【简译】中世纪英国城堡里的休闲生活

中 世 纪 英 国 城 堡 里 的 休 闲 生 活

Thanks to their favoured position in life and the labour of the peasants on their estates, nobles in an English medieval castle had plenty of leisure hours which could be frittered away by eating, drinking, dancing, playing games like chess, or reading romantic stories of daring-do. Other ways to pass the time and impress one's peers were hunting in the local forest or deer park, falconry, jousting, needlework, composing poetry, playing music, and watching professional acrobats, jugglers, and jesters.

          由于生活中有利的地位与庄园里农民的劳作，中世纪英国城堡里的贵族们有大量的闲暇时间，可以通过吃喝玩乐、跳舞、下棋等游戏，或阅读浪漫的大胆故事来消磨。其他打发时间和打动同行的活动还有：在当地森林或鹿苑狩猎、猎鹰、比武、做针线活、作诗、演奏音乐，以及观看专业的杂技、杂耍和小丑。

狩     猎

Many larger castles would have had their own stables, so horse riding was a possible form of leisure but riding for a purpose was perhaps even more popular. Hunting was the greatest example, and it was not only a leisure pursuit but had the practical rewards of improving horsemanship and dexterity with weapons, as well as livening up the castle dinner menu, too. A professional huntsman and his beaters and dog handlers stalked the animals in the local forest or protected deer park using leashed dogs. When ready a horn was blown to signal the off, and then the nobles - both men and women - rode with a pack of hunting dogs to chase down animals such as deer, boars, wolves, foxes, and hares. The breed of dogs commonly used were the hound (brachet), greyhound (levrier), and bloodhound (lymer). For the more formidable boar, the breed used was the alaunt, which was similar to the modern German shepherd.

          许多规模较大的城堡都有自己的马厩，所以骑马在当时或许是一种休闲娱乐的方式，但为某种目的而骑马可能更受欢迎。狩猎是最典型的例子，它不仅是一种休闲方式，而且有实际的回报，可以提高骑术和使用武器的灵活性，同时也可以使城堡的晚餐菜单更加丰富。专业的猎手会与和他的打手及牵狗人在当地的森林或受保护的鹿园里用牵着的狗跟踪动物。当猎手们准备就绪时，会吹响号角以示出发，然后贵族们——包括男人和女人——骑着马、牵着一群猎狗去追赶鹿、野猪、狼、狐狸和野兔等动物。常用的狗的品种是猎犬（brachet）、灰狗（levrier）和猎血犬（lymer）。对于更可怕的野猪，使用的犬种是Alaunt，它类似于现代的德国牧羊犬。

The whole hunting party included retainers and grooms, and so there was the possibility of a picnic mid-hunt. Once an animal was cornered a noble was given the opportunity to make the kill using a lance or bow and arrow. Even if a lord did not have his own hunting grounds, he could always pay for the privilege elsewhere as many large estate owners offered the right to hunt on their grounds for an appropriate fee. Forests were a hugely valuable resource in medieval times, and they had their own officers and inspectors to make sure they were not damaged by local farmers. Deer parks, ranging anywhere from 400 to 4000 square metres, were enclosed by earthworks, fences, and an encircling ditch. Infringements such as grazing livestock or felling timber on a castle's lands without permission led to prosecution in courts dedicated to forestry matters. Anyone who was caught poaching met with severe punishments such as fines, imprisonment, or even blinding. Finally, a fine hunting park next to one's castle was a powerful social statement in the competitive environment of aristocratic one-upmanship. Size, number of animals, and scenic additions such as ponds, as well as the granting of gift licenses to hunt in them, were all ways for a castle owner to impress friends and visitors alike.

