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MATEEIAL8

roR

FRENCH PROSE COMPOSITION;

OB,

SELECTIONS FROM
THE BEST ENGLISH PROSE WRITERS,
TO BE TURNED INTO FRENCH,

WITH IDIOMATIC BENDERINOS OF DIFITIOULT FA8SA0S8, NOTES,
AND FBACTIOAL HINTS TO TBANSLAT0R8.

BT

FERDINAND E. A. GASC, MA.

AUTHOR OF

**THB FIRST FRENOB BOOK," "HISTOIBE8 AMUSANTES ET INSTRUOTIVER," ^,
AXm FRXXrCH MASTER OF BRIGHTON COLLEGE.

^b (Sbtiion*

LONDON :
BELL AND DALBY, FLEET STREET.

1860.

^757- f ^-

tOITDOM :
IklCttJUHD ChkYs rftlMTSftt BftBAD nKtST HItiL.

TABLE OF CONTENTS.

Fbbface

Practical Hints to Translators .

The Dervis (Addison, Spectator

A Turkish Tale (Addison, Spectator

Tit for Tat (* *

Rabelais a Traitor (Budgell, Spectator

The Hare and the Tortoise . . . (James's Fables of JEstyp

Miily Moluc {SpedaUyr^

Destruction of the Alexandrian Library (HaiTifi'

Valentine and Unnion (7%i^2er|

The Fox without a Tail .... (James's ^a&2e« 0/ ^sop

On Modesty (Lord Chesterfield's Zettere

The Art of Pleasing (Lord Chesterfield's Letters

The Lazy Mind (Lord Chesterfield's Letters

England ond Scotland (Sir W. Scott, Ttiles of a OrandfcUher]
The British Empire . . (J. B. MacCulloch, British Empire
Description of England . (J. B. MacCulloch, British JSmpire

Mahomelfs Mirades (Gibbon's Bonum Empi/re

Columbus at Barcelona . . (Washington Irving^s ColwmJbus
On the Employment of Time . . . (Wm. Cowper's Letters^

Sir Boger de Coverley (Addison, SpectaUtr

On some Pleasures in Bural Life . . (Wm. Cowper^s Letters
The Comparison of Watches (Edgeworth's Modem Qriseldd
Hearers and Doers. . . (S. Clarence, Not a Mmuie to Spa/re
Scene from " The Good-natured Man " . . (0. Goldsmith
Another Scene from ** The Good-natured Man " (0. Goldsmith^

6

Pag0

• •

Zll

1

2

4

5

6

7

8

10

11

12

18

15

16

18

19

20

22

29

31

34

87
41
45
4»

^

PREFACE.

I HAVE heard many a time learned and sensible people
complain of the want of a book for teaching, as an arty
the youth of this country the higher, as well as the inter-
mediate, kind of French composition. I thought, too,
that a work, containing extracts from those authors whose
names stand highest in English literature, to be turned
into French, could not fail to be eminently useful, if pro-
perly executed.

Such a selection I have undertaken, and now offer to
the public.

Many conditions were required to make a work of
this sort one of thoroughly practical utility.

In the first place, some help was required to enable
young persons to translate too difficult passages. In the
help given, in the shape of renderings, I felt that the
French ought to be, not only genuine and good, but at least
as pure and elegant, in a literary point of view, as the
English to which it was to correspond. To that end, and
to make the work still more worthy of the confidence
of the public, I secured the valuable services of several
of the most celebrated French writers, whose assistance I
cannot but acknowledge in the highest terms — in other
words, I consulted the best modem French translations,
whenever an English work, from which I had taken

viii PREFACE.

extracts, had been translated. These literary celebrities,
from whom I have thus obtained so serviceable a co-opera-
tion, are :— the late M. Charles Nodier, MM. Villemain
and Aignan (of the Institute of France), MM. L6on de
Wailly, Benjamin Laroche, Defauconpret, Am6d6e Piohot,
and others.

I may add, however, and, I hope, without incurring
the reproach of vanity, that I have had occasionally to
alter some of the renderings of these gentlemen, — not to
amend the style, as will be readily supposed, but to make
the translation fit the text, in cases where they had
obviously mistaken the meaning of the English.

In the second place, not satisfied with presenting, as has
been done hitherto, a mere rendering of difficulties at the
foot of each page, in a routine-like way, and just as if
pupils should not even be supposed to think, I have addressed
myself to the understanding of the student, and given a
number of notes raisonn^, explanatory, suggestive, gram-
matical, critical, and literary. My chief aim in this
has been, to stimulate his intelligence, exercise his
reasoning faculties, and improve his taste,— *to teach him,
in short, practically, the art of writing, so far as French is
concerned.

In the third place, in order to show to the student what
liberty may and must be allowed in translating, and also
what variety of expression the French language admits
o( I have, in many instances, given several renderings
of the same phrase or expression. This is the plem
which was adopted by the late M. Tarver, French master
at Eton College, in his Phraseological Dictionary of th€
Eniglish and Frmch Language j and I think it not only

PREFACE. IX

aa excellent plan, but the only one by which people can
learn any language properly, — that is, if they wish to get
a fiedr insight into its idioms and genius.

In the fourth place, I have followed, throughout the
book, a system of copious references to former notes, — a
feature which I deem as important as it is novel in a work
of this kind. The great advantage, in an educational point
of view, of giving merely a hint instead of a translation,
.where a hint only is required, is obvious. Besides this,
nothing enables us to understand the various acceptations
of a word and uses of a phrase, better than seeing the same
word in different sentences, and the same phrase in
different combinations.

With regard to the omowid of help, in the shape of
renderings, it will be perceived that the notes are copious
in the first part of the book, and gradually decrease in
number towards the end. This has been done with the
double view, of placing the work within the reach of eveiy
class of students, and of making it progressive.

As to the grammatical points, it could not be expected
that I should notice them all. Something has necessarily
been left for the teacher to explain: I have confined
myself to the more important features.

And now, with reference to the extracts celected for
translation.

That a book composed of extracts on various subjects
and firom various writers, and consequently offering great
diversity of styles, facts, and words, is beyond comparison
preferable, for the purpose of translation, as well as of
general information, to a book all along in the same strain,
(whether a collection of letters, or a connected story, ^.,

X PREFACE.

as most of the works now in use,) and by the same
author, is a position too self-evident to require particular
proo£^ Were it only for the reason that the student,
as I have invariably found, becomes quite disgusted with
his monotonous work before he has gone through many
pages, the inducement thus held out to adopt a plan dif-
ferent from that of such tedious and imcouth kinds of
so-called educational works, would of itself be sufficient

In the present selection, most of the extracts are short,
they are all lively and interesting, written with spirit,
taken from standard works, and consist chiefly of narra-
tions, good examples of conversational English, familiar
letters, &c. I have, in &ct, endeavoured to adapt this work
to the wants of our age — ^to make a thoroughly modem
book. Looking at the purpose for which people, generally,
learn French, I have not limited the selection to such
authors as would be called English classics. I have thought
it desirable to keep in view, likewise, the class of students
who now submit themselves to examinations for the civil
and military services. I have selected copiously from
writers of the day; it being, in my opinion, an essential point
to have modem English to translate into modem French,
I have chosen, especially for those students destined to
naval life, the piece headed *' A Sea-Fog and Wreck," by
Capt. Basil Hall ; to such as are destined to undergo mili-
tary examinations and to lead a military life, I would
strongly recommend the Battles at the end of the work.
These also have been selected with peculiar care. They
are five remarkable contests, belonging to different epochs
of history, and calculated to afford most accurate and im-

^ "n fi&ut traduire sur toutes sortes de xnatlbres et d*apr^ tons lea
auteurs, sans quoi la oonnaiBsaiiGe de la langue restera toujours im-
parfidte."— -DiDBBOT.

PREFACE. XI

portant information about the military art and modes of
fighting in ancient, middle-age, and modem times. Finally,
all the extracts contained in this volume are essentially
fitted to improve the feelings, as well as the understand-
ing, of young people.

One word more. The superiority of a work of this nature,
likewise over books containing merely detached sentences, is
tmquestionable, with regard to the purpose of connected
composition : those persons who use ezdusiyely the latter
kind of books can pretend to nothing higher than rambling
tasteless efiEusions. I also entirely agree with a well-known
confrere of mine in London, that '^the pupil will gain
much more real knowledge by translating into French the
peculiar expressions of genuine English, than by retrans-
lating English versions into the original French."

With these general observations, I now leave this work
to the appreciation of the judicious friends of education.

F. E. A. G.

BaiOBTOH, January, 18S8.

PRACTICAL HINTS TO TRANSLATORS.

Mt young readers must not suppose that I am going to sire
them here a particular secret for a perfect transhition. The
method of translating perfectly is too easj of explanation to
require man^ words: it consists simply m beiuj^ thoroughly
acquainted with the language from whicn and that into which we
translate. This eyerr one knows well enough, without being
told. I intend merely to give directions to the student, by
means of which he will be enabled to make the most of his
acquired knowledge — ^whateyer degree it may have reached, — so
as to produce a Setter translation than he could have done with
the same amount of knowledge, but if left to his own unassisted
efforts to turn it to account.

There are, in every translation, as in every composition in any
single language, two things to be considered, namely, words,
separatelv, which represent simple ideas, and phrases, or the asso-
ciation of the words into a more or leas complex form of thought.

First, as to " words." So far as the generality of words are
concerned, your safest guide will be a cQctionary in which the
French words corresponding to the English are given accurately.
The most accurate and complete dictionary of the English and
French languages now in existence, is, I hardly need say it,
that of Br. Spiers. But what I should wish particularly to
direct your attention to, is, the danger of being misled, — ^unless
you consult your dictionary every time you are not positively
certain of your own knowledge, — by the great likeness of many
IVench and English words which, though having a similar origin,
differ, sometimes rather widely, in their meaning. For instance : —
Emphase is used, in the English sense of ' emphasis,' only as a
rhetorical term ; in ordinary language it is taken in a bad sense,
and means 'bombast.' Alteration signifies 'alteration' only
from good to bad, whilst changement is the word that corre-
sponds to ' alteration ' in its general acceptation. Metropole does
not answer to ' metropolis ' (see page 69, note *', of this volume,
for a ftdl explanation). ' Concurrence * is, in French, eoneours, or
cooperation, and concurrence means ' competition '. ' Editor ' (of a

PRACTICAL HINTS. Xlil

newspaper) is^ in French, rSdaeteur, whilst SdiUurSs the name for a
' publisher ;' the same difference is observable in libraire, 'book-
seller/ and bibliothecaire, 'librarian;' librairig, 'booksellei^sshop/
and bibliothemte, 'library;' tuieur, '^oardian,' and pr^cepteur,
'tutor/ &o. In the course of my work I have noticed others, in
their proper place. I need not make more than a passing allusion
to those words the orthography only of which is slightly different
{en., sollieitude, 'solicitude/ litieraivre, 'literature/ &c.); but
this particularity is worth alluding to, as the difference, being
slight, is apt, on that very account, not to be thought of or
noticed, ana mistakes with regard to such words are the more
easily and naturally made.

A^aiD, one English word onl^r may be used both in a proper
and m a figurative sense, whilst in French, there will often be two
words to correspond to it, one for the proper and the other for
the figurative sense. The well-known story of Youn^, the author
of the Ni^ki Thoughts, writing, with the l)est intentions, a some-
what unpalatable compliment, in French, to F^nelbn, the author
of Telemaque, and archoishop of Cambrai, is a striking example of
the errors into which a neglect of this distinction oetween the
various acceptations of a word will oft;en lead even persons accus-
tomed to write — and to write well — in their native tongue^
when they attempt to express themselves in a foreign language.^

A similar distinction must be made between a word as applied
to persons, and as applied to things : thus, une personne ^oonome,
'an economical person/ and unprocede ^conomique, * BSieconomical
process.'

In conclusion, be careful in the use of the words which you
happen to know, or which vou find in your dictionary, and always
begin by ascertaining whether they do entirely correspond to the
Ei^lish words in the particular instance under your consideration.

1 have treated of words, first, because, in one sense, they clsdm
priority over phrases, of which they are the constituent elements.
But you should, however, not lose sight of this point, namely,
that the first thin^ to be done, when translating an expression, is
to consider whether the whole expression has not, m French,
another turn, instead of beginning at once to translate, indivi-
dually, the words of which it is composed.

Next, as to " phrases." Phrases exhibit a more decided stamp
x)f peculiarity than words do, even in those languages containing
aUke much of the Latin and Greek elements. 1 am not speaking
of the grammatical construction alone, but more especially of the
peculiar shape, independently of grammatical rules, — of the idioms

(1) The detafls of thia may be found in the Preface to Dr. Spiers' Dictionary.

xiv PRACTICAL HINTS

or idiomatic tarns, whicli the same thought will very often assnme
in different langoages. The influence of climate, the habits of a
people, and other causes, operate powerfally, and with dissimilar
effects, in every country, on the manner of thinking of its inhabit-
ants, and consequently on their manner of expression, just as they
produce a yariety in the character and degrees of their passions
and feelings, ana a difference in their yiews, poUtical institutions,
&c., in comparison with the inhabitants of otner countries.

These peculiarities are not to be reduced to fixed rules, though
their operating causes, in many individual instances, may be traced
to some extent by the philosophic observer. " Custom is," at
any rate, '* the legislator of languages," as the adage goes, and
we must take custom as we find it. tiie consequence is, that by
practice alone — and constant practice — can you obtain a positive
Knowledge of what is French and of what is not. Tet, with
tolerable practice, joined to quickness of understanding, not
only may you sometimes fairly conjecture, approximatively, for
want of better means of information, whether an English expres-
sion, translated literally, is not either Erench at aU or good French,
but you may also be able to turn it into that language yourself
and not be very far from the mark. Dictionaries ao not always
give a whole phrase ; they are obliged by their restricted space, to
confine themselves to giving only those ready-made phrases, those
idioms, which are more current and differ more from the English.
Much will depend upon your own ingenuity, as well as upon the
positive knowledge which you may have already gained. I would,
therefore, stron^y urge upon you the necessi^ of acquiring as
early as possible what I might call a ^* French ear;'* whicm is
nothing^else, at bottom, but the habit, applied to your study
of the French language, of judging by analogy, and of bringing
aU your store of knowledge to bear successively upon eacn
particular case under your notice.

But take care, withal, lest you should chan^, ever and anon,
and without any reason, the peculiar turn of tne phrases in your
text, as you will often thereby deprive your translation altogether
of the author's original character, which ought, on the contrary,
to be infused into it. — ^Get at once into the meaning and spirit of
the author, and, without allowing yourself to be fettered by the
mere wording, endeavour to convey that spirit and that mean-
ing entire into the minds of those who are to read you. A
translator ought to be like a mirror that faithfully reflects the
image presented to its surface. Therefore, I say, consider the
idea, the spirit of the writer, first, and the worcfc, the letter of
the text, only afi;erw&rds. But should the same words, and the
same tuni, as those used by your author, express his meaning just

TO TRANSLATORS. XV

as well in French as they do in Endish, use them too, by all
means ; and never forget, that a literal translation is the best, if
it is as strictly in accordance with the genins of the one laur
goaffe as of the other. Avoid, in short, both servility in the nse
of &e very words of yonr original, and excess of freedom in the
substitution of others : the just medium, the modus in rebut, in this
respect, as in all others, must constantly be kept in view. Many
a second-rate translation have I seen, m print, where the origi-
nalitv of the author, that kind of volatile essence, if I may so
speac, had been allowed to escape and was completely gone,
because the translator, for want of being able to manage some
peculiar expressions, had substituted something of his own for
them. Sometimes, the translators, though they were French,
but because they had not had sufficient experience even in
writing their own language, with which they were to all ap-
pearances but veiy impenectly acquainted, nad deviated from
the literal translation of a particular expressicm in a manner
which clearly showed that they did not know whether that
literal translation was French or not. I just happen to re-
member one trilling instance, but which may serve as an illustra-
tion. The translator of the History of Christopher Columbus^ by
Washington Irving, has rendered ''conscious of having greatly
deserved" by, ayant la conscience des dminents services qi^il avait
rendus. This is not, strictly speaking, a mistake, nor a very
important matter, certainly : me rendering is correct enough ; but
why not translate this literally (as done at page 26, note ^^of this
work)? The French expression meriter beaucoup means pre-
cisely etre digne de recompense par ses talents^ par ses services^
and corresponds, in fact, exactlv to the English in the text.
Why use a periphrasis instead of the proper expression?
Surely a shortcoming of this kind betrays some amount of igno-
rance.

There are things which are uniranslatable Hterally, and which,
in order to be rendered in the s|)irit of the original, require tiie
highest skill in the art of translating. On this point, I snail refer
the more advanced of my readers to page 48, notes ' and ^ of this
work, among other places. Plays on words, puns, and the like,
such as the one referred to, are often extremely difficult, and even
unmanageable. The only thing to be done is, in many cases, to
render them as near as we can by equivalents, and, sometimes,
totally irrespective of the words in the text. Thus, e,g,y in
Sh^Espeare's Twelfth Night, Sir Andrew, exalting the power of
his legs, sajs, " 'Faith, 1 can cut a caper ; " to which Sir Toby
replies, " And I can cut the mutton to *t." Now, it so happens
that the word 'caper,' in English, has two distinct meanings:

XVI PRACTICAL HINTS

hence the pun. But in French there are two words, each express*
ing one of these two meanings. These two words are, entrechat
(the dancing term), and edpre (the botanical term). The literal
translation, therefore, is ont of the question, and an equivalent
pnn mnst be songht for, if any can be found. We may, for
mstance, so translate : —

Sir AkoBi. Je dScoupe a merveille un entrechat.

Sir. ToBiB. Moifje decoupefort bien une entre-cote.

This rendering is, I believe, the nearest possible to the original.
And yet, here, we are obliged to use a somewhat vulgar expression;
for 'dScouper^ is rather so in the former sense {dSeouper un entre^
chat). We generally say, battre (or passer — or /aire) vn etUrechai^
'*to out a caper.' After aU, this somewhat vulgar expression
is not in bad Keeping with the kind of pxm itself.

This scrupulousness must be carried even to the smallest and
apparently insignificant details, if we wish to be accounted faithful
and skilled translators. Thus we should, also, adapt even common
jokes to the ordinary language, habits, or local associations —
whether of ideas, words, or sounds, of the people into whose lan-
guage we translate ; we should, in short, have due regard to the
minutest points of what is termed in Prench, couleur locale, * local
colouring.* In the Merty Wives of Windsor, Bardolph, a vulgar
fellow, Wunders in this way : *' Why, sir, for my part, I say, the
gentleman had drunk himself out of lus five sentences. To
which Evans says, *' It is his ^e senses : ^q, what the ignorance
is ! " All this we shall render : —

"Pour ce qui est de moi, je dis que monsieur Stait tellement gris^
quHl en avail perdu les dnq essences"

— ^^ r ignorant ! il vent dire les cinq sens"

Translating ' sentences ' by sentences would hardly have done.
The question here, is to know what, in a similar circumstance,
would be the most likely, because the most natural, blunder wluck
an ignorant French person would make. The French word
sentences (pronounced like the singolar, as if there were no s)
does not resemble much, in sound, tne word sens (the final s must
be pronounced here), as, in English, ' sentences ' sounds pretl^
neany like ' senses.' For this reason, therefore, has the French
word essences been substituted, in the translation, for ' sentences,'
merely on account of the above-mentioned similarity in sound,
which it was necessary to observe, though it is not the translation
of the English word, but because it answers more to the spirit of
the case.

B/Cmember, besides, that a translation is not good which, in a
characteristic dialogue, does not render a familiar, or even a vulgar
expression, by the corresponding one or by an equivalent ; by, in

TO TRANSLATORS. XVU

short, another expression just as familiar or as vulgar. The diffi-
culty is, of coarse, to ^ve one neither more nor less so, and it is
necessary to hare read books on all sorts of subjects (I mean, good
books, as may well be supposed), or to haye seen much of a
forekn counti^, in order to oe acquainted with expressions used
by omerent classes of people — ^the lower as well as the more
polite. But this must be done, or our translation will be inferior
m an important respect, namely the delineation of character. In
short, always adapt your style to the subject ; the one must ever
rise or descend with the other in an exact ratio.

Now, with reference to proverbs. I will suppose the case —
which frequently happens — ^where an English proverb has no
equivalent in French. Yet you are to translate it, as a proverb,
in such a way as to at least give it in French the shape oi one,—
you are, in fact, to make a proverb jourself, to a ccartain extent,,
and so far as the words are concerned. In such a predicament,
you have only to observe what the general forms of proverbs are,
m French. These forms are pretty nearly similar, after all, in
almost every language ; and readrag, as weU as observing carefully,
will soon make you familiar with tnem, whilst your own taste and
judgment will point to you which form among them all is the
best adapted to anv particular case. Tou will Mve, first, alwavs
to adopt that brief, general, and donatio way of presenting tne
idea^ which is one of the peculianties of proveros. You may
also, sometimes, but sparingly however, follow the system of
alliteration (and whether sucn a habit is good or bad in itself, is
another question) so frequently met with in proverbs, in nearly
all languages. Ex. : — 'Birds of a feaiker flock toge/^,' and the
French corresjj^nding proverb, 'Qui se Te»8emble t'&tsemble.* In
Spanish, likewise, ' Qaien bien aia, bien desata,' which corresponds
to ' Safe bind, sa£e Jind.' In Italian, 'Amor e siaxoiia non voglion
compagni^x,' which means, 'Love and lordship like not feilofwskip'
In German, ' Bist Du schuldi^, sey geduldiff* which corresponds
to • He that cannot pay, let hnn pray; ' &c. &c. Observe, more-
over, that many French proverbs begin by Q«t (an abbreviation,
here, of Quiconque, * whosoever '), or Tel, followed by qui, — ^bnt
very seldom does any begin by Celui (or Ceus) qui (as English
proverbs do very often, on the contrary, by ' He tnat,* 'He who,'
* They that,' "Hiey who ') ; or, again, by On, Le8, and words con-
VBying a general meaning. I should aavise you, as a good study
of proverbs, to peruse attentively Poor Richard, by Ranklin, in
this volume, ana to compare with the text the renderings in the
notes. I have taken care to put the word (Peovekb) thus, in
a parenthesis and in small capitals, whenever the rendering is a
corresponding French proverb ; and when it is not, you will then

XVIU PRACTICAL HINTS.

have an oppoitunity of seeing how the translation must be managed
in such a case.

!FinaUy, if, in a sentence, yon have, as will frequently occur, to
effect a chai^ of turn in sereral of its parts, be carefol not to
lose sight, in the confusion arising from either the complication
or the traiisposition — or both together— of words, of any of the
ideas conyeyed, whether expressly or implicitly, in the original. I
know by experience that students often do so, and for this reason
I insist on the point, which will be made clearer by means of an
example or two.

''A Fox stole into a vineyard where the ripe sunnygrapes were
trellised up on high in most tempting show." ^ — l^ renard se
gUssa furtiwment (or, s'introduisii) dans une vigne ou des raisins
murs ei vermeils StaiefU exposSs au haut d^nne treille de la mantere
la plus appStissante, Now, in this translation, there is not an idea
conveyea by any word, or association of words, in the English,
which has not been foUy rendered, although the transformation in
the words themsebes has been somewhat great, for a beginner, at
least, in the business of translation (but nothing compared to
other more difficult and intricate propositions). For, exposes
corresponds to ' show' and to the idea partly conyeyed by the use
of the passive verb 'were trellised up, whilst treille corresponds
to the other idea conveyed by the use of that same verb ; au haut
de corresponds to 'on mgh;' and de la maniere corresponds to the
idea imphed in the use of the verb 'trellised up' together with
that of 'in a show,' for 'id,' here, indicates the 'manner,' the way
the fact was taking place.

Let me adduce another example : —

"A bribe in hand betrays mischief at heart."' — Tel coupable se
vend qui croyait acheter autrui. Tel is here used as the beginning of
a khid of maxim, or proverb, a form suitable to the moral of a fiaEle;
coupable answers to 'mischief at heart ; ' se vend (betrays himself)
is nearly literal; erqyait answers to 'in hand,' showing the inten-
tion, the expectation; and, finally, acheter autrui (to buy up
another) answers to 'A bribe.'— -Observe, moreover, that the
antithesis of ' in hand ' and ' at heart,' in the English, has been
faithfoUy preserved, by the use of acheter and ventre.

I believe I have now told you all that may be of use to you, in
a general way, in the course of this work, and I do trust your
translations of the following extracts will be the better for these
hints.

(1) This is taken from the excellent and well-known work, entitled James's
Fables ofJEsop, and published by Mr. John Murray. See page 1, Fable I.

(2) James's Fabla qfJEaop, moral of Fable CXVII., page 83.

ERENCH PEOSE COMPOSITION.

THE DERVIS.

A DERVIS, travelling^ through Tartary, being arrived
at the town of Balck, went into the king's palace by
mistake, thinking it to be ^ a public inn or caravansary.
Having looked about ^ for some time, he entered into * a
long gallery, where he laid down his wallet and spread his
carpet, in order to repose himself upon it,^ after the man-
ner of the Eastern nations. He had not been long in this
position, before he was ^ discovered by some of the guards,
who asked him what was his business^ in that place. The
dervis told them he ^ intended to take up his night's lodg-
ing ^ in that caravansary. The guards let him know,^^ in
a very angry manner,^^ that the house he was in ^^ was not
a caravansary, but the king's palace. It happened ^^ that
the king himself passed through the gallery during this
debate, and, smiling at ^^ the mistake of the dervis, asked
him how he could possibly be so dull as not^^ to distinguish

^ ^i wycujeaii. The use of a of the preterite /u<. The preterite,

participle twice in this way, with- in French, implies a beginning and

out any conjunction, is inelegant. an end of the fact ; the iinperfe^

* €7Ura par nUgwr^dans . . kc, does not. See, besides, p. 3o, n. ^
^ilpriipour. Thi^pm, 'think* "^ ct mSil vtnait fairt,

ing it to be/ would not be French ; ^ This ellipsis dT the conjunction

but we mightsay, correctly enough, ' that ' is not allowed in French.

'peiuant que (fitait. * se logerpour la nuit,

* ' about,' here, aiUour de lui. ^® luifireni savoir,

* il enJUa; to avoid an awkward ^^ d'un air tris en coUre.
repetition of eTUra^ ^' The ellipsis of the relative pro-

' ' upon it ;' simply, desstu, — noun is not permitted in French ;

' after ;' d. nor is the preposition to be thus

' II fCy avail pa» longftemps qu*il placed after the verb.

Hait , . . &c., l<yrsqu*ilfat; or, II ^ Le hazard votUut^mththenext

n*Hait pas depuis tongtemps . . &c., verb in the subjunct.); or.Le hasard

<jpCilfvi, (Que, in the latter phrase, fit (with the indicat.). — ^The use of

w used elliptically, and rather ele- arriver, here, would not so expli-

gantly, for lorsqu£.)—lL}ie student citly indicate chance. ^* de.

win observe here a difference in the i* eommejU ilpouvait itre a^ssez sot

use of the imperfect tense itait, and pour ne pas.

B

2 FRENCH PROSE

a palace from a caravansaiy. *' Sire, give me leave to ask
your majesty^ a question or two. Who were the per-
sons that lodged ^ in this house when it was first built ? " ^
The king replied, " My ancestors." " And who," says the
dervis, " was the last person who lodged here 1 " * The
king replied, "My father." "And who is it," says the
dervis, "that lodges here at present?" The king told
him that it was he himself.^ " And who," says the dervis,
"will l>e here after you?" The king answered, "The
young prince, my son." " Ah, Sire," said the dervis, " a
house that changes its inhabitants so often,^ and receives
such a perpetual succession ^ of guests, is not a palace, but
a caravansary." — (Addison, Spectator.)

A 8 TURKISH TALE.

We are told^ that the Sultan Mahmoud, by his per-
petual wars abroad and his tyranny at home,^^ had filled
his dominions with ^^ ruin and desolation, and half unpeo-
pled the Persian empire. The vizier to^^ this great sultan
(whether a humorist ^^ or an enthusiast, we are not in-
formed) ^^ pretended to have learnt of a certain dervis to
understand the language of birds,^^ so that there was not a
bird that could open his mouth but^^ the vizier knew what
it was he said.^"^ As he was one evening with the sultan, on ^^

•

1 permettez moi defaire d Voire ^^ 'abroad/ in this sense, au

MajestS, dehorSf or d VexUrieuTf or d Vi-

' Qui {or, Qui est-ce qui) logea. trailer; 'at home/ likewise, au

3 dans lea ^remiert temps ; vty dedans, or d Viniirieur.

guand die Hatt neuve, ^^ de ; and see page 8, note ^ ;

* Et qui . , ,y a logi en dernier and page 49, note °. ^* de.
lieu t ^^ (tait-ce un plaisant.

* que (^Hait lui-mSme (p. 86, n. ^). '* on ne nousle dit point.

^ qui change si (or, aussi) souvent ^^ des oiseaux. The well-known

d^haifiiants. Notice this use of the rule on this must be borne iu mind,

preposition de, after the verb chan- ^^ si Hen que pas un d^entre eux

5^er, with reference to objects of the ne pouvait ouvrvr le bee sans que

sameldnd. (followed by the subjunct.). — We

^ et refoit ainsi une suite per- say la louche d'un homme (of a

pHuelle, man) ; la gueule d'un chien, &o. (of

^ See p. 188, n. ^. . a dog, &c.) ; and le bee d'un oiseau

^ On (or L'histoire) nous op- (of a bird).

prend, *' ce qu*U disait. '* d.

COMPOSITION. 3

their return from hunting, they saw a couple of owls^
upon a tree that grew near an old wall out of a heap of
rubbish. " I would fain know," ^ gi^yg the sultan, " what
those two owls are saying to one another ; ^ listen to their
discourse, and give me an account of if ^ The vizier ap-
proached the tree, pretending ^ to be very attentive to the
two owls.^ Upon his return to the '^ sultan : " Sir," ® says
he, " I have heard part ^ of their conversation, but dare
not ^® tell you what it ia" ^^ The sultan would not be
satisfied with ^^ such an answer, but forced him to repeat,
word for word, everything the owls had said.^^ **You
must know^^ then,** said the vizier, " that one of these owls
has a son and the other a daughter, between whom they
are now upon a treaty of marriage.^^ The father of the
son said ^^ to the father of the daughter, in my hearing,^^
' Brother, I consent to this marriage, provided you will
settle upon your daughter fifty ruined villages for her por-
tion/ ^^ To which the fether of the daughter replied,^^ * In-
stead of fifty, I will give her ^ five hundred, if you please. ^^

^ un couple de hiboux. The moTuieur oorresponds to 'sir/ the
French substantive couple is femi- common term of civility,
nine when it simply means two of ^ Translate, ' a part,
the same species, or kind, and near ^<> See p. 31, n. ^ ; and p. 48, n. ^^.
in place, or considered together ; ^^ de quoi U t^agiU
but it is masculine when it refers ^ ne voulutpaa se contenter de.
either to two individualB, male and ^ See p. 1, n. ^\ and above, n. K
female, or to any two beings united ^* Voui sawrez (future of savoir),
by a common will or sentiment, or ^' et ils sent maintenant en pour-
any other cause which fits them to parler »nr les conditions d^un
act in concert. Thus, une couple marine entre eb demiere,
de pommes, d^cet^ft ('a couple of ^* Iranalate, '^laasaid.' [disse,
apples, of eggs') ; and un couple de ^^ omcz haul pour que je fewten^
fnpwis (* a couple of rogues'). "^^ pourvu que vous congtituiez en

* Je voudrais bien eavoir, dot (or, asn^niez pour — enr-^dot) d
^ ce que se diseni 068 deux hiboux, wire file einquante, &o. Always

In subordinate sentences, like the observe, as a rule, in French, the

present, it is often more elegant to closest connexion of ideas : thus,

put the nominative {ces deux hi- constituiez dnquante, ko, en dot d

boux) after the verb (se disent), votre file, would not be a good

* rends-rrCen compte. — 'listen ;* French construction.

use the second person singular. ^^ Translate, ' has replied.'

5 enfeignant de; or, enfaisant *• See page 158, note *•,

temUant (or, mine) de. '^ w ceta vous fait (or, peut vous

* Translate, *to the words (page faire) plaisir; or, w vous le voulez,
28, note *) of the two owls.' — S'il votu vlatt would correspond

^ Simply, Revenu prh du. to ' if ytKk please,' if used as a com-

^ Sirt (speaking to a sovereign) ; mon term of civil request.

b2

4 FRENCH PROSE

Ood grant a long life to Sultan^ Mahmoud; whilst he
reigns over us we shall never want ^ ruined villages.' *'

The story says,^ the sultan was so touched with the
feble that he rebuilt the towns and villages which had
been destroyed, and from that time forward consulted the
good of his people.— (Ai^DiBON, Spectator.)

