battre la campagne, »to ramble', 'to wander

31. châteaux en Espagne, 'castles in the air.' *The expressions faire des '■châteaux en Espagne, literally 'to build castles in Spain' is met with as early as the XlIItli century', says Littré, who adds: 'it is not kuown what bas given rise to it. In the Mercure Français we read (tome IV. p. 59. 1616): 'lu the old demesne of Spain, the Spaniard allowed no fort to be built, whence bas come the saying yatrc des châteaux en Espagne, to signify to do something useless. What adds to the uncertainty of this explanation, so uncertain in itself, is that the expressions faire des châteaux en Asie, en Albanie, bave also been used, so that, after ail, that simply means 'to build castles in foreign parts' in parts where we are not living, that is to feed on dreams. The word Spain bas prevailed, because it was much known through the taies of Roland'.

This expression is very ancient, and occurs in the Roman de la Rose. The Germans, like the English say 'castles in the air' Lniftscldosser.

32. Ficrochole, the name of a mad prince in Rabelais's Gargantua and the enemy of Gargantua. In book I. cbap. XXXIII entitled ^'Comment certains gouverneurs de Pim'ochole, par conseil précipité, le mirent au dernier péril." occurs the mad proposai of almost gênerai conquest, by his offîcers, and towards the end of the chapter thèse words whicb La Fontaine probably had in mind when he thought of writing this fable : '•'•J'ai grand peur que toute cette entreprise sera semblable à la farce du pot au lait , duquel un cordonnier se faisait riche par rêverie ; puis le pot cassé n'eut de quoi dîner.

Pyi-rhus, King of Epirus, B. G. 318—272. Very ambitions and warlike prince celebrated for his war with Rome.