          整个狩猎队包括家臣和马夫，因此有可能在狩猎中进行野餐。一旦动物被围住，贵族就有机会使用长矛或弓箭进行射杀。即使一个领主没有自己的狩猎场，他也可以在其他地方花钱购买这种特权，因为许多大庄园主只要支付适当的费用就可以在他们的场地上狩猎。在中世纪，森林是一种极为宝贵的资源，它们有自己的官员和检查员，以确保不被当地农民破坏。鹿苑的面积从400到4000平方米不等，由土堆、栅栏和环绕的沟渠围起来。未经许可在城堡的土地上放牧或砍伐木材等违法行为，会被专门处理林业问题的法院起诉。任何被抓到偷猎的人都会受到严厉的惩罚，如罚款、监禁，甚至是致盲。最后，在贵族的竞争环境中，在自己的城堡旁边有一个精美的狩猎公园是社会声望的一种展现。规模、动物数量和池塘等风景区的增加，以及授予狩猎许可证，都是城堡主人打动朋友和游客的方式。

猎 鹰 活 动

The use of birds to kill other birds is an ancient practice and, in the medieval period, falconry was especially popular across Europe. Just about any self-respecting lord had his own falcons, and his favourite bird very often shared the lord's bedroom at night and was rarely off his master's wrist during the day. Without firearms, a falcon was the only way to catch birds which flew beyond the range of an archer, although for the medieval nobility, the whole sport had a mystique and mythology about it beyond the expedience of bagging a few fowl for the table. Indeed, women also practised falconry, as can be seen on many seals depicting a noblewoman holding her favourite hawk. Such was the importance of falconry that there were books written on how to excel at it, most famously The Art of Falconry (De Arte Venandi cum Avibus) compiled by the Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II (r. 1220-1250 CE). Popular birds of choice were the gerfalcon, peregrine, goshawk, and sparrowhawk, amongst others. The birds were expensive to train and keep, so the more a lord had in his castle mews, the better he could impress his friends. Both waterfowl and forest birds were targeted, especially cranes and ducks.

          使用鸟类来杀死其他鸟类是一种古老的做法，在中世纪时期，猎鹰在整个欧洲特别流行。几乎所有有自尊心的领主都有自己的猎鹰，而且他们最喜欢的鸟在晚上经常与领主的卧室共用，白天也很少离开主人的手腕。在没有火器的情况下，猎鹰是捕捉弓箭手射程之外的鸟类的唯一方法，尽管对于中世纪的贵族来说，整个运动除了为餐桌捕获几只鸡之外，还有一种神秘感与神话色彩。事实上，妇女也从事猎鹰活动，从许多描绘贵族妇女手持她们最喜爱的鹰的印章上可以看出。猎鹰术如此重要，以至于有人写了关于如何精通它的书，最著名的是神圣罗马帝国皇帝腓特烈二世（公元1220-1250年）编撰的《猎鹰术》（De Arte Venandi cum Avibus）。受欢迎的鸟类有猎鹰、游隼、苍鹰和雀鹰，等等。这些鸟的训练和饲养费用很高，所以一个领主在他的城堡里拥有的鸟越多，他就越能给朋友留下好印象。水禽和森林鸟类都是捕猎目标，特别是鹤和鸭子。

比     赛

Like hunting, tournaments gave knights the chance to hone their skills with horses and weapons in a relatively safe and controlled environment, although there could be injuries and fatalities despite the precautions. The competitions took two formats, either a mêlée, which was a mock cavalry battle where knights had to capture each other for a ransom or the joust where a single rider armed with a lance charged at an opponent who was similarly armed. To minimise the risk of injury, weapons were adapted such as the fitting of a three-pointed head to the lance in order to reduce the impact and swords were blunted (rebated). Such weapons became known as 'arms of courtesy' or à plaisance. The popular Round Table tournaments involved knights dressing up as characters from the legends of King Arthur who then jousted and feasted in costume. Watched by an audience which included the local aristocratic ladies, motivation to perform and display chivalry was high. There were also prizes such as a gold crown, jewels, or a prized hawk so that many knights made a living doing a tour of tournament events across Europe.

