Ince had a big Newfundland dg， and he wasnef the best friends a by ever had. I dn"t knw wh it was that named him； he was named befre I gt him； but whever it was must either have been ignrantf histryr a bad chserf names. He was called Ner， and even a dg wuld have hated such a name， had he knwn whse itnce was.
Every gd stry usually has a villain t make it interesting. The stryf Rme has plentyf villains， butnef the wrst was Ner. He was a Rman emperr wh lived nt lng after Christ， and he is cnsiderednef the cruelest and wickedest rulers that ever lived.
He killed his mther. He killed his wife. He killed his teacher， wh was named Seneca. Seneca was a very gd teacher， t.
We think that Nerrdered bth Peter and Paul put t death， fr they were executed at the timef Ner"s rule.
Ner seemed t take great pleasure in makingthers suffer. He lved t see men trn t pieces by wild beasts； it amused him greatly. I have seen bys wh liked t thrw stnes at dgs just t hear them yelp，r tear the wingsff butterflies. Such bys must have sme Ner in them； dn"t yu think？
If a man was a Christian， that gave Ner an excuse t trture him hrribly. Ner had smef the Christians wrapped in tar and pitch， then placed arund the gardenf his palace and set fire t， as if they were trches. It is even said that Ner set Rmen fire just fr the funf seeing the city burn. Then he sat in a twer and， while he watched the blaze spreading playedn a stringed instrument. The saying is that "Ner fiddled while Rme burned." The fire burned day and night fr a whle week and destryed mre than half the city. Ner then laid the blamen the Christians， wh， he said， started the fire. Did yu ever blame smene else fr smething yu had dne？
Sme think Ner really was crazy， and we hpe he was， fr it is hard t think any human being wh was nt crazy culd act as he did.
Ner built himself an immense palace andverlaid it extravagantly with gld and mther-f-pearl. It was knwn as Ner"s Husef Gld. At its frnt dr he put up a clssal statuef himself in brnze fifty feet high. Bth the Husef Gld and the statue were later destryed， but the Clsseum， which was built a few years afterward， was named Clsseum frm this clss-al statuef Ner that wasnce there.
Ner was very cnceited. He thught he culd write petry and sing beautifully. Althugh he did bth very badly， he liked t shwff， and nne dared t laugh at him. Had anyne been s bld as t make funf himr even t smile， he wuld have had that persn put t death instantly.
Even Rman peple wh were nt Christians feared and hated Ner. The military rebelled against him. Befre they had a chance t d anything， Ner heard what they were planning， and inrder t save himself the disgracef being put t death by hiswn peple he decided t kill himself. He was such a cward， hwever， that he culdn"t quite bring himself t plunge the swrd int his breast. Finally， his slave， impatient t finish the jb， shved the blade in. Thus was Rme ridfnef its wrst rulers.
S much fr the first partf this bld and thunder stry. Here is the secnd part：
The Jews in Jerusalem didn"t like t have Rme rulever them. They never had. Like the Christians， the Jews culd nt wrship the emperr as a gd. But they were afraid t d much abut it. In the Year 70 A.D. they rebelled； that is， they said they wuld n lngerbey Rmer pay mney t the gvernment. The emperr sent his sn， wh was named Titus， with an army t put an end t the rebellin， t punish them as if they were disbedient children.
The Jews crwded int their cityf Jerusalem t make a last stand against the Rmans. But Titus destryed that city cmpletely and the Jews in it， a millinf them， it is suppsed. Then he rbbed the great templef all its valuablernaments and brught them back t Rme. The great temple was then destryed.
T celebrate this victryver Jerusalem an arch was built in the Frum at Rme， and thrugh this arch Titus and his army marched in triumph.n this arch was carved a prcessin， shwing Titus leaving the cityf Jerusalem with the templernaments. Chief amng thesernaments was a glden seven- branched candlestick he had taken frm the temple. Tday we see many cpies in brassf this famus seven-branched candlestick. It is called a menrah， which is the Hebrew wrd fr candlestick.
