History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire — Volume 1 — Page 15
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The present editor has followed the track of Gibbon through many parts of his work; he has read his authorities with constant reference to his pages, and must pronounce his deliberate judgment, in terms of the highest admiration as to his general accuracy.
L'éditeur actuel a suivi la trace de Gibbon à travers de nombreuses parties de son œuvre ; il a lu ses sources en se référant constamment à ses pages, et doit prononcer son jugement délibéré, en termes de la plus haute admiration quant à son exactitude générale.
Many of his seeming errors are almost inevitable from the close condensation of his matter.
Beaucoup de ses erreurs apparentes sont presque inévitables en raison de la condensation serrée de sa matière.
From the immense range of his history, it was sometimes necessary to compress into a single sentence, a whole vague and diffuse page of a Byzantine chronicler.
En raison de l'immense étendue de son histoire, il était parfois nécessaire de comprimer en une seule phrase toute une page vague et diffuse d'un chroniqueur byzantin.
Perhaps something of importance may have thus escaped, and his expressions may not quite contain the whole substance of the passage from which they are taken.
Peut-être quelque chose d'important a-t-il ainsi échappé, et ses expressions ne contiennent peut-être pas tout à fait toute la substance du passage dont elles sont tirées.
His limits, at times, compel him to sketch; where that is the case, it is not fair to expect the full details of the finished picture.
Ses limites l'obligent parfois à esquisser ; lorsque c'est le cas, il n'est pas juste d'attendre les détails complets du tableau achevé.
At times he can only deal with important results; and in his account of a war, it sometimes requires great attention to discover that the events which seem to be comprehended in a single campaign, occupy several years.
Parfois, il ne peut traiter que des résultats importants ; et dans son récit d'une guerre, il faut parfois une grande attention pour découvrir que les événements qui semblent être compris dans une seule campagne occupent plusieurs années.
But this admirable skill in selecting and giving prominence to the points which are of real weight and importance—this distribution of light and shade—though perhaps it may occasionally betray him into vague and imperfect statements, is one of the highest excellencies of Gibbon's historic manner.
Mais cette admirable habileté à sélectionner et à mettre en évidence les points qui sont d'un poids et d'une importance réels — cette distribution de lumière et d'ombre — bien qu'elle puisse parfois le trahir en l'amenant à des déclarations vagues et imparfaites, est l'une des plus hautes qualités de la manière historique de Gibbon.
Vocabulary
- L'
- Contracted definite article meaning 'the' before vowels.
- éditeur
- Person who edits or publishes a written work.
- actuel
- Relating to the present time; current.
- a
- Third-person singular present tense of 'avoir' (to have).
- suivi
- Past participle of 'suivre'; followed or tracked closely.
- la
- Feminine definite article meaning 'the'.
- trace
- A mark, trail, or path left behind by someone.
- de
- Preposition meaning 'of' or 'from'.
- à
- Preposition meaning 'to', 'at', or 'in'.
- travers
- Used in 'à travers' meaning 'through' or 'across'.
- nombreuses
- Feminine plural adjective meaning 'numerous' or 'many'.
- parties
- Sections or portions of a larger whole.
- son
- Possessive adjective meaning 'his', 'her', or 'its'.
- œuvre
- A body of work produced by an artist or writer.
- il
- Third-person singular masculine pronoun meaning 'he'.
- lu
- Past participle of 'lire'; having read something.
- ses
- Plural possessive adjective meaning 'his', 'her', 'its'.
- sources
- Original references or documents consulted by a researcher.
- en
- Preposition or pronoun meaning 'in', 'by', or 'some'.
- se
- Reflexive pronoun used with pronominal verbs.
- référant
- Present participle of 'référer'; referring or consulting something.
- constamment
- Adverb meaning 'constantly' or 'continuously'.
- pages
- Individual leaves or sides of a written document.
- et
- Conjunction meaning 'and'.
- doit
- Third-person singular of 'devoir'; must or has to.
- prononcer
- To deliver or state a judgment or opinion formally.
- jugement
- An assessment, verdict, or considered opinion.
