SCENE III

A conversation ensues hetween Charlotte and Danton, Charlotte asks to be allowed to send two letters^ one to Barbaroux and one to her aunt, Danton promises this^ and asks if he can do her any other favour, She wishes to hear how the Girondins prosper^ and is told that they hâve been defeated, Marafs death heu also restored his popularity, Charlotte realizes the Jutility of her cut^ and is anxious to go to exécution, She pleads with Danton to use his influence for good^ even ifhe suffersfor it, She then goes out to exécution^ and Danton reflects on the doom thcU seems to await ail who are concemed in the Révolution,

Page 127.

1. 2881. Deux lettres, One letter was to Barbaroux, actually, though the easy, almost bantering tone of it is enough to preclude ail ideas of an attachment between him and Charlotte. The other was really to her father; but as he does not come into Ponsard's play, Madame de Bretteville is substituted for him.

Page 128.

1. 2101. pris de Vernon, On July i3th the Girondin and Jacobin forces — only 3000 on each side — met near Vernon. Both sides took to

l8o CHARLOTTE CORDA Y.

flight, but the Jacobins were rallied and thus gained the victory. Vemon is on the left bank of the Seine, near Évreux.

L 2408. en aurait fait raison, * would hâve disposed of him.' 1. 8409. au Panthéon, The Panthéon was b^:un by Louis XV. to replace the old Church of Ste. Geneviève at Paris. It was only fînished in 1790, and was chosen by the Constituent Asfeembly as the place of burîal of great men. Marat was boried there, but his remains were removed in 1795.

1. 2412. y^ai donc, sans aucun fruit, 6v. This repentance of Charlotte weakens her character ; and the whole of the Fifth Act is far below the Fourth. Probably, uniess Ponsard had ventored on a trial scène, which would hâve been difficult, and would hâve brougfat fre^ characters into an overstocked play, some such drop in interest was inévitable. This goes to prove that, as Théophile Gautier said, the story of Charlotte Corday is not one for dramatic treatment.

Page 129.

L 2430. Si cette émotion,,. réveillait, 'if this émotion... were to awaken, ' not f were awakening. ' Hère there is no ambiguity of meaniog as in 1. 1348, for the context indicates which sensé of the imperfect we are to take.

L 2432. au profit de VÉtat défendu, ' to the advantage of the State which would then be defended by you,' or * to the advantage of the State, by making you défend it.*