TIT FOR TAT.*

A FRIEND of Dean ^ Swift one day sent him a turbot, as
a present)^ by a servant who had frequently been on simi-
lar errands,^ but who had never received the most trifling
mark of the dean's generosity. ELaving gained admission,^
he opened the door of the study, and, abruptly putting
down ® the fish, cried very rudely, " Master has sent you ^^
a turbot." " Toung man," said the dean, rising from his
easy chair, ^^ " is that the way you deliver your message 1 ^^
Let me teach you better manners ; ^^ sit down in my chair,
we will change situations,^* and I will show you how ^^ to
behave in future." The boy sat down; and the dean,
going to the door, came up to^^ the table with a respectful
pace, and making a low ^^ bow, said, " Sir, my master pre-
sents his kind compliments,^^ hopes you are well,^^ and
requests your acceptance of^^ a small present." "Does
. .-he ? " 2^ replied the boy ; " return him my best thanks,^^

^ au tultan. Nouns of title or, . . . ^u« tufait ta commisnon) t

(such as ' Sultan/ ' King,* * Queen,' ^ Laxsae-moi te danner une Uqou

'Doctor/ 'Dean/ 'Colonel,' 'Cap- de politeue (or, de mvoir-vivre),

tain,' &c.), used before proper ^ 'situations;' use rdU (singu-

names, are preceded, in Irench, lar), and see paffe 2, note ^ ; and

hy the definite article. page 132, note ^°.

' notu ne manquerons iamads de. ^ comment ilfaui.

" On dit; and see p. 1, n. «. is g'avanfa vera. — ' with ;' de,

A hon ckai, ban rat. ^ profond.

See above, note ^. is .^Qf^^g prSsenle (or, voutfait) set

' as a present ;' en jn-Ssent (or, complimenU affectv^itx.

<» cadeau — faTniliar). i* que vous votu portez lien; or,

' faii de semblahiet commissions, more politely, que vous Hes en bonne

Apris qu'on Cevifaii entrer. santS.

d%posamX; and see p. 19, n. ^. *® et vous nrie d^accepter (or, more

MOTirieur {or, Mon maitre) vous politely still, de votUoir bien ac-

envoie. u sonfauleuU. cepter . . . . ' your kind acceptance

" est'Ce ainsi que tu facquittes de or). ^^ VraimeiU!

ion message (or, de ta commission-^ ^ remercie-le bien de ma part.

10

COMPOSITION. 5

and there's half-a-crown for yourself."^ The dean, thus
drawn into ^ an act of generosity, laughed heartily, and
gave the boy a crown for his wit. — (* * *)

RABELAIS A TRAITOR.*

This celebrated wit ^ was once at a great distance from
Paris, and without money to bear his expenses ^ thither.
The ingenious autl^or being thus sharp set,^ got together ^
a conyenient quantity of brickdust, and having disposed
of it into several papers,^ wrote upon one. Poison for Mon-
sieur; ^ upon a second, Poison for the Dauphin ;^^ and on a
third, Poison for the Xing, Having made this provision
for ^^ the royal family of France, he laid his papers so that
ti)e landlord, who was an inquisitive man and a good ^^
subject, might get a sight of them.^^ The plot succeeded
. as he desired ; ^^ the host gave immediate intelligence to ^^

^ et voild une demt-couronne which was afterwards transferred

pour toi. The adjective rfemt is to the eldest son of every French

invariable when placed before the king, from the time of the annexa-

subfitantive, but agrees with it in tion of that province to the crown

gender when after, as une couronne untU the first Bevolution, in 1789.

et demie ('a crown and a half'). ^' Apr is avoir ainsi pourvu d la

■ entraini d. eofuommaiion de, *' fiddle.

> coupable de haute troMson, ^' p4i les voir. The subjunctive

* Rahelait, si dlibre par son (the mood which expresses douht,

esprit. See p. 90, end of note '. among other things) is here used,

^ Translate, 'to pay his ez- instead of the indicative {jpiU in-

penses.' — ' thither,' jusqtie-ld, stead of pvi), because an intention

' en (iant done aux expfdienfs; only — implying a dot^t as to the

or, $tant done riduit d sa demiire result~-ana not a positive foot, is

ressource; or, (tant done presque d stated.

boui de ressources (or, d boiU de voie); ^* eomme il le dfsirait/^The pro-
or, ne saehant done plv>s de quel bois noun le ('it'), which ^s used in
/aire fiiche. — In the more usual French in such cases as this, car-
sense of, ' to be famished, ' to be ries back Uie mind to the fact men-
sharp set ' is, avoir Us detUs longv^. tioned beforef gynely, here, that

7 ramassa. ' it ' (the plot) nrould succeed. It

^ en plusieurs petHs paquels dans also corresponds to ' so,' or to any

du papier. — 'wrote,' seep. 23, n. *. other resuming expression, either

^ Monsieur, used absolutely, was expressed or understood, in Eng-

said of the eldest of the brothers of lish. — Yet this pronoun may be

the king of France. left out after the adverbs of oom-

^^ Dauphin was the title origin- parison nlu^, moins, commey and

ally borne by princes of the province after si, fee.

of France called Da/nphin£, and ^^ avertit immSdiaiement.

6 FRENCH PROSE

the secretary of state. The secretary presently sent down ^
a special messenger, who brought up the traitor to court,
and provided him, at the king's expense, with proper ac-
commodations on the road.^ As soon as he appeared, he
was known to be^ the celebrated Rabelais, and his powder,
upon ^ examination, being ^ found very innocent, the jest
was only laughed at ; ^ for which a less eminent droll would
have been sent to the galleys. — (Budgell, Spectator.)

THE HARE AND THE TORTOISE.

A HABE jeered at a tortoise for^ the slowness of his
pace. But he laughed and said that he would run against
her and beat her any day she should name.^ " Come on,"^
said the hare, ** you shall soon see what my feet are made
of.*' ^^ So it was agreed that they should start at once.
The tortoise went off jogging along, without a moment's
stopping, at his usual steady pace.^^ The hare, treating
the whole matter very lightly, said she would first take ^^ a
little nap, and that she should soon overtake the tortoise.
Meanwhile the tortoise plodded on,^^ and the hare, over*
sleeping herself, arrived at the goal only to see i* that the
tortoise had got in before her.

Slow and steady wins the race.^^

(James's Fables of ^sop,)

^ 'sent down;' envoya sur let ^\ ^^ c« ote«|)e«ven<(page44, note^)

lietue, or, simply, envoya. mes jambes. See pe^ 3, note ^.

' en lui faitafU foumir sur la ^^ n*aUendtt pas un instant, et se

route, auxfrads du roi, le logemewt mil en route tout doucemetU, de son

a les vivres nieessaires, \ pas ordinaire et rtgulier.

* on reconnut en lui; or, on le ^ commeneerait par faire,

reconnut pour. See page 1, note ', ^ conHnua de s*4vertuer (p. 184,

and pi^ge 8, note ^. note ^'). When tranwlating such

^ apriSf followed by no article. strongly elliptical expressions as

B Translate, ' having been.' the present, rormed with a verb and

s I'on ne fit qtie nre du tour, a preposition, we are compelled to

Notice this use of ne before a verb, render in full the idea only partly

and qu>e after it. expressed by the words usea. Thus,

7 raillaU une tortue sur (or, de). * kick him out/ faites-le sortir d

^ qu*elle le vaincrait d la course coups de pied; 'to refine people

Quand il voudrait. — A la course, out of their veracity,' (Hkrvky, )

'running;' in the same way we polir les getis au point de leur faire

say, passer une riviire k la nage perdre leur virami, &c.

('swimming') ; <tter un oiseau au ** See above, note •,

vol ('flying ), &c. • A lions, ^* Hdtez-vous lentement, Thispro*

COMPOSITION.

MULY MOLUC.

Whbn Don Sebajstian, king of Portugal, invaded the
territories of Muly Moluc, emperor of Morocco, in order
to dethrone him, and set his crown upon the head of hin
nephew, Moluc was wearing away with^ a distemper which
he himself knew was ^ incurable. Howerer, he prepared
for the reception of ^ so formidable an enemy. He was, in-
deed, so far spent with^ his sickness that he did not expect
to live out the whole day ; ^ but, knowing the &tal con-
sequences that would happen to^ his children and his
people, in case he should die before he put an end^ to that
war, he commanded his principal officers, that, if he died
during the engagement, they should conceal^ his death
from ^ his army, and that they should ride up to ^^ the
litter in which his corpse was ^^ carried, under pretence of
receiving orders as usual.^\^ Before the battle ^^ began, he
was carried through all the ranks of his army in an open
litter, as they stood drawn up in array,^* encouraging
them ^^ to fight valiantly in ^^ defence of their religion and

▼erbial expreBsion, which has been ' dpauer lajoumSe.

used by Kegnard, Boileaa, and La ' riwUeraient powr,

Fontaine, is nothing more than the ^ avanl d^ avoir mis Jin. Contrary

old Greek proyerb, * cwwbt fipadiw,' to the case mentioned above (n. '),

which the Latins took from the this turn is the only one aUowed, in

Oreeks, and translated b^ fextina most instances, in French, when

ItfUe, and which the Knghsh often the two verbs, thus following each

render by 'most haste, worst speed.' other, have the same subject, or

1 9e vumrait de. nominative.

> ' he himself ;' see p. 86, n. ^.— ^ officiers, ^il expirait . . . . , rf«
' knew was,' favait itre. This turn cocker,
is fVench (in the case where, as ^ d.
here, the nominatives, or subjects, ^ etde iapprocher de.
of the two verbs are diiSforent), only ^^ ton corps serait.
after a relative pronoun. Thus w^^ ^' ' usual ;' d V ordinaire.
cannot sav, je U sais Sire savanr^ ^^ V action; to avoid an awkward
(' I know him to be learned ') ; it repetition of hataille, occurring in<
slwuld be, je sais qu'il eH savant, evitably just below.
See p. 1, n. '. — Sometimes the fol- ^* il parcourtU (to avoid repeat-
lowing eleffant turn, which comes ing porlS), dans une litiire aScou-
nearer to uie English construction verte, tons les rangs de Varmie,
above, is used : w le crois savant, formSe (we also say rangie) en
on le dit haJbile, kc, bataille.

• d recevoir. ^' et eneouragea les siens.

* tellemeni ipuisi par. *" pour la.

8 FRENCH PROSE

country.^ Finding ^ afterwards the battle to go ^ against
him, though he was very near his last agonies,^ he threw
himself out of his litter, rallied his army, and led them ^
on to the charge, which^ afterwards ended in a complete
victory on the side of the Moors. He had no sooner
brought his men ^ to the engagement, but® finding himself
utterly spent, he was again replaced in his litter, where,
laying his finger on his mouth, to enjoin secrecy to his
officers who stood about him, he died a few moments after
in that posture. — {Spectator,)

DESTRUCTION of the ALEXANDRIAN LIBRARY.*

When Alexandria was taken by the Mahomedans,
Amrus, their commander, found there Philoponus,^^ whose
conrersation highly pleased him, as Amrus was a lorer of
letters,^^ and FhUoponus was a learned man.^' On a certain
(Jay 13 Philoponus said Ijo him : "You have visited all the
repositories or public warehouses in Alexandria, and you
have sealed up ^* things of every sort that are found there. ^*

^ Translate, 'of their religion and ^ ies troupes, or ton monde.

of their country/ Bemenmer this ^ que,

rule, which enjoins, in French, the > Alexandria was taken hy the

repetition of the pronoun, article, Saracens in 640. Its great liorary

&o., as well as of the preposition had been created about the year

in certain cases, before each of the 287 B. o., and contained upwards

substantives, whaterer their num- of 700,000 volumes,

ber may be. See page 49, mvte ^, ^^ John Philoponus, a philoso-

* Use voir. ' tourner. pher and grammarian.

* 'veiynear' . . . &c. ; simply, " (tait un ami dea lettres; or,
d ragome, ' See p. 41, n. 8. aimail let leUree, ^* un tavant.

^ cequi. Whenever 'which* does ^'Simply, Unjour,
not reutte to a word in particular, ^^ voua avez mit le teelU tur,
as its antecedent, in the first part ^' qui iy trouvent. The English
of the sentence, but rather to the (as the Latin) passive is to be trans-
whole of that fii^t part, or to a &ct lated into French, wherever there
mentioned in it; in short, whenever is a certain vagueness about the
it can be turned bv ' a thing which,* person or persons that could serve
or ' a £Ebct which, —the French for as a nominative to the verb, if con-
it is ee qui, instead of ^t (nominar jugated actively, by the active voice
tive), and ceque, instead of qtie (ac- with on, or, sometimes also, by the
ousative). It corresponds to the reflective form, as here. Ex. : <2t-
Latin ul quod, similarly used, eitur, (Latin ;) ' it is said,' (Eng-
liikewise, in such a case, the geni- lish ;) on dit (French). ' That is
tive would be ce dowt, instead of done every day,' cela sefaii tout le*
dani ('of which'). jours. The reflective form Is also

COMPOSITION. 9

As to those things that may be useful to you, I presume
to say nothing;^ but as to things of no service to you,^
some of them perhaps may be more suitable to me.'*^
Amrus said to him : " And what is it you want) "* — *' The
philosophical books,** replied he, " preserved '^ in the voyal
librariea** — " This,** said Amrus, " is a request upon which
I cannot decide. You desire a thing where ^ I con issue
no orders, till I have leave from Omar, the commander of
the faithful.** Letters were accordingly written'' to Omar,
informing him of what Philoponus had said; and an answer
was returned by Omar to the following purport : ® " As
to the books of which you have made mention, if there be
contained in them what^ accords with the book of Grod
(meaning^® the Koran), there is without them,^^ in the
book of God, all that is sufficient But, if there be any
thing in them repugnant ^^ to that book, we in no respect
want them.^^ Order them therefore to be all destroyed.'* ^*
Amrus upon this ordered them to be dispersed through ^'
the baths of Alexandria, and to be there burnt in making
the baths warm.^^ After ^"^ this manner, in the space of

used where the name of a thing is ^ el Omar ripondit en ees termes,

the nominatiye, to express the mo- ^ si ce qu*iU conliennent,

UoDB of or changes in it, or its ap- ^® (^eet-d-dire,

peartnoe ; as, ui porie te referma ^^ on trouve autre part qu'en eitr,

dPMe^mime (closed of itself), Veau ^* «'tY «'y trouve qud^ue chose de

se eongiU (congeals), U chdteau se contraire. Notice this use of the

dessinait sur un del bleu (the out- preposition de after quelque chose,

line of the castle came out on the as also after rien, and quoi. See

blue sky). paf e 49, note K

^ je prttends n*en rien dire. ^ noiLS n*avons nullemeni hesoin

* qui ne vous sont dPaucun usage (or, nous n*avons que fairs) de ces
(or, (ffaueune utiliti). ouvrages. — Nous wen avons nulle-

* me eonviendraient peut-itre m^nt hesoin might be considered
davawtage* When 'more is taken ambiguous, en meaning 'of it,' as
absolutely, davaniage is used in- well as ' of them.'

stead of plus. ^* Faites-les done ditruire tous.

4 ' you want ;* vous voudries. ' To order, to cause a thing to be

* dtposis. done — ^to have, to get it <£me/ is
' pour (or, sur) laqudU, The elegantly expressed, in French, by

relative pronoun lequel is always the rerb fonre, followed by an in-
used instead of qui, with a prepo- finitiye.

sition, when spesJdng of a thing, ^ ordonna qu*on les disfrihudt

not of a person. (or, lesJU distribuer) dans.

7 On eerivit en consiquenee (or, ^^ 'in making'. . . &c. ; pour

done). See page 8, note ^' ; and eha^i^ffer les hains.

paged, renderings at notes 3 and ^ ^^ 2)0.

10 FRENCH FROS£

six months they were all consmned. Thus ended this
noble library; and thus began, if it did not begin sooner,
the age of barbarity and ignorance. — (Harris.)

VALENTINE AND UNNION.

At the siege of Namur by the allies, there was in the
ranks of the company commanded by Captain ^ Pincent,
in Colonel ^ Frederic Hamilton's regiment, one Unnion, a
corporal, and one Valentine, a private sentinel : ^ there
happened between these two men a dispute about an affair
of love, which,^ upon some aggravations^ grew to * an irre-
concilable hatred. Unnion, bein^ the officer of Valentine,
took all opportunities even to strike his rival, and profess
the spite and revenge which moved him to it.*^ The sen-
tinel ^ bore it without resistance ; but frequently said he
would die to be revenged "^ of that tyrant. They had spent
whole months in this manner, the one injuring,^ the other
complaining ; when, in the midst of this rage against each
other,® they were commanded upon^<^ the attack of the
castle, where the corporal received a shot in^^ the thigh,
and fell. The French pressing on^^^ and Unnion expecting
to be trampled to death,-^^ he called out ^^ to his enemy :
" Ah, Valentine ! can you leave me here ? " Valentine
immediately ran back,^^ and, in the midst of a thick fire^^
of the French, took the corporal upon his back, and brought
him through all the danger as far as the Abbey of Saltine,

^ See page 4, note h geanee qui Vy portaUnt.

' un caporalf nommi Z7— , etun ^ Le toldai.

nmple toUiai, nommi F—- . ' U disait touvent q%Cil (see p. 1,

8 The French grammar requires n. ^ mourrait voUmtiert pour te

a relatiye pronoun to be always venger,

placed as near as possible to its ^ commeUant des outrages.

antecedent. Constnict, therefore, ^ The preposition, in iVench,

tiie French sentence as if the Eng- always stands between *Vun* and

lish were, 'There happened be- *V autre,* instead of h^ore, as in

tween . . . &o., about . . . &;o., a English. ^® pour,

dispvie which.* ^ un coup defeu d.

^ en raison de quelques provoca- ^' les serrant de pris.

tions, dSginSra en. ^^ icra^S sous les pieds. ^* erta.

^ et de iimoigner son esprit de ^^ reviiU immidmtemeiU snr ses

raneune et de vengeance; or, more pas.

literally, ... to rancur^e et la ven- ^^ feu roulanit.

COMPOSITION- 11

when a Cftnnou ball took ofif his head:^ his body fell
under his enemy, whom he was oarrying off.^ Unnion
immediately foigot his wound, rose up, tearing his hair,^
and then threw himself on the bleeding carcase,^ crying :
** Ah, Yalfintine ! was it ^ for me, who have so barbarously
used thee, that thou hast died? I will not live after
thee ! '* ^ He was not by any means to be forced from the
body,*^ but was removed with it bleeding^ in his arms,
and attended with tears by all their comrades who knew
their enmity. When he was^ brought to a tent, his
wounds were dressed by force ; ^^ but the next day, still
calling upon Valentine, and lamenting his cruelties to ^^
him, he died in the pangs of remorse. — {Toiler,)

THE FOX WITHOUT A TAIL.^^

A FOX being caught in a trap, was glad to compound
for his neck by leaving his tail behind him ; ^' but, upon
coming abroad into the world,^^ he began to be so sensible
of^^ the disgrace such^* a defect would bring upon him,^"
that he almost wished he had died rather than come away
without it.^® However, resolving to make the best of a
bad matter, ^^ he called a meeting of ^ the rest of the foxes,
and proposed that all should follow his example. '^ You

^ lui emporta la tHe; literally, tout sanglant,
* took off the head to him,.' Notice > Aprit qu'il eut SiS (p. 28, n. ". )
this use of a persooal pronoun and ^^ malgri lui, — 'to dreas/ here,

of the definite article, where the patuer,
English use a possessiYe pronoun. '^ envert (see p. 86, n. ^).

^ toniba, entrainant ton ennemi ^* tant guette,
dam ta chutij to avoid an awkward ^^ fyxfwt aite cTy laisser sa fii^ue

repetition of the verb emporUr. pour tauver ta tite.

• t*arraehafU let cheveux; lite- ^* mait comnu U alUUt enirer (or,
rally, ' tearing the hair to himtelf:* (tait jpo«r entrer) dant le tnonde.
same remark as above. is *l tentit ti vivement,

* cadavre tanglant: eareatte, in ^^ See page 1, note -'.
French, is said almost exdusively ^' See page 3, note *.

of the bones. is gu'%1 en vintpretque d touhaiter

s eat-ce* — ' hast died ;' see p. 66, d^Hre fnort p&itt ^ue, d! avoir

note ^*. iche^vS du piige aintx Scourti,

^ Jene veux pat te tvrvivre, ^ ae tirer le meiUeur parti de ta

7 II n*y eut pat moyen de Par- vUtaveniure; or, de faire honne

raeher du eadavre, mine d mauvait jeu,

^ mait on Venleva qui le tenait *^ il attevAla,

12 FRENCH PROSE

have no notion," said he, " of the ease and comfort with
which I now move about : ^ I could never have believed it
if I had not tried it myself; but really, when one comes
to reason upon it, a tail is such an ugly^ inconvenient,
unnecessary appendage, that the only wonder is that,^ a»
foxes, we could have put up with it ' so long. I propose,
therefore, my worthy brethren, that you all profit by the
experience that I am most willing to afford you, and that
all foxes from this day forward cut off their tails."* Upon
this one of the oldest stepped forward, and said, " I rather
think,^ my friend, that you would not have advised us to
part with our tails,® if there were any chance of recover-
ing your own.'* ^ — (James's Fables o/JSsop,)

ON MODESTY.

MoDESTT is a very good quality, and which ^ generally
accompanies true merit : it engages and captivates the
minds of people ; ^ as, on the other hand, nothing is more
shocking and disgusthil than presumption and impudence.
We cannot like a man who is always commending and
speaking well of himself,^^ and' who is the hero of his own
story. On the contrary, a man who endeavours to conceal
his own merit, who sets that of other people in its true
light,^^ who speaks but little of himself, and with modesty,
such a man makes a favourable impression upon the

' de la facUitS avee laqnelle (p. ^ Leave out ' and.'

9, n. ^) je puis maintenatii aller et * Simply, let etpritt,

venir. ^® qui vent toujourt tefaire vatoiTf

* que la teule ekose doiU on qui parle avaviageutemeiU de lui'

iHonne, c*eBt que. mime. Notice tfaAt this turn, ' com-

3 nous ayont pu Vendurer. mending and speaking of himself'

^ et que dorinavant tout let is not allowed by the French sram-

renardt te coupent la queue. See mar, as 'commending' reqmres a

page 11, notes ^'and K rigime direct (aoousatiye or objeo-

^ M*est avit; or, J*ai idie. tive case), and ' spealdng ' a rigime

' de nout difaire de not ^lueuet. indirect. Thus, e. g., we should say,

The word queuet is here m the IlaMaqv4ilavilleetifenemparaymk

plural, on account of its indiyidual II attaqua et t'empara de la viUe.

sense, whereas it has above (n. *) ('He attacked and took possession

a general signification. of the town. ' )

' la tienne. ^^ qui relive eelui det autret.

COMPOSITION. 13

understanding of his hearers, and acquires their love and
esteem.^

There is, however, a great difference between modesty
and an awkward bashf^lness,^ which is as ridiculous as
true modesty is commendable. It is as absurd to be a
simpleton as to be an impudent fellow;^ and one ought
to know how to come into a room,^ speak to people, and
answer them, without being out of countenance, or with-
out embarrassment.^ The English are generally apt to
be bashful,^ and have not those easy, free, and at the
same time polite, manners which the French have.'*^ —
(Chesterfield, Letters to his Son,)

THE ART OF PLEASING.

The art of pleasing is a very necessary one to possess,
but a very difl&cult one to acquire.^ It can hardly be re-
duced to rules ; ^ and your own good sense and observa-
tion will teach you more of it than I can.^^ Do as you
would be done by,^^ is the surest method that I know ^^ of
pleasing: observe carefully what pleases you in others,
and probably the same things in you will please others.
If you are pleased with ^^ the complaisance and attention of
others to your humours,^* your tastes, or your weaknesses,
depend upon it,^^ the same complaisance and attention ^^ on
your part to theirs will equally please them.^^ Take the
tone of the company that you are in,^® and do not pretend
to give it; be serious, gay, or even trifling,^^ as ^ you find

1 ' such a man/ &o. ; simply, de le toumettre) d des regies,

gagne lea esprita et se fait ettimer *o qiieje ne ^p. 80, note i^) pour-

et aimer, rait vous en dire.

* et la mauvaise honte, i^ Agissez envert les autres comme
^ Simf>ly, un ^onti, vous voudriez que let autres agissent

* tavoir tepritenler; see p. 224, envert votu. — ' method ;' moyen.
note ^'. 1* The subjimctive is generally

^ taru Hre dScoTUenancS au em- used, in French, after a superlative.

larrassL i» tentible d.

*^ tujett d la mauvaite honte, ^* Use the singular.

7 Translate, ' which are natural ^^^ comptez que.

to the French.' ^^ Translate, 'and the same at-

^ est d!un ^and aecourt d pti le tentiou.'

?osside ; mait il n'ett pat a%ai de ^^ See page 31, note ^.

acquirir, " See p. 1, n. *". i» folAtre

^ H est difficile de Vassujettir (or, •> ' as, for * according as,' lui-

14 FRENCH PROSE

the present humour of the company : this is an attention
due from every individual to ^ the majority. Do not tell
stories in company ; there is nothing ^ more tedious and
disagreeable : if by chance you know a very short story,
and exceedingly applicable^ to the present subject of con-
versation, tell it in as few words as possible; and even
then throw out * that you do not love to tell stories, but
that the shortness of it^ tempted you.^ Of all things,
banish egotism"^ out of your conversation, and never
think of entertaining people with your personal concerns,
or private affairs; though they are interesting to you,
they are tedious and impertinent to everybody else,®
besides that one cannot keep one's own private affairs too
secret.^ Whatever you think your own excellences may
be,^^ do not affectedly display them ^^ in company ; nor
labour, as many people do,^^ to give that turn to the con-
versation which ^^ may supply you with an opportunity of
exhibiting them.^* If they are real, they will infallibly be
discovered,^^ without your pointing them out yourself,^^
and with much more advantage. Never maintain an argu-
ment with heat and clamour, though you think or know
yourself to be in the right,^"^ but give your opinion
modestly and coolly, which is^® the only way to convince;
and, if that does not do,^^ try to change the conversation
by saying with ^^ good humour : " We shall hardly oon-

vant {or selon) que; or, more con- '^ tCenfaites point parade,

cisely, as well as more elegantly, ** See p. 8, n. '. — ' nor labour ;'

* as you find,' simply selon (accord- ne cherchez point.

inc: to). 1* See page 10, note 3.

^ Translate, ' which every indi- ^* de leaf aire hriller.

vidual must have for.* '* See page 8, note i*^.

* See page 9, note i*. i* This turn is not French ; we
3 qui puisie fort d propos s*ap- use sans que with the personal pro-

pliquer. noun (voiu, here), and the subjunc-

* donTiez d eniendre. tive. — * to point out,* here, prendre
^ de celle-ci, la peine defaire valoir,

^ Translate, ' has tempted you.' " quand mime vous seriez (p. 252,

— ' Of ;* Sur. n. *) pertuadi que vous avez raison .

7 le moi. "^^ <fest ; or, but leas elegantly

^ Simply, tout autre, here, in the way^^pointed out at

* observer un trop grand secret page 8, note *.

sur ses propres affaires. ^^ si eela (or, t'ti — ' if it ') ne

^<> Quelqu^ idie que vous ayes de riussit pas.
vos talents, so en disant d^un ton de.

COMPOSITION. 15

vince one another,^ nor is it necesBary that we should;^
so let us talk of something else." ^

At last, remember that there is a local propriety to be
observed^ in all companies, and that what is extremely
proper in one company may be, and often is, highly
improper in another.

These are some^ of the arcana necessary for your
initiation in the great society of the world.^ I wish I had
known them better ^ at your age ; I have paid the price
of three and fifty years for them, and shall not grudge it**
if you reap the advantage. Adieu. — (Chesterfield,
Letters to his Son,) f

THE LAZY MIND.

The lazy mind will ^ not take the trouble of going *to
the bottom of anything ; ^° but, discouraged by the first
diflSculties (and everything worth knowing or having is
attended with some),^^ stops short, contents itself with
easy and, consequently, superficial knowledge, and prefers
a great degree of ignorance to a small ^^ degree of trouble.
These people either think ^^ or represent most things ^* as
impossible, whereas few things are so to industry and
activity. ^^ But difl&culties seem to them impossibilities, or
at least they pretend to think them so,^^ by way of excuse

^ See page 88, note ^. ' Use vouZotVin the pres. indicat.

» Translate as if the English ^o dti chose*.

were, ' besides, that is not neces- ^^ {et tout ee qui mSrite oTStre su

nary,* or, ' and that is not neces- ou pouidS a les tiennea) ; or, (. . .

sary.* The conjunct, nt, in French, mirite — vaut la peine — vaut—est

is only used to connect tc^ether digne—d*Hre su ou possidi, or,

two negatiye propositions, not a ne- qu on le tache ou qu* on le posiide,

gative with an affirmatiye, as 'nor' a . . . &;c.).

does in English, and nee in Latin. ^' 'great,' haut; 'small,' fatble.

3 dPautre ehote, " Lea pareueux co'/uidirent,

* d observer. ^* la plupart des chosei ; or,

9 VoUd (p. 97» n. ^) une partie. presque tovtes ehoses.

8 dans U grand monde. ^' * are so ;' see p. 6, n. i*. Yet

7 Je voudraia let avoir mieux here, we shall render the whole

eonnus (page 19, note ^). phrase more elegantly by, au lieu,

s cette science m'a coiUi cinquaiUe- qu*il if en a iris pen dont le travail

trots annies, Je ne regiUterai pat et VactivUi ne vtennent d bout.

tt J rix, ^' ilsfeignent de let croire teller.

16 FRENCH PROSE

for ^ their UziTiead. An hoards attention to the same olgeoi
is too laborious for them ; they take every thing in the
light in which ^ it first presents itself,^ never consider it
in all its different views,^ and, in short, never think it
through.^ The consequence of this is, that when they
come to speak upon these ^ subjects before people who
have considered them with attention, they only discover
their own^ ignorance and laziness, and lay themselves
open to answers^ that put them in^ confusion. — (Ches-
TJBRFIELD^ Letters to his Son,)

ENGLAND AND SCOTLAND."

England is the southern ^^ and Scotland the northern
part of the celebrated island called Great Britain. Eng-
land is greatly larger than Scotland, and the land is^^
much richer, and produces better crops. There are also
a great many more men in England,^^ and both the gentle-
men and the country people i* are more wealthy,^^ and
they have better food and clothing, than those in Scot-
land. ^^ The towns, also, are ^^ much more numerous, and
more populoua

Scotland, on the contrary, is full of hills, and huge
moors and wildernesses,^^ which bear no com, and afford

^ ctfin de jtuHJier, ^^ As a rule, in French, the de-

^ fit envttagent chaqtte ckoie du, finite article is nsed before names

t€ul point de vue <nl. of countries. — Howerer, when en

> Seep. 254, n. ^ ; and p. 19, n. ^ ('in,' 'to') precedes the name of a

* tou8 tes difffrenit aspects. country, the article is neyer used ;
'^ enuntaotfils nevotewt le/ond and when de ('from,' 'of') pre-

de rien (or, fCexaminerU nen d cedes, it is sometimes usea and

fond^—or, n'approfondissent rien). sometimes not.

^ II t^ensuit naturellement que, ^^ la partie miridionale,
lorsqu'ils abordetU de ids, ^* le sol en est,

7 ils divoilent leur (see page 8, ^ .Les hommes y sonJt aussi en

note ^). bien plus grand nomJbre.

^ s*exposent d des rfponses. Be> ^* et les gens de la ville, eomme

member the rule, wMch requires ceiuc de la campa^ne,
the partitive artide {du, de la, des, ^'^ y jouissent de pins d^aisance.
'some/ or 'any') to be always ^^ que dans noire j^eosse.
expressed, in French, before a sub- ^' v sont.
stantiye taken in a partitive sense. ^^ ' wildernesses,* diseris stiriies,

* qui les couvrent de.

COMPOSITION. J r

but little food for flocks of sheep or herds of cattle.^ But
the level ground that lies along ^ the great rivers is more
fertile^ and produces good crop& The natives of Scotland ^
are accustomed to live moi-e hardily in general than those
of England. The cities and towns are fewer,^ smaller, and
less full of inhabitants ^ than in England. But, as Scot-
land possesses great quarries of stone,^ the towns are
commonly built of that material, which is '^ more lasting,
and has a grander effect to the eye,^ than the bricks used ^
in England.

Now, as these two nations live in the different ends ^^
of the same island, and are^^ separated by large and
stormy seas from all other parts of the world,^^ it seems
natural that they should have been^^ friendly to each
other,^* and that they should have lived ^^ as one people
under the same government. Accordingly, about two
hundred yeai-s ago,^^ the king of Scotland becoming king
of England, the two nations have ever since been joined
in one great ^^ kingdom, which is called Great Britain. —
(Walteb Scott, l^ales of a Grandfather.)

^ et o^ let hutiavx trouvent d The eXixpaa of comme {* aa*), quand

feine de quoi te nourrir. ('when ), si ('if'), &o., is not al-

* les Urres hastes qui avoisinent. lowed before the subsequent mem-
s Les habitants (or, natifs) de ber of the sentence, if a noun or a

VBeosss; — iiatifs is said of all na- pronoun is used with the verb ;

tives whatever, and naiurels of but, instead of repeating these ad-

those that do not belong to Euro- verbs and conjunction, we generally

pean countries. use que to supply their plac*.

