Scène 2. — Page 56. 8 ennuis, see line 10, page

Page 57. 1 5 tu parles à moi. An emphatic use of the personal pronoun. You speak to me^ his wi/e, This admirable answer of Pauline corrects the painful impression produced by the imprécations of Stratonice against the Christians.

Page 58, 5 ébahie, astonished. The use of ébahir was rare in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, and Voltaire condemns it as being only fit for the low comic.

8 serais- je dispensée, should I be authortzed. Dispenser now means to exempt.

12 ressentiment, for j^«//Vw^«^.

14 Malgré qui, in spite o/which, for malgré laquelle,

18 Néarque en est donc. Néarçtte is t/ien implicated in it (the plot).

Page 59. i en dépit de lui-même, in spite 0/ himsel/ {Vohtuctc). 7 avant qu'abandonner. We now say avant de. .In the seventeenth century avant que de was recommended by Vaugelas, and avant

Ntta

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^«^ was also used. In Old French and in Middle French (sixteenth century), the form was avanf abandonner.

19 Et devers l'orient assuré son aspect, and fixed his looks towards the east. Devers for vers^ both used in the seventeenth century, although Vaugelas prefers vers.

22 A Tenvi l'un et l'autre étalait sa manie, tAey vied with 07te another in ntanifesting their madness. Manie is no longer used in thiii meaning, which is to be found both in Corneille and in Racine.

Page 60. 3 S'emportant à, written at first by Corneille s'emportants. The présent participle in the seventeenth century agreed in number; the only invariable form in ant was the gerund, en s^empor- ^s!e$|

tani. It was in 1678 that the Academy declared that the présent :2>;

participle was to remain invariable. ^ïsc

8 mêmes, with or without s in the seventeenth century. This s is called the adverbial.

9 Oyez. Imperative of ouïr, from audire. The expression is still used by the sheriff, in this country and in England, at opening and hgjç closing of court. dr

17 mettre à bas, /(7W<?r //. Written at fiasi mettre bas. The cor- pl^j rection was gt>od ; mettre bas is a much more familiar expression.

Page 61. 2 Félix . . . Voltaire says : " There is hère a great interest." Indeed, the narrative of Stratonice is animated, and we may say, full of action. We are now prepared for what is to follow. Polyeucte's fate dépends upon Félix alone, and we already know the misérable and cowardly character of the governor. -,