最近读英国史，发现西方人写的历史和中国人写的历史非常不同。就拿处死罪犯来说吧，西方人喜欢不厌其烦地描写处刑的整个过程、罪犯的心理、观众的反应，像写小说一样，极富戏剧性。而中国很简单，往往几个字便了事。
英国史中最富戏剧性的两个处刑，一个是简·格雷，一个是蒙茅斯公爵。具体的描述摘录如下：
1、简·格雷之死，摘自Hume, The History of England Vol 3.420-421
这个女孩子的死还被画成了经典油画：The Execution of Lady Jane Grey by Paul Delaroche
The lady Jane had presence of mind, in those melancholy circumstances, not only to defend her religion by all the topics then in use, but also to write a letter to her sister,z in the Greek language; in which, besides sending her a copy of the Scriptures in that tongue, she exhorted her to maintain in every fortune, a like steady perseverance. On the day of her execution, her husband, lord Guilford, desired permission to see her; but she refused her consent, and informed him by a message, that the tenderness of their parting would overcome the fortitude of both, and would too much unbend their minds from that constancy, which their approaching end required of them: Their separation, she said, would be only for a moment; and they would soon rejoin each other in a scene, where their affections would be for ever united, and where death, disappointment, and misfortunes could no longer have access to them, or disturb their eternal felicity.
It had been intended to execute the lady Jane and lord Guilford together on the same scaffold at Tower-hill; but the council, dreading the compassion of the people for their youth, beauty, innocence, and noble birth, changed their orders, and gave directions that she should be beheaded within the verge of the Tower. She saw her husband led to execution; and having given him from the window some token of her remembrance, she waited with tranquillity till her own appointed hour should bring her to a like fate. She even saw his headless body carried back in a cart; and found herself more confirmed by the reports, which she heard of the constancy of his end, than shaken by so tender and melancholy a spectacle. Sir John Gage, constable of the Tower, when he led her to execution, desired her to bestow on him some small present, which he might keep as a perpetual memorial of her: She gave him her table-book, on which she had just written three sentences on seeing her husband’s dead body; one in Greek, another in Latin, a third in English. The purport of them was, that human justice was against his body, but divine mercy would be favourable to his soul; that, if her fault deserved punishment, her youth at least, and her imprudence were worthy of excuse; and that God and posterity, she trusted, would show her favour. On the scaffold, she made a speech to the by-standers; in which the mildness of her disposition led her to take the blame wholly on herself, without uttering one complaint against the severity, with which she had been treated. She said, that her offence was not the having laid her hand upon the crown, but the not rejecting it with sufficient constancy: That she had less erred through ambition than through reverence to her parents, whom she had been taught to respect and obey: That she willingly received death, as the only satisfaction, which she could now make to the injured state; and though her infringement of the laws had been constrained, she would show, by her voluntary submission to their sentence, that she was desirous to atone for that disobedience, into which too much filial piety had betrayed her: That she had justly deserved this punishment for being made the instrument, though the unwilling instrument, of the ambition of others: And that the story of her life, she hoped, might at least be useful, by proving that innocence excuses not great misdeeds, if they tend any wise to the destruction of the commonwealth. After uttering these words, she caused herself to be disrobed by her women; and with a steddy serene countenance submitted herself to the executioner.
2、蒙茅斯公爵之死，摘自Macaulay: The History of England: From the Accession of James II. Vol.1 470-471
They prayed with him long and fervently ; and he joined in their petitions till they invoked a blessing on the King. He remained silent. ” Sir,” said one of the assistants, ” do you not pray for the King with us ?” Monmouth paused some time, and, after an internal struggle, exclaimed ” Amen.” But it was in vain that the prelates implored him to address to the soldiers and to the people a few words on the duty of obedience to the government. ” I will make no speeches,” he exclaimed. ” Only ten words, my Lord.” He turned away, called his servant, and put into the man’s hand a toothpick case, the last token of ill starred love. ” Give it,” he said, ” to that person.” He then accosted John Ketch the executioner, a wretch who had butchered many brave and noble victims, and whose name has, during a century and a half, been vulgarly given to all who have succeeded him in his odious office. ” Here,” said the Duke, ” are six guineas for you. Do not hack me as you did my Lord Russell. I have heard that you struck him three or four times. My servant will give you some more gold if you do the work well.” He then undressed, felt the edge of the axe, expressed some fear that it was not sharp enough, and laid his head on the block. The divines in the meantime continued to ejaculate with great energy ; ” God accept your repentance; God accept your imperfect repentance.”