The city was rebuilt later， but mstf the Jews wh survived have ever since been living in manyther cuntriesf the wrld. When peple leave their hmeland and spread， it is called a diaspra.
The third partf this stry is the thunder.
In Italy there is a vlcan named Vesuvius. Yu remember that vlcan camefrm the name Vulcan， the blacksmith gd， and peple imagined that his frge in the heartf a vlcan made the smke and flame and ashes. Frm time t time this vlcan， Vesuvius， thunders and quakes and sputs frth fire and thrws up stnes and gas and bilsver with red-ht melted rck called lava. It is the ht insidef the earth explding. Yet peple build huses and twns nearby and live evenn the sidesf the vlcan. Everynce in a while their hmes are destryed when the vlcan quakesr purs frth fire. Yet the same peple g right back and build again in the same place！
Vesuvius erupting， Pmpeii in fregrund
维苏威火山爆发，火山脚下的庞贝城
There was at the timef Titus a little twn named Pmpeii near the basef Vesuvius. Wealthy Rmans used t g there t spend the summer. Suddenly，ne day in the year 79 A.D.， just after Titus had becme emperr， Vesuvius began t sput frth fire. The peple living in Pmpeii rushed fr their lives， but they didn"t have time t get away. They were smthered with the gases frm the vlcan befre they had time t mve and， falling dwn dead， were buried deep in a biling rainf fire and ashes， just where they happened t be when the eruptin， as it is called， tk place.
The peple and their huses lay buried beneath the ashes fr nearly tw thusand years， and in the cursef time everyne had frgtten there ever had been such a place. Peple came back as they had befre and built husesver the spt where everyne had frgtten therence was a city. Thenne day a man was digging a wellver the spt where Pmpeii hadnce been. He dug up a man"s hand-n， nt a real hand， but the handf a statue. He tldthers， and they set t wrk and dug and dug t see what else they culd find until the whle twn was dugut. And nwne can g t Pmpeii and see it very much as it was in 79 A.D. befre it was destryed.