- délibéré
- Carefully considered and intentional; deliberate.
- termes
- Words or expressions used to convey a meaning.
- plus
- Adverb meaning 'more' or 'most' in comparisons.
- haute
- Feminine adjective meaning 'high' or 'great'.
- admiration
- Feeling of wonder and approval toward something excellent.
- quant
- Used in 'quant à' meaning 'as for' or 'regarding'.
- exactitude
- Precision and accuracy in facts or details.
- générale
- Feminine adjective meaning 'general' or 'overall'.
- Beaucoup
- Adverb or determiner meaning 'many' or 'a lot'.
- erreurs
- Mistakes or inaccuracies in a text or argument.
- apparentes
- Seemingly obvious but possibly not real; apparent.
- sont
- Third-person plural of 'être'; meaning 'are'.
- presque
- Adverb meaning 'almost' or 'nearly'.
- inévitables
- Impossible to avoid; unavoidable or certain to occur.
- raison
- Used in 'en raison de' meaning 'because of'.
- condensation
- The process of compressing information into fewer words.
- serrée
- Tight or dense; closely packed together.
- sa
- Feminine singular possessive adjective meaning 'his/her/its'.
- matière
- Subject matter or material content of a work.
- En
- Preposition meaning 'in' or 'while' introducing a context.
- l'
- Contracted form of 'le' or 'la' before a vowel.
- immense
- Extremely large or vast in scale or extent.
- étendue
- The extent or scope of something; range or breadth.
- histoire
- The study or narrative of past events; history.
- était
- Imperfect tense of 'être'; meaning 'was' or 'were'.
- parfois
- Adverb meaning 'sometimes' or 'occasionally'.
- nécessaire
- Required or essential; necessary for a purpose.
- comprimer
- To compress or condense something into a smaller form.
- une
- Feminine indefinite article meaning 'a' or 'one'.
- seule
- Feminine adjective meaning 'single', 'only', or 'alone'.
- phrase
- A sentence or brief expression in written language.
- toute
- Feminine adjective meaning 'whole', 'all', or 'every'.
- page
- A single side of a leaf in a written work.
- vague
- Lacking precision or clarity; imprecise or unclear.
- diffuse
- Spread out and lacking focus; wordy or scattered.
- d'
- Contracted preposition 'de' used before a vowel.
- un
- Masculine indefinite article meaning 'a' or 'one'.
- chroniqueur
- A writer of chronicles; a historical annalist.
- byzantin
- Relating to the Byzantine Empire or its historians.
- Peut
- Third-person singular of 'pouvoir'; meaning 'can' or 'may'.
- être
- Infinitive verb meaning 'to be'.
- quelque
- Adjective or adverb meaning 'some' or 'a few'.
- chose
- A thing or matter; something unspecified.
- important
- Of great significance or consequence; significant.
- ainsi
- Adverb meaning 'thus', 'so', or 'in this way'.
- échappé
- Past participle of 'échapper'; escaped or slipped away.
- expressions
- Phrases or wordings used to convey specific meanings.
- ne
- Negative particle used with 'pas' to negate verbs.
- contiennent
- Third-person plural of 'contenir'; contain or hold.
- peut
- Third-person singular of 'pouvoir'; can or may.
- pas
- Negation particle used with 'ne' meaning 'not'.
- tout
- Adjective or pronoun meaning 'all', 'every', or 'whole'.
- fait
- Used in 'tout à fait' meaning 'completely' or 'entirely'.
- substance
- The essential content or meaning of a text.
- du
- Contracted article 'de + le' meaning 'of the'.
- passage
- A section or excerpt from a written work.
- dont
- Relative pronoun meaning 'of which', 'whose', or 'from which'.
- elles
- Third-person feminine plural pronoun meaning 'they'.
- tirées
- Drawn or extracted from a source; taken from.
- Ses
- Plural possessive adjective meaning 'his', 'her', or 'its'.
- limites
- Boundaries or constraints placed on something.
- obligent
- Third-person plural of 'obliger'; force or compel.
