Chapter 21 The tiny island nation is overcrowded

A few years ago, the title would have been "Great Britain and Ireland," but man has forced a change in the Creator's arrangement, splitting the geographically united country in two.All conscientious writers would have to submit to this change and introduce the two different kingdoms in separate chapters.Any other move may lead to more complex contradictions.I would not like to see the Irish Navy marching into Hudson Bay to demand an apology for "the intolerable affront to the dignity of the Irish Free Commonwealth." Dinosaurs can't draw maps, but the rocks at that time can also tell the story of dinosaurs.Rocks are everywhere, igneous rocks are formed when magma cools on the surface, granite is formed when magma is under heavy pressure, sedimentary rocks are formed when magma is slowly deposited at the bottom of oceans and lakes, and slate and marble are formed. Still a metamorphic rock of limestone and clay.

The whole earth is covered with these rocks, disorderly and disorganized, like a room full of household goods suddenly encountered a hurricane.The British are full of enthusiasm for hunting hares, but not interested in exploring science, but why do they produce so many top-notch geologists?Swimmers often come from water towns, and almost none come from the hinterland of the Kalahari Desert (the Kalahari Desert, located in Botswana and Namibia in southern Africa, is also called the "Kalahari Basin"——Translator's Note).Rocks are the geological laboratory of human beings, and it is also a very interesting laboratory.This may be an illustration.But we know more about the geology of England than we do about any other place in the world, precisely because there are so many first-rate geologists in England.

So, how do British geologists describe the origin of the British Isles? Forget about the map of Europe as you know it, and imagine a world just emerging from the horizon.It was still shaking in the throes of new birth.A vast continent rose high above the horizon, and a sudden explosion tore it apart, just as the concrete pavement of New York City would be blown apart by an explosion in an underground pipeline.At the same time, the uncanny workmanship of nature is sculpting this new world bit by bit.The sea breeze constantly blowing from the ocean carries a lot of water vapor, sweeping across the land from west to east, nourishing the thirsty land, a vast layer of green grass and fern plants spread out, all kinds of shrubs and Towering trees slowly grew out.The waves are constantly beating on the coast, crashing on the coast, grinding the coast, biting the coast, tearing the coast, day and night, year after year, never tired.In the end, like the melting ice and snow under the scorching sun, the coast gradually withered and collapsed.On the highest peak and steepest cliff in the mainland, suddenly, there was a loud bang, and the ice and snow whizzed down from the top, like a wall of death, rushing mercilessly towards the slope of the wide valley, and the deep and narrow canyon was suddenly severed. Filled with ice and gravel.

The sun shines on the earth...the rain pours down...the ice and snow crack and collapse...the sea tide erodes the coast...the cycle of cold and heat...the stars change and the stars change. When human beings are born on this planet, this is the human world.This narrow land was cut off from the outside world by a ferocious flood.This divide runs from north to south, from the Arctic Ocean to the Bay of Biscay.This narrow body of water is choppy and unpredictable, with a solitary plateau beyond it.There are also a few reefs on the sea over there, which seem not to be inhabited by humans, but seem to have been formed for seagulls to inhabit.

This is England.Now open the modern map. The distance from the Shetland Islands to Lands End is equivalent to the distance from Hudson's Bay in the United States or southern Alaska to the US-Canada border.If you look for an example in Europe, this distance is equivalent to from Oslo, Norway to Prague in Bohemia.In other words, Britain is the most densely populated country in the world. She has 45 million British people living between 50 and 60 degrees north latitude, while the Kamchatka Peninsula is also at the same latitude, but there are only 7,000 permanent residents. Fish is an essential means of their survival.

Looking at the map again, the picture is more clear and distinct than the text.The United Kingdom faces the North Sea to the east (it was originally a low valley, which becomes an ocean when it fills up with water over time), and faces France across the sea to the east. The English Channel and the North Sea look like a small ditch on the road. , lies between the two countries.Greater London lies in the deepest valley of the English plains, and on the other side lies Wales with its high mountains.There are also the Irish Sea, the Irish Plains, the Irish Mountains, and a few isolated islands in the shallow sea to the west, and the Irish Sea is also a low valley filled with water.Finally, there is St. Kiel Island (because the road is too difficult and dangerous, no one lived there until last year).The terrain then plummeted, dropped, and dropped again... The real ocean completely replaced the huge Eurasian continental plate here.