There are husesf the Rmans wh went there t spend their vacatins. There are shps and temples and palaces and public baths and the theater and the market placer frum. The streets were paved with blcksf lava，nce melted stne. They still shw ruts which were wrn int them by the wheelsfthe charits that the Rmans used t drive. Stepping stnes were placed at sme crssings， s that in casef heavy rains， when the streets were fullf water，ne culd crssn them frm curb t curb. These stepping stnes are still there. The flrsf the huses were madef bitsf clred stne t frm pictures. These are called msaics. They are still there. In the vestibulefne huse， there is in the flr a msaic picturef a dg. Under it are the Latin wrds， Cave canem. What des that mean？ Can yu guess？ It means， Lkut fr the dg！
The bnesf the peple wh were caught and buried alive in the ashes were als fund. There were als fund brnzernaments wrn by the wmen， vases that decrated the hme， pts and pans and dishes， and lamps which they used t light the huses. Beds and chairs were fund just as they had been buried. Still mre remarkable， cakes were fundn the table， a laff bread half eaten， meat ready t be cked， a kettlen the fire with the ashes still underneath it- beans and peas andne egg unbrken-prbably theldest egg in the wrld！
【中文阅读】
我曾养过一条大纽芬兰犬，它是我孩提时最好的朋友之一。我不知道是哪个家 伙给它起的名字；在我拥有它之前，它已经有名字了；但是，不管给它起名的人是谁， 这个人肯定不是对历史很无知，就是特别不会起名字。这条纽芬兰犬叫尼禄，即使 是只狗，如果它知道这曾是谁的名字，恐怕也会讨厌这样一个名字的。
每个好听的故事里通常都有一个坏蛋，这样故事才有趣。罗马的故事里面有很 多坏人，但其中最坏的一个就是尼禄。他是罗马的皇帝，生活在耶稣诞生后不久的 年代，他被认为是从古至今最残忍、最邪恶的统治者之一。
他杀了自己的母亲，杀了自己的妻子，还杀死了自己的老师，这位老师名叫塞 内加。塞内加也是一位非常好的老师。
我们认为就是尼禄下令将彼得和保罗处死的，因为他们都是在尼禄统治的时期 被处死的。
让人吃苦受难尼禄好像就特别开心。他喜欢看人被野兽撕成碎片，这逗得他哈 哈大笑。我见过一些男孩子，喜欢朝狗扔石头，就为了听它们兴声急叫，要不然就 是扯掉蝴蝶的翅膀。这样的男孩一定有点尼禄那样的性格，你不觉得吗？
如果有人是基督徒，那正好让尼禄有理由来狠狠折磨他了。尼禄让人在一些 基督徒身上淋满焦油和沥青，然后放在宫殿花园的四周，再点上火，这些人好像火 炬一样烧起来。甚至有人说，尼禄放火烧罗马城，只是为了看见罗马城烧起来觉得 好玩。当时，他坐在一座塔楼上，一边看着火势蔓延，一边弹琴。这就是谚语说的 "罗马失火，尼禄奏乐"。大火连续烧了七昼夜，毁掉了大半个城市。之后，尼禄把 罪责嫁祸给基督徒，说是他们纵的火。你是否曾把自己犯的错误归咎于别人呢？
有些人认为尼禄实际上是个疯子，我们倒希望他真是疯子，因为很难想象任何 正常人会像他那样恣意妄为。
