Scène IV

S 7— -Enfin tous l'emportez t So, then, you triumph (you carry it over me).

S 13— Pour grands que soient les rois : However great kings may be ; though kings be never so great. " This expression has become obsolète ; it was rery good at the time ; it is not to the honour of the human mind that the same expression should be good at one time and bad ;* another. We should say now tout grands que sont* quelque grands que soient les rois. 1 ' — Voltaire.

8 to— De n'examiner rien quand un roi l'a voulu : Not to question anything that a king has willed.

This is a very bold construction, and not to be imitated in prose. The pronoun le refers to rien, Lat rem, with the sensé of chose, thing. See rteif, in the Etymological Vocabulary at the end of this book.

Page 8 Une 24 — A jamais : For ever. Notice*— Pour toujours, for

cvcr.

S 26 — Partis, pi. of parti : Match. Il a épousé un bon

parti, he bas made a good match ; he has

married well.

8 26 — Ce beau fils ! (ironical) : This precious son.

Very wrongly written in some éditions beau-fils,

which means son-in-law.

8 28 — Lui doit enfler le cœur d'une autre vanité: Mus

bloat him up with greater vanity.

Encourage him, and bloat him up with praise, That he may get more bulk before he dies.

— Dryden.

9 4 — Comme, same as comment, how. Both Ccmeille

1 and Molière frequently use comme where we should now prefer comment,

9 4— S'endurcir à la peine : Get hardened to fatigue ; get inured to hardships, from dur, hard. Cf.

enhardir, to make bold; enrichir, to make rich ; envieillir, to make old.

9 7 — Forcer une muraille : To carry a wall, to storm a

citadcl.

9 10 — Expliquant à ses yeux vos leçons par l'effet : Explaining your precepts by visible deeds, puttiiig before his eyes your lessons into practice.

9 13— Tissu : Hère séries, succession. Formed from the past part, of tisser, to weave ; La texere.

Numerous examples can be brought lorward of the LaU e becoming i in Fr., and of x becoming Si. (i) tenere, tenir; implere, emplir ; macère, moisir ; cera, cire ; eàrius, ivre ; sex, six, etc. : (2) examen, essaim ; laxare, laisser ; exire, Old Fr. issir, Modem Fr. issu, adj. — issue, subst.

9 17— Sont d'un autre pouvoir : Carry greater weight with them, hâve greater power. Notice this usage of autre; other than, différent to the one you mention, better, greater.

9 19-20— Années, journées. Notice that année, journée, mean year, day, with the idea of the occupations which fill that space of time. Hère référence is made to the exploits accomplished during years, during days. An, jour, are day or year in the abstract. Je vous souhaite une bonne année, I wish you a happy new year, f.A, I wish ail that happens during that space of time to be agreîable to you ; La journée

d'un ouvrier, a day's work. Same différence existe between matin and matinée, soir ancl soirée.

Fage 9 Une 23 — Fer : S word. Literally iron ; the material of which a thing is made for the thing itself. " Brave Macbeth with his brandished steel " (Shak.).

9 30 — A l'ombre de ... : Beneath the shelter of . • •

Ombre, shadow, shade. Lat umbra.

9 3a — Pour répondre en hâte à son grand caractère 1

Quickly to respond to his generous disposition.

Notice. — Il a mauvais caractère, ne is bad

tempered ; He has a bad character, il a une

mauvaise réputation.

IO I— Quand l'âge dans mes nerfs a fait couler sa glace :

When the frosts of old âge had numbed mj

nerves.

Now that timekas laid on me his içy tondu

-W. F. Nokes.

IO 4— Aujourd'hui : To-day, now, at présent Les hommes d'aujourd'hui, our contemporaines.

See Etym. Vocab.

IO 10— En être refusé : To be denied tt.

IO 14 — Le mesure au courage :

The king his honours metes by valour Vrule.

-W. F. Nokes.

10 15— Bras : LU* arm, the arm that does mighty deeds ;

hence hère merit, valour. Old Fr. broc*, Lat. brachium. Cf. to embrace, embrasser.

IO 21 — Achève et prends ma vie ... : Crown the deed and take my life . . . —

Corne, follow up this outrage by my death I

10 22— Ait vu rougir son front : Had cause to blush.

11 1 — En ce besoin me laisse : Forsakes me when

needed most II 3 — Si ce honteux trophée avait chargé ma main : If

I should carry in my hand so discreditable a

trophy.

II 7 — Ne lui servira pas d'un petit ornement : Will be

no small ornament to it | lui refers to histoire

de ta vie.