There should be a detailed introduction to the British inland seas, bays and channels, but not just a list of meaningless names, so that people forget the front when they look at the back.But now we are facing one of the world's largest powers.Although this country is only a small island, it has had an impact on countless people in the world for as long as 400 years.However, Britain's success is neither a coincidence nor a superior race, but the ingenuity of nature, which placed this lovely island in the center of the continental group in the Eastern Hemisphere, and these dedicated islanders will continue to This divine opportunity was fully utilized.Look at Australia, adrift alone in the middle of the vast ocean, completely resigned to fate, how pitiful it is!There are no neighbors, no communication, and no opportunity to acquire new ideas from the outside world.Looking at England again, her geographical position is like a spider in the middle of a web, the distance to each side is equal, and the sea around it surrounds her like a moat, protecting her from foreign invasion.

In the era of civilization centered on the Mediterranean Sea, this geographical location was of course worthless. Until the end of the 15th century, in the eyes of people at that time, Britain was just like Iceland today, just a remote island, out of reach.Listening to dialogue like this will leave a deep impression: "Have you ever been to Iceland?" "No, but my aunt has been there once. It's a lovely little island, and the island is very interesting, but it's too far away. If you go there, you will get seasick for 5 days." Before 1000, this was the impression of Britain in people's minds.I got dizzy on the ship for three to five days, and the comfort of the Roman sailing ships at that time was indeed far worse than that of the 700-ton steamer sailing from Leith to Reykjavik today.

This small island was originally outside the civilized world of the Mediterranean Sea. Gradually, people got to know her a little bit.There lived savages, with grotesque patterns painted on their faces, in round huts half buried in the ground, surrounded by low earthen walls.In the end, the Romans domesticated them. These barbarians were very docile and obedient, and never talked about their "rights". Moreover, the Romans believed that they were of the same lineage as the Celts in northern Gaul from language.Do they really have "rights" to this land?It's still hard to tell, because they also took the land from earlier residents, and those earlier residents could only find a little clues in some closed places on the east and west sides of the island.

The ancient Romans occupied the island of England for 400 years, almost as long as the whites ruled in America.Until one day, their end suddenly came.In the previous 500 years, in the face of the vicious Teutonic people, the Roman Empire had been preventing them from breaking into their sphere of influence in Europe.But their defenses eventually crumbled, and the Teutons swept southwestern Europe like a tidal wave.The Romans hurriedly mobilized back the Roman troops distributed in various European countries, leaving only a few legions to defend against the barbarians in Scotland in the east of England, guarding the British Great Plains behind them, and several other important military towns that defended the safety of Wales.No great empire could see in time that their fate was over. After many years of overthrow, they suddenly woke up from their dreams—the empire was no longer an empire!

One day, the supply ship did not arrive in England on time, which meant that the Gauls had lost.Since then, these Roman soldiers had to stay in the UK, separated from the mountains and rivers of their hometown forever, and lost contact forever.Soon word came that foreign ships had been seen near the mouths of the Humber and Thames, and that villages in Durham, York, Norfolk, Suffolk, and Essex had been attacked and looted .Fortifying the eastern coast was something the Romans had never thought of, and it had never been necessary before.That mysterious power (wandering habits? starvation? or pursuers? It is impossible to know), which drove the Teutons across the Danube, across the Balkans and the Alps, and now , which led the Saxon pirates to flock from Denmark, from Holstein, to the shores of Great Britain. At that time, the Romans must still be living in the beautiful villa area. People are still looking for the remains of the villas, but they have long been reduced to