en un chaste commerce, * in pure society

L 1067. Flutarque, Plutarch was bom at Chaeronea in Boeotia about 50 A. D. His chief work is his Lives of celebrated Greeks and Romans, which has always been a favourite book. Charlotte Corday probably read him in Amyot's translation.

Montesquieu, Charles de Secondât, Baron de Montesquieu, was bom 1689 and died 1755. He was a lawyer and magistrate, but took small part in légal business, and devoted himself to literature and philosophy. His Lettres Persanes, a satirical commentary on French aflfairs and society, appeared in 173 1. In 1734 came out his Considéralions sur les Causes de la Grandeur et de la Décadence des Romains, and his great workZ?^ V Esprit des Lois appeared in 1748.

1. 1071. les deux derniers Romains, Brutus and Cassius, the chief conspirators against Julius Caesar.

L 1073. 'À Rome &*c,^ This passage \s Xak'&tk Itom Montcsquieu^s Cran//^ir et Décadence des Romains^ Oiaplw 'XI. i. 1076. ravouait^ * owned the iact.'

L 1065. Emilie^ the heroine of the play of Cinfuit who is supposed to be daughter of Toranius, a former tutor of Augustos, killed in the Proscription. She therefore wishes to take vengeance on Augustus.

•1. 1088. Et qui ne trouvais point âr'c. Thèse Unes are from the play of Cinna, Act i. Scène iii., where Cinna is describing his speech to the conspirators.

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1. 1092. Upide, Aemilius Lepidus, one of Julius Caesar*s lieutenants, was a member of the Second Triumvirale with Antony and Octavius. He was stripped of his power by the latter, and retired.

1. 1093. Antoine, Marcus Antonius, bom 86 B.c., was a friend and partisan of Julius Caesar, and afler his death joined Octavius and Lepidus in the Second Triumvirate. His infatuation for Cleopatra, his defeat at Actium and his death, B.c. 30, are well known.

c^est un Dieu qu^ Auguste, Que is pleonastic, introducing the real subject, Auguste.

Auguste, It is, strictly speaking, inaccurate to call the Triumvir Augustus, since he received the title 37 b.c., whereas the Triumvirate only lasted from 45 to 35 B.c. He became the first Ëmperor of Rome, and died 14.A.D.

1. 1094. ^ est peu d'un vengeur ^ *one avenger is too lîttle.*

L 1098. si fen crois. Hère en refers to Marat, and means 'as to him.'

1. 1100. Vhonneur d'une telle pensa Est d'être gravement pesée et balancée, ' Such a thought deserves to be seriously weighed and considered.' Note the use of de with infinitive aller est, See Eve, § 198, Obs. I.

1. IIOS. Cinna, According to Seneca the philosopher, Cnaeus Cornélius Cinna was a great-grandson of Pompey, who conspired against Augustus and was forgiven by him. The incident was made by Corneille the subject of his fine play of Cinna, Cinna hlmsclf, however, in the play, is aot a very noble character*

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