The 800th anniversary of the Magna Carta is being marked with a fancy new ￡2 coin - but an expert has claimed the Royal Mint has ruined the design with a factually dodgy image.

為紀(jì)念英國《大憲章》簽署八百周年，英國推出了別致的新版兩英鎊硬幣。但有專家稱，皇家鑄幣局（Royal Mint）用不符合史實(shí)的圖案毀了這一設(shè)計(jì)。

The coin shows King John signing the document - which was issued by him in 1215 and stated that everyone had the right to a fair trial and that nobody, including royalty, were above the law - with a quill but according to Dr Marc Morris that notion is absurd as the monarch would have used a royal seal...and probably would have got one of his minions to do it.

這枚硬幣上展示的是約翰王手拿羽毛簽署《大憲章》的圖樣，但是根據(jù)馬克·莫里斯博士（Marc Morris）所言，這樣的描繪是很荒謬的，因?yàn)榧s翰王應(yīng)當(dāng)使用皇家印章蓋章……也有可能會(huì)讓仆從替他蓋章。（約翰王1215年頒布的《大憲章》宣稱，每個(gè)人都有獲得公正審判的權(quán)利，包括皇室成員在內(nèi)的任何人都無法凌駕于法律之上。）

In fact the Middle Ages expert was so incensed with the historical foolery he even went so far as to reconstruct the momentous occasion using Playmobil figures.

事實(shí)上，這位研究中世紀(jì)時(shí)期的專家對(duì)這一愚弄?dú)v史的行為十分憤怒，他甚至用摩比人（Playmobil）玩具還原了這一重要時(shí)刻。

He posted the image on Twitter, stating: "A far more accurate depiction of what went on at Runnymede than that produced by the Royal Mint."

他將圖片發(fā)到推特上，并配文道：“關(guān)于蘭尼米德發(fā)生的事，這比皇家鑄幣局的版本準(zhǔn)確得多。”

Dr Morris, a fellow of the Royal Historical Society, said: "To depict King John holding a quill is simply a schoolboy error.

莫里斯博士是皇家歷史學(xué)會(huì)（Royal Historical Society）的研究員，他說：“約翰王手拿羽毛筆的這一描繪實(shí)在是一個(gè)低級(jí)的錯(cuò)誤。”

"Medieval kings did not authenticate documents by signing them, they did it by sealing them - or rather by getting one of their officials to do it for them.

“中世紀(jì)的國王不是通過簽名來使文件生效，而是通過自己蓋章，或者讓下屬官員替他們蓋章。”

"All the pen in John's hand symbolises is ignorance of this basic fact."

“約翰王執(zhí)筆這一形象所反映出來的是對(duì)基本事實(shí)的無知。”

But Royal Mint bosses have defended the image, which was created by artist John Bergdahl, saying it is "symbolic" and not "literal".

但是皇家鑄幣局的領(lǐng)導(dǎo)們辯稱，這一由藝術(shù)家約翰·貝里達(dá)爾（John Bergdahl）設(shè)計(jì)的圖像，只是“象征性的”而不是“基于史實(shí)的”。

Mr Bergdahl, speaking about his design for the coin, added: "I wanted to include the figures who would have been key players in the formation of the Magna Carta at Runnymede [the place in Windsor where the Magna Cara was signed].

貝里達(dá)爾先生在談到他為硬幣所做的設(shè)計(jì)時(shí)，補(bǔ)充道：“我想要將那些在蘭尼米德（《大憲章》的簽署地，位于溫莎）制定《大憲章》中起了重要作用的人物設(shè)計(jì)進(jìn)去。”

"I was influenced by the art of the medieval period, which was quite uncomplicated and crude, and the ornate cornice and rose carvings echo the architecture of the era reflecting the time the Magna Carta was created.

“我受中世紀(jì)時(shí)期原生簡單的藝術(shù)影響，裝飾性的飛檐和玫瑰雕刻與反映大憲章形成時(shí)期的建筑相呼應(yīng)。”

"The inscription uses medieval-style font that surrounds the design as the inscription on King John's royal seal did in the middle ages.

“硬幣周圍的文字采用中世紀(jì)風(fēng)格的字體，像中世紀(jì)時(shí)期約翰王的皇家印章上的刻字一樣。”

Vocabulary

factually: 事實(shí)性地，確實(shí)地

dodgy: 不可靠的

quill: 羽毛筆

minion: 仆從，下屬

foolery: 愚蠢行為

momentous: 重要的，重大的

authenticate: 使具有法律上的效力，使生效

ornate: 裝飾的

inscription: (硬幣、獎(jiǎng)?wù)碌壬系?鐫刻文字

（中國日?qǐng)?bào)網(wǎng)英語點(diǎn)津 劉明）