et on brave homme, 'and as brave as a man vrithal

36. rien, t.e. 'as nothing.' liien. from Lat. rem, was a snbstantive in old Fiencii, meaning 'a thing.' When joined with a négative it nieant 'no tliing' (niVuï), just as ne . . . personne = nemo. Bien ilid not lose its natural tneaning of 'thIng' to take that of 'nothing' (as, e.g., in the plirase On m'a donné cela pour rien), until people became a<«u»tomed to take tbis substmtive wilh ne, so us to form a négative expression. By tliis account,of the meaning of r/en may be explainerî the passage of Molière in l'Éeole des temme». in whicli it is at once négative and positive :

" Dans le s ècle nii nous sommes.

On ne donne rien pour rten."

37. d'Xmée. A town on the bordera of Ille et Vilaine and Mayenne, abnut midway betweon Fotujère» and Laval.

38. £t oomme ça ... * And so, gnod woman, you are rnnning away.'

39. va oomme je te pousse, 'baphazard like' (t.e. like the Ic-af in Millevuye'a obarming lyric La FeuiUe :

" Wheresoe'er the wind is blovring, Nothing caring, nothing knowing."

(Trauslation by Lord Macaolay.)