^ L€S vUles y sont mains nom- ^ To avoia ambiguity in French,

breuses {or, enmoins grand nombre); invert here the oraer of these two

— nunns ('less,' and also 'fewer') regimens, thus: — . . . 'from all,*

ooidd not be used here thus alone : &;c., . . . ' by large,' &c.

but we could say, ' fewer towns,' ^^ il semhlait naturel qu*elles

mains de villes, fwsent.

* et d^une population moindre. ^* See p. 10, n. ®. — ' to,' de.

• earriires. ^' vScttsseni.

^ hdties en pierre, cette espies de ^*^ il y a environ deux cents ans.

natSriaux itant. The substantive Cent takes s when multiplied by

matiriattx has no singular. another number and not followed

^ etfaisant plus d'effet. by another numeral.

• doni on se sert. *' ' ever since,' depuis lors. —
"^^ aux deux bouts. — 'live;' see 'have been joined,' &c.; 9i'ontj7/M

page 142,
" et Qu*

note ". formf qu'un aeul.

qyHelles sont; or, et sont. —

18 FRENCH PROSE

THE BRITISH EMPIRE.

The British Empire, exclusive of its foreign depend-
encies,^ consists^ of the islands of Great Britain and
Ireland, and of the smaller islands contiguous and sub-
ordinate to them.* Great Britain, the largest, and by far *
the most important of the British islands, is divided into ^
the kingdoms of England and Scotland ; the former occu-
pying its southern, most fruitful, and extensive,® and the
latter its^ northern, more barren, and smaller portion.
After the withdrawal of the Romans ® from Great Britain,
these two divisions became separate tmd independent
states, between which the most violent animosities fre-
quently subsisted. In consequence of the marriage of Mar-
garet, daughter of Henry VI 1. of England, to^ James IV.,
king of Scotland, in 1502, James VI., king of Scotland,
ascended the English throne upon^® the demise of Queen ^^
Elizabeth in 1604. But, notwithstanding this union of the
crowns, the two kingdoms had ^^ distinct and independent
legislatures till 1707, when,^* under the auspices of Queen
Anne, a ^^ legislative union of England and Scotland was
completed. ^^ In many respects, however, the institutions

^ non compris tet colonies, also the agreement (in gender and
' te compose, number) of the participle past, in
' ties qui y sont cofUiguSs et en those verbs. ^ avec,
di^endeni. * de beaucoup, ^^ monta sur le trdne d* Angle-
» comprend. terre d.
* le premier de ces royaumes en ^^ See page 4, note ^.
occupe la partie mSridumale, qui ^* eurent, not avaient, this &ct
est la plus fertile et la plus itendue. being only as one point in history.
When speoking of things, not of and having hs^pened at a definite
persons, the French often use the period. See page 1, note ^.
personal pronoun en ('of it/ 'of ^^ oily or, ipoque d laqzLclle. The
them ') and the definite article, in- French do not use quand for
stead of the possessive pronouns 'when' in the sense ot'at which
son, sa, seSf lewr, leurs. time,' but only in that of ' at what
^ la; en is no longer to be ex- time?' (interrog.) and ' at the time
pressed here, but must be under- that.' You will always have, there-
stood eUiptioally, together with fore, in such a case as this, to use
the verb. another turn, which may vary ac-
- ^ Aprks que les Row/iins sefurent cording to the context.
retiris (or, s'en furent allis)^ Ob- ^* Use * the.' We should say,
serve that reflective verbs, in une union enire , , . et , , ,\ but,
French, are conjugated in their Punion de , , . avec

• •

compound tenses with Hre; notice ^^ s'effectua (page 8, note ^\)

COMPOSITION. 19

of the two countries still continue peculiar.* The commou
law^ and the judicial establishments of England differ
much from those of Scotland ; the prevailing religion and
the church establishment^ of the former are also mate-
rially different from those of the latter, and the manners
and customs ^ of the two countries, though gradually assi-
milating,^ still preserve many distinguishing features. —
(J. R. M'CuLLOCH, Statistical Account of the British Empire.)

DESCRIPTION OF ENGLAND,

Few countries exhibit a greater variety of surface than
England, or have been more highly favoured by nature.^
" Although," says Dr. Aikin, " its features are moulded on
a comparatively minute scale/ they are marked with all
the agreeable interchange ^ which constitutes picturesque
beauty. In some parts,^ plains clothed in the richest
verdure, watered by copious streams, and pasturing in-
numerable cattle, extend as far as the eye can reach :^^ in
others,^^ gently rising hills ^^ and bending vales, fertile in
com, waving with woods,^^ and interspersed with flowery
meadows, offer the most delightful landscapes of rural
opulence and beauty.^^ Some tracts furnish prospects of
the more romantic and impressive kind ; lofty mountains,

1 sant, de not Jourt encore, pro- • See page 2, note ".

pres d chacnn, ^eux, ^ Quotqite Ut poirUt de vue, dit

s le droit eotUumier, 'Law/ in , . ,, ne s*y montretU relativement

the sense of the Latin jtts, is, in que dam de peiites proportions.

French, droit, while lot corresponds ^ par tovte ceUe ntecetnon agri-

to ' law ' in the sense of the Latin oJble et alternative de tites variis,

lex. * Id.

8 VEglite (or, Figlise itahtie). i® jusqu'oA la vue pffii porter.

* lea moturt et covtumes; at, let We also say, iami {at, a^uti loin)

tu ct coviumea. gue la vue peut iHendre ; bat this

B qudque se rapproeh4mt (or, same verb, t^Hendre, coming just

more strictly aooormng to gram- before, an awkward repetition must

mar, but by no means elegantly be avoided. ' ^areA^r than the eye

here, quoiat^eUea — ifc— w rappro- can reach,' would be d perte de tme.

ehent) ffrcMiuUement. The adverb, ^ Ld.

in IVenoh, usually follows the verb, '' des coteaux d penie douce.

in a simple tense ; in a compound i> eouverU de hou ondoyanls (or,

tense, it usually stands between ondulanU).

the auxiUary and the participle. ^^ Bod.— ' Some tract8,'P2i{« loin.

C 2

20 FRENCH PROSE

craggy rocks, deep dells, narrow ravines, and tumbling^
torrents : nor are there wanting, as a contrast to ^ those
scenes in which every variety of nature is a different
charm, the vicissitude of ^ black barren^ moors and wide
inanimated heaths.** Such is ^ a vivid description of the
general appearance of England. But the beauty and fer-
tility of the country are not the only things to excite ®
admiration. The mildness of the climate, removed alike
from the extremes of heat and cold; the multitude of
rivers, their depth, and the fecility they afford to internal
navigation ; the vast beds of coal and othei* valuable
minerals hid under the surface ; ^ the abundance and
excellence of the fish in the rivers and surrounding seas ;
the extent of sea-coast ; the number, capaciousness, and
safety of the ports and bays ; and the fevourable situation
of the country for commerce ; give ® England advantages
that are not enjoyed in an equal degree by any other
nation.^ — (J. R. M'Culloch, Statistical Account of the
British Empire.)

MAHOMETS MIRACLES.

The votaries of Mahomet are more assured than himself
of his miraculous gifts, and their confidence and credulity
increase as they are further removed ^^ from the time and
place ^^ of his spiritual exploits. They believe or affirm
that trees went forth to meet him ; ^^ that he was saluted
by stones ; that water gushed from his fingers ; that he
fed the hungry and the sick, and raised the dead;^^ that a
beam groaned to^^ him ; that a camel complained to him ;^^

^ rapidet. ^ tout cda donne d.

* 'nor/ &c. ; rien n*y manque, pas > doi^ nulle autre nation nejouit
mime, comme pour /aire contraste au m^m^ degrS; seep. 21, n. ^.
(p. 29, n. *) avec. — See p. 16, n. *. i® d msturt qv^Ut s iloignent.

s Vaepectf tour d tour, de. ^^ See page o, note ^.

^ Put. the two adjectiyes, in ^' alUrent d ta rencontre.

French, after the substantiye, with ^ ^u*il procurait dee tubsistanees,

the conjunction et between both. guintsait lee maladet d^une manUre

* VoUd. miractUeutefetreseuMitaiiletmMis,

* qui exeiUnt, or, propree d ex- ^* poussa dee ghniteemenie de-
ciier. vant.

^ que le tol recite dans son sein. ^^ lui adresta dea plaintet; or.

COMPOSITION. 21

that a shoulder of mutton informed him of its being ^
poisoned ; and both animate and inanimate nature ^ were
equally subject to this apostle of God. His dream of a
noctunial journey is seriously described as a real and
corporeal transaction.^ A mysterious animal, the Borak,
conveyed him from the temple of Mecca* to that of
Jerusalem ; with his companion Gabriel, he* successively
ascended the seven heavens, and received and repaid the
salutations of the patriarchs, the prophets, and the angels,
ill their respective mansions.^ Beyond the seventh heaven,
Mahomet sdone was permitted to proceed ; ^ he passed the
veil of unity, approached within two bow-shots'^ of the
throne, and felt a cold that pierced him to the heart,^
when his shoulder was touched bv the hand of God.
After a familiar, though important conversation, he again
descended ^ to Jerusalem, remoimted the Borak, returned
to Mecca, and performed in the tenth part of a night the
journey of many thousand yeaxs.^^ — (Gibbon, Decline and
Fall of the Roman Empire,)

te plaignit d lui. I shall explain ^ demeures. — 'the patriarchs/

this latter construction farther on &c. ; see page 8, note \

(p. 260, n. ^ ; and p. 131, n. ^7). * H eut seul la permiuion (or,

^ qiCelle itait. This turn, viz., JlfwtpermisdM — seul) de s* avan-

'my,* *thy,* 'his/ 'its/ &c., fol- cer au deld, kc. Ab permettre, like

lowed by a present participle, is someotherverbs, when active, does

not French ; see p. 14^ n. ^^. not admit, in French, of a noun of

* 'Both/ followed W 'and,* is person forits object (or accusative),
usually rendered, in French, the it does not, for an obvious reason,
same as in Latin, by et repeated ; admit of it either, when it is pas-
but here, we should thus have et sive, for its subject (or nominative),
occurring three times, and we and therefore we must use another
must, therefore, leave ' both' out, turn. Ex. : 'you are allowed,' &c.,
and change a Little the construe- on votu permet, &c. ; or, il voiis est
tion accordingly. permisy &c. (as in'Latin, tihi per-

' aymme un (vSiiement rSel,comme mitto, tibi permittitur).
un acte corporel. <^ il se trouva d deux portSes de

* laMecque. The definite article trait {or, d' arc).

is used, exceptionally, before the ^ jusqu'au cceur.

names of some towns ; as, le Havre, ^ il redescendit.

le Mans (in France), le Caire (Cairo, ^® plutieurs milliers d^annies

in Egypt), &o.

22 FRENCH PROSE

COLUMBUS AT BARCELONA.

Ti^B letter of Columbus to the Spanish monarchs,
flnnouQcing his discovery, had produced the greatest
seusation at court.^ The event it communicated was con-
sidered the -most extraordinary of their prosperous reig^.
The sovereigns themselves were ^ for a time dazzled and
bewildered^ by this sudden and easy acquisition of a new
empire, of indefinite extent and apparently boundless
wealth ; and their first idea was to secure it beyond the
reach of question or competition.^ Shortly after his
arrival in Seville, Columbus received a letter from them,
expressing their great delight, and requesting him to
repair immediately to court, to concert plans for a second
and more extensive expedition.^ As the summer was
already advancing, the time favourable for a voyage,^ they
desired him^ to make any arrangements at Seville, or else-
where, that might hasten ^ the expedition, and to inform
them by the return of the courier what was necessary to
be done on their part.^ This letter was addressed to him
by the title of " Don ^^ Christopher Columbus, our Ad-
miral of the Ocean Sea^^^ and Viceroy and Governor of the
Islands discovered in the Indies 3*' at the same time he

^ dla cour la plus vive sensation. ^ Us U nriaienl. The imperfect

When a verb has two objects {r(- of the incuoatiye is here used, in-

gtmes) of equal length, or nearly stead of the preterite (see p. l,n.^),

so, the direct is placed before the because reference k made more di-

indireet object ; butwhen the two reotly to the contents of the letter,

objects are not of the same length, as read bv the recipient, than to

as is the case here, the shorter the act of writing it on the part

comes first, imless there is am- of the senders,

biffuity to be feared. 8 ^ prendre .».les arrangements

* See page 1, note '. nScessaires pour hdter (p. 3, n. i^).
> transports. » de ee gu*ils avaieni dfaire (or,

* de s'en assurer la possession de de ee qu*u fallait au*Us fisserU) de
telU maniire qu*ils n*eiisseiU d leur c6U, — Fallovr goyems the
craindre aucune contestation ni subjunctive ; and Jissent is in the
aiucune rivaliti, imperfect of the subjunctive, a»

^ pour y concerter le plan d'une corresponding to the impeifect of

seconds expSditionf plus considS- the indicatiyd /a//aif.

rable que la premiire. i® L'adresse de la lettreportait:-^

" See p. 8, n. ^^.—'adyancing,* *' A don,

asses avanci, »i tur la mer ociane.

COMPOSITION. 23

was promised still further^ rewaixis. Columbus lost no
time in ^ complying with the commands of the soYereign&
He sent a memorandimi^ of the ships, men, and muni-
tions^ that would be requisite, and having made such
dispositions at Seville as circumstances permitted,^ set
out on his journey ^ for Barcelona, taking with him the
six Indians, and the various curiosities and productions he
had brought from the New World.^

The fcmae of his discovery had resounded throughout
the nation, and as his route lay through ^ several of the
finest and most populous provinces of Spain,^ his journey
appeared like the progress ^^ of a sovereign. Wherever
he passed,^^ the surrounding country poured forth its in-
habitants,^^ who lined the road and tlux>nged the villages.
In the lazge towns, the streets, windows, and balconies
were filled with eager spectators, who rent the air with ^^
acclamations. His journey was continually impeded ^^ by
the multitude pressing to gain a sight of him and of the
Indians,^^ who were regarded with as much admiration as

^ 'still further;' eiicore de nou- mener, 'tobrinff back').
velles, — 'be was promised ;' see ^ et eomme il devait traverser,

page 21, note •. * pour, jpour u rendre d Bareelonne.

> un (tat detailU, > See p. 16, n. i®. The article

* See page 8, note ^. is to be used here, but merely on
' d Sivule toutes let disposUiont aooount of the superlatiye, which

pLe permetkLtent leg circonstaneet,v somewhat alters, in I^nch, the

See p. 8, u. ^^ ; also p. 10, n. ', grammatical connexion of. the

and p. 8, n. >. words, in this case ; for, otherwise,

* tl partit As thererb 'setout' we say, province d^Mspagne, de
is rather far from 'having made' France, fro., without the artide.
and * he sent,' it is better to repeat, ^o retwmhla d la marche triom,'
in French, the pronoun il before phale.

portit. u The imperfect of the indica-

/ emmenant avee lui let six /n- tive is preferable here to the pre-

diens qui Ravaient tuivi enJSspagne, terite, though the latter would not

et prenafU autti Us euriositSs et pro- be incorrect, llie imperfect makes

ductions diverses qt^il avail rap- the mind dwell more upon the

porUes du Nouveau-Monde. We length and inddents of the journey,

must obviously use here a different as described. See p. 1. n. •.

turn jfrom the English ; for, 'to ^ il voyait se presser auUmr de

take' (to take with oneself, to take lui la populajtion UnU eiUiire det

away) is empcrtcr, if the person, envinms.

animal, or object, is oarried,whereas « qui faitaient retentir Vair de

it is emviener, if not ; and the same hruyantes.

distinction is made between op- . ^^ II Hait an-M d ckaque inttant.

porter and amener, 'to bring* (as " qui se pressait sur son passage

well as between rapptyiter and ra- pour idcker de Capercev^r, ainsi

24 FRENCH PROSE

if they had been natives of another^ planet. It was
impossible to satisfy the craving curiosity which assailed
himself and his attendants, at every stage, with^ innu-
merable questions ; popular rumour, as usual,^ had exag-
gerated the truth, and had filled the newly-found country
with all kinds of wonders.*

It was about the middle of April that Columbus arrived
at Barcelona, where every preparation had been made
to give him ^ a solemn and magnificent reception. The
beauty and serenity of the weather, in that genial season ^
and favoured climate, contributed to give splendour to ^
this memorable ceremony. As he drew near the place,^
many of the more youthful courtiers and hidalgos of
gallant bearing ^ came forth to meet and welcome him.^®
His entrance into this noble city has been compared to
one of those triumphs which the Romans were accus-
tomed ^^ to decree to conquerors. ^^ First, were paraded
the Indians, painted according to their savage fashion,^^
and decorated with tropical feathers, and with their na-
tional ornaments of gold ; ^* after these were borne various

?'ite leslndieng— or, . . . Capercevoir, * et avait peupli de ftierveilles (p.

ui et les IndieTis (but not literally, 22, n. \ and p. 3, n. *^) le monde

Vapercevoir et hi Indiens, which Tiouvellement cUcouvert.

would be mcorrect). The disjunc- * od UnU avait itS pripaA-6 pour

five pronoun lui, in the latter ren- luifaire.

dering, serves to re-establish the ^ La siriniti de ratmosMre dans

connexion broken by the interven- cette belle saison, — ' and, &c. ; see

ing verb apercevoir, as the coti- page 8, note \

jundive pronoun le must neces- ^ Translate, ' contributed to the

sarily be placed b(^ore the verb splendour of.'

which governs it. ^ Comme il approchait de la

^ pie 8*ils JuasetU tonibSs de quel- ville,

que. This second form of the con- ^ au port SlSgant.

ditional (in avoir and itre—feusse ^® vinrent d sa ren/convtre (or, au-

and Jef fuse, used as well aafaurais devarU de tui — avrdevamt de ; I^tin,

and je serais, but only t<^ether obviam) pour lui f aire a4:cu^l. See

with a past participle) is also fre- pi^ 1, note ^

quently employed as a second form ^^ avaierU coutume.

of the imperfect of the indicative i» d leursgSnSraux vainqueurs.

after si. w Les Indiens ouvraient la

*_ 'himself;' translate, 'him.*— marche; ils Staient peints de di-

*with,' de, verses couleurs, suivarU la mode de

* Comme d^ ordinaire, la rumeur leur pays,

publique. Put a full stop after ^* et des . . . de leur nation. See

' questions ;' and, in general, make above, note ^.
your sentences short, in French.

COMPOSITION. 25

kinds of live parrots, together with^ stuflFed birds and
animals ^ of unknown species, and rare plants, supposed
to be of ^ precious qualities : while great care was taken to
make a conspicuous display of ^ Indian coronets, bracelets,
and other decorations ^ of gold, which might ^ give an idea
of the wealth of the newly-discovered regions. After these
followed Columbus, on horseback,^ surrounded by a bril-
liant cavalcade of Spanish chivalry.® The streets were
almost impassable, from the countless mtdtitude;^ the
windows and balconies were crowded with the fair ; ^^ the
very roofs were ^^ covered with spectators. It seemed as if
the public eye could not be sated with gazing on ^^ these
trophies of an unknown world, or on the remarkable man
by whom it had been discovered. There was a sublimity
in this event that mingled a solemn feeling with^^ the
public joy. It was looked upon as a vast and signal dis-
pensation of Providence in reward for '^^ the piety of the
monarchs ; and the majestic and venerable appearance of
the discoverer,^^ so different from the youth and buoyancy
that are generally expected from roving enterprise,^^ seemed
in harmony with the grandeur and dignity of his achieve-
ment.^'^

* Simply, avec, pouvait se rassasier de contempler.
' des oiseatLX et autres animatix After senibler, conjugated imper-

empcdlUs, — 'species;' plural, in sonally, the indicative is used,

French, here. when the subordinate propositior

' qu^on supposait avoir (page 7, states a certain, a positive ract, and

n. ') ; or, auxquellea on supj^saii. the idea admits of no doubt what-

^ ' while,' so. ; on iteUdtt aussi ever ; whereas the subjunctive is

avec grand ioin aux regards du used when there is some doubt,

public. some uncertainty, in the idea, or

' omements. when the verb of the subordinate

' Use the imperfect indicative proposition expresses an impossible

ofpouvoir. and extraordinary fact.

* Colomb a/rrivait ensuite, monti ^ Cet ivinement avail (pielque
sur un chevalf et. chose de si imposant en Im-mime,

* de jeunes EspagnoU, qu'un sentiment solennel de recon-
' La fovXe Hait si grande ^il naissance venait se miler d,

itaii presqvs impossible de se /aire ^* de,

jour dans les rues. i" Uheureux navigaieur; or, sim-

^® remplis de dames, ply, Colomb. — ' appearance,' aspect,

'1 les toils m^mes itaient; or, il w qui souvent font entreprendre

%'itait — il n*y avail — pasjusqiCaux une expidition audadeuse,

toils qui nefussent. ^^ et Vimportance de sa dicovr

^' II sevnhlail que le public ne verle.

'M FRENCH PROSE

To^ receive him with suitable pomp and distinction,^
the sovereigns had ordered their throne to be placed in
public,^ under a rich canopy of brocade of gold, in a vast
and splendid saloon. Here ^ the king and queen awaited
his arrival, seated in state,^ with the prince Juan beside
them, and ^ attended by the dignitaries of their court and
the principal nobility of Castile, Valencia, Catalonia, and
Aragon ;^ all impatient to behold the man. who had con>
ferred so incalculable a benefit upon the nation.^ At
length Columbus entered the hall, surrounded by a bril-
liant crowd of cavaliers, among whom, says Las Casas,^ he
was conspicuous for ^^ his stately and commanding person,
which, with ^^ his countenance rendered venerable by his
grey hairs,^^ gave him the august appearance of a senator
of Eome.^^ A modest smile lighted up his features, show-
ing that he enjoyed the state and glory in which he came;^^
and certainly nothing could be more deeply moving to
a mind inflamed by^^ noble ambition, and conscious of
having greatly deserved,^^ than these testimonials of the

^ Pour; or, Afin de, finite article ; but this article is

' avec pltM de pompe et de die- used, as a rule, before names of

tinctioii ; or, avec une pompe et une provinces, or other subdivisions of

distinction convenables. The article a State, and we should say, in other

is used, in the latter construction, cases, la Catalognef la CaHille,

because the substantives 'pomp ' V Aragon, as well as le Calvados, le

and 'distinction 'are particularised FinisUre (both, departments of

by the epithet ' suitable ;' else none France), &c.

would be used, in French, any more * procuri d la nation (p. 22, n. ^)

than in English. cTincalculdbles avantages,

* avaUfU ordonnS que leur trdne "^^ ® Bishop of Chiapa, in Mexico ;
f<U plod (or as directed at page 9, bom 1474, died 156tj.

notes ^^ and i') dans un endroit ac- y^ il sefaisait remarqmr (or, il se

cessible au public. distinguait) par. See p. 1, n. ^.

* CStait Idqtie. " * with / translate, 'joined
s 'seated in state;* leave this with (d).'

out in the translation, as being suf- ^^ jinir les cheveux gris qui om-

ficiently implied by what precedes hra^eaient son front,

and wluEht follows. ^ s^natev/r romain. — ' appear-

^ A semicolon before 'with;* and ance* ; see p. 25, n. ^^

turn, ' the prince Juan [Jean) was i* ' the state,' &c., d^un U'iomplce

(page 1, note ^) placed near tiiem, si ISgitime.

ana they were.* ^^ n*itait plus propre d ilectrise^'

^ de (fastille, de (p.8, n. ^) Faience, un homme animS d^une (see above,

de Catalogne, et d' Aragon. Here, note *).

after the preposition de, we may ^^etsa^hant avoir heav^oupmiritS

dispense with the use of the de- (p. 19, n. ^, and p. 7, n. 7).

COMPOSITION, 27

admiration and gratitude of a nation, or rather of a world.
As^ Columbus approaohed, the sovereigns rose, as if re-
ceiving ^ a person of the highest rank. Bending his knees,^
he requested to kiss their hands ;^ but ther^ras some
hesitation on the part of their majesties tolflpiit^ this
act of vassalage. Raising him in ^ the most gracious man-
ner, they ^ ordered him to seat himself in their presence —
a rare honour ^ in this proud and punctilious ^ court.

At the request of their majesties, Columbus now gave
an account ^^ of the most striking events of his voyage,
and a description of the islands which he had discovered.
He displayed the specimens he had brought of unknown
birds and other animals, of rare plants of ^^ medicinal and
aromatic virtue; of native gold in dust,^^ in crude masses,^^
or laboured into barbaric ornaments ; and, above all, the
natives of these countries, who were objects ^^ of intense
and inexhaustible interest ; since there is nothing # man
so curious ^^ as the varieties of his own species. AU these
he pronounced mere harbingers of great discoveries he
had yet to make,^^ which would add realms of incalculable

^ Au moment oH. — 'approached' tire used to qualify another, or to

. . . ' roae ' . . . ko. ; the student qualify a fact stated just before,

must now use the preterite, not ^ 'punctilious,' in this sense, si

the imperfect of the indicative. rigide pour tout ce qui tenait d

3 Translate, ' as if they had re- VetiqueUe.

oeived ;' see page 24, note \ ^® ' now,* &o. , M le ricit.

* Mettard un genou en terre ; or, ^^ * of,' ayani dee, — * virtue ;* use
FUchissaJvb lee (not see) genoux, the plund.

When tJie context clearly indicates ^ Vor du pavs en poudre {pous-

who the possessor is, tilie French siire is generally said of the dust

consider it superfluous, in most of the earth, or that of earthy

cases, to use a possessive pronoun, substances).

and they only use the definite ^3 ^jg, masses brutes.

article, when speaking of the qua- i* * who were' . . . (i. e. 'all that

lities of the mind, the parts of the while') ; imperfect indicat. here :

body, or the most familiar articles see a^fain p, 1, n. ^. — ' the objects ;'

of wear. the smgular, here, is preferable, in

* See page 11, note ^. French.

' Turn, * but it {ce) was not with- i" Invert into the natural order

out some hesitation that their ma- of ideas (see p. 3, n. ^^, and also

jesties permitted him (lui),* p. 9, n. ^^).

^ de. ^^ A pris awnr/ait admirer tovies

7 elles (viz., Leurs MajestSs ; ma" ces m^erveilles, Volomb dit que ce

jests is feminine in French). n'itait que le prilude de plus

^ Leave out ' a :' no article is granaes dicouvertes,
used« in French, before a substan-

28 FRENCH PROSE

wealth to the dominions of their majesties, and^ wholo
nations of proselytes to the true faith. ^

The words ^ of Columbus were listened to* with pro-
found emotion by the sovereigns. When he had finished,^
they sank on their knees,^ and, raising their clasped hands
to heaven, their eyes filled with tears of joy and gratitude,
they poured forth thanks and praises to God ^ for so great
a providence ; ® all present ® followed their example ; a
deep and solemn enthusiasm pervaded that splendid assem-
bly, and prevented all common acclamations of triumph.
The anthem of Te Deum Laudamus, chanted by the choir
of the royal chapel, with the melodious accompaniments
of the instruments, rose up from the midst in a full body
of sacred harmony, bearing up, as it were,^^ the feelings
and thoughts of the auditors to heaven ; " so that," says
the venerable Las Casas, *' it seemed as if in that hour
they communicated with celestial delights.** ^^ Such was
the solemn and pious manner in which ^^ the brilliant
court of Spain celebrated this sublime event, offering

^ et qui rangeraieni. of the sentence, as one seems to

^ 'ox proselytes,' &c., «aiM r^<«»- lose sight of the possessor, in a

dard de lafoi, complicated phrase, where the

3 Les paroles. The word parole thing possessed is at once subject

implies word of mouth, and wio< ge- (of * clasped,' elliptical for ' being

nerally a word written or print^ ; clasped ') and object (' of raising ' ).

mat is the mere sign, whilst parole For, without this circumstance, we

refers to the utterance. should say, in two separate phrases,

^ furent ScotUSes. A past parti- ilevant (or, levard) les mains, * rais-

ciple joined with itre, 'to be,' in in^ their hands,' and, les mains

passive and in some neuter verbs, jointes, &c., ' their hfuids clasped *

agrees with the nominative (with — ^understood ' being.'

paroles, here). * pour un hienfaii si iclatant,

* LorsqvUl eut cessS de parler. * A full stop here (see p. 24, n. ').

This form (etU cessS), the compound Tous les assistants.

of the preterite, is used to indicate i* * and prevented,' &c., et an

that a past fstot has taken place lim. de cris dejoie profane, (Tacclo'

immediately before another, like- nuUions vulgaires, le Te Deum fut

wise completely past. entonni par les musiciens de la cha-

^ tombirent d genoux. pelle royale : une hamumie sacrH

' ei, les yetus (p. 27, n. ') remplis et mJilodieuse ripondait d chagu^

de larmes dejoie et de gratitude, ils verset, portani, pour ainsi dire.

Hevirent Uurs mxiins jointes vers le ^ ' so that,' &c. ; "II sembla, dit

cie^f ei adressirent d Dieu (p. 22, . . ., qu*ils eussent (p. 25, n. ^') en ce

n. ^) les plus ferventes actions de mament un avant-goiU des dSlices du

grdces. We must use leurs instead paradis."

of les (p. 27, n. »), in the latter part i^ dotU,

COMPOSITION. 29

up ^ a grateful tribute of melody and praise, and giving
glory to God for ^the discovery of another world. —
(Washington Irving.)

COWPER TO MR SAMUEL ROSE.
(on the employment of time.)

Dear Sir,

Though it be long since I received your last,* I have
not yet forgotten the impression it made upon me, nor
how sensibly I felt myself obliged by* your unreserved
and friendly communications.^ I will not apologise for*
my silence in the interim, because, apprised as you are of ^
my present occupation, the excuse that I might allege will
present itself to you of course, and to dilate upon it
would, therefore, be waste of paper.®

You are in possession of the best security imaginable
for the due improvement® of your time, which is a just
sense of its value.^^ Had I been,^^ when at your age,^^ as

1 * up ;* au cielf here. — * grate- merU. Notice, here, se prSsentera d

fill.' voiu, instead of se vaus prSsentera ;

' reTidant gloire d Dieu (or, rap- I shall say more about this by

'portarU d Iheu la gloire) de. No and by (page 260, note ^).

article is used, in French, when- ^ de Vemploi convenable.

ever the verb and the noun form a ^^ laquelU consiite d en bien sentir

phrase which can generally be ex- le prix (see p. 18, n. *). The pro-

gressed in French, or translated nouns qui, que, dont, are replaced

ito other languages, by one word, by leqtiel, duquel, to avoid ambi-

as here, rendafU gloire, that is, guity : these always relate to the

glorijiantf ' glorifying. ' former nomi (with which they must

^ QuoiquHl y ait longteriips que agree in gender and number), while

fai refu voire aemiire lettre, oui, que^ doTii, relate to the latter.

* m le hien vif plaisir qtie rtCord Thus, of course, where the con-

avsH procuri (page 3, note 3). struction cannot be altered ; or else

'^ entretiena, follow the rule given at p. 10, n. s.

^ Je Tie chercherai point d m'er- ^^ Si favais 6U ; or, Si feMse

cuser de, Sti ; or, Eus^-je iU. See page 24,

^ parce que vwu Vbignwez pas n. h In etusi-je, an acute accent

queues sonJt, — ' occupation ;' use the is put over the last e for euphony's

plural. sake.

^ et mCainsi (p. 17, n. ") ce serait i* qu^nd fStais d voire Age ; or,

brouilter (or, barbouiller — gdier — better, not to repeat Hre so nearly,

gdcher) du papier (or, ce serait mal quand favais voire dge; or, simply,

employer man papier) que (see page d voire dge : this mglish ellipsis,

138, n. ^) de mStendre sur uTie excuse at any rate, after ' when ' {quand),

qui se prSseniera d vous naturelle- is not permitted in French.

30

FRENCH PROSE

much affected by^ that important consideration as I am ^
at present, I should not have devoted, as I did,^ all the
earliest parts ^ of my life to amusement only. I am now
in the predicament into which the thoughtlessness of
youth betrays nine-tenths* of mankind, who never dis-
cover that the health and good spirits ^ which generally
accompany it,^ are in reality blessings only according to
the use we make of them, till advanced years ^ begin to
threaten them with^ the loss of both. How much wiser
would thousands have been,^^ than now they ever will be,^^
had ^2 a puny constitution, or some occasional infirmity,^^
constrained them to devote those hours to study and
reflection, which,^* for want of some such check,^* they
have given entirely to dissipation ! I, therefore, ^^ account
you happy, who,^*^ young as you are, need not be informed
that you cannot always be so,^^ and who already know that
the materials upon which age can alone build its comfoi-t,^®
should be brought together at an earlier period, ^o You
have, indeed, in losing a father, lost a friend, but you have
not lost his instructions. His example was not buried ^^

* atusi p4nitri de.

