Leviathan — Page 10
I say the similitude of Passions, which are the same in all men, Desire, Feare, Hope, &c; not the similitude or The Objects of the Passions, which are the things Desired, Feared, Hoped, &c: for these the constitution individuall, and particular education do so vary, and they are so easie to be kept from our knowledge, that the characters of mans heart, blotted and confounded as they are, with dissembling, lying, counterfeiting, and erroneous doctrines, are legible onely to him that searcheth hearts.
Je parle de la similitude des Passions, qui sont les mêmes chez tous les hommes, le Désir, la Crainte, l'Espoir, etc. ; non de la similitude des Objets des Passions, qui sont les choses Désirées, Craintes, Espérées, etc. : car pour celles-ci, la constitution individuelle et l'éducation particulière varient tellement, et elles sont si aisées à dissimuler à notre connaissance, que les caractères du cœur de l'homme, aussi obscurcis et confondus qu'ils le sont par la dissimulation, le mensonge, la tromperie et les doctrines erronées, ne sont lisibles que pour celui qui sonde les cœurs.
And though by mens actions wee do discover their designee sometimes; yet to do it without comparing them with our own, and distinguishing all circumstances, by which the case may come to be altered, is to decypher without a key, and be for the most part deceived, by too much trust, or by too much diffidence; as he that reads, is himselfe a good or evill man.
Et bien que par les actions des hommes nous découvrions parfois leurs desseins, le faire sans les comparer aux nôtres et sans distinguer toutes les circonstances par lesquelles le cas peut se trouver modifié, c'est déchiffrer sans clé, et être la plupart du temps trompé, soit par trop de confiance, soit par trop de méfiance, selon que celui qui lit est lui-même un homme bon ou mauvais.
But let one man read another by his actions never so perfectly, it serves him onely with his acquaintance, which are but few.
Mais qu'un homme lise un autre à travers ses actions aussi parfaitement qu'il le voudra, cela ne lui est utile qu'avec ses connaissances, qui sont peu nombreuses.
He that is to govern a whole Nation, must read in himselfe, not this, or that particular man; but Man-kind; which though it be hard to do, harder than to learn any Language, or Science; yet, when I shall have set down my own reading orderly, and perspicuously, the pains left another, will be onely to consider, if he also find not the same in himselfe.
Celui qui doit gouverner toute une Nation doit lire en lui-même, non pas tel ou tel homme en particulier, mais le Genre humain ; ce qui, bien que difficile à faire, plus difficile qu'apprendre quelque langue ou science que ce soit, néanmoins, lorsque j'aurai consigné ma propre lecture de manière ordonnée et claire, ne laissera à un autre qu'à examiner s'il ne trouve pas en lui-même la même chose.
For this kind of Doctrine, admitteth no other Demonstration.
Car ce genre de Doctrine n'admet pas d'autre Démonstration.
Vocabulary
- parle
- First person singular present of 'parler', to speak.
- similitude
- Resemblance or likeness between things or people.
- Passions
- Strong emotions or intense feelings driving human behavior.
- mêmes
- Adjective meaning 'same', indicating identical quality or nature.
- chez
- Preposition meaning 'among', 'in', or 'at the home of'.
- tous
- Adjective or pronoun meaning 'all' or 'every'.
- Désir
- A strong feeling of wanting or wishing something.
- Crainte
- Fear or apprehension about something threatening or uncertain.
- Espoir
- Hope; a feeling of expectation for something positive.
- Objets
- Objects; things that are the focus of an action or feeling.
- Désirées
- Past participle of 'désirer'; things that are desired or wanted.
- Craintes
- Plural noun meaning 'fears' or things that are feared.
- Espérées
- Past participle of 'espérer'; things that are hoped for.
- car
- Conjunction meaning 'because' or 'for', giving a reason.
- celles
- Feminine demonstrative pronoun meaning 'those' or 'the ones'.
- ci
- Particle used with demonstratives meaning 'here' or 'this'.
- constitution
- The physical or psychological makeup of an individual person.
- individuelle
- Adjective meaning 'individual', relating to a single person.
- éducation
- The process of teaching and learning; upbringing or schooling.
- particulière
- Adjective meaning 'particular', 'specific', or 'individual'.
- varient
- Third person plural of 'varier'; they vary or differ.
- tellement
- Adverb meaning 'so much' or 'to such a degree'.
- aisées
- Adjective meaning 'easy' or 'effortless', feminine plural form.
- dissimuler
- To conceal or hide one's true feelings or intentions.
- connaissance
- Knowledge or awareness; acquaintance with facts or people.
- caractères
- Characters or traits; distinguishing qualities of a person.
- cœur
- Heart; the center of emotion and inner feeling.
- obscurcis
- Past participle of 'obscurcir'; darkened, obscured, or clouded.
- confondus
- Past participle of 'confondre'; confused, mixed up, or blended.
- dissimulation
- The act of concealing or hiding one's true feelings.
- mensonge
- A lie or falsehood; an untrue statement deliberately made.
