NOTES.

For further information on Grammatical and Philological points, the student is referred to G. E. Fasnacht's Synthetic French Grammar for Schools, and to the Grammar and Glossary of the French Language in the Seventeenth Century, published separately in this series.

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ACT I.-FIRST SCENE.

1. 2. et vous reposez, for et reposez-vous.'

A construction frequent in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, when one imperative follows another. Cp. 'Battez-moi plutôt et me laissez' (33, 6).

2. voilà qui ='voilà quelque chose qui,' an elliptic expression.

4. de nouveau. This idiomatic use of 'de' after such
phrases as 'quelque chose,' 'rien,' etc., is derived
from the Latin genitive, e.g. Quid novi? Nihil novi.
9. Vous l'allez entendre. According to modern use, the
pronoun governed by an infinitive depending upon
another verb is generally placed immediately before
the infinitive, e.g. 'Vous allez l'entendre.' In the
seventeenth century it was usually placed before the
first or semi-auxiliary verb.

14. comme il nous le faut, 'after our own hearts.'
15. Ce nous est une douce rente que . . . 'A nice little
income for us, this M. Jourdain.' In such sentences
'que' is the complement of 'ce,' the second clause
being really the subject of the verb. This construc-
tion is most useful for the purpose of marking
emphasis. Cp. (3, 3), 'Ce sont des douceurs exquises
que des louanges éclairées.'

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2. 16. galanterie, 'love-making.'

20. se connût... aux choses. In the phrase 'se connaître à' (or 'en') = 'to be a good judge of a thing,' the verb connaître' is really intransitive, and the reflexive pronoun has been coupled with it incorrectly, as in the verbs 'se taire,' 's'écrier,' etc.

qu'il ne fait, not 'qu'il ne le fait.' Here the verb 'faire' is used simply to avoid the repetition of the first verb, like our English 'to do.'

25. je me repais... 'I revel somewhat in glory;' literally, 'I feast, or feed upon.'

28. un supplice assez fâcheux, 'a somewhat painful form of torture.' The word 'fâcheux' (Latin, fastidium

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'disgust, loathing') is now only used in a rather trivial sense = 'tiresome, awkward.' For the degradation of meaning cp. 'gène,' 'ennui,' etc., and see Trench, The Study of Words, p. 103.

se produire = 'se faire voir,' 'se faire connaître.' 29. essuyer-1. To wipe up ;' 2. Metaphorically, as here, 'to endure,' 'to put up with.' Cp. 'Elle a essuyé toutes mes humeurs et toutes mes lassitudes' (Mme. de Maintenon).

30. ne m'en parlez point-a colloquialism-'Don't tell me,' repelling beforehand a supposed objection.

31. qui soient . . . qui sachent. The relative is followed by the subjunctive because the clause expresses a hope or expectation, and not a positive fact. Cp. in Latin the subjunctive after 'qui' 'qui talis est ut.'

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33. chatouillantes, 'chatouiller,' lit. 'to tickle;' hence, to affect pleasantly, to delight' (cp. 'gratter'). Here used absolutely. The word was used even in tragedy, e.g. Ces noms de roi des rois et de chef de la Grèce, Chatouillaient de mon cœur l'orgueilleuse faiblesse 'Racine, Iphig. I. i. Cp. Tennyson, The Princess— 'And secret laughter tickled all my soul.'

34. régaler de = 'dédommager de . . .,' 'make ample atonement. . .' The usual meaning of the word is 'to treat.' It is probably derived from 're' and 'galer,' an obsolete word (whence 'gala' and 'galant') = 'to enjoy oneself.'

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Cp. 2, 15.

3. 3. ce sont des douceurs...

5. je les goûte, 'I enjoy them.'

8. encens, 'praise,' 'flattery.' From the use of 'incense' in religious ceremonies.

Des louanges toutes pures, 'mere praise, and nothing else.' 'Ne mettent point un homme à son aise' is equivalent in meaning to the preceding expression, 'ne fait pas vivre.'

11. louer avec les mains, to praise with the hands,'-i.e. not with the lips only,-does not mean 'to applaud,' but 'to pay.' Trans. purse in hand.'

12. lumières, 'culture.'

14. il a du discernement, etc., 'He has a keen critical eye-in his purse; his praises are-coin of the realm.' 17. grand seigneur éclairé. This is Count Dorante. 21. l'intérêt, 'lucre.'

22. honnête homme, 'gentleman' or 'man of honour' not honest man.'

24. fort bien, 'readily enough.'

34. Le voilà, 'Here he is.' 'Voici' and 'voilà' are formed from the imperative of 'voir,' and the adverbs 'ci,'

là. They are equivalent, therefore, to 'vois ici,' 'vois là.' In Rabelais and writers of the sixteenth century, the tmesis 'voy me ci,' 'voy me là' is not

uncommon.

SECOND SCENE.

4. 2. drôlerie-a contemptuous term.

11. c'est que, the fact is . . .'

13. ne mettre jamais. The usual construction would be 'ne jamais mettre.' Here stronger emphasis is marked by placing the negative after the verb. The separation of the two parts of the negative with the infinitive was not uncommon in the seventeenth century. 17. qu'on ne m'ait apporté, Till they have brought me.' This construction of 'que. ne' with the subjunctive was much commoner in the seventeenth century than it is at the present day. It is derived from the

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Latin quin followed by the subj. Cp. Nul Israëlite ne pouvait être roi qu'il ne fût de la maison de David, unless he belonged . . .' 'Je ne dis rienqu'il ne me contredise'-'I can say nothing without his contradicting me.'

4. 20. équipé, 'rigged out,' a vulgar expression.

5.

23. indienne, 'chintz.' It seems to have been somewhat
of a luxury at the time.

8. entr'ouvrant. Notice the force of 'entre' in com-
position 1. (as here) In the sense of 'half,' 'partly
cp. 'entrebaîller, entrevoir' (to catch a glimpse of); 2.
With reflexive verbs, 's'entretuer' to kill one an-
other; 3. At intervals, e.g. 'entremêler,' 'entrecouper,'
'entrelarder.' N.B. The 'e' is only elided in

composition.

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9. haut-de-chausses, 'breeches.' The 'bas-de-chausses' were the stockings-now simply 'bas.'

camisole, a kind of 'jersey.' The word is of Spanish origin, a diminutive of 'camisa,' Fr. 'chemise.

12. galant, 'elegant,' 'smart.' Vaugelas (1647) defines the word thus: 'C'est un composé où il entre du je ne sais quoi, ou de la bonne grâce, de l'air de la cour, de l'esprit, de la civilité, de la courtoisie et de la gaieté, le tout sans contrainte, sans affectation et sans vice.' 23. Je voudrais bien. 'I should very much like.' The adverb 'bien' is employed in a number of cases, giving shades of meaning, such as are expressed in Greek by particles, e.g. 'Je le crois bien,' 'I should rather think so;' 'Je le veux bien,' 'I am perfectly willing;' 'Je m'inquiète bien de cela,' 'As if I cared a straw about that Je vous l'avais bien dit!' 'Didn't I tell you so,' etc.

29. écolier. The word 'écolier,' unlike the word 'scholar' in English, has degenerated in French, and even at that time conveyed an idea of disparagement in popular language.

32. abuse, 'mislead,' 'deceive.' 'Abuser de . . .', to ill use,' 'take an undue advantage.'

en savent. 'En,' that is, 'about the point in question.' 'En,' though often not translated into English, is only apparently redundant.