Line of que (here used for "combien "), ce que, combien, is very common. 333. Gard', for "garde." Of this elision of final e mute there are still many instances: so, grand'-mère. See Brachet's Hist. Gr., p. 103. 337. Fréquente chez (a latinism: "juventus quae domum Catilinæ frequentabat." Sall.); this verb is used transitively or with a prepos. (avec, dans, or chez); "fréquenter avec les hérétiques," to hold communion with heretics. 339. De conduite, steady; the other nouns in the genit. in this line may also be rendered adjectively. 340. Qui soient; for the subj. in adj. clauses, see M. Fr. C., § 77 (b). 341. Certain désir qu'il a; for Fr. relat. clause poss. adj., see M. Fr. C., § 38 (d). = Engl. 342. Faire cas de, to set value on, to set store by, to think much (highly) of. See 1. 446. 343. Feu, adj., late; the etym. of this "feu" has greatly exercised the ingenuity of scholars. Brachet gives Low Lat. "fatutus," one who has fulfilled his "fate" (fatum); see his Etym. Dict. 344. Gentilhomme, then as now- -nobleman, and, of course, identical with "gentleman" in the pres. Engl. sense of the term. 346. Verts galans (plur. of galant), brisk sparks. For the fig. meaning of adj. of colour if placed before the noun see M. Fr. C., § 24, 4. 347. Donner chez, an unusual phrase, akin to "donner dans," to addict one's self to, to be partial to, etc.; M. uses "chez" because the complement is the name of a person. Cp. Lat., "dare se in viam." 349. Voilà qui va des mieux, better and better, capital! (1) For "voilà, voici," foll. by a relat. clause, cp. note to 1. 119; (2) des mieux, "être des mieux" a signfié, être "parmi les meilleurs, etc." Littré. That this term is still in use is evident from the last edit. (1877) of the Dict. of the Acad.: "Cette personne chante des mieux." THIRD SCENE. 356. Pouvoir is here, as in many instances, best rendered adverbially-" perhaps, possibly.” Line 357. Abuser, to deceive, never to abuse in the sense of "to insult.' 363. Faire instance, to entreat; generally used in the plur. : "faire de vives instances." 366. Amusement; (1) entertainment, diversion; (2) loss of time, delay; (3) pretext, stalking-horse, as here. 368. A, frequently used in the seventeenth century for "pour;" cp. Gloss. See also Gloss. to Cid. 369. Tous deux, obj. before the verb, in apposition to 372. Quoi? one would expect qui?; but the antecedent is "objet," hence quoi. 374. Fai, for fais, see note to 1. 113. 375. Être fait(e) d'un air, to look. On, see note to 1. 155; notice the agreement of faite with the virtual gender of "on." 376. Ne... pas pour, a very uncommon expression for-"ne pas seulement" or ne... ... pas. ... qu'un seul." 380. Prendre une licence, here to presume, to venture. 384. Les muets truchements, cp. note to 1. 278. 385. Céans (fr. çai=çà [Lat. "ecce hac"]+ens [Lat. intus]), here; obsol. now, but very frequent in M.'s time. FOURTH SCENE. 397. Cela croît tous les jours, it is getting worse (grows upon her) every day. 407. Voir à, to endeavour to. 411. Vous moquez-vous? lit. "v. moquez-v. de moi?" are you making fun of me? i.e. you don't mean it! 413. Laissez faire, i.e. “laissez-moi faire," leave it to me. 417. À ma femme, is complement of "parler." FIFTH SCENE. 418. Chanceuse (fr. "chance," Low Lat. cadentia-that which falls out fortunately, fr. "cadere "; a term used in dice-playing); a familiar term here used ironically -lucky. An for on, peculiar even in Molière's time, but grammatical in the sixteenth century. 419. An old proverb-Give a dog a bad name and hang him. Line 420. Service d'autrui n'est pas un héritage, words adapted to the proverb: "Promesse de grand n'est pas un héritage." 422. Congé. See note to 1. 164. 423. Je n'entends pas cela; "entendre" here in its etymological meaning "tendre vers "" (1) to intend, as "j'entends être obéi," I mean to (will) be obeyed; (2) to consent to; (3) to hear (to "tend" one's ear to); (4) to listen (to "lend" one's ear to); (5) to "tend' one's "mind" to, i.e. to understand. 425. Bailler (fr. Lat. "bajulare," to bear a burden-not to be confounded with "bâiller," fr. Low Lat. badaculare, diminit. of "badare," to yawn); mot qui ne signifiait en latin que porter un fardeau et qui dans les langues romanes a les sens dérivés les plus étendustenir, donner (as here), garder, gouverner, traiter, etc." Littré. Now hardly ever used except as a law termto give a lease. Prov.: "Vous me la baillez-belle," you try to humbug me. 427. A la tête chaude, see M. Fr. C., III. 8 (b) 1. SIXTH SCENE. 