Second Treatise of Government — Page 3

English → It Preface Level 9/10

If these papers have that evidence, I flatter myself is to be found in them, there will be no great miss of those which are lost, and my reader may be satisfied without them: for I imagine, I shall have neither the time, nor inclination to repeat my pains, and fill up the wanting part of my answer, by tracing Sir Robert again, through all the windings and obscurities, which are to be met with in the several branches of his wonderful system.

Se questi scritti contengono quella prova che mi lusingo di trovare in essi, non si sentirà grande mancanza di quelli che sono andati perduti, e il mio lettore potrà essere soddisfatto senza di essi: poiché immagino che non avrò né il tempo né la voglia di ripetere le mie fatiche e di colmare la parte mancante della mia risposta, ripercorrendo Sir Robert attraverso tutti i meandri e le oscurità che si incontrano nei vari rami del suo mirabile sistema.

The king, and body of the nation, have since so thoroughly confuted his Hypothesis, that I suppose no body hereafter will have either the confidence to appear against our common safety, and be again an advocate for slavery; or the weakness to be deceived with contradictions dressed up in a popular stile, and well-turned periods: for if any one will be at the pains, himself, in those parts, which are here untouched, to strip Sir Robert's discourses of the flourish of doubtful expressions, and endeavour to reduce his words to direct, positive, intelligible propositions, and then compare them one with another, he will quickly be satisfied, there was never so much glib nonsense put together in well-sounding English.

Il re e il corpo della nazione hanno da allora confutato così a fondo la sua Ipotesi, che suppongo che nessuno in futuro avrà né l'audacia di schierarsi contro la nostra comune sicurezza e di farsi nuovamente avvocato della schiavitù, né la debolezza di lasciarsi ingannare da contraddizioni adornate con uno stile popolare e periodi ben torniti: poiché se qualcuno vorrà prendersi la pena, di persona, in quelle parti qui non toccate, di spogliare i discorsi di Sir Robert del fiorire di espressioni ambigue e di sforzarsi di ridurre le sue parole a proposizioni dirette, positive e intelligibili, e poi di confrontarle le une con le altre, si convincerà rapidamente che non fu mai messa insieme tanta scivolosa insensatezza in un inglese dal suono così gradevole.

If he think it not worth while to examine his works all thro', let him make an experiment in that part, where he treats of usurpation; and let him try, whether he can, with all his skill, make Sir Robert intelligible, and consistent with himself, or common sense.

Se ritiene che non valga la pena di esaminare le sue opere per intero, si faccia un esperimento in quella parte in cui tratta dell'usurpazione; e tenti di vedere se riesce, con tutta la sua abilità, a rendere Sir Robert comprensibile e coerente con se stesso o con il senso comune.

