凯瑟琳轮（磔轮）——人类历史上最残酷的惩罚：英语精读讲义

There are many horrific devices of the distant past

在遥远的过去，有许多令人毛骨悚然的器具，

that were intended to inflict unbearable pain 短語搭配

旨在施加难以忍受的痛苦，

or flat out kill their target. 用詞

或者直接将目标杀死。

Some of these,

其中一些，

such as the brazen bull,

比如铜牛，

a brass statue in which the victim would be burned alive, 短語搭配

一种把受害者活活烧死的黄铜雕像，

sound pretty terrifying.

听起来就非常可怕。

The breast ripper

撕胸钳

or pear of anguish

或苦刑梨

are other examples of things

是另外一些例子，

that you just know you wouldn't want to have happen. 語法

你绝对不希望它们用在自己身上。

But say you were captive 語法

但假设你被俘虏了，

and those in charge threatened to bring out the wheel, 講解

掌权者威胁说要搬出轮子，

the Catherine Wheel.

也就是“凯瑟琳轮”。

You might think, well,

你可能会想，嗯，

that doesn't actually sound so bad.

听起来好像没那么糟。

You'd be in for quite a shock. 短語搭配

那你可就要大吃一惊了。

We'll explain why in this episode of the Infographics Show.

我们将在本期《信息图表秀》中为你解释原因。

The Catherine Wheel,

凯瑟琳轮，

Worst Punishments.

史上最惨烈的惩罚。

According to legends, 表達脈絡

根据传说，

the Catherine Wheel is named after Saint Catherine of Alexandria,

凯瑟琳轮是以亚历山大的圣凯瑟琳命名的，

who is a patron to those academically or philosophically inclined

她是有学术或哲学倾向之人的守护神，

and prevents unexpected death.

能防止人们意外死亡。

Now, there's no mention of this individual before the 9th century,

不过，在9世纪之前并没有关于这个人的记载，

although she supposedly lived in the 4th. 用詞

尽管她据称生活在4世纪。

So, it's suspected that she did not truly exist.

因此，人们怀疑她是否真的存在。

Nevertheless, her story was a well-known one that began in Egypt.

尽管如此，她的故事从埃及开始广为流传。

She was believed to be noble, if not a princess, 語法

人们认为她就算不是公主，也是贵族，

as well as very studious.

并且非常勤奋好学。

However, some might consider it less than wise 習語

然而，有些人可能认为她的做法不太明智，

that she rose up to protest the wrongs of the then Roman emperor of the time, Maxentius, 短語動詞

因为她站出来抗议当时的罗马皇帝马克森提乌斯的恶行，

who was relentlessly persecuting Christians.

此人当时正在残酷迫害基督徒。

Maxentius allegedly selected several scholars to engage in a battle of wits 習語

据说马克森提乌斯挑选了几名学者来斗智，

with the young Catherine, but ultimately the wise men lost.

挑战年轻的凯瑟琳，但最终智者们输了。

As a further insult, while she was in prison for her words,

作为进一步的羞辱，当她因言获罪入狱时，

Catherine managed to convert many of Maxentius's soldiers

凯瑟琳成功让马克森提乌斯的许多士兵

and even his wife to the Christian religion.

甚至他的妻子皈依了基督教。

Needless to say, that didn't exactly sit well with Maxentius. 講解

不用说，这让马克森提乌斯非常不爽。

After torture in which she declared Jesus Christ her spouse,

在受尽折磨并宣称耶稣基督为她的配偶后，

she was sentenced to death. 短語搭配

她被判处死刑。

This is when the wheel came into play, 習語

这时轮子就派上用场了，

which was the executionary device.

它是用来执行死刑的刑具。

The story goes that it shattered at her touch, 表達脈絡

传说当她一碰到轮子，它就碎裂了，

and so in desperation the emperor ultimately had her beheaded. 語法

皇帝在绝望中最终只好将她斩首。

She was then carried to Mount Sinai.

