Meditations — Page 7
He trod the path beaten by his predecessors, seeking only to do his duty as well as he could, and to keep out corruption.
Il suivit le chemin tracé par ses prédécesseurs, cherchant seulement à faire son devoir aussi bien qu'il le pouvait, et à tenir la corruption à l'écart.
He did some unwise things, it is true.
Il fit quelques choses imprudentes, il est vrai.
To create a compeer in empire, as he did with Verus, was a dangerous innovation which could only succeed if one of the two effaced himself; and under Diocletian this very precedent caused the Roman Empire to split into halves.
Créer un pair dans l'empire, comme il le fit avec Vérus, était une innovation dangereuse qui ne pouvait réussir que si l'un des deux s'effaçait ; et sous Dioclétien, ce précédent même causa la division de l'Empire romain en deux moitiés.
He erred in his civil administration by too much centralising.
Il pêcha dans son administration civile par un excès de centralisation.
But the strong point of his reign was the administration of justice.
Mais le point fort de son règne fut l'administration de la justice.
Marcus sought by-laws to protect the weak, to make the lot of the slaves less hard, to stand in place of father to the fatherless.
Marc chercha, par des lois, à protéger les faibles, à rendre le sort des esclaves moins dur, à tenir lieu de père aux orphelins.
Charitable foundations were endowed for rearing and educating poor children.
Des fondations charitables furent dotées pour élever et instruire les enfants pauvres.
The provinces were protected against oppression, and public help was given to cities or districts which might be visited by calamity.
Les provinces furent protégées contre l'oppression, et une aide publique fut accordée aux villes ou aux districts qui pouvaient être frappés par une calamité.
The great blot on his name, and one hard indeed to explain, is his treatment of the Christians.
La grande tache sur son nom, et qui est bien difficile à expliquer, est son traitement des chrétiens.
In his reign Justin at Rome became a martyr to his faith, and Polycarp at Smyrna, and we know of many outbreaks of fanaticism in the provinces which caused the death of the faithful.
Sous son règne, Justin à Rome devint martyr de sa foi, et Polycarpe à Smyrne, et nous connaissons de nombreuses explosions de fanatisme dans les provinces qui causèrent la mort des fidèles.
It is no excuse to plead that he knew nothing about the atrocities done in his name: it was his duty to know, and if he did not he would have been the first to confess that he had failed in his duty.
Ce n'est pas une excuse que de prétendre qu'il ne savait rien des atrocités commises en son nom : il était de son devoir de le savoir, et s'il ne le savait pas, il eût été le premier à avouer qu'il avait manqué à son devoir.
Vocabulary
- suivit
- Past simple of 'suivre'; he followed a path.
- chemin
- Path, road, or way taken toward a destination.
- tracé
- Traced or laid out; a route previously established.
- prédécesseurs
- Those who held a position before the current person.
- cherchant
- Present participle of 'chercher'; seeking or looking for something.
- seulement
- Adverb meaning 'only' or 'merely'.
- devoir
- One's duty or obligation; what one must do.
- pouvait
- Imperfect of 'pouvoir'; he was able to or could.
- tenir
- To hold, keep, or maintain something in place.
- corruption
- Dishonest conduct involving abuse of entrusted power.
- écart
- Distance or separation; tenir à l'écart means keep away.
- fit
- Past simple of 'faire'; he did or made something.
- quelques
- Adjective meaning 'some' or 'a few' things.
- imprudentes
- Reckless or unwise actions lacking proper caution.
- vrai
- Adjective meaning 'true' or 'real'.
- Créer
- To create or establish something new.
- pair
- Co-emperor or equal partner sharing imperial rule.
- empire
- A large territory ruled by an emperor or empress.
- innovation
- A new idea, method, or introduction of something novel.
- dangereuse
- Feminine adjective meaning 'dangerous' or 'hazardous'.
- réussir
- To succeed or accomplish a goal effectively.
- effaçait
- Imperfect of 'effacer'; one was erasing or stepping back.
- sous
- Preposition meaning 'under' or 'during the reign of'.
- précédent
- A prior example or case used to justify later actions.
- même
- Adjective or adverb meaning 'same', 'even', or 'itself'.
- causa
- Past simple of 'causer'; caused or brought about something.