dust. These Romans are also like the earliest white people in Virginia and Maine. Just like disappearing mysteriously and silently, they also disappeared without a trace from the human world.Those who failed to board the last boat home were suddenly seized by the giant hand of fate and could no longer escape. Some were killed by their servants, and women were married by well-meaning locals—those proud The ending of the Roman colonial rulers is so bizarre. Then, riots broke out.Because the Celts had been Roman minions in those days when the Romans were the policemen of the world, they were met by their own countrymen, the "Axe Gang" - some savage gangsters from Scotland and Caledonia. Celtic dedicated slaughter.Under such dire circumstances, people generally make a fatal mistake—a wrong idea leads to an unavoidable disaster: "Go and hire some brave and good fighters to help us fight." So, a Saxon Many warriors of the tribe came over from the swamps and plains between the Eid and the Elbe, but the name Saxon does not explain their origin, for northern Germany is dominated by Saxons. Why do these people call themselves Anglos? Another mystery.The name Anglo-Saxons came hundreds of years after they came to England.The title has now become a rallying cry: Anglo-Saxon tradition, Anglo-Saxon blood.Now that the Anglo-Saxons have become a myth, why not let the hero of this myth pride himself on being superior to all others? Yet, according to historians' regrettable claim, the Angles are a lost tribe of Israel One of the tribes, these lost tribes are often mentioned in history books, but no trace of them has been found.As for the Saxons, they are just nomadic tribes from northern Europe, and 30 years ago, they might still be seen in the lower class of an Atlantic flight.The Saxons are strong, always enthusiastic, and full of energy, whether in work or in war, in entertainment or in plunder.It took the Anglo-Saxons 500 years to complete the unification of this land that has become their hereditary territory today.The poor Celts were forced to use the Saxon language, and the few Latin words the Celts had picked up from the kitchens of the noble Roman matrons were soon forgotten by them.However, the good times didn't last long. When the Teutonic immigrants flooded into the island of England like a flood, the Anglo-Saxons were driven out of the island again. In 1066, the Normans made England a vassal of their own again, and for the third time, the tiny island nation became a vassal of an overseas power.However, the situation quickly reversed.The Normans believed that the colony of England was more valuable than the mainland of France, so they left the mainland, abandoned their temporary place of residence—France, and settled in the British Isles. In the end, the Normans lost not only all their possessions in France, but also their dominion in England, and their misfortune was England's great fortune.English people began to realize the existence of the Atlantic Ocean, and no longer had to yearn for the mainland.Even so, if the love affair of Henry VIII had not happened, England would not have embarked on the road to open up the ocean.Henry VIII fell in love with Anna Boleyn deeply, and Boleyn said that he had to walk into a resplendent church before he could walk into her heart, which meant that Henry VIII had to abolish his queen first— —Mother of Bloody Mary (referring to Mary I, 1516-1558, Queen of the Tudor Dynasty in England. The orthodoxy of Catholicism in England was restored during her reign, and she brutally persecuted Protestants, so she was called "Bloody Mary" Mary"——Translator's Note).It led to a break between England and the Holy See, and even the supreme authority of the Pope in the entire Christian world was touched.Since the Spaniards support the Pope, the English must learn to sail and defeat the Spanish navy, otherwise, this independent island country will be reduced to a province of Spain.In this twisted and twisted situation, an extramarital affair of the king became an opportunity for the English to master the sea and start a new trade, and everything else was determined by their superior geographical location. Outward transformation is impossible without going through an inner struggle.One class destroys itself for the benefit of another class, and no rational person would like to see such an outcome.Therefore, after the Normans left, in order to prevent England from abandoning agriculture, those feudal landowners who held the highest power in the country