英国的形成（二）
Great Charter was signed by King John in 1215 under the press of the barons（男爵）. It consists of sixty-three clauses. Its important provisions are as follows:《大宪章》是约翰国王1215年迫于封建贵族的压力而签定的。《大宪章》总共63条，其中最重要的内容是：
(1) no tax should be made without the approval of the Grand Council;未经大议会同意，不得征税；
(2) no freemen should be arrested, imprisoned or deprived of their property; 只有根据国家有关法律才能逮捕、监禁自由人以及剥夺他们的财产；
(3) the Church should possess all its rights, together with freedom of elections; 教会应享受其所有权利且有选举自由；
(4) London and other towns should retain their traditional rights and privileges, and 伦敦和其它城镇应保留其古时的权力和特权；
(5) there should be the same weights and measures throughout the country. 全国要使用统一的重量和长度度量衡。
Although The Great Charter has long been popularly regarded as the foundation of English liberties, it was a statement of the feudal and legal relationships between the Crown and the barons, a guarantee of the freedom of the Church and a limitation of the powers of the king. The spirit of the Great Charter was the limitation of the powers of the king, keeping them within the bounds of the feudal law of the land.尽管人们普遍认为《大宪章》为英国的自由奠定了基础，但该宪章只是规定国王和贵族之间封建关系和法律关系的文件，保证了教会的自由，限制了国王权利。《大宪章》的精神是限制国王权力，使其在英国封建法律允许的范围内活动。
（本文转自沪江网络）