• See page 5, note **.

^ Turn, ' as I have done.'

* premieres annSes.

• fait tomber (p. 6, n. W)— or, evr
traine — les neuj disnimes.

• et la gaieU (or, aaiti).

7 cet Age, to ftvoid ambiguity.

* que lorsque les arts (or, les
amUes; or, ta vieillesse; or, Cdge
avancS; or, simply, Fdge).

9 de.

J* Conibieti des milliers d^enJtre
1MUS ensserU 6U (p. 24, note i) plus
sages,

*^ The particle ne is used before
the verb which follows plus or
moins, unless the preceding verb,
which accompanies plus or itwins,
is conjugated with a negative. See,
besides, p. 6, n. '*, and p. 19, n. *.

*■ Turn, * if a puny ... or some
. . . had constrained,' be.

** infirmiti inUmtittente.

** See pa^e 10, note *.

1' fauie aunfrein de ee genre.

*8 Cestpourquoije (p. 254,. n. i).

^7 wms^i. A personal pronoun,
in the objective case, which is the
antecedent of a relative pronoun,
must be used twice in this way,
first in its conjunctive form, imme-
diately before the verb which go-
verns it, and then in its disjunctive
form, immediately before the rela-
tive : here it so lutppens that both
forms are votis ; in tne first person
singular they are me and moi; in
the second, tu and toi; ko. See
any grammar.

^8 See page 6, note ".

'• (tablir son bien-Hre, This use
of the possessive son is a deviation
from the custom mentioned at p.
18, n. ^ ; the reason of it is, that
the possessor figures as subject (or
nominative) in the same proposi-
tion wherein the thing possessed
is the object (or accusative). —
* should,' doivenU.

^ reeueillis de bonne heure,

31 n'a pas €U enseveli.

J

COMPOSITION. 31

with him, but happily for you (happily because you are
desirous of availing yourself of it) still lives ^ in your
remembrance, and is cherished in your best affections.^

SIR ROGER DE COVERLET.

Having often received an invitation from my friend
Sir R(^er de Coverley ^ to pass away a month with him
in the country, I last week accompanied him thither, and
am settled * with him for some time at his country-house,
where I intend to form several of my ensuing speculations.^
Sir Roger, who is very well acquainted with « my humour,
lets me rise and go to bed when I please,"^ dine at his own
table or in my chamber, as I think fit,^ sit still and say
nothing without bidding me be merry.® When the gentle-
men of the country ^^ come to see him, he shows me ^^ at
a distance. As I have been walking ^^ in his fields, I have
observed them stealing a sight of me ^^ over a hedge, and

^ il vit encore. Notice the lue of the dative,

the pronoun, bef<»« vU; the pro- *^ selon que je le juge d propot;

noun is neoeeeary, the two verbs or, commeoon me semhle.

itre ensevelif and lyivre, being in ^ et atusi rester silencietix et tran-

different tenses. guille sans vCinviter d la gaiti,

* et estun dee objets lespliu ehers ^^ Quand les notables des environs

d wtre coeur ; ot, et a poi't d vos (or, des alentours) ; or, Quand les

plus vives affecUons. gens les plus considerables de Ven-

' See page 3, note '^ j *an invi- droiU

tation,' &c., Vinxiiaiion de, &c. ^^ Translate, ' he shows me to

^ je Vy a^cofnpagnai la semaine them,' U me mxmtre d eux — not me

demiiref et J6m4 suis JixS, The ^«i^rm<m<re, this oonsf^uction being

pronoun je is repeated for the rea- used with the first pronoun in the

son stated above, note K aocusative, only when l^t pronoun

' de ridiger plusieurs des articles is in the third person, as, le {la^

qui doivent suivre (or, simply, de or les) leur montre; but we should

ines prochains articles — Contribu- say, m« le {la, or /«J moTUre, the

tions to the ' Spectator'). first pronoun being m the dative

^ 9tei eonnait tris hien. — ^though yet even here, voiur mon-

^ qwjund il tm plait (p. 1S5, n. *), tre d moi, not ms vous montre.

The verb plaire does not govern '^ See page 52, note \

the objective case, in French, but ^^ j*ai apeiyu pltisieurs de eet

requires an indirect regimen with messieurs qui m*cbservaient en car

the preposition d (dative case), ex- ekette (or, furtivement--- or, d la

pressed or implied : me is here in dirobie). See p. 6, n. '^.

32 FRENCH PROSE

have ^ heard the knight desiring them ^ not to let me see
them,^ for that I hated to be stared at.^

I am the more at ease in Sir Roger's family, because it
consists ^ of sober, staid persons ; for as the knight is the
best master in the ^ world, he seldom changes his servants; '^
and as he is beloved by all about him, his servants never
care for leaving him : ^ by this means his domestics are all
in years, and grown old with ® their master. You would
take his valet-de-chambre for his brother; his butler is
grey-headed,^® his groom is one of the gravest men that
I have ^^ ever seen,^^ and his coachman has the looks ^^ of
a privy councillor. You see the goodness pf the master
even^* in his old house-dog, and in a grey pad that is
kept ^* in the stable with great care and tenderness, out of
regard to ^^ his past services, though he has been useless
for ^"^ several years.

I could not but observe with a great deal ^^ of pleasure
the joy that appeared in-^® the countenances of these

1 d fai. When the verbs have • aussi tons ses gens sotU-iIs (or,

each a separate object, although sont) dais, ayant vieilli au service

they are in the same tense, the de. The interrogative form {sont'

pronomi is usually repeated. ils, here) is elegantly used after

* les prier ; or, qui les priait;-^ aussi (in the sense of * therefore *),
but not les priarU. peut-itre, encore (yet), touj{mrs

^ de ne pas se laisser voir de mm, (still), en vain, du moins, au moins,

* par la raison que je diteste les d peine, ainsi, &c.

regards des curieux, ^^ a les cheveux gris (p. 27, n. '. )

'^ Je suis d^autarU pltu d mon aise ^^ See page 13, note^^.

(or Je me trouve d^aiUani mieux) au ^ Whenever a past participle is

mUieu de la maison de Sir Roger, joined with the auxiliary avoir, it

qu'elle se compose. The word fa- agrees, in gender and number, with

mille, in the sense of ' household,' the rigime direct (accusative) of

from the Latin/amiYia, is no longer the verb, but only if that direct

French. We find it so used in La r^^en precedes the verb.

Fontaine (p. 66 of my edition of the ^^ a Umt Vair,

Fables), among other old writers. ^^ jusque.

We now use maison, gens (plural), *" qu'on garde ; or, que Von con-

domestiques (plur.), dome^que serve. The ( here is merely eupho-

(sing.), monde. nio.

^ du ; we use the preposition de ^^ en conisidSraiion de,

(genitive case), after a superlative. ^^ bien quU (or, quoiau*il) tie

^ See p. 19, n. ^, and p. 2, n. ^. serve plus d rien depuis. See page

8 de tout ce qui Pentoure (more 38, note ^

emphatic than ious ceux qui Ven- ^^ Je ne pus qv^observer (page 0,

touretU ; see La Fontaine's Fables, note ^) avec heaucoup; or, II me jut

p. 105, n. ^), quand on le seri on n'a impossible cTobserver sans beaucoup,

aucune envie de le quitter, ^^ se peignit sur.

COMPOSITION. 83

ancient domestics upon^ my friend's arrival at his country-
seat. Some of them could not refrain from tears ^ at the
sight of their old master ; every one of them pressed for-
ward to do something for him,^ and seemed discouraged ^
if they were not employed.^ At the same time the good
old knight, with a mixture of the father and the master of
the family, tempered the inquiries after his own affairs
with ^ several kind questions relating to themselves. This
hiunanity and good-nature ^ engages everybody to him ; ^
so that when he is pleasant upon any of them, all his
family are in ^ good humour, and none so much as the
person whom he diverts himself with : ^^ on the contrary,
if he coughs, or betrays ^^ any infirmity of old age, it i&
easy for a stander-by to obsei*ve a secret concern in the
looks of all his servants.^^

My worthy friend has put me under the particular
care ^* of his butler, who is a very prudent man, and, as
well as the rest of his fellow-servants, wonderfully de-
sirous of pleasing me,^* because they have often heard
their master talk of me as of his particular friend. —
(Addison, Spectator.)

^ d. mediately, the verb, and also the

' QtielqtieS'Wis cPentre eux ne adjective or participle, must be in

pouvaiefU retenir leurs larmes. the singular.

' iempressait autour de lui afin ^ quand il plaisante (or, hadine)

de se rendre utile (or, de iiUiliser), Vun ou Vavire de ses gem^ il les md

* nortifiS. Urns de,

• lorsque, par moments, il ne se ^® mms pnndpalement celui sur
trcuvait rien dfaire, le compte auquet {or, de qui — ^but

^ leur adressaitf tout en senqui^ not dont; see page 134, note ^^) %l

rant de ses propres affaires, se divertit. See page 1, note ^K

^ These two nouns, bein^ nearly ^^ ow iil laisse voir,

B)iionymou8, had better follow each ** il est facile d qm se trovve

other without a conjunction, but prSsent de deviner d teur air qu*ils

with the pronoun repeated. — 'good- lui portent tous un vif intirSt.

nature ;' see page 139, note '*. ^m*a c(mM tout partumliiremeni

8 captive (or, lui gaxfne — lui con- d la garde (or, aux soins),

cilie) tous les coeurs. Whenever two ^* et qui est aux petits soins avee

substantives, being nearly synony- mxyi, comme le sont (Failleurs let-

mous, thus follow one another im- autres domestiques,.

84 FRENCH PROSE

COWPER TO MR J. NEWTON.

(on some pleasures in rural life.)

Mt dear Friend,

Followinq your good example, I lay before me a sheet
of my largest paper. It was this moment £ur and un-
blemished/ but I have begun to blot^ it, and having
begun, am not likely ^ to cease till ^ I have spoiled it.^ I
have sent you many a sheet that in my judgment of it
has been very unworthy of your acceptance,^ but my con-
science was in some measure ^ satisfied by reflecting,^ that
if it were good for ^ nothing, at the same time ^^ it cost
you nothing, except the trouble of reading it. But the
case is altered now.^^ You must pay a solid price for
frothy matter j^^ and though I do not absolutely pick
your pocket,^^ yet you lose your money^ and, as the saying
is, are never the wiser.^*

My green-house is never so pleasant as when we are
just on the point of being turned out of it The gentle-
ness of the autumnal suns, and the calmness of this latter
season, make it ^^ a much more agreeable retreat than we
ever find it^^ in the summer; when^^ the winds being

^ Elle itait tout d Vhewre (or, %l ^ il wmafaMt payer en, eapices de

iCy a qu*un instant) pure de totUe la viande cretue,
tache et de tovte souillure, ^ ' pick your pocket ;' use votu

2 barbouiller, or runrcir, voler. — * absolutely ;* daru toute la

* il fCest pas prcbahle qibeje, with force du terme.

the Bubjunctive. ^^ votre argent ne UUeeepae d'Hre

* avard; and see page 7, note ^. (or, , , , ne laisse pas que d^Hre)
^ See page 32, note ^. dibourȤ, et wnu n*en ites pas (or,

* ' that,' &c., hien indigne, d sans que votts en soyez) plus avanci,
man avis, d'itre accepUe (page 28, This expression, ne pa^s laisser de
note *) de vous, (or, que de), followed by an infini-

"^ jusqu*d un certain poirU; or, tire, denotes a lact accomplished

en qudque maniire (or, sorte— or, notwithstanding^ what has been

deari), stated previously.

° Turn, ' by the reflection.' ^ Les douces chaZeurs et le ealme

> d, de Vautomne en font,

1® Wa\Ure part; or, elle ne . . , *' 'much more/ hien P^us, or

w>n plus, hien autremeni ; see p. 30, n. ^^ :

^ Mom d Vheure qu*il est, les the rule referred to applies to autre

choses sont cJiangfes (or, le cas and atUrement, as well as to pltis

n*est plus le mime). Put a colon and moins.

here. i7 See page 18, note i'.

COMPOSITION. 35

generally brisk/ we cannot cool it by admitting^ a sut-
ficient quantity of air, without being at the same time
incommoded by it.^ But now I sit with all the windows
and the door wide open,* and am ^ regaled with ^ the scent
of every flower, in a garden as full of flowers as I have
known how to make it J We keep ^ no bees ; but if I
lived in^ a hive, I should hardly hear more of their music.
All the bees in the ^^ neighbourhood resort to a bed ^^ of
mignonette opposite to the window, and pay me for the
honey they get out of it,^^ by^* a hum which, though
rather ^* monotonous, is as agreeable to my ear ^^ as the
whistling of my linnets. All the sounds that Nature
utters^® are delightful, at least ^"^ in this country. I should
not perhaps find the roaring of lions in Africa, or of bears
in Bussia, very pleasing j^^ but I know no beast ^^ in
England whose voice I do not account musical,^^ save and

^ 'briaky' astez forts. regimen^ and the person paid is

* en laitsant emtrer* the indirect regimen. Thus, me

* Turn, ' firom it (c»)/ (dative) payetU. (or, paieTd) le miel

* je reste let fenitrea et la porte (acousatiye) qu'etles en tirent.
Umtes grandea ouvertes. Although ^^ de; or, avec.

Umt, before an adjective or a parti- ^^ un pen ; or, auez.

dple, when it is an adverb (used ^ nC est aiiuiagrfa^led entendre;

for tout dfaitf 'quite'), is in its or, simply, vCest atissi agriahle, as

nature an invariable word, yet it the wonl «9i^c^e inevitably occurs

agrees, for the sake of euphony — just below,

in the feminine singular and plural, ^^ fait entendre,

but never in the masculine plural, ^7. See page 126, note ^.

— ^if the adjective or the participle, ^ Je ne trouverais petU-Stre pas

being feminine, begins with a con- tris gat . . . &o.

sonant or an aspirate h. ^^je ne sache point de quadru-

^etjesuis. Notice the repetition pide. — Je ne sache is frequently

of the pronoun, here also, oesides used with paa, point, rien, aucun,

the cases we have seen above, p. 81, personne, ror je ne sais, or, je ne

n. I, and p. 32, n. ^, The present connais, pas, &c. This Gktilicism

instance is sinular to that at p. 23, is only used in the first person,

n. 0. « de. singular and plural : thus we say,

"^ le rendre; and see p. 224, n. ^. likewise, nous ne sachons, &c., for

*• * to keep,' here, avoir. &c. &c. Yet it is only employed in

' Use hahiter (active), and see the sense of ' I am not aware ;' for

p. 61, n. 1', and p. 142, n. ^*. we could not say, e.g., je ne sache

^^ du. (it Ediould be sais) pas ma leQon.

^ un carri, or une planche. *> dont je ne tienne la voix m^lo-

^' 'for' is not to be translated, dieuse {or, pour melodieuse). Notice

In French, the reverse of the Eng- here, first, the use of the subjunc-

lish t^es place here : it is the tive (tienne) after a verb conju-

thing bought which is the direct gated with a negative and followed

D 2

36 FRENCH PROSE

except always the braying of an ass. The notes of all onr
birds and fowls ^ please me, without one exception. I
should not indeed think ^ of keeping a goo^ in a cage,
that I might ^ hang him up in the parlour for the sake of ^
his melody ; but a goose upon a common,^ or in a farm-
yard, is no bad performer ; ® and as to ^ insects, if the
black beetle, and beetles indeed of all hues, will keep out
of my way, I have no objection to any of the rest ;^ on
the contrary, in whatever key they * sing, from the gnat's
fine treble to ^^ the bass of the humble-bee, I admire them
all. Seriously, however, it strikes me as a very observable
instance of providential kindness to man, that ^^ such an
exact accord has been contrived ^^ between his ear and the
sounds with which, at least in a rural situation, it is
almost every moment visited.^^ All the world is sensible
of ^^ the uncomfortable effect that certain sounds have
upon the nerves, and consequently upon the spirits ;^^ and
if a sinful world ^^ had been filled with such as would have
curdled ^'^ the blood, and have made the ^^ sense of hearing

by a relative pronoun (je ne sache (or, sur man poMoge), attcun des

paint . . . dont) ; aecondly, the sup- autret Tie me ripibgne.

presslon oipcu or point (though n« * dans quelque cU qu'ils ; with

shows the sentence to be n^pative) the subjunctive,

in this latter part of the proposi- ^* ' from,* depuis ; ' treble/ des-

tion, for the sake of elegance, as nu (masculine) ; 'to,* jusqu'd,

point is already expressed in the ^ jecroisdScouvrir{p.7, n.')«n

former (see, for a similar example, ezemple tris remarquahle de la honii

p. 25, n. ^^) ; and, thirdly, the pod- de la Providence envers Fhomme,

tion of the thing possessed (voix) dan^ ce fait, que. Whenever ' to '

after the verb, because it is here expresses certain relations of be-

the object of the verb, whereas if it haviour, &c., and has the sense of

were the mtnect of the verb, it ' towards,' translate it by envers.

woiQd precede it in that case in ^^ un accord avMi patfait a SiS

French, as it does in either case in m^nagi. We must here keep to

English. the passive, as in English, instead

"^ * and fowls ;* y compris eettx de of using on with the active voice,

bagse-cour. and this for a very obvious reason.

3 * to think,' here, 8*aviser. See page 8, note ^.

' €^n de; and see page 7, n. ^ ^ 'with which,' dont; 'to visit,'

* par goAtpowr. here, frapper. See p. 8, n. ".

^ dans la campagne. ^^ Penonne au monde n*ignor€,

^ est paffaitement en sUuaiion. ^' sur le moral.

^ ' as to,' quant aux (p. 2, n. ^), ^^ ce monde de pScheurs.

* si Vescarbot et, de fait, tout U ^^ de sons d cauler (or, better, d
reste des scarabies, veulent bien fairetoumer — dtoumer--<igla,cer}»
(viter de te trouver sur mon chemin ^* et dfaire du

COMPOSITION. 37

a perpetual inconvenience^ I do not know that^ we should
have a right to complain. But now the fields, the woods,
the gardens, t^ave each their concert, and the ear of man
is for ever ^ regaled by creatures who seem only to please
themselves.^ Even the ears that are deaf to the Gospel
are contimially entai;ained, though without knowing it, by
soiinds for whach they are solely indebted to its author.^
There is^ somewhere in infinite space, a world, that does
not roll within the precincts of mercy ; and as it is rea-
sonable, and even scriptural/ to suppose that there is
music in heaven,^ in those dismal regions perhaps the
reverse of it is found ; ^ tones so dismal, as to make ® woe
itself more insupjiortable, and to acuminate even^ despair.
But my paper admonishes me in good time to draw^^ the
reins, and to check the descent of my fancy into deeps,
with which she is but too familiar.^^

THE COMPARISON OF WATCHES.

When Griselda thought ^^ tj^^t her husband had long
enough ^^ enjoyed his new existence, and that there was
danger of his forgetting ^* the taste of sorrow, she changed

^ j€ ne teds si, with the condi- knowing it ;' see page 8, note ^^.

tiovaX\ or, je nesciche pas que fViith. ^ co^forme d PJScriture sainie

the imperfect siibjonctiye. — ^Notice (or, simply, dVEcritwre),

here, that it is more elegant, when ^ qtbe la mtui^ue fait parite des

conjugating gavoir negatir^y, to joies du Paradis,

omit pas or point, and only use ' Leave out *of it,* — 'is found:'

ne; except in the case of emphasis, see p. 8^ n. ^', and p. 82, n. ^.

when we should say, for instance, ^ 'so,' &c., lugvhres au point de

Je ne sais p<u, instead of ^e ne sais, rendre,

as aboye. See besides p. 48, n. i*. » et cPaigutser Jusqu'ati,

' sans cesse; or, constammeni. lo dpropos (or, d temps) de serrer.

* uniquetnent se donner d elles- ^^ dans des aMmes qui ne lui sont
nihnes auplaisir, que (p. 6, n. •) trop familiers,

* d son autev/r. This use of the i* See page 1, note ^
possessive son is another deviatioa '^ assee longtemps,

(see p. 80, n. ^) from the custom ^* il Hait d craindre qfCil iCou-

mentioned at p. 18, n. < ; the reason hlidi. See p. 21, n. ^, and p. 22,

of it here is, that the object pos- n. ^ ; and notice this use of ne and

sessed {oMteur) is what the French the subjunctive with craindre : this

call the com;0/^ment of a preposition verb, however, rejects ne when

(the prep. d). — * though without conjugated negatively.

88 FRENCH PROSE

lier tone.^ One day, when he had not returned home exactly
at the appointed minute,^ she received him with a frown
such as ^ would have made even Mars himself recoil,^ if
Mars could have beheld * such a frown upon the brow ® of
his Venus.

" Dinner has been kept waiting for you this hour,
my dear."^

" I am very sorry for it ; but why did you wait,
my dear ? ® I am really very sorry I am so late ; ^
but" (looking at^^ his watch) "it is only half-past six
by me." ii

" It is seven by me." ^^

They presented their wt^tches to each other, he in an
apologetical, she in a reproachful attitude.^

" I rather think you are too fast,^* my dear," said the
gentleman.

" I am very sure you are too slow,^^ my dear," said
the lady.

^ See p«ge 2, note \ means behind a fixed time.

* qu*u (p. 18, n. i*) rCitait pas ^^ regardant d / regardant, with-
renlri d la mimUe (or» d point out the preposition d^ would not
nommf), imply looking at the dial to see

' un regard eourr(moS ^i, the time.

^ fait reculer Mao's lux-mime^ ^ six hevbres ^ demie (paoe 5,

'^ avaitpuvoir. Notice this dif- note ^; and j^&ge 197, note *) d

ference between tiie tenses of the ma m<mtre. — 'it is only;' see page

two verbs, respectirely, in French 6, note *.

and in English. See the La Fon- " See p. 158, note lo.— ' by me,'

TAINB, page 38, note ''. d la mienne.

• visage. ^ lis se firent voir lews montres
^ II y a une heure qtie le diner Vun d Vavire, lui d^un air d^excvtse,

tajUena{oT, Le diner faMend depuis elle^ (Tun air de reproehe (or, ellip-
fine heure) f man ami (or, man cher). tioally, elle de reproehe). See p. 10,
Mark this difference of oonstruo- n. ^, and notice this use of the ra-
tion ; the English turn, 'dinner flectiye pronoun se, together with
has been waiting,' is also used in Cun and V attire, which use is as
French, but it would imply that common with reciprocal verbs as
the dinner is no longer waiting at that of two reflective pronouns is
the time when the words are spoken, with reflective verbs, for the sake
See page 32, note ^^^ and page 1, of emphasis. (See p. 37, n. \ )
note ® (rendering). ^* que tu avances (or, que ta

8 pourqiun aa-tu aUendu, ma petite montre avanee). — ' I rather think ;^

(or, ma chire) t see page 12, note ^

' Je suis vraimeTii disoli ^6tre '^^ que t^est toi qui retardes (or,

(p. 7, n. 7) si en retard. Instead of que cest la tienne qui retarde).
tard, use en retard when 'late'

COMPOSITION. 39

'* My watoh never loses a^ minute in the four and
twenty ^ hours," said he.

''. Nor mine a second," said she.

*^ I have reason to believe I am right,^ my love," said
the husband, mildly.

''Reason!"^ exclaimed the wife, astonished. ''What'
reason can you possibly ^ have to believe you are right,
when I tell you I am morally certain you are wrong,
my love ? "

" My only reason for doubting it is^ that I set my
watch by the sun ^ to-day."

*' The sun must be wrong, then," cried the lady, hastily.
" You need not laugh ; ^ for I know what I am saying :
the variation, the declination, must be allowed for in com-
puting it with the clock.® Now,^^ you know perfectly
well what I mean, though you will not explain it for me,
because you are conscious ^^ I am in the right." ^^

'' Well, my dear, if you are conscious of it, that is

^ Jamais ma mofUre lu retarde out reason, mote a pleozuumi than

(or, better, ne se dirange) dPune. — elegant emphasis. See p. 1, n. >*.
Ne te (Urange means 'Tariee/ and ^ Le tew. motif (or, La seule

it is to be preferred here to retarde, raiton) mte faie d^en, dotUer, t^ett,

' loses/ as the wife, who is told her Notice tnis use of the subjunctive,

watch is too fiurb, or gains, imme- after U seul. followed by a relative

diately after answers, to deny the pronoun. As to the pronoun ee, it

&ct, "Nor mine a second. It is not strictly necessary here before

should have been, "Nor does mine the verb Stre, but its use is more

gain a second." Evidently this conformable to the genius of the

was a negligence on the part of the French language,
anthoress. ' fai rigU ma motUre (or, fai

* vingt-guatre. The larger of two mis ma motUre d Pheure— or, fai
numbers always comes first in pris Vhewre) twr U toleU (or, sur le
French, unless one multiplies the cadran tolaire).

other, as, trots cents (100 x 3), guar ^ II n*y a pas Id de guoi rire,

tre-vingtSf 'eighty' (20 x 4), &c. > la variation, la dSclinaison,

' J*ai lieu de eroire gue je vais doit Hre mise en ligne de eompte

^nen,— 'Avoir rcUson means 'to be (or, il fatU tenir eomple-—il Jmii

right,' and avoir tor^,' to be wrong,' faire la part — de la variation, de

but not when we speak of time. la didinaison^ guand on ccUcuU

* Lieu de eroire/ Vheure du soleil en m4m£ temps gue
' Qud miotif imaginable peux- eelle de Vhorloge (or, . . . calctUe le

^J/ or. Quel m^f peux-tu done, — temps vrai . . . gue le temps moyen —

Never couple together, in French, scientific terms).

in the same phrase, such ideas as '^ Voyons, or A lions,

those contained in the words 'can' ^^ tu sens bien.

and 'possible,' or 'possibly ;* it » See page 1, note *, and above,

would be considered, and not with- note ', remark.

40 FRENCH PROSE

sufficient. We will not dispute any more about such
a trifle. Are they bringing up dinner ? i "

" If they know that you are come in ; but I am sure
I cannot tell whether they do or not. Pray,^ my dear
Mrs. Nettleby," cried the lady, turning to a female friend,^
and still holding her watch in her hand, " What o'clock is
it by youl There is nobody in the* world hates dis-
puting about trifles so much as I do ; ^ but I own I do
love to convince people ^ that I am in the right."

Mrs. Nettleby's watch had stopped : ^ how provoking ! ^
Vexed at having no immediate means ^ of convincing
people that she was in the right, our heroine consoled her-
self by proceeding to criminate ^® her husband, not in this
particular instance,^^ where he pleaded guilty,^^ but upon
the general charge of being always too late for dinner,
which he strenuously denied.^^

There is something i* in the species of reproach, which
advances thus triumphantly from particulars to generals,^^
peculiarly offensive ^^ to every reasonable and susceptible
mind ; ^^ and there is something in the general charge of
being always late for dinner which ^^ the punctuality of

1 £!h Men, ma petite (or, mon Comme c*&adt conirariant, &c. ; or,

oomr), si tu n*en dotttes pas toi- lastly, Qud ennuil — Qt^ conire-

mSme, cda tuffit (or, simply, suffit temps /-^QtidmcUheur/

— or, n*en parlous plus). A quoi ^ de ne pouvcir trouver totU de

bon se dismUer pour tme^paareille suite le moyen,

vStille t Vort-on servir le akner % ^^ en se m£tUmt dfaire le prods d.

' Qui, si les dorMstiqitee te savent ^^ sur ce cas paaHculier.

rentrS (p. 7, end of n. ^) ; mais je '^ iavouait coupaible.

ne sais vraim£tU pas ce qui en est. ^^ See p. 8, n. ^; and p. 19, n. '^.

Dites-moi, de grdce (or, je wms ^* For the right place of ' some-

prie); or, simply, Dites-moi, thing,' see page 3, note ^^.

' une de ses a/nUes. ^'^ passe ainsi, avec un air de

* au. triomphe,dupa^culierauffSnSral.
' jv» (p. 1, n. ^*) ait en horreur i* 'peculiarly,' <i)^<;ta^em67it/ and

awtaTU mie moi les disptUes sur des see p. 9, n. '^. — 'offensiTe,' blessarU,

riens. Notice the use of the sub- to be followed by pour.

junctive (ait) after the impersonal ^^ ' every,' tout, here, which is

rerb ' there is,' conjugated with a more general, more absolute than

neffative. ekaque. — ' susceptible,' sensible, in

^ faim£ bien (p. 88, n. ') d con- this sense : the French word suscep-

vaincre les autres, Hble, used absolutely and applied

7 Turn, 'was stopped.' to a person, simply means 'irasoi-

* CitaU bien conirariant (or, ble,' ' easily offended,' * touchy/
impatientant, or, ennu^eux) ; or, ^^ See page 10, note ^.

COMPOSITION. 41

man's nature cannot easily endure,^ especially if he be
hungry. We should humbly advise our female friends *
to forbear exposing a husband^s patience to this trial^^ or
at least to temper it with^ much fondness, or else mischief
will infallibly ensue.* — (Miss Edgeworth, Modem Gri-
selda,)

HEARERS AND DOERS.«

The clock has just struck "^ nine. The family are rising
from the breakfast-table.® A ring at the door-bell ! * The
servant enters.

"Sir, a young man, Mr. A.'s clerk,^^ has called, and
hopes you will not be offended, but he would feel particu-
larly obliged if you could settle his account.^^ He called ^^
twice last week. He would not trouble you if it were not
a case of necessity.^

" Necessity or no necessity,^* I have not one minute to
spare," ^^ replied the gentleman with a shrug of ^^ his
shoulders, whilst giving ^"^ the last pull to his great-coat, as

^ See p. 8, note ' ; * especially/ only a lawyer's olerk (and also an

««rf(m<y 'be/ indicatiye in French, ecclesiastic); thus, clerc (Tawmf,

* noi ehires lectricea. clerc de notaire (attorney's and
' cPSviter de soumettre d cette notary's clerk^.

Spreuve (or, de mettre ainsi d ^^ est id; xl esph'e que vous ne

IrSpreuve) la . , , &o. See page 22, trouverez pcu mauvais quHl vous

note ^ ; and page 3, note ^. prie de vouloir hien rSgler son

* ' to temper wiiJi,' in this sense, compte, ce dont (see page d, note ^
(issaisonner de. il vous sera tris obligS,

' sinon, tris eertainement les choses ^^est venu. — ' lastweek ;'see page

finiroiai mal (or, toumeront d mod), 73, end of note <'.

* PricepUs et Pratique. ^ II dit qu'il ne vous dSrangerait
^ vieTU de sonnet. — ' nine ;' see jtxu ainsi, s il ne se trouvait dans un

e 197, note *. cas cPurgenee. After si (es^cially

^ ayant dSjeuni, se live (or, sort) when in the sense of d moins que,

de table. Nouns collective general, ' unless '), it is often more elegant

such as naiion, peuple, armie, par- to leave out pas or poivU, and only

lement, famille, &c., require the use ne.

verb, aojective, pronoun, &c., in i* Urgence ou non.

connexion with them, to be in the ^^ d moi ; or, d perdre.

singular, in French. i* ' with,' &o., en haussant. —

^ Un coup de sonfiette se fait en- ' his ;' see page 27, note '.

tendre (or. On sonne) d la porte. ^^ Turn, ' whilst he was giving ;'

^^ commis. The word clerc means see page 29, note ^*.

page]

42 FRENCH PROSE

he was putting it on.^ "I am going ^ by the next train,
BO bid him call again." *

This gentleman was not upon the whole an unfeeling
man ; but carried on by the spirit of the times,^ railway
speed,^ he too often did not allow himself^ time to reflect,
or ^ to put himself in ® the place of his fellow-man.^ Had
he,^^ in this instance, troubled himself to think, he would
have seen that he had just a few ^^ minutes to spare, and
would still have been in time for ^^ the train : — but even
had it been otherwise, his duty was too plain to be mis-
taken.^^ A neglected debt had prior claim to the com-
mercial concerns to which be was hastening.^^

The derk turned ^^ sorrowfully fix)m the house ; he
knew that on the ^^ payment of that money his employer's
continuance in business ^^ depended ; and ^® consequently
his own dismissal was involved in this refusal. Mr. A.'s
family was large,^^ his receipts were small,^ and in reliance ^^
on this sum he had promised to meet a heavy bill that
day; ^ he was now unable to do so.^^ The traveller^ to
whom he owed it was a hasty, harsh -judging man ; ^ Mr. A.
could expect to find no favour, nor did he.^ Here, then,

1 qnt^il mettait en ce moment. Vacquittement devait passer avant

3 See page 60, note ^. les affaires eommerciates auxqttelles

' de repasser. it se hdtait dialler vaquer.

* de Vfpoque. ^ /Sloigna,

" la rapiaiU de la vapeur. i* Turn, ' of the.*

^ Translate as if tne English ^^ Turn, ' the continnance of his

were, 'he did not allow (use c{a9z.n.«*, employer's business (eommeree);*

and see p. 1, note ^) himself often and see p. 8, note ', for the (daoe

enough {assez souvent).* See page of ' depended.'

264, note \ ^^ TvLm, ' and that.'

