The 800th anniversary of the Magna Carta is being marked with a fancy new 2-pound coin — but an expert has claimed the Royal Mint has ruined the design with a factually dodgy image.

The coin shows King John signing the document — which was issued by him in 1215 and stated that everyone had the right to a fair trial and that nobody, including royalty, were above the law — with a quill but according to Dr. Marc Morris that notion is absurd as the monarch would have used a royal seal...and probably would have got one of his minions to do it.

In fact, the Middle Ages expert was so incensed with the historical foolery he even went so far as to reconstruct the momentous occasion using Playmobil figures.

He posted the image on Twitter, stating, “A far more accurate depiction of what went on at Runnymede than that produced by the Royal Mint.”

Morris, a fellow of the Royal Historical Society, said, “To depict King John holding a quill is simply a schoolboy error.

“Medieval kings did not authenticate documents by signing them, they did it by sealing them — or rather by getting one of their officials to do it for them.

“All the pen in John’s hand symbolizes is ignorance of this basic fact.”

But Royal Mint bosses have defended the image, which was created by artist John Bergdahl, saying it is “symbolic” and not “literal.”

Bergdahl, speaking about his design for the coin, added, “I wanted to include the figures who would have been key players in the formation of the Magna Carta at Runnymede [the place in Windsor where the Magna Cara was signed].

“I was influenced by the art of the medieval period, which was quite uncomplicated and crude, and the ornate cornice and rose carvings echo the architecture of the era reflecting the time the Magna Carta was created.

“The inscription uses medieval-style font that surrounds the design as the inscription on King John’s royal seal did in the middle ages.”

为纪念英国《大宪章》签署八百周年，英国推出了别致的新版两英镑硬币。但有专家称，皇家铸币局用不符合史实的图案毁了这一设计。

这枚硬币上展示的是约翰王手拿羽毛签署《大宪章》的图样，但是据马克·莫里斯博士所言，这样的描绘是很荒谬的，因为约翰王应当使用皇家印章盖章……也可能让仆从替他盖章。（约翰王1215年颁布的《大宪章》宣称，每个人都有获得公正审判的权

利，包括皇室成员在内的任何人都不能凌驾于法律之上。）事实上，这位研究中世纪时期的专家对这一愚蠢的历史错误十分愤怒，他甚至用摩比玩具还原了这一重要时刻。

他将图片发到推特上，并配文道：“关于兰尼米德发生的事，这比皇家铸币局的版本准确得多。”

莫里斯博士是皇家历史学会的研究员，他说：“约翰王手拿羽毛笔的这一描绘实在是一个低级错误。”

“中世纪的国王不是通过签名使文件生效，而是通过盖章，或者让下属官员替他们盖章。”

“约翰王执笔这一形象所反映出来的是对基本事实的无知。”

但是皇家铸币局的领导们辩称，这一由艺术家约翰·贝里达尔设计的图像只是“象征性的”而不是“基于史实的”。

贝里达尔谈到他为硬币所做的设计时补充道：“我想要将那些在兰尼米德（《大宪章》的签署地，位于温莎）制定《大宪章》中起了重要作用的人物设计进去。”

“我受中世纪时期原生简单的艺术风格影响，装饰性的飞檐和玫瑰雕刻与反映大宪章形成时期的建筑风格相呼应。”

“硬币周围的文字采用中世纪风格的字体，像中世纪时期约翰王的皇家印章上的刻字一样。”

    Words to Learn 相关词汇

    【可疑的】kěyí de dodgy uncertain or unreliable, tricky

    【无知】wúzhī ignorance lack of knowledge, information, or education, the state of being ignorant