soties, comic and satirical plays of the Middle Ages
1. 4. Charles d'Orléans, for twenty-five years a prisoner in England, after Azincourt, a graceful poet of the I5th century, father of Louis XII. — Villon, the greatest poet of the Middle Ages; his works hâve great force and tender melancholy.
Page 63. — Une 20. Chambord, a beautiful castle near Blois, built by Francis I.
Page 66. — Unes 4, 5. huguenots. " Properly a diminutive of Hugues. The name is probably derived from the Christian name {Huguenoi) of some person conspicuous as a reformer." — Webster.
1. 23. Antoine de Bourbon married Jeanne d'Albret, queen of Navarre, and was the father of the great King, Henry IV.
Page 67. — Unes. Pays-Bas. The Netherlands were, at that time, resisting the horrible cruelty of Philip II of Spain.
1. 12. Marguerite de Valois. There were three princesses by that name: Marguerite, queen of Navarre, sister of Francis I, author of the " Heptameron " and of some charming poems; Marguerite, duchess of Savoy, daughter of Francis I, and like her father, protectress of arts and letters; Marguerite, daughter of Henry II and first wife of Henry IV, a beautiful and learned woman, author of curions ** Memoirs." Her conduct was not without reproach and she was repudiated by her husband.
i88 Notes
Page 68. — line 13. Pologne. The crown of Poland was élective, and this was the principal cause of the ruin of this once large and powerful kingdom.
Page 69. — line 17. les Quarante-cinq. Alexandre Dumas wrote three interesting and so-called historical novels of the times of the Valois : "La Reine Margot," "la Dame de Montsoreau" and "les Quarante-cinq."
Page 70. — line 27. le Béarnais, a name given to Henry IV, who was born at Pau in Béam (pronounced Béar).
Page 71. — line 2. Seize quarteniers. The quarteniers were municipal officers of the city of Paris. They sided with the League against Henry III and Henry IV, and their party was called " parti des Seize."
Page 72. — line 21. hauts-justiciers, the nobles who had the right to administer justice. There were hauts-justiciers, moyens-justiciers and basjusticiers. The fîrst ones alone could inflict capital punishment. In the i6th century the prérogatives of the hauts-justiciers were nominal, as the justice of the king prevailed everywhere.
1. 22. bailliage, sénéchaussée, extent of the jurisdiction of the officers of justice, bailli and sénéchal.
Page 73. — Unes 12, 13. croquants, a scornful name given to the peasants.
Page 74. — line 5. grand roi de France. Henry IV wished to establish in Europe " one great republic, having a suprême council of deputies from ail the states, whose duty should be to prevent encroachments and collisions." — Duruy.
Page 77. — line u. Richelieu. His name was Armand Jean Du Plessis, cardinal and duke de Richelieu. He was for some time bishop of Luçon.
Page 78. — line 5. une digue. This work may be compared with the dyke made by Alexander at the siège of Tyre.
1. 31. Cinq-Mars. Alfred de Vigny wrote "Cinq-Mars," one of the best historical novels in French literature.
Page 79. — line 26. Pas de Suze. There is a beautiful description of this expeditibn in one of George Sand's most interesting novels, " Les Beaux Messieurs de Bois-Doré."
Page 81. — Une 13. La Fronde. The party opposed to Mazarin were called frondeurs, as it was said that they could not be arrested any more than the boys who fought in the streets with slings.
Notes 189
Page 82. — Une 3. Retz, author of celebrated "Memoirs."