- division
- The act of splitting something into separate parts.
- romain
- Adjective meaning 'Roman', relating to ancient Rome.
- moitiés
- Halves; the two equal parts of a divided whole.
- pêcha
- Past simple of 'pécher'; erred or sinned in some way.
- administration
- The management and organization of public or civic affairs.
- civile
- Adjective meaning 'civil' relating to citizens or government.
- excès
- An excess or going beyond what is reasonable or necessary.
- centralisation
- Concentration of control under a single central authority.
- point
- Here used as 'point fort' meaning strong point or strength.
- fort
- Adjective meaning 'strong'; 'point fort' means strong point.
- règne
- A monarch's reign; the period of a ruler's governance.
- fut
- Past simple of 'être'; meaning 'was'.
- justice
- Fairness, equity, and rightful treatment under the law.
- chercha
- Past simple of 'chercher'; he sought or looked for something.
- lois
- Laws; rules established by a governing authority.
- protéger
- To protect or defend someone from harm or danger.
- faibles
- The weak; those lacking power, strength, or resources.
- rendre
- To render, make, or give something to someone.
- sort
- Fate or lot in life; one's condition or circumstances.
- esclaves
- Slaves; persons held in bondage without freedom.
- dur
- Adjective meaning 'hard', 'harsh', or 'difficult'.
- lieu
- Place; 'tenir lieu de' means to serve as a substitute.
- orphelins
- Orphans; children whose parents have died.
- fondations
- Charitable foundations established to support social causes.
- charitables
- Adjective meaning 'charitable'; relating to benevolent giving.
- furent
- Past simple plural of 'être'; meaning 'were'.
- dotées
- Endowed or funded; provided with financial resources.
- élever
- To raise or bring up children; to educate and nurture.
- instruire
- To instruct or educate; to teach someone knowledge or skills.
- pauvres
- The poor; people lacking sufficient financial resources.
- provinces
- Administrative regions or territories of a larger empire.
- protégées
- Feminine plural of 'protégé'; protected or shielded from harm.
- oppression
- Cruel, unjust exercise of authority over others.
- aide
- Help or assistance given to someone in need.
- publique
- Adjective meaning 'public'; relating to the general community.
- accordée
- Granted or given; past participle of 'accorder'.
- districts
- Designated administrative or geographical subdivisions of territory.
- pouvaient
- Imperfect plural of 'pouvoir'; they were able to or could.
- frappés
- Struck or hit; afflicted by a disaster or calamity.
- calamité
- A great disaster or catastrophe causing widespread suffering.
- tache
- A stain or blemish; a mark on one's reputation.
- difficile
- Adjective meaning 'difficult' or 'hard to understand'.
- expliquer
- To explain or clarify the reasons for something.
- traitement
- Treatment; the way someone or something is handled.
- chrétiens
- Christians; followers of the Christian faith.
- Sous
- Preposition meaning 'under' or 'during the time of'.
- devint
- Past simple of 'devenir'; he became something.
- martyr
- A person killed for their religious beliefs or convictions.
- foi
- Faith; religious belief or trust in a divine power.
- connaissons
- Present tense of 'connaître'; we know or are aware of.
- nombreuses
- Feminine plural adjective meaning 'numerous' or 'many'.
- explosions
- Outbursts or sudden violent eruptions of violence or emotion.
- fanatisme
- Extreme, irrational zeal especially in religious matters.
- causèrent
- Past simple plural of 'causer'; they caused or provoked.
- mort
- Death; the end of life of a person.
- fidèles
- Faithful believers; devoted followers of a religion.
- excuse
- A justification or reason offered to pardon wrongdoing.
- prétendre
- To claim or assert something, often falsely.
- savait
- Imperfect of 'savoir'; he knew or was aware of facts.
- rien
- Pronoun meaning 'nothing' in negative constructions.
- atrocités
- Extremely wicked or cruel acts; horrific crimes.
- commises
- Feminine plural of 'commis'; crimes committed or perpetrated.
- savoir
- To know; here implies the possibility of knowing the truth.
- eût
- Imperfect subjunctive of 'avoir'; would have had or known.
- avouer
- To admit or confess something truthfully.
- manqué
- Past participle of 'manquer'; failed or fallen short.
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