Lionceau. — Lion's cub, whelp

6. Tant de fers animaux. — So many proud animais. Adverbs of quantity must be followed by de. See Grammar, p. 42, § 2.

7. Disait-il. — Third person singular, imperfect tense, of dire, to say. Dis and dit, which occur several times below, are the second and third person singular, of the prétérit, of the same verb. See Grammar, p. 172, §7.

8. Je saurai bien. — I shall know very well how to. Saurai is the future tense of savoir, to know. See Grammar, p. 191, § 62.

9. En attendant. — In the mean while ; literally, in or while waiting.

10. Je veux. — Présent tense of vouloir, to wish. See Grammar, p. 191, §64.

11. Je prétends être. — I claim the right to be Prétendre, from the Latin prœ-tendere, to stretch out before, lias retained in French its two significations, to lay claim rightfully or wrongfully to any thing. Hence, wlien referring to a person's words, prétendre may mean simply to assert, to déclare, or, with an idea of blâme, to prétend, since in either case the speaker claims what he says to be a fact.

12. Je soutiens. — Présent tense of soutenir, to maintain, from tenir, to hold. See Grammar, p. 187, § 52.

13. Qu'on m'avait fait une injustice, quand on me préféra le lion. — That injustice was done me when the lion was preferred to me. On, formerly spelt hom, and later om, is from the Latin homo, and hence the same word etymologically as homme, man. This is why it is always singular, being used in the sensé of man in gênerai, one, people. It may sonietimcs be translated by we, you, they, but often by the passive, as in the présent case.