of a stream until we came to what looked like a little grave-stone. And this is the story he told us:
In the 13th centuiy, Llewellyn, Prince of North Wales, had a palace here. He had a faithful dog, Gelert, that went with him everywhere and that he was very fond of. But one day the Prince went out hunting, and he told Gelert to stay at home and guard the Prince's baby son. Gelert obediently lay down by the cradle 'of the baby, and Llewellyn went away. When he returned in the evening, Gelert came out joyfully to meet him, and the Prince was horrified to see that the baby's cradle was overturned, the bedclothes and floor were covered with blood and there was blood round Gelert's mouth. The baby was nowhere to be seen. The Prince thought the dog had killed the child and wild with rage and fear he drew his sword and thrust it into Gelert's heart. The dying cry of the dog was followed by a child's cry. Llewellyn looked round hastily, and there, under the torn and bloodstained blankets, was his baby son, quite safe. And beside it was the body of a huge wolf that Gelert had killed in defending his master's son.
Llewellyn was so filled with sorrow that it is said he never smiled again. He buried Gelert in this spot; and ever since, the place has been known as Beddgelert, which means "The Grave of Gelert".
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My other story concerns Caernarvon, where we went on another day. It's a very interesting town, at least 2,000 years old. To the Romans it was Segontium and they built a great fort there. But what overshadows everything else in Caernarvon is the castle. When Edward I,1 King of England, was trying to conquer Wales he built a great line of castles, but Caernarvon was the greatest. It's the most magnificent thing of its kind, said Mr. Evans, in Great Britain. If you approach it from the sea, or if you stand outside under its walls, it looks exactly as it must have done when Edward built it to keep the Welsh in subjection, but when we went inside we could see the ruin that 600 years have caused. "Look at that little doorway that was the entrance to the din-ing-hall of the King," said Mr. Evans. "It was so narrow that only one man could enter at a time, so, if the English King was surprised by an attack as he sat at dinner, his archers could kill the attackers one by one, while the King could get away down that little staircase on the other side.
"Now, come up here," he said, "to the top of the Eagle Tower." So we climbed up, and he pointed out stone figures that the builders had cleverly put there. The enemy thought they were soldiers keeping constant watch, but though they shot many an arrow at those watchers they never killed one of them!" Then, with a smile he said, "How Time brings its changes. Edward's city of Caernarvon, where in his time a Welshman daren't set foot without risking death, is now, I should think, the most Welsh city in Wales."
"Yes," said Jan, looking at the stream of visitors below us paying their shillings to the Welsh doorkeeper to enter the castle, "in Edward's day the Welsh hqd to pay money to the English; and now the English have to pay money to the Welsh."
Mr. Evans thought that was a good joke-and so do I. "Listen," he said, "I'll tell you another story." And this is the story he told:
"Edward I had conquered Wales. The two great Welsh leaders, Llewellyn and his brother David, had been killed. But the Welsh people, though they were beaten, were rebellious. They had no great leader, but there were a number of chieftains-most of whom were jeal-
1 Reigned L272-1307.
437¦
ous of one another-and at last three or four of these chieftains came to see Edward, who, with his wife Eleanor, was staying at Caernarvon Castle, to tell him their complaints and to try to get their wrongs put right.
"They wanted, they said, to be ruled not by an English King, but by a Prince of Wales, bom in Wales, of royal blood, and not speaking English or French. They wanted a prince whose life was good, and who had not wronged any man-though, owing, as I said, to their jealousy of one another, they couldn't agree who this prince should be. Well, they were certainly asking a lot, but Edward, after a little thought, told them to ask all the chiefs and their followers to come to Caernarvon Castle in a week's time and he would give them what they had asked, a Prince of Wales who fulfilled all their conditions.
"So the next week the great square outside the castle was crowded with excited people, all wondering which of their chieftains Edward had chosen."
I'll not finish the story here. Jan thought it would make a good little play, so he has written this next piece, which he has called:
The First Prince of Wales
SCENE: Caernarvon Castle
A crowd of Welshmen, kept back by English soldiers. A group of Welsh chieftains push their way through the crowd and come to the front.
