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Second Treatise of Government — Page 9

English → Fr Book II Level 9/10

Which being a trespass against the whole species, and the peace and safety of it, provided for by the law of nature, every man upon this score, by the right he hath to preserve mankind in general, may restrain, or where it is necessary, destroy things noxious to them, and so may bring such evil on any one, who hath transgressed that law, as may make him repent the doing of it, and thereby deter him, and by his example others, from doing the like mischief.

Ce qui constituant une atteinte à l'espèce tout entière, et à sa paix et à sa sûreté, garanties par la loi de nature, tout homme, à ce titre, en vertu du droit qu'il a de préserver le genre humain en général, peut réprimer, ou, lorsque cela est nécessaire, détruire les choses qui lui sont nuisibles, et peut ainsi infliger un tel mal à quiconque a transgressé cette loi, de nature à lui faire regretter de l'avoir fait, et à le dissuader par là, ainsi que les autres par son exemple, de commettre un semblable méfait.

And in the case, and upon this ground, EVERY MAN HATH A RIGHT TO PUNISH THE OFFENDER, AND BE EXECUTIONER OF THE LAW OF NATURE.

Et dans ce cas, et sur ce fondement, TOUT HOMME A LE DROIT DE PUNIR LE COUPABLE, ET D'ÊTRE L'EXÉCUTEUR DE LA LOI DE NATURE.

Sect. 9. I doubt not but this will seem a very strange doctrine to some men: but before they condemn it, I desire them to resolve me, by what right any prince or state can put to death, or punish an alien, for any crime he commits in their country.

Art. 9. Je ne doute pas que cela ne paraisse une doctrine fort étrange à certains hommes : mais avant qu'ils la condamnent, je leur demande de me dire de quel droit un prince ou un État peut mettre à mort, ou punir un étranger, pour quelque crime qu'il commette dans leur pays.

It is certain their laws, by virtue of any sanction they receive from the promulgated will of the legislative, reach not a stranger: they speak not to him, nor, if they did, is he bound to hearken to them.

Il est certain que leurs lois, en vertu de quelque sanction qu'elles reçoivent de la volonté promulguée du législatif, n'atteignent pas un étranger : elles ne lui parlent pas, et quand bien même elles le feraient, il ne serait pas tenu de les écouter.

The legislative authority, by which they are in force over the subjects of that commonwealth, hath no power over him.

L'autorité législative, en vertu de laquelle elles sont en vigueur sur les sujets de cet État, n'a aucun pouvoir sur lui.

