Lord David Cecil (1902—1986)
戴維·塞西爾為英國貴族，亦是當代有名批評家，在牛津大學任教多年。著有The Stricken Deer（詩人Cowper傳），Early Victorian Novelists，Hardy the Novelist等。
本文原發表於1957年8月5日的《生活畫報》（Life）。作者身為貴族，對於王室似頗為崇敬。但是他的謙虛合理的態度，相信民主自由的中國人似乎也能接受。
原文甚長，此處摘錄數段。題目中reigning一字，意為「在位的」。法國、意大利、西班牙等國王室後人，今仍在世，他們仍舊保持王室的尊號，只是他們並不「在位」。又如：英女王為reigning queen，其母（王太后）亦有queen的尊號，可是就不是reigning了。
European monarchies of today are a very different thing from those of the past. For one thing they are constitutional. They also thrive in liberal democracies, where the government is conducted by the heads of the majority party in the elected chamber of government. Theoretically the king is head of the state. But he always acts on the advice of his ministers, so this does not amount to much. The one important occasion in which Britain\'s constitutional monarch can influence events is when a party takes power without an accepted leader. The monarch can then choose, as Queen Elizabeth II did recently when she named Harold Macmillan to be prime minister, rather than Richard Austen Butler. But even here a monarch is unlikely to act against the wishes of the substantial body of the party in power. And though the monarch can advise the government, which may pay attention to the king\'s wisdom and experience, he does not direct policy.
● monarchies（此字ch讀作/k/音）：君主政體；君主國。those仍是指monarchies。第一句裡的thing的用法應加注意。有了這個字，文章顯得更為親切，因為這個字太普通了。
● For one thing：今古君主政體不同之處可能很多，今舉一點來說。constitutional：合憲法的。君主立憲（constitutional monarchy）與君主專制（absolute monarchy）不同。
● liberal democracies：自由民主的國家。君主政體在那種國家裡也能盛行不衰（thrive）。接著一個定語從句說明何謂自由民主的國家。在自由民主的國家裡，管理政務之事（government is conducted）是由民選（elected）的國會（國會的上院下院都是house，但是也可以稱為chamber）裡的多數黨（majority party）領袖擔任的。
● Theoretically：理論上說來。head of the state：國家元首。
● acts on the advice of his ministers：按照大臣的勸告而行事。注意句中his一字。minister在中國譯作「部長」，英文原意是「僕人」；大臣者，帝王的僕人也。
● this：縱為國家元首（事實上不發生什麼作用）。amount to：（加起來）得到（什麼樣的數目）。does not amount to much：沒有多少價值。
● occasion：場合。此字前面的介詞常用on（如on one occasion：某一次），但是這裡用的是in（in which）。events：大事；國家大事。takes power：執政。when…是名詞性從句，與前面的occasion相等。英國某一政黨雖已掌握政權，但是群龍無首（沒有公認的領袖），那時英國受憲法限制的君主，就可出來干涉，左右大局。
● choose：常用作及物動詞，這裡是不及物動詞，君主可以為政黨選拔領袖，組織內閣。
● did recently：did為did choose之略。Macmillan：英國前首相。方艾登辭職之際，Butler是副首相，繼任希望本來甚大。但是保守黨內部擁護Macmillan者，和擁護Butler者，分成兩派。女王經咨詢元老邱吉爾和Marquess of Salisbury（此人可能與本文作者是一家人）後，決定任命Macmillan組閣。
● even here：即使在這種場合之中。the substantial body：大多數人。國王不大可能（unlikely）違反執政黨多數意見，獨斷獨行。pay attention to：國王有其智慧與經驗，他的指示，政府人士可以注意傾聽；但是國王不能指導政府的政策，他的話可能毫不起作用。
Monarchy today has also lost its religious halo. The religious conception does not fit with the secular views that lie behind modern democracy—all the more so because a large number of the citizens of these democracies no longer believe in any religion.
● halo：神光（神、佛、天使、saints頭上的光）。在君主專制的時候，帝王自命君權神授（中國的皇帝自稱「奉天承運」）；英國國王加冕時，大主教還要背這麼一段話：「Receive this kingly sword brought now from the altar of God and delivered to you by the hands of us the bishops and servants of God.」君主政體本來有一種神聖的光華，現在可是沒有了。
● secular：非宗教的。近代民主政治的基本觀念（views）是非宗教的：人為貴，天次之。君權神授的觀念，和這種看法格格不入（does not fit with）。
● all the more so：尤其使這兩種觀念格格不入者。so是「不合」，more是「更不合」，the（副詞）=on that account，因此而更為不合。民主國家裡，很多老百姓什麼教也不信，君主如再拿「天命」來號召，也沒有人會相信的。
Only in England is the institution still sacramental, the monarch being crowned in church and still recognized as head of the national church. Other countries manage to forego the religious ceremony of coronation: the monarchs of Europe mark their accession by swearing an oath in the legislative assembly, according to a constitutional concept that does not accept any idea of pinely appointed monarch.
