Like all human institutions, Knighthood was doomed to perish as soon as it had outlived its usefulness.
像所有的人类制度一样，骑士制度一旦衰老无用，它便注定了灭亡的命运。
The crusades, about which one of the next chapters tells, were followed by a great revival of trade. Cities grew overnight.
十字军东征带动了商业的复兴。城市一夜之间星罗棋布于欧洲的原野。
The townspeople became rich, hired good school teachers and soon were the equals of the knights.
城镇的人们变得富有起来 他们雇佣了好的学校的老师 不久他们也变得跟骑士一样了
The invention of gun-powder deprived the heavily armed "Chevalier" of his former advantage
火药的发明取代了曾经骑士们认为很好用但是携带起来很不方便的武器
and the use of mercenaries made it impossible to conduct a battle with the delicate niceties of a chess tournament.
使用雇佣军作战，便不可能再像下棋那样，以精致的步骤和富于美感的策划来指挥一场战役。
The knight became superfluous.
骑士变成了纯粹多余的摆设，骑士精神成为了不合时宜的奢侈品。
Soon he became a ridiculous figure, with his devotion to ideals that had no longer any practical value.
当骑士们献身理想的高尚情操失去其实用价值后，他们本人也沦为某种荒诞可笑的角色。
It was said that the noble Don Quixote de la Mancha had been the last of the true knights.
据说，尊贵的堂吉河德先生是世界上最后一位真正的骑士。
After his death, his trusted sword and his armour were sold to pay his debts.
自从他去世后，伴他相依为命、勇闯天涯的盔甲和宝剑被相继拍卖，以抵偿他留下的个人债务。
But somehow or other that sword seems to have fallen into the hands of a number of men.
不过不知怎么，他的宝剑似乎还落到过许多人之手。在福奇谷的严冬里，华盛顿将军佩带过它。
Washington carried it during the hopeless days of Valley Forge.
在喀土穆被包围的绝望日子里，
It was the only defence of Gordon, when he had refused to desert the people who had been entrusted to his care,
戈登将军拒绝抛弃把生命托付给他的人民，
and stayed to meet his death in the besieged fortress of Khartoum.
勇敢地等待着死亡的命运。当时，这把宝剑是他唯一的武器。
And I am not quite sure but that it proved of invaluable strength in winning the Great War.
我不太清楚它在刚刚过去的世界大战究竟中发挥了多大作用，但事实证明，它的价值是难以估量的。
