‹ L'anneau d'argentChapitre 18 sur 40 · Jeanne d'Arc (1402-31): the well-known heroine, who · texte numérisé non relu

Jeanne d'Arc (1402-31): the well-known heroine, who

believing that she had a divine mission to liberate France from the English, placed herself at the head of the army, and succeeded in raising the siège of Orléans, at that time besieged by the English. Soon after this, Charles V. was crowned king of France.

61. 13. Bayard (1476-1524), called the ' Chevalier sans peur et sans

reproche,' distinguished himself in the Italian wars during the reigns of Charles VIII., Louis XII., and François I. by his courage and his high feeling of honour and disinterestedness.

62. 4. bien leur prit toutefois de . ., ' luckily forthem, however,

they . .' 6. à fond de train : similarly au grand galop, ventre à terre, bride abattue.

,, 14. piqua des deux {éperons), ' spurred his horse. ' , , 30. deux coups de brosse : cf un coup de pied, un coup de poing, un coup de tête, un coup de bâton, un coup de fusil, un coup de sabre . . Donner un coup de brosse, ' to brush • ; donner un coup de fer à un chapeau, ' to iron a bat . .' In the figurative sensé the meaning of cozip varies almost to any extent, e.g. —

coup de théâtre, ' theatrical cffcct. ' coup de tête, ' rash deed. ' coup de grâce, ' finishing stroke. ' après coup, ' after the event.' un coup de jarnac, ' underhand blow. '

un coup d' État, ' violent means to overthrow the constitution of a country. ' donner un coup de collier, ' to niake a strong effort." à coup sûr, ' to be sure. '

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64. 6. de Cortail : de is used sometimes, as hère, instead of par

to express the agent, especially after passive verbs expressing feelings and émotions. Cf. English ' despised of vaQW.'

,, II. à qui en as -tu avec ta physionomie douloureuse?

' wliom are you angry with (i.e. what is the niatter with yon) that you hâve such a mournful face?'

,, 12. tu as l'air de poser pour un martyre de saint Sébastien: 'Saint Sébastian, bornât Narbonne, in Gaui, in 252, was an early Christian martyr, who suffered during the reign of the Emperor Diocletian. Although a Christian, he entered the Roman army, concealing his faith in order that he might be able to help and protect other Christians. He rose to high faveur with the Emperor, who, when at last he avowed his adhésion to Christianity, used every effort to induce him to recant. When ail persuasion proved unavailing, he was put to death, as was supposed, by a troop of archers ; but a Christian lady took the body to her house, and he recovered. On again avowing liis faith, he was ordered to be beaten to death with clubs in the amphithéâtre, and his body was cast into the city sewers ; but it was found by another Christian lady (guided, according to the legend, by an apparition), and buried in the catacomb at Rome which still bears the name of St. Sébastian' (Cassell's Concise Cyclopacdia). His figure, pierced with arrows, is a familiar subject of pictures and church Windows.

,, 22. en sommes-nous là? a common use of the ist person instead of the second, ' bave you gone so far (in your love) ? '

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