Turgot/Bretez Plan de Paris 1734

[Mark Sydow]

This famous map of Paris has an author's comment (a disclaimer, really) on the bottom which reads:

On s’est proposé en faisant graver ce Plan de la Ville de Paris, de faire voir d’un seul coup d’œil, tous les Edifices, et toutes les Rues qu’elle renferme, ce qui ne pouvoit s’executer qu’en prenant quelques licences, que les Regles austeres de la Géométrie, et de la Perspective condamnent ; mais sans ces licences, on auroit perdu une partie des Objets les plus interessants, qui se seroient trouvés cachés par d’autres, où entierement défigurés. Quelques-uns des Faubourgs n’ont pû entrer qu’en partie dans ce Plan, qui seroit devenu trop étendu si on les y avoit fait voir en entier. Quoi qu’on ait cherché a donner par cet Ouvrage une juste idée de cette Ville, on ne se flate pas dy être parvenu n’estant pas possible de rendre parfaitement à la fois, et l’Immensité de cette capitale, et la Magnificence de toutes les parties qui la Composent.

Levé et Dessiné par Louis Bretez.   Gravé par Claude Lucas.

Et Ecrit par Aubin

 

I've taken my best shot at a translation to English below (using Google Translate plus my high school French), but could use help getting to idiomatically correct English. Anyone here read XVIII Siècle French? S'il vous plaît? (scan jpg attached)

The intent of engraving this Map of the City of Paris, to see at a glance all the Buildings and all the Streets it contains, could not have been achieved without taking a few liberties with the austere rules of geometry and perspective, but without such liberties we would have lost some of the most interesting objects, which would have been hidden by others, or completely distorted. Some of the suburbs could be only party included in this Map, as it would have become too large if included in their entirety. Whatever one had sought to give by this work for a just idea of this City, one does not flate dy to be obtained not being possible to render them perfectly at the same time, and the immensity of this capital, and the Magnificence of all its parts. "

Surveyed and Designed by Louis Bretez.   Engraved by Claude Lucas.

And Written by Aubin.

[George Hunt]

just  a few ideas as I am not good at  this kind of a translation.

(someone else might do that for you)

voir d’un seul coup d’œil : provide a panoramic view rather than a glance?

renferme :enclose rather than  contain ?

Quoi qu’on  :although (= an archaic bien que) rather than whatever? -I am only guessing

et l’Immensité ....et la Magnificence : both ...and

 

[stu harris]

Here's my attempt:

In having this Map of the City of Paris engraved, our intent was to depict all the Buildings and all the Streets it contains in one panorama. This could not have been achieved without taking a few liberties with the austere rules of geometry and perspective, but without such liberties we would have lost some of the most interesting features, which would have been hidden by others, or completely distorted. Some of the suburbs could be only partly included in this map, as it would have grown too large if they had been included in their entirety. While we did strive to give a just idea of this City, we do not flatter ourselves that we succeeded, it not being possible to render at once the immensity of this capital, and the magnificence of all its parts. "

Surveyed and Designed by Louis Bretez.   Engraved by Claude Lucas.

And Written by Aubin.

[George Hunt]

does "levé"  mean "surveyed" ?

I assumed it meant "put in place"...(as in raising a monument)

[stu harris]

Actually, I'm not sure about that. I don't know enough about the process of engraving.

[George Hunt]

maybe you're right.

I didn't know "levé de terain" meant "land survey".

From your picture of the document I thought it was some kind of a (bronze) monument in the street.

[Mark Sydow]

Thank you vary much for your kind assistance. I was really struggling with "on ne se flate pas dy être parvenu ".

 

It is, indeed, a (quite remarkable) map that was surveyed by Bretez and engraved for printing by Lucas. The scan included with the original post is enlarged from a small section at the bottom of the 10'w x 8'h map. For more info...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turgot_map_of_Paris

[George Hunt]

sorry I didn't realise that you were struggling with that  section (I thought it was a typo that you had overlooked and didn't see the word "obtained"  which was obviously wrong )

I think it reads quite nicely now..