The Prince — Page 8
It is impossible to follow here the varying fortunes of the Italian states, which in 1507 were controlled by France, Spain, and Germany, with results that have lasted to our day; we are concerned with those events, and with the three great actors in them, so far only as they impinge on the personality of Machiavelli.
Es ist hier unmöglich, den wechselnden Schicksalen der italienischen Staaten zu folgen, die im Jahre 1507 von Frankreich, Spanien und Deutschland beherrscht wurden, mit Folgen, die bis in unsere Zeit andauern; wir befassen uns mit diesen Ereignissen und mit den drei großen Akteuren in ihnen nur insoweit, als sie die Persönlichkeit Machiavellis berühren.
He had several meetings with Louis XII of France, and his estimate of that monarch's character has already been alluded to.
Er hatte mehrere Begegnungen mit Ludwig XII. von Frankreich, und seine Einschätzung des Charakters dieses Monarchen wurde bereits erwähnt.
Machiavelli has painted Ferdinand of Aragon as the man who accomplished great things under the cloak of religion, but who in reality had no mercy, faith, humanity, or integrity; and who, had he allowed himself to be influenced by such motives, would have been ruined.
Machiavelli hat Ferdinand von Aragon als den Mann dargestellt, der unter dem Deckmantel der Religion große Dinge vollbrachte, der aber in Wirklichkeit weder Gnade, Glauben, Menschlichkeit noch Redlichkeit besaß; und der, hätte er sich von solchen Motiven leiten lassen, zugrunde gegangen wäre.
The Emperor Maximilian was one of the most interesting men of the age, and his character has been drawn by many hands; but Machiavelli, who was an envoy at his court in 1507-8, reveals the secret of his many failures when he describes him as a secretive man, without force of character—ignoring the human agencies necessary to carry his schemes into effect, and never insisting on the fulfilment of his wishes.
Kaiser Maximilian war einer der interessantesten Männer seiner Zeit, und sein Charakter ist von vielen Händen gezeichnet worden; doch Machiavelli, der in den Jahren 1507–8 Gesandter an seinem Hof war, enthüllt das Geheimnis seiner vielen Misserfolge, wenn er ihn als einen verschlossenen Mann ohne Charakterstärke beschreibt – einen Mann, der die menschlichen Kräfte, die zur Ausführung seiner Pläne notwendig waren, außer Acht ließ und niemals auf die Erfüllung seiner Wünsche bestand.
The remaining years of Machiavelli's official career were filled with events arising out of the League of Cambrai, made in 1508 between the three great European powers already mentioned and the pope, with the object of crushing the Venetian Republic.
Die verbleibenden Jahre von Machiavellis amtlicher Laufbahn waren erfüllt von Ereignissen, die aus der Liga von Cambrai hervorgingen, die im Jahre 1508 zwischen den drei bereits erwähnten großen europäischen Mächten und dem Papst mit dem Ziel geschlossen wurde, die Republik Venedig zu vernichten.
Vocabulary
- hier
- Indicates a specific location meaning 'here'
- unmöglich
- Describes something that cannot be done or achieved
- wechselnden
- Adjective describing something constantly changing or alternating
- Schicksalen
- Plural dative form of fate or destiny
- italienischen
- Adjective referring to things related to Italy
- Staaten
- Plural noun referring to nations or states
- folgen
- To follow or track something sequentially
- Jahre
- Plural or dative form of 'year'
- Frankreich
- German name for the country France
- Spanien
- German name for the country Spain
- Deutschland
- German name for the country Germany
- beherrscht
- Past participle meaning dominated, controlled, or ruled
- Folgen
- Plural noun meaning consequences or effects
- bis
- Preposition meaning 'until' or 'up to'
- Zeit
- Noun meaning time or era
- andauern
- To continue or persist over a period of time
- befassen
- To occupy oneself with or deal with something
- Ereignissen
- Plural dative form of events or occurrences
- drei
- The cardinal number three
- großen
- Adjective meaning great or large in inflected form
- Akteuren
- Plural dative form meaning actors or key players
- nur
- Adverb meaning 'only' or 'just'
- insoweit
- Adverb meaning 'insofar as' or 'to the extent'
- Persönlichkeit
- Noun meaning personality or character of a person
- berühren
- To touch or affect something or someone
- mehrere
- Indefinite pronoun meaning several or multiple
- Begegnungen
- Plural noun meaning meetings or encounters with someone
- Einschätzung
- Noun meaning assessment or evaluation of something
- Charakters
- Genitive form of character or personality
