Tbc@Csry

HISTORY
THE HOUSE OF TUDOR
Henry VII, a peaceful monarch
Henry Vll made peace with the House of York by marrying
Elizabeth, daughter of Edward lV. His reign was one of order
and peace: he encouraged trade, restored law and order and
improved greatly the prosperity of the realm. By doing so, he
initiated an age of greatness for England.
Henry Vtlt, a Renassance
1
prnce
When Henry Vll I was a boy, the great scholar, E rasmus,
visited his nursery and was impressed by his education. Henry
learnt not only Latin, but ltalian, Spanish, and French as
well.
2
He could play the tute and read music, he studied the
stars and wrote poetry. He rode very well, was a good archer
and tennis-player.
598
TbGWW
Henry Vlll with Princess
Mary and his iester,
Will
Somers,
Renaissance
[ra'neisensJ
Rinascimento
as well
=
anche, pure
1.
2.
He ruled his country like a Machiavellian
prince: he thought
that he cou td cheat,
3
lie and kill to keep power and be
respected. Several times he killed. He killed Anne Boleyn, his
second wife, because he was tired of her and because she had
no son. He sentenced to death
a
his former friend
5
and
chancellor, Thomas More, because the latter cou ld not
agree
6
that the k ing and not the Pope was head of the
Chu rch in E ngland.
He made his power so absolute that no man could defy
7
him
and so there was peace. All Europe admired his talents as
scholar, poet, musician and sportsman. ln spite of
I
the f ate
that awaited them, women were eager to marry him and men
to serve him. He was a true prince of the Renaissance.
Henry VItt's break with Rome and
the Reformaton n England
Early in the 152O's Henry began to be tired of his wife,
Catherine of Aragon, and fell in love with Anne Boleyn, a
lady-in-waiting.
e
Moreover, he worried because Catherine
had given him a daughter, Mary, but no sons to succeed him.
The King tried to obtain the consent of the Pope to divorce
Catherine, but th is was dec Iined by C lement V I I . The Pope
did not want to annoy Charles V of Spain, Catherine's
nephew. However, the Pope did not want to displease Henry
of England and therefore sent Cardinals Campeggio and
Wolsey to try the divorce case
10
in London. After two mon-
ths no result was achieved and Henry decided to secure the
divorce in his own way,
11
without Papal interference. Sup-
ported by Thomas Cranmer, a learned scholar who agreed
with many of Luther's ideas and was made archbishop by the
King, Henry declared his marriage to Catherine unlawful
12
and made Anne Boleyn his queen. He took control of all
Chu rch cou rts and property, destroyed the monasteries to
which the best lands in England belonged, and declared
himself Supreme Head of the English Church through the Act
of Supremacy
(1
534) .
3. to cheat
[ci:t] =
ingan-
nare
4. to sentence to doath
=
condannare a morte
5. his former friend
=
il
suo ex-amico
6. to agreo
[a'gri:] =
con'
venire, essere d'accordo
7. to defy
[di'fai] =
sfidare
8, ln spite of
=
Nonostan"
te
9. lady.ln-waiting
=
dama
di compagnia
10. to try the divorce case
=
per discutere la causa di
divorzio
11. ln hls own way
=
a
modo proprio
12. unlawful
['nn'lc:ful] =
illegale
Henry Vlll and
Maximilian l, The
painting
sfiows their
meeting (bottom), the
subseq uent conference
(centre) and their clash
with the F rench (top),
d
599
The king's quarrel with the Pope gave those who wished to
reform the Church their chance. However, it was with Henry
Vlll's successor, Edward Vl, that Protestant ideas were wide-
ly
13
accepted in England.
The Reformaton n Edward Vl's reign
Edward, the son of Hen ry V I I I and h is th ird wif e,
J
ane
Seymour, came to the throne on his father's death. During his
reign Cranmer, Archbishop of Canterbury, made reforms in
the worship
t4
of the Church. He produced an English Prayer
Book which is like the one in use today. Worship and the
churches themselves became plainer.
ls
Statues, pictures,
candles and gorgeous
16
robes disappeared. The shrines of
saints were destroyed. The Reformation was carried
through
t7
successf utly. Edward Vl died in 1553.
The return of the Roman Catholc fath
The new queen was Catholic. She was Mary, Catherine of
Aragon's dqrghter. Her great desire was to return England to
the'fotd'18 of the Roman Cathotic Church, and so to avenge
the wrong done
le
to her mother by her father, Henry Vlll.
The Pope was once more head of the Church of England. She
married Philip of Spain, himself an ardent Roman Catholic,
and began to put Protestant heretics on triat.
