LETTRES À MA COUSINE

Page 211. — 1. Orléans. Formerly the capital of Orléanais, now cheflieu of the department of Loiret, situated on the Loire. Besieged by the English, who were then masters of the greatest part of France, in 1429, the

city was set free by Joan of Arc. This was the first great act of her divine mission.

2. La Pucelle: the Maid. Joan of Arc is often called la Pucelle d'Or Uatts. It is under this title that Voltaire wrote a very foui poem, thereby disgracing himself ; but he was unable to tarnish the famé of the sweet innocent maiden who is known ail through the world as the most touching and most beautiful figure of girlhood. The famous German poet, Schiller, has written a very fine tragedy on the French heroine, the Jungfrau von Orléans.

3. Panathénées : panathanea. It was the name of the feasts which were celebrated in Athens in the honor of Minerva.

4. Perrault. Charles Perrault, the author of Parallèle des Anciens et des Modernes, and especially of the Contes de Fées, which hâve been translated into ail widely spoken languages. (1 628-1 703.)

5. Casimir Delavigne. A lyric and dramatic poet, born at Le Havre in 1793, died in 1843. His first important work, the Messêniennes, brought him at once to famé. Thèse satires were directed against the Restauration. He then produced Les Vêpres Siciliennes, a tragic pièce, folio wed by V École des Vieillards. Among his other dramas are : Louis XI, Le Paria, Marina Faliero, Les Enfants d* Edouard, La Fille du Cid. Casimir Delavigne's famé has been rapidly decreasing since his death.

Page 212. — 1. Tirebouchonnées : twisted in a corkscrew fashion.

2. Jouvenet. A famous French painter ( 1644-17 17). He painted many pictures for the royal palace in Versailles. Having lost the use of his right hand in conséquence of paralysis, he did not get discouraged, but went on working with his left. In this manner he painted the famous ceiling of the House of Parliament in Rouen (Normandy), which is deemed one of his best, and his picture called Magnificat for the choir in Notre-Dame. His bestknown pictures are : Jésus chez Marthe et Marie, La Pêche Miraculeuse, La Résurrection de Lazare, La Descente de Croix, V Ascension de Jésus- Christ, etc.