paysannaille. See note to p

13. Nous autres. The adjective autre is frequently used in this way for the sake of eniphasis. Cf. Venez ici, vous autres ! ' Conie hère, you fellows ! '

21. le toâtard de Vaurus, governor of the town of Meaux, was i-enowned for his crimes.

Garçon is not ' boy ' hère.

32. Coussi, coussi, usually spelt couci-cotici (from Ital. cosi-cosi), ' so-so.'

a l'escarcelle fermée. See note to p. 3, 1. 26.

8. un damné de vagabond. The same construction exists in English ; cf. ' a rascal of a child.'

21. voilà environ dix ans. The normal construction is : voilà environ dix ans (qxi')il avait ... , etc., ' it is about ten years since ... ,' say, ' about ten years ago.'

21. sans qu'on pût savoir. Pourvu que, nans que, à moins que, etc., require the subjunctive.

22. ce qu'il était devenu, lit. ' what he had become,' i.e. ' what had become of him.' Note that the word used in English as the complément of 'to become,' is used in French as the subject of devenir.

23. pour leurs maléfices. The Jews were commonly believed to sacrifice Christian children. Whether the accusation was founded is not known ; anyhow, the Jews were not the only persons guilty of thèse horrible practices. The skeletons of forty children were found at Chantocé, in the castle of the masrician Gilles de Retz.

28. la ladrerie, ' the hospital i'or lepers. ' The word ladre, 'leper,' is derived from Lazarus, the poor man in the Gospel, who was covered with sores. By extension, his name was applied to ail lepers. (Brachet. )

VMiE 29.

5. robeurs d'enfants. The verb rvhtr, ' to rob,' was conimon in old French ; it is no longer used now. -eur is the suffix of the agent, équivalent to English -er. Cf. couretir, 'runner,' etc.