Scène IL

20 8 — Épandue, shed. The verb épandre, formerly used

wherever we now say répandre^ was considered in Voltaire's time as an archaïsm. It has been restored during the last fifty years :

Océan, qui sur tes rives Epands tes vagues plaintives.

(Lamartine») ao 33— Dessous, adverb, for sms^ préposition. Voltaire and modem grammarians condemn as irregnlar the indiscriminate use of dessus and dessous for sur 2Jià sous ; but this restriction was unknown to the authors of the seventeenth century.

21 14 — Avecque, for etveCf on account of the mètre. Note,

however, that accordingto Vaugelas and Ménage, avec was used, both in prose and poetry, before words beginning with vowels ; whilst avecque was placed before ail words beginning with consonants, except çudçue and quelconque.

21 17— Témoins, iox preuves, Thus Racine :

Songez combien de fois vous m'avez reproché Un silence Ununn de mon amour caché.

('* Bajazet")

22 II— J'ai de la vie assez, instead oî fai assez de vie»

Assez is not generally placed after the word which it modifies.

22 ^ 18— Puisse trouver Sévère, fox ptiisse Sévère trouver.