Vocabulary

Se: se — Conditional conjunction meaning 'if' in Italian.
questi: kwesti — Demonstrative pronoun or adjective meaning 'these'.
scritti: skritti — Plural noun or past participle meaning 'writings' or 'written'.
contengono: kontengono — Third person plural present of 'contenere', meaning 'they contain'.
quella: kwella — Feminine singular demonstrative adjective meaning 'that'.
prova: prova — Noun meaning 'proof', 'test', or 'evidence'.
che: ke — Conjunction or relative pronoun meaning 'that' or 'which'.
mi: mi — First person singular reflexive or object pronoun meaning 'me' or 'myself'.
lusingo: luzingo — First person singular of 'lusingare', meaning 'I flatter myself'.
di: di — Preposition meaning 'of', 'from', or 'about'.
trovare: trovare — Infinitive verb meaning 'to find'.
in: in — Preposition meaning 'in' or 'into'.
essi: essi — Third person plural pronoun meaning 'they' or 'them'.
non: non — Negation adverb meaning 'not'.
si: si — Reflexive pronoun meaning 'oneself' or impersonal 'one'.
sentirà: sentira — Future tense of 'sentire', meaning 'will feel' or 'will notice'.
grande: grande — Adjective meaning 'great', 'large', or 'big'.
mancanza: mankantsa — Noun meaning 'lack', 'absence', or 'shortage'.
quelli: kwelli — Plural demonstrative pronoun meaning 'those'.
sono: sono — Third person plural of 'essere', meaning 'they are'.
andati: andati — Past participle plural of 'andare', meaning 'gone'.
perduti: perduti — Past participle plural of 'perdere', meaning 'lost'.
e: e — Conjunction meaning 'and'.
il: il — Masculine singular definite article meaning 'the'.
mio: mio — First person masculine singular possessive adjective meaning 'my'.
lettore: lettore — Noun meaning 'reader', referring to one who reads.
potrà: potra — Future tense of 'potere', meaning 'will be able to'.
essere: essere — Infinitive of the verb 'to be'.
soddisfatto: soddisfatto — Adjective or past participle meaning 'satisfied' or 'content'.
senza: sentsa — Preposition meaning 'without'.
poiché: poike — Conjunction meaning 'since', 'because', or 'as'.
immagino: immagino — First person singular of 'immaginare', meaning 'I imagine'.
avrò: avro — First person singular future of 'avere', meaning 'I will have'.
né: ne — Conjunction meaning 'neither' or 'nor'.
tempo: tempo — Noun meaning 'time' or 'weather'.
la: la — Feminine singular definite article or pronoun meaning 'the' or 'her'.
voglia: voʎʎa — Noun meaning 'desire', 'wish', or 'urge'.
ripetere: ripetere — Infinitive verb meaning 'to repeat'.
le: le — Feminine plural article or pronoun meaning 'the' or 'them'.
mie: mie — First person feminine plural possessive adjective meaning 'my'.
fatiche: fatike — Plural noun meaning 'labors', 'efforts', or 'toils'.
colmare: kolmare — Infinitive verb meaning 'to fill', 'to make up' a gap.
parte: parte — Noun meaning 'part', 'portion', or 'side'.
mancante: mankante — Adjective meaning 'missing', 'lacking', or 'absent'.
della: della — Contraction of 'di' and 'la', meaning 'of the'.
mia: mia — First person feminine singular possessive adjective meaning 'my'.
risposta: risposta — Noun meaning 'answer', 'reply', or 'response'.
attraverso: attraverso — Preposition meaning 'through' or 'across'.
tutti: tutti — Adjective or pronoun meaning 'all' or 'everyone'.
i: i — Masculine plural definite article meaning 'the'.
oscurità: oskurita — Noun meaning 'darkness', 'obscurity', or 'lack of clarity'.
incontrano: inkontrano — Third person plural present of 'incontrare', meaning 'they encounter'.
nei: nei — Contraction of 'in' and 'i', meaning 'in the'.
vari: vari — Adjective meaning 'various', 'several', or 'different'.
rami: rami — Plural noun meaning 'branches' or 'sections'.
del: del — Contraction of 'di' and 'il', meaning 'of the'.
suo: suo — Third person singular possessive adjective meaning 'his', 'her', or 'its'.
sistema: sistema — Noun meaning 'system' or 'method'.
Il: il — Masculine singular definite article meaning 'the'.
re: re — Noun meaning 'king'.
corpo: korpo — Noun meaning 'body'.
nazione: nattsjone — Noun meaning 'nation' or 'country'.
hanno: hanno — Third person plural of 'avere', meaning 'they have'.
da: da — Preposition meaning 'from', 'since', or 'by'.
allora: allora — Adverb meaning 'then', 'at that time', or 'so'.
così: kozi — Adverb meaning 'so', 'thus', or 'in this way'.
a: a — Preposition meaning 'to', 'at', or 'in'.
fondo: fondo — Noun meaning 'bottom', 'depth'; 'a fondo' means 'thoroughly'.
sua: sua — Third person feminine singular possessive adjective meaning 'his' or 'her'.
Ipotesi: ipotezi — Noun meaning 'hypothesis' or 'assumption'.
suppongo: suppongo — First person singular of 'supporre', meaning 'I suppose'.
nessuno: nessuno — Pronoun or adjective meaning 'nobody', 'none', or 'no one'.
futuro: futuro — Noun or adjective meaning 'future'.
avrà: avra — Third person singular future of 'avere', meaning 'will have'.
l': l — Elided definite article 'lo' or 'la' before a vowel.
audacia: audatʃa — Noun meaning 'audacity', 'boldness', or 'daring'.
contro: kontro — Preposition meaning 'against'.
nostra: nostra — First person feminine plural possessive adjective meaning 'our'.
comune: komune — Adjective meaning 'common', 'shared', or 'public'.
sicurezza: sikurettsa — Noun meaning 'security', 'safety', or 'certainty'.