7 ni. The conjunction ou would ^ nombretue. [chase.

imply that only one of the two ^ pen considSrahles ; ix, pe» de

facts mentioned is to be denied, ^ Turn, 'and, relying.'

whereas ni implies the n^ation ^ de satisfaire (or, defaire hon-

of both. * d. neur) ce jour-ld mime d une Jiyrte

' ses seniblahles. cblwaMov. sous forme de billet.

10 See p. 29, n. ^ ; and p. 24, n. i. ^il luidevena/U dis lors impossible

^ avail an contraire plusieurs. de tenir sa promesse (or, d^acquitter

1' ' and would,' &;c., sans crainte son eiwagemeTU).

de m^anqtier. ^* Jbe commis voyageur, here.

^ mais quand mime il en aurait ^ un homme (Fun carcL^re v\f el

if6 autrem£7vtf il iCy avail pa^ d se juqemd siviremefU les atUres.

m4prendre (or, d se iromper) sur ce ^ n* avail aucune grdce d aMendre

que la justice prescrit en pareil cos. de lui, et il n*en obtint point en

1^ Un dette doni il avail diffiri ^et. See page 15, note >

COMPOSITION. 48

was a whole household, besides those in their employ/
thrown into distress by that fatal sentence : " I have not
a minute to spare." And yet those who caused that
distress were not altogether regardless of the forms of
rcligion.2 They were in the custom of having fieuiiily
prayer,^ and of reading daily from that word* where it is
written ; " Owe no man any thmgP * *

This gentleman's wife, an hour after her husband's de-
parture, was * stopped, as she was leaving the parlour, by
her maid, who said,^ *^ There is a poor woman who wishes
to speak to you."

" Who is she, what is she ? " ®

'' I don't know, ma'am, but she particularly wishes to
see you."

" Tell her, I can't possibly see her now,^ I have ' not a
minute to spare,' my children are waiting for me in the
nursery." ^^

" Alad ! " thought the poor woman, " I too have ^^
children ; it is for my child I want to see her." She went
heart-broken ^^ from that door.

The next day, that lady heard that the poor woman

^ VoiUi, done ioute unefamille, et stantly suppressing these words (or

avec die les gens qui itaient d ton their equivalents), in conversation,

service. See page 41, note 8. has often made, to my knowledge,

^ n*Staient pas satis observer jus- some English people exceedingly

yw'd un certain point les formes disagreeable, especially in the com-

extSrieures de la religion; or, ne pany of ladies, not only in France,

niglipeaient pas entiiremeTU les out in the more polite continental

pratiques religieuses. countries.

' de fairs lews priires enfamille* ^ Qtiel est son nom, son Stat t

* puiser . . . daTis cette Parole. • qu*il (page 1, note 8) m^est tot*,.

• -^e devez rien d personne ; or, d fait impossible (page 89, note ")
^e soyez redevaJbles d personne. de nCoccuper d*elle djtrSsent.

® Oonstruct thus, m French : — i® dans leur chanwre.

* An hour after the departure of ^ moi aussi fax. Notice this
this gentleman, his wife was.' — double use of the pronoun of the

* to stop,' here, arrHer au passage, same person, in its disjunctive and

1 qui lui dit : "Madame. Never in its conjunctive form, which is

fail to use madaTM, mademoiselle, frequent, in French, in the case of

or monsieur, when addressing peo- emphasis or contradistinction,

pie with whom you are not on very " Et, 7ULvr$e de douleur, elle

intimate terms. The habit of con- s^Sloigna.

* Romans xiii. 8.

44 FRENCH PROSE

who had called upon her the day before^ had lost her
child ; and that the doctor ^ had said, the child*B life to
all appearance might have been saved, had she used ^ the
means prescribed. That mother could not;^ she had spent
her last shilling, and this was the last application of three
calls she had made, and from each house she had been
turned away with words to the same effect.^

Is it, can it be,^ that a child must be left to die, and a
mother's best feelings to wither,^ and by one, too, who so
far professes the Christian religion, as to read the Bible in
her family ® — that Bible where it is written : " Say not
unto thy neighbour? Go, and come again, and to-Tnorrow I
tvill give; ^^ when thou hast it by thee'* ?*^^ This lady had
the habit of giving people the trouble to call twice, when
once ^2 should have sufficed. She would not put herself
out of the way ^^ in order to meet the convenience of ^*
others. In setting too high a value on ^^ her own time,

^ qui avait jxzssi chez elle (or^ rules of the French grammar on

qui itait venu^) la veille. See page the use of the subjunctiye are the

32, note ^ ; and page 28, note *. same as in Latin, and whoever un-

^ mSdecin, derstands them in either language

' que selon Umte apparence elle can have but little difficulty in

aurait pu sauver la me d Fen/ant applying them in the other.

en employanU. Notice this turn, ^ . . . Hre dans lordre.

«a«v«r ^a vie d,&c., which is similar ^ qv!on laiese ainsi mourir , . .

to the one pointed out at p. 11, n. \ &c. ; ' best feelings,' Vafeciion la

* ne lepouvait pas. See page 5, plus tendre.

n. ^*. This turn, pouvoir quelqus ^ et doit-on s^aUeTidre d tout eeci

chase, is borrowed from the Latin ; de la part dTunepersonne professant

in English, the word 'do,' ex- . . .^usqu^d ('so far as to') . . . en,

pressed or elliptically understood, famtlle.

is necessary to the sense : ' could ^ prochain, or semhldble (in the

not' is here put for 'could not sense of fellow-creature)

do so.' 1^ Turn, ' and I will give it (to)

^ et cette demande Stait la demiire thee to-morrow.'

qtCeUe eiU faite (p. 32, n. ^*) ; car ^ ' by ih.ee,'' par devers tot.

eUe Stait allie (p. 2S, n. *) dans trois ^' une seule. — ' should,' &c. ; use

maisons, et dans chacune elle avait here the verb devoir, and see page

essutfS (p. 32, n. ^') la mime espice 38, note ^

de rdus. — ^Notice this French (and ^ se gSner. — ' would ;* use here

also Latin) use of the subjunctive the imperfect indicative of vouloir,

(e^) after dernier (as well as after ^* ann d^a/rranaer.

premier, setU — ^p. 39, n. •. — and "^^ Tandis qu*elle faisail trap de

superlatives — ^p. 13, n. i*) followed cos de.
by a relative pronoun. Most of the

* Proverbs iii. 28.

COMPOSITION. 45

she forgot that the time of others was of equal, and often
of greater value. ^ Whilst she was finishing a chapter
in some interesting book, a pattern in needlework,^ or
a note^ she was writing, she would keep a dressmaker
waiting,* or send away a tradesman's * servant, forgetting
that to ^ them " Time is money,'* ^ nay their very bread.® —
(S. Clabbnob, Not a Minute to Spare.)

SCENE FROM "THE GOOD-NATURED MAN."

MB. HONETWOOD and JABVIS.

Hon, Well, Jarvis, what messages from® my friends
this morning %

Jar, You have no friends.

Hrni, Well ; from my acquaintances then ?

Jar, [Fulling out bills.] ^^ A few of our usual cards of
compliment,^^ that's ^^ all. This bill from your tailor;
this ^^ from your mercer; and this i* from the little broker

^ wUait tout atUant, nnon da- ' foumusmfr. A tradesman, in

'paidagt ; or, avaii t<nU autant, his shop, is marchand ; faurniiseur

nnon pltu de prix. See page 9, has relation to his dealings wiUtL

note '. and delivery of goods to customers.

■ un patron (Touvrage d Vai- * »<wr. ^

guille. ^ ie tempt est de V argent; or,

> une lettre; or, un billet. qui dit temve dit argent.

* elle faisait attendre sa con- 8 i^^f^ plus, le pain mime qui lea

turiire. Whenever 'will* and faitvivre.

'would,' in English, are used ^delapartde,

merdy as signs of the present and ^^ notes (fern.) ; or, mimoires

the past, not of the future and the (masc.) ; — ^in this sense,

oonoitional (and thev are so used ^^ nos billets de compliment (or,

to e:q>re8s the regular recurrence simply and better, nos petits com-

of an action or state), the student pliments) ordinaires. When ' usual '

must always translate into French means 'common,' 'frequent,' 'cus-

by the present and the past. The tomary,' the French for it is ordi-

expression, it is true, is weakened naire, or kdbituel; usuel means

thereby, but this is inevitable, as 'usual' only in the sense of 'in

the English form does not exist in conmion use.' ^' voild, ^ celle-la.

the French language. ^* et eette autre.

46 FRENCH PROSE

in Crooked-lane. He says he has been at a great deal of
trouble ^ to get back ^ the money you borrowed.^

Hon. That I don't know ; but I'm sure * we were at a
great deal of trouble in getting him ^ to lend it.

Jar, He has lost all patience.

Hon. Then he has lost a very good thing.

Jar, There's that^ ten guineas you were sending^ to
the poor gentleman and his children in the Fleet.^ I be-
lieve that would stop his mouth,^ for a while at least.

jBTon. Ay,^^ Jarvis, but what wilUfiU their mouths ^^ in
the meantime ? Must I be cruel because he happens to
be ^2 importunate ; and, to relieve his avarice, leave them
to insupportable distress ? ^^

Jar, S' death ! ^* sir, the question now is how ^^ to re-

'^ aeu beaucoup de pein&—de nuU ' le ferait taire (or, lui ferme-
(or, bien de la peine— -du mal). rait la botiche — see p. 11, note i).

* d ravoir; this verb, ravoir, i® Oui-da,

*to have again,' 'to recover,' 'to ^ les /era vivre. — ^This play on

get back,' is only used in the pre- words, vis. on the one hand, 'to

sent infinitive. stop the mouth of one,' i.e. 'to

3 Translate here by the preterite reduce him to silence,' and, on the

indefinite ('you have borrowed'), other hand, 'to fill the mouUi of

and supply the ellipsis, besides, one,' i. e. 'to feed, to support, or

by using the pronoim understood nourish him,' was to be rendered

in English. into French — in order to avoid

^ Je ne sais; ce qui est (or, ce weakening the meaning— by an

quHlyade — see p. 49, n. ^) certain, equivalent, at least, if the literal

c'est mie. See p. 50, n. &. translation was found to fail in

^ a ohtenir de lui quHl (with the that puipose. I have rendered

preterite subjunctive). it by putting in oi>position the

• cet; or, les, expressions jaire taire and faire
7 aJUiez envoyer ; or, Uiez gur le vivre, whicn is, I believe, the

point d! envoyer, only way in which it can be ma-

^ dla familU de ce pauvre mon- naged : fermer la houche a quel-

tieur, (or, gentilkomme — obsolete, ^*un would have done very well,

but still applicable to noblemen, m the first instance, but, in the

and, by extension, to gentlemen of second, unfortunately, remplir la

the olden time) qui est dans la bouche d quelgu*un cannot be used

prison pour d^tes— or, en prison figuratively m the English sense

pour aettes. The former expres- mentioned above,

sion, 62a9u ^|?mo4i, &c., points to ^ i7 se trouve Hre; or, il lui

a iMarticular place of this kind arrive (impersonal) d^ik-e.

('the Fleet,' in the text: in our ^^ 'to relieve,* pow suhvenir d.

days, 'the Queen's prison,' and — 'insupportable distress;' see p.

that of ' Whitecross-street,' in 26, note '.

London ; and, in Paris, that of the ^* Morbleu/ (vulvar.)

Jiiu de Clichy, commonly called ^'^ il s'agit actvMlemeWt (or, d

* Clichy*). cette hewre — aujourdhui) de. — 'to

COMPOSITION. 47

lieve yourself. Yourself — hav'n't I reason^ to be out of
my senses,^ when I see things going at sixes and sevens 1 ^

H<m, Whatever reason * you may have for being out of
your senses, I hope you'll allow ^ thi^t I'm not quite
unreasonable for continuing in mine.^

Jar, You're the only man alive/ in your present situa-
tion,® that could do so. — Everything upon the waste.®
There's Miss Eichland and her fine fortune gone^^ already,
and upon the point of being given to your rival

Hen, I'm no man's rival.

Jar, Your uncle in Italy preparing to disinherit you ;
your own fortune almost spent; and nothing ^^ but press-
ing creditors, false friends,^^ and a pack of drunken ser-
vants, that your kindness has made unfit for ^^ any other
&mily.

Hon. Then they have the more occasion for being ^^ in
mine.

relieve youAelf;' see page 88, ... ytt«(' whatever/ or 'however,')

note ^', and page 37, note ^. requires the subjunctive after it

1 Do not loi^et that avoir Km (p. 36, n. ').

{de) means 'to have reason, or ^ tucKmrnendras; or, turn' cuxor-

grounds' (to, &c.), whereas avoir deras,

raison means 'to be in the right.' ^ qu>e je n'ai pas tovi d fait tort

See page 39, note '. (or, qu*%l n*eH jxu tovi d fait aJb-

' dPitre hors de moi; or, 'hav'n't surde d moi) de rester dans mon bon

1 reason to be out,' &c., n*y a-t-il sens — de n* en pas tortir aiusi.

poi dt quoi (lit. 'wherewith,' 'oc- ' PenowM au monde que vom;

casion for,' 'grounds to,') me faire and leave out 'that.*

sorHr — me mettre hor»---det gonds ^ en pareil cos. — * could do so ;'

(or, me mettre hors de mm), see p. 5, note i*, and p. 44, n. *,

^ d la dSbandade ; or, d Vc^an- but use the conditional mood here.

don; or, d ladiable (familiar). We ^ Tovi en vote de gaspillagel

also say, Hre tent dessus desaous. ^® perdv>es pour vous.

* motif. We say avoir lieu (to "^ et rien autour de vous.

have reason), and also il y a lieu ^^ Eemember that de is generally

(there is reason), but we can only used instead of the partitive article

use lieu, in this sense, in an inde- du, de la, des, when the noun,

terminate manner, without any taken in a partitive sense, is pre-

artiole : thence it foUows, in accord- ceded immediately by an adj ective.

ance with the same rule, by virtue ^ qui, grdce d voire bonti, ne

of which we cannot say un lieu, in sont plus propres (or, ne sont d cette

this acceptation, that we cannot heure rien moins que propres) d

either say quelque lieu qv£, * what- servir dans. — 'family ;' see page 82,

ever reason,' any more than qv>el note ''.

"lieu (what reason). See p. 30, n. '^. ^* Raison de plus pour qu'ils

— ^Bemember, besides, that qv^lqv^ soient.

48 FRENCH PROSE

Jar, Soh ! ^ What will you have done with ^ him that
I caught^ stealing jour plate in the pantry? In the
fact ; ^ I caught him in the fact.

Hon, In the feust ! If so,^ I really think that we should
pay him his wages, and turn him off.«

Jar, He shall be turned off at Tyburn, the dog ; we'll
hang him, if it be only to frighten the rest of the familyj

Hen. No, Jarvis : it's enough that we have lost what he
has stolen ; let us not add to it the loss of a fellow-creature.

Jar. Very fine ; ^ well, here was the footman just now,®
to complain of the butler ; he says he does most work,
and ought to have most wages.

^071. That's but just ; tho' perhaps here comes the
butler ^^ to complain of the footman.

Jar. Ay, it's the way with them all,^^ from the scullion
to the privy councillor. If they have a bad master, they
keep quarrelling with him ; ^^ if they have a good master,
they keep quarrelling with one another. ^^

"^Bdkl or, Tal or, Tara/rel or, Vous him le jaunir (or, le chAtier), ' His

wnld Hen I (' It is just like you.') affair wul soon be settled,' &c.

* que wmlez-vous qu'on fosse de; ^ Voild qui est charmantf

«(m2oir goveros the subjunctiye. — ^ Bon; maintenavi, i^esA le la-

* him tlwit ;' see page 88, note ^*. quais qui, tout d Vheure (or, xl «'y

3 The time at which the fact a qyiun instant), est venu. Notice,

took place not being precisely by the way, tiiat touJb d Vheure

stated, we must use here, in means also, 'by and by* (time to

I^ench, the preterite indefinite ; come), as well as 'just now* (time

see page 46, note *. past).

^Surle fait; or tEnjlagranldilit. ^^ Bien de fdus juste; et pour-

c £n ee ecu ; or, Sil en est ainsi. tant, void le sommelier, qui ptut-

^ * pay him,* &c. &c., lui dxmner itre vient d son tour.

(or, luifdire) son compte. ^ Ah, ils n'en foni pas d^avires

7 Ah bien, oui; son compte sera (or. Ah, les voild hien), tous tant

hienidt rSglS (or, son compte est bon) qu'ils sowt.

. . . d Tyburn, le gredin (or, "^ils ne font que (or, soni toti-

drCle) ; — nous le ferons pendre, ne jours d — ne cessent de ; same re-

fiU-ce que pour faire peur aux mark about cesser, and also oser,

autres (or, au reste de nos gens; see and pouvoir, as about savoir, page

p. 82, n. ^). — * To turn off ; another 37, note i) le quereller.

play on words, like the one noticed " We use Cun F autre ('one an-

above, p. 46, n. ", and which is otiier,' or 'each other*) when

here also rendered as exactly as speaking of two only ; and les uns

can be : we say, proverbially, son les autres, when speaking of moro

compte est bon, or, son compte sera than two. See, besides, page 10/

bienjt6t rigU, in the sense ox on lui note ^. But, here, se querelUr

fera un mauvais parti — on saura entre eux, is the best rendering.

COxMPOSITION. 49

ANOTHER SCENE FROM « THE GOOD-NATURED

MAN."

MR. CROAKER, MRS. OROAKBR, and HONETWOOD.

J/rs. Croak, Speak,^ Mr. Honeywood : is there any-
thing more foolish ^ than my husband's fright upon the
occasion ? ^

Hon, It would not become me to decide,^ madam ; but
doubtless, the greatness of his terrors now will but invite
them to renew their villany another time.^

Mrs. Croak, I told you,^ he'd be of my opinion.

Croak, How, sir! do you maintain that I should lie
down under such an injury, and show neither^ by my
tears or complaints,^ that I have something of the spirit
of a man in me 1 ^

1 Bites. noun. Elefl;anoe, conciseness, and

' See page 9, note ^. It mi^ht other oonsiaerations, often allow a

be added to the note l^re referred writer to dispense with the repe-

to, that de is used in the same way tition of the other prepositions :

after amenfif penonne, qttelqu*un, here, the repetition of par would

and after numeral adjectives, as be too emphatic, it might imply

well as after quoi, &c., when an ' by my tears, or, if not, then by

adjective or a participle follows. my comi>laints.*

^ vn cette circoTutance, ' gtie ie parte (or, gue fai) un

^ de didder Idrdessvs, conir d^nomme ; or, . , , tm eaur

^ plus il aura peur aujour^hui, d'homme et rum un coeur de poult

plus Us se sentirotU encoura^is (or, (familiar). — ^We also use, familiarly,

^nhcerdis) d Pavenir dans leur the expression une pouie mouilUe,

scUiraJtesse ;—plu8, repeated, corre- to designate a coward, or a weaJc,

sponds to * the more ' repeated. irresolute man ; and we might well

^Jete disais hien ; or, Quand je translate here, simply, by qv£ je

te disads. The latter phrase, which ne suis pas une poule mouitlSe. —

is colloquial, exclusively, is ellipti- Un ccsw d^homme means more par-

cal, for favais raison quand^ &c. ticularly, and strictly spealang,

^ suii/r (or, souffrir) tranqiUlle- 'a sensitive heart;' un cosur de

iMint une pareUU ifmdte (or, un lion applies exclusively to great

ptweil ontrage), au lieu de montrer. courage, but this expression would

^ See page 8, note h Yet, the obviously be here in bad keeping

prepositions d, de, and en, are the with the rest of the sentence, and

only ones that must always be re- would, besides, imply more than is

peated befoie each noim or pro- implied in the English text.

£

50 FRENCH PROSE

Hon, Pardon me, sir. You ought to make the loudest
complaints,^ if you desire redress.^ The surest waj^ to
have redress, is ^ to be earnest in the pursuit of it^

Croak. Ay,^ whose opinion is he of ^ now ?

Mrs, Croak. But don't you think that laughing off our
fears is the best way 1 ^

Hon. What is the best, madam, few can say ; ^ but
m maintain ^^ it to be a very wise way.

Croak. But we are talking of the best. Surely the best
way is to &ce the enemy in the field,^^ and not wait till ^
he plunders us in our very ^^ bed-chamber.

Hon. Why, sir, as to the best, that — that's a very wise
way too.^*

Mrs. Croak. But can anything be more absurd, than
to double our distresses by our apprehensions, and put
it in the power of every low fellow, that can scrawl ten
words of wretched spelling,^^ to torment us ?

Hon. Without doubt, nothing more absurd.

Croak. How 1 would it not be more absurd to despise
the rattle till we are bit by the snake % ^^

1 wm» plaindre hautemeiU. page 89, note ^, and abore, note ^.

* une rSjMuraUon (or, scUitfae- — ' laughing off our fears ;' see
Hon). page 6, note ^.

^ nK^en. * Quant au mHlleur (or, QwatU

* See page 39, note <^, and below, d ce qu^il y a de vdeux d /aire),
Qote s. nuxdamef if est une question, quepeu

^ de ^appliquer taru rddelie d de pertonnee jteuvent dSciaer {or,

tapowrsuite. "See page 87, note \ rSsoudre).

« ffeln 1 *® moM je pote en fait (or, ;'«

^ See p. 1, n.^'; 'whose,' quelle, tienspour certain) ; 'it to be ;' see

B que le meilieur moyen ei£—-^eA page 7, note *.
— <ic, &c. ; or, otw ce qu*il if a de ^ mr le terrain,
mieua dfaire, cett de, &c. When ^ que often elegantly stands for
the pronoun ce is placed at the jusmtdceque.
beginning of a sentence, it must ^ jtuque dans notre,
be repeated in the second part ^* Dame, monsieur, le meiUeur
of the sentence when that second . . . le meHiewt^-cdia que vous re-
part begins with the verb Hre, commandes est aussi, ^.
unless the verb itre jfl followed ^^ et de mettre le premier goujat
by atn adjective or a past parti- venu, capable tout au plus de grif-
•eiple. But, however, if the yerh fonner qudqttes mots d^une aites-
Hre is followed by a neun in the table ofihographe (or, sans ortko-
singular, the repetition of the pro- graphs aucun^, d mime de.
noun ce is not strictly necessary. ^^ U bruit (or, les sinistres grelois
This case, it may be seen, is not — an expression used, in this sense,
the same aa the one pointed out at by 6. DE St. Pi£BB£) du serpetU

COMPOSITION. 51

n<yn. Without doubt, perfectly absurd.

Croak, Then you are of my opinion 1

Han, Entirely.

ifrs. Croak, And you reject mine ?

Hon. Heavens forbid,^ madam. No, sure no reason-
ing can be more just than yours. We ought certainly to
despise malice if we cannot oppose^ it, and not make
the incendiary's pen as fatal to our repose as ^ the high-
wayman's pistol.

Mrs. Croak, Oh ! then you think I'm quite right 1

Hon. Perfectly right.

Croak. A plague of plagues,^ we can't be both right.
I ought to be sorry, or I ought to be glad. My hat must
be on my head, or my hat must be off.^

Mrs. Croak, Certainly, in* two opposite opinions, if
one be perfectly reasonable, the other can't be perfectly
right.

Hon. And why may not both be right,^ madam :
Mr. Croaker in earnestly seeking^ redress, and you in
waiting the eyent with good humour ? Pray let me see
the letter again. I have it.^ This letter requires twenty
guineas to be left ^^ at the bar of the Talbot Inn. If it
be indeed an incendiary letter, what if you and I, sir, go

d sofMMttes, jitsqu*d ee que V animal be off ;' there is here a little diffi-
nous aii mordta (pa^e 32, note ^). culty, wMch necessitates the differ-
Here, giiey for jvaqu d ce aw (as ence of phrase observable in the
above, note ^), would render the translation: 'to take off one's hat'
phrase so obsoure that it cannot is, 6ter ion ckapeau; 'hats off' is,
be allowed. chapeatix boa (elliptical) ; but we
^ Dieu vCen priserve ; or, A could not say, mon ehapeau est 6tS,
Dieu neploMe. nor mon ckapeau est bos, 'my hat

* comSattre, is off' (my head), as these two ex-
^ etTie ^as lamer trovJbler notre pressions would be considered too

transmits par la plume de Cinr obscure in themselves to convey
cendiaire tout aidant que par. this meaning.

* Mille pestes I (vulgar. ) • de.

^ Jene puis pas en mime temps ^ Et pourquai fCauriez-vous poA

(or, d la fois) porttfi' (or garder) (or, Et qui empSche que vous n'ayez)

man ehapeau et itre nvrtHe — (the tovs deux raison.

adjective nu is invariable when it ^ de /aire tous ses efforts pour

precedes the substantive, like obtenir,

demif as we saw at page 5, note ^ , ^ jy suis; in this sense,

but agrees in gender and number i® See page 7, note *, and page 8,

when it follows it). — ' My hat must note ^^; use on, here.

£ 2

52 FRENCH PROSE

there ;^ and, when the writer comes to be paid his ex-
pected booty,^ seize him.

Croak, My dear friend, it's the very thing ; the very
thing.* While I walk* by the door, you shall plant your-
self in ambush near the bar ; burst out upon ^ the mis-
creant like a masked battery; extort a confession at
once, and so hang him up by surprise.^

Hon, Yes ; but I would not choose to exercise too
much severity. It is my maxim, sir, that crimes genendly
punish themselves.^

Croak, Well,* but we may upbraid him a little, I sup-
pose ? \IronicaUy,'\

Hon, Ay,^ but not punish him too rigidly.

Croak. Well, well,^^ leave that to my own benevo-
lance.^^

Hon, Well, I do : ^^ but remember that universal
benevolence is the first law of nature.^* [Exeunt Honey-
wood and Mrs. Croaker.]

Croak, Yes ; and my universal benevolence will hang
the dog,^* if he had ^^ as many necks ^® as a hydra.

1 g-iw dites-votu (or, que vous c^aJbord (or, sur-le-champ — d Fin-

semMe) dialler, vous et moi, mon- stant mhM — tans disempar^), et,

sieur, au lieu indiqttS. de cetUfaQ<m,faites-le pendre avant

' etf quand VatUeur de eette lettre gu*il ait le temps de se recwinaitre

se prhent^a pour toucher (or, re- (or, en un tour de main — fam.).

cevoir — se fatre payer) la somme 7 p(yfientffSniralement {p. 19, n.^)

quHl convoite. We always use the en eiuc-mSmes leur chdkment (or,

future, in French, not the present . . . ffSniralemeiU leur chdtimeni

of the indicative, as in English, avec soi), ^ A la bonne heure.

after quand, or lorsque (when), dis » Sait. ^^ Bon, ban I

que,or,aussit6tque{9snoc(n.9a),kc,, u remettez-vous-en (or, raj^por-

when reference is made to a time tez-vous-en) Idrdessus d ma bonU.

to come ; and we always use, like- is j^ji inen, <fest entendu.

wise, in the same case, the com- is See page 2, note i*.

pound of the fiiture, where the w wtis /era pendre ce gredin-ld ;

Ikiglish use the compound of the vaus, thus used here, is a familiar,

present. and expressive way of saying sim-

' if est cela mime, (fest on ru peui ply, fera pendre. See the La Fon-

mieux. tainb, p. 82, n. *, p. 39, n. *, and

* Same remark as above, note '. others.

— 'to walk,' here, se promefher, ^^ guand mJhtie il aurait; or,

which impUes going about lei- eCOril. ^^ tHes.

surely. — *by,* devofni, in this i7 * Exeunt H. and Mrs. C.,*

sense. ^ Simply, tom^es «Mr. H, et Mm^ C, sortent; — *Exit,*

' arrcuhee-lui un aveu totU ' II sort.

COMPOSITION. , 53

FIRMNESS OF ALEXANDER SEVRRUS.

Whilst Alexander Severus lay at Antioch, in his Persian
expedition, the punishment of some soldiers excited a
sedition in the legion to which ^ they belonged. Alexander
ascended^ his tribunal, and, with a modest firmness,^
represented to the^ armed m\iltitude the absolute neces-
sity, as well as his inflexible resolution, of correcting the
vices introduced by his impure^ predecessor, and of main-
taining the discipline, which could not be relaxed without
the ruin of the Roman name and empire.^ Their clamours
interrupted his mild expostulation. " Reserve your shouts,"
said the imdaunted emperor, "till you take the field
against the Persians, the Germans, and the Sarmatians.^
Be silent in the pi'esence of your sovereign and bene-
factor, who bestows upon you the com, the clothing, and
the money of the provinces. Be silent, or I shall no longer
style you soldiers, but citizens;^ if those, indeed, who
disclaim® the laws of Rome, deserve to be ranked among
the meanest ^^ of the people." His menaces inflamed the
fury of the legion, and their brandished arms already
threatened his person. "Your courage," resumed the
intrepid Alexander, " would be more nobly displayed in a
field of battle : me you may destroy, you cannot intimi-

^ See page 9, note ^ le mettre (or erUrer) en campagne^
^ See page 18, note ^. We say — ^The modem Persians are called
moTderaurunirdnefSuruntriJbufud, Per»anB ; and the modem Ger-
tie. ; but we say, without aur, mans, AUeniandi.
monter une c6t$ (a hill), un escaXier ^ je ne votu donnerai plus U
(a flight of stairs), &c. nom de soldaif ; je ne vom apjpel-

* avec une contenance ferme d la lerai disormau que bourgeois. —
fois (or, toiU ensemJble) et modeste. Julius Cassar had quelled a mutiny

* cette. by means of the same word, Qui-
'^ irifdme. rvtes, which, opposed to that of

* dont le relAchement entrainerait soldiers, was a term of contempt,
la mine de V empire. and reduced them to the less

' 'till you,' &o., vous n'^tes pas honourable condition of citiaens, —

en. presence, du Perse, du Oermain Tacit. Annal. i. 42.
et du Sarmate. — ' To take the field,' * foulent aux pteds,
may also be translated literally by ^^ dans la derniire classe.

54 FRENCH PROSE

date;^ and the seyere justioe of the republic' would
punii^ your crime and revenge my death.'* The l^on
still persisting in clamorous sedition,^ the emperor pro-
nounced with a loud voice the decisive sentence, " Citizens I
lay down your arms, and depart in peace to your respective
habitations." The tempest was instantly appeased ; the
soldiers, filled with grief and shame, silently confessed the
justice of their punishment, and the powier of discipline ;
yielded up their arms and military ensigns,^ and retired in
confusion, not to their camp, but to the several^ inns of
the city. Alexander enjoyed during thirty days the edify-
ing spectacle of their repentance ;^ nor did he restore
them^ to their former rank in the army till he had
punished those ^ tribunes whose connivance had occasioned
the mutiny. — Gibbon. (History of the Decline and Fall of
the Roman Umpire,)

SCHOOL-DAY ANECDOTES.*

I.

Our class contained some very excellent scholars.^® The
first Dux^^ was James Buchan, who retained his honoured
place,^2 almost without a day's interval,^^ all the while we

1 Vont pouvez itCMer la vie * dSpoUrent lewn armes et ileun

(page 11, note ^) : vout ne sauriez drapeatix,

(hr, n'espirez jxu) m'intimider. * diffSrenUs.

Put a fml stop, here, after 'in- ^ eui le plaistr de contempUr

timidate,' as well as after ' battle,' peTidatU trefUe Jours leur repentir.

higher up (see page 24, note 8).— 7 gee page W, note «.

ne saunez, ko, ('cannot'). The ^ il ne . . . , qu'apris avoir

conditional of savoir ('to know') (page 7, note ').... les,—' whoae

is often used, in French, with ne conniyance,' &c. ; see the latter

only, instead of the indicative of end of note ^, page 85.

pouvoir ('to be able') conjugated • Souvenire de colUge.

negatively. Thaa, je ne sauraie, ^o 'contained;' see page 1,

for je ne puis (or peux) pa>s, or, note ^,^-dessujets iris remarquahles

simply, je ne puis (or peux) — see (or, iris instruits) ; or, de brUlants

page 48, note " — ' I cannot.' See sujetslBOQ page 47, note ").

the La.Fontainb, pi^ 21, note ». ^^ Le meilleur; or, Le plus dis-

* et le glaive de lajusHee. iinqui. i* plcuce cThonneur.

* Les cris redoublaxent, lorsque. ^ un setUjour d^intervaUe,

COMPOSITION. 55

were at the High School.^ He was afterwards at the head
of the medical staff in Egypt,^ and in exposing himself to
the plague infection,^ by attending the hospitals there/
displayed'^ the same well-regulated and gentle, yet deter-
mined perseyerance, which placed him most worthily at
the head of his school-fellows,^ while many lads of livelier
parts and dispositions^ held^ an inferior station. The
next best scholars {sed longo intervaUo) were ® my friend
David Douglas, the heir and U^ve'^^ of the celebrated
Adam Smith, and James Hope, now a Writer to the
Signet,^^ both since well known and distinguished in their

^ touJt le temps mie notu fiimes place when another, also men-

(p. 18, n. 1*, ana p. 1, n. •)— or, que tioned, happened. This latter

notis fimes nos itudeg— or, que nous difference will be more easily un-

fiimes sur les banes — au Biah School derstood than the other, perhaps,

(on d la Orande, J^coie— or, d hy an English student, as the

Creole publique d^ Edimhourg). Ibiglish use, in many instances, at

' du corps des mSdeoins (or, oM- least, a form of conjugation cor-

iperfect.

