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.
Questa ampiezza e armonia di disegno è indubbiamente ciò che distingue l'opera di Gibbon da tutte le altre grandi composizioni storiche.
He has first bridged the abyss between ancient and modern times, and connected together the two great worlds of history.
Egli ha per primo colmato l'abisso tra i tempi antichi e quelli moderni, e collegato insieme i due grandi mondi della storia.
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.
Il grande vantaggio che gli storici classici possiedono rispetto a quelli dei tempi moderni risiede nell'unità di piano, naturalmente molto agevolata dalla sfera più ristretta entro cui le loro ricerche erano limitate.
Except Herodotus, the great historians of Greece—we exclude the more modern compilers, like Diodorus Siculus—limited themselves to a single period, or at 'east to the contracted sphere of Grecian affairs.
Ad eccezione di Erodoto, i grandi storici della Grecia — escludiamo i compilatori più recenti, come Diodoro Siculo — si limitarono a un singolo periodo, o al più alla ristretta sfera degli affari greci.
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.
Nella misura in cui i Barbari varcavano i confini greci, o erano necessariamente coinvolti nella politica greca, venivano ammessi nell'ambito della storia greca; ma per Tucidide e per Senofonte, ad eccezione dell'incursione persiana di quest'ultimo, la Grecia era il mondo.
Natural unity confined their narrative almost to chronological order, the episodes were of rare occurrence and extremely brief.
L'unità naturale confinava la loro narrazione quasi all'ordine cronologico, gli episodi erano di rara occorrenza ed estremamente brevi.
To the Roman historians the course was equally clear and defined.
Per gli storici romani il percorso era ugualmente chiaro e definito.
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.
Roma era il loro centro di unità; e l'uniformità con cui il cerchio del dominio romano si estendeva intorno, la regolarità con cui il loro ordinamento civile si espandeva, imponevano, per così dire, allo storico romano quel piano che Polibio annuncia come soggetto della sua storia, i mezzi e il modo in cui il mondo intero divenne soggetto al dominio romano.
How different the complicated politics of the European kingdoms!
Quanto diverse le complicate politiche dei regni europei!
Vocabulary
- Questa
- This (feminine singular demonstrative pronoun)
- ampiezza
- Breadth, width, or scope of something
- armonia
- Harmony or agreement between different elements
- di
- Of, from (preposition indicating possession or origin)
- disegno
- Design, plan, or drawing of something
- indubbiamente
- Undoubtedly, certainly, without doubt
- ciò
- That, this (neuter demonstrative pronoun)
- che
- That, which, who (relative or interrogative pronoun)
- distingue
- Distinguishes, sets apart, makes different
- opera
- Work, opera, or literary/artistic composition
- da
- From, by (preposition indicating source or agent)
- tutte
- All (feminine plural form of tutto)
- le
- The (feminine plural definite article)
- altre
- Other, another (feminine plural adjective)
- grandi
- Great, large (plural adjective or noun)
- composizioni
- Compositions, literary or musical works
- storiche
- Historical (feminine plural adjective)
- Egli
- He (formal or literary third person singular)
- ha
- Has (third person singular present of avere)
- per
- For, in order to, by means of
- primo
- First, primary (adjective or noun)
- colmato
- Filled, bridged, made complete or whole
- abisso
- Abyss, chasm, or great depth or gap
- tra
- Between, among (preposition indicating position)
- tempi
- Times, periods, or eras (plural of tempo)
- antichi
- Ancient, old (plural masculine adjective)
- quelli
- Those, that ones (plural masculine demonstrative)
- moderni
- Modern, contemporary (plural masculine adjective)
- collegato
- Connected, linked, or united together
- insieme
- Together, as one unit or group
- due
- Two (cardinal number)
- mondi
- Worlds, realms, or domains (plural of mondo)
- della
- Of the (feminine singular contraction)
- storia
- History, historical narrative or account
- Il
- The (masculine singular definite article)
- grande
- Great, large (adjective or noun)
- vantaggio
- Advantage, benefit, or favorable position
- gli
- The, to him (masculine article or pronoun)
- storici
- Historians, historical (plural masculine noun/adj)
- classici
- Classical, classic (plural masculine adjective)
- possiedono
- Possess, have, own (third person plural)
- rispetto
- Respect, regard, or in comparison with
- dei
- Of the, some (masculine plural contraction)
- risiede
- Resides, lies, or consists in something
- nell
- In the (masculine singular contraction variant)
- unità
- Unity, oneness, or single unified whole
- piano
- Plan, level, or floor (noun or adjective)
- naturalmente
- Naturally, of course, obviously or logically
- molto
- Very, much, a lot (adverb or adjective)
- agevolata
- Facilitated, made easier or more convenient
- dalla
- From the, by the (feminine singular)
- sfera
- Sphere, domain, or field of activity
- più
- More, most (comparative/superlative adverb)
- ristretta
- Restricted, limited, or narrow in scope
- entro
- Within, inside, or by a time limit
- cui
- Whom, which (relative pronoun in prepositional)
- loro
- Their, theirs (possessive or personal pronoun)
- ricerche
- Research, investigation, or studies (plural)
- erano
- Were (third person plural imperfect of essere)
- limitate
- Limited, restricted, or confined (feminine plural)
- Ad
- To, at (preposition variant before vowels)
- eccezione
- Exception, exclusion, or case excluded from rule
- escludiamo
- Exclude, rule out, or leave out
- compilatori
- Compilers, authors, or editors of works
- recenti
- Recent, modern, or newly made/done
- come
- As, like, how (conjunction or adverb)
- si
- Themselves, oneself (reflexive pronoun or particle)
- limitarono
- Limited, restricted, or confined themselves (past)
- un
- A, one (masculine singular indefinite article)
- singolo
- Single, individual, or only one (adjective)
- periodo
- Period, era, or span of time
- al
- To the, at the (masculine singular contraction)
- alla
- To the, at the (feminine singular contraction)
- degli
- Of the, some (masculine plural contraction)
- affari
- Affairs, business, or matters of concern
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