discours, story

4. enlèvements. The violent carrying off of women, abduction, plays a large part in the romans précieux. In Le Grand Cyrus^ Mandane is carried off four times.

Pagre 12. — I. donne dans le Yzai, speaks the truth. For subfitantive use of le vrai, see page 10, note i.

2. la carte de Tendre is the celebrated Map of Affection, which is found in Mile de Scudéry's Clélie, After a characteristic conversation on friendship and affection, the heroine, Clélie makes the map in fulfilment of a promise playfully given to her admirer, Hermin.ius. He is to see by it how far he is from the object rf his suit.

On the map (see page 52) the starting point is the village of Recent Friendship (Nouvelle Amitié) ; the goal is the city of Affection (Tendre)^ for Mile de Scudéry thought it dangerous to entertain any warmer feeling.

There are three cities of Tendre, distinguished by the rivers on which they are situated: Tendre sur Inclination, Tendre sur Reconnaissance, Tendre sur Estime, as we should say Stratford on Avon. Accordingly three routes lead from Nouvelle Amitié to the cities of Tendre,

The shortest is by the broad river of Inclination, upon which no stopping places are needed. For the other cities of Tendre there are many villages on the way, such as Grand Esprit, Jolis Vers, etc., on the road to Tendre sur Estime, Here it is easy to lose the way, falling, on the one side, into the Lac d"* Indifférence ; on the other, into the Mer d"* Inimitié,

The cities of Tendre are inland. Beyond them lies La Dangereuse, where there are many rocks, and further stil

S^ NQT^S CP.l»-lfi

Terrfs Inconnues. See CUlie^ histoire romaine, Paris, 1656, vol. j, pp. 391-410; Crane, La Société Française au Dix-septième Siècle, New York, 1889, pp. 1 30-1 41.

3. jambe toute unie, without cannons at the knee. Cannons, so called from their resemblance to pieces of artillery, were rolls of linen stitched to the breeches just below the knee. — une tête inégulière en cheveuZy without their hair curled. The hair was worn very long.

4. rabats, shirt-collars turned down over the coat. — de la bonne faiseuse, 0/ the correct style ; lit., * by a good maker.'

5. défaites-vous de ces noms. It was one of the conceits of the précieux and précieuses to g^ve themselves fanciful names, Cf» Introduction Page xii.

Pa^e 13. — I. ce serait assez d'un, one of these names would suffice, D*un de ces noms is the logical subject of serait, Th© genitive is probably connected with the genitive of material or contents. See Harrison'^ French Syntax, §226, (b); or £dgren's French Grammar, § 198.2.

2. furieusement, awfully, like horriblement, terriblement, favorite adverbs with Ùi^ précieuses.

Page 14«— I. oh nous ne faisons que d'arriver, oii nou»

venons cT arriver,

2, ma chère, a name by which the précieuses often addressed each other. Chère finally became synonymous with précieuse,

3. la forme enfoncée dans la matièie, ** his soul is buried in his material body," he is gross and vulgar. In the Scholastic philosophy forms were the universals, in contrast to individuals. For men, form is the immortal, immaterial part, the soul.

Page 15* — U Pame, Lat vocative^ Domine, Tr. Bless me!

2. le Grand Cyre, for le Grand Cyrus, of Mile de Scudéry. Marotte thinks that the high-flown language of Itier mistress ift lofty erudition, fihfie {philosophie), to be learned only from Mile dc Scudéry*s book. The maids in Molière's comedies often represent naturalness and sound common sense, in strong contrast to the foibles of their mistresses or masters. Cf. Martine in I^s Femma Savantes^ and Toinette in Le Malade Imaginaire,

3. Marquis. This is Molière's Arst attack against the Marquis as the dandies of his day. So great was the disrepute cast upon

P.ift-ao] NOTES 57

them, that the title was allowed tp die out. See Sainte-Beuve, Portraits Littéraires^ vol. II, pp. 6i, 62.

Page 16. — I. parler chrétien, "speak the language of Christians," viz., clearly.

2. Xascarille is a new type of valet, belonging exclusively to Molière. To the roguish cleverness of former types, he adds brilliancy.

Page 17. — I. chaise. The use of the Sedan-chair dates from the early part of the 17th century.

Panre 18. -*i. tout à Phenre, at once. This meaning is now obsolete.

2. II est raisonnable, he is reasonable. The editions of 1682 and 1734 add celui-là^ to avoid the ambiguity of //, *»he" or "it."