20
Most of them
were found guilty and burned. Both very important and hum-
ble people followed this cruel destiny.
Thomas Cranmer, the Archbishop of Canterbury, was senten-
ced to death and burned. By his courageous death he set an
example
"
of loyalty to Protestant ideas which others
followed.
13. widely
['uaidli] =
am-
piamente, largamente
14. worship
['ue:Jip] =
culto
15. plain
[plein]
=
sempli-
ce
16. gorgeous
['gc:gas]
=
fastoso, splendido
17. to carry through
=
portare
a compimento
18. fold
lfauld]
=
ovile
19. to do a wrong
=
fare
un torto
20. to put on trial
l'traiall
=
mettere sotto processo
21 . to set an example
=
dare un esempio
The burning at Oxford of
Ridley and Latimer,
Bishops of London and
Worcester, in 1555.
Thomas Cranmer, the
Archbishop of
Canterbury, awaits his
turn (top right).
600
fUIONCV fUIRTTRS RND COffNCRCC
INSURANCE
lnsurance is an agreement by which one party, the lnsured,
pays another party, the lnsurer, a sum of mon! to be indem-
nified against certain risks of loss or misfortune. The money
paid by the lnsured is the Premium; the money paid by the ln-
surer in case of misfortune is the Cover. The contract stating
the purpose, premium, cover and conditions of the insurance
is known as the Policy. When a misfortune occurs the lnsurer
has the right
t
to make investigations to see how great the
damage is and to pay only an amount covering the loss. For
example, you may insure your house against f ire for a cover
of t 60,000; if a fire occurs you will be paid according to th
amount of damage.You will not receive t 60,000 unless the
house is completely destroyed. lnsurance today can cover
almost anything, from a footballer's legs or a pianist's hands
to a statue or a fine painting. ln most countries people who
own cars are compelled to have an insurance covering possi-
ble damage to other people (third parties).
1. to have the right
=
avere il diritto
klirerenl?
With london life
your
soyings Gon otlrsct o
netyieldof 2l%p.ai
There's no better time to begin
making provision for a prosperous
and happy retirement than the present
-
and no better way of doing so than
with a London Life retirement savings
plan.
With London Life a net outlay of
just
50 per month over a ten year
period could produce a cash fund of
e 18,334* to provide retirement
benefits
-
which represents a net
annual yield o Zl.t%o.t
As one of the first offices to enter
the field of personal pensions, our
experience and expertise are second
to none
-
one of the reasons why we
are able to offer some of the most
competitive plans on the market.
Another reason for London Life's
exceptional perfoffnance is the fact
th-at we pay no cornmission and our
staff are trained to provide a
particularly high standard of advice
and service to policyholders.
601
Lfe nsurance
This is one of the most important forms of insurance. There
are two main kinds of Life lnsurance: the Endowment Policy
r
and the Life Policy.
3
For an Endowment Policy the insured
pays
a regular premium for a fixed number of years
and at a
certain age, for example sixty, he receives a pension
or a sum
of money. For a Lif e Policy the insured pays a regu lar
premium
as long as he lives. When he dies the person
or per-
sons he has named in the policy receive a sum of money.Life
lnsu rance is often called Assu rance because it is certain that
the lnsurance Company will have to pay sooner or later.
Marne nsurance
4
This is the oldest form of insurance and still one of the most
important. lt covers all the risks and dangers to which a ship
and her cargo
s
are subject during a voyage. ln Marine ln-
surance the insurer is known as the Underwriter. The largest
and most famous company for Marine lnsurance is Lloyd's of
London which employs nearly three thousand underwriters.
Lloyd's takes its name f rom Edward Lloyd who owned a
coffee-house in London in about 1700.
Edward Lloyd used to have all the latest information about
trade and shipping.
6
London merchants used to meet regular-
ly in his coffee-house to hear the news and do business.
COI\NTERSATION
(After
dinner, Mr Hobson and his son Arthur, a freelance
journalist.
')
Mr Hobson Are you going out this evening, Arthur?
Arthur No, Dad. Why?
Mr Hobson Because lwant to have a serious talk with you.
Arthur Serious? Then it must be about money, of course.
Mr Hobson Well, I don't think money is the only serious
thing in life, even if lam a stockbroker. What lreally
want to talk about is lnsurance. Your
job
is interesting
and well-paid, I know; but it gives you no security for
the f utu re.
Arthur Surely the State thinks about pensions, health
insurance
8
and things like that? lsn't that security?
Mr Hobson Yes, of course. Thank Cod, the State makes
sure
e
that everybody has at least enough money to
stay alive. But I think you need something more than
that, particularly if you get married.
