L. 1734. contre les siens: 'for his;' that is, believe that I

do love you. le plus que: 'the most that-i. e., as much as

-you can.' en, personal, as 1. 632, etc.

L. 1741. de quoi vous dire: 'something to talk to you about,' i. e., reason to talk to you; see l. 1062, 1132.

L. 1746. à moi, etc. English, cut up, slash. frequently noted.

SCÈNE V.

See note, 1. 24. déchire: fig., as in

The use of on, 'you,' has been

L. 1747, beaux semblants d'amour: see 1. 68.

L. 1751. F'y profite d'un cœur: 'I make profit of—gain— a heart,' etc. un bien: a service.'

SCÈNE VI.

L. 1755. du monde: in the world,' depends on le plus noir. In the next line we should expect et je me sens émouvoir; see 1. 1140.

L. 1757. Voit-on: 'Did anybody ever see?' etc. aux intérêts: in the interests,' i. e., 'I have nothing to do with the interests,' etc.

L. 1759. chez vous fixait, etc.: see 1. 1012. monsieur, idiomatic, as 737, etc.

L. 1765. prendre sa querelle: 'to take up,' in the sense of épouser sa querelle. Vider; see 1. 776.

L. 1769. qu'on ait cette pensée: 'that anybody has such a thought;' on angrily, for je, as 1. 987, etc. L. 1772. créance, for croyance.

1. 1085, etc.

Je vous trouve, as

L. 1773. rebut: cast off.' marchandise: 'article'-contemptuous. éprise, see l. 413.

L. 1775. portez-le moins haut: 'don't carry so high a hand;' see l. 433.

SCÈNE VII.

L. 1783. Vous en êtes en droit: you are right in it'— have the right to do it.' Note the future plaindrez, as 1. 735, etc.

L. 1784. Et de me reprocher, depends also on droit : ‘and to reproach me with whatever,' etc. See 1. 700, 539, etc. L. 1786. à vous payer de: 'to pay you off-put you off

with,' etc.

L. 1791. que j'ai pu, in a moral sense that I have been capable-guilty-of,' etc. vous avez sujet, as frequently, in sense of vous avez lieu, etc.

L. 1793. le puis-je ; 'can I do it?' as also below, vous

voyez ce que peut, i. e., the power of,'etc., the verb peut being used in an absolute sense. The English can has lost entirely this independent use. See note, 1. 169.

L. 1801. à tort: 'falsely'-à as in many like forms. For à vous dire vrai, see l. 571.

L. 1802. il est toujours de l'homme: 'there is always something of human nature,'-' of human weakness'-a noble sentiment, which, in the mouth of Alceste, robs the name of Misanthrope of all its reproach, and fully vindicates our sympathy with his character.

L. 1805. Et me les couvrirai: me is here for myself,' 'so far as I am concerned ;' see l. 1387, note. du nom : 'under the name,' etc.

L. 1807. donner les mains, idiom: 'consent to ;' compare prêter les mains, l. 1388.

L. 1817. Et s'il faut qu', as 1. 169, etc. vieillir, see 1. 952.

For avant que de

L. 1824. à serrer de tels nœuds: 'to form such a tie.' Compare liens, fers, below, etc.

L. 1826. ce refus lui seul, emphatic, for ce refus seul. For pour trouver, etc., see 1. 60, etc.

SCÈNE VIII.

L. 1838. ne m'avait point fait naître: 'had not createdfitted-me for,' etc.

L. 1840. d'un cœur qui ne vous valait pas: ‘of a heart that was not worthy of you '-'so inferior to yours'-refers to Célimène, see 1. 1773, above.

L. 1842. n'est pas embarrassée: 'is at no loss-to,' etc. suivre: follow out'-' act on.'

Note that

L. 1843. sans trop m'inquiéter, is reflexive and here parenthetical; i. e., and, not to trouble myself at all (l. 1535, etc.), here is your friend,' etc. Compare 1. 358, note. L. 1847. Puissiez-vous: 'may you,' etc. pouvoir, in its different idioms, answers hardly less frequently to our may and might, than to can and could. L'un pour l'autre depends on garder: for each other.'

L. 1852. où l'on ait la liberté: where one may have the liberty; a frequent form of the subj. in relative clauses, following the Latin.

L. 1853. Allons-employer, idiom: 'Come, let us employ,' etc. See 1. 768. The concluding lines, consistently with the sympathy that has been enlisted for the character of Alceste, leave us in the hope that he may yet be rescued from his unhappy mood, and that he too may enjoy de vrais contentements, with a worthier love. 24