farsi: farsi — Reflexive infinitive meaning 'to make oneself', 'to become'.
nuovamente: nwovamente — Adverb meaning 'again', 'anew', or 'once more'.
avvocato: avvokato — Noun meaning 'lawyer', 'advocate', or 'attorney'.
schiavitù: skjavitu — Noun meaning 'slavery' or 'servitude'.
debolezza: debolettsa — Noun meaning 'weakness' or 'frailty'.
lasciarsi: laʃʃarsi — Reflexive infinitive meaning 'to let oneself be' or 'to allow oneself'.
ingannare: ingannare — Infinitive verb meaning 'to deceive', 'to trick', or 'to fool'.
contraddizioni: kontraddittsjoni — Plural noun meaning 'contradictions'.
con: kon — Preposition meaning 'with'.
uno: uno — Masculine indefinite article or numeral meaning 'a' or 'one'.
stile: stile — Noun meaning 'style' or 'manner of writing'.
popolare: popolare — Adjective meaning 'popular' or 'of the people'.
periodi: perjodi — Plural noun meaning 'periods' or 'sentences' in rhetoric.
ben: ben — Adverb, shortened form of 'bene', meaning 'well'.
se: se — Conjunction meaning 'if' or reflexive pronoun 'oneself'.
qualcuno: kwalkuno — Pronoun meaning 'someone', 'anybody', or 'some'.
vorrà: vorra — Third person singular future of 'volere', meaning 'will want'.
prendersi: prendersi — Reflexive infinitive meaning 'to take upon oneself'.
pena: pena — Noun meaning 'trouble', 'effort', or 'penalty'.
persona: persona — Noun meaning 'person' or 'individual'.
quelle: kwelle — Feminine plural demonstrative adjective meaning 'those'.
parti: parti — Plural noun meaning 'parts', 'sections', or 'roles'.
qui: kwi — Adverb meaning 'here'.
toccate: tokkate — Past participle plural meaning 'touched upon' or 'addressed'.
discorsi: diskorsi — Plural noun meaning 'discourses', 'speeches', or 'arguments'.
fiorire: fjorire — Infinitive meaning 'to flower'; figuratively 'to embellish' language.
espressioni: espressionni — Plural noun meaning 'expressions' or 'turns of phrase'.
ambigue: ambigwe — Feminine plural adjective meaning 'ambiguous' or 'unclear'.
sforzarsi: sfortsarsi — Reflexive infinitive meaning 'to strive', 'to make an effort'.
ridurre: ridurre — Infinitive verb meaning 'to reduce', 'to bring down'.
sue: sue — Third person feminine plural possessive adjective meaning 'his' or 'her'.
parole: parole — Plural noun meaning 'words'.
proposizioni: propozittsjoni — Plural noun meaning 'propositions', 'statements', or 'clauses'.
dirette: dirette — Feminine plural adjective meaning 'direct', 'straightforward'.
positive: pozitive — Feminine plural adjective meaning 'positive' or 'definite'.
poi: poi — Adverb meaning 'then', 'afterwards', or 'later'.
confrontarle: konfrontarle — Infinitive plus object pronoun meaning 'to compare them'.
altre: altre — Feminine plural adjective meaning 'other' or 'others'.
convincerà: konvintʃera — Future tense of 'convincere', meaning 'will convince'.
rapidamente: rapidamente — Adverb meaning 'rapidly', 'quickly', or 'swiftly'.
fu: fu — Third person singular past (passato remoto) of 'essere', meaning 'was'.
mai: mai — Adverb meaning 'never' or 'ever'.
messa: messa — Past participle of 'mettere', meaning 'put' or 'placed'.
insieme: insieme — Adverb meaning 'together' or 'all at once'.
tanta: tanta — Feminine singular adjective meaning 'so much' or 'such a lot of'.
un: un — Masculine indefinite article meaning 'a' or 'an'.
inglese: ingleze — Noun or adjective meaning 'English' (person or language).
dal: dal — Contraction of 'da' and 'il', meaning 'from the' or 'by the'.
suono: swono — Noun meaning 'sound' or 'tone'.
gradevole: gradevole — Adjective meaning 'pleasant', 'agreeable', or 'pleasing'.
ritiene: ritjene — Third person singular of 'ritenere', meaning 'considers' or 'believes'.
valga: valga — Subjunctive of 'valere', meaning 'may be worth' or 'is worthwhile'.
esaminare: ezaminare — Infinitive verb meaning 'to examine' or 'to scrutinize'.
opere: opere — Plural noun meaning 'works', 'writings', or 'literary productions'.
per: per — Preposition meaning 'for', 'through', or 'in order to'.
intero: intero — Adjective meaning 'entire', 'whole', or 'complete'.
faccia: fatʃʃa — Subjunctive of 'fare', meaning 'let (him/her) do' or 'may do'.
esperimento: esperimento — Noun meaning 'experiment' or 'trial'.
cui: kwi — Relative pronoun meaning 'whom', 'which', or 'whose'.
tratta: tratta — Third person singular of 'trattare', meaning 'deals with' or 'concerns'.
dell': dell — Contraction of 'di' and 'l'', meaning 'of the' before vowel.
tenti: tenti — Subjunctive or imperative of 'tentare', meaning 'let him try'.
vedere: vedere — Infinitive verb meaning 'to see'.
riesce: rjeʃʃe — Third person singular of 'riuscire', meaning 'manages' or 'succeeds'.
tutta: tutta — Feminine singular adjective meaning 'all', 'entire', or 'whole'.
abilità: abilita — Noun meaning 'ability', 'skill', or 'talent'.
rendere: rendere — Infinitive verb meaning 'to make', 'to render', or 'to return'.
comprensibile: komprensibi — Adjective meaning 'comprehensible' or 'understandable'.
coerente: koerente — Adjective meaning 'coherent', 'consistent', or 'logical'.
stesso: stesso — Adjective or pronoun meaning 'same', 'itself', or 'even'.
o: o — Conjunction meaning 'or'.
senso: senso — Noun meaning 'sense', 'meaning', or 'direction'.

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