SCENE V

Page 50 line II — A le dessus: Triumphs. Notice. — Prendre le

dessus , to gain the ascendant ; to get the upper hand ; to get the better of.

50 15 — Mais voyez qu’elle pâme : See now, she swoons.

Pâmer, Old Fr. pasmery Ital. spasmarey Lat. spasmus and spasma. The Lat. s before the p has been dropped, which is very unusual, for it generally becomes es or é, as in spatium , espace ; spina , épine, thorn. The s in the body of the word has been dropped, and replaced by a circumflex accent, as in asinus, âne, ass ; Costa, côte , rib ; fenestra, fenêtre , window.

50 20 — Il voit le jour : He lives.

51 8 — Ajoutez ce comble à mon malheur : Add this new

grief to my affliction ; fill to the brim the cup of my affliction.

51 II — Son trépas déroboit sa tête à ma poursuite : His

death would rob me of my right to take his life ; his loss would rob me of my right to cause his death. For the etymology of dérober see note, p. 30, 1. 1 7.

51 17 — Non pas au lit d’honneur: Not on a bed of

state.

51 25 — Le chef : With his head. See note, p. 24, 1. 24.

51 26 — Ce que j’en considère : What I think of it.

5 1 28 — A quel espoir should now be par quel espoir : By

what vain hope I am led away.

5 1 30 — Que pourroient contre lui : What can avail against

him my despised tears !

51 31 — Lieu de franchise: A franchise; a place where

criminals can take refuge, and where justice cannot reach them. “Churches and monasteries in Spain are franchises for criminals.” — London Encycl.

Ç2 4 — On met tout en balance : One must weigh every-

thing, take everything into account.

52 6 — La même équité : Justice itself. See note, p. 17,

52 7 — Avant que d’accuser ce que j’en fais paroître :

Before blaming what I show of it (of equity).

52 13 — On fait si peu de cas : One makes so light of (my

just suit is of so little count).

Page 52 line 14— Qu’on me croit obliger : The construction in prose wculd be qu on croit m'obliger,

52 2£— Sous couleur, like sous prétexte: Under the false

guise. Cf, English, “ Under the colour of the sale whereof they noted ail that was done in the city.” — Knolles.

. . . And this malice

Under the colour of justice Is hid.

— Gower, ** Confessio Amantis.”

52 26 — Affoiblit de : Literally, weakens of ; weakens by

depriving of.

53 3 — Un prétexte à : We should say now un prétexte

pour,

53 8 — En brave homme : Like a man of courage. In

the seventeenth century the modem distinction between brave homme and homme brave was not yet established. Un brave homme now means an honest fellow ; a man of courage is un homme brave, He behaved himself like a man of courage, and must maintain that he did so.

53 17— Étonne : Terrifies. This is another of those

words which, like gêne, ennui, &c., hâve gradually assumed a weaker meaning. Etonner means now to astonish ; but in Corneille’ s time it still preserved the energy of the Latin word from which it is derived, through extonare, Attono, I thunder at ; attonitus , struck by thunder, terrified.

53 20— S’oserait prendre à lui : Would dare put himself

against him.

53 2 9 — Soyez prêt à demain : We should say now “ Soyez

prêt demain,” or “pour demain.” Cf, to morrow.

54 9 — Fassent en gens de cœur, like agissent en gens de

cœur : Act, bear themselves like men of honour.

54 10 — M’amenez le vainqueur, for amenez-moi le vain-

queur : Bring the victor to me.

54 15— A vouer î Here to approve of your wailing (to

ratify your objection).

NOTES