‹ Petites âmes. Edited by Stéphane BarletChapitre 7 sur 50 · se noua, 'sprungup · texte numérisé non relu

se noua, 'sprungup

,; 10. janissaire, 'Janissary,' a term extended to the satellite of

any tyrant. The Janissaries formed the bodyguard of the

Sultans. They were at first 1000 strong, but their numbers

increased gradually to 12,000, 40,000, and 140,000 regulars.

They were then also entrusted with the defence of the

frontiers. Created by Amurat I. in 1362, the ' new militia'

(Turkish meaning of Janissary) soon acquired considérable

importance and privilèges. At first a disciplined and valiant

body of troops, they became later on insubordinate, de-

posing and murdering the Sultans at their will. They were

abolished in 1826 by Mahmoud II.

,, 13. Règlement, 'rules,' 'standing orders,' ' bye-laws of the

school. ' ,, 15. Code: the collection of laws and regfulations which formulate public and private rights in a country. Hère, essentially, the Code Napoléon, or collection of ail the laws voted by the Législative Assembly, and brought together under one head, Code Civil des Français, by the law of the 2ist of March 1804. Such as it is, a work of man, that is imperfect, it will remain as the greatest monument of the principle of civil equality proclaimed in the Déclaration des droits de l'homme et du citoyen.

sacro-saint, from Lat. sacro-sanctus, used in référence to the ' inviolable ' person of a tribune (lit. ' sacred and holy '), ' most holy. ' "This expression is now used only in jest. Cf. l'armée atiglo-française, l' alliance franco-russe. ,, 19. d'un train toujours égal, 'always at the same even rate.' Note—

un train de marchandises, ' a goods-train. ' tin train de maison, ' style of living.' train de bateaux, — de bois, ' a train of boats,' ' a raft.' faire du train, ' to make a noise. ' être en train, ' to be in a mood. ' mettre en train, ' to set moving. '

soldat du train, ' a soldier of the Army Service corps,' à fond de train, ' at full speed. ' ,, 21. je peinais à le voir faire, ' it worried me to see him work.' ,, 22. Quicherat, 'Latin dictionary,'thusnamed from itscompiler. empêtré dans un contre-sens, buté contre un pont-

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aux -ânes, 'hopelessly endeavouring to extricate himself from a misconstruction, or to solve an easy difficulty.' Pont-aux-ânes answers to a certain extent to the English pons asinorum, and means a difficulty that can remain such only to ignorant people. The explanation of that expression is not certain, but it does not refer, as in EngHsh, to the fifth proposition of tbe first book of Euchd.

4. 5. les dis^aciés de l'étude, ' those whom study availed not. ' les ratés du thème grec, ' those to whom Greek composition remained a mystery. ' 9. tendre, 'sentimental,' i.e. ' easily worked upon. '

,, II. il répugnait au jai^on mystique, ' the mystic gibberish was répugnant to him."

,, 13. chapelles : the side altars in a church where mass is said, as distmguished from the main altar.

,, 16. cela le dépaysait, 'that bewildered him' (lit. ' took him away from his country ' — known tract of land). Cf. Engl. ' to be at sea,' ' to be ail abroad.'

,. 17. son Dieu de là-bas (lit. 'his yonder God'), 'the God he was used to at home. '

.. 18. p)orte-soleil et porte-grêle, 'that pours the rays of His Sun and hurls His destructive hailstones.'

,. 25. démentis par la suite (lit. ' gainsaid by the sequel '), ' that came to nought afterwards.'

6. I. Saint-Cyr : a military school for officers in the army, corresponding to Sandhurst. St. Cyr is a small village of about 3000 inhabitants, 22 kil. south-west of Paris and 5 from Versailles, with nothing remarkable but the vast and sombre buildings of the Military School. Thèse were formerly what was known as La Maison de St. Cyr, founded by Mme de Maintenon for the free éducation of 250 poor young ladies, daughters of noble families. The Révolution did away with that foundation, and in 1808 Napoléon transferred the Military School, which had been established in 1803 at Fontainebleau, to the vacant buildings. enregistrement, ' record office. ' 3. Cîoulmiers : a small French village, 21 kil. wcst of Orléans. A battle was fought hcre between the Army of the Loire, under the chicf command of General d'Aurelle de Paladine, and the Bavarian troops on the çth of November 1870, with the resuit that the enemy was forced to abandon ail his entrenched positions and evacuate Orléans. Patay : another village, 22 kil. north-west of Orléans, where the Volontaires de l'Ouest, under the leadership of Gaston de Sonis and Charette, fought gallantly, leaving.

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two-thirds of their number on the field. The combat of Fatay forms only an épisode in the battle of Villepion, which led to the ultimate re-occupation of Orléans by the Germans.

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