stood up and opposed the government to develop world trade, which is also reasonable.Feudalism and capitalism have always been enemies.Medieval knights believed that commercial trade was not something that free people should do, so they dismissed commercial trade.In their eyes, businessmen are like bootleggers in the United States today. You can send businessmen, but they are never allowed to step into your home.Therefore, the merchants at that time were all foreigners, especially Germans, and the famous Eastlis people—a nation from the North Sea and the Baltic Sea.It was these people who first made the British realize that coins had an absolutely unquestionable value, and the "Esteris pound" was the predecessor of today's pound.The Jews were well-known in business, but they were all expelled from the country by England, and they were forbidden to set foot on the island of England. Even when Shakespeare shaped Shylock, his materials could only be taken from hearsay.British ports also do a little fishing trade, but for hundreds of years before that, most of the land in the interior has been dominated by agricultural production.This land is also favored by nature. It is especially suitable for the development of animal husbandry. The soil is sandy and gravel. Although it is not suitable for planting grains, the grass can grow luxuriantly and feed cattle and sheep. The westerly wind blows in England for 8 months a year, and the westerly wind brings abundant rainfall.If you have ever been to London in winter, you will never forget the continuous rain.As mentioned when introducing the Nordic countries, modern agriculture is no longer completely dependent on the sky.In the time of Chaucer and Queen Elizabeth, all natural disasters were regarded as God's will, which could not be repaired or redeemed at all (Chaucer, the earliest representative of humanism, one of the most outstanding and greatest poets in England, about 1340 —1400. Queen Elizabeth refers to Elizabeth I of the Tudor dynasty in England, 1533-1603, and reigned from 1558-1603. She relied on the support of the emerging aristocracy and the bourgeoisie, and enforced autocratic rule. In 1588, she defeated the "Invincible Fleet" of Spain , British maritime hegemony was initially formed; in 1600, it supported the establishment of the "East India Company"——Translator's Note).Although human beings can't artificially rain at present, under the teachings of chemical engineers, people have learned how to overcome various natural disasters.And the island's geological structure also benefited the landowners in the east.Viewed in cross-section, the British Isles are like a huge soup plate, with the east flat and gentle, and the west raised high.The predecessor of the British Isles was an ancient continent. The wind and rain eroded the oldest mountains in the east, while the young mountains are still rising in the west. It will take 10 million years or more for the tides and hurricanes to smooth the young mountains.The young mountain ranges that cover Wales (one of the few surviving Celtic words) act as a screen, shielding the eastern lowlands from the Atlantic storms and guaranteeing a pleasant climate for the eastern plains. The climate is not only suitable for grain production, but also suitable for the development of animal husbandry. The invention of the steamboat made it possible to order food from Argentina or Chicago, and the widespread use of refrigeration enabled frozen meat to be shipped from one side of the world to the other.Rich countries no longer have to rely solely on their own agricultural production to feed themselves.However, 100 years ago, the whole world could still be dominated by those landowners who provided food.As long as they locked up the granary, thousands of people would slowly starve to death.But England was not in danger of famine.As the most important area of ​​the United Kingdom, the British Great Plains lie in an embrace, bounded by the English Channel to the south, the Severn River to the west (this river flows between Wales and England, and finally flows into the English Channel), and Henry to the north. The Beth and Mersey, with the North Sea to the east, produced abundant food for the country. Of course, what I mean by this great plain is not exactly the same as what is commonly called a plain.It is not like the Great Plains of Kansas in the United States, which is as flat as a pancake. On the contrary, the Great British Plains are undulating and patchwork.The Thames (about