● institution：（王室的）制度。sacramental：含有神聖意味的。（sacrament：聖禮，或是任何有神聖意味的東西。）
● 第一句是倒裝法。句子重心在前三個字，主語放在動詞的後面。又本句用了一個absolute phrase（the monarch being…），這種短語用作輕描淡寫的說明，最為合適。
● crowned：加冕。這個字的名詞形式是coronation。head of the national church：國教的教主。in church的church是「教堂」，national church的church是「教會」。
● manage：想辦法。forego或拼作forgo：取消。
● Europe：廣義的歐洲，包括英國在內。狹義的歐洲，僅指歐洲大陸。這裡所用的是狹義。
● accession：登基，就位。這個字的動詞形式是accede。mark：舉行儀式以表示。swearing an oath：宣誓。legislative assembly：立法議會。他們所以在議會裡宣誓，而不在教堂加冕者，是根據一種憲法觀念：這種憲法觀念不承認君主是上帝任命的（不接受這種想法）。
Has the king\'s social and personal position changed with the decline in his religious status and political power? The answer to this question is different in different countries. In Scandinavia it has. The general sentiment is democratic. The Norwegians, the Swedes and Danes do not like the idea that the royal family is something apart, leading an existence of courtly formality and stately splendor. The royal families, so far as we can gather, agree with them. Certainly they fall in with their wishes. The kings and queens of these countries perform their public functions with traditional state and dignity; but when these are over, they return to a home life which differs in no essentials from that of their subjects.
● social and personal position：社會地位與個人地位。religious status：宗教上的地位。status和position沒有多少分別，不過status是法律名詞，更能引起莊嚴的聯想。國王的宗教地位和政治權力都衰落了（decline），他的社會地位與個人地位是否也因此改變呢？
● Scandinavia：指挪威、瑞典、丹麥三國（還有冰島）。按地理位置說來，丹麥是不在Scandinavia半島上的。it has=his position has changed。
● do not like the idea：idea這個字很常用，中文不易表達（上一段有does not accept any idea of）。這一句直譯應該是「他們不喜歡這個想法」；照中國習慣說法，其實就是「他們不喜歡這個辦法」。
● something apart：高高在上，和老百姓判然不同。leading an existence中的existence就是life：過這樣的生活。courtly formality：宮廷的繁文縟節。stately splendor：莊嚴華麗。「莊嚴」和「華麗」這兩個觀念在中文裡是平行的，但在英文裡，可以用一個為主（名詞），一個為從（形容詞）。這是中英文用法不同之處，亦是英文較多伸縮性的一個例子，請讀者注意。
● so far as we can gather：就我們所知者。gather：從事實上推斷。
● 那些君主，是否真正贊成「君民平等」的想法，我們不敢斷言。就事實上表現看來，他們是贊成的。
● 有一點我們是敢斷定的（certainly），他們的確是依從（fall in with）老百姓的意志而行事的。
● perform their public functions：執行公務（如接見外國使節、主持國慶大典等）。traditional：傳統的。state and dignity：這兩個字連用時，意義上沒有多大分別。state有「莊嚴」之意。
● when these are over=when these functions are over：公務執行完畢。
● differ in no essentials：其主要之點並無分別。that of their subjects：他們「子民」的家庭生活。
In Belgium and England the story is different because there the traditions of aristocratic society and court life are still alive. The British royal children are privately educated; the queen of England does not go out unattended and the Belgian king rarely does; there are courtiers and splendor. Yet even in England royal life has modified a great deal. An English princess will now dine out with friends without a lady in waiting in attendance. The little Duke of Cornwall is beginning his education not at home under the care of a tutor but at a school. It seems possible, too, that when he is older he may become the first heir to the British throne to attend a public school. Altogether the English royal family today leads a life which, while retaining many of its old forms, is growingly democratic in spirit.
● story原意是「故事」。the story is different是成語，與「故事」無關，只是「情形是不一樣的」。
● aristocratic society：貴族社會。alive這個字是可以形容traditions的。are still alive當然比still exist來得好。
● privately educated：請「太傅」教授。
● does not go out unattended：沒有侍從跟隨，是不出門的。unattended形容主語queen。…rarely does：比利時國王出門，難得沒有侍從跟隨。
● there are…：宮廷供奉之臣和宮廷生活的華麗，迄今猶存。
● modified：改變，程度減輕。
● will dine out的will是表示「習慣」。a lady in waiting：侍從宮女。in attendance：從旁侍候。
● Duke of Cornwall：就是現在英國的王子Charles。英國太子的封號是Prince of Wales，當時這個王子，尚未正式冊封為Prince of Wales。
● under the care of a tutor：受私人教師指導。
● heir to the throne：儲君。public school：英國的public school，不是「公立學校」，只是「公眾可以就讀的學校」。以前英國的儲君，從來沒有上學校唸書的。
● a life which：這句話的重心是在which…這個定語從句上。a life可以說沒有什麼意義，它的意義借「which」clause而完成。這種生活雖然（while）舊日規模仍舊保持不少，可是在精神上，已是日益民主了。同樣的句法，見於上一段之末句：a home life的意義亦是借「which」clause而完成的。