Arthur All right, but there are so many kinds of insurance
policy that I don't know which to choose.
Mr Hobson I suggest an Endowment Policy. You are twenty-
five now and in good health, so you will certainly get
good conditions. You pay a premium for thirty years
602
2. Endowment Poliey
[in'daumant]
=
Polizza
Mista
3. Life Policy
=
Polizza
sulla vita
4, Marine lnsurance
[ma'ri:n]
=
Assicurazione
Marittima
5. cargo
l-ka:gaul =
carics
(di nave)
6. shipping
=
traffico
marittimo
7. a free-lance journalist
['ge:nelist]
=
giornalista
in-
dipendente
8. health insurance
=
assicu razione malattia
9. to make sure
=
accer-
tarsi, assicu rarsi
and then at the age of fifty-five you will receive a sum
of money or a pension. lf you die before reaching the
age of f ifty-f ive your wife will receive a pension.
Arthur I have no intention of dying so soon unless mar-
riage kills me! One thing worries me. Prices rise every
year and the value of money gets less. A pension of
f1
,500
a year seemed reasonable thirty years ago. lt
wouldn't be much today. ln thirty years' time I might
find that my pension is too small. Wouldn't it be better
to buy some good shares on the Stock Exchange?
Mr Hobson That's a good question. The answer is rather
complicated. Let us suppose that you take a f4,000
E ndowment Policy. This means that you pay the ln-
surance Company a sum of t20,000 during the next
thirty years. When you are f ifty-f ive you will receive
more than t20,000 because
you will also get the com-
pound interest
10
on what you have paid. At the pre-
sent rate of interest you would get at least f 80,000. If
there is a boom and prices rise, then the rate of in-
terest will rise too, so that you will not lose too much.
Arthur You say lwill not lose too much; but if I buy some
shares I might even gain something.
Mr Hobson You might gain and
you might lose. I have worked
at the Stock Exchange long enough to know that. I
think you ought to buy a few shares, of course, and I
think lcan recommend something. But you should
have the Endowment Policy too, so that even if you
lose money on the Stock Exchange you will still have
some secu rity.
Arthur One last question. ls an Endowment Policy "ln-
su ran ce" or "Assu ra nce"?
Mr Hobson "Assuran Ce", of course. You are certain to reach
the age of fifty-five or die first. And so it is certain that
sooner or later the Company will have to pay. You can
lose your life, but you cannot lose your money.
Arthur That's a great comfort, indeed!
11
Uocabulary
insurance
[in'Juerans]
loss
[cs]
misfortune
[mis'fc:can]
damage
['dremig]
fire
['faia*]
premium
['pri:mjem]
policy
['pclisi]
contract
['kcntrrekt]
asslcu razlone
perdita
infortunio
danno
incendio
premio
(d'assicu ra-
zione)
polizza
contratto
10. compound interest
-
interesse composto
1 1 . that's a great comfort,
indeed!
=
-una bella con-
solazione !
cover
['knve*]
inden nizzo
pension
['pen,fan] Pensione
underwriter assicu ratore
['nnderaita*]
(marittimo)
investigation investigazione, in-
[investi'geirfen]
dag ine
to insure assicu rare
[in'Jue*]
to indemnify indennizzare
[in'demnifai]
to name
[neim]
nominare, citare
dC
603
Our next expedition takes us to that famous small area called
the City. Most people associate the City with gentlemen in
black suits, bowler hats
t
o, silk hats,2 and umbreltas. Or
with St Paul's. Or Roman discoveries, historic buildings, the
pomp and pageantry
3
of the Lord Mayor's Show.
a
l fact,
the City is all these things, and many more.
Let's go by bus or tube where Fleet Street begins. Our walk to
the City will start from there. Fleet Street is a very interesting
street: all the most important English newspapers have their
offices here. lt is the home of the Press.
5
As you continue down Fleet Street, watch out
6
f or the
Griffin,
7
right in the middle of the road. At that point you are
entering the City. By a very long tradition you may pass at
any time, but the
Queen
of England may not. Her Majesty
must ask formal permission from the Lord Mayor to enter the
City. When he is informed that the Sovereign is waiting, the
Lord Mayor appears, offers the keys and surrenders the City
Sword in token of
t
submission. He then walks in front of the
royal procession into the City, carrying the Sword to show
that he will protect Her Maiesty during her visit.
