SCENE IV

Page 10 line 5— Elle loge à la Place : Cliton speaks according to the Parisian fashion. “La Place,” then, without anything else? meant La Place Royale. Cf. Mme. de Sevigné (Lettres, 30 juillet, 1677), “ Prenez- vous la maison de la Place pour un an ?— Je n’en sais rien.”

La Place Royale : Now Place des Vosges, a public square in Paris, between the Rue St. Antoine and the Rue des Vosges ; was begun 1604 by order of Henri IV.; finished 1612. It is formed of a square of symmetrical buildings in Renaissance style, divided in 35 pavillons with balconies, high Windows and high slate roofs.

10 14 — Je crois que ce soit Vautre : Je crois que ce soit

is a mistake ; je crois que is used with the indicative mood : “Je crois que c’est l’autre.” For this frequent use of the subjunctive in Corneille see the Introduction in Godefroy : Lexique de la langue de Corneille.

10 27 — Qu’eût-elle en vrai magot tout le corps fagoté :

Magot , a big monkey, hence a very ugly person. Many dérivations hâve been proposed, namely, Magodus , a personage of the ancient theatre ; Mimus , Macchus , a sort of buffoon on the Roman stage. Neither are satisfactory.