          像狩猎一样，比赛让骑士们有机会在一个相对安全和可控的环境中磨练他们的马匹和武器技能，尽管有预防措施，但还是会有受伤和死亡的情况。比赛有两种形式，一种是混战，即模拟骑兵战，骑士们必须抓住对方以获得赎金；另一种是比武，即由一名手持长矛的骑手向拥有同样武器的对手冲锋。为了将受伤的风险降到最低，对武器进行了改造，如在长矛上安装了一个三点式的枪头，以减少冲击力，剑也被钝化了（rebated）。这类武器被称为 "礼节性武器 "或à plaisance。流行的圆桌比赛涉及骑士们装扮成亚瑟王传说中的人物，然后在服装上进行比试和宴请。在包括当地贵族妇女在内的观众的注视下，表演和展示骑士精神的积极性很高。还有一些奖品，如金冠、珠宝或珍贵的鹰，因此许多骑士以在欧洲各地进行巡回赛事为生。

Even if a local tournament was not perhaps a regular event, one could at least practice for them. A common device to hone one's lancing skills was the quintain - a rotating arm with a shield at one end and a weight at the other. A knight had to hit the shield and keep riding on to avoid being hit in the back by the weight as it swung around. Another device was a suspended ring which the knight had to catch and remove with the tip of his lance.

          比赛不可能是定期举行的，但至少可以为其进行练习。磨练长矛技巧的一个常见装置是quintain——一个一端有盾牌、另一端有重物的旋转臂。骑士必须击中盾牌并继续骑行，以避免被旋转中的重物击中背部。另一个装置是一个悬挂的环，骑士必须用他的长矛尖抓住并取下。

文 学 作 品

As part of the code of medieval chivalry, gentlemen were expected not only to be familiar with poetry but also capable of composing and performing it. Books, really sheaves of illuminated manuscripts, were available on all manner of subjects besides poetry, though. There were handbooks for self-improvement such as good etiquette at table and chivalry in general, none more famous than the c. 1265 CE Book of the Order of Chivalry by Raymond Lull of Majorca. There were treatises on such quintessential aristocratic pursuits as hunting and falconry, as mentioned above.

           作为中世纪骑士精神的一部分，绅士们不仅要熟悉诗歌，还要有能力创作和表演诗歌。不过，除了诗歌之外，还有各种形式的书籍，实际上是成堆的手稿。有一些针对自我完善的手册，如餐桌上的良好礼仪和一般的骑士精神，其中最有名的莫过于马约卡岛的雷蒙德·卢尔（Raymond Lull，又译为拉蒙·柳利）在公元1265年写的《骑士精神》。如上所述，还有关于狩猎和猎鹰等典型的贵族追求的论述。

Then there were the stories which had survived from antiquity such as the Trojan War or adventures of Alexander the Great where characters and events were given a distinctly knightly, chivalric slant appropriate to the medieval mind. Perhaps the first work of this genre was Benoit de Saint-Maure's The Romance of Troy (c. 1160 CE). The legend of King Arthur was further popularised by such authors as the 12th-century CE Englishman Geoffrey of Monmouth and Frenchman Chrétien de Troyes. The tale of Saint George's tussle with a dragon was popularised by the c. 1260 CE The Golden Legend by Jacobus de Voragine. There even sprang up romances and romanticised biographies of famous medieval knights like Richard I of England (r. 1189-1199 CE) and Sir William Marshal (c. 1146-1219 CE).

          还有一些从古代流传下来的故事，如特洛伊战争或亚历山大大帝的冒险，其中的人物和事件被赋予了明显的骑士精神，适合中世纪的思想。也许这种类型的第一部作品是伯努瓦·德·圣莫尔的《特洛伊的浪漫》（约公元1160年）。亚瑟王的传说被公元12世纪的英国人Geoffrey of Monmouth（蒙茅斯的杰弗里）和法国人Chrétien de Troyes（克雷蒂安·德·特鲁瓦）等作者进一步推广。圣乔治与龙搏斗的故事被公元1260年左右的Jacobus de Voragine（雅各布·德·佛拉金）的《黄金传说》推广。甚至还出现了中世纪著名骑士的浪漫故事和浪漫传记，如英格兰的理查德一世（R. 1189-1199 CE）和威廉·马歇尔爵士（约1146-1219 CE）。

Although aristocratic women might do a little embroidery and spinning to fill the hours, they had often been educated and so could read, write, and perform poetry. Castle architecture reflected these leisure pursuits by incorporating into their inner-facing walls windows with their own seats in order to provide a place with good lighting. Noble ladies might also be sponsors of poets, some forming celebrated literary circles.