»' d la contagion de la peste. writing ' — ^imperfect) quand vous

* dans la visite des hdpitaux ites entrS; J^Scrivis ('I wrote' —

pendafU la guerrt, ^ See p. 28, n. ^, preterite) qy^ind vous ites entrS.

8 qui Pavait portS d si juste tttre llie sense, m each of these cases,

(or, 4 si bon droit) d la iSte de ses is very different.
condiseiples. ^ ImmSdiatement apris cet Slive

^ tanais ^nte plus cPun gar^on .... venaient ; or, better, here,

i^ivMmJbraxt une plus grande vi- not to dash with the idea of 'a

vacUS dans rintetligence (or, les long interval,' Les meUleurs iUves

moyens) et les dispositions (see page apns celui-ci .... Staient.
49, note ^), Plus d!un ('more ^^ The French do not generally

than one,' 'many a') requires the use any article in such a case as

following verb to be in the sin- this (see page 27, note >) : but here,

golar ; unless this verb expresses the use of the aefinite article will

an idea of reciprocity, e.g,f plus point more to a particular aad

cPunfripon se dupent Fun t autre well-known person ; which is, I

(Mabhontbl), because there is believe, the object of the author,

then absolute plurality in the idea. And if the article is to be used

B The imperfect of tho indica- here, before the first noun, it

tlve, not the preterite definite, must, of course, be repeated before

must be used here. The imper- the second,
feet of the indicative, in French, ^^ aujourd^hui avouS (attorney),

does not solely imply wont, or 'Writer,' in Scotland, is a torm of

habit, in the doer or doers of an nearly tiie same meaning as ' at-

aotion, or a certain continuity in tomey' in England. 'Writer to

an action or a state^ as mentioned the Sic^et' (abbreviated W. S.),

at page 1, note ^ ; it is also used is the designation of the members

to indicate a &ct which was taking of the most numerous and import-

56 FRENCH PROSE

departments of the law.^ As for myself,^ I glanced like
a meteor from one end of the class to the other, and oom*
monly disgusted^ my kind master as much by negligence
and frivolity/ as I occasionally pleased him by flashes of
intellect and talent.^ Among my companions^ my good-
nature, and a flow of ready imagination, rendered me very
popular.^ Boys ^ are imcommonly just in their feelings,^
and at least equally generous. My lameness, and the
efforts which I made to supply that disadvantage,^ by
making up in address what I wanted in activity,^^ engaged
the latter principle in my fiivour;^^ and in the winter play

ant class of attomeyB in Scotland, solely in the expression cwder de

The business of an attorney is source, * to be said or written in an

transacted, in France, partly by easy fluent manner,' and the ad-

an avoiiS and partly by a notaire, yerb coulamment (fluently),
who also corresponds tc> ' notary,' ^ Les icolien, in this sense,
and ' conyeyancer.' ^ en ginSral, otU le coeur singu-

^ qui tous deux (or, tous lei deux) liirement droit,
se sotU acquis depuis une riptUation ^ Le dSfaut quefavait deboiter,
mSn'tie, chacun dans la partie du joint aux efforts queje faisais pour
droit quHil a embrassSe (see page 32, ^ supplier. The pronoun v (' to
note ^, and page 19, note 'i.— ^me it/ and also ' to them ') is uie da-
grammarians haye, on tneir own tiye, and applies to things (^«t, 'to
authority, established a difference him,' and 'to her,' and leur, 'to
between tous deux and tous les them,' apply to persons). — We
deuXf which, I think, is not worth make a distinction, in French, b&-
notice, being as little observed by tween supplier une chose (objeotiye
good authors as it is absurd in case) and supplier d une chose (da-
itself. tiye). Supplier une chose, is, to

3 ' myself ;' simply moi, here. furnish it so as to complete a

8 See page 32, note ^. This case whole, to add to a thii^ what

is noc quite the same as that here is wanting to make it entire,

referred to; 'to glance' is neuter, Ex.: — Ce sac doit itre de mUlle

and ' to disgust actiye : but the francs, et ce qu*il y a de moins

rule applies to both this and the je le supplierai. Supplier d tune

other case. chose, is, to put in its plsbce a thin^

* par ma negligence et , , , ; see whidh is intended to do instead

page 8, note \ and page 49, of it. Ex. :~^o» nUrite suppUe

note ^. au dJifauX de sa nadssance; and,

s par des saillies et des traits qui Dans les arts, le travail ne peui

annonfaieiU de ^intelligence et du supplier au ginie.
talent. ^^ en compensant avee de Vadresse

^ aussi hien ^une imagination ce ^i me manquait en fait d^ac-

aiondante — rtche — ficonde — et timti.

prompte, me faisaient rechercher et ^^ concilia (preterite, here — see

chirirde tous (or, waxglj, faisaierU page 1, note'<< — as it only did so

que fitads tris aimi de tous). — ' a once for all) en ma faveur la der-

now ;' we only use the yerb couler niire de ces deux dispositions nor

(to flow) in this sense, and then, tiveSn See page 22, note ^

COMPOSITION. 67

hourSy^ when ^ hard exercise was ^ impossible, my tales
used to assemble^ an admiring audience round Lucky
Brown's fireside,^ and happy was he that^ could sit next
to the inexhaustible narrator. I was also, though often
negligent of ^ my own task, always ready to assist my
friends,^ and hence I had a little party of staunch partisans
and adherents, stout of hand and heart, though somewhat
dull of head® — the very tools for raising a hero to emi-
nence. ^° So, on the whole,^^ I made a brighter figure in
the yards than in the class,

II.

Thebe was a boy in the class, who^^ stood always at the
top,^^ nor could I with all my efforts supplant him.^* Day

^ et durant les . » , . en htver. * parti qui itCHait (page 41,

3 alors que ; which • is more note ^) tr^» attaehS (or. iris (Uvoui),

pointed than quandj or lorsque, composi de gaillards atix bras vi-

It corresponds more particularly goureux et ait ccewr in^'Spide, Men

to ' when/ used pointedly in the qu'd la tite qudque jpeu (or, tant

sense of 'at a time when.' Some soitpeu) dure; — <>ien que is syno-

fframmarians and lexicographers nymous with quoigue, and is often

have condemned this term in used to prevent a dissonance :

prose. The best prose writers, quelque following close, the hard

however, and academicians in the sound of the q, four times in this

number, have used it repeatedly, way, would be disagreeable. Al-

I can onlv say that it is a very ele- ways take great care of euphony,

gant and expressive term. See, when you write French : the

among other works, Picdola, French are very particular about

by M. Saintini:, Messrs. Bell and it, and . even frequently sacrifice

Daldy's Edition, with notes by Dr. grammar to it.

Dubuc, page 26, note \ and other ^^ jDr^cisSment les instruments (or,

places. les instruments mSmes) prapres d

^ les exercices violetUs Staient ilever un hSros,

devenus. ^^ apris tout ; or, tout considiri

* Use simply here the imperfect — en somme — d toui prendre — en

of the indicative. See page 1, (or, au) rSsvmS.

note 6, and page 55, note **. ^^ See page 10, note s.

'^ *sudjaxinng;'S7nerveilli. Chan^ ^^ ^^^'^ toujours le premier (or,

the construction, here, to avoid d la tite).

ambiguity (page 22, note '). " et dowt je ne pouvais (page 1,

^ et heureua celui ^i; ot, aim- note^ and page 5o, note^), malgri

ply, and more elliptically stUl, et Ums . . ., venir d hovide prendre la

heureua qui, place (see page 15, note^ and page

"^ quoiquejenigligeasse, — 'often;* 35. latter end of note*>); or, et

see page 19, note °, auqud, malgri tons . . ., je ne

^ rut a full stop here (see page pouvais venir d boui de darner le

2.4, note •}. — 'hence,' Par Id. pion. This figurative expression

68 FRENCH PROSE

came after day,^ and still he kept his plaoe, do what I
would ;^ till at length I obeenred that, when a question was
asked him,^ he always fumbled with his fingers at^ a par-
ticular button in the lower part of his waistcoat^ To
remove it, therefore, became expedient in my eyes ; aad
in an evil moment it was removed with a knife. Great
was my anxiety to know the success of my measure ; and
it succeeded too well. When the boy was again questioned,^
his fingers sought again for the button, but it was not to
be found.^ In his distress he looked down for it; ^ it was
to be seen no more than be felt.® He stood confounded,
and I took possession of his place; nor did he ever recover
it, or ever,i<* I believe, suspect who was the author of his
wrong.^^ Often, in after-life, has the sight of him smote
me as I passed by him ;^^ and often have I resolved to
make him some reparation ; but it ended in good resolu-
tions.^^ Though I never renewed my^* acquaintance with

ifl deriyed from the game of with oil their blmiden, antiquated

draughts (dames) : darner un jnon words, &o. &c.
means, ^operly, ' to orown a ^ A la premiire question qui^t

man.' We might also translate faite d notre (colter . Here, the

here by el que de dibits- passiye does not so much matter ;

guer ; but it would be somewhat it ma^ eyen be better, to ayoid the

mmiUar. repetition of on at so short an in-

^ Les jours se sucddaient. teryal (see aboye, note ").

* qrtm que je fisse. Put a full ^ imm its ne le trouviretU plus ,'
stop here (see page 24, note >), or, simply, mais en vain,

and do not translate ' tiU.' ^ il regarda son . gilet pour

> We say faire une question d td(^er de Hapercevoir.

quelqu^un, 'to ask one a question ;' * Efforts xnutiles I il ne put pas

accordingly, to translate here cor- plus te voir que le senHr. Put a

rectly, see page 21, note ^, and full stop before the word Efforts,

page 8, note ^1^ ; 'when,' here, (pfk?e 24, note >).

touies lesfois que, ^ '^ Jawjois il » , , ,; et jamais,

* il portait aussitdt les doijgis ^^ deeetort; or, de cette injustice
d!un air distrait (or, . . . dotgts — de cette injure, in the widest ac-
inachi7ii(Uem>ent) d ; or, il jouait ceptation of this word.

oMssit^t avee, ^* fai iprouvi d sa vue un vif

* gilet, not veste. Formerly, regret -^ r^enUr -^ serrement de
* waistcoat ' was called veste, in camr — lorsque je passais pris de
French ; this word, veste, now cor- lui ; or, je me le sum reprochS en
responds to ' jacket ' only. It is voyant passer pris de moi mon
to be r^^tted that the greater ancien camarade,

part of eyen modem dictionaries ^' mais eela ieA homS d; 'good

are of no use on these points, as resolutions :' see page 16, noie 8,

eyery new edition of them is t^t and page 47, note i*.

best but the old ones reprinted, ^* Use, in French, the preterite

COMPOSITION. 59

him, I often saw ^ him, for he filled some inferior office ^
in one of the courts of law in^ Edinburgh. Poor fellow 1 ^
T believe he is dead ; he took early to drinking.^

W. SooTT. (AtUobwgraphy,)

KOBINSON CRUSOE IN HIS ISLAND.

I WAS now in ® the twenty-third year of my residence in
this island ; and was so natuitJized to the place, and the
manner of living, .that, could I have but enjoyed ^ the cer-
tainty that no savages ^ would come to the place to disturb
me,^ I could have been content to have capitulated for
spending the rest of my time there, even to the last
moment, till I had laid me down and died ^^ like the old

indefinite ('have renewed'), and ' See page 88, note '^ page 29,

leave out 'my/ note^^, page 24, note ^, and the

^ See page 1, note ^, and page La FoNTAiNB^^age 6, note *, and

55, note °. There is here repetition^ page 88, note ^ — 'but,' teulement,

of the action. here.

* une charge (or, un emploi) sw- ^ Translate bv, ' no savage/
haHeriM, with the verb in the singuuur.

3 wwn dejtutice de. Aucun and nvl, meaning, as they

* Pauvre garment or, Pauvre do, p€U un, *not one,' are not,
diahle/ — ^fiumliar. as a rule, used in the plural, in

'^ il t'adonna de bonne heure d French. The only cases which

la boiMon^ form an exception to this rule are,

^ J* en Stais d. This word en, Ist, when aticun and nul are joined

placed before certain verbs, such as with a noun which has no singular

itre, venir, rester, arriver, &c., in- (ex. aucunes funirailles) ; ana, 2d,

dicates the last term — whether when they are joined with a noun

relatively or absolutely — of a pro- that is taJcen, in the plural, in an-

gression ; as, en venir d, &o. ('to other sense than in the singular

be at last brought, or reduced, to,' (ex. attcunes troupes, 'no troops,'

&c.), en rester d, &c. ('to leave oflf * no forces/ no soldiers'). — Yet, we

at,' &c.) See page 11, note^ ; also may use the plural where there is

the La Fontaine, Fable XCIII., plurality in the idea, or where the

page 125, note 7. This en can singular would be awkward,

only be translated into English by ^ We might advantageously out

the words 'now,' 'at last,' or the this sentence shorter, in French,

like. Yet, here we might say, by mwely saying, earn la crainte

simply, in French, J*6tai8 alors des tauvagee,

doMu la, &c., just as we say, speak- ^^ faurais itS en quelqtie sorte

ing of age, je euis dans ma vingt- content (Ty (or, faurais volonUers

iroisiime annie, coTuenti a y) passer le reste de mes

60

FRENCH PROSE

goat in the cave. I had also arrived to some little diversions
and amusements,^ which made the time pass a great deal
more pleasantly with me than it did before :^ as^ first, I had
taught my Poll, as I noted before, to speak ;^ and he did it
so familiarly, and talked so articulately and plain,^ that it
was very pleasant to me ; for I believe no bird ever spoke
plainer ;^ and he lived with me no less than six-and-twenty
years : ^ how long ^ he might have lived afterwards, I know
not, though I know they have a notion in the Brazils that
they live ® a hundred years. My dog was a very pleasant
and loving companion to me for no less than sixteen years of
my time, and then died of mere old age. As for my cats,
they multiplied, as I have observed, to that degree, that I
was obliged to shoot several of them at first, to keep them
from devouring me and ® all I had ; but, at length, when
the two old ones ^^ I brought with me were gone,^^ and after

JQwr9 (or, de ma vie), ju»qu*au mo-
ment oA je serais mort (page 66,
note ^^) tran^^lemenJt,

^ Je m'Hais mSme mSnagi (or,
trouvi)—-aee pa^e 18, note ^--des
distractions et aes amusements (or,
de quoi me distraire — m« divwUr
— et nCamuser — me ricrier. )

* 'which,' &0v &»• J simply,
ressource qui nCavait maa^gpii autre-
fois. This sentence of Defoe is
one of the many instances of loose
writing observable even in the
best miglish authors : for what a
superfluity of words is this, 'di-
versions and amusements which
make time pass pleasantly / * Put
a full stop after aiUr^oiSf and
leave out 'as' in the translation.

^ favais enseigni (or, appris) d
parhr d m4>n perroquet, comme je
Cai ditplus haut (or, commeje Cad
dSjd dit^,

* et en arUeulant si disHncte-

^ ne prononpa mieux; or, ne
parla pms distinctement. Construct
thus, in French, for the sake
of emphasis: 'never, I believe,'
&c. ; leave out 'for,' and npt a
eoion after 'me.' Put, besides, a

fuU stop after ' plainer,' and leave
out ' and,' which follows.

^ ' than ' is always esmressed by
de before the cardinal numbers
un, deux, trois, &c., before la
mmtU (half), le tiers (third), &c.,
and before douzaine (dozen), ving-
taine (score), dizaine {hAif-A-acore),
&o., instead of by qv>e, as in a
oomparison of objects. — 'six-and-
twenty ;' see page 88, note K

7 combien de temps; or, simply,
comMen,

^ que ces ammoMx jpassent au
BrSsil potar vivre.

^ ilss'itadejUtellementmvIUpliis,
eomm£ je Vai dijd dit (or, fait oh"
server), see page 5, note^* — que
favoM its obtigi d!en tuer plusieurs
d coups de fusil, qfin de n*en itre
pas aSvorS avec (or, qv£ de pewr
qu*ils ne me dSvorasseni avec. &c.,

favaU m ).~'all I had ;'

supply the whole ellipsis, in
French.

^^ Us deux plus vieux; or, les
deux premiers.

^ 'To go,' used absolutely, in
the sense of 'to start,' 'to set
out,' is, in French, partir, not
cdler. See, besides, page 2S, note

COMPOSITION.

61

some time continually driying them from me, and letting
them have no provision with me,^ they all ran wild into
the woods,^ except two or three fevourites, which I kept
tame^ and whose young, when they had any) I always
drowned ;^ and these were part of my family. Besides
these, I always kept two or three household kids about
me,^ whom I taught to feed out of ^ my hand ; and I had
two more ^ parrots, which talked pretty well, and would all
call "^ Robin Crusoe, but none like my first ; nor, indeed,
did I take the pains with any of them that I had done
with him.^ I had also several tame sea-fowls, whose names
I knew not, that I caught ® upon the shore, and cut their
wings ;^^ and the little stakes which I had planted before
my castle wall being now grown up to a good thick grove,^^
these fowls all lived ^^ among these low trees, and bred
there, which was very agreeable to me ;^^ so that, as I said
above, I began to be very well contented with the life I
led, if I coidd but have been secured from the dread of the
savages. ^^ — Defoe.

4. But here, ' gone ' seeniB, from
the context, to mean 'dead,' and
should be rendered accordingly.
^ et que (page 17, note^) feus

pendant qu^gue temps conHnueUe- note ^). ^^ See paffe 11, note ^ .

demiers ; or, simply, pour lequel
atissi favaU pns becvucoup de
peine.
^ je les avais cMrapis (page 82,

Uur rien donner d manger.

* ils ^enfuireni Urns dans les
hois, et devinrent sauvages.

3 dont f avais grand soin de
noyer les vetits (page 85, end of
note K) dis qwils venaient au
monde. Put a full stop after manege,
and leave out 'and these,' &c.

kaMtaiejU, in the sense of ' to
dwell ;' here, however, we might
take it as well in the other sense,
and translate likewise by vivaient

^ ety avaient lewrs couvSes j de
cette fofon ils contribuaient heau-
coup d mon divertissement.

" Ainsi don^, somme touie (or,

* En outre, f avais toujours pris en somme), comme je Vai dit plus

de moi deux ou trois chevreaux
familiers ; or, Le reste de ma
maison consistait en deux ou trois
chevreaux. ** wMnger dans.

^ et deux auJbres.

7 See page 45, note *.

8 ti favoue — ^page 16, note * —
(or, et il est vrat) que f avais donnS

hautfje commetiQais d itrefort con-
tent de la vie que je menais, d la
riserve (or, d FexcepHon) de la
crainte — d la craiiUe pris — qv£
m'inspiraient les sauvages (page 3,
note ^) ; or, faurats itS parfaite-
ment satis/ait de la vie , . . . &c.,
sans la crainte (or, n'eiU 4U la

plus de soins d (or, pris j>lus de crainte~^or, si feusse seyXemewt pu
soin de) ViducaHon de celui-ld mt*d m*affranchir ; or, me dilivrer, de
— que de — celU d^aucun des aeux la crainte) des sauvages.

62 FRENCH PROSE

GULLIVER'S WAY OF LIVING IN THE COUNTRY

OF LILLIPUT.

It may perhaps divert the curious reader, to give some
account of my domestics, and ^ my manner of living in this
country, during a residence of nine months and thirteen
days. Having a head mechanically turned, and being like-
wise^ forced by necessity, I had made for myself^ a table
and chair convenient enough, out ^ of the lai^est trees in
the^ royal park. Two hundred® sempstresses were em-
ployed to make me shirts, and linen for my bed and table,^
all of the strongest and coarsest kind ^ they could get ;
which, however, they were forced to quilt together in several
folds,^ for the thickest was some degrees ^^ finer than lawn.
Their linen is usually three inches wide, and three feet
make ^^ a piece. The sempstresses took my measiu'e as I
lay on the ground,^^ one standing at my neck, and another
at my mid-leg,^^ with a strong cord extended, that each
held by the end,^* while a third measured the length of
the cord with a rule of an inch long.^^ Then they mea-
sured my right thumb,^® and desired no more ; ^^ for, by a

^ Peut-Hre le , , . me saura-t-il ^ avec la plus forte toile ; see

(paffe 32, note ^)gri de lui donner pa^e 1, note ^'.

qudqiies dStails 9ur mon tntirieur ^ 'which,' ko., mise enpluiieur*

(or, TM)n partictUier) et tur. See doubles et piqvie,

page 49, note ^. It is not neces- ^® un pen,

Bary to repeat sur, here ; only, its ^ Leurs toilea (in this sense,' — ^in

repetition points more to each of another sense, as above, between

the two distinct thin^, which are notes ^ and ^, the word is linge)

about to be considered, or related, oiU en giiUral trois poucee de Ulv-

separately. geur (or, de Uvrge), et la loiwvaur

^ Comme fax toujoure eu des de troit pieds forrne. Seep. 96, n.'.

di^ositiont pour lee arte micani' ^ lorequej iiait couchS.

queSf et que (page 17, note ^)f(tait ^ sur le gras de majarnhe,

en outre, ^* et tenant chacune par un bout

^ je nCitais fait. — 'a table and une grosse corde,

chair ;' see page <^, note K ^^ Simply, d^unpouce,

* avec le hois* ^^ le tour du pow:e de ma main

" See page 32, note *. droite. We mignt sa^, as in En^-

^ See page 17, note ^^. lish, de mon pouce droit, but we do

^ See page 8, note \ and page not commonly use this expression.

49, note ®. *' et cefut assez.

COMPOSITION. 6»

mathematical computation/ that twice round the thumb is
once round the^ wrist, and so on to the neck and the waist ; '
and by the help of my old shirt, which I displayed on the
ground before them for a pattern, they fitted me exactly.^
Three hundred tailors were employed in the same manner
to make me clothes ; but they had another contrivance ^
for taking my measure. I kneeled down, and they raised
a ladder from the ground to my neck ; upon this ladder
one of them mounted, and let fall a plumb-line ^ from my
collar to the floor,^ which ^ just answered the length of my
coat, but my waist and arms I measured myself.^ When
my clothes were finished, which was done in my house,
(for the largest of theirs would not have been able to hold
them,) they looked like the patch-work^® made by the
ladies in England, only that mine were all of a ^^ colour.

I had three hundred cooks to dress ^^ my victuals, in
little convenient huts built about my house, where they
and their families lived,^^ and prepared ^* me two dishes
a-piece.i* I took up twenty waiters in my hand, and placed
them on the table : a hundred more ^^ attended below on
the ground, some with dishes of meat, and some with
barrels of wine, and other liquors, slung on their shoulders ;
all which the waiters above drew up as I wanted, in a very

^ parce qt^ellet avaierU calcuU stop after 'coat,' and leave out

par une operation mcUhSmcUicnie. ' but.*

' que aettx foit la circovfSrence • Je pris moi'mhne lamesuredu

demon poticejbrmaitcelleaemoiu corps et des bras,

' qu^en dotiblant celle-ci, on ^^ ils ressemblaient d ces couver-

avait le tour de mon cou, et ^en tures composies de petits morceavx

dovblant ce dernier, on avatt la carris coustts ensemble,

ffrosseur de ma tailU, Put a full ^^ seulement ils itaieTvt tons de la

stop here. mime.

^ Je diployai ensuite sur le ^'^ 'To dress,' in this sense, is

plancher une de nies vieilles che- priparer, or, a>ccommader,

mises, et elles rimitirent fort ex- ^' oil ils Iw/eaient eux et leurs

a^tement, families. This instance of two

* (t a^avisirent d^un autre moyen, pronouns, the one conjunctive {ils)

We might translate this very well and the other disjunctive {etix),

hj et ey prirent autrement (or, used together with one verb only,

a^une autre maniire), were it not has some similitude with that of

that the verb prendre inevitably page 28, note ^.

comes just after. • un ^lomb. ^* See page 23, note •.

^ de mon collet (in this sense "^^ chacun.

only) d terre. ^' une centaine de leurs cama-

** See page 8, note *. Put a fiill rades ; or, simply, cent autres.

t$4

FRENCH PBOSE

ingenious manner, by certain cords,^ as we draw the backet
up a well in Europe. A dish of their meat was a good
mouthfiil, and a barrel of their liquor a reasonable draught.^
Their mutton yields to ours,^ but their beef is excellent.
I have had a sirloin so large, that I have been forced to
make three bites of it, but this is rare.^ My servants were
astonished to see me eat it, bones and all,^ as in our country
we do the leg ^ of a lark. Their geese and turkeys I usually
ate at a mouthful,^ and I confess they far exceed ours. Of
their smaller fowl, I could take up twenty or thirty at the
end of my knife.® — Swift.

^ et ceax qui itaieni »wr la taJbU
dSchargeaierU les porteurs de ces
otjets, d mesure que fen avads he-
eoin, en *e tervani cPune eorte de
pouiie.

* gargSe,

^ ne vaut pas le n&tre.

* OnmeservUunefoisunaZovau
qui itait une telle piice de rests-
tance (or, Biniply, un si fort aloyau)
quejefus obhgS d^ en f aire traUhov^
cA^es— or, more simpbr still, ....
un aloyau doiU je fujs dbli^6 de
faire .... &c. ; — mais dStatt une
rareU.

^ OS et viande.

^ nous croquoTu la cuisse. The
verb croquer (to craimch) is nearly
s^onymooB with manger (to eat).
We might also say, as in English,
nous faisons la cuisse. The verb
faire is used, in French, as ' to do '
is in English, to avoid the repe-
tition of a preceding verb. Some
grammarians, however, have put
a restriction on this usage, and
attempted to fetter it by a rule
of theirs : they say, without giv-
ing any good reason for it, and
while even quoting no less an au-

thority than Bossuet against them-
selves, that, in such a case, /aire
should not be followed by a rSgime
direct (objective case). The oest
authors have nevertheless done so.
The quotation above alluded to is,
"Il£ulait cacher la penitence avee
le mdme soin qu'on etlt fa/U les
crimes." — ^BoBSUBT. T shall com-
plete the case against these gen-
tlemen, which they themsdves
have opened, by two more quota-
tions, which, I think, wm be
deemed at least sufficient : — " On
regarde ime femme savante oomme
on fait une helle arms" — La
Bruyebb.
''Mais tout &t me d^plalt et me

blesse les yeux ;
Je le poursuis partout, comme

un chien/atY sa proie,
Et ne le sens jamais qu'aussi-

tdt je n'aboie."

BoHiEAU, Sat. vii.

7 Iiivert thus, in French: 'I
ulnially ate .... their,' &c.

8 Pour leurs jpetits oiseaux, fen
prenais aisSment une trentaine a la
poirUe de mon covieau.

COMPOSITION. 66

A TBAVELLING INCIDENT.^

The tendency of mankind when it falls asleep in ooaohes,
is ^ to wake up cross ; to find its legs in its way ; and its
corns an aggravation.^ Mr. Pecksniff not being exempt
from the common lot of humanity, found himself, at the
end of his nap, so decidedly^ the victim of these infirmities,
that he had an irresistible inclination ^ to visit them upon
his daughters ; which he had already begun to do in ^ the
shape of divers random kicks,^ and other unexpected mo-
tions ^ of his shoes, when the coach stopped, and, after a
short delay, the door was opened.^

" Now mind," ^^ said a fliin sharp voice ^^ in the dark.
" I and my son go inside,^^ because the roof is fall,^^ but
you agree to charge us outside prices.^* It's quite under-
stood that we won't pay more. Is it 1 " ^^

« All right,!^ Sir," replied tlie guard.

^ IneiderU de voyage. Bach a case as this, would conyey

* II est ordinaire d nous avires a very different meaoing ; it would
humains, lorsqv>e nous nous sommes express a state, not an act.
endormis en diligence. The adjec- ^^ Faites bien attention; or, Ah
tive autre is often thus used, in the pd. attention /

plural, with notts or votis, for the "^ voix grSle et aiavM,

sake of emphasis or oontradis- ^ moi et mon jUs — mon fits el

tinction : for a fuller note on this moi — twus aUons dans I'intfrieur.

point, see title La Fontaine, When we have, in a sentence, two

paffe 181, note ^. or more personal pronouns, or a

^ et de nous trouver enU>arrassSs noun or nouns and a pronoun, used

(or, empSchSs) de nos jambes ei as subjects (nominatives) of a verb,

agads (or, irritSs) ^ar nos cars ; what gramxnarians call a resuming

or, de trouver nos jamibes un emr pronoim (either nous or vov*) is

harrow, et dans nos con un sujet used before the verb, unless the

d^oMacemenJt — d^irritation, subjects are all in the third person,

^positivement ; and leave out in whidi latter case no resuming

* the.* pronoun is used.

* envie, ** pa/rce qu'il rCy a pas de place

* de s*en venger sur ses fiUes. II swr te dessus ; or, pa^ce que le
avait dSJd commend d satisfaire dessus est plein — complet,

cette envie sous, ^^ mats vous vous enga^ez d ne

7 'random kicks,' coups de pied nous demander (or, prmwre-^aire
donnis au hazard. payer) que leprix de Fimp4riale,

8 mouvements, ^ nest-ce pas t — ' more ;* see
8 et peu apris la portiire iouvrit, page 9. note *,

The use of the passive, instead of ^ Ir^-bien (in this one sense),
the reflective form, in French, in

F

66 FR£NCU PROSE

^ Is there anybody inside now 1 " inquired the Toioe.

" Three possengerB,** ^ returned the guard.

'* Then I ask tiie three passengers to witness this bar-
gain, if they will be so good," said the voice. '' My boy,
I think we may safely get in.""^

In pursuance of which ' opinion, two people took their
seats * in the vehicle,^ which was solemnly licensed by Act
of Parliament to carry any six persons who could be got in
at the door.*

*' That was lucky ! " ^ whispered the old man, when they
moved on again.^ " And a great stroke of policy in you •
to observe it. He, he, he !^® We couldn't have gone ^^ out-
side. I should have died ^ of the rheumatism ! "

Whether it occurred ^^ to the dutiful son that he had in
some degree overreached himself,^^ by contributing to the
prolongation of his fiithers days; or whether ^^ the cold
had aflFected^' his temper; is doubtftil.^^ But he gave^^
his fkther such a nudge in reply, that that good old gentle-
man ^^ was taken with a cough which lasted for full five

^ wtmturt ; pastager is said ^ See page 88, note ^ and page

generaUj of a traveller on the sea, 44, note C

but is begioning to be also applied >* Remember that mourir, as

to a railvray traveller. well as some other neuter verbs,

* entrtr (or, monUtr) «a Undt in French, is coi^upfated, in its
<<lritf . compound tenses, with the aozi-

> dn^onUfMiiU d ct/t€, liary verb Hrt, nc^t with a^Boir^

^ dmix individM prirerU place. ^ ^il vifU {or, SoU qyiil xinL —

* vihievU (only used, m this subl.) dant Cidie,

sense, in fioniliar and jocose style, ^' qu'il ^itaU huqu^d un certain

for voitwe). point fadt tort d lui-mim$ (or, trahi

' qui Stait aoUnneUcment wUO' Ivd^mSnu). See p. 88, n. ^^

risi, par patente, en vetitt dTun ^^ oust (or, »ovt qne^ — or, ou qne

Acte du ParUment, d porter, dan$ — ^with the subj.). It is optional

Ttntfrteur, iovie pertonne, jtuqu'au either to repeat soit, or to use ott,

nomire de six, qu*on y pourrait before the second member of the

/aire entrer, — Observe the fol- sentence. ^^ influi (or, a^i) sur.

lowing difference, not always '^^ (fest ee q^^tl y a de dofuleux;

heeded by English people : pa- or, (feet ^ wnu ne tavont pa* ; or,

terUe, 'alioence;' brevet, 'a patent.' ne saunone fe dire ; or, again, c'ert

7 Nous avont efu.de la chance. Id ce qui fait qua^on,

8 quand la voiture ee ftU remise ^' See page 1, note •, and various
en route (or, fut repartie), other references on this important

9 Et if a its trie adroit de tapart point, which can hardly be too
de; or, JEt <fa it6 de ta part un much insisted upon.

grand coup de Cart de (or, more ^^ que lehonhoinme. In this sense,
forcibly, que de). ^^ Hi, hi, hi / honhomme is spelt in one word.

COMPOSITION. 67

minutes,^ without iDtermission, and goaded Mr. Pecksniff
to that pitch of irritation, that he said at last — and very
suddenly ^ —

<< There is no room 1 ® there is really no room in this
ooach for any gentleman with a cold in his head ! " ^

*' Mine," ^ said the old man, after a moment's pause,^
" is upon my chest,^ PecksniflF."