尼禄为自己建造了巨大的宫殿，整个宫殿用黄金和珍珠母铺砌而成，极尽奢华。 这就是闻名于世的尼禄的"金宫"。在金宫正门口，尼禄竖立了一座巨大的、他本人 的青铜雕像，高达 50 英尺。金宫和雕像后来都被毁掉了，但是几年后，在原址建造 了一座大斗兽场，它之所以取名"大"斗兽场，就是因为曾竖立在那里的尼禄雕像 是巨"大"的。
尼禄十分自负，认为自己作的诗和唱的歌都美妙动人。其实尽管他两样都很糟 糕，但是他却喜欢向人炫耀，没人敢笑话他。如果有人胆敢取笑他，甚至只是笑一 笑，他都会立刻让这个人受死。
就连不是基督徒的罗马人都对他又怕又恨。军队开始反叛他。人们还没来得及 动手，尼禄就得知了他们正在策划推翻他，为了免受被自己人民处死的耻辱，他决 定自杀。然而，他却是个懦夫，怎么也鼓不起勇气把剑刺进自己的胸膛。最后，他 的奴隶急于了结此事，就把剑刃猛推进他的身体。罗马人就这样除掉了他们最糟的 一个统治者。
这就是我要讲的"血和雷"的故事的第一部分，接下来是第二部分： 耶路撒冷的犹太人不愿让罗马统治自己。他们对罗马人从来都没有甘心俯首过。
犹太人和基督徒一样，不可能把皇帝当做神崇拜。但是，他们又不敢贸然行动。公 元 70 年，他们终于造反了；也就是说，他们宣布不再服从罗马的命令，也不再向罗 马政府进贡。当时的罗马皇帝派他的儿子提图斯率大军去镇压叛乱，就好像去惩罚 一群不听话的孩子。
犹太人涌入他们的耶路撒冷城作最后的抵抗。但是，提图斯彻底摧毁了这座城 市，屠杀了城里的犹太人，据说人数有一百万。然后，提图斯把宏伟的圣殿洗劫一 空，把里面所有值钱的装饰品都带回了罗马。之后，这座伟大的圣殿被夷为平地。
为了庆祝攻克耶路撒冷的胜利，罗马人在广场上建起了一道凯旋门，提图斯和 他的军队在胜利的欢呼声中穿过凯旋门。在这座凯旋门上刻有一列队伍，表现的正 是提图斯带着圣殿的装饰品正在离开耶路撒冷的情景。在这些装饰品中，最重要的 就是他从圣殿拿走的黄金制成的七枝大灯台。现在，我们可以看到这个闻名的七枝 金灯台的许多复制品，不过是用黄铜做的。它有个希伯来语名字叫"米诺拉"， 意思 是"灯台"。
耶路撒冷城后来又重建了，但是大多数幸存下来的犹太人从此之后就一直散居 在世界其他许多国家。一个民族离开祖国、向外迁移的这种情况叫做"大流散"。
故事的第三部分是"雷"。 在意大利，有座火山叫维苏威火山。还记得吧？"火山"（vlcan）一词来源于火神伍尔坎（Vulcan）的名字，伍尔坎也是锻冶之神，人们想象他的锻炉就在火山 的中心，是这个锻炉产生了火山的烟尘、火焰和灰烬。这座维苏威火山不时地发出 轰鸣声，并剧烈地震动，还喷发出火焰，把石头和气体喷向空中，火山口还漫溢出 炽热的、熔化的岩浆，叫熔岩。这是地球内部热量的爆发。可是，人们仍然在火山的附近建造房屋和城镇，甚至就住在火山坡上。每隔一段时间，火山就会震动喷出 火焰，他们的家园就会被毁掉。但是过后，这些人又会回去，仍然在原来的地方盖 房子！
在提图斯的时代，在维苏威火山的山脚附近，有个小城镇叫庞贝。罗马的富人 们夏天常去那里避暑。公元 79 年的一天，提图斯刚刚成为皇帝后不久，维苏威火山 忽然爆发了。庞贝城的人们为逃命而狂奔，但是已经来不及逃离，火山爆发喷出的 气体就使他们窒息了，他们倒地而死，被深埋在从天而降的大量的滚烫的火山灰里， 也就正好留在了火山爆发时他们所在的位置。
这些人和他们的房子被埋在火山灰下面将近两千年，经过这么漫长的岁月，人 们终于忘记了世界上还有过这样一个地方。人们又像从前一样回到这里，在人们早 已忘记这里曾经有一座城市的地方建起了房屋。后来有一天，一个人在庞贝城曾经 所在的地方挖井。他挖到了一只人手--不，不是一只真正的手，而是一只雕像的 手。他告诉了其他人，他们开始不停地挖啊，挖啊，看看还能挖到其他什么东西， 直到整个庞贝城都被挖了出来。现在，人们可以去庞贝遗址参观，现在看到的庞贝 城几乎就和公元 79 年时它还没有被毁掉的时候一样。
遗址里有去庞贝度假的罗马人修建的房子，有店铺、神庙、宫殿、公共浴室、剧院、市场和广场。街道都是用火山岩石块铺成的，这些火山岩曾经是熔化的岩 浆，石块上还可以看到辙迹，那是罗马人经常驾的二轮马车的轮子长期碾磨留下 的。有一些十字路口放着踏脚石，这样下大雨的时候，如果街上满是积水，人们也 能踩着这些踏脚石穿过街道。这些踏脚石现在还在原地。房屋的地面都是用一小块 一小块彩色的石头拼起来的，形成了各种图案。这种图案叫"马赛克"，现在也还留 在原地。在一家房子门厅的地板上，有一幅一只狗的马赛克图案。这只狗下面还有 一句拉丁文，"Cave canem"。这是什么意思？你能猜到吗？它的意思是，"当心这只 狗！"那些困在城里而被活埋在火山灰里的人的遗骨也被发现了，还发现了女人戴的 青铜饰物，装饰房间的花瓶、罐子、锅和碗盘，以及他们用于房间照明的灯具。床 和椅子也被发现，还是被埋之前的样子。更令人叫绝的是，桌子上还发现有几块蛋 糕、一块吃了一半的面包、准备做菜的肉，还有放在炉上的水壶，下面有炉灰-- 以及蚕豆、豌豆和一个完好无损的鸡蛋--也许是世界上最古老的鸡蛋了！