          虽然贵族妇女可能会做一点刺绣和纺纱来打发时间，但她们往往受过教育，因此可以阅读、写作和表演诗歌。城堡建筑反映了这些休闲的追求，在其面向内墙的窗户中加入了自己的座位，以提供一个有良好照明的场所。贵族夫人也可能是诗人的赞助人，还形成了著名的文学圈（学术沙龙）。

棋 盘 游 戏 和 庭 院 游 戏

If the weather was not conducive to a game of bowls on the castle lawn, then indoor games might be the order of the day. Backgammon, dice, and chess were all popular games in the medieval period with both men and women. These games might involve a bit of betting to make them more interesting. Gambling does not seem to have suffered from any negative reputation, and even clergymen are recorded as indulging in it. Chess, introduced to Europe from India via Arabia c. 1000 CE, was known as 'the royal game' because of its huge popularity. There were two varieties - one very similar to the modern game and another, simplified version which involved dice. Knights even played chess when on campaign to while away the more tedious moments of long sieges, as depicted in medieval manuscript illustrations.

          如果天气不利于在城堡的草坪上进行球类游戏，那么室内游戏可能是一天中最重要的事情。西洋双陆棋、骰子和国际象棋都是中世纪时期男女都喜欢的游戏。这些游戏可能会涉及一些赌博，以使其更加有趣。赌博似乎并没有受到任何负面的影响，甚至神职人员也有沉迷于此的记录。国际象棋在公元1000年左右从印度经阿拉伯传入欧洲，因其大受欢迎而被称为 "皇家游戏"。有两个版本——一个与现代游戏非常相似，另一个是涉及骰子的简化版本。骑士们甚至在战争中也玩国际象棋，以消磨长期围困的乏味时光，这在中世纪的手稿插图中有所描述。

Parlour games included hot cockles, where one person must kneel while blindfolded and guess the identity of the person striking him. Another game was hoodman blind where one person must catch another member of the group but have his head covered by a hood.

          庭院游戏包括 " hot cockles "，即一个人必须蒙着眼睛跪在地上，猜出打他的人的身份。另一个游戏是 "蒙眼人"，一个人必须抓住另一个成员，但他的头要用头巾遮住。

Children had toys to play with when they were not studying under the local chaplain or one of his clerks. These included dolls, balls, spinning tops, and toy weapons such as bows and arrows. Archery, in particular, was a popular pastime for aristocratic boys. One can also imagine that wooden swords were used as playthings to ready a boy for his later fencing classes, a popular sport with aristocratic men.

          当孩子们不在当地牧师或家里所雇的办事员手下学习时，他们有玩具可以玩。这些玩具包括娃娃、球、陀螺和玩具武器，如弓和箭。尤其是射箭，这是贵族男孩的一种流行的消遣方式。我们还可以想象，木剑被用作玩物，为男孩以后的击剑课程做准备，这是一项受贵族男子欢迎的运动。

音 乐 、舞 蹈 与 节 庆 活 动

Eating was, of course, often an entertainment in itself, and in a castle, the main meal was an early lunch which might run to ten courses. After the meal, guests might dance, one type being the carole, where everyone held hands, danced in a circle, and sang. Guests were often amused by professional entertainers such as jugglers, and harpists, especially during a dinner. Troubadours (aka trouvères, travelling artists) and minstrels (in the employ of a castle) were particularly popular as they sang and played the lute, recorder, shawm (an early version of the oboe), vielle (an early violin), and percussion instruments such as drums and bells. They performed chanson de gestes and chansons d'amour, epic poems in Old French which told familiar stories of knightly daring deeds and impossible romances respectively. Other types of songs included laments, spinning songs, and political satires (sirventes). As noted above, many gentlemen took a turn at singing a song or performing a poem to music at a castle dinner party. A jester (ioculator) might tell jokes while making amusing sound effects with a bladder-slapstick or actors (ystriones) might perform serious dramatic scenes.