431. C'en est fait; lit. it is done (decided) about it; i.e. there is an end of it. 435. Ne... seulement que, instead of ne. . . que; a redundancy frequently used in M.'s time, cp. also 1. 1248. 439. Là contre, instead of the more modern "contre cela." 442. Prendre mon courroux. We say - "prendre mon parti" (1. 434), "prendre fait et cause pour moi," but "partager mon courroux.' 443. Aussi fais-je. This use of "faire" as an auxil. verb, like do in English, was very common in old French. For inversion of verb and subject, see M. Fr. C., § 122 (a). 446. D'humeur à. For the use of à to express aptness, etc., see 1. 205 and M. Fr. C., III. § 83 (b). For faire cas de, see note to 1. 342. 451. Qu'est-ce à dire, what does that mean? 452. Me voit-on, render by the passive past: Have I ever proved (lit. been seen) to be .. 454. Aiguière (fr. aigue, Lat. aqua; for L. a = Fr. ai, cp. amare Line = aimer; for q=g, cp. equalis égal), ewer; "aigue," the doublet of "eau," still obtains in a few derived and proper nouns, as-" aiguade," watering-place for ships; "aigue-marine," beryl; "Aigues-Mortes," etc. 455. La belle a kind of vocative-a nice creature you are! Thus, "l'ami!" my good fellow ! 459. A nulle autre pareille, lit. unparalleled; a very common phrase in the poetical style of M.'s time; see 1. 715. 461. Sauvage (fr. Lat. silvaticus; for Lat. i case-cp. lingua = Fr. a-a rare langue; then " salvage"; for Lat. aticus (m) = Fr. age, cp. viaticum voyage; for "salcp. alba aube), here used as vage sauvage a synonym of "barbare." = 462. Vaugelas, a contemporary of M. (1585-1650), whose authority in matters of grammar was then paramount; his principal work, Remarques sur la langue française, publ. 1647, is an important document for the history of the Fr. language. 463. Est-ce là, supply, “tout.” 465. Régenter (from "régent " in the sense of "tutor"), hence here-to tutor; jusqu', here, even. 466. La main haute, or also "haut la main," lit. with raised, i.e. commanding, hand; an acc. absol. used as an adv. phrase of manner-imperiously; cp. M. Fr. C., § 10, Obs. 1; cp. the Engl. high-handed. 469. Si fait, or si, for "oui," in answer to a negat. question, I do; je voudrais bien, ironically-I should only like you... Excusassiez; this use of the impf. subj. in conversation is considered pedantic, and hence very appropriately put in the mouth of Philaminte. 470. N'avoir garde de, i.e. "avoir garde de ne," to take care not to. Pitié (1) pity, feeling of pity; (2) object of pity (contempt), as here; cp. note to 1. 147, "pitoyable." 473. Bel et bon, an alliterative phrase-all very well! well and good! 474. Moi, emphatic and redundant after or before "je;" see M. Fr. C., § 34 (4) ; jargon, gibberish. 476. Fondé sur le bel usage, i.e. the language spoken at Court, as codified by Vaugelas; cp. "the Queen's Line English"; cp. also Hor. Ars. Poet-"Usus quem penes arbitrium est et jus norma loquendi." 478. Biaux, archaic and rustic for "beaux." Ne... pas de rien; ne is already complemented by rien, hence "pas is redundant. This vulgarism may be rendered here by-" ain't of no use." For 479. Ne voilà pas encore de (for "ne voilà-t-il pas), lit. "don't (ye) see there again;" here-there again! 481. Faut-il...? here, can it be. 482. Congrûment, a favourite expression of the Précieuses for "correctement." 483-4. Neither pas nor rien is really a negative; cp. Max Muller's Sc. of Lang., II. Lect. 8. 485. Je n'avons, and 486, je parlons. In using such strange grammar (still in use among the Fr. peasantry) Martine was only behind the time, for it is a fact that this incongruous way of conjugating was common at the Court of Francis I. Étugué, for "étudié"; for this substitution of a guttural (g) for a dental (d), cp. Max Muller's Sc. of Lang., II. Lect. 4, note 31. 486. Choux represents the vulgar pronunciation of "chez.” 487. Solécisme (fr. Lat. solocismus; Gr. verb σoλokišew, fr. Zóλo, an Athenian colony in Cilicia, renowned for the bad Greek spoken there), impropriety of language. 488. En voilà, supply 489. Matériel, and anything relating to matière, was of course the worst conceivable term of reproach with the "spiritual " Précieuses. 492. Grand'mère. There is ground to believe that "grand'mère" was pronounced then like “grammaire.' 493. Prise; strictly it ought to be "pris," the logical subject being "le mot grammaire." 495. Localities in the neighbourhood of Paris; Chaillot and Auteuil are now part of it. 496. Villageois (1) rustic, menial; (2) churlish. 500. Martyre, martyrdom; "martyr," martyr. 503. Que, here whether; se gourmer, to pommel one another. 504. De la sorte, see note to 1. 136. 505. Me la faire sortir. "Me" is here the so-called ethic |