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
But it's dusk and his eyesight isn't that good.

因为是傍晚时分主教的眼神又不太好
What they do is they find this prostitute,

所谓的皇后实则是一名妓女
of which there were about 25,000 in Paris at any one time,

巴黎有两万五千名妓女
who looks vaguely like Marie Antoinette.

总能找到貌似皇后的