Second Treatise of Government — Page 2

English → Fr Book II Level 9/10

That if even that had been determined, yet the knowledge of which is the eldest line of Adam's posterity, being so long since utterly lost, that in the races of mankind and families of the world, there remains not to one above another, the least pretence to be the eldest house, and to have the right of inheritance:

Que même si cela avait été déterminé, la connaissance de quelle est la ligne aînée de la postérité d'Adam, étant depuis si longtemps entièrement perdue, que parmi les races de l'humanité et les familles du monde, il ne reste à l'une plus qu'à l'autre, la moindre prétention à être la maison aînée, et à avoir le droit d'héritage :

All these premises having, as I think, been clearly made out, it is impossible that the rulers now on earth should make any benefit, or derive any the least shadow of authority from that, which is held to be the fountain of all power, Adam's private dominion and paternal jurisdiction; so that he that will not give just occasion to think that all government in the world is the product only of force and violence, and that men live together by no other rules but that of beasts, where the strongest carries it, and so lay a foundation for perpetual disorder and mischief, tumult, sedition and rebellion, (things that the followers of that hypothesis so loudly cry out against) must of necessity find out another rise of government, another original of political power, and another way of designing and knowing the persons that have it, than what Sir Robert Filmer hath taught us.

Toutes ces prémisses ayant, selon moi, été clairement établies, il est impossible que les dirigeants actuellement sur terre puissent tirer le moindre bénéfice, ou dériver la moindre ombre d'autorité de ce qui est considéré comme la source de tout pouvoir, à savoir la domination privée d'Adam et sa juridiction paternelle ; de sorte que celui qui ne voudra pas donner juste occasion de penser que tout gouvernement dans le monde n'est que le produit de la force et de la violence, et que les hommes vivent ensemble selon d'autres règles que celles des bêtes, où le plus fort l'emporte, et ainsi poser les fondements d'un désordre perpétuel et de méfaits, de troubles, de sédition et de rébellion, (choses contre lesquelles les partisans de cette hypothèse s'élèvent si bruyamment) doit nécessairement trouver une autre origine du gouvernement, une autre source du pouvoir politique, et une autre façon de désigner et de connaître les personnes qui le détiennent, que celle que Sir Robert Filmer nous a enseignée.

Sect. 2.

