词汇：
1. Apostolic 罗马教皇的，使徒的
2. in succession to 继承，接班
3. Martin Luther 马丁•路德 1483——1546德国宗教改革家
4. teachings 教义
5. renounce 抛弃，摈弃，否认
6. papacy 罗马教皇职位/制度，这里指罗马教皇
7. cling to 坚持
8. damnation 诅咒，永远的处罚
9. bloodsucker 吸血鬼
10. depot 仓库，补给站
11. gorgeous 华丽的，灿烂的，辉煌的
12. spice 香料
13. enterprise 事业，业绩，功勋
难句译注：
1. Thus Europe was divided in every which way, the southern and eastern two-thirds still Catholic, the northern and western one-third what was coming to be called Protestant, though English-ruled Ireland solidly Catholic and the Spanish-ruled Netherlands, particularly the northern part approximating to modern Holland, grew increasingly Protestant; while in virtually every country, whether officially Catholic or Protestant, those of the contrary faith fiercely attempted to convert their neighbors and equally fiercely resisted their neighbor’s attempts to convert them.
[结构简析] every which way. 四面八方，散乱。这里指四分五裂。EX : Railroads cross the country in every which way. 铁路四通八达，纵横全国。
[参考译文] 就这样欧洲四分五裂：东南部2/3仍然是天主教，西北部1/3是后来被称为的基督教，虽然英国统治的爱尔兰是稳固的天主教，而西班牙统治的荷兰，特别是靠近现代荷兰的北部地区越来越变成基督教。事实上，在每个国家，不论官方声称是天主教还是基督教，相反信仰的人都拼命想把他的邻居变过来，也同样强烈的抵制他们的邻居企图把他们变过去。
2. Each party believed that it had hold of the truth, the only truth that mattered, the one that led to eternal salvation, and its adversaries clung to falsehood which must necessarily head to eternal damnation: not only for themselves but for all who should permit them to survive and infect others with their errors.
[结构简析] believed 有两个宾语从句，用and连接。第一个宾语从句that it had hold of the truth中，the only… the one…都说明truth,是它的同位语。And 后的宾语从句省略了连词that，句中有定语从句which must 修饰falsehood，后面的who定从修饰all.
[参考译文] 每一派都认为他掌握了真理，唯一的至关重要的这里，通向永恒获救解脱，而它的对手（敌人）死抓住错误不放，这必然导致永恒的诅咒；不仅诅咒他们自己，还诅咒那些让他们生存下去，让他们错误感染别人的人。
3. Just as Elizabeth was to ardent Catholics that Jezebel, so to earnest Protestants the Pope was “that wolfish bloodsucker,” and their Catholic fellow-creatures mad dogs, toads and other such vermin to be cleansed off the face of the earth.
[结构简析] 注意just as…so …句型，so 后是部分倒装。To cleanse off消减，清除出。Jezebel耶西别古代以色列国王亚哈的妻子，残忍淫荡。后指无耻放荡的女人，胭脂虎。这里指英国女王伊丽莎白。
[参考译文] 就像伊丽莎白女王对狂热的天主教徒来讲那是个耶西别；对基督教徒来说罗马教皇是那个残忍的吸血鬼。天主教徒是疯狗，蛤蟆，其他种种恶魔，应从地球表面上清除出去。
写作方法与文章大意：
这是一篇论述“宗教改革后的欧洲形势”的文章。（16世纪欧洲的情况）。作者从三方面论及其分裂的原由，欧洲在宗教改革后的信仰分裂，造成新旧教势不两立的局面，地理位置和金钱两个因素加剧了分裂的局面。