I I 2 NOTES
3 tâche à m'empêcher, strives to prevcnt me. Tâcher, in seventeenth century, was generally construed with à; now de is preferred.
10 Par un peu de remise, by a Utile delay, son ennui, her anxiety. The ordinary meaning of ennui would net be sufficiently strong to express Pauline's feelings.
11 ce qu'il trouble aujourd'hui. What it {son ennui) interrupts to-day.
17 efficace, as a noiin, for efficacité^ which was not admitted by the grammarians of the seventeenth century.
18 nos longueurs, our delays.
Page 17. I en devient plus avare, becomes more sparing of it.
9 l'effet se recule, the effect is delayed.
II chrétien. Note in the whole scène the zeal of the néophyte, tempered by his tender love for his wife. \Ve see that nothing can deter him from embracing Christianity, but he wishes, as far as possible, to hâve some regard for Pauline's feelings.
14 dessillant nos yeux, opening our eyes. Dessiller^ written more correctly, formerly, déciller , says Brachet ; in order to tame the havvk, his eyelids or his eyelashes {cils) were sewed {ciller). To eut the thread which closed the eyes was déciller.
23 il ne les peut rompre. The object pronoun before first verb^ the usual position in seventeenth century.
25 par quelque autre. Obstacle understood.
Page 18. I le coup d'essai, the trial blow. This expression recalls immediately to our mind the celebrated answer of Rodrigue to the Count {Le Cid, IL, 2.) :
" Mes pareils à deux fois ne se font point connaître. Et pour leurs coups d'essai veulent des coups de maître."
10 Pour se donner à lui, faut-il n'aimer personne ? Because one gives one^s selfto him^ must one love nobody ?
11 il le souffre, il l'ordonne. Le representing a clause, a real neuter.
23 un chrétien est en butte, a Christian is exposed.
Page 19. 3 un bel œil est bien fort. Voltaire criticises very sharply un bel œil, and says : *• It is always ridiculous, and much more so in a husband ihan in a lover." We should bear in mind,
however, that Corneille was writing in 1640, when false galanterie vvas most fashionable. Although Corneille was far superior to his contemporaries in his language, we see nevertheless in his writings some expressions which the perfect taste of his younger rival, Racine, always avoided.
6 appaSy charms. We now hâve appât, " bait," and appas^ "charms." The distinction between the two is based on nothing, says M. de Julleville. Both words are derived from ad-pastum (" bait to catch the fish ").
15 Et l'heur, and the happiness. From Latin augurîuniy very common in Corneille. It fell into disuse in Labruyère's time. We now use it only in compounds, bonheur, malheur.
Page 20. 4 qui sait votre défaut, who knows your weak point. Défaut is taken in the physical sensé, not in the moral. Scène 2. — 10 Y va-t-il de Thonneur ? Is your honor at stake ?
Page 21. 5 Mais mon déplaisir, but tny grief. Déplaisir, in seventeenth century, was synonymous with douleur.
9 Un songe vous fait peur. This recails Athalie's words (Act IL, Scène 5) :
** Un songe (me devrais-je inquiéter d'un songe I) Entretient dans mon cœur un chagrin qui le ronge."
13 prêt à, from prastus, ready to ; pris de, from pressus, ** on the point of." In seventeenth century no distinction was made between the two expressions.
Scène 3. — Page 22. 1 1 Mais après l'hyménée ils sont rois à leur tour. This verse, says Voltaire, has become a proverb.
13 S'il ne vous traite ici d'entière confidence. If he does not treatyou with entire confidence. Traiter de, instead of traiter avec, is common in Corneille.
17 Assurez-vous sur lui, rely upon him.
Page 24. 2 le courage, the heart, the tnind, meaning of Latin animus. Courage and cœur were of ten taken as synonymous in seventeenth century. We ail remember Don Diègue's question to his son (Le Cid, Act L, Scène 5), " Rodrigue, as-tu du cœur?"
14 plus honnêiC homme, a more gallant man. In the seventeenth century, honnête homme, says M. Rondelet, had a délicate and coni-
pjete meaning which we do not know any longer. It was the équivalent of the vir prcbus of the Romans, and of the gentleman of the £nglish.
Page 25. i8 qu'il me prît pour maîtresse. That he shauld /ail in love with me.
24 ** Je donnai par devoir à son affection *
Tout ce que Tautre avait par inclination."
Thèse two verses are highly praised by Voltaire. Thcy give us, indeed, our first impression of the character of Pauline, who becoaaes attached to Polyeucte through duty, but who will remain faithful to that affection, in spite of her former love for Sévère.
Page 26. 23 a brouillé ces images, has mixed ihose images.
z-j Voilà quel est mon songe. Voltaire says that l'H^l df RamboiuUU blamed very much Pauline*s dream, saying that, instead of leading her to Christianity, it made her an enemy of the Christians. The dream, however, is necessary to the play, and is certainly well told.
Page 27. 10 les charmes, the incantations. Used in the sensé of the Latin carmina^ magie formulae. The two meanings in French of the Word charmes are well expressed in Corneille's Médée (quoted by M. Rondelet) : "^îr n^ai que des attraits^ et vous avez des charmes^"* " I hâve only charms, and you hâve enchantments."
15 Mais sa fureur ne va qu'à briser, but ils fury only aspires to break.
16 Elle n'en veut qu'aux Dieux, // only attacks the gods. Scène 4. — Page 28. 9 mal propice, hostile.
Page 29. i 11 vient ici lui-même. He himself is coming. Notice tbe force of the lui-même^ and the efîect which it produces on. Pauline, in her answer, c'en est trop.
3 dans la proche campagne, near here^ in the country.
4 Un gros de courtisans, a crowd of courtiers.
8 sa perte, his loss (of Sévère).
9 par sa main, Sévère's hand.
10 son parti, the emperor's party.
11 sa vertu, Sévère's valor. Vertu, in the meaning of, Latin virtutem. The person referred to by the possessive adjectives, with the mords perte y main, partie vertu, is not clearly expressed.