Vocabulary

Que: kə — That; introduces a subordinate clause or comparison.
même: mɛm — Even; same; itself; used for emphasis.
si: si — If; so; yes (in response to negation).
cela: səla — That; that thing; refers to something previously mentioned.
avait: avɛ — Had; third-person singular imperfect of 'avoir'.
été: ete — Been; past participle of 'être' (to be).
déterminé: detɛʁmine — Determined; established; resolved with certainty.
connaissance: kɔnɛsɑ̃s — Knowledge; awareness; understanding of a subject.
quelle: kɛl — Which; what; feminine form of interrogative adjective.
ligne: liɲ — Line; lineage; row; sequence or family descent.
aînée: ene — Elder; eldest; firstborn female in a family.
postérité: pɔsteʁite — Posterity; descendants; future generations of a lineage.
étant: etɑ̃ — Being; present participle of 'être'; currently existing.
depuis: dəpɥi — Since; for; from a point in time onward.
longtemps: lɔ̃tɑ̃ — A long time; for a lengthy duration.
entièrement: ɑ̃tjɛʁəmɑ̃ — Entirely; completely; wholly without exception.
perdue: pɛʁdy — Lost; feminine past participle of 'perdre' (to lose).
que: kə — That; than; introduces subordinate clause or comparison.
parmi: paʁmi — Among; amid; within a group or collection.
races: ʁas — Races; peoples; broad groupings of humankind.
humanité: ymanite — Humanity; humankind; the whole of the human race.
familles: famij — Families; households; groups of related individuals.
monde: mɔ̃d — World; people; everyone; the entire earth.
reste: ʁɛst — Remains; stays; is left over from something.
plus: ply — More; no more; used in comparisons and negation.
autre: otʁ — Other; another; different from the one mentioned.
moindre: mwɛ̃dʁ — Lesser; slightest; smallest in degree or importance.
prétention: pʁetɑ̃sjɔ̃ — Claim; pretension; assertion of right or entitlement.
être: ɛtʁ — To be; infinitive of the fundamental linking verb.
maison: mɛzɔ̃ — House; home; household; dynasty or noble family.
avoir: avwaʁ — To have; infinitive of fundamental auxiliary verb.
droit: dʁwa — Right; law; entitlement; something one is owed.
héritage: eʁitaʒ — Inheritance; heritage; property or rights passed down.
Toutes: tut — All; every; feminine plural form of 'tout'.
ces: se — These; those; plural demonstrative adjective.
prémisses: pʁemis — Premises; propositions forming the basis of argument.
ayant: ɛjɑ̃ — Having; present participle of 'avoir' (to have).
selon: səlɔ̃ — According to; in accordance with someone's view.
moi: mwa — Me; I; stressed first-person singular pronoun.
clairement: klɛʁmɑ̃ — Clearly; plainly; in an easily understood manner.
établies: etabli — Established; set up; feminine plural past participle.
impossible: ɛ̃pɔsibl — Impossible; not able to occur or be done.
dirigeants: diʁiʒɑ̃ — Leaders; rulers; those currently governing or directing.
actuellement: aktyɛlmɑ̃ — Currently; at present; at this moment in time.
terre: tɛʁ — Earth; land; ground; the world we inhabit.
puissent: pɥis — Can; may; third-person plural present subjunctive of 'pouvoir'.
tirer: tiʁe — To draw; to pull; to derive benefit from something.
bénéfice: benefis — Benefit; profit; advantage gained from something.
dériver: deʁive — To derive; to originate; to draw from a source.
ombre: ɔ̃bʁ — Shadow; shade; slightest trace of something.
autorité: otoʁite — Authority; power; right to command or govern others.
considéré: kɔ̃sideʁe — Considered; regarded; viewed as being a certain thing.
comme: kɔm — As; like; in the manner of something else.
source: suʁs — Source; origin; spring; starting point of something.
tout: tu — All; every; whole; entirely without exception.
pouvoir: puvwaʁ — Power; ability; to be able to; authority.
savoir: savwaʁ — To know; knowledge; understanding of facts or skills.
domination: dɔminasjɔ̃ — Domination; control; exercise of power over others.
privée: pʁive — Private; personal; not public; restricted to individuals.
juridiction: ʒyʁidiksj ɔ̃ — Jurisdiction; legal authority over a territory or matter.
paternelle: patɛʁnɛl — Paternal; fatherly; relating to a father's authority.
sorte: sɔʁt — Sort; kind; type; manner or way of something.
celui: səlɥi — The one; that one; masculine singular demonstrative pronoun.
voudra: vudʁa — Will want; third-person singular future of 'vouloir'.
donner: dɔne — To give; to provide; to hand something to someone.
juste: ʒyst — Just; fair; right; accurate; reasonable in judgment.
occasion: ɔkazjɔ̃ — Occasion; opportunity; reason; a favorable moment.
penser: pɑ̃se — To think; to believe; to reflect on something.
gouvernement: guvɛʁnəmɑ̃ — Government; governing body; system of ruling a state.
produit: pʁodɥi — Produces; product; result of a process or action.
force: fɔʁs — Force; strength; power; coercive physical power.
violence: vjɔlɑ̃s — Violence; use of force causing harm or injury.
hommes: ɔm — Men; humans; people; adult male human beings.
vivent: viv — Live; third-person plural present of 'vivre' (to live).
ensemble: ɑ̃sɑ̃bl — Together; as a group; in company with others.
autres: otʁ — Others; other ones; different people or things.
règles: ʁɛgl — Rules; regulations; norms governing behavior or conduct.
celles: sɛl — Those; the ones; feminine plural demonstrative pronoun.
bêtes: bɛt — Beasts; animals; creatures lacking human reason.
où: u — Where; in which; relative adverb of place or time.
fort: fɔʁ — Strong; the strongest; the powerful one wins.
emporte: ɑ̃pɔʁt — Wins; prevails; carries away; the stronger one dominates.
ainsi: ɛ̃si — Thus; so; in this way; consequently.
poser: poze — To place; to lay; to pose; to establish foundations.
fondements: fɔ̃dəmɑ̃ — Foundations; bases; fundamental principles underlying something.
désordre: dezɔʁdʁ — Disorder; chaos; lack of order or organization.
perpétuel: pɛʁpetɥɛl — Perpetual; endless; continuing without stopping forever.
méfaits: mefɛ — Misdeeds; wrongdoings; harmful or criminal acts.
troubles: tʁubl — Troubles; disturbances; social unrest or disorder.
sédition: sedisjɔ̃ — Sedition; incitement against authority; subversive conduct.
rébellion: ʁebɛljɔ̃ — Rebellion; armed resistance against established authority.
choses: ʃoz — Things; matters; objects or subjects under discussion.
contre: kɔ̃tʁ — Against; opposed to; in opposition or resistance to.
lesquelles: lɛkɛl — Which; the ones which; feminine plural relative pronoun.
partisans: paʁtizɑ̃ — Partisans; supporters; strong advocates of a position.
cette: sɛt — This; that; feminine singular demonstrative adjective.
hypothèse: ipɔtɛz — Hypothesis; assumption; supposition used as a basis.
élèvent: elɛv — Rise up; raise objections; protest loudly against something.
bruyamment: bʁɥijamɑ̃ — Noisily; loudly; in a clamorous or vociferous manner.
doit: dwa — Must; should; owes; third-person singular of 'devoir'.
nécessairement: nesesɛʁmɑ̃ — Necessarily; inevitably; as an unavoidable consequence.
trouver: tʁuve — To find; to discover; to locate something sought.
origine: ɔʁiʒin — Origin; beginning; source from which something derives.
politique: pɔlitik — Political; politics; pertaining to governance and power.
façon: fasɔ̃ — Way; manner; fashion; method of doing something.
désigner: deziɲe — To designate; to identify; to indicate or appoint someone.
connaître: kɔnɛtʁ — To know; to be acquainted with a person or thing.
personnes: pɛʁsɔn — Persons; people; individuals; human beings in general.
détiennent: detjɛn — Hold; possess; third-person plural present of 'détenir'.
celle: sɛl — The one; that one; feminine singular demonstrative pronoun.
enseignée: ɑ̃sɛɲe — Taught; shown; feminine past participle of 'enseigner'.

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