There's a famous jewel that had 647 flawless gems,

有一条镶满647颗无瑕宝石的项链
worth 1.5 million pounds,

价值150万英镑
which is a whole lot of money in those days and still now.

无论那时还是现在都价值连城
Louis XV had commissioned it for one of his mistresses

项链曾是路易十五为他的一个情妇定制
and then backed down because it was too expensive.

但因为它过于昂贵国王放弃了原来的想法
In 1788 the necklace was offered to Louis XVI for

1788年这款项链传给路易十六
Marie Antoinette, but he turned it down,

赐给玛丽安·托瓦内特皇后佩戴但国王
saying the realm needs more ships than it does more jewels,

拒绝了并说现在需要的是更多舰船
which was reasonable enough.

把钱花在那里更合情合理
They con this old, fairly horny cardinal into showing up at dusk

这对夫妇把又老又色的主教骗到皇家宫殿
at the Palais Royal and introducing him to the queen herself,

让他去那里亲自与皇后晤面
whom I guess he'd met once.

我想他们以前在此见过