History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire — Volume 1 — Page 7
This extent and harmony of design is unquestionably that which distinguishes the work of Gibbon from all other great historical compositions.
Cette étendue et cette harmonie de conception sont incontestablement ce qui distingue l'œuvre de Gibbon de toutes les autres grandes compositions historiques.
He has first bridged the abyss between ancient and modern times, and connected together the two great worlds of history.
Il a le premier comblé l'abîme entre les temps anciens et les temps modernes, et relié ensemble les deux grands mondes de l'histoire.
The great advantage which the classical historians possess over those of modern times is in unity of plan, of course greatly facilitated by the narrower sphere to which their researches were confined.
Le grand avantage que les historiens classiques possèdent sur ceux des temps modernes réside dans l'unité de plan, bien entendu grandement facilitée par la sphère plus étroite à laquelle leurs recherches étaient limitées.
Except Herodotus, the great historians of Greece—we exclude the more modern compilers, like Diodorus Siculus—limited themselves to a single period, or at least to the contracted sphere of Grecian affairs.
À l'exception d'Hérodote, les grands historiens de la Grèce — nous excluons les compilateurs plus modernes, comme Diodore de Sicile — se sont limités à une seule période, ou du moins à la sphère restreinte des affaires grecques.
As far as the Barbarians trespassed within the Grecian boundary, or were necessarily mingled up with Grecian politics, they were admitted into the pale of Grecian history; but to Thucydides and to Xenophon, excepting in the Persian inroad of the latter, Greece was the world.
Dans la mesure où les Barbares empiétaient sur les frontières grecques, ou se trouvaient nécessairement mêlés à la politique grecque, ils étaient admis dans le domaine de l'histoire grecque ; mais pour Thucydide et pour Xénophon, à l'exception de l'incursion perse de ce dernier, la Grèce était le monde.
Natural unity confined their narrative almost to chronological order, the episodes were of rare occurrence and extremely brief.
L'unité naturelle confinait leur récit presque à l'ordre chronologique, les épisodes étaient d'occurrence rare et extrêmement brefs.
To the Roman historians the course was equally clear and defined.
Pour les historiens romains, la voie était tout aussi claire et définie.
Rome was their centre of unity; and the uniformity with which the circle of the Roman dominion spread around, the regularity with which their civil polity expanded, forced, as it were, upon the Roman historian that plan which Polybius announces as the subject of his history, the means and the manner by which the whole world became subject to the Roman sway.
Rome était leur centre d'unité ; et l'uniformité avec laquelle le cercle de la domination romaine s'étendait alentour, la régularité avec laquelle leur organisation civile se développait, imposaient pour ainsi dire à l'historien romain ce plan que Polybe annonce comme le sujet de son histoire, les moyens et la manière par lesquels le monde entier devint soumis à la puissance romaine.
How different the complicated politics of the European kingdoms!
Combien différente était la politique compliquée des royaumes européens !
Vocabulary
- étendue
- ay-tahn-dü — Extent, scope, or breadth of something.
- harmonie
- ar-moh-nee — Harmony, coherence, or pleasing arrangement.
- conception
- kohn-sep-syohn — Conception, design, or intellectual framework.
- incontestablement
- an-kohn-tes-tah-bluh-mahn — Indisputably, without any possible doubt.
- distingue
- dees-tan-g — Distinguishes, sets apart from others.
- œuvre
- uv-ruh — Work, especially a literary or artistic creation.
- compositions
- kohm-poh-zee-syohn — Compositions, written or artistic works.
- historiques
- ees-toh-reek — Historical, relating to history.
- comblé
- kohm-blay — Filled in, bridged a gap completely.
- abîme
- ah-beem — Abyss, chasm, or vast deep gap.
- anciens
- ahn-syahn — Ancient, old; referring to classical antiquity.
- relié
- ruh-lyay — Linked, connected, or bound together.
- ensemble
- ahn-sahm-bluh — Together, as a whole unit.
- mondes
- mohnd — Worlds, realms, or spheres of existence.
- avantage
- ah-vahn-tahzh — Advantage, benefit, or favorable circumstance.
- historiens
- ees-toh-ryahn — Historians, scholars who study and write history.
- classiques
- klah-seek — Classical, relating to ancient Greece or Rome.
- possèdent
- poh-sed — Possess, have, or hold (third plural present).
- ceux
- suh — Those (masculine plural demonstrative pronoun).
- réside
- ray-zeed — Resides, lies, or is found in.
- unité
- ü-nee-tay — Unity, oneness, or cohesion of structure.
- plan
- plahn — Plan, structure, or organizational framework.
- entendu
- ahn-tahn-dü — Understood; bien entendu means of course.
