Henry II's transformation of royal justice had come back to bite his own dynasty.
亨利二世对王家司法的变革 最终成了自己王朝的掘墓人
So if it isn't exactly the birth certificate of democracy,
因此 即使这并不意味着民主的诞生
it is the death certificate of despotism.
那也至少标志了专制主义的消亡
It spells out, for the first time, the fundamental principle that the law is not simply the will or the whim of the king.
它首次阐明了一条基本原则 法律不代表国王的意志或奇想
The law is an independent power unto itself,
法律独立存在 对本身负责
and the king could be brought to book for violating it.
国王犯法与庶民同罪
None of this was apparent right away.
但所有这些并不是理所当然
Ten weeks after Magna Carta was signed,it was annulled by the pope,
《大宪章》签署十周后 就被教皇宣布无效
and John went back to fighting his battles by the sword,
约翰也带军重回战场
against the rebel barons and against the first successful invasion by a king of France.
镇压贵族们的反叛 同时抵挡法国的首次成功入侵
For a few months in 1216,much of England was ruled by the dauphin.
1261年的几个月间 英格兰的大部分领土是由法国王太子统治