ACT V

1447 fourbe: trick or trickery. Now yxsiva)\y fourberie in this sensé. Cf. the 2ià.\&cX\\^ fourbe, 1754' 1454 restes: leavings.

1457 Tranchant du généreux : playing the generous. Trancher de, common in C, has become colloquial. " Bourgeois et comique." (V.)

1458 lourd: clumsy.

1460 fine pratique: ctinning intriguery . Ct. Nicomède, 391 and 1708, and M.'s Dépit amoureux, 1793.

1462 ce . . . Empereur: his intentions in regard to the Emperor, i.e. the représentations that he will make to him. Cf. "Que prétend ce devoir?" Cid, 1689, and "ce long séjour prétend quelque autre chose" (" has some other meaning "), Nicomède, Tf>'

1464 Epargnant: = en épargnant; if I spared.

1465 maladroit: pronounced maladrè. Oi, of whatever dérivation, was pronounced oè by the end of the Middle Ages. In the sixteenth century, this sound developed in two ways: (i) into oa, modem wa; (2) into è, especially before final e or s, (In 1 549, Du Bellay indicates

naître and connaître as rhyming.) In the seventeenth century the two pronunciations ran side by side, oi being oa in some words, è in others, and either oa or è in still others. In the imperfect and conditional endings and in certain other words, è began to prevail at the court at least as early as 1613, though oa survived also, especially in the pulpit and at the bar, at least as late as 1668. (There was a third pronunciation, ouè^ condemned by Ménage as provincial.) In modem French oa {wa^ has prevailed in some words, as adroit, conçois ; è (spelled ai) in others, as connaître and ail imperfect and conditional endings ; both survive in a few words, with a distinction of meaning, as François and Français. In this text I hâve changed oi to ai wherever required by modem usage. Cf. Vaugelas, Remarques, T. I, pp. 183-187; Ménage, Observations, pp. 59-61, 444-45 1 ; M.-L., T. I, p. xciv ; Hatzfeld et Darmesteter, Dictionnaire Général, Introduction, §§309, 315, 633; K. Nyrop, Grammaire historique de la langue française, T. I, §§ 155 et seq.

1468 joue: literally "dupes"; hexçi, tries to dupe. Ci. s^ en Joue, ii?)^.

1469 / hâve had so many expériences of ail sorts, en seems to be indefinite. Cf. the same expression in Mélite, 785, where en is definite. Most of the commentators condemn the expression as trivial ; V, calls it " absolument mauvaise."

1471 gênez : torture, as commonly in the seventeenth century. The modem sensé is much weaker.

1472 science : art.

1478 hautement: resolutely.

1485 choquait: opposed, or clashed with ', near the original meaning, " to run against." Cf. " Les Remarques [of Vaugelas] ont été choquées de plusieurs," Pellisson, Histoire de V Acad. fran., 1652, and "Choquer la décision des Conseils," Richelet, 1680.

1493 ému . . . parti: taking arms in his défense, ému = "rioting,' stronger than now. Cf. émotions = " uprisings," Nicomède, 1545.

1496 Of course the unity of time requires an immédiate solution. Cf. notes on 1070 and 1076.

1500 calomnier de: accuse slanderously of. '■'■ Calomnier de n'est pas français." (V.) — intelligence: collusion.

1503 ombrage: suspicion. Cf. note on 609,

1505 que le désespérer : a common use of que in C, for usual modem que de or de. Cf. H., § 86, A.

1508 C'est à faire à: we shall merely hâve to. Cf. Cinna, 140, Tite et Bérénice, 1482, Pulchérie, 604. Cf. avoir affaire de, " to need," common in the seventeenth century.

1515 usage : use.

1520 bon: noble. Cf. Horace, 468, Cinna, 689, etc.

1522 je m'en vais : —je vais ; still a common use.

1539 fâcheux: difficult. Cf. V Imitation, I, 1021 var.

1542 Qui: for Qu'est-ce qui\ a formerly common construction, still occasionally used.

1548 The metaphor is far from happy. Of several of C.'s metaphors, including this, Lanson says : " Dans toutes ces expressions, la vision est impossible ou serait ridicule. Il n'y a que des signes qui font concevoir, sans peindre." — Corneille, p. 160.

1560 condition: rank, ox station.

1563 considéré: 2iç^-âx^x\X\^ — shown considération to. Cf. 1029; also 602 (="esteem") and 1183 (= "take into considération"). One of the meanings of the Latin considerare was " to be considerate." Cf. "Blessed is he that considereth the poor." — Psalms xli. i.

1572 vm.^ost\xiQ : false doctrine. (Darmesteter et Hatzfeld, Z>/V//(7«naire.) Cf. note on 786.

1573 flattais: humored.

1574 précipice: abyss; as frequently, rather than in usual sensé of English " précipice." — trébucher : /ail, or plunge ; now usually = "stumble.*

1580 m'assassine: breaks my heart. Cf. note on 950.