The hangman addressed himself to his office. But he had been disconcerted by what the Duke had said. The first blow inflicted only a slight wound. The Duke struggled, rose from the block, and looked reproachfully at the executioner. The head sank down once more. The stroke was repeated again and again ; but still the neck was not severed, and the body continued to move. Yells of rage and horror rose from the crowd. Ketch flung down the axe with a curse. ” I cannot do it,” he said; “my heart fails me.” “Take up the axe, man,” cried the sheriif. ” Fling him over the rails,” roared the mob. At length the axe was taken up. Two more blows extinguished the last remains of life ; but a knife was used to separate the head from the shoulders. The crowd was wrought up to such an ecstasy of rage that the executioner was in danger of being torn in pieces, and was conveyed away under a strong guard.
In the meantime many handkerchiefs were dipped in the Duke’s blood; for, by a large part of the multitude he was regarded as a martyr who had died for the Protestant religion. The head and body were placed in a coffin covered with black velvet, and were laid privately under the communion table of St. Peter’s Chapel in the Tower.
这个现场简直是血腥无比，本来对这个查理二世的私人子处斩首而非绞刑，是为了减少他的痛苦，也算是皇家后代（虽说是私生子）的一种福利。但是侩子手没有斩首的经验，拿的刀还是钝的，砍了几下都没砍死，最后还是另外用匕首把可怜的公爵的头割下来的。这个公爵本就是一个贪生怕死的人，被俘之后立刻向詹姆斯二世忏悔，请求饶他一命，仪态尽失，本来想贿赂侩子手一刀解决，结果砍了那么久，死的这般痛苦和没有尊严，还不如视死如归的简·格雷，即便作者是辉格党的代言人的麦考莱，尽量美化他，都无法掩饰这个纨绔子弟的无能、愚蠢和怯懦。
此外，公爵死后，妇女们纷纷拿她们的手帕蘸他的血以作圣物，可见，英国也是有人血馒头的，这种事情，不仅出现在鲁迅笔下的革命党那里，所以中国人大可不必为自己民族的“劣根性”自卑，如果说吃人血馒头是劣根性的话，那是全人类的劣根性。
还有，蒙茅斯公爵叛乱的理由是，一方面他是查理二世的亲生儿子，比他叔叔詹姆斯二世更有理由继承王位，另一方面，他信仰新教，而詹姆斯二世信仰天主教，在英国普通民众间不得人心，所以他以为自己会兵不血刃，再创威廉二世的辉煌。没想到打回英国后，响应的人寥寥无几，马上就被击溃。这也能看出，即使在欧洲，也是看正统的，蒙茅斯作为查理二世的私生子，不是嫡子，仅仅是庶出，所以不该有王位继承权，英国人宁愿要查理二世的弟弟詹姆斯二世。所以，没必要再说只有中国才能宗法制，欧洲照样有。
最后，再看看中国历史是怎么写处置叛军首领的，就看看宋朝蜀地叛军首领李顺是怎么死的：
“五月丁巳，西川行營破賊十萬眾，斬首三萬級，復成都，獲賊李順。其黨張餘復攻陷嘉、戎、瀘、渝，涪、忠、萬、開八州，開州監軍秦傳序死之。丙寅，河西行營送趙保忠至闕下，釋其罪，授右千牛衛上將軍，封宥罪侯。…丙子，磔李順黨八人於鳳翔市。庚辰，初伏，帝親書綾扇賜近臣。”
就这么简单的几句话，不带任何感情色彩，除了用“贼”形容李顺。而西方的描述则像写小说一样，这可能也是因为西方人的历史没有正史一说，写出来是要给人看，要人买的，所以必须写的好看，比如麦考莱就说他的英国史一定要达到坊间的贵妇们人手一本的效果，所以历史往往写成小说那样。但是中国的历史都是官方正史，不是为了卖钱，所以都会去除掉感情色彩，写的尽量客观中立。中西历史的可信度，高下立见。