because French was always the language of diplomacy,

因为法国人总是很会说外交语言
he says the most important thing is to be "à Trios," to be three.

他说最重要的事情是成为三方面的事情
If there are five you want to be three.

如果有五个那就需要变成三个
But what you have basically is two potential free agents,

主要有两个自由国
free agents with a big appetite but very bad teeth,

他们有很大的胃口但是牙齿很糟糕
as some wag once put it-- Italy, here, which would go to the highest bidder in 1915,

当摇摆一旦出现时意大利在1915年投靠了最高的出价者
and Great Britain.

还有英国
Now, Great Britain, it's not a natural given

现在英国做了件很不自然地事情
that Great britain was going to ally with France,

他与法国结盟
its great enemy for centuries,

他们敌对了数个世纪
or ally with Russia, because Britain and Russia have been fighting for a very long time,

以及和俄国结盟英俄已经打了好久了
what some another wag once called the Great Game,

还有其他一些摇摆的国家曾经称为大角逐