- Monarchen
- Genitive or plural form of monarch or ruler
- bereits
- Adverb meaning 'already' or 'previously'
- erwähnt
- Past participle meaning mentioned or referred to previously
- Mann
- Noun meaning a male person or husband
- dargestellt
- Past participle meaning depicted, portrayed, or represented
- unter
- Preposition meaning 'under' or 'among'
- Deckmantel
- Noun meaning cloak or pretext concealing true motives
- Religion
- Noun referring to faith, belief, or religious practice
- große
- Adjective meaning great or significant in inflected form
- Dinge
- Plural noun meaning things or matters
- vollbrachte
- Simple past of vollbringen meaning accomplished or achieved
- aber
- Coordinating conjunction meaning 'but' or 'however'
- Wirklichkeit
- Noun meaning reality or actuality in the real world
- weder
- Correlative conjunction meaning 'neither' used with 'noch'
- Gnade
- Noun meaning grace, mercy, or clemency
- Glauben
- Noun or verb meaning faith, belief, or to believe
- Menschlichkeit
- Noun meaning humanity, humaneness, or compassion
- noch
- Adverb or conjunction meaning 'still', 'yet', or 'nor'
- Redlichkeit
- Noun meaning honesty, integrity, or uprightness
- besaß
- Simple past of besitzen meaning possessed or owned
- hätte
- Subjunctive II form of haben meaning 'would have'
- solchen
- Demonstrative adjective meaning such in dative form
- Motiven
- Plural dative form of motives or motivations
- leiten
- To lead, guide, or direct someone or something
- lassen
- Modal-like verb meaning to let or allow something
- zugrunde
- Prefix in 'zugrunde gehen' meaning to perish or fail
- wäre
- Subjunctive II form of sein meaning 'would be'
- Kaiser
- Noun meaning emperor, the highest imperial ruler
- interessantesten
- Superlative adjective form meaning most interesting
- Männer
- Plural noun meaning men or male persons
- Charakter
- Noun meaning character, nature, or personality
- vielen
- Adjective meaning many in dative inflected form
- Händen
- Plural dative form of hand or hands
- gezeichnet
- Past participle meaning drawn, depicted, or portrayed
- doch
- Particle meaning 'yet', 'still', or 'however'
- Jahren
- Plural dative form of year, meaning 'in the years'
- Gesandter
- Noun meaning envoy, ambassador, or diplomatic representative
- Hof
- Noun meaning court, yard, or royal court
- enthüllt
- Verb meaning reveals or uncovers something hidden
- Geheimnis
- Noun meaning secret or mystery
- Misserfolge
- Plural noun meaning failures or lack of success
- wenn
- Conjunction meaning 'when' or 'if'
- verschlossenen
- Adjective meaning reserved, secretive, or closed-off
- ohne
- Preposition meaning 'without'
- Charakterstärke
- Compound noun meaning strength of character or resolve
- beschreibt
- Third person singular present of to describe someone
- menschlichen
- Adjective meaning human in an inflected genitive form
- Kräfte
- Plural noun meaning forces, powers, or strengths
- Ausführung
- Noun meaning execution or carrying out of plans
- Pläne
- Plural noun meaning plans or schemes
- notwendig
- Adjective meaning necessary or required
- außer
- Preposition meaning 'except', 'besides', or 'out of'
- Acht
- Noun meaning attention or heed; also the number eight
- ließ
- Simple past of lassen meaning let or allowed
- niemals
- Adverb meaning never or at no time
- Erfüllung
- Noun meaning fulfillment, realization, or satisfaction
- Wünsche
- Plural noun meaning wishes or desires
- bestand
- Simple past of bestehen meaning insisted or persisted
- verbleibenden
- Present participle adjective meaning remaining or leftover
- amtlicher
- Adjective meaning official in genitive inflected form
- Laufbahn
- Noun meaning career or professional course of life
- erfüllt
- Past participle meaning filled with or fulfilled
- Liga
- Noun meaning league or alliance between states
- hervorgingen
- Simple past of hervorgehen meaning arose or resulted from
- zwischen
- Preposition meaning 'between' or 'among'
- erwähnten
- Past participle adjective meaning previously mentioned
- europäischen
- Adjective meaning European in inflected form
- Mächten
- Plural dative noun meaning powers or powerful states
- Papst
- Noun meaning the Pope, head of the Catholic Church
- Ziel
- Noun meaning goal, aim, or destination
- geschlossen
- Past participle meaning closed or concluded as in treaty
- Republik
- Noun meaning republic, a form of government
- Venedig
- German name for the Italian city Venice
- vernichten
- To destroy, annihilate, or completely eliminate something
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