the same length as the Hudson, 215 miles long, compared to the Hudson's 315 miles) flows in the middle of the plain, and it has its source in the Cantwood Mountains, a mountainous region rich in sheep.A famous city, Bath, is also in this plain.As early as the Romans' rule, those who were tortured by the British eating habits often ran here, took a bath in the hot calcium-sodium spring, and went back to chew the half-baked steak and vegetables to "enhance" their physical fitness . The Thames, which flows between the Chilton Hills and the Whitehorse Downs, provides Oxford with a rowing venue.Then it enters the Thames Valley, which is located between the East Anglian Mountains and the Burton Mountains.If this part of the chalk had not been cut off by the Strait of Dover, which connects the Atlantic Ocean to the North Sea, the Thames might have flowed all the way to France. The largest city in the world stands on the banks of the Thames.Like Rome or many other cities that have long been submerged in the long river of history, the advent of London is by no means accidental, nor is it the result of the whim of the rulers. Its appearance here is entirely the product of economic necessity.At that time, shameless ferrymen controlled the north-south traffic. In order not to be restrained by these shameless people, people decided to build a bridge over the river.The bridge site was chosen at the end of the ferry, and the river was not too wide. It was more than enough for architects more than 2,000 years ago to build a safe and strong bridge, so that merchants and common people could easily cross the river.Thus, the City of London was born. When the ancient Romans rolled out of England, the British Isles were completely changed, but London still stands there.London has a population of 8 million, a full 1 million more than New York.In terms of area, London is four times the size of Paris and five times the size of Babylon, the largest city in ancient times.In order to protect their personal small world from the interference of others, the British do not like to live in high-rise buildings like pigeon cages. Therefore, the city of London has been expanding horizontally, and there are not many high-rise buildings in the city, while American cities are just the opposite. , always growing upward. The central part of London, the "borough", is now just an office district.In 1800 AD, there were still 130,000 residents in the city, but today there are only 14,000.Britain's overseas investment has huge funds. There are about 500,000 people who come to the urban area from all directions to work every day. They manage the circulation and operation of billions of capital funds. goods are at their disposal.The freight yard stretches from the Tower of London to under London Bridge, 20 miles away, and each of them is full of goods. In order to solve the problem of cargo transportation, in order to ensure the unimpeded flow of the Thames anytime and anywhere, people built many warehouses and warehouses along the banks of the river.If you want to know what international trade is all about, go to these freight yards.You'll be sad to learn that New York is a small village in comparison, a long way from the main arteries of international trade.Things change, though.Now, the international trade center has a tendency to move westward, but the experienced London is still the leader of international trade, while the just-started New York can only hold a candle to it. Now go and see what the British Great Plains looked like 1500 years ago.Mountains surround its southern edge, and the Cornwall Peninsula is at its westernmost point, across the English Channel from Brittany in France.Cornwall is a magical land where the Celts spoke their own language until 200 years ago.In Cornwall there are strange stone columns whose resemblance to those in Brittany has led to the belief that the former inhabitants of the two places were originally of the same origin.In addition, Cornwall was the first piece of English land discovered by Mediterranean sailors.In search of lead, zinc, and copper, the Phoenicians (remember, the Bronze and Iron Ages were the nation's greatest ages) sent out expeditions.During their expedition, they had been to the Isles of Scilly, and met and traded with a group of savages who came from the fog-shrouded mainland. of. Plymouth is the most important city on the Cornwall peninsula. This is a naval port. Except for a few Atlantic steamers entering and leaving this harbor occasionally, other