The voice and manner,^ together, now that he spoke
out;^ the composure of the speaker; ^^ the presence of his
son; and his Imowledge of ^^ Mr. Pecksniff; afforded acluQ
to ^^ his identity which ^ it was impossible to mistake.

" Hem ! I thought," said Mr. Pecksniff, returning to his
usual mildness, '* that I addressed ^^ a strsinger. I find that
I address a relative. Mr. Anthony Chuzzlewit and his sou
Mr. Jonas — ^for they, my dear chUdren, are our ^* travel^
ling companions — ^will excuse me for an apparently harsh
remark. It is not my desire to wound the feelings of any
person with whom I am connected in &mily bonds.^^ I
may be a Hypocrite," said Mr. Pecksniff, cuttiDgly,^^ <' but
I am not a Brute."

" Pooh, pooh ! " 18 said the old man. " What signifies
that word, Pecksniff) Hypocrite 1 why,^^ we are aU hypo*

^ pU dura &te» eina miwdes ; ^s mm* letptelt (pom 9, note ').

or, ^ chura cin^ graautes miniUes ^* jt eroyait wadresser (or,

— ctitq mdnuUt 6w» oompUtB. adretser la paroU — page 7, note

' et qui agaga Ut nerfi d4 M, ^ d,

P — aupoirU de lui /aire dire dla ^ car c€ »ont eux-mimet, ma

^n, el talis brutpumenL (Aers (or, ekh'ee) enfantt, que nous

> pla/se. avons pour (no article is to follow).

^ povo' Us voyageiwrs twrkumiU du — -The gubstantlve enfant is of

cerveau^ both graders ; yet, in the plural,

^ Jlion rkume, the feminine is seldom used. No-

^ un mamsfU d^iiUervaUe (or, de tice that Mr. P. had only his

^n^ence). dauffhters, and no son, with him

^ estun rhume dewyUrine. in we ooaoh ; else, of course, the

^ maniire de porter ; or, tan* feminine could by nP means be

^ tout ensemMe, alore qu*U (see used,

pa^ 57, note ^) a/rticulait (or, i^ex' ^' Je nevoudrcdspas, moi, blesser

pnmatt) distinctemeni — dairement %ne personne, quelle qu*eUe soil, d

— metr-^iatUmerd, qui m*umssent des Hens de famille

^^ le sanff-froid . de FtfUerloeu- (or. les Hstu du sang),

teur, " d^un ton caustique,

^ €t UfaU qu'tl connaisswU* ^^ Bah, hak I or, AlUms done,

^* totUes ces circonstances Staieni aUons doiMt

ondMsi tPindiees de, ^ mais,

F 2

68 FRENCH PROSE

erites. We were all hypocrites, t'other day. I am sure I
felt that to be ^ agreed upon among us, or I shouldn't have
called you one.^ We should not have been there at all, if
we had not been hypocrites. The only difference between '
you and the rest was — shall I tell you the difference be-
tween you and the rest now,^ Pecksniff 9 "

" If you please, my good sir ; if you please." ^
" Why, the annoying quality in yow, is," said the old
man, '^ that ® you never have a confederate or partner in
yfiur juggling ; ^ you would deceive everybody,* even those
who practise the same art; and have a way with you,^ as
if you — ^he, he, he I — as if you really believed yourself^®
I*d lay a handsome wager ^^ now," said the old man, '' if
I laid wagers, which I don't, and never did, that you keep
up^^ appearances by a tacit understanding, even before
your own daughters here.^* Now I, when I have a business

^ Bt en viritS (op, Et Je puis le ner) le change— d n^tmporte qui (or,

«Hre en contdence—ar, en bonne d qui q%te ce eoit). — ^The use of the

conscience), je sentaitbien; 'that verb tromper ('to deceive*), even

to be,' see pa^ 7, note '. here, woiud be somewhat too on-

* cippelS a%nn ; or, treats cPky- civil.

pocnte, » et vom (p. 81, n. i) avez je ne

' qyiil y e(U entre ; see p. 89, tai»— or, unjenesoM — qudair,

n, \ — * was ;' turn, * it is that.' ^® amane si vous preniez ouns le

* 'now,' voyoTis. — 'shall I,' &o., sivieux ce que vous dites ou ce que
favUil vous aire (or, voulez^ous vtnisfaites (or, better, comme si vous
que je votts diss, or, simply, vous vous preniez au sirietix). "Prendre
dirai-je) quelle itait la diffSrence une cbose dans le sirieux," is, to
entre, &o. take a thing in earnest, to believe

* Dites, mon cher monsieur, dites, it to be true, although it was said
'If you please,' is, literally, as is iujoke; whilst "prendre une chose
well known, s*il vous plait, in an sirieux,*^ is to take offence at a
French ; but, in a case of this par- thing, though it was said in a joke,
ticular kind, it is not the phrase and without any intention of of-'
M©d» . fending. — ^Authors often disregard <

6 Eh bten, ce qu*il y a cPennuy- this d^tinotion of grammarians.

euxchezvousenparticulier, , . , (fest u Je parierais gros. We also

^see p. 60, n. 8) que ; or, Eh hi&n, say, in a similar way, parier douJble

vous avez, vous en particulier, . . contre simple; also, by exaggera-

fiela d^ennuyeux que. tion, Je parierais ma tHe (or, ma

^ ni conspire ni compagnon dans tite d couper), and, implyiiig no

DOS jonglenes, d vous. doubt whAtevor, Je meUrais ma

^ vous feriez volontiers prendre main aufeu.

(4fr, vous donneriez volontiers) le i* Use garderj or, sauver; or,

ehange — vous ne vous feriez pas conserver,

/duU de fairs prendre (or, de don- u id prisentes ; or, que voieL

COMPOSITION. 69

soheme ^ in hand, tell ^ Jonas what it is,^ and we discuss
it openly. You're not offended, Pecksniff 1 "

" Offended, my good sir 1 " cried that gentleman, as if he
had received the highest ^ compliments that language could
convey.^

" Are you travelling* to London, Mr. Pecksniff?" asked
the son.

" Yes, Mr. Jonas, we are travelling to London. We shall
have the pleasure of your company all the way, I trust 1 "

" Oh ! ecod/ you had better ® ask father that," said
Jonas. " I am not a going to commit myself." ^

Mr. Pecksniff was, as a matter of course,^® greatly enter-
tained by this retort His mirth having subsided, Mr.
Jonas gave him to understand that himself and parent ^^
were in fact travelling to their home ^^ in the metropolis ; ^*
and that, since the memorable day of the great family
gathering,^* they had been tarrying in that part of the

1 'Now I ;* Moi, voyez-votu ; or, • Hit-ee que vous allez (or, tout

.Mot qui vout parU. — ' a business txms rendez),

scheme ; ' le plan de quelque affaire, ^ mafoi ; or, ]^bleu (fiumliar).

— *m hand ; see p. 22, n. \ 8 vousferiez m%e*ix de,

* See pa^ 43, note ^^. ^ * Ce n'est pas moi qui irai me
> de quoz U iagit ; or, ce qui en compromettre ; or, elliptically and

eti, — ^not ce que c*est, here: ceqtte familiarly, Paa si hHe que a alter

e'est would correspond to 'what it m« . . . . &o. — TThe vulgar phrase

— or that — lAf* in another sense, wovld he, Le plus souvent que f irai

the sense of ' what thai thing (in a ... &c].

▼ague way) is* — ^namely a schema; ^<* comTM de raison — cda wi sans

whereas ce qui en eel means, dire — bien entendvr-^naturellemeTU.

* what that scheme (mentioned *^ lui et son pire. The French

aboTe) is about*. We might also word parents means all relatives,

translate hy fen fais part dJonaa. and is also said of the father and

* les plus grands; or, les plus mother ; but it is never used in
beaux ; or, again, les plus fiatteurs, the singular, in this latter sense,
after the noim. In general, no as in English, to signify only one of
adjectives, in French, can precede the two.

a noun, when in the superlative ^^ se rendaient d leur demeure,

degree, except those which are See page 65, note ^.

allowed to precede it when in the '^ capitale. — MStropole was said

positive degree. formerly, in French, of the capital

* Simply, qu*on e(U (p. 18, note^', town^of a province ; it only means
p. 22, note *, and p. 38, note *^)pu nogv a town Which has an archi-
lui fmire; or, . . . les , , . conipli- episcopal see, as Paris, Bouen,
m^nts possibles : — susceptiblea d^Stre Bordeaux, &c., and also ' mother
exprimis par (or, au moyen de) la country,* * parent state,' with rela-
parole, would be awkwarcl. tion to.coionies. ^* riunion.

70 FRENCH PROSE

country, watching ^ the sale of certain eligible inyestmentSy^
which they had had in their copartnership eye when they
came down ; * for it was their custom, Mr. Jonas said,*
whenerer such a thing was practicable, to kill two birds
with one stone,* and never to throw away sprats, but as
bait for whales. ^ — Diokenb, Martin ChvadewU,

THE LITERARY SNOBSJ

But the feet is, that in the literary profession,® there
ARE NO Snobs. Look round at the whole body of British
men of letters,* and I defy you to point out among them
a single instance of vulgarity, or envy, or assumption.^®
Men and women, as for as I have known them, they are
all ^^ modest in their demeanour, elegant in their manners,

1 Hi itaierU reHis (see page 66, ^ A distinguiahed Franoh writer,

-note ^, and page 57, note ')— or, . M. Taine, thiu defines in the

tU avaieni fiJournS — dans cet Revue da Deux MoindeSt the word

enjd/roU (or, dans ce comtS) afin de * snob : ' — *' mot d'argot infcradni-

surveiller, sible, d^signant un homme ' qui

* proprUUs qui qffraient un admire bassement des choses
jtUicement avaniageux. basses*"; and he adds, "Nous

> et que ces deux assoeiis, ChuzssU* n'avons pas le mot, paroe que nous

urU ei filsy (or, et que ces deux asso- n'ayons pas la chose. £nfant des

eiis en nam. eolledif) avaient dSjd sooi^tfo aristocratiqnes, le siwb,

en vue lors de teur dSpart de peroh6 sur son barreau dans la

Zondres. — ^There is no French ex- grande 6chelle, respecte Thomme

pression, as concise as the English, du barreau sup^rieur et m^prise

corresponding to 'up,' and 'down, Thomme du barreau inf§rieur,

in this sense : we say, e.g,f trains sans s'informer de oe qu'ils valent,

»e dirigearU vers Paris ( ' up trains' ]j, uniquement en raison de leur place;

and traiTw iiloignavi de Paris du fond du coeur il trouve natural

( ' down trains ') ; also, trains <VaUer de baiser les bottes du premier et

('down'), ana trains de retour de donner des coups de pied au

(' up ' or * back '). second."

* au dire de M. J , ^ profession de littirateur,

' defaire ePune pierre deux coups ^ Regardez de Urns c&tSs dans tout

(Pboybbbial]|. le wmJbre des fcrivains anglais. —

^ et de ne jamuiis donner (o^ se * among them ; ' simply y.

dessaisir de) un petit poisson que "^^ arrogance; or, presompiion ;

pour en avoir un gros (pRO- or, again, suffisanee,

VBRBIAL); or, . . . un ceuf, ,jpour ^ tous, autant que fen connads

avoir un hantf-^, , . un pots , . . (or, aidant que jai pu en fuger

pour avoir unef^ve (Pboverbial). par moi-mSme), sont.

COMPOSITION. n

spotless in their liyes,^ and honoumble in their oonduot to
the world and to each other.^ Yoa may, ocoasionallj, it is
tnie,^ hear one literaiy man abusing^ his brother; but
why t Not in the least out of malice ; not at all from
envy ; • merely from a sense of • truth and ^ public duty.
Suppose, for instance, I good-naturedly^ point out a
blemish * in my friend Mr, Punch's person, and say Mr. F.
has a hump-back, and^^ his nose and chin are more
crooked than those features "^^ in the Apollo or Aurmous,^'
which we are accustomed to consider as our standards^'
of beauty; does this argue malice on my part towards ^^
Mr, Punch f Not in the least .^* It is the critic's duty
to point out defects as well as merits, and he invariably
does his duty with the utmost gentleness and oandour.^^

That sense of equality and fraternity amongst authors
has always struck me as one of the most amiable charac-
teristics ^^ of the class. It is because we know ^^ and respect
each other, that the world respects us so much ; that we

1 Use the BinyilJir here, on of the inteTTening pert of the

acoount of the ffeneral, the col- sentenoe ('a sense of truth'),

lectiye meaning m the word. * ^j tout honnement, je.

' soit ewtrt eux, soil d Vigcwd d% ' ai/avi.

monde. ^^ ut bouu, que.

* Jl n'at pat impoutUe peuJt-itre ^^ we U net el le mewUm,

que {par haeard) wmt; with the " cm FApollon et de FAtUinoUs.

subjnnctiye. " let typet,

* dire du nuU de, ^* ceci prouve-Uil queje veuille du
^ Pwr malice t Point du tout, mal d.

Par envie I JEn aucune /agon, — ^ Pat le moint du monde.

There are, in French, three degrees ^' avee la plut entiire tindritt

ofnegation,Tiz.,n6 by itself (when it et la (page 49, note ^) plut

can DO so used — before a few verbs paifaite douceur; — plut vatfait

only), which is the weakest nega- (as in English, ' more — ^mosl—per-

tive expression ; then ne with pat, lect ') is a kind of emphasis sanc-

whioh 18 the middle negative ex- tioned bj custom, and so much

pression ; and, finally, ne with used, that it were vain to refuse

point, which is the strongest. In our assent to it : of course we all

some cases, like the above, ne is know this is not a strictly logical

suppressed. association of words.

^ par amour de. ^^ qualitit dittincHvet,

7 et par; see page 49, note ". ^^ nout nout appriciont; repeat

Par must be repeated here, both these pronouns before the second

on account of the two thiugs men- verb, and see page 38, note ^, and

tioned being considered distinctly page 48, note ^. ' Here the mean-

from each other, and, for the sake iue of the phrase would be de-

of elegance, by reason of the length cidedly ambiguous without the usa

72 FRENCH PROSE

hold such a good position ^ in society, and demean our-
selves so irreproachably when there.^ Literature is held
in such ^ honour in England, that there is a sum of near
twelve hundred pounds^ per annum set apart to pension
deserving persons following ^ that profession. And a great
compliment this is, too, to the professors, and^ a proof of
their generally prosperous and flourishing condition. They
are generally so rich and thrifty, that scarcely any money
is wanted 7 to help them. — Thaokeray, The Book of
Snobs,

SCENE FROM " THE SCHOOL FOB » SCANDAL."

Lady Sneerwdl ; Mrs. Candour ; Joseph Surface ; Maria,
Crabtree; Sir Benjamin BaddbUe.

Grab, Lady Sneerwell, I kiss your hand.^ Mrs. Candour,
I don't believe you are acquainted with ^® my nephew, Sir
Benjamin Backbite? Egad,^! ma'am,^^ he has a pretty wit,
and is a pretty poet too.^' Isn't he,^* Lady Sneerwell ?

Sir Ben, Oh, fie, uncle !

of the pronouns reoommended in gated negatively. See page 85,

note i>, of page 38. note **, for another example ot

1 raTig, this. — ^We might also very well

* ' and . . . when there/ &c., et translate the English phrase by,
que nous nous y, ko. permettes-moi de vous priservter,

' est tifort en. ^ Parhleu (&miliar).

^ livres sterling. ^* nuxdame. The abbreviation of

^ Simplv, les penonnes (or, let this word, in Frendi, belongs to

mefnhres) de. veiy vulgar language.

• Cett un grand honneur pour " tfest un gargon d^espritj et, mat
elles — eux, — et aussi. ]>lus est, unpoite. — a^esty instttcT of

7 qtCil iCy a jyresque pas besoin il est : the aemonstrative pronoun

d^argeni. ce is generally used, instead of it,

^ de, — withtheartide, of course, elle, its, elles, as the subject of a

' See page 11, note ^ ; use, be- proposition whose attribute is not

sides, the plural ('hands') here, an adjective; the attribute is here

in French. the substantive gar^on. See the

^^^ 'to be acquainted with,' eon- La Fontaine, page 10, note *.
nalire ; see page 1, note ^, and use ^^ n'est-ce-^^ ; Uterolly, ' is it

the subjunctive, here, as penser not ' (understood, * true,' vrai,}

('to think,' 'to believe') is oonju- This is the usual French phrase

COMPOSITION. 73

Crab. Nay, egad it's true ; ^ I back him at a rebus or a
oharade ^ against the best rhymer in the kingdom.^ Has
your ladyship heard * the epigram ^ he wrote last week ^
on Lady Frizzle's feather catching fire ? ^ — Do, Benjamin,
repeat it, or ^ the charade you made last night extempore ^
at Mrs. Drowzie's conversazione.^^ Come now;^^ your^^
first is the name of a fish, your second a^^ great naval
commander, and —

Sir Ben, Uncle, now — ^pr'ythee — ^^*

Crab. I'faith,^^ ma*am, 'twould surprise you to hear how
ready he is at aJl these sort of things.^^

Lady Sneer. I wonder. Sir Benjamin, you never pub-
lish any thing.

Sir Ben, To say truth,^^ ma'am, 'tis very vulgar to
print ;^^ and, as my little productions are mostly satires
and lampoons on particular people,^^ I find they circulate
more by giving copies in confidence to the friends of the
parties.2^ However, I have some love elegies, which,

•

oorrespondlng to 'am I not/ 'art ou hiei^

thou not,' 'is he (sbe^ or it) not/ ^ 'to make extempore,' impro-

* are we (you, or they) not/ or 'do vUer.

I not,' sc. &o., whatever may "^^ cercle.

have been mentioned in the fore- ^^ Voyons. -

going' part of the proposition. ^* mon.

^ Fardieu (famil.), rien de plus ^' 'a/ est celui cPun,

vrai. Put a full stop here (page ^* 'pr'ythee/ degrdce, — 'uncle;*

2ii, note ^). always use the possessive pronoun

* En fait de (lit. 'in point of) 'my/ in French, before 'uncle/
r$bus et de charadet, je parieraU 'Mher/ 'mother/ 'brother,* &o.,
pour lui. in the vocative case.

» See page 82, note «. " En vhitL

* MUctdy connaU-elle, ^' voiu seriez itonnie de voir
a See page 1, note i*. conibien it est expert dans ces
^ ' he wrote ;' use the indefinite choses-ld,

preterite 'he has written,* the ^"^ A dire vrai ; or, A vous dire le

time at which the fact took place vrai ; or, A vous parler vrai.

not being precisely stated, and ^ rien de plus vulgaire (or,

not being for distant; and see, be- better, commun) mie de /aire imr

sides, page 32, note^.—' last week* prirner; or, simply, {^est si com,"

la semaine demiire; la demiire mun.

«<mat9teisFrench, too, but it means ^^ sur des particuliersj or, sur

*tke last week* (of the month, or telle ou telle personne.

year, or &c.). » je leur assure une circvlatton

7 d propos des plumes de lady heaucoup plus itendue, en en don-

Frisure, ^ui avaientprisfeui nant conndentiellement des copies

? Benjamin, ricttez-nous cda, aux amis des parties intiressSe*.

['Copy/ of a

74 FRENCH PROSE

whfiiL^ favoured with this lad/s smiles, I mean to give
the public. [Pointing to Maria.

Crab, [To Maria.J 'Fore heaven,* ma'am, they'll im-
mortalize you ! — ^you will be handed down to posterity,*
like Petrarch's Laura,*^ or Waller's Sacharissa.

Sir Ben. [To Mama.] Yes, madam, I think you will
like them, when you shall see them on a beautiful quarto
page,^ where a neat rivulet of text shall meander through
a meadow of margin. 'Fore Grad, they will be the most
elegant things of their kind ! ^

Crab. But, ladies, that's true — [To Mbs. Candoue] —
have you heard ^ the news t

Mrs. Can. What, Sir, do you mean the report of —

Crab. No, ma'am, that's not it.* — Miss Nicely is going
to be married to her own footman.

Mrs. Can. Impossible ! *

Crab. Ask ^^ Sir Benjamin.

Sir Ben. 'Tis very true, ma'am : evety thing is fixed,
and the wedding liveries bespoke.^^

Crab. Yes — and they do say there were pressing reasons
for it.ia

— * Copy/ of a printed book or comme un pii/U ruuseau dans une

pampmet, or of an engraving, &c., large prairie. — Vive Dieu/ (&-

from a common type, is, in rrench, miliar) on n*aitra jamais rien w

exemplaire ; in tne ab6ye sense, dans ce genre de (page 9, note i<)

topie is the word used. plus iUgant (or, oh I ce sera ee

^ See page 29, note^. qu*il y aura de plus SlSganir-or,

' Par le del (familiEir). galani— en son genre ; or, m a more

* 'to be handed down to pos- emphatic and a not uncommon
terity,' passer (or, aller) d la pos- way, oh / ce sera la plus belle chose
tSriiS. du monde I)

* la Laure de PHrwrque. ' savez-vous.

' imprimSes en ararCd in-quarto ^ ce n*est pas cela; or, vous n*y

(abbreviated, tn-4) ; or, cums le ites point,

format ('size of a book') d^un ^ Cela ne se peut pas ; or, Alloju

magnifiaue inrquarto ; or, again, done / (fanriliar) or, agun. Pas

pentera agrSablement evJtre les noce; this expression si^iifies also,

prairies d!une marge blanche; or, in villages, * wedding favours, or

oil un joli ruisseau de texte courra ribbons.' — 'bespoke, commdwUe,

d travers V6tendue cPune double ei in this sense.
wuU marge; or, better, oil U texte ^' 'it,' ce mariag^.
serpeniera entre deux vastes m/n/rges,

COMPOSITION. 75

Lady Sneer. Why, I have heard somethiog of this
before.^

Mrs, Oan, It can't be,-*-aiid I wonder any one sbotdd
belieye such a story of eo prudent a lady as Miss Nicely.

Sir Ben, Lud ! ^ ma'am, that's the very reason *
'twas believed at once. She has always been eo cautious
and so reserved, that every body was sure there was some
reason for it at bottom.

Mrs, Can, Why, to be sure, a tale of seandal^ is as
fatal to the credit of a prudent lady of her stamp as a
fever is generally to those of the strongest constitutions.
But there is a sort of puny sickly reputation, that is
always ailing, yet will outlive the robuster characters ^ of
a hundred prudes.

Sir Ben, True,^ madam, there are valetudinarians in '^
reputation as well as ^ constitution, who, being conscious
of their weak part,^ avoid the ^^ least breath of air, and
supply their want of stamina by care and circumspection.^^

Mrs, Can, Well, but this may be all a mistake.^^ You
know, Sir Benjamin, very trifling circumstances often give
rise to tiie most injurious tales.

Crab, That they do, I'll be sworn, ma'am.^* Lud ! Mr.
Surface, pray is it true" that your uncle, Sir Oliver, is
coming home ? ^*

1 J" en avais dSjd eniendu quelqtte ^ Bepeat de, here.
chose (or, JSn effet, fen at eatendu ' cdtS.
parler). w jwq^av (lit., 'even to the ').

* Oh/ mon Dieu ^fiuniliar, bnt ^^ et supplSetU d force de eoins el
muoh used). We might also mj, de pricauUone d la santS gui leur
Eh mads. manaue. See page 56, note >.

* ffest justetnent pour cela; or, ^* 0«t, mats ce bruit peut rC avoir
voildjustement pourquoi, pas le moindre fondemevU,

* (Je gyCU y a de certain, t^eit ^ Cett vrai, madame, swr ma
qu*unmroposm6disamt, parole; or, Cest ^honneur vrai,

* Mais il est (or, ilif a) des (or, 7nadam£, This findliar expression,
de ces) rfjnUaiions chSiives et matin' ePhonneur, is elliptical for foi
gres (or, simply, maiadives) qui d^homms ^honneur ; sometimes we
soni toujoure soi/^j^^ramtes, et qui ce- mxpjpreBB eUipticaUy only the word
pendamt survivent (see page 45, f&i, and say ahomm^ d^konneur,
note ^) dla robuste renomnUe (or, et " eet-il vrai, dites-moi,

^* etmendant vont bien plus loin ^ soit en route pour revenir en

que cetUs) , A ngleterre 1 — ^We use soit (subjuno-

* Cett 9rcd, tive), and not est (indicative), be-
7 de, cause the first part of the propo*

76 FRENCH PROSE

Jos. Surf. Not that I know of, indeed, Sir.^

Orab, He has been in the East Indies a long time;
You can scarcely remember him, I believe 1 Sad comfort,
whenever he retums,^ to hear how your brother has gone
on ! ^

Jos, Surf, Charles has been imprudent, Sir, to be sure:;
but I hope no busy people have already prejudiced * Sir
Oliver against him. He may reform.

Sir Ben. To be sure he may : ^ for my part, I never
believed him to be so utterly void of principle as people
say; and, though he has lost all his Mends, I am told
nobody is better spoken of by the Jews.*

Grab. That's true, egad, nephew. If the Old Jewry was
a ward,^ I believe Charles would be an alderman : ^ no man

sition {est-il vrai) is interrogative, laid down by grammarians, on this

and a doubt is tnerefbre impied as subject, and used en for de nun ;

to the &ct. See page 5, note ^, but this breach of grammar is so

for a somewhat sioadiar use of the contrary to custom, that it should

subjunctive. not be imitated.

^ Non pea que je taehe, mon- ^ un quartier — (un des quartiers

sieur. de la cite de Loncures) ; or, better,

' A son retour, ee sera fort triste une section (or circonscription) mu-

2>our lui, nicipaXe.

^ voire frire (formally, we say, ^ There are no aldermen in

monnenr voire frire, as well as France: the nearest to them are

iMxdaTM votre mire, kc. &c.) ^est the eonseillers municipaux, an^

conduit (see page 18, note ^). * ward ' corresponds to arrondisse-

* fespire iowtefois qu*aucun rap- ment in Psris ; formerly we had the

porteur oMcieux n'a encore privenu quartiniers (for towns), and the

{or, qu*il ne £e*t poifU trouvS de tchevins {for communes). Somedio-

m4cliani — or, de malveUlant — em- tionaries (that unfortunately sell

pressi d privenir). largely), bearing a late date, though

^ II le peut, sans aucun doute. they are onl;^ reprints of old ones

^ on wassure que personne n*eH with all their munders and bji1A-

en m^lleureriputalion (or f en m^l- quated words, ^ve us the latter

leure odeur) aupris des (or, cheg les) obsolete words mstead of the for-

juifs; or, du mains ne parle-t-on mer, which are the only ones in

de lui (or, n'en parle-t-on) — see current use now. Translate hers

page 32, note ^—^avec Tumnewr simply by serait alderman; and

chez les juifs. This construction, remember that the indefinite artida

'to bespoken of,' is not allowed in (^a* or 'an'), which is used in

French. As to the pronoun en, it Ibiglish (as here), is not used in

is more commonly used when Frendi, before nouns which express

speaking of animals and things the titles, professions, trade, conn-

vaan of persons : in the latter case try, or any other attribute of the

we rather make use of de lui, subistantive antecedent. We mieht

(Pelle, cPeux, d^elles. Voltaire has however say here, more accuratdy,

still more deviated from ^e rule, perhaps, en serait raMermaru

COMPOSITION. 77

more popular there, 'fore Gad I I hear^ he pays as many
axmuities as the Irish ^ tontine ; and that, whenever he is
sick, they have ^ prayers for the recovery of his health in
all the synagogues.

Sir Ben, Yet no man lives in greater splendour.* They
tell me, when he entertains his friends he will sit down to
dinner with ^ a dozen of his own securities ; ^ have a score
of tradesmen waiting ^ in the antechamber, and an officer ^
behind every guest's chair.

Jos. Surf. This maybe entertainment to® you, gentle-
men, but you pay very little regard to the feelings ^^ of a
brother.

Mar. [Aside.'] Their malice is intolerable ! — [Alottd.'j
Lady Sneerwell, I must wish you a good morning ; I'm
not very well.^^ \Exit.

Mrs. Can. dear ! she changes colour very much.^*

Ladi/ Sneer. Do, Mrs. Candour, follow her : ^^ she may
want your assistance.

Mrs. Can. That I will, with all my soul,^* ma'am.
Poor dear girl, who knows what her situation may be !

[E/OSit.

Lady Sneer. 'Twas nothing but that she could not bear
to hear Charles reflected on,*^^ notwithstanding their
difference.

^fai erUendu dire (see page 1, pltu y tenir (or, Je n*y puis plut

note '). tenir) ; or, litersdly, Leur micnan-

* ePIrlande, ' on fait. cetS est intoUrahle l—^Haut.) Je

^ Et cependant^penonne ne mine vous demanderai la permission de

vn train de vie phts splendide. vons quitter, milady (it is considered

^ Jawais il ne donne d diner, more &niiliar than civil, in France,

dit'on, sans avoir d sa table, to address people by their name ;

^ de ses rSpondaTUs. and as to lH)njour * good morning '

^ wie vingtaine de crfanciers (in —or, je vous souhaite le bonjour, it

^toB sense — ' creditors ') ; leave out is also fiemiiliar) ; je ne me sens pas

'have/ already used just above, in hien.

French, and also 'waiting,' vMch ^' mon Dieul avez-vous vu

is not necessary to the sense. comm>e elle a chang( de couleur t

^ ojfficier de justice, i. e., huissier, ^' *do,* here, je vous en prie,

(and recors), in this sense — ' bailiff' and at the end of the sentence ; or,

(and follower). * pour. better, Veuillez la suivre, mistress

^ mais vous mtnagez hien peu (Engluih) — or madams (French)

(or, mais vous aves hien peu dSigard Candeur.

pour) la sensihUitS, ^^ Simply, De tout man eoeur.

" {A part.) Je nepevx (or puis) "^ See above, note ', page 76.

78 FRENCH PROSE

Sir Ben, The young lady's pendumt is obvious.

Crctb, But, Benjamin, you must not give up the pursuit
for that: follow her, and put her into good humour.
Repeat her some of your own verses. Come, I'll assist
you.

Sir Ben, Mr. Sur&ce, I did not mean to hurt you; but
depend on't ^ your brother is utterly imdone.^

Crab, Lud, ay ! undone as ever man waa-^can^t raise'
a guinea!

Sir Ben, And everything sold, I'm told, that was mov-
able.*

Crab. I have seen one that was at his house.^ Not a
thing left ^ but some empty bottles that were overlooked,^
and the &mily pictures, which I believe are filmed in the
wainscots.

Sir Befn, And I'm very sorry also to hear some bad
stories against him.' \Qoing,^

Crab. Oh ! he has done many mean things, that's certain.

Sir Ben. But, however, as he's ^® your brother —

\G(nng,

Crab. We'U tell you more another opportunity.^^

[Exeunt Cbabtreb and Sir Bsnjaaon.

Lady Sneer, Ha ! ha ! 'tis very hard for them to leave
a subject they have not quite run down.^^

Jos. Surf. And I believe the abuse was no more accept-
able to your ladyship than ^' Maria.

Lady Sneer. I doubt her affections are &rther engaged

* See page 18, note ^. jsropot pen flaOeun ; or, En ombre,

* est ufi honvme periM ; or, bet- xl cowrt tur «m» eompU certains {or,
ter, est oomplitement rudnS, de certains) brtUts qui fnefmUbeau-

' Hilas oui J {oTfParhleu J) perdu coup de peine. .
sans ressou/rces {or, aussi ruinequ*on ^ Hva pour sorHr.
pewt ritre), — H ne pourrait enif ^ See above^ page 72, note u.
prunter (or, trouver d emprunler). ^^ Nous vous oonterons tout ceUt

* Eton prftend que tous ses ^ets une autrefois.

mobiliers sont vendue, ^s il est cruel poureux (or, il leur

chez lui (chez means 'at^in, en co^) d^ahwndowner un sujet

or to^the dwelling of). avani de V avoir Spuisi (or, eouU d

^ II rCy rests absolument rien. fond}.

^ auxqaeUes on rCa pas fait eUr ^ Etje erois que (page 1, note ^)

tewtion. See page 9, note ^. lewrspropos midisanls ont dSplud

^ En outre, fai OS fAchS cPen- milady tout autant qu*d.
tendre tenir sur son compte des

COMPOSITION. r9

than we imagine.^ But the family are^ to he here this
eyening, so you may as well dine where you are,^ and we
shall have an opportunity of observing £uther:^ in the
meantime, 1*11 go and plot mischief, and you shall study
sentiment.^ [Exeunt,

BYRON TO THOS. MOOBE.

[-4 familiar Letter,]

August 12, 1814.

