We know very little about popular religion during the Han. We can surmise that it must have been fragmented, each region having its own customs and deities. To the official historian it was not an interesting phenomenon unless it interfered with the business of government. During the Later Han, however, religion sometimes took the form of mass movements, as for instance in 107, when the historian noted a mass migration of people in the northern regions, where they had been circulating alarming stories. In 175 too, a mass movement was reported to the court, and the Yellow Turbans were the most dramatic instance of a mass movement bred by religion. In recent years, studies have revealed that during the middle period of the Later Han there existed a sect that foretold the coming of a messianic figure who would deliver the faithful from earthly troubles." Religion and politics form a potent mixture, as the court will have noticed when it had to deal with rival emperors set up by the people in connection with some metaphysical or religious system.

这段译文中的错误不止一处，但我们在此只讨论最后一句中出于误解原文句法的误译。原文中的“as the court will have noticed when it had to deal with rival emperors set up by the people in connection with some metaphysical or religious system.”是一个比较状语从句，被译者误解为原因状语从句。按该译文，“朝廷注意…敌对皇帝的问题”是“宗教和政治形成了一个有力的混合物”的原因。好像如果朝廷不注意到该问题，宗教和政治就不会形成一个有力的混合物了。这是说不通的。上文中正在讲述的正是“黄巾军便是由宗教孕育起来的最惹人注目的群众运动”。“群众运动”正是“宗教和政治形成了一个有力的混合物”一句中所谓的“政治”。黄巾军运动所显示的“宗教和政治形成了一个有力的混合物”，其原因绝不是“朝廷注意…敌对皇帝的问题”。换言之，前者并非因后者而起。

朝廷注意到的是“宗教和政治形成了一个强有力的混合物”，而不是“它必须对付因与某种超自然的或宗教的体系有关的人民推戴的敌对皇帝的问题”。它只是可能在别的时侯没有注意到“宗教和政治形成了一个强有力的混合物”。但当它必须对付受某种超自然的或宗教的体系所影响的人民所推戴的敌对皇帝时，它注意到了这一点：宗教和政治形成了一个强有力的混合物。

值得注意的是，以as作连词的原因状语从句与比较状语从句的句法有一点绝对区别，我们完全可以不看句子意思及上下文，单凭句子结构分析就可以辨别。

剑桥在线英语辞典中给出的原因状语从句的例子有：

You can go first as you're the oldest.

这个复合句可以分成两部份：

主句： You can go first

从句： you're the oldest

我们看到连词as在原因状语中只起连接主句与从句的作用，它本身不在从句中担任任何成分（当然也不在主句中担任任何成分），它也不指示主句中的任何部分。无论主句还是从句都在去掉as一词后仍然成其为完整句子。

剑桥在线英语辞典中给出的比较状语从句的例子有：

They face a hard task, as yesterday's discussions amply demonstrated.

这个复合句可以分成两部份：

主句：They face a hard task

從句：as yesterday's discussions amply demonstrated

连词as在比较状语中除了起连接主句与从句的作用，它本身还在从句中担任一定句子成分（在上例中它担任谓语动词demonstrate的宾语），它还指示主句中的某部分（在上例中它指示整个主句）。从句在去掉as一词后不再成其为完整句子。

yesterday's discussions amply demonstrated 是一个不完整句子。 demonstrate 作“展现、表现、显示”解时必须是及物动词，必须有宾语。在上面的例子中，as正是作为demonstrated的宾语，同时替代整个主句，即They face a hard task。这个句子如果改写为“yesterday's discussions amply demonstrated (that) they face a hard task”意思是完全一样的，只是强调的重点不同。

我们所讨论的《剑桥中国秦汉史》中的句子，连词as除了起连接主句与从句的作用，它本身还在从句中担任谓语动词notice的宾语。该句子如果改写为

When it had to deal with rival emperors set up by the people in connection with some metaphysical or religious system， the court will have noticed that religion and politics form a potent mixture.

其意思与原句是完全一样的，只是强调的重点不同。原文强调的是一个社会现象: religion and politics form a potent mixture （宗教和政治形成了一个强有力的混合物）。