Scène V

1. 151. avec force [de'\ révérences ^ with repeated bows. Force is derived from the Low Latin substantiveyî?/rM.

1. 158. il est trop galant^ he is too much of a lady's man ; galant is from the Old French verb galer^to be libéral, to enjoy one*s self, to dance.

1. 159. Dieu merci^lpar] la merci de Dieu, liter., by the favour of God.

1. i6a Von sait un peu [son métier, sa besogne, son devoir]^ one knows a Uttle one*s business* duty, etc.

Schîe VI.

L 165. sur de telles gens quel fonds pourrait^n faire f gens Is properly féminine, and the idea it expresses (of men or individuals) is properly masculine; consequently this word has both genders. It takcs in the féminine ail the adjectives which précède it (les bonnes gens), and in the masculine those which follow (les gens de ce pays sont bons) ; see !• 371- — quel fonds pourrait-on faire? fonds hère means capital (see Littrë's Dict.)j liter., what capital could one make?

1. 175. vous voir d'assez bon œil^ look rather favourably upon jrou.

I. 180. ce qu^il m* en a coûtée what I hâve had to put up with. See

II. 184, i86w et comme.. M que; the conjunction que is very often used in France instead of comme, quand, and si, when clauses b^nnirg with those words are followed by others of the same nature. Thus, again:

" Quand tout cédait à Louis, et qtu nous croyions voir revenir le temps des miracles..." (Bossuet.)

94 LE VIEUX CÉLIBATAIRE. [act i.

1. 199. ff'a pokU d^ enfants „.\ aller an adverb of n^;ation the partitive article is not used.

1. 3o6. beau-frère^ a brother-in-Iaw; beau is hère an epithet of endearment much in use during the middle âges. Thus :

"Biau filz, la première chose que je t'enseigne, c'est que tu mettes ton cuer en amer Dieu." (Joinville.) The mediaeval expression for 'brother-in-law * was sororge or serorge^ from the L. sororius,

1. 31 1. Je traitai ses revers (Tinconduite^ i.e, comme étant le résultat de son inconduite, I ascribed his reverses to his dissipated life.

L 318. chargez-m'en. Le. chargez-moi de son entretien, give me the care of his maintenance.

1. 330. Il jeta les hauts cris, he protested loudly. — ili engagea, see

L 337. exprès, on purpose; selected for the purpose.