Английский язык с Марком Твеном. Принц и нищий / Mark Twain. The Prince and the Pauper

'Sith that is thy humor, thou'lt not pass till thou'st drunk to the Prince of Wales, I tell thee that,' said the waterman, barring the way resolutely.

'Give me the cup, then, and make speed, make speed.'

Other revelers were interested by this time. They cried out:

'The loving-cup, the loving-cup! make the sour knave drink the loving-cup, else will we feed him to the fishes.'

So a huge loving-cup was brought; the waterman, grasping it by one of its handles, and with his other hand bearing up the end of an imaginary napkin, presented it in due and ancient form to Canty, who had to grasp the opposite handle with one of his hands and take off the lid with the other, according to ancient custom. This left the prince hand-free for a second, of course. He wasted no time, but dived among the forest of legs about him and disappeared. In another moment he could not have been harder to find, under that tossing sea of life, if its billows had been the Atlantic's and he a lost sixpence.

He very soon realized this fact, and straightway busied himself about his own affairs without further thought of John Canty. He quickly realized another thing, too. To wit, that a spurious Prince of Wales was being feasted by the city in his stead. He easily concluded that the pauper lad, Tom Canty, had deliberately taken advantage of his stupendous opportunity and become a usurper.

Therefore there was but one course to pursue — find his way to the Guildhall, make himself known, and denounce the impostor. He also made up his mind that Tom should be allowed a reasonable time for spiritual preparation, and then be hanged, drawn, and quartered, according to the law and usage of the day, in cases of high treason.

CHAPTER XI (Глава одиннадцатая)

At Guildhall (В Ратуше)

THE royal barge (королевская баржа), attended by its gorgeous fleet (сопровождаемая великолепным флотом), took its stately way (пустилась в свой величественный путь; to take — брать) down the Thames through the wilderness of illuminated boats (вниз по Темзе сквозь джунгли освещенных лодок; wilderness — девственная природа, дебри). The air was laden with music (воздух был нагружен = напоен музыкой); the river-banks were beruffled with joy-flames (берега реки были оживлены факелами; to ruffle — рябить /воду/); the distant city lay in a soft luminous glow from its countless invisible bonfires (далекий город лежал в мягком светящемся отблеске от его бесчисленных невидимых костров; to lie — лежать); above it rose many a slender spire into the sky (над ним поднимались многие тонкие шпили в небо; to rise — подниматься; many a spire (устар.) = many spires), incrusted with sparkling lights (инкрустированные мерцающим светом), wherefore in their remoteness (откуда в своем отдалении; remote — отдаленный) they seemed like jeweled lances thrust aloft (они выглядели, как украшенные драгоценностями копья, торчащие ввысь); as the fleet swept along (пока флотилия проплывала мимо), it was greeted (ее приветствовали) from the banks (с берегов) with a continuous hoarse roar of cheers (продолжительным хриплым ревом = криком приветствий) and the ceaseless flash and boom of artillery (и непрестанным сверканием и громыханием артиллерии).