随后她的遗体被运往西奈山。

Interestingly, later on,

有趣的是，后来，

Saint Joan of Arc identified Catherine's voice

圣女贞德辨认出凯瑟琳的声音

as one of the several she heard.

是她听到的几个声音之一。

So, what is this wheel that Catherine had miraculously escaped,

那么，凯瑟琳奇迹般逃脱的这个轮子，

but that went on to kill many of the less fortunate? 語法

后来却杀死了许多不幸的人，它到底是什么呢？

Another name it's known by, the breaking wheel,

它另一个为人熟知的名字——“断骨轮”，

will probably give you some ideas.

可能会让你有一点概念。

It was a wheel made of wood,

它是一个木制轮子，

similar if not the same as those used on carriages. 語法

即使不完全相同，也类似于马车上用的那种。

In addition to being made of hefty wood,

除了由厚实的木头制成外，

these wheels were outfitted with a metal rim, 用詞

这些轮子还配备了金属轮辋，

though sometimes they would be modified

虽然有时它们会被改装，

so that they could inflict further damage with protruding iron blades.

加上突出的铁刀片以造成更大的伤害。

These massive wheels would then be dropped on convicts all over their body,

这些巨大的轮子会被砸向囚犯的全身，

breaking bones upon impact. 語法

在撞击时砸断骨头。

Another approach was to tie a person to the wheel

另一种方法是把人绑在轮子上，

and hit his or her limbs with iron hammers or bars

用铁锤或铁棍敲打他或她的四肢，

while the wheel was rotated.

同时转动轮子。

As long as the bones were shattered,

只要骨头碎裂，

that was all that mattered.

其他的都无所谓。

The exact amount of wheel drops or hammer hits were already determined beforehand.

轮子砸下或锤子敲打的确切次数是事先决定好的。

This would depend on the extent of the convicts' crimes, 短語搭配

这取决于囚犯的犯罪程度，

such as if they committed acts of robbery or murder. 短語搭配

例如他们是否犯下了抢劫或谋杀罪。

For the worst offenders,

对于最严重的罪犯，

efforts were made to better match their punishment to the crimes. 短語搭配

人们试图让惩罚更好地与罪行相匹配。

For example, sharp pieces of wood would sometimes be set underneath the victim

例如，有时会在受害者身下放置尖锐的木块，

to bring yet further torture.

带来进一步的折磨。

On the other hand, for those they wanted to spare the worst, 表達脈絡

另一方面，对于那些他们想让其免受最重折磨的人，

they could deliver a fatal blow during the wheel dropping 短語搭配

行刑者可以在轮子砸下时、

or iron hitting process

铁器敲打过程中，

or right after it was over.

或者刚刚结束时给予致命一击。

Unfortunately, most were not so lucky

不幸的是，大多数人没有那么好运，

and the bone breaking was only the beginning

断骨只是一个开始，

or step one of two or three.

或者说是两三个步骤中的第一步。

Following step one,

在第一步之后，

bodies were typically threaded through the spokes of another wheel.

受刑者的身体通常会被穿插进另一个轮子的辐条之间。

While this would be difficult to do with a normal person,

虽然对一个正常人来说这很难做到，

it was much easier once their limbs were broken.

但一旦他们的四肢被折断，这就容易多了。

The wheel was then attached to a pole and displayed for all to see, 短語搭配

然后轮子会被固定在一根杆子上并向众人展示，

much like those who had undergone crucifixion.

就像那些遭受十字架刑罚的人一样。

At this point, some would be cut apart or strangled,

在这个时候，一些人会被肢解或勒死，

which would finally, though painfully, end their suffering.

这将最终结束他们的痛苦，尽管过程极其残忍。

Others would be placed above a blazing fire

其他人会被放在熊熊烈火之上，

or alternatively thrown directly in one.

或者干脆直接扔进火里。

It was even possible for the individual to be hung while on the wheel,

甚至有可能把人挂在轮子上吊死，

though this option was generally reserved for those 短語搭配

尽管这种选择通常保留给那些

who had been found guilty of either the very worst crimes 短語搭配

被判犯有最严重罪行

or multiple serious offenses.

