History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire — Volume 1 — Page 7
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This extent and harmony of design is unquestionably that which distinguishes the work of Gibbon from all other great historical compositions.
この設計の広がりと調和は、疑いなく、ギボンの著作を他のすべての偉大な歴史的作品から区別するものである。
He has first bridged the abyss between ancient and modern times, and connected together the two great worlds of history.
彼は古代と近代の間の深淵に初めて橋を架け、歴史の二つの偉大な世界を結びつけた。
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.
古典的な歴史家が近代の歴史家に対して持つ大きな利点は、計画の統一性にあり、もちろんそれは彼らの研究が限定されていたより狭い領域によって大いに容易にされていた。
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.
ヘロドトスを除いて、ギリシャの偉大な歴史家たち――ディオドロス・シクルスのようなより近代的な編纂者は除外するが――は、単一の時代、あるいは少なくともギリシャ事情の限られた領域に自らを限定した。
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.
蛮族がギリシャの境界内に侵入した限りにおいて、あるいはギリシャの政治と必然的に絡み合った限りにおいて、彼らはギリシャの歴史の範囲内に受け入れられた。しかしトゥキュディデスにとってもクセノポンにとっても、後者のペルシャ侵攻を除けば、ギリシャが世界であった。
Natural unity confined their narrative almost to chronological order, the episodes were of rare occurrence and extremely brief.
自然な統一性が彼らの叙述をほぼ年代順に限定し、挿話はまれにしか現れず、極めて簡潔であった。
To the Roman historians the course was equally clear and defined.
ローマの歴史家たちにとっても、道筋は同様に明確で定まっていた。
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.
ローマが彼らの統一の中心であった。そしてローマの支配の輪が広がる均一性、市民的政体が拡大する規則性は、言わばローマの歴史家に対して、ポリュビオスが自らの歴史の主題として告げる計画、すなわち全世界がローマの支配に服するようになった手段と経緯を、強いたのであった。
How different the complicated politics of the European kingdoms!
ヨーロッパの諸王国の複雑な政治とは何と異なることか！
Vocabulary
- この
- kono — This; used to indicate something nearby.
- 設計
- sekkei — Design, plan, or blueprint of something.
- 広がり
- hirogari — Spread, expanse, or extent of something.
- 調和
- chouwa — Harmony, balance, or accord between things.
- 疑い
- utagwai — Doubt, suspicion, or uncertainty about something.
- なく
- naku — Without; negating the preceding noun or state.
- 著作
- chosaku — Written work, literary or academic publication.
- すべて
- subete — All, everything, or every single one.
- 偉大
- idai — Great, magnificent, or extraordinarily impressive.
- 歴史
- rekishi — History; the study of past events.
- 作品
- sakuhin — Work of art, literature, or creative production.
- 区別
- kubetsu — Distinction, differentiation between two or more things.
- 古代
- kodai — Ancient times; historical period long ago.
- 近代
- kindai — Modern era; recent historical period.
- 間
- aida — Between; the space or interval separating things.
- 初めて
- hajimete — For the first time; never done before.
- 橋
- hashi — Bridge; structure spanning a gap or river.
- 架け
- kake — To build or lay a bridge across something.
- 二つ
- futatsu — Two things; the number two as a counter.
- 世界
- sekai — World; the entire earth or a domain.
- 結びつけ
- musubitsuke — To connect, link, or tie two things together.
- 古典
- koten — Classic; classical literature or traditional works.
- 利点
- riten — Advantage, merit, or beneficial point.
- 計画
- keikaku — Plan, project, or organized scheme.
- 統一
- touitsu — Unification, unity, or consolidation into one.
- もちろん
- mochiron — Of course, naturally, or without doubt.
- 研究
- kenkyuu — Research, study, or academic investigation.
- 限定
- gentei — Limitation, restriction, or being confined to something.
- 狭い
- semai — Narrow, small, or confined in space.
- 領域
- ryouiki — Domain, field, territory, or area of scope.
- 大いに
- ooi ni — Greatly, largely, or to a great extent.
- 容易
- youi — Easy, simple, or not requiring much effort.
- 除いて
- nozoite — Except for, excluding, or leaving out.
- 除外
- jogai — Exclusion; leaving something out deliberately.
- 単一
- tan'itsu — Single, sole, or consisting of only one.
- 時代
- jidai — Era, age, or historical period of time.
- あるいは
- aruiwa — Or, alternatively, or perhaps between options.
- 少なくとも
- sukunaku tomo — At least; no fewer or less than a minimum.
- 事情
- jijou — Circumstances, situation, or particular conditions involved.
- 自ら
- mizukara — Oneself; by one's own effort or action.
- 境界
- kyoukai — Boundary, border, or dividing line between areas.
- 侵入
- shinnyuu — Invasion, intrusion, or breaking into a territory.
- 政治
- seiji — Politics; the governance or administration of society.
- 必然
- hitsuzen — Inevitability, necessity, or something that must happen.
- 絡み合っ
- karamiat- — Entangled, intertwined, or intricately connected together.
- 範囲
- han'i — Range, scope, or extent of coverage.
- 受け入れ
- ukéire — Acceptance, receiving, or taking something in willingly.
- 後者
- kousha — The latter; the second of two mentioned things.
- 自然
- shizen — Nature; also natural, spontaneous, or unforced.
- 年代
- nendai — Era, chronological order, or period of years.
- 順
- jun — Order, sequence, or arranged in proper succession.
- 極めて
- kiwamete — Extremely, exceedingly, or to the utmost degree.
- 簡潔
- kanketsu — Concise, brief, and expressed clearly without excess.
- 道筋
- michibiji — Path, course, or logical route toward a goal.
- 明確
- meikaku — Clear, definite, or unambiguous in meaning.
- 中心
- chuushin — Center, core, or focal point of something.
- 支配
- shihai — Control, rule, or dominance over something.
- 広がる
- hirogaru — To spread out, expand, or extend over area.
- 均一
- kin'itsu — Uniform, even, or consistent throughout without variation.
- 市民
- shimin — Citizen; a member of a city or state.
- 拡大
- kakudai — Expansion, enlargement, or increase in scale.
- 規則
- kisoku — Rule, regulation, or established standard of conduct.
- 主題
- shudai — Main theme, subject, or central topic of work.
- 告げる
- tsugeru — To tell, announce, or inform someone of something.
- すなわち
- sunawachi — That is, namely, or in other words.
- 手段
- shudan — Means, method, or way of achieving something.
- 経緯
- keii — Background, circumstances, or sequence of events leading up.
- 強い
- tsuyoi — Strong, powerful, or having great force.
- 諸
- sho — Various, several; prefix indicating plurality of nouns.
- 王国
- oukoku — Kingdom; a nation ruled by a king or queen.
- 複雑
- fukuzatsu — Complex, complicated, or intricate in nature.
- 異なる
- kotonaru — To differ, vary, or be different from something.
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