SCENE I

Page 3 line 3 — Mes sens à moi-même : My own senses =■ I myself (although I do not take such interest in him as you do).

3 3 — Encor : Still. In verse this word may be spelt

with or without the e, according as two or three syllables are required. Notice that encore does not always mean “again,” and that “ still” is the signification nearest to its etymology. Lat., hanc horam (up to this hour).

3 Ç — Si je ne m’abuse . , . : If I read his mind rightly ;

if I am not a mistaken interpréter of his thoughts.

3 6 — Répondre à sa flamme : Requite his love ; look

with favour on his suit.

3 f>— De nouveau : Anew, agaiu.

Pige 3 line io — Ne se peut ... s Cannot be heard too often.

Notice that this use of the refiexive is frequent in French.

3 il — Aux feux de notre amour : To our ardent love.

3 13 — Secrète brigue : Secret suit. Brigue generally

means intrigue, canvass.

% 15 — Fait voir : Shewn. Cf I shall make you know,

je vous ferai savoir.

v \ 18 — Enfle : Raises. Lit, inflate, Lat. inflare .

3 18 — Ni détruit. In prose it would be necessary to

repeat ne , and to say ni ne détruit .

3 20 — A choisir ; for pour choisir (ad eligendum) : To

choose. The préposition à is found in many Gallicisms. Corneille makes a frequent use of it. Line 5 we hâve “ à lire ” with the meaning of “ en lisant.”

4 I — Sur l’heure : At the time, at once.

4 4 — Elle est dans le devoir : She pursues a dutiful

course ; she is in the right.

4 6 — Qui font lire aisément : Showing plainly. Qui

here has the adjective jeunes as an antécédent. This construction is unusual, but full of force ; it stands instead of “jeunes, mais faisant lire,” which would by no means hâve the same energy.

4 8 — N‘a trait en son visage qui d’un homme de cœur

ne soit la haute image : Has not a feature in his face which does not form the striking picture of a man of honour.

Has not a feature but of honour tells.

— W. F.Nokes.

The subjunctive soit , in obedience to the rule that when qui has reference to an adverb or a substantive with a négative sense, the following verb must be put in that mood. In prose we should say, “ N’a pas un trait,” or “ N’a pas de trait.”

4 14 — Ses rides sur son front ont gravé ses exploits. This

beautiful line has been wittily parodied by Racine in his comedy, “Les Plaideurs.” Taking advantage of the double meaning of 4 ‘exploit,” a mighty deed , and also deed9 a written legal transaction, Racine borrowed Corneille’s line, and used it in the description of an over-zealous sheriff’s officer, “ sergent •V zélé. — See “Les Plaideurs,” page 9, line 18,

with notes by F. Tarver.

NOTES

Page 4 line 16 — Je me promets du fils : I expect from the son.

4 18 — Alloit, pressoit. we Write now allait , pressait .

In Old Fr. the imperfect indicative, the conditional présent of ail verbs, and a few words such as foible , connoistre , &c., were spelt oi. In the sixteenth century, principally undei Francis I. and Catherine de Medicis, the influence of Italy on French art and literature was very great. Tliere was a tendency to Italianise even French pronunciation ; the Sound of oi, considered harsh, softened down to that of ai, but the spelling was not changed. Laurent Joubert, the celebrated physician of Henri III., and the author of a “ Dialogue sur la Cacographie Française,” points out the necessity of altering the spelling to suit the new pronunciation. A barrister, Nicolas Bérain (about 1675), proposed the saine reform ; and Voltaire, byadopting it, brought it about; hence the name ot “ orthographe de Voltaire ” given to this new spelling.

4 19 — A tranche : Cut short. Littré, contrary to ths

opinion of Diez and Brachet, maintains the Lat. truncare as the etymology of trancha . Cf. English trench, retrench, trencher ; French tranchée , retrancher , tranchoir ; uns tranche, a cut, a slice.

4 20 — A ce peu de mots : Judging from these few

words.

4 21 — Balancée : Undecided, wavering. Balance, scal es

ior weighing. Lat. bis and lanx, lancis , a dish.

4 ~3 — c’est lui que regarde un tel degré d’honneur :

And he is the one for whom so great an honour is intended. Notice. — Ceci me regarde, this concerns me ; Cela ne vous regarde pas, this is no business of yours. Concerner is stronger than . regarder. Ex. : Cela concerne vos intérêts. Il n’ignore rien de ce qui concerne son art.

4 26 — Haut is a word whicli Corneille uses frequently in

this and other plays ; it generally împlies a high degree of excellence, “haute image,” “haute vertu,” “ hauts exploits.”

4 28 — A résolu son père à : lias persuaded his father to

. . . Ahhough résoudre quelqu'un, for “faire prendre une résolution à quelqu’un,” is fourni several times in Corneille and others, it is

becoming obsolète. We say se résoudre â9 résoudre de, to détermine to, to décidé to ; résoudre un problème, to solve a problem ; résoudre, to annul, to dissolve. Notice the two past participles résolu and résous ; the latter means only to change into, to dissolve ; le brouillard s'est résous en pluie , the fog turned into rain.

Page 4 line 2^ — Au sortir de : After, at the end of. Sortir is here used as a substantive.-with the article before it. La Fontaine in his Fable, “ Le Savetier et le Financier,” uses “le dormir, ” “le manger et le boire,” sleep, food, and drink. See La Fontaine’ s Fables, with Notes by F. Tarver.

4 29 — Proposer l’affaire : To prefer his suit. Voltaire

remarks that “ proposer l’affaire ” is an expression too familiar for a tragedy.

4 34 — Un moment donne au sort des visages divers :

Smiling fortune can in a moment change its countenance ; a moment may change the face of fortune. “Visages’’ applied to “sort” is a bold, and at the same time a good expression. Racine says : “ Ma fortune va prendre une face nouvelle.” La fortune me sourit is a very usual expression.

5 I — Quoi qu’il en soit : Whatever may happen (let

what may befall). Notice that in this sense quoi que is spelt in two words ; quoique in one would mean although ; it also governs the subjunctive.