legion ['li:dZ(@)n] evicted [I'vIktId] halted ['hO:ltId] savage ['s&vIdZ] siege [si:dZ]

Wallingford, six miles above Streatley, is a very ancient town, and has been an active centre for the making of English history. It was a rude, mud-built town in the time of the Britons, who squatted there, until the Roman legions evicted them; and replaced their clay-baked walls by mighty fortifications, the trace of which Time has not yet succeeded in sweeping away, so well those old-world masons knew how to build.

But Time, though he halted at Roman walls, soon crumbled Romans to dust; and on the ground, in later years, fought savage Saxons and huge Danes, until the Normans came.

It was a walled and fortified town up to the time of the Parliamentary War, when it suffered a long and bitter siege from Fairfax. It fell at last, and then the walls were razed.

From Wallingford up to Dorchester the neighbourhood of the river grows more hilly, varied, and picturesque (от Уоллингфорда до Дорчестера окрестности реки становятся более холмистыми, разнообразными и живописными). Dorchester stands half a mile from the river (Дорчестер стоит в полумиле от реки). It can be reached by paddling up the Thames, if you have a small boat (до него можно добраться, поднявшись по Темзе, если у вас маленькая лодка; to paddle — грести байдарочным веслом; плыть на байдарке); but the best way is to leave the river at Day's Lock, and take a walk across the fields (но лучше всего — оставить реку = сойти у шлюза Дэй и прогуляться через поля). Dorchester is a delightfully peaceful old place, nestling in stillness and silence and drowsiness (Дорчестер — чарующе тихое старинное местечко, приютившееся среди спокойствия, тишины и дремоты).

Dorchester, like Wallingford, was a city in ancient British times (Дорчестер, как и Уоллингфорд, был городом во времена античной Британии); it was then called Caer Doren, "the city on the water (его тогда называли Каер Дорен, «город на воде»)." In more recent times the Romans formed a great camp here (позднее римляне создали здесь большой лагерь; recent — недавний, последний; новый, свежий), the fortifications surrounding which now seem like low, even hills (укрепления, окружавшие его, теперь кажутся низкими, ровными холмами). In Saxon days it was the capital of Wessex (во времена саксов он был столицей Уэссекса). It is very old, and it was very strong and great once (он очень древний, а некогда был очень сильным и большим). Now it sits aside from the stirring world, and nods and dreams (теперь он стоит в стороне от шумного мира, дремлет и видит сны; stirring — деятельный, активный, энергичный; to nod — кивать; дремать, клевать носом).

nestling ['neslIN] drowsiness ['drauzInIs] capital ['k&pItl]

From Wallingford up to Dorchester the neighbourhood of the river grows more hilly, varied, and picturesque. Dorchester stands half a mile from the river. It can be reached by paddling up the Thames, if you have a small boat; but the best way is to leave the river at Day's Lock, and take a walk across the fields. Dorchester is a delightfully peaceful old place, nestling in stillness and silence and drowsiness.

Dorchester, like Wallingford, was a city in ancient British times; it was then called Caer Doren, "the city on the water." In more recent times the Romans formed a great camp here, the fortifications surrounding which now seem like low, even hills. In Saxon days it was the capital of Wessex. It is very old, and it was very strong and great once. Now it sits aside from the stirring world, and nods and dreams.

Round Clifton Hampden, itself a wonderfully pretty village (в окрестностях Клифтон-Хамдена, чудесной милой деревушки), old-fashioned, peaceful, and dainty with flowers (старомодной, тихой, с изящными цветниками; dainty — изысканный, изящный), the river scenery is rich and beautiful (вид реки красочен и прекрасен; rich — богатый, роскошный; обильный, пышный). If you stay the night on land at Clifton, you cannot do better than put up at the "Barley Mow (если вы /собираетесь/ провести ночь на суше в Клифтоне, вам лучше всего остановиться в «Ячменном стоге»)." It is, without exception, I should say, the quaintest, most old-world inn up the river (это, без исключения, полагаю, самая необычная, самая старинная гостиница на реке). It stands on the right of the bridge, quite away from the village (она стоит справа от моста, довольно далеко от деревни). Its low-pitched gables and thatched roof and latticed windows give it quite a story-book appearance (пологие фронтоны, соломенная крыша и решетчатые окна придают ей весьма сказочный вид; low-pitched — пологий; с низким потолком; story-book — сборник рассказов, сказок), while inside it is even still more once-upon-a-timeyfied (а внутри выглядит еще более старинной; once upon a time — когда-то, давным-давно, однажды /сказочный зачин/).

It would not be a good place for the heroine of a modern novel to stay at (это не было бы подходящим местом, чтобы в нем остановилась героиня современного романа). The heroine of a modern novel is always "divinely tall (она всегда «изумительно высока»; divinely — божественно, изумительно, превосходно)," and she is ever "drawing herself up to her full height (и постоянно «выпрямляется во весь рост»)." At the "Barley Mow" she would bump her head against the ceiling each time she did this (в «Ячменном стоге» она бы ударялась головой о потолок каждый раз при этом).

heroine ['her@uIn] height [haIt] ceiling ['si:lIN]

Round Clifton Hampden, itself a wonderfully pretty village, old-fashioned, peaceful, and dainty with flowers, the river scenery is rich and beautiful. If you stay the night on land at Clifton, you cannot do better than put up at the "Barley Mow." It is, without exception, I should say, the quaintest, most old-world inn up the river. It stands on the right of the bridge, quite away from the village. Its low-pitched gables and thatched roof and latticed windows give it quite a story-book appearance, while inside it is even still more once-upon-a-timeyfied.

It would not be a good place for the heroine of a modern novel to stay at. The heroine of a modern novel is always "divinely tall," and she is ever "drawing herself up to her full height." At the "Barley Mow" she would bump her head against the ceiling each time she did this.

It would also be a bad house for a drunken man to put up at (эта /гостиница/ также была бы плохим домом = не подошла бы для пьяного; to put up at — останавливаться /в гостинице/). There are too many surprises in the way of unexpected steps down into this room and up into that (там слишком много сюрпризов в виде неожиданных ступеней вниз в эту комнату и вверх в ту = по которым приходится то спускаться, то подниматься); and as for getting upstairs to his bedroom, or ever finding his bed when he got up (а что касается того, чтобы подняться в свою спальню или найти кровать, поднявшись), either operation would be an utter impossibility to him (и то и другое действие было бы совершенно невозможным: «крайней невозможностью» для него).