- esquisser
- To sketch or outline something briefly and roughly.
- lorsque
- Conjunction meaning 'when' introducing a time clause.
- c'
- Contracted form of 'ce' before 'est'; meaning 'it is'.
- est
- Third-person singular of 'être'; meaning 'is'.
- le
- Masculine singular definite article meaning 'the'.
- cas
- A situation, instance, or particular case.
- n'
- Contracted negative particle 'ne' before a vowel.
- juste
- Fair, right, or reasonable; also meaning 'just' or 'only'.
- attendre
- To wait for or expect something or someone.
- les
- Plural definite article meaning 'the'.
- détails
- Small specific facts or particulars of a subject.
- complets
- Masculine plural adjective meaning 'complete' or 'full'.
- tableau
- A picture or vivid descriptive scene; a depiction.
- achevé
- Completed or finished to a high standard; accomplished.
- Parfois
- Adverb meaning 'sometimes' or 'at times'.
- traiter
- To deal with or discuss a subject or topic.
- que
- Conjunction or relative pronoun meaning 'that', 'which', 'than'.
- des
- Plural indefinite article or contraction of 'de les'.
- résultats
- Outcomes or results of actions or events.
- importants
- Masculine plural adjective meaning 'important' or 'significant'.
- dans
- Preposition meaning 'in' or 'within' a space or time.
- récit
- A narrative account or story of events.
- guerre
- Armed conflict between nations or groups; war.
- faut
- Impersonal verb form; 'il faut' means 'it is necessary'.
- grande
- Feminine adjective meaning 'great', 'large', or 'significant'.
- attention
- Careful focus or consideration given to something.
- pour
- Preposition meaning 'for', 'in order to', or 'to'.
- découvrir
- To discover or uncover something previously unknown.
- événements
- Occurrences or happenings; significant historical events.
- qui
- Relative or interrogative pronoun meaning 'who' or 'which'.
- semblent
- Third-person plural of 'sembler'; seem or appear.
- compris
- Past participle of 'comprendre'; included or understood.
- campagne
- A military campaign or series of coordinated operations.
- occupent
- Third-person plural of 'occuper'; occupy or span.
- plusieurs
- Adjective meaning 'several' or 'more than two'.
- années
- Plural of 'année'; years of time.
- Mais
- Conjunction meaning 'but' introducing a contrast.
- cette
- Feminine demonstrative adjective meaning 'this' or 'that'.
- admirable
- Worthy of admiration; excellent or impressive.
- habileté
- Skill, cleverness, or dexterity in doing something.
- sélectionner
- To choose or select carefully from available options.
- mettre
- To put, place, or highlight something; to set.
- évidence
- Used in 'mettre en évidence' meaning 'to highlight'.
- points
- Key aspects or specific matters under consideration.
- poids
- Weight or importance attributed to something.
- importance
- The quality of being significant or of great value.
- réels
- Masculine plural adjective meaning 'real' or 'actual'.
- distribution
- The arrangement or allocation of elements across a work.
- lumière
- Light; also used metaphorically for clarity or emphasis.
- ombre
- Shadow or shade; used metaphorically for less emphasized parts.
- bien
- Adverb meaning 'well'; also used in 'bien que' (although).
- qu'
- Contracted conjunction 'que' before a vowel; meaning 'that'.
- elle
- Third-person feminine singular pronoun meaning 'she' or 'it'.
- puisse
- Subjunctive form of 'pouvoir'; may or might be able to.
- trahir
- To betray or mislead; to fail or let down.
- amenant
- Present participle of 'amener'; leading to or bringing about.
- déclarations
- Statements or assertions made formally or in writing.
- vagues
- Plural adjective meaning 'vague', 'unclear', or 'imprecise'.
- imparfaites
- Feminine plural adjective meaning 'imperfect' or 'incomplete'.
- hautes
- Feminine plural adjective meaning 'high' or 'great'.
- qualités
- Positive characteristics or attributes of a person or work.
- manière
- A way, style, or manner of doing something.
- historique
- Relating to history; of historical significance or method.
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