ships can rarely be seen.Bristol Bay, on the other side of the Cornwall peninsula, is a rough stretch of water.In the 17th century, because ships returning from the Americas often mistaken Bristol Bay for the English Channel and entered the bay, resulting in shipwrecks and fatalities, the bay was always marked "wrong" on maps at the time. Strait". The mountains of Wales lie quietly in the north of Bristol Bay, originally a lonely mountain.Wales is now one of the most important industrial bases in the United Kingdom, due to the discovery of coal and iron deposits here, and the discovery of copper deposits on the neighboring island of Anglesey.Cardiff, which has now become one of the largest coal industry centers in the world, was originally a military town built by the ancient Romans.Cardiff is connected to London by a railway line under the River Severn.In engineering circles, the Severn Railway Tunnel project has earned a reputation alongside the construction of a sea-crossing bridge linking the Welsh mainland to the islands of Anglesey and Holyhead.Starting from Holyhead Island, you can sail directly to Kingston across the sea, a port belonging to Dublin, the capital of Ireland. Square England, because of its age and long history, every city, every village is full of the vicissitudes of time.To avoid turning a chapter on British geography into a whole volume of world history, I dare not even mention their names.This land is still the soul of the British landlord class.In France there are hardly any large landowners, and there are ten times as many small estate owners as there are in England.There are more small landowners in Denmark.Now, the status of these country gentry has been declining, far worse than in the past. Apart from teaching others how to wear golf pants, this group of old people only spends their time by hunting, and there is no other more valuable way.But this is not their fault, but it is James Watt who invented the practical and effective steam engine, and the social and economic landscape has undergone earth-shaking changes.The toolmaker, who studied at the University of Glasgow, was fond of mathematics from an early age. When he started to play with his old grandmother's small teapot, the steam was still confined to the pump, a heavy and slow thing.However, after Watt's death, the land was no longer the only source of wealth, and the steam engine almost became a master of the world. Since ancient times, the south has been the economic core of England. However, from the first half of the 19th century, England's economic center of gravity began to move north.In Lancashire, Manchester's cotton spinning machine was running rapidly under the drive of steam; In the "Black Country", steam drove Birmingham to full power, and millions of tons of steel plates and steel beams were produced, and the products of the British Isles were transported to all parts of the world by ships made of these steel materials. From manpower to steam engine, this is a great change, the greatest change in human history.Of course, the steam engine is not intelligent, it must be manipulated by humans to tell it when to start and when to stop.Because of the simplicity of the work, farmers can also get rich doing it.As a result, under the lure of the city, 80% of the rural population flocked to it. In a blink of an eye, the city expanded rapidly, and real estate developers who rented out apartments became rich overnight.It was during this period that England amassed a wealth which was sufficient to support England for many years. How long can the UK last? Many people are asking this question today. Perhaps, only time can answer-this time is 10 or 20 years.Britain's future is well worth studying.The rise and fall of the empire on which the sun never sets was closely linked by a chain of events.Its fate is very similar to that of the ancient Roman Empire.As the core of Mediterranean civilization, the Roman Empire had to fight in all directions in order to preserve its independence and integrity. After England ascended the central throne of Atlantic civilization, it also followed the old path of the ancient Romans.Today, the worldwide plunder seems to have temporarily come to an end.A few years ago, she was the central headquarters of a great empire, which would soon degenerate into an overcrowded island off the coast of the Netherlands. This seems to be a tragedy, but the law of this planet where human beings live is exactly the same. Just as the earliest colonists