          当然，吃饭本身就是一种乐趣，在城堡里，正餐是午餐，可能有十道菜。饭后，客人们可能会跳舞，其中一种舞蹈是卡洛尔舞，每个人都手拉手，围成一圈，边跳舞边唱歌。客人们经常被专业的艺人，如杂耍者和竖琴家所逗乐，特别是在晚餐期间。游吟诗人（又称trouvères，旅行艺术家）和吟游诗人（受雇于城堡）特别受欢迎，他们边唱边演奏琵琶、木笛、shawm（早期的双簧管）、vielle（早期的小提琴），以及鼓和钟等打击乐器。他们表演的是 "勇气之歌"（chanson de gestes）和 "爱情之歌"（chansons d'amour），这是用古法语写的史诗，分别讲述人们熟悉的骑士的勇敢行为和虚幻的浪漫故事。其他类型的歌曲包括哀歌、纺纱歌和政治讽刺诗（sirventes）。如上所述，许多绅士在城堡的晚宴上轮流唱歌或表演诗歌的音乐。一个小丑（ioculator）可能一边讲笑话，一边用膀胱拍击棒制造有趣的声音效果，或者演员（ystriones）可能表演严肃的戏剧场景。

Naturally, holidays and festivals offered the opportunity for even more lavish meals and festivities. Then, as now, there were many Christian festivals and feasts but Christmas was the highlight of the year. With a 14-day holiday from Christmas Eve to Twelfth Day (6th January) the norm, the castle was decorated with holly, ivy, and bay. A huge Yule log was put in the Great Hall's fireplace and kept alight for the duration of the holiday. Knights in service of the local lord were given fine robes or even jewels as gifts. At this time of year, groups of pantomime artists known as mummers wore masks and went around houses performing and playing dice, receiving food and drink from their hosts in return.

          诚然，假日和节日为贵族们提供了更多娱乐的机会，让人们可以吃到更多的奢华美食和庆祝活动。当时和现在一样，有许多基督教节日和盛宴，但圣诞节是一年中的重要节日。从平安夜到第十二天（1月6日）的14天假期是常态，城堡被用冬青、常春藤和海湾装饰起来。大厅的壁炉里放着一根巨大的圣诞圆木，并在假期期间保持燃烧。为当地领主服务的骑士会得到精美的长袍，甚至还有珠宝。在每年的这个时候，一群被称为杂耍演员的人戴着面具，到各家各户表演和玩骰子，从主人那里得到食物和饮料作为回报。

Even the castle's staff and farmers had reason to celebrate, receiving their Christmas bonus in the form of food, drink, clothing, and firewood. The local tenants might also receive a Christmas dinner in the castle, albeit using food they had themselves provided for the occasion (they even brought their own dishes, napkins, and firewood). They could take away any leftovers and there was a game known simply as the “ancient Christmas game” where the lucky finder of a bean buried in one of the bread loaves could act as the king of the feast.

          即使是城堡的工作人员和农民也有理由庆祝，他们会收到食物、饮料、衣服和柴火等形式的圣诞奖金。当地的租户也可能在城堡里收到一顿圣诞大餐，尽管使用的是他们自己提供的食物（他们甚至带来了自己的餐具、餐巾和木柴）。他们可以带走任何剩余的食物，还有一个简单的游戏被称为 "古代圣诞游戏"，在这个游戏中，发现埋在一个面包中的豆子的幸运者可以充当宴会的国王。

参考书目：

Cantor, L.M. and J. Hatherly
. "The Medieval Parks of England." Geography, Vol. 64, No. 2 (April 1979), pp. 71-85.

Coss, P. Heraldry, Pageantry and Social Display in Medieval England. Boydell Press, 2018.

Creighton, O.H. Castles and Landscapes. Equinox Publishing, 2004.

Gies, J. Life in a Medieval Castle. Harper Perennial, 2015.

Phillips, C. The Complete Illustrated History of Knights & The Golden Age of Chivalry. Southwater, 2017.

Phillips, C. The Medieval Castle Manual. Haynes Publishing UK, 2018.

Pound, N.J.G. The Medieval Castle in England and Wales. Cambridge University Press; Reprint edition (1993-11-26), 2018.

作者：Mark Cartwright

          驻意大利的历史作家。他的主要兴趣包括陶瓷、建筑、世界神话和发现所有文明的共同思想。他拥有政治哲学硕士学位，是《世界历史百科全书》的出版总监。

原文网址：

https://www.worldhistory.org/article/1232/leisure-in-an-english-medieval-castle/