1590 Cf. 615-616.

1597 donnés: fought. {Li^jrés would be more common now.) Cf. donner = " charge," Horace, 282, and " il lui donna bataille," Rodogune,

1601 forcer: overcome.

y 1611 But in spite of the pleadings of our love. The Une is borrowed '^ almost textually from Cid, 929.

1612 Cf. " Albe vous a nommé, je ne vous connais plus." Horace,

1617-1618 et . . . jamais : again the metaphor is rather mixed. It may be rendered freely : and the bonds of blood can never be sundered.

1619-1620 et . . . espérance: and relying on this I venture still io retain some faint h ope.

1625 redoublement: translate double penalty, i.e. the death of Pau line as well as of Polyeucte.

1637 porte: hâve.

1641 détaché: indiffèrent.

1644 amitié : affection, as frequently.

1656 You delay too long in coming to a décision. (G.) V. criticises the expression. Cf. note on 23.

1662 Veut: is willing; as in 1660. — en victime : i.e. symbolically, in fhe sacrifice of the mass.

1671 The Une is borrowed Verbatim from Cid, 878.

1679 " Dialogue admirable et toujours applaudi." (V.)

1681 "And'Ruth said, Entreat me not to leave thee, or to return from f ollowing af ter thee : for whither thou goest, I will go ; . . . Where thou diest, will I die." — Ruth i. 16, 17.

1686 The naïve remark of Félix about "ma bonté naturelle," immediately after saying, "je consens qu'il périsse," raises a smile. Yet cf. Introduction, p. xxiil.

1691 impénétrables: hard to touch.

1694 amollir: touch, or soften. Used commonly in sensé of attendrir by C. and earlier writers, but not now.

1700 Which resembles somehow too dark a deed. A clumsy Une.

1703 Brute et Manlie : Brutus and Manlius are the usual forms in *French, as in English, but C. is fond of Gallicizing Latin names. Lucius Junius Brutus is said to hâve condemned to death his own sons, 509 B.c., for having conspired against the state ; Manlius Torquatus to hâve had his own son beheaded, 340 b.c., for having fought without his command. The comparison of the pusillanimous Félix of himself with thèse stoical heroes is slightly comic.

1707 die : old form for dise; used by M. and R. also.

1715 Remove any obstacle that her tears might oppose to the exécution of my orders. "Barbarisme." (V.)

1720 hostie: victim-, so in Horace, 768; originally a victim ofîered to God, now generally applied to the consecrated wafer. Cf. note on

1721 que: why. So used only in négative questions, except with tarder and one or two other verbs.

1723 matières: reasons (to exercise itself).

1724 m' . . . lumières : has enlightened me.

1727 In speaking of Rachel (1820-1858), the greatest interpréter of Pauline, Jules Janin says on this passage: "Elle disait jusqu'aux nues ce grand cri. . . . En ce moment solennel, tout brillait, tout parlait, tout brûlait dans cette personne héroïque ; elle avait dix coudées, elle était immortelle." — Rachel et la tragédie française, p. 160.

1739 saintement rebelle : for the antithesis cf. saintement homicides^ R., Athalie, 1365,

1746 t'assure en terre : strengthens your worldly power. assure = affermit. Cf. Cid, 1370. en terre = sur la terre, as in C.'s Œuvres, T. IX, p. 611, V. II, and Malherbe's Œuvres, T. II, p. 561.

1750 tristes: pitiful, ox paltry.

1762 *' II est permis de regretter que le rideau ne tombe pas après ce vers ; la tragédie est finie ; Néarque et Polyeucte sont morts ; Pauline est chrétienne ; Félix est puni par sa disgrâce, et Sévère a fait voir sa grandeur d'âme et sa générosité." (P. de J.)

1769 appas: charm. Cf. note on 90.

1775 épandu: lavished. Cf. Rodogune, 582; also note on 489.

1783 " Un moyen aussi extraordinaire qu'un miracle peut être admis une fois, mais ne doit pas être répété. ... Le spectateur admet bien que Pauline se convertisse : la conversion au christianisme est une récompense que mérite cette honnête femme ; mais le vil et méprisable Félix devrait en être exclu." (La Harpe.) Félix's conversion is justifiable theologically, since grâce touches the unworthy as well as the worthy, but not dramatically. It revolts us, especially after Félix's^ hypocrisy in 1523 et seq.

1787 tendre: = attendrissant.

1788 vont . . . sans: zi. Horace, 1407. In thèse passages a/Z^rseems about équivalent to être. Littré defines ne pas aller sans under aller 150: "être nécessairement accompagné de."

1791 avec tant d'innocence : = si innocente.

1794 aussi: either\ in sensé of modem non plus, as commonly in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. Cf. Clitandre, 872, etc., and note on 288. — effet : resuit. Cf. note on 42.

1802 sur vous : i.e. in your person, at your expense.

1805 Sa Majesté: the expression is an anachronism.

1811 '•'■ Notre heureuse aventure, immédiatement après avoir coupé le cou à son gendre, fait un peu rire." (V.) It is an unfortunate blemish that the last words of this noble tragedy should come from the lips of the despicable Félix.