That single square mite
e
known as the City is titeratly cram-
med
l0
with banks, commercial houses, insurance firms and
agencies which carry out
11
a tremendous amount of
business. There is a small street that you must not miss, since
you are ltalian. lt's Lombard Street, where the beautif ully or-
nate and colourfut bankers' and money-tenders'
r'
signs hang
from the front of the buildings on either side. Lombard Street
has been the banking and f inancial centre of London since
the twelfth century, when the Lombard merchants settled
here. Since we are in the City, let's visit St Paul's Cathedral,
the beautiful church designed by Sir Christopher Wren in
1710. lts enormous dome
13
is outstand ing: you can c t im b
into it and enjoy the view of London from there. lt's an
unforgettable experience!
604
RROUND
LONDON
S/ Paul's Cathedral,
1. bowler hat
=
(cappello
a) bombetta
2. silk hat
=
cilindro, tuba
3. pageantry
['pregontri]
fasto, pompa
4. the Lord Mayor's Show
=
la Processione del Sin-
daco di Londra
5. the Press
=
la Stampa
6. to watch out (for)
=
stare attenti (a)
7. the Griff in
['grifin] =
il
Grifone
8. in token of
di
9. square mile
=
miglio
quad rato
10. to be crammed
[kre
mdl (with)
=
essere stipato
(di)
1 1. to carry out
=
svolge-
re
12. money-lender
=
usu-
rario
13. dome
ldeum]
=
cupola
BYRON
Byron's poetry, less intimate than Shelley's,
Romanticism: magnificence, passion, rebellion
1. wolf
[wulf]
=
lupo
2. fold
[fauldl
3. to glealr
[gli:m] =
scintillare
4. sheen
[Ji:n] =
splendore
5. spear
[spie*]
6. to roll
[reul] =
(s)rotolare
7. nightly
['naitli]
8. host
[heust]
=
armata
9. banner
['benetJ =
vessillo
10. on the morrow
=
I'indomani
11. to wither
[uia*] =
languire
12. strown
[straun] =
disperso
13. to spread
(spread spread)
[spred] =
spiegare
14. blast
[bla:st] =
flagello
15. to breathe
[bri:J =
soffiare
16. foe
[fau] =
nemico
17 . to wax
[uaks] =
divenire (poetico'1
The destructon of Sennacherib
The Assyrian came down like the wolf
r
on the fold,2
And his cohorts were gleaming
1
in purple and gold;
And the sheen
a
of their spears
5
was like stars on the sea,
When the blue wave rolts
6
nightly
7
on deep Calilee.
Like the leaves of the forest when summer is green,
That host
s
with their banners,e at sunset were seen:
Like the leaves of the forest where autumn hath blown,
That host on the morrow
10
lay withered
11
and strown.
12
For the Angel of Death spread
13
his wings on the blast,
14
And breathed
15
on the face of the foe
r
as he passed:
And the eyes of the sleepers waxed
t7
deadly and chitl,
18
And their'hearts but once
le
heaved,20 and for ever grew still.
And there lay the steed
2r
with his nostril
22
all wide,
But through it there rolled not the breath of his pride;
And the fam
23
of his gaspin gu lay white on the turf,
And cold as the spray
25
of the rock-beating surf.
And there tay the rider, distorted
26
and pale,
With the dew
27
on his brow and the tusi on his mail;
28
The tents were all silent, the banners alone,
The lances unlifted, the trumpet unblown.
All the widows of Ashur are loud
2e
in their wail,30
And the idols are broke in the temple of Baal;
And the might of the Centile, unsmote
31
by the sword,32
Hath melted
33
tike snow in the glance
t4
of the Lord!
shows some typical aspects of E nglish
and melancholy.
18. chill
[ci[ =
f reddo
19. but once
20. to heave
[hi:v] =
palpitare
21 . steed
[sti:d] =
destriero
22. nostril
['ncstril] =
narice
23. foam
[faum] =
schiuma
24. of his gasping
=
del suo affanno
25. spray
[sprei] =
spruzzo
26. to distort
[dis'tc:tl =
deformare
27, dew
[dju:] =
rugiada
28. mail
[meil] =
maglia (di ferro)
29. loud
[audl =
alto (di suonr)
30. wail
lueil] =
lamento
31. unsmote
['nn'smaut] =
non sgominati
32. sword
[sc:d] =
sPada
33. to melt
[meltl =
sciogliersi
34.
glance
[gla:ns] =
sguardo
605
BRANI DI TRADUZIONE DALL'ITALIANO
1
lohn
Mi sembra di conoscere quella ragazza, Tom. Non ricordo dove, ma qualcuno
deve avermela presentata qualche tempo fa.
Tom Un viso cos interessante molto insolito. Pu darsi che tu l'abbia incontrata da
qualche parte e che essa ti abbia colpito. Chiunque si ricorderebbe di simili
John
Lizzie
lohn
Lizzie
occhi !