- tromperie
- Deception or trickery; the act of misleading someone.
- doctrines
- Sets of beliefs or principles taught by a system.
- erronées
- Adjective meaning 'erroneous' or 'mistaken', feminine plural form.
- lisibles
- Adjective meaning 'readable' or 'legible', plural form.
- celui
- Masculine demonstrative pronoun meaning 'the one' or 'he who'.
- sonde
- Third person singular of 'sonder'; probes or searches deeply.
- cœurs
- Plural of 'cœur'; hearts, the centers of emotion.
- actions
- Plural noun meaning 'actions' or 'deeds' performed by someone.
- découvrions
- Imperfect of 'découvrir'; we were discovering or uncovering.
- parfois
- Adverb meaning 'sometimes' or 'occasionally'.
- desseins
- Plans or intentions; purposes behind someone's actions.
- comparer
- To compare; to examine similarities and differences between things.
- nôtres
- Possessive pronoun meaning 'ours', referring to our own things.
- distinguer
- To distinguish or differentiate between different things or people.
- circonstances
- Circumstances; conditions or facts surrounding a situation or event.
- lesquelles
- Feminine plural relative pronoun meaning 'which' or 'in which'.
- cas
- Noun meaning 'case' or 'instance'; a particular situation.
- trouver
- To find or to be located; to discover something.
- modifié
- Past participle of 'modifier'; changed, altered, or adjusted.
- déchiffrer
- To decipher or decode; to make sense of something obscure.
- clé
- Key; something that unlocks or explains a mystery.
- plupart
- Noun meaning 'most' or 'the majority' of something.
- trompé
- Past participle of 'tromper'; deceived or misled by someone.
- soit
- Subjunctive of 'être'; meaning 'be', 'whether', or 'either'.
- trop
- Adverb meaning 'too much' or 'too many'.
- confiance
- Trust or confidence; belief in the reliability of someone.
- méfiance
- Distrust or suspicion; lack of confidence in someone.
- selon
- Preposition meaning 'according to' or 'depending on'.
- lit
- Third person singular of 'lire'; he/she reads.
- même
- Adjective or adverb meaning 'same', 'even', or 'itself'.
- lise
- Subjunctive of 'lire'; that he/she reads.
- travers
- Used in 'à travers' meaning 'through' or 'across'.
- parfaitement
- Adverb meaning 'perfectly' or 'absolutely', indicating completeness.
- voudra
- Future tense of 'vouloir'; he/she will want.
- cela
- Demonstrative pronoun meaning 'that' or 'this thing'.
- utile
- Adjective meaning 'useful' or 'helpful' for a purpose.
- connaissances
- Knowledge or acquaintances; things known or people known.
- peu
- Adverb meaning 'little' or 'few', indicating small quantity.
- nombreuses
- Adjective meaning 'numerous' or 'many', feminine plural form.
- Celui
- Masculine demonstrative pronoun meaning 'the one' or 'he who'.
- doit
- Third person singular of 'devoir'; must, owes, or has to.
- gouverner
- To govern or rule; to exercise authority over a group.
- Nation
- A nation; a large group sharing culture, history, or government.
- lire
- Infinitive meaning 'to read'; to interpret written text.
- tel
- Adjective meaning 'such' or 'such a', indicating similarity.
- particulier
- Adjective or noun meaning 'particular', 'specific', or 'individual'.
- Genre
- Genre or kind; a category, type, or class of something.
- humain
- Adjective meaning 'human', relating to people or humanity.
- apprendre
- To learn or to teach; to acquire knowledge or skills.
- quelque
- Adjective meaning 'some' or 'a certain', indicating vagueness.
- langue
- Language or tongue; a system of communication used by people.
- science
- Science or knowledge; systematic study of the natural world.
- néanmoins
- Adverb meaning 'nevertheless' or 'however', introducing a contrast.
- lorsque
- Conjunction meaning 'when' or 'at the time that'.
- aurai
- First person singular future of 'avoir'; I will have.
- consigné
- Past participle of 'consigner'; recorded, noted, or written down.
- propre
- Adjective meaning 'own', 'clean', or 'proper' depending on position.
- lecture
- Reading; the act of reading or an interpretation of text.
- manière
- Manner or way; the method or style of doing something.
- ordonnée
- Adjective meaning 'orderly', 'organized', or 'well-arranged'.
- claire
- Adjective meaning 'clear' or 'bright', easily understood.
- laissera
- Future of 'laisser'; will allow or will leave someone to.
- examiner
- To examine or inspect; to look at something carefully and critically.
- trouve
- Third person singular of 'trouver'; finds or is located.
- Car
- Conjunction meaning 'because' or 'for', giving a reason.
- genre
- Genre or kind; a category, type, or class of something.
- Doctrine
- A body of teachings or principles of a belief system.
- admet
- Third person singular of 'admettre'; admits or allows something.
- Démonstration
- A demonstration or proof; showing something clearly and logically.
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