of the United States knew the five civilized tribes There is also a gradual process for the ruler to know the Scots.North of the Imperial line and the last huts of Northumberland, among the great northern hills, live a tough, hard-boiled tribe, the Scots.The living environment of the Scots is very primitive and simple. Their family blood does not follow the patrilineal line like other nations but the matrilineal line, and they make a living by herding cattle and sheep.There is no real road in the mountains, only steep narrow paths, even horses are afraid to walk on this narrow path.The Scots are so fiercely opposed to all forms of civilization that it would be a waste of effort to civilize them, and therefore it would be best to ignore them at all.But the Scots were also a ferocious band of brigands who would suddenly rush down the hills to take the sheep from the Cheviot Hills and the cattle from the Cumberland.It would be a wiser way of protecting these districts to build a high wall all the way from the Tyne to the Sol Firth, and to prevent them from further offenses by sword and bayonet, or by the pain of death, such as the gallows. It worked.The Romans ruled England for 400 years, during which time the Scots barely touched the civilized world, except for a few large-scale invasions.The Scots never dealt with the outside world and had few material needs other than their long-term trade with their Celtic brethren on the Isle of Ireland.The ancient Roman city walls have long been turned into mud, but the Scots are still living a Scottish life and developing a Scottish civilization. The real reason why the Scots can maintain their independence is that Scotland is in the backcountry.Mountainous areas make up the vast majority of Scotland, and before humans there were mountains almost as tall as the Alps.The high mountains gradually dwindled due to the slow erosion of wind and rain, and were shaken into a mess by the intense uplift of the earth's crust; the soil deposited in the valleys was originally very thin, and the large-scale glacier invasion washed the soil clean , no wonder the Scots living in the high mountains accounted for only 10% of the total population, while the lowlands—from the Firth of Clyde in the west to the Firth in the east, a narrow strip of less than 50 miles, crowded the remaining 90% people.Edinburgh and Glasgow, the two largest cities in Scotland, stand between the mountains erupted by two volcanoes (most important towns were built on the craters of extinct volcanoes in the past).The capital of ancient Scotland was Edinburgh, while the center of modern steel, coal, shipbuilding and manufacturing is Glasgow.A canal connects the two cities.Another canal from Lorne Bay leads directly to the Moray Firth, and with this canal, small boats no longer have to venture between John O'Groats, Orkney Islands and Shetland Islands-from Ireland to the North Cape of Norway. Between the wreckage in the raging seas of the continent, I can reach the North Sea from the Atlantic. However, in Scotland, the prosperity of Glasgow does not mean that the whole region will be prosperous.The vast majority of farmers are still struggling with food and clothing, and what they earn from labor can only ensure that they will not become starving ghosts, and it is not even enough to let them feel the real taste of being alive.Scots regard the few shillings of "property" saved by hard work as a treasure because of extreme poverty. Rely on your own bravery and perseverance.They struggled in the harsh living environment, and never bothered to care about other people's gossip. James of the Stuart dynasty (the first king of the Stuart dynasty, 1566-1625, began to rule Scotland in 1567, called James VI; in 1603 he became the heir of Queen Elizabeth, became King of England, known as James I --- Translator's Note) is Queen Elizabeth's distant relative of Scotland, according to Queen Elizabeth's last will, and inherited the throne of England, Scotland has since been incorporated into the Kingdom of England due to this historical accident The territory, so the Scots can freely enter and leave the Kingdom of England.If the Scots felt that their own island was too small for their lofty aspirations, they could roam freely across the land of the Kingdom of England.Thrifty, intelligent and restrained, the Scots are perfectly qualified for leading positions in the backcountry. What I want to tell here is a special story, a mysterious and tragic story related to the fate of human