Vocabulary

Ce
Demonstrative pronoun or adjective meaning 'this' or 'that'
qui
Relative pronoun meaning 'who' or 'which'
constituant
Forming or making up a part of something
une
Indefinite article meaning 'a' or 'an' (feminine)
atteinte
An attack, violation, or infringement upon something
à
Preposition meaning 'to,' 'at,' or 'in'
l'
Definite article 'the' before a vowel sound
espèce
A species or kind of living beings
tout
Adjective or pronoun meaning 'all' or 'entire'
entière
Adjective meaning 'whole' or 'complete' (feminine)
et
Conjunction meaning 'and'
sa
Possessive adjective meaning 'his,' 'her,' or 'its' (feminine)
paix
A state of peace, calm, or tranquility
sûreté
Safety, security, or protection from harm
garanties
Guarantees or assurances of rights or protections
par
Preposition meaning 'by' or 'through'
la
Definite article meaning 'the' (feminine singular)
loi
A law or legal rule established by authority
de
Preposition meaning 'of' or 'from'
nature
The natural world or inherent character of things
homme
A man or human being generally
ce
Demonstrative adjective or pronoun meaning 'this'
titre
A title, right, or grounds for a claim
en
Preposition meaning 'in,' 'on,' or 'as'
vertu
Virtue; also used in 'en vertu de' meaning 'by virtue of'
du
Contraction of 'de le,' meaning 'of the'
droit
A right or entitlement; also law as a discipline
qu'
Conjunction or pronoun 'that' or 'which' before a vowel
il
Subject pronoun meaning 'he' or 'it'
a
Third-person singular of 'avoir,' meaning 'has'
préserver
To preserve or protect something from harm
le
Definite article meaning 'the' (masculine singular)
genre
Kind, sort, or gender; 'genre humain' means humankind
humain
Adjective meaning 'human' relating to people
général
General or common to all; in a broad sense
peut
Third-person singular of 'pouvoir,' meaning 'can' or 'may'
réprimer
To repress, suppress, or restrain something harmful
ou
Conjunction meaning 'or'
lorsque
Conjunction meaning 'when' indicating a time condition
cela
Demonstrative pronoun meaning 'that' or 'it'
est
Third-person singular of 'être,' meaning 'is'
nécessaire
Adjective meaning 'necessary' or 'required'
détruire
To destroy or demolish something completely
les
Definite article meaning 'the' (plural)
choses
Things or objects in a general sense
lui
Personal pronoun meaning 'him,' 'her,' or 'to him/her'
sont
Third-person plural of 'être,' meaning 'are'
nuisibles
Harmful, noxious, or detrimental to someone or something
ainsi
Adverb meaning 'thus,' 'so,' or 'in this way'
infliger
To inflict a punishment or hardship on someone
un
Indefinite article meaning 'a' or 'an' (masculine)
tel
Adjective meaning 'such' or 'such a'
mal
Evil, harm, or pain inflicted on someone
quiconque
Pronoun meaning 'whoever' or 'anyone who'
transgressé
Past participle of 'transgresser,' meaning 'transgressed' or 'violated'
cette
Demonstrative adjective meaning 'this' (feminine singular)
faire
To do or to make something
regretter
To regret or feel sorry for a past action
avoir
To have; also used as an auxiliary verb
fait
Past participle of 'faire': done; also a noun meaning 'fact'
dissuader
To dissuade or deter someone from an action
là
Adverb meaning 'there' indicating a place or point
que
Conjunction or pronoun meaning 'that,' 'which,' or 'than'
autres
Adjective or pronoun meaning 'others' or 'other'
son
Possessive adjective meaning 'his,' 'her,' or 'its'
exemple
An example or model that others might follow
commettre
To commit a crime or wrongful act
semblable
Similar or alike; also a noun meaning 'fellow human'
méfait
A misdeed, wrongdoing, or harmful act committed
Et
Conjunction meaning 'and,' used to connect clauses
dans
Preposition meaning 'in' or 'within'
cas
A case, situation, or instance of something
sur
Preposition meaning 'on,' 'upon,' or 'based on'
fondement
A foundation, basis, or grounds for something
TOUT
Every or all; emphatic form of 'tout'
HOMME
Man or human being; emphatic capitalized form
A
Has; third-person singular of 'avoir' (capitalized)
LE
Definite article 'the' (masculine singular, capitalized)
DROIT
Right or entitlement; emphasized in capitalized form
DE
Preposition 'of' or 'to' in capitalized emphatic form
PUNIR
To punish; infinitive used in emphatic declaration
COUPABLE
The guilty party or offender who committed a wrong
ET
'And,' conjunction in capitalized emphatic form
D'
Contraction of 'de' before a vowel meaning 'of' or 'to'
ÊTRE
To be; infinitive of the verb 'être' (capitalized)
L'
Definite article 'the' before a vowel (capitalized)
EXÉCUTEUR
The executor or enforcer who carries out a sentence
LA
Definite article 'the' (feminine singular, capitalized)
LOI
Law or legal rule (capitalized for emphasis)
NATURE
Nature; the natural world or inherent order (capitalized)
Art
Abbreviation for 'Article' in a legal or written text
Je
First-person singular subject pronoun meaning 'I'
ne
Negation particle used with 'pas' to negate a verb
doute
To doubt; also a noun meaning 'doubt' or 'uncertainty'
pas
Negation particle meaning 'not,' used with 'ne'
paraisse
Subjunctive of 'paraître,' meaning 'appears' or 'seems'
doctrine
A doctrine or body of teachings on a subject
fort
Adverb meaning 'very' or 'strongly'; adjective 'strong'
étrange
Strange, odd, or unusual in nature or appearance
certains
Certain or some; referring to particular unspecified people
hommes
Men or human beings; plural of 'homme'
mais
Conjunction meaning 'but' introducing contrast
avant
Before (in time or order); preposition or adverb
ils
Third-person plural subject pronoun meaning 'they'
condamnent
They condemn or find guilty; third-person plural verb
je
First-person singular subject pronoun meaning 'I'
leur
Indirect object pronoun meaning 'to them' or 'their'
demande
To ask or request; first-person singular of 'demander'
me
Reflexive or object pronoun meaning 'me' or 'to me'
dire
To say or tell; infinitive of the verb 'dire'
quel
Interrogative adjective meaning 'which' or 'what'
prince
A prince or ruler governing a territory or state
État
A state or nation as a political entity
mettre
To put or place; also used in expressions like 'mettre à mort'
mort
Death; 'mettre à mort' means to put to death
punir
To punish someone for a crime or offense
étranger
A foreigner or stranger from another country
pour
Preposition meaning 'for,' 'in order to,' or 'because of'
quelque
Adjective meaning 'some' or 'any' before a noun
crime
A crime or serious offense against law or morality
commette
Subjunctive of 'commettre,' meaning 'commits' a crime
pays
A country, land, or region where one lives
Il
Subject pronoun meaning 'he,' 'it,' or impersonal 'it'
certain
Certain or sure; adjective expressing assurance
leurs
Possessive adjective meaning 'their' (plural noun follows)
lois
Laws; plural of 'loi,' legal rules of a society
sanction
A sanction, penalty, or official approval of something
elles
Third-person feminine plural pronoun meaning 'they'
reçoivent
They receive; third-person plural of 'recevoir'
volonté
Will or intention; the desire or determination to act
promulguée
Promulgated or officially proclaimed as a law or decree
législatif
Legislative; relating to the body that makes laws
n'
Negation particle 'ne' contracted before a vowel
atteignent
They reach or affect; third-person plural of 'atteindre'
parlent
They speak or address; third-person plural of 'parler'
quand
Conjunction or adverb meaning 'when'
bien
Well; adverb; 'quand bien même' means 'even if'
même
Same, even, or itself; used for emphasis or comparison
feraient
They would do; conditional of 'faire' (third-person plural)
serait
Would be; conditional of 'être' (third-person singular)
tenu
Obligated or bound; past participle of 'tenir' meaning 'held'
écouter
To listen to or heed someone or something
autorité
Authority or power held by a person or institution
législative
Legislative; relating to the power to make laws
laquelle
Relative pronoun meaning 'which' (feminine singular)
vigueur
Vigor or force; 'en vigueur' means 'in effect' legally
sujets
Subjects of a ruler; also topics or grammatical subjects
cet
Demonstrative adjective 'this' before masculine vowel-starting noun
aucun
No, none, or not any; negative adjective or pronoun
pouvoir
Power or authority; also the verb 'to be able to'
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