PERSONNAGES

2 1 — Géronte (Gtietîkyif Vf) : Oldm&n, Thisnameis

often given to the fathers in the French comedy. At first the Gérantes, as one oan see in the *' Menteur," had nothing ridiculous ; but they became soon on the oomic scène the personifioation of stinginess, stubbornness, and credulity. Rotrou in his comedy of *^ La Sœur généreuse " (1645) introduces a Gérante who is the sport of a skilful valet ; but it is Molière who has given to that personage his typical character, first in his "Médecin malgré lui" (1666), then in his *' Fourberies de Scapin " (1671). Begnard has also introduced a Gérante in his " Joueur," in *' Le Rétour imprévu" and *'Le légateur universel." Molière and Du Croisy hâve ezcelled in aoting the part of Gréronte. Grandmesnil, Bonneval, De Vigny et Provost, &:c., hâve also been very f amous In the same parla.

2 7 — Isahelle : This name has been f requently given

to the amoureuses on the French stage, very likely on account of a clever actress, Isabelle Andreini, who had great suooess in Paris in 1578. Jouer les Isabelles means to act the part of amoureuses, sometimes also of soubrettes and colombines.

2 0— CHton : Name f requently given on the French

stage to a skilful and clever valet of comedy, the ancestor of the modem Figaros.

In the original oast QérctiMs part was acted by Bellerose, Aloippe*s by Beaa<diateaa, and Cliton*8 by the oelebrated Jodelet.

Foffe 2 Une 11 — The soene is in Paris, in the first aot in the

Toileries, and in the f oor others at La Place Royale.

ACT L Scène I.

S l—Jtobe pour Tépée : The stody of law for the

military career.

8 i—'Ht fai fait banqueroute à ce fatras de loU : And I

haye been a bankrnpt to (that is to say, I (rare up). Dorante jests in the style of the Courts of Law.

8 5 — Ltdane lee Tuileriee : Listead of dane Us Tuù

leries, Li the actnal langnage dedans means within, and is not to be nsed with an objeot : It may also be taken as a nonn — le dedans, the inside ; bat the poets of the seventeenth oentary of ten nsed it as a préposition. Voltaire oalls it a mistaka — Les Toileries, a palace in Paris, so oalled from the tile-fields which ezisted there in 1842. Francis L pnrchased the original small hoose called the Hôtel des Tnileries, 1518, for his mother, and Catherine de Medicisobose it for the site of anew palace. It was completed by Lonis XIII. ; oaptnred bv the people of Paris, August lOth, 1792, 28th July, 1830, and 24th February, 1848. The central part was destroyed by ftre dnring the last days of Uie Paris Commune (May 24thy 1871).

S lo^£t jamais comme vous on ne peignit Barthole, or

Bartole : Italian jurist (1813-1356).

4 2^Faire le fin : To act the sly one ; to finesse.

Compare the proverb, ** à fin fin et demi," with the Ëngllsb saying, ** diamond eut diamond.*'

4 — De passer pour un homme à donner tablature : Ta

eut ont work, for the word tablature means some indication in the teaching of musio, presented in the shape of a table; fig. it means a diffîcult or embarrassing question.

Paye i Une 16— TVi prends mon sens à gauche : Yon mistake my

idea ; lit., 70a take my idea left-handed, in

the wrong way.

4 21 — Débiter leurs Jleurettes : To i»lk soft nonsense.

to make love.

4 23— Vous êtes d'encolure à vouloir un peu mieux:

Yoa are of a fignre to aim at somethiDg better ;

encolure derived from eou^ neck, means the

gênerai appearance.

4 25 — Et le jeu comme on dit rien vaut pas les chandelles .

It is not worth trying ; it is not worth powdez and shot ; it is not worth while. This proverbial location is very old, and was nsed originally abont the games of carda when the stakes were not worth the candie whicb lighted the players.

5 10—^^ là f faute de mieux, un sot passe à la montre:

And there, by defanlt of something better, a mère f ool attraots attention ; lit., is ezpoaed in show. This Word montre meant at the time of Corneille a review of troops. It is what a certain Italian translater of 'TlUnstre Ba38&" did not know, who "pour dire que Soliman donna deux montres à son armée a mis due oroloçi,** — ^Tallemant " Historiettes," viL. 437.

6 20'-^ Il y croît des badauds autant et plus gu^ ailleurs :

Badaud, deriv. bailler, yieuz français béer, Italian badare, Latin badare, originally to open the moath, to gape ; hence to look at a thing with astonishment and stupidity.

5 2ô~-Chaeun s'y fait de mise = S*y fait valoir. Sec

** Leziqae de la langue de Corneille " (édition Begnier). Voltaire says, '* Peut-être cette expression pouvait passer autrefois."

5 26 —Autant comme il se prise : The correct f orm would

now be autant que; priser = estimer. Cf.

Act iv.» V. 146 . . . '* Ce faible bonheur ne vaut pas qu'on le prise."

5 Hi — Tel donne à pleines mains qui ri oblige personne :

" Many give much whose liberality deserves no gratitude." Voltaire says on that passage : " Molière n'a point de tiiade plus parfaite.

Terenoe n*a rien écrit de plus pur que ce

morceau."

6 6— 2)*<m contre-temps: It ought to be tellement à

eontre'tetnpa ; the idiom is not faire d'un contre» tempsj but faire â contre-temps, as Voltaire * jnstly remarks.

Paffe 6 Une 14 — Fenses-tu qu'il t*en die : Instead of dise.