beings——a nation has a great future and unlimited potential, but for a worthless reason, it is willing to abandon the infinite light in front of it. , vainly rushing toward the darkness, while her neighbors harbor hatred and are ready to humiliate and enslave her.Because these blindly impulsive people do not understand at all that honest self-interest is the first principle of human existence. Who is to blame for this tragic story? I don't know, and no one knows.Is it a geological formation? Probably not.The Irish Islands are also a remnant of the Arctic Ocean continent from prehistoric times.If the subsequent geological changes had not occurred, the archipelago might have been more prosperous and rich.However, the center of the archipelago sank below the coastal mountains due to geological changes, and the entire island became a soup dish.The river originally flowed towards the sea, but because of this subsidence, it became a winding river with hundreds of turns, making navigation impossible.Is it the climate? Nope!The climate of Ireland is no different from that of England, maybe it is just wetter and more foggy.Is that a geographic location? Neither!Since the discovery of America, among the European countries that have commercial trade with the New World, Ireland is the closest geographically, and Ireland is also the most convenient geographically.So, who is the culprit of this national tragedy? The culprit is probably that unpredictable human nature.In Ireland, human beings once again ruined their future, turned advantages into disadvantages, turned victory into failure, and turned courage and vigor into silent anger, and finally could only bear the desolation of fate silently. What part did national tradition play in this tragedy? The Irish are known to love their fairy tales.小精灵、小妖精、狼人和恶鬼之类的“人物”，几乎会出现在每一个爱尔兰戏剧和民间故事中，说一句实实在在的话，即使在今天这个枯燥乏味的时代，对爱尔兰人那些妖魔鬼怪亲戚，我们也真是厌烦呢！ 这些又与“地理”有何干系呢?你可能会提出这样的问题。对于山川、河流、城市分布的地理，对于统计煤炭、棉花进口量的地理，这的确是无关的。但是，人类不仅是饱食终日之徒，还是一个虑远思深、浮想联翩的生物。爱尔兰就是一个单单为思虑和浮想而存在的国度。当你在大海上遥望一个国家时，你也许会说：“这片陆地看上去较矮，或较高；大地或是棕色的，或是黑色的，或是绿色的。许多人生活在那儿，他们中有的人正在吃，有的人正在喝，有的人是美丽的，有的人是丑陋的，有的人是幸福的，有的人是悲哀的，有的人正在降生，有的人正在死去，有人死后得到了牧师的祝福，有人死后没有得到。” 然而，这些都与爱尔兰无多大干系。爱尔兰与众有点不同，或者说与众完全不同。寂寞的空气弥漫于爱尔兰的角角落落，孤立的氛围甚至于触手可及。昨天还是真实的东西，今天就变成了谎言与疑虑，一件事几个小时前还是简简单单的，转眼就错综复杂了。变幻莫测的大海位于岛屿的西侧，可是，与这汪沉默的深渊相比，你脚下的这片土地却让人更加匪夷所思。 同任何一个民族相比，爱尔兰人遭受奴役的时间都长一些，沉重的历史压在他们的背上，他们不断地怨天尤人。本来应该反躬自省，可在他们的思想深处一定存在着某种认识上的错误，以致他们千百年来一直落落寡合。在爱尔兰这块沃土上，他们的这种错误认识扎根很深。为了这片沃土，爱尔兰人从未想到要好好地生活，而是时刻准备去流血去牺牲。 诺曼底的征服者们（诺曼底公爵威廉为了夺取英国王位，1066年带兵横渡英吉利海峡，入侵英国。是年12月坐上了英国国王的宝座，史称威廉一世，在位时间为1066—1087———译者注）当年刚刚在英格兰站稳脚跟，就把贪婪的目光投向了爱尔兰海对岸，而所谓的爱尔兰海和北海一样，本来也是一个山谷，后来才下沉为海洋，算不上真正的大海。爱尔兰岛本来是一个富饶的小岛，可岛内的局面也大大助长了侵略者的野心。部族首领向来不和，把全岛统一为一个爱尔兰王国的努力从来都是竹篮打水一场空。对征服者威廉的同代人来说，爱尔兰如同“一块颤抖着的草皮”。爱尔兰牧师们都睁大了眼睛，狂热地要将基督的福音传遍世界，而自己的故园却连一条公路、一座桥梁乃至任何交通设施都没有，更不用说一切使日常生活方便、和谐的重要设施了。由于岛屿的中央比四周低矮了许多，出现了一个大沼泽，而沼泽有个坏毛病，就是从不将自己淹没在深水中，因此，沼泽永远是沼泽。充满诗意的灵魂怎么会肯动手去洗刷碗筷盘碟呢?对这个沼泽，从来就无人想到要治理一下。 当时，英法的统治者尽管都叱咤风云，一代枭雄，却也能和主宰世界的领袖们保持一种很体面的关系。对于亲爱的教子约翰，教皇英诺森三世（意大利人，1160—1216，在出任罗马教皇期间（1198—1216）发动了两次十字军东征———译者注）曾给予了紧急声援，宣布《自由大宪章》（1251年，英国封建领主联合骑士和平民迫使英王约翰签署的一个文件，共63条，主要保障的是大贵族的利益，也保证了骑士和平民的一些权利。后来，它成了资产阶级革命时代的法律依据之一，还成了确立君主立宪制的宪法文件之一———译者注）无效，对那些胆敢逼迫国王签署这样一份文件的贵族发出诅咒，诅咒他们万劫不复，永堕地狱。在爱尔兰内战中，一位爱尔兰酋长(我忘记了交战方当时到底有多少)被打得狼狈不堪，于是，他就请求英格兰的亨利二世到爱尔兰来，帮他打败自己的强敌。这时，从罗马又伸出了一只看不见的手，一直伸到了英格兰。英国籍罗马教皇阿德利安四世十分热心，签署了一张羊皮书，委任英格兰国王陛下出任爱尔兰的世袭君主。于是，一支由不足1000人的杂牌军和200名骑士组成的军队就开进了爱尔兰。爱尔兰人原来一直过着快乐的原始生活，这时，就不得不放弃在其他国家早已绝迹的部族制度，被英格兰人强行套上了封建制度的枷锁。从此以后，这个小岛就一日也不安宁了。直至几年前，围绕主权问题的争端才算告一段落，但是，说不准哪天它又像火山一样突然喷发出来，再度在世界各地报纸的头版头条上露面。 爱尔兰的土地，正如爱尔兰精神一样，存在全是为了谋杀和伏击。在爱尔兰，崇高的理想无可奈何地与卑鄙的变节纠葛到了一块，似乎不杀光所有的爱尔兰人，冲突就永远不会终止，问题就永远得不到解决。这绝非危言耸听，更不是无稽之谈。英格兰的统治者曾多次试图对爱尔兰人斩草除根，赶尽杀绝，然后再搜尽这些不幸者的全部家财，以进奉给国王及其宠信。例如，1650年，凭着他们奇妙的直觉和超凡的空想，爱尔兰人又一次在荒唐的时间作出荒唐的决定———支持一文不值的查尔斯国王（英王查理一世，被克伦威尔赶下台———译者注），发动人民起义。这次起义遭到了克伦威尔（17世纪英国资产阶级革命的代表人物。1599—1658，1649年宣布成立英国共和国，1653年自任“护国公”———译者注）毫不留情的屠戮。在几百年后的爱尔兰人脑海之中，仍然深深地刻印着克伦威尔当年在爱尔兰犯下的滔天罪行。这是一次企图一劳永逸的尝试，一次把爱尔兰问题最终解决掉的尝试，爱尔兰的人口因这次大屠戮而锐减至80万，饿死者更是不可胜数(爱尔兰人的出生率一向不高)，那些讨到了钱、借到了钱或者干脆去偷而偷到了钱的人，只要攒够了一张船票，就急急忙忙逃离家乡，流亡国外。走不了的人，满腔仇恨，守着逝者的坟墓，以土豆为食，寄望有朝一日报仇雪耻。他们一直等啊，一直等到了世界大战，才最终得到了解脱。 从地理方位上看，爱尔兰属于北欧；从思想状态上看，不久之前，爱尔兰还处在古地中海时代。爱尔兰已取得了自治权，能和加拿大、澳大利亚和南非平起平坐了，可是直至今日，它还与整个世界相差一段距离。他们并未为全岛的统一而努力奋斗，正好相反，他们分成了两派，彼此仇视。南部天主教徒占爱尔兰总人口的75％，他们组建了“自由之国”，定都都柏林。外来的新教徒后裔主要居住在北部阿尔斯特六郡，他们选择了继续居留在英国，并不断地派出自己的代表进入在伦敦的英国议会。 目前爱尔兰的现状就是这样。一年之后或十年之后会是怎样呢?没有人能够预测得到。但是，一千多年来爱尔兰人终于第一次掌握着自己的命运。现在，爱尔兰能自由发展他们的港口了，科克、利默里克和戈尔韦被他们建设成了真正的海港。他们还实行了农业合作制，这个合作制在丹麦已证明是非常成功的。爱尔兰的奶制品完全能与别个国家的产品媲美。爱尔兰终于可以作为一个独立自由之身，屹立在世界民族之林。 但是，爱尔兰人真的能把过去忘记，为了明天而理智地去奋斗吗?