- grandement
- grahnd-mahn — Greatly, to a large or significant degree.
- facilitée
- fah-see-lee-tay — Facilitated, made easier or more manageable.
- sphère
- sfair — Sphere, domain, or field of activity.
- étroite
- ay-twat — Narrow, limited, or restricted in scope.
- laquelle
- lah-kel — Which (feminine singular relative pronoun).
- recherches
- ruh-shairsh — Research, investigations, or scholarly inquiries.
- limitées
- lee-mee-tay — Limited, restricted, or confined within bounds.
- exception
- ek-sep-syohn — Exception, something excluded from a general rule.
- excluons
- eks-klü-ohn — We exclude, leave out from consideration.
- compilateurs
- kohm-pee-lah-tuhr — Compilers, those who gather and compile texts.
- limités
- lee-mee-tay — Limited, restricted to a narrow scope.
- seule
- suhl — Sole, single, only one (feminine adjective).
- période
- pay-ryohd — Period, span, or phase of time.
- restreinte
- reh-strant — Restricted, narrowly confined or limited.
- affaires
- ah-fair — Affairs, matters, or concerns of a state.
- mesure
- muh-zühr — Measure, extent; dans la mesure où means insofar as.
- Barbares
- bar-bar — Barbarians, peoples outside Greek or Roman civilization.
- empiétaient
- ahm-pyay-tay — Encroached upon, intruded into another's territory.
- frontières
- frohn-tyair — Borders, frontiers, or boundary lines between territories.
- nécessairement
- nay-ses-air-mahn — Necessarily, inevitably, as a logical consequence.
- mêlés
- may-lay — Mixed, entangled, or involved with something.
- politique
- poh-lee-teek — Politics, political affairs or matters.
- admis
- ad-mee — Admitted, allowed into a sphere or domain.
- domaine
- doh-men — Domain, field, or area of activity.
- incursion
- an-kür-syohn — Incursion, raid, or sudden hostile intrusion.
- confinait
- kohn-fee-nay — Confined, restricted, or kept within boundaries.
- récit
- ray-see — Narrative, account, or story told in writing.
- presque
- presk — Almost, nearly, not quite entirely.
- ordre
- or-druh — Order, arrangement, or sequence of events.
- chronologique
- kroh-noh-loh-zheek — Chronological, arranged in order of time.
- épisodes
- ay-pee-zohd — Episodes, distinct events or narrative segments.
- occurrence
- oh-kü-rahns — Occurrence, instance, or happening of an event.
- rare
- rar — Rare, uncommon, infrequent in occurrence.
- extrêmement
- eks-trem-mahn — Extremely, to the highest or greatest degree.
- brefs
- bref — Brief, short, concise (masculine plural adjective).
- voie
- vwah — Way, path, or route to follow.
- définie
- day-fee-nee — Defined, clearly marked out or established.
- uniformité
- ü-nee-for-mee-tay — Uniformity, consistency, sameness throughout a system.
- cercle
- sair-kluh — Circle, ring, or sphere of influence.
- domination
- doh-mee-nah-syohn — Domination, supremacy or control over others.
- étendait
- ay-tahn-day — Extended, spread outward (imperfect of étendre).
- alentour
- ah-lahn-toor — Around, in the surrounding area.
- régularité
- ray-gü-lah-ree-tay — Regularity, orderliness, or systematic consistency.
- organisation
- or-gah-nee-zah-syohn — Organization, structured arrangement or administration.
- civile
- see-veel — Civil, relating to citizens or civilian governance.
- développait
- day-vloh-pay — Developed, expanded, or grew over time.
- imposaient
- am-poh-zay — Imposed, forced upon or required by authority.
- ainsi
- an-see — Thus, so, in this way (common adverb).
- historien
- ees-toh-ryahn — Historian, a scholar who studies history.
- annonce
- ah-nohns — Announces, declares, or states at the outset.
- sujet
- sü-zhay — Subject, topic, or main theme of a work.
- moyens
- mwah-yahn — Means, methods, or ways of achieving something.
- manière
- mah-nyair — Manner, way, or mode of doing something.
- lesquels
- lay-kel — Which, by which (masculine plural relative pronoun).
- entier
- ahn-tyay — Entire, whole, complete without exception.
- devint
- duh-van — Became (simple past of devenir).
- soumis
- soo-mee — Subjected, submitted, or brought under control.
- puissance
- pwee-sahns — Power, might, or dominance of a state.
- Combien
- kohm-byahn — How much, how many (interrogative of degree).
- compliquée
- kohm-plee-kay — Complicated, complex, or difficult to understand.
- royaumes
- rwah-yohm — Kingdoms, realms ruled by a monarch.
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