au portier, see page 7, note

Page 50. — I. Jean de La Fontaine (162 1-1695), one of the best known French poets, famous for his taies and fables. The allusion in our text is to the fable entitled Le lion abattu par V homme. In an old translation the story goes as follows :

"A picture once was shown, In which one man, alone, Upon the ground had thrown A lion fully grown.

Much gloried at the sight the rabble.

A lion thus rebuked their babble :

That you hâve got the victory there, There is no contradiction.

But, gentles, possibly you are

The dupes of easy fiction ; Had we the art of making pictures, Perhaps our champion had lick'd yours ! "