Notre-Dame de Paris — Page 10

English → Fr Full Text Level 8/10

, there would have been no documents in the trial of Ravaillac deposited in the clerk's office of the Palais de Justice, no accomplices interested in causing the said documents to disappear; hence, no incendiaries obliged, for lack of better means, to burn the clerk's office in order to burn the documents, and to burn the Palais de Justice in order to burn the clerk's office; consequently, in short, no conflagration in 1618.

, il n'y aurait pas eu de pièces du procès de Ravaillac déposées au greffe du Palais de Justice, pas de complices intéressés à faire disparaître lesdites pièces ; donc, pas d'incendiaires obligés, faute de meilleurs moyens, de brûler le greffe pour brûler les pièces, et de brûler le Palais de Justice pour brûler le greffe ; par conséquent, en un mot, pas de conflagration en 1618.

The old Palais would be standing still, with its ancient grand hall; I should be able to say to the reader, "Go and look at it," and we should thus both escape the necessity,—I of making, and he of reading, a description of it, such as it is.

Le vieux Palais serait encore debout, avec son antique grande salle ; je pourrais dire au lecteur : « Allez la voir », et nous éviterions ainsi tous deux la nécessité, — moi de la décrire, et lui de lire cette description, telle qu'elle est.

Which demonstrates a new truth: that great events have incalculable results.

Ce qui démontre une vérité nouvelle : que les grands événements ont des résultats incalculables.

It is true that it may be quite possible, in the first place, that Ravaillac had no accomplices; and in the second, that if he had any, they were in no way connected with the fire of 1618.

Il est vrai qu'il se peut fort bien, en premier lieu, que Ravaillac n'ait pas eu de complices ; et en second lieu, que s'il en avait eu, ils n'étaient en rien liés à l'incendie de 1618.

Two other very plausible explanations exist: First, the great flaming star, a foot broad, and a cubit high, which fell from heaven, as every one knows, upon the law courts, after midnight on the seventh of March; second, Théophile's quatrain,—

Il existe deux autres explications fort plausibles : premièrement, la grande étoile flamboyante, large d'un pied et haute d'une coudée, qui tomba du ciel, comme chacun sait, sur le Palais de Justice, après minuit le sept mars ; deuxièmement, le quatrain de Théophile :

"Sure, 'twas but a sorry game / When at Paris, Dame Justice, / Through having eaten too much spice, / Set the palace all aflame.

« C'était certes un triste jeu / Quand à Paris, dame Justice, / Pour avoir mangé trop d'épice, / Mit le palais tout en feu.