Chiediamo aLizzie chi : lei sa sempre tutto di tutti! Lizzie, sai dirci chi quella
bella ragazza?
una r-gatza canadese. una cugina^di David e sta
I
a casa sua da qualche
giorno. ricchissim a, f a la modella.
2
Dovreste vedere l'automobile he ha
noleggiato, una Rolls Royce gialla.
Qualcosa
di formidabilet
3
Dove l'hai conosciuta?
L'ho conosciuta domenica scorsa alla festa di
Figuratevi
4
che voleva che io guidassi la sua
settimane, e non so guidare ancora bene.
lohn
Chiunque sa guidare una Rolls Royce! Avresti dovuto provare,
Lizzie, non ti ac-
cade spesso di andare in giro guidando una macchina del genere, no?
2
lohn
Domani vacanza,
5
Bob, e dobbiamo pensare a qualcosa
di divertente da fare.
Bob lo non ho nessun progetto di sorta per domani. Tu che cosa suggerisci?
Iohn
Che ne dici di qualcosa di insolito, Bob?
Bob Le cose insolite mi lasciano indifferente. Non hai nient'altro da suggerire?
Iohn
Mi era stato detto che sei molto pigro,
e me ne stavo dimenticando. Pensiamo
allora a qualcosa di molto comune, una gita, un buon film, una conversazione
con amici, o qualcosa del genere.
Bob A me era stato detto che tu hai un sacco di immaginazione, ma mi sembra che
ci non sia molto vero. Non sai pensare a nient'altro?
lohn
Trovato!
6
Diremo a Lizzie di telefonare a quella sua amica che ha la Rolls
Royce, ed andremo tutti a fare una bella gita, naturalmente nella Rolls Royce.
Bob Nessuno avrebbe
potuto avere un'idea pi brillante. Congratulazioni, vecchio
mio!
7
3
lane
Chi ti ha detto che ho intenzione di lasciare il mio posto?
lulia
Fu Mary a dirmelo. L'incontrai per caso in strada
qualche giorno fa, e mi disse
tutto di te.
Iane
S, non ne posso pi
8
di lavorare con quell'uomo, il mio principale,
voglio dire.
un tipo cos maleducato! E difficile andare d'accordo con un uomo simile!
lulia
Tutti sanno ci, mia cara
Jane,
ma tu sai anche che guadagni
molto lavorando
con lui, e che lui ti apprezza molto. E poi si dice che abbia una moglie terribile,
e lui sempre nervoso per questa ragione. Ci vuole un poco
di pazienza nella
vita, cara!
lane
Forse hai ragione, ma chiunque diventerebbe matto lavorando con lui!
Julia.
una raazza gentilissima!
Rolls ! lo ho la patente da poche
1 , stare
=
to stay
2. fare la modella
=
to be a model
3. formidabile
=
terrific
4. Figuratevi
=
Fancy
606
5. vacanza
=
it'saholiday
6. Trovato!
=
I've got it!
7. vecchio mio!
=
old man!
8. non poterne pi (di)
=
to be fed up (with)
JOHS
An American tourist in Paris was trying to use some of his school French to order his
lunch. "Garsong", he said after a lengthy study of the menu,
"je
desire consomm royal,
et un piece of pang
et burr
-
ne, hang it
-
une piece of burr
-"
"l'm sorry, sir", said the tactful waiter, "l don't speak French".
"Very
well", snapped the tourist. "For heaven's sake, send me someone who can".
1st American:
"1'understand
you're not going to London this
year".
2nd American: "No, it's Paris we're not going to this year, lt was London we didn't
go
to
last year".
A guide
was conducting a party of tourists around Lambeth Pala,ce, the London home of
the Archbishop of Canterbury. "lf
you look to
your
left", he said, "you'll see a large bay
window, the third one from the end. That is the Archbishop's study"
"Oh", said one of the tourists. "l wish I could catch a glimpse of the Archbishop
himself".
"Right", said the guide"
He picked up a large stone and hurled it through the window. lm-
mediately a face appeared behind the broken glass, red with anger.
"There
you
are!" said the guide. "That always gets
the old boy!"
Some hotels in Loncjon have a notice at the reception desk for the benefit of departing
guests which reads: HAVE YOU LEFT ANYTHINC?
With today's prices,
a more appropriate wording would be: HAVE YOU ANYTHINC
LEFT?
"Any big men born round here?" a tourist asked in a condescending'tone.
"No", responded the native.
"Best
we can do is babies. Different in the city, I suppose"
"We're to keep an eagle eye
open for a prodigY !
"
607
l
_i