或多项严重罪行的人。

The executioners in charge had no mercy,

负责的刽子手毫不留情，

even upon the souls of those they had killed.

即使对那些被他们杀死之人的灵魂也是如此。

Bodies were simply left where they had been thrown or hung up

尸体就那样被扔在地上或挂在原处，

to be eaten away by the beaks, teeth, and claws of wild animals.

任由野生动物的喙、牙齿和爪子啃食。

Many believed that this would prevent the souls from ever finding eternal peace. 語法

许多人相信这会让灵魂永远无法获得永恒的安宁。

It would also serve as a gruesome warning to others. 短語搭配

这也起到了对其他人毛骨悚然的警告作用。

But there was one little hope for those sentenced to death by the Catherine Wheel,

但对于那些被判处凯瑟琳轮死刑的人来说，还有一线希望，

and that was if they somehow became disengaged

那就是如果他们不知怎么挣脱了，

or if the wheel in some way failed to do its job.

或者轮子因为某种原因没有发挥作用。

In these circumstances, it was seen as divine intervention, 文化背景

在这种情况下，这会被视为神灵的干预，

and the convict's life would ultimately be spared.

囚犯最终会被免于一死。

However, this was highly unlikely.

然而，这极不可能发生。

It happened so rarely that when it did, 語法

这种事发生得太少了，以至于一旦发生，

it would become the subject of religious paintings depicting the miracle.

它就会成为描绘奇迹的宗教绘画的主题。

More often than not, those given the sentence never made it into the works of art. 講解

通常情况下，被判刑的人永远无法成为艺术作品的主角。

Further, their suffering could drag on seemingly endlessly before they died. 短語動詞

此外，他们在死前的痛苦可能会拖延得似乎没有尽头。

There are stories of a murderer in the 14th century

有传闻称，14世纪的一名杀人犯

who held on for three days before he expired. 短語動詞

坚持了三天三夜才咽气。

Another time, a man by the name of Bona Dies

还有一次，一个名叫波纳·迪斯的人

lasted for four full days and nights.

撑了整整四个日夜。

A more questionable account of a German serial killer in the 1500s

一个更令人怀疑的说法是，16世纪德国的一名连环杀手

claimed that he remained alive with the help of alcohol

据称他在酒精的帮助下活了下来，

for as many as nine days. 語法

长达九天。

But again, more likely than not, this last account is just another legend. 短語搭配

但同样地，极有可能这个最后的说法只是一则传说。

The Catherine or breaking wheel was quite a horrible device.

凯瑟琳轮或断骨轮是一种相当可怕的装置。

It was used as a method of public execution in Europe

它是欧洲公开处决的一种方式，

from antiquity to early modern times,

从古代一直延续到近代早期，

but very few utilized it until it was outlawed in 1813,

但直到1813年被取缔时，极少有人再去使用它，

and its suspected last use was in Prussia as late as 1841. 語法

据悉它最后一次被使用是迟至1841年在普鲁士。

We are all too thankful, as our modern-day criminals,

我们和现代的罪犯一样都非常庆幸，

that over time it lost favor with most societies, 短語搭配

随着时间的推移，它被大多数社会所抛弃，

which leads to the question: 表達脈絡

这就引出了一个问题：

In the case of convicted murderers who have taken the lives of others, 習語

对于那些剥夺了他人生命的被定罪谋杀犯，

what punishment is just and what is going way too far? 習語

什么样的惩罚是公正的，什么样的惩罚又太过分了呢？

Also, be sure to check out our other video called

另外，请一定要去看我们的另一个视频，叫做

Most Horrifying Punishments in the History of Mankind.

《人类历史上最恐怖的惩罚》。

Thanks for watching, and as always,

感谢观看，一如既往，

don't forget to like, share, and subscribe.

不要忘记点赞、分享和订阅。

See you next time.

我们下次再见。