Vocabulary

il: Third-person singular masculine pronoun meaning 'he' or 'it'.
n': Negation particle, contracted form of 'ne'.
y: Pronoun meaning 'there' or 'it' referring to a place.
aurait: Conditional form of 'avoir', meaning 'would have'.
pas: Negation word meaning 'not'.
eu: Past participle of 'avoir', meaning 'had'.
de: Preposition meaning 'of', 'from', or 'some'.
pièces: Plural noun meaning 'documents', 'pieces', or 'rooms'.
du: Contraction of 'de le', meaning 'of the'.
procès: Noun meaning 'trial' or 'legal proceedings'.
déposées: Past participle meaning 'filed', 'deposited', or 'submitted'.
au: Contraction of 'à le', meaning 'at the' or 'to the'.
greffe: Noun meaning 'clerk's office' or court registry.
Palais: Noun meaning 'palace'; here refers to a courthouse.
Justice: Noun meaning 'justice' or the judicial system.
complices: Noun meaning 'accomplices' or co-conspirators in a crime.
intéressés: Adjective meaning 'interested' or 'having a stake in'.
à: Preposition meaning 'to', 'at', or 'in'.
faire: Verb meaning 'to do' or 'to make'.
disparaître: Verb meaning 'to disappear' or 'to vanish'.
donc: Conjunction meaning 'therefore', 'so', or 'consequently'.
d': Contracted preposition 'de' before a vowel, meaning 'of'.
incendiaires: Noun/adjective meaning 'arsonists' or 'incendiary'.
obligés: Adjective meaning 'forced', 'compelled', or 'obligated'.
faute: Noun meaning 'fault', 'lack', or 'for want of'.
meilleurs: Adjective meaning 'better' or 'best' (plural).
moyens: Noun meaning 'means', 'methods', or 'resources'.
brûler: Verb meaning 'to burn' or 'to set on fire'.
le: Definite article meaning 'the' (masculine singular).
pour: Preposition meaning 'for', 'in order to'.
les: Definite article meaning 'the' (plural).
et: Conjunction meaning 'and'.
par: Preposition meaning 'by', 'through', or 'per'.
conséquent: Adjective/noun meaning 'consequent'; 'par conséquent' means 'therefore'.
en: Preposition or pronoun meaning 'in', 'on', or 'some'.
un: Indefinite article meaning 'a' or 'one' (masculine).
mot: Noun meaning 'word'.
conflagration: Noun meaning 'conflagration', a large destructive fire.
Le: Definite article meaning 'the' (masculine singular).
vieux: Adjective meaning 'old' (masculine).
serait: Conditional form of 'être', meaning 'would be'.
encore: Adverb meaning 'still', 'yet', or 'again'.
debout: Adverb meaning 'standing', 'upright', or 'still standing'.
avec: Preposition meaning 'with'.
son: Possessive adjective meaning 'his', 'her', or 'its'.
antique: Adjective meaning 'ancient', 'antique', or 'very old'.
grande: Adjective meaning 'large', 'great', or 'big' (feminine).
salle: Noun meaning 'hall', 'room', or 'large chamber'.
je: First-person singular pronoun meaning 'I'.
pourrais: Conditional form of 'pouvoir', meaning 'I could'.
dire: Verb meaning 'to say' or 'to tell'.
lecteur: Noun meaning 'reader' (masculine).
Allez: Imperative form of 'aller', meaning 'Go!'.
la: Definite article or pronoun meaning 'the' or 'her'.
voir: Verb meaning 'to see'.
nous: First-person plural pronoun meaning 'we' or 'us'.
éviterions: Conditional form of 'éviter', meaning 'we would avoid'.
ainsi: Adverb meaning 'thus', 'so', or 'in this way'.
tous: Adjective/pronoun meaning 'all' or 'every' (masculine plural).
deux: Number meaning 'two'.
nécessité: Noun meaning 'necessity' or 'need'.
moi: Stressed first-person pronoun meaning 'me' or 'I'.
décrire: Verb meaning 'to describe'.
lui: Pronoun meaning 'him', 'her', or 'to him/her'.
lire: Verb meaning 'to read'.
cette: Demonstrative adjective meaning 'this' (feminine).
description: Noun meaning 'description' or 'detailed account'.
telle: Adjective meaning 'such' or 'as it is' (feminine).
qu': Contracted conjunction 'que', meaning 'that' or 'as'.
elle: Third-person feminine pronoun meaning 'she' or 'it'.
est: Third-person singular of 'être', meaning 'is'.
Ce: Demonstrative pronoun meaning 'this', 'that', or 'it'.
qui: Relative pronoun meaning 'who', 'which', or 'that'.
démontre: Verb meaning 'demonstrates' or 'proves'.
une: Indefinite article meaning 'a' or 'one' (feminine).
vérité: Noun meaning 'truth'.
nouvelle: Adjective meaning 'new' (feminine); also noun 'short story'.
que: Conjunction or relative pronoun meaning 'that', 'which'.
grands: Adjective meaning 'great' or 'large' (masculine plural).
événements: Noun meaning 'events' or 'occurrences' (plural).
ont: Third-person plural of 'avoir', meaning 'have'.
des: Indefinite plural article meaning 'some' or 'of the'.
résultats: Noun meaning 'results' or 'outcomes' (plural).
incalculables: Adjective meaning 'incalculable' or 'immeasurable' (plural).
Il: Third-person singular masculine pronoun meaning 'he' or 'it'.
vrai: Adjective meaning 'true' or 'real'.
se: Reflexive pronoun meaning 'oneself', 'himself', 'herself'.
peut: Third-person singular of 'pouvoir', meaning 'can' or 'may'.
fort: Adverb meaning 'very' or 'strongly'; adjective 'strong'.
bien: Adverb meaning 'well' or 'very'.
premier: Adjective meaning 'first' (masculine).
lieu: Noun meaning 'place'; 'en premier lieu' means 'firstly'.
ait: Subjunctive form of 'avoir', meaning 'has' or 'have'.
second: Adjective meaning 'second' (masculine).
s': Contracted reflexive pronoun 'se' before a vowel.
avait: Imperfect form of 'avoir', meaning 'had' or 'was having'.
ils: Third-person plural masculine pronoun meaning 'they'.
étaient: Imperfect form of 'être', meaning 'were'.
rien: Pronoun meaning 'nothing' or 'not anything'.
liés: Past participle of 'lier', meaning 'linked' or 'connected'.
l': Contracted definite article 'le' or 'la' before a vowel.
incendie: Noun meaning 'fire' or 'blaze' (destructive).
existe: Verb meaning 'exists' or 'there exists'.
autres: Adjective/pronoun meaning 'other' or 'others' (plural).
explications: Noun meaning 'explanations' or 'accounts' (plural).
plausibles: Adjective meaning 'plausible' or 'believable' (plural).
premièrement: Adverb meaning 'firstly' or 'in the first place'.
étoile: Noun meaning 'star'.
flamboyante: Adjective meaning 'flaming', 'blazing', or 'flamboyant'.
large: Adjective meaning 'wide', 'broad', or 'large'.
pied: Noun meaning 'foot' (body part or unit of measurement).
haute: Adjective meaning 'high' or 'tall' (feminine).
tomba: Past historic form of 'tomber', meaning 'fell'.
ciel: Noun meaning 'sky' or 'heaven'.
comme: Conjunction/adverb meaning 'as', 'like', or 'since'.
chacun: Pronoun meaning 'everyone', 'each one'.
sait: Third-person singular of 'savoir', meaning 'knows'.
sur: Preposition meaning 'on', 'upon', or 'over'.
après: Preposition meaning 'after'.
minuit: Noun meaning 'midnight'.
sept: Number meaning 'seven'.
mars: Noun meaning 'March' (month).
deuxièmement: Adverb meaning 'secondly' or 'in the second place'.
quatrain: Noun meaning 'quatrain', a four-line stanza of poetry.
C': Contracted form of 'ce' before a vowel, meaning 'it'.
était: Imperfect form of 'être', meaning 'was'.
certes: Adverb meaning 'certainly', 'admittedly', or 'indeed'.
triste: Adjective meaning 'sad' or 'sorrowful'.
jeu: Noun meaning 'game', 'play', or 'jest'.
Quand: Conjunction meaning 'when'.
dame: Noun meaning 'lady', 'woman', or 'dame'.
Pour: Preposition meaning 'for', 'in order to', 'because of'.
avoir: Verb meaning 'to have'.
mangé: Past participle of 'manger', meaning 'eaten'.
trop: Adverb meaning 'too much' or 'too many'.
épice: Noun meaning 'spice'.
Mit: Past historic form of 'mettre', meaning 'put' or 'set'.
palais: Noun meaning 'palace'; also 'palate' (anatomy).
tout: Adjective/adverb meaning 'all', 'whole', or 'entirely'.
feu: Noun meaning 'fire'.

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