NOTES

Page 2. -1. Acteurs. In the sixteenth and part of the seventeenth century the dramatis personae were called entre-parleurs. The word was then successively replaced by acteurs and personnages. Molière uses both of the latter terms.

2. Harpagon, from the Latin harpago, "grappling hook." The word is found in Plautus' Trinummus, II, I. It is probable, however, that Molière borrowed it from the supplement to the same author's Aulularia by Codrus Urceus.

3. amant, amoureux. The former is an accepted lover, the latter is not.

4. Frosine, originally Euphrosyne. Women of the intriguing kind (femmes d'intrigue) like Frosine, are frequently found in French comedies of the sixteenth and the early part of the seventeenth century.

5. Maître, a title formerly applied to merchants, agents, principal servants, and the like.

6. La Flèche (arrow), Brindavoine (oatstalk), and La Merluche (stock-fish) significant names to designate respectively a limping valet and haggard servants.

7. Dame, a title then given to women of inferior rank.

8. Commissaire. Such officers bore the title of commissaires examinateurs. One of their duties was to capture and examine thieves and murderers.

ACT I. SCENE I.

Page 3. 1. foi fidélité, amour.

2. Est-ce du regret, is it from regret, do you regret.

The use of

the article is due to the qualification of regret by de m'avoir fait heureux.

3. engagement. Not an oral but a written promise of marriage

A written engage

signed by both parties (see page 128, line 5). ment was binding before the law but could be annulled on fulfillment of certain conditions imposed by the ecclesiastic judge.

4. où =

auquel. Molière generally avoids lequel, laquelle etc. preceded by a preposition.

5. tout, anything.

6. fussent. The use of the imperfect subjunctive after a principal tense is justified by the sense of je n'ai pas la force de souhaiter je ne souhaiterais pas.

7. à vous dire vrai. Cf. page 64, line 18 and page 81, line 13

where the article is used with vrai.

8. succès, issue, outcome.

Often used in the seventeenth century

in the sense of résultat bon or mauvais.

9. dans, i.e. from. - Bontés.

The plural has reference to the

single instances or acts of kindness shown to Valère.

Page 4.- I. ceux de votre sexe. This use of ceux (de), when not referring to a preceding noun was formerly quite common and is occasionally met with even now, especially in familiar style. Cf. Haase, Syntaxe, § 25.

2. une... amour.

Cf. page 5, line 2.

Molière uses both un amour and une amour.

3. ce tort = - le tort. The use of ce instead of the definite article before a noun followed by de and an infinitive is rare now.

4. ce n'est . . . actions. Molière uses both c'est and ce sont. Cf. page 21, line 10. In written French ce sont is now generally used instead of c'est when the following noun is in the plural. C'est still survives chiefly in popular language.

5. les seules actions les actions seules. In the seventeenth century a number of adjectives, as seul, même etc., were placed indifferently before or after their nouns.

6. attendez à juger. The preposition à was then commonly used before an infinitive where we now use pour to denote purpose. 7. me, against me.

Page 5.

borner.

I. retrancher has here the unusual meaning of

2. dont for avec lesquels, or par lesquels.

3. aux choses, now dans les choses.

4. appuyé . . . reconnaissance, freely aided by the feeling of gratitude.

5. étonnant, here and often in the seventeenth century = effrayant, "frightful," "terrible"-not "astonishing," "surprising," etc., as in modern French. The stronger meanings are more nearly related in sense to the supposed popular Latin form extonare, to thunder forth," from which étonner is derived.

66

6. commença de. After commencer, the tendency in modern French is to use the preposition à before an infinitive.

7. faire éclater, here to show, manifest; éclater = paraître or voir, here.

8. fortune, station, rank.

sense.

9. domestique, here household-officer, steward. Any person attached to a great house (Latin domus) was called domestique and therefore the word was not necessarily equivalent to servant in our There were many domestiques (often noblemen) who lived on a footing of equality with the members of the family- they were properly guests whose presence honored the household of a great lord; in other cases they served in the capacity of secretary or steward. For Valère's office cf. page 76, line 15.

10. me justifier. In modern French justifier quelque chose auprès de (to, in the eyes of) or aux yeux de quelqu'un is used instead of justifier quelque chose à quelqu'un, as above.

Page 6.

I. De tout . . . prétends. The Grands Ecrivains edition paraphrases as follows: "De tout ce que vous avez dit, il n'y a que mon amour par quoi je prétends, etc."

2. en = de lui.

3. en, i.e. des nouvelles.

4. comme in the sense of comment.

5. donner dans, to take up, to fall in with.

6. encenser applaudir. In modern French the prepositions de, à and en are usually repeated before every noun, pronoun or infinitive governed by them.

Page 7.

time.

1. jouer, to deceive and make a fool of at the same a beau être, may be ever so.

2. toujours. The exceptional position of the adverb between the subject and the verb is evidently intended for emphasis.

3. impertinent, here foolish, silly.

4. assaisonne en, more generally assaisonner de.

5. faire un métier, "to carry on a business or trade;" fig., to play a part.

6. que ne, why not. A question of appeal. - Tâcher à, now usually de before an infinitive. Molière uses both tâcher de and tâcher à. Cf. page 27, line 7 and page 114, line 12.

7. s'avisât. The use of the imperfect subjunctive is regular here, since in sense it represents a conditional.

8. et = car. Cf. page 31, 7; 32, 18; 45, 15; 49, 18; 55,6; 92,15; 132, 14.

=

9. d'accommoder les deux confidences ensemble. Confidence is now obsolete in the sense of confiance as used here. (Confidence communication d'un secret; confiance = disposition à se fier à quelq'un). - Valère means to say that it is difficult to be the confidant of both father and son or to gain the full confidence of both.

10. agissez auprès de votre frère, plead (or try your utmost) with your brother.

II. amitié, here affection. — Jeter, now rather mettre.

13. Je... confidence. Because Élise fears the reproaches of

her brother Cléante.

Page 8.

ACT I. SCENE 2.

1. ouïr; we should now say écouter.

2. Bien. Under stress of emotion bien is used rather than beaucoup.

3. avant que d'aller. Molière uses avant que, avant que de and avant de before an infinitive. Modern French prefers avant de.

"Avant que nous lier, il faut nous mieux connaître." Misanthrope, I, 2. "Je les conjure de tout mon coeur de ne point condamner les choses avant que de les voir." - Préface de Tartuffe.

4. voeux, affection, love.

5. en... croire. The en may be explained as referring vaguely to the subject under consideration.

2. me point faire. When a negative infinitive governs a conjunctive personal pronoun, the particles pas or point may stand