AUGUSTE

Soyons amis, Cinna, c’est moi qui t’en convie.

Tu trahis mes bienfaits, je les veux redoubler.

Je t’en avais comblé, je t’en veux accabler.

Act v., 6c. iii.

Page v line 16 — Etant obligé au genre comique de ma première réputation : Notice the use of obligé in the sense of redevable (cf|. Corneille, “ Horace,” I., 3.) : — “ Envers un ennemi qui nous peut obliger P Here obliger is in the Latin, meaning obligare (lier).

v 21 — Du grand Sénèque : Corneille seems to believe in

the identity of Seneca, tho philosopher and the tragic. The erudite of the sixteenth century. Juste Lipse, Heinsius, hâve written volumes to dispute the question.

V 22 — Quand je me suis résolu de repasser du Jiero'ique au

ndif : Corneille employs indifferently se résoudre de and se résoudre à \ see for example : —

La reine se résolve à payer votre amour.

— “ Sertorius,” i., 2.

Se résout de se perdre ou de le prévenir.

— “ Rodogune,’’ i., 4.

Notice also the article du instead of de l\ on account of the aspirate h of héroïque . In modem French this form would be avoided, and we should write de V héroïque au tragique.

NOTES

Page v line 24— Conduire au fameux Lope de Véga : Itwill be seen in the “Examen ” of the play tbat Corneille afterwards recognised that the real Spanish author of “ La Yerdad Sospecliosa ” was Don Juan d’Alarcon : See “Au Lecteur ” (note i.). v 2 5 — De tant d'intrigues : Corneille spells thisword, in

the course of the play, intrique. This latter spelling is one of the many instances of Corneille’s Latinisms (cf. Lat. intricœ), and not, as Thomas Corneille explained it, a poetical license to make it rhyme with pratique . Intrique is to be found in our old dictionaries. Cotgrave, for instance, gives : intrication , intrique , intriqué. Cf. Engl, intricate. . v 28 — Me fiant sur notre Horace , qui donne liberté de

tout oser : Notice the form me fiant sur , instead of me fiant à. See F. Godefroy : “Lexique comparé de la langue de Corneille et de celle du 17e siècle.” The remarkable introduction of this learned work gives long lists of the peculiarities of Corneille’ s accidence and syntax. The passage of Horace alluded to in this place is the well-known line of the “ Ars Poetica ” —

Pictoribus atque poetis Quidlibet audendi semper fuit æqua potestas.

y 30 —Nonobstant la guerre des deux couronnes : Allusion to the Thirty Years’ War. See also further on, Notes on page vi., line 25, “ Les guerres d’ Allemagne.”