Amadis : see note p

,, 24. romanesque, 'fanciful,' ' sentimental, ' viz. 'roraantic' The Word comes from the Romance poems and stories of the Middle Ages — Imaginative literature produced mainly in Provence and other districts which had once been provinces of Rome, and written in a dialect which had once been Roman.

54. 8. caractère : cf. // a bon caractère, ' he is good-tempered ' ; //

a une bonne réputation, ' he has a good character. ' ,, 10. je demande l'ordre du jour : a French parliamentary term meaning that the discussion should end, and the Housc should passtotbe ' orderof theday,' i.e. ' to current business.' Its équivalent in English would be ' I move that the question be now put. '

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54. 13. chef de bataillon, or commandant, 'a major,' in the line

régiments. In tlic cavalry tlie major is called chef d' escadron.

,, 14. au 39^ . . 7^ léger: note that, as in English, the word régiment is generally dropped after the number. Léger, ' light infantry. '

,, 25. pi'ise d'armes. Ht. 'taking up of arms ' ; hence ' armed rebelhon,' ' insurrection.' Cf. prise de corps {halcat corpus), ' arrest ' ; une prise de tabac, ' a pinch of snuff. '

, , 26. nous autres : after nous and zm/s, autres is not to be translated ; it serves only to emphasise the pronoun.

,, ,, sous le drapeau tricolore: the 'Chouans,' being strong Royalists, refused to recognise the tricolour flag. See notes p. 38, 1. 6, and p. 47, 1. 24.

55. 30. actuel: distinguish between the French actuel, 'présent,'

and the English 'actual,' vrai, réel ; e.g. l'état actuel des choses, ' the presetit state of things ' ; la valeur vraie de l'or, ' the actual value of gold. '

56. 7. Louis-Philippe (1773-1850), Roi des Français, was the son

of the Duke of Orléans, known as Philippe-Égalité, and of Louise-Marie Adélai'de de Bourbon. He reigned from 1830- 48, when, after the fall of Guizot's Ministry and the riotous days [journées du 22, 23, 24) of February 1848, he abdicated in favour of his grandson, the Comte de Paris. Then came the Second Republic (1848-51), with Louis Napoléon Bonaparte as Président, who, after the Coup d'Etat of 2nd December 1851, beoame Napoléon 111., Emperor of the French (1852-70). See notes p. 10, 1. 11, and p. 47, 1. 24.

,, 15. Athalie : a tragedy by Racine (1639-99), the great French dramatist. He wrote also A ndromaque, Britannicus, Bérétiice, Bajazct, Mithridate, Iphigénie, Phèdre, Esther, and a charming comedy. Les Plaideurs.

,, 18. Madame (i.e. 'la Duchesse de Berry ') : the wife of Charles Ferdinand d'Artois, Duc de Berry, second son of Cliarles X. She tried to gain the crown for her son, the Duc de Bordeaux, Comte de Chambord, in favour of whom Charles X. had abdicated (see note p. 10, 1. 11). Hoping that she might stir up the Vendée against Louis -Philippe, she left Italy, and, after having landed at JVIarseilles (28th April 1832), she crossed the whole length of France, avoiding the police and the gendarmes, and encouraged the Vendeans to rebel against Louis-Philippe. But the Vendeans could not offer the same résistance as in 1793. They were defeated at the Château de la Pénissière, where a very hot fight took place, forty-five peasants holding out during a whole day against a battalion of the Government troops. The Duchesse de Berry

Notes 115

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(Madame) was arrested, imprisoned, and finally set free in June and sent to Palermo (Sicily). N.B. — The only brother of Louis XIV. (Philippe, Duc d'Orléans) was called by the short name of Monsieur, bis wife by the name of Madame, and his daughter by the name of Mademoiselle.

56. 19. Massa, a town in the province of Modena (north of Italy). ,, 21. Clorinde : Clorinda was the celebrated woman-warrior who came from Persia in order to oppose the Crusaders. At the siège of Jérusalem by the Crusaders she was at the head of ail the Pagan forces, having been appointed their leader by Aladine. Cf. Tasso, Jérusalem Delivered, xii.

58. 25. peloton, hère ' group,' ' knot ' ; as a military expression,

peloton means ' platoon.' Cf. un feu de peloton, ' voUey-firing. '

59. 20. rapide à donner le vertige : notice the use of à for asscx

pour. Similarly un discours long à ?ieti plusjinir; il est fort à abattre un bœuf; il est faible à ne pouvoir marcher.