I was not alone, nor will be while I can help it* New-
stead is not yet decided. Claughton is to make ^ a grand
effort ^ by Saturday week to complete,^ — if not, he must
give up twenty-five thousand pounds and the estate, with
ezpenses,^^ &c. &a If I resume the Abbaoy,^^ you shall
have due notice, and a cell set apart for your reception,'^*
with a pious welcome. Hogers I have not seen,^^ but
Larry and Jacky came out a few days ago.^^ Of their
effect I know nothing.^^

I Je erains bien qy^dle ne (page ^ The student may translate

27, XM>te ^) FaifM plus {or, qu'dU here literally, or use the idiomatic

n*ait engagi tet ejection* pliu avajit) and familiar expression donner un>

OMA ntout ne (page 90> note u) {grand, or hon, here — 'grand/ in

Timaginont. the text) coup de eoUier, which,

* &e page 41, note B; and ob- howeyer, alvrays means, or implies,
serve that ' I am,' 'thou art,' &o., a new effort.

followed by another verb in the ' (J^n, d!avoir termini tamedi

infinitive, in the sense which it has i e., termini U eowtraJb — or, more

here, is rendered into French by exactlji^still, la pastcUion du con-

tha verb devoir. trai — cFa>cauitition, 'completed the

' vous ferez done Unit au8»i hien purchase ').

de diner oil votu Hes; or, dinez avee ^^ iinon, U renonee d la pro^

moi, puiwtie votu itee tout portS. priiU, et conseni en outre d payer

* ae ptut prit; or, avee plue laeomTM de , . , die,, pltu Uifrait,
^atUwbion, ^ VAlhaHal.

^ je vai* eomploter de nouvelles ^ je vout en dcwnerai avit eomme

malices, et vous npasseres voire rdle il convieni j et je vous prom^ en

senHm^ital, mime temps une cellule riservie

* Je n'itais point (p. 71, note *') pour vous,

seul, et je ne le serai pas (p. 15, ^ As we have repeatedly seen

note ', and p. 31, note ^) tant que before, this construction is not

je pourrai javre autrement (or, etje allowed in French.

neie serai gu*autant queje Tie pour- ^* * came out,' oid paru ;

tax — ^p. 48^ note ^*— /atr« autre- ' ago,' see page 17, note ^
meini), — 'Newstead,' V affaire de w See above, note ". — 'thel
N^, f See note «. effect ; * C^et quHls (or, que a

their
ces

80 FRENCH PROSE

There is somethiDg very amusing in your being an
Edinburgh Reviewer.^ You know, I suppose, that Thur-
low * is none of the placidest, and may possibly enact ^
some tragedy on being told that he is only a fool.^ If,
now,* Jeffirey were to be ^ slain on account of an article of
yours,® there would be a fine conclusion.^ For my part, as
Mrs. Winifred Jenkins says,^ ' he has done the handsome
thing by me,* * particularly in his last number ; so, he is
the best of men^^ and the ablest of critics, and I won't

%criU) aurontproduit (or, ont ^u understood as it ought to be,
produire). Toe future, or its except by natives. See the lA
compound {aurotU produit, here) is Fontai17E, page 128, note ^, and
often used in French, instead of page 131, line 19.
the present indicative, or its com- ^ daint PidSe que votu Hes, vous,
pound (oTi^ produit), to imply a un des ridadeurs de la Revue
conjecture, instead of setting forth d^JEdimbourg. See page 21, note
an affirmation, with r^^d to the i, and page 87, note h.
existence of a fact ; in the same ^ et %l pourrait bien exScvJter (or,
way^that the conditional {auraierU jouer). When we pass from af-
pi^duit — ^to take the same verb firmation to negation, and vice
as an example) is used, also, versA, a pronoun is necessanr
for the indicative, to imply only before the second verb, although
a conditional belief. See page 147, the noun or pronoun which is the
note ^^. This is one of the many subject of both verbs has been ex-
niceties of the French language pressed before the first,
which are extremely difficult to ^ en t'entendanl dire qu*il iCest
foreigners, and it is therefore well qu*un im^cile (or, sot) ; or, en
worth dwelling upon once for all. rentendant (or, te voyarU) traiter
If we said here, qu'iU ont produit, de pur iinhicile. See page 68,
we might affinn, perhaps, more note '.
than hsA actually taken place — ^ Or, si,
more, at least, than is positively ^ cUlait itre.
known or professed to be known. ' Translate as if the English
Let us now choose an example were ' one of Your articles.' The
of the conditional so used : — construction m the text is not
''D'aprbs les avis que nous re- French: thus we say, un de mes
oevons de Trieste, des troubles amis, * a friend of mine ;* some-
auraient eu (not ont eu) lieu," &c. ; times, also, &miliarly, un mien
— ^that is, ... ' have token place ' ami, or, cousin, &o. See the La
(' are said to have,' &c.), but this Fontainb, page 52, note *.
&ct to be credited only so far as ^ dinoHment (or, difucmemenJC), —
l^e inteJHgence {les avis) which masc. ; or, catagtrK^he, — fem. ; in
has been received is itself worth this sense,
belief. The latter kind of phrase <* See page 3, note \
is veiy frequently to be found in ^ U en a bien usi (or, il a bien
French newspapers, but is seldom agi) avec moi, ^^ See p. 72, n. i*.

* A critioue on Lord ThurloVs poems had recently appeared in the
Edinburgh Keview.

COMPOSITION. 81

hftrve him killed ^ — ^though I dare say many wish he were,
for being so good-humoured.*

Before I left ^ Hastings I got in a passion with an ink-
bottle, which I flung out of the window one night with
a vengeance;* — and what then) Why,* next mcming
I was horrified by seeing that it had struck, aad split
upon,^ the petticoat of Euterpe's graren '^ image in the
garden, and grimed her as if it were on purpose.® Only
tiiink ^ of my distress, — and ^^ the epigrams that might be
engendered ^^ on the Muse amd her misadyenture.^*

I had an adventure almost as ridiculous, at some private
theatricals near Cambridge — ^though of a different descrip-
tion — since I saw you last.*^ I quarrelled with a man in
the dark for asking me ^* who I was (insolently enough to
be sure)/* and followed him into the green-room (a stMeY^
in a rage,^'^ amongst a set ^® of people I never saw before.^^
He turned out to be a low comedian,*^ engaged to act with
the amateurs, and to be a civil-spoken man enough,^^ when

^ etje ne veuxpas qu'on letue; — together — ^indeed being so doselj

' have one killea,' or, &c. is not a conaeoted together as they are —

French construction. the repetition of the preposition,

' coTitrairementf tant douJUf d (or, in French, as well as in English,

av coTitraire, saris doute, de) oon would be a breach of the logical

nambre de gens, qui le voudraient rules of language.
lien (or, qui ne d^manderaient pas ^' Depuis la demiire fois que je

tre une bouteille d^encre, quejejetai cP amateurs), . . . &o., quoique d^un

(or, lan^od) molemment par la fe- autre genre,

nitre. ^ ^* sur ce quHl tne demandait. See

^ £t puisf .... Vcild done que page 55, note ^.

(or, simply. Eh hien,). ^ asgwriTnent; or, mafoi,

^ frappi (or, donni) en se hrisant ^^ (curie (for horses, asses, and

centre. mules) ; — itable is for cattle.

' sculptie. 1' See page 3, note ^.

^ et barbouilU eette demiire "^ une rSunion; or, un tas —

comme d dessein, familiar.

* Jvgez un peu; — un peu oorre- '* Use the pluperfect tense here,

sponds also to 'just,' thus used in ^ Use trouva itre (or, II se trouva

familiar oonyersation. — ^impersonal — que ifitait) un car

*® See page 8, note \ IwUn.

^ Use on, here— page 8, note ^ ; ^ etse monira assez civil (or, poli

'to engender,' here, produire. — honnite) dans son parler ; — or, Je

^ See page 49. note K Here, reconnus hientAt que favais affaire

the two nouns oeing considered d un cahotin, , . . &c., el d un

O

82 FRENCH PROSE

he found out that nothing very pleasant was to be got^
by rudeness. But you would haye been amused with the ^
row, and the dialogue, and the dress — or rather the un-
dress ^— of the party,* where I had introduced myself in
a devil of a hurry,^ and the astonishment that ensued.
I had gone out of the theatre, for coolness,^ into the gar-
den; — ^there I had tumbled over '^ some dogs, and, coming
away from them^ in very ill humour, encountered^ the
man in a worse,^^ which ^^ produced all this confusion.

Well — and why don't you 'launch?' Now is your
time. 12 The people ^^ are tolerably tired with me, and not
very much enamoured with Wordsworth, who has just
spawned a quarto ^^ of metaphysical blank verBe,^^ which is
nevertheless only a part of a poem.

Let me hear from and of you and^^ my godson. If
a 1^ daughter, the name will do ^^ quite as well

Ever, &oP

homme au parler astez civil (or, ffou. Construct, in French, thus,

poli—honnete). '^ had gone from the theatre into

* du moment (or, dh) qtCil vii (or, ^^ garden for ooolnesB.'

^aper^)qu*il7Cyavaitpa»grandt ^ f&ait Umbi en me kewrtant

chase h gngner, coTitre.

' Maie voue euasiez (or, avriez) ^ et, en m*en (see page 76, note

Men rif et du, — eiusiez ; another ') fhiffnant. 9 gee p. 81, n. '.

form of the conditional of avoir, ^ de plus mawvadse humeur ct^

peculiar to that verb, as Je fusse, core.

&c., is to that of Hre. J*eusse, ko,, ^^ See page 8, note >. We might

▼erbs, is also ele^^antlymade use of ^ Ah gd, nutis jxmrquoi ne wnu

instead of the imperfect tense of lancez-vous done pas t &est main-

the indicative, either with ti ('if'), tenant powr vous le hon moment.
or in eUi|>tical phrases wherein that ^ Le public. See page 41, note 8.
conjunction is suppressed. See ^^ ^e0u«^(whidh is somewhat more

p. 24, note \ and p. 29, note u. 'pmnteaihsaiqui)vietUcPenffendrer

It may be added, that this form is un (or, d^accoueher iPun) in-aud/rto,

only used together with a past The verb frayer, which Is tlie

participle, and never by itself, as a proper word for 'to spawn,' would

simple tense. not do here.

^ et de rkahillement — ou phOtt "^ Plural, in French.
du dishorn — . ^ compagnie. ^^ J^crivez-m^pourmsdonnerde

* ahuri en diable eomme je FHais, vos nouvelles et de celles de,

• pour prendre lefrais; or, poua- ^^ gee p. 29, n. '^, "^ ira,
prendre Irair; or, potir respirer le ^ Croyez-^noi hien toujowrs, itc

COMPOSITION. 83

THE LAST MEETING! OF WAVERLEY AND

FERGUS MAC-IVOR.

An officer now appeared, and intimated that the High
Sheri£f^ and his attendants waited before the gates of ihe
castle, to claim the bodies^ of Fergus Mac-Ivor and Evan
Maccombich : " I come/'^ said Fergus. Accordingly, sup-
porting Edward by the arm,^ and followed by Evan Dhu
and the priest, he moved down ^ the stairs of the tower,
the soldiers bringing up the rear J The court was occupied
by a squadron of dragoons and® a battalion of in&ntry,
drawn up in a hollow square.^ Within their ranks was the
sledge, or hurdle, on which the prisoners were to be
drawn ^^ to the place of execution, about a mile distant ^^
from Carlisle. It was painted blcMk^^ and drawn by^^ a
white horse. At one end of the vehicle sat^^ the exe-
cutioner, a horrid-looking fellow, as beseemed his trade,^^
with the broad axe in his hand ;^^ at the other end, next

^ entrewbe. the logic of ]a&gua^, which is not

* grand shirif, — ^to make this gener^j observed in Rnglish ; and
Frencih as much as possible. this, together with many other

s pertowMt, such neglects, accounts for the

* J*y vait. great obscurity which pervades
donnant le hreu d Bdouard. the works of even the best English
^ il descendit, writers. — See again page 8, note
^ puis det ioldals qui femiaietU \ and page 49, note °

la marcke. CSonstruct so, in • fomi en carrS.

French: — '. . . by the arm, he i* 'were to be;' see page 79,

moved down ..., &c., followed by note '. — 'to draw,' here, con-

. . . ., and the solctiers,' &o. dwire.

^ Here it is necessary to repeat ^^ d environ un mille.

the i^eposition, if we wish to esta- ^* en noir.

.blish in our expressions that con- ^ atteU de.

nexion which exists in our ideas : ^^ 'vehicle,' voUure ; see page

here, 'battaJion' and 'drawn up' 66. note '.~-'sat,' ^taii auii.

are more closely connected t<^- ^'^ homme hideux com/me ton emr

ther than 'squadron' and 'batta- pUd.

lion ' are with each other. If. on ^ et tenant ta hache d la main

the contrary, 'squadron' and 'bat- (page 27, note '). The closest

talion' were considered together, connexion of ideas (as recom-

and 'drawn up' related to both (in- mended at page 8, note ^^) is not

stead of to the last only, as here), observed in the English construo-

the preposition should not be re- tion of the above sentence ; mend

peated. This is a common rule in that construction in the French.

G 2

84 FRENCH PROSE

the horse,^ was an empty seat for two persons. Through
the deep and dark gothic archway, that opened on the
drawbridge, were seen^ on horseback the High Sheriff
and his attendants, whom the etiquette betwixt the civil
and military powers^ did not permit^ to come &rther.
*' This is well got up for a closing scene," ^ said Fergus,
smiling disdaLodfully as he gazed around upon ^ the appa-
ratus of terror. Evan Dhu exclaimed with some eagerness,
after looking at the dragoons, '' These are the very chields
that galloped off at Gladsmuir, before we could kill a dozen
of them. They look bold enough now, however." "^ The
priest entreated him to be silent.

The sledge now approached, and Fergus, turning roimd,
embraced Waverley, kissed him on each side of the face,
and stepped nimbly into his place.^ Evan sat down by ^
his side. The priest was to follow in a carriage belonging
to his patron, the catholic gentleman at whose house ^^
Flora resided. As Fergus waved his hand ^^ to Edward,
the ranks closed around ^^ the sledge, and the whole pro-
cession began to move forward. ^^ There was a momentary
stop ^* at the gateway, while the governor of the castle
and the High Sheriff went through ^^ a short ceremony,
the military officer there delivering over the persons of
the criminals to^* the civil power. " God save ^^ King

* sur le devant. * J?*—, apris avoir embrassS W —

* A travers le tomhre wrceango- 9ur chaque joue, y tivoida, i£unpas
thtqtte qui iouvrait sotu le pont' leste.

Um, on apercevait. » d,

' qui tepure le pouvoir civil et ^(^ ' gentleman ;' see p. 46, note

VaiUoriti mUitaire. ^, — ' at whose house ;' p. 78, n. '.

* 'whom . . . permit 'fPermettre ^^ Au moment oH (or, que) F —
goyems the dative, in french as faisait un si^ne de la TMiin.

well as in Latin. ^^ lea solaats entourirent. — '/at-

^ Voildqui est Men disposS (or, sait;* * ent(mrirent/ — see again

Men monti) pour une ecine de dS- pe^ 1, note ^, and page 55, note ^.

no/Omeni, ^ etle corUae ee mit en march>e»

'to gaze round upon;' simply, ^^ On JU h,aJxe quelques instants,

regarder. — 'the ;' cet, here. ^^^ ' to go through, ^ ^^^ senae,

7 Voild ces braves dragons, accomplir,
/Scria vivem^iU E — D — , qui go- ^' powr mie Vofficier militaire
lopaient si vite d Q — , avant que fit en cet enaroit la remise des con-
nous en eussions tuS seuXemewt une damnis entre les mains de,
douza/ine; ils ont Cairassez vail- ^' Vive/ — 'king,' &c., seepage
lafU aujofwr^Kui, 4, note i, page 18, note ^i, &c.

COMPOSITION* 85

George !" said the High Sheriff. When the formality con-
cluded,^ Fergus stood erect in^ the sledge, and, with a
firm and steady voice, replied, " God save King James !"
These ^ were the last woids ^ which Waverley heard him
speak.^

The procession resumed its^ march, and the sledge
vanished from beneath the portal, under which it had
stopped for an instant. The dead-march was then heard,
and its melancholy sounds were mingled with those of a
muffled peal, tolled from the neighbouring cathedral^ The
sound ^ of the military music died away as^ the procession
moved on ; the sullen clang of the bells was soon heard to
sound alone. ^^ — (Waltbb Scott, Waverley,)

A FEW WORDS OF ADVICE TO YOUNG PEOPLE.

The great ^^ source of independence, the French express
in a precept of three words,-^ ** Vivre de peu/^ which ^^ I
have always admired. " To live upon little,^* is the great
security ^* against slavery ; and this precept ^extends to
dress and other things besides food and drink. When
Doctor ^^ Johnson wrote his Dictionary, he put in the word
pensioner thus ;^^ " Pbnsioneb. A slave of state" After this

^ fui ierminie; the verb ter- deer^.
miner {or,^nir) is always used in ^ bruit,
t2tis sense : thus, 'to condude a * ^iloiana d mesure que,
letter/ ter»iner une leUre, ^^ tt Iftewldt on n^entendit plus

^ te leva tur. que le eon milanoolique dee cloches.

' Ce, 11 principaie,

* See page 28, note >. ^ m rftume dans ces trois mots
' lui entendit prononcer ; or, en- (p. 28, n. ') du prfceptefran^ais.

tenditprononcerdsonami. Notice ^ prieepte que. The repetition

here, that the neuter verb parler of the word pricepte is here neoes-

(to speak) is never used actively in sary, according to the rule given

French, as it is in English. page 10, note ». See, besides, page

• se remit en. 27. note *.

^ la marehe de la mort se jU en- i* garantie (or, sauvegcarde—pro'

tendre, et d ses sons lugubres se t^tion) par excellence,

mitirent l«s tintements sourds des ^'^ See page i, note ^.

c/oeAe* de la cathidrale, eouvertes ^^ U y expliqua ainsi, . . . ko.

96 FRENCH PROSE

be himself became^ a pentUmer ! And thus, agreeably to
his own definition, he lived and died *^ a slave of state I "
What must this man of great genius and of g»»t industry
too, have felt at receiving ^ this pension 1 Could he be so
callous as ^ not to feel a pang upon * seeing his own name
placed before his own degrading definition 9 And, what
could induce him to submit to this 9 His wants, his arti-
ficial wants, his habit of indulging in^ the pleasures of
the table ; his disregard of the precept, " Vivre de pevJ^
This^ was the 'cause; and, be it observed, that^ indul-
gences of this surt,^ while they tend to make ^ men poor
and expose them to commit mean acts, tend also to en-
feeble the body, and, more especially, to cloud and to

weaken the mind.

*****

In your manThera be neither boorish nor blunt, but
even these ^® are preferable to simpering and crawling. ^^ I
wish ^^ every English youth could see those of the United
States of America, always civU, never servile. Be obedient,
where obedience is due ; for, it is no act of meanness, and
no indication of want of spirit,^^ to yield implicit and ready

* * ASter ^JinSf Mait vcur la tuite, cider — de ne pas risister — de se
— ^This constructioii, 'ne himself/ laisser erUrainer, or cUler, — &c., as
is not allowed in French ; translate above — atuc) penchaiUi de ceUe
as if the English were, * he became nature.

himself. * — * a pensioner ; ' see page * ' they/ elle — ( * Vht^yUvde ' ) —

76, note*. the verb in the singular. — 'to

* Sprouver (or, ressentirf — which make ; * in this sense, see page 35,
verb is more expressive than terUir) note ^. ^o ces difauts.

d recevoir.—Qee-p. 175, n. ^^. ^^ d ceux de Umjours avoir sur let

' ' so . . . as/ when they thus Uvrea un niais saurire de oommande

come before a verb, are rendered (or, de eourire avec affSterie d Unit

into French hyassez . . . pour. See bout de champ — d chaque bout de

page 1, note W; vet, «... oue is champ; familiar — or, d tauipropoe)

as to believe it.' latter word is familiar.

* un saiiitsem^jU en, ^* Je voudrait (conditional) que;

^ de iahandonner (or, iadonn&r — ^followed by the imperfect sub>

— «« livrer — se laisser oiler) d. junctive . (of pouvoir, here) : same

' Telle en ; — ' en,* ' of it.' rule as, though different case from,

' etfoUsons-le observer; leave out note & of page 22.

' that ' in the translation. ^ coeur — caractire—fiertS ; in this

^ ^habitude de suivre les (or, de sense.

COMPOSITION. 87

obedienoe to ^ those who have a right ^ to demand it at
your hands.^ lu this respect England has been, and, I
hope, always will be, an * example to the whole world.^
To this habit of willing ® and prompt obedience in appren-
tiees, in servants, in all inferiors in station/ she owes, in a
great measure,^ her multitudes of matchless merchants,
tradesmen, and workmen of every description, and also the
achievements ^ of her armies and navies. It is ^^ no dis-
grace, but the contrary,^^ to obey, cheerfully, lawful and
jnst commands.^^ None are so saucy and disobedient as
slaves ; ^® and, when you come ^* to read historyi you will
find that in proportion as nations have been^e^ has been
their reverence for the laws.^^ But there is a wide
difference between lawful and cheerful obedience, and that
servility which represents people ^^ as laying petitions " at
the hm^ifeety^ which makes us imagine that we behold ^^
the supplicants actually crawling upon their bellies.^^
There is something so abject in this expression ; there is

* dtf (or (jw de — ' que,* toother See p. 25, n, ^7. lo /i ^'y a.
with ' ae/ m such a cajse as tms, is ^ ' but/ &o. ; bien (or, tmit) au
more forcible and graceful than contraire,

'de* only, which is grammatical " The verb oWtV governs the

enough) morUrer une soumission dative (prep, d here).

impltcite et prompte envers. ^ Let eeclavet eont, de tout let

' le droU; or, merely, droit: hommet, letplut . . . &c., etletplut

'right' being used here in a de- ... &o.

finite sense, we cannot use, in ^* See page 52, note ' ; and use d

French, the indefinite, but must before the next verb, here,

use Hie definite, article— if we use ^' que le retpect det hit chez let

any at all ; see for a simBar case, peuptet a Sti arand d proportion

pace 31, note '. qu*%lt ord M lihret ; or, que plus let

* Simply, de Vexiger de wut. ncUioiuontStS lihret, pltuleur retpect

* * been '....,' will be ' . . . , pour let hit a iti grand (see page
'an ; ' tend .... tervira , . . , de. 90, note ') ; or, more quaintly, and

' monde eritier; — tout le monde not so common, ^^im tibres ont itS

is more commonlv used in the . . . &o.. plus grand a (tS , . . &c.

sense of ' every bo^.' We inight also say, que le retpect

^ tpontanSe. Construct, in det loit cheM letpeuplet a StS en pro-

Frenoh, as if the English were, ' It portion de la lioerU de ceux-ci,

is to this habit i . . &c., that she ^' let aent;^peuple only means

owes,' &c. * people in the sense of a 'nation '

7 tout let infSrieurt envert leurt {populut, in Latin).

mpfrieurt. " A full stop, after 'king's feet.'

° en grande partie. See page On t^imagine voir,

34, note ^. ^ potitivement te trainer tur le

In this sense, exphitt—hautt venire; or, simply, potitivement d

faiU^aitt (or, beaux faitt) d^armet. plat ventre (or, ventre d terre).

88 FR£NCH PROSE

such horrible self-abasement in it,^ that I do hope,^ that
every youth, who shall read this, will hold in detestation^
the reptiles who make use of it. In all other coimtries,
the lowest individual can put ^ a petition into the hands of
the chief magistrate, be he ^ king or emperor : let us hope,
that the time will yet come when ^ Englishmen will be
able to do the same J In the meantime ^ I beg you to
despise these worse ^ than pagan parasites.

Ferseveranee is a prime quality in every pursuit. Yours
is, too, the time of life to acquire ^^ this inestimable habit.
Men Mi much oftener from want ^^ of perseverance than
from want of talent and of good disposition : as ^^ the race
was not to the hare but to the tortoise ; so the meed of
success in study is not to ^® him ^* who is in haste,^* but to
him who proceeds with a steady and even ^^ step. It is

1 'self-abasement,' ahaiuemeni page 8, note '. Autti him, thus

(or, hundliaiion) volontaire, used, without mte, serves to ae>

Change the construction here. count in several ways for a pre-

* respire Men ; — see page 40, note ceding proposition. It corresponds,
^. We have more ways than one, according to the case, to 'as,' 'for
however, according to the case, of indeed,' 'themoresoas,' 'after all,'
rendering the emphasis of 'do,' 'besides,' 'too,' as used here in
thus used in English; with an impe- the text, &c. It here accounts,
rative we should use e^oTic, or ^ewiM though somewhat indirectly, for
jyrie (or, enprie):eji.,go4tez done 'perseverance' being thus parti-
es cep&U (do taste this pie); &;c. cularly recommend^ to young
See page 7/, note '^. people. It may also be observed

' fCwwront que de Vexicration that this expression often takes

;powr; — ditestation is hardly used elegantly affcer it the interrogative

m French, except as a religious form, as well as those mentioned

term. page 82, note *,

* remettre, * quHl soit, " Simply, /d«rf« (or, par manque),

* espSrons done qvHun temps ^' *&&, de mime que ; . . . 'so,'
viendra nianmoiiis, oH (or, que — dem4me, or, ainsi. — 'the race was
see p. 18, n. ^). 7 en /aire auiant, not to,' U prix de la course fui

■ JSn attendard; or, Jusque-ld. remporiS^ nonpar.

* defaire mains de cos encore de ^^ revient, non d.

eet Hres-ld {Hre is often so used, " * him,' here, ce/wi. When the

in French, as a term of contempt, personal pronouns 'he,' ' she,' &o.,

and, sometimes also, as an expres- are the antecedents of a relative

sion of anger). We might also pronoun, \hej are expressed, not

translate by, de m^ttre ces Hres-ld by il, elle, &c., but by celui, celle,

avrdessous ae ; leaving out 'than.' &o. " sepresse.

^® Auss-i Hen est-ce d voire dge que ^' ferme (or, «4lr) et igcd (or, ««•'-

iaequiert. See page 8, note ^', and forme — rigulier).

COMPOSITION. 89

not to a want ^ of taste or of desire or of disposition to
learn ^ that we haye to^ ascribe the rareness of good
scholars, so much as to the want of patient perseverance.'^

William Cobbett.

POPE TO WYCHERLEY.

When I write to you, I foresee a long letter, and ought^
to beg your patience beforehand ; for if it prove ^ the
longest, it will be of course the worst ^ I have troubled
you with.^ Yet to express my gratitude at large for your
obliging letter is not more my duty than my interest ; ^ as
some people will ^^ abundantly thank you ^^ for one piece of

1 fMmque; or, d^fwiU. See also the one mentioned, p. 6,

> du disir c^apprejidre ou de note^', and in the La Fokimins,
ditpotitions. The definite article paee 93, note ^.

is here used before ditir, because ^ See page 31, note \
this noun is taken in a particular 6 car ti cette lettre-ci (or, la pri-
definite sense. Observe, besides, s^nie letire— or, substantively, la
that, were the word-for-word trans- prfsenU) se trouve itre.
lation of this English phrase strictly 7 'the worst,' — 'letter' under-
good French, yet it would require stood ; see page 72, note ^8.
some change in the construction — 8 See page 1, note^*. — *to trouble,*
supposing this could be managed here, importuner. See, besides,
instead of having to use another page 13, note^ : but we may use
tun) altogether, — as dStir requires here the compound of tiie future,
the preposition de after it, and as well.

disposition the preposition d. This 9 Toutefois, il n*est pcLS moins de

case is connected with the one mon inUrit que de mon devoir de

commented upon at pnge 12, note wms exprimer au long (or, toiU au

^•; and the rule given there is loTig) ma reconnaissance de voire

applicable to substantives, and also leUre chligeaiUe (or, de voire bonne

to adjectives, as well as to verbs. leUre),

> qu'il nous f aid, lo 'some people,' ceriaines gens;
* ' patient perseverance ;' see see page 87, note i«. The substan-

page 26, note *. — Construct this tive gens requires adjectives, &c.,

sentence so, in French (page 8, prec^iing it to be feminine, and

note W) : — ' It is not so much to a those foUowing masculine. This

wantof taste . .&c., as to the want i^e has somewhat complicated

of . . . &o., that we have . . . exceptions. See p. 268, n. ^ : also

Bcholars.'— On this subject, the the^LA Fontatne, p. 62, n. », and

French have two proverbs which p. 13^, n. 8. — * will : ' see p. 45, n *.

run thus, "Ia trop grande hAte u n(ms, here, will not be ambi-

est cause du retardement," and, guous ; votuwouldbeso.-— -'tothanJc

" Qui trop se h&te reste en chemin aibundantly,' remercier tani ei plus t

(or, en beau chemin se fourvoie)." or, /aire mille remerctments.

90 FRENCH PROSE

kindness,^ to put you in mind of ^ bestowing another, llie
more &vourable you axe to me, the more distinctly I see
my fistults.^ Spots and blemishes, you know, are never so
plainly discovered as in the brightest sunshine.^ Thus I
am fortified by those ^ commendations which were designed
to encourage me : for praise to a young wit is like ^ ndn
to a tender flower ; if it be moderately bestowed, it cheers
and revives ; ^ but if too lavishly,^ overcharges ® and de-
presses him. Most men in years, as they are general dis-
couragers of youth,i<* are like old trees, that, being past
bearing themselves,^^ will suffer no yoimg plants to flourish
beneath them,^^ but, as if it were not enough to have out-
done all your coevals in wit,^^ you will excel them in good-
nature too. As for my green essay s,^^ if you find any pleasure
in them,^^ it must be such as a man ^^ naturally t&kes in ob-
serving the first shoots and ^^ buddings of a tree which he
has raised himself; and it is impossible they should be

^ 'for/ de, here, as at note ^ of talent (or, un Jeune atUeur qui

the preceding page. — * a piece of promet— -or, un bel-esprit en herh&^

kindness;' simply, une bonU (or, or, simply, un jeune homme cPitUel-

une faveur), just as we say une ligence) ce qu*est. The word bd-

tm;>nu2enc0 (an act of impnidenoe), esprit, however, is now generally

&c. &c. taken in a bad sense.

* p<nir nous /aire songer d^ ^ A personal pronoun, governed

s No artide is used, in French, by several verbs, must not only be

with plus, or, moiTis, repeated, placed before the first, in French,

Besides, in sudi a case, the follow- but be repeated before each of

ing is the order usually observed in them. " See page 29, note ".

the words : — ^Ist plus, or moins ; ^ See page 23, note ^.

2nd, the nominative of the verb ; ^^ La plupart des hom/mes ^Age

3rd, the verb ; 4th, the regimen of (or, des gens AgU), dicourageant

the verb (whether an adjective or a (or, rebiUant) lajeujiesse, comme ils

substantive) ; the rest as in Eng- lefont gSn^ralement,

lish (see p. 49, note ^, and p. 87, "^ ayant eux-miines cessi de porter

note ^'^). Bear in mind, too, that des fruits ; or, ne portant ptus de

' to me ' must, according to another fruits eux-mSmes ; or, simply, itant

rule, precede the verb, in French ; ettx-mSTnes hors ddge de porter,

and, as to the proper place of the ^ See p. 24, n. *>.

adverb, when any, as here, see " See p. 22, n. i, and p. 8, n. w.

page 19, note *'. — ' my faults ;* par "^^ premiers essads ; or, essais de

oHJe piehe, so as to avoid a repe- novice,

tition, for there is only one word, i* * in then! ;' y, here, before the

in French, for 'fiiult' and 'blem- verb,

ish,* in this sense. ^' ce (see p. 72, note ^) doit (tre

^ en plein soleil, un plaisir du genre de celui gu'on.

' les mimes, " Repeat the article and nu-

^ esi d un jeune fcriva/in d$ meraL

COMPOSITION. 91

esteemed any otherwise ^ than as we value fruits for being
early, which ^ nevertheless are the most insipid, and the
worst of the year. In a word, I hate compliment, which
is, at best,^ but the smoke of friendship. I neither write
nor converse with you to gain your praise, but your
affection. Be so much my friend as^ to appear my
enemy, and to tell me my faults, if not as ^ a young man,
at least as an inexperienced writer.

THE DEATH OF BAYARD. (a.d. 1524.)

At the beginning of the charge, Bonnivet, while exerting
himself with much ^ valour, was wounded so dangerously,
as obliged him to quit the field ; '^ and the conduct of the
rear was committed to the Chevalier Bayard, who, though
so much a stranger to the arts of a court ^ that he never
rose to the chief command, was always called, in times of
real danger, to the posts of greatest difficulty and impor-
tance. He put himself at the head of the men at arms,^
and animating them by his presence and example to sus-
tain the whole shock of the enemy's troops,^^ he gained
time for the rest of his countrymen to make good their
retreat. ^^ But in this service ^^ he received a wound which
he immediately perceived to be mortal, ^^ and being unable

^ Simply, autrement. *• cette action.

• d cause de leur prScociti, des ^ 'perceived,' serUit. — See page
fruits qui; see p. lO, note *. — 7, note *. — ^The student is particu-

'nerertheless/ &c. ; seep. 34, n.H larly cautioned against using a

> tovJtauplus, construction which he will ooca-
4 'so much' . . . ' as,' oMez . . . sionally find even in good authors,

powr, — ^the same turn as the one but which is contrary to the logical

mentioned at page 86, note '. principles of language, and to the

^ voyani en moi sinon. established rules of general gram-

* qui se comporta avec la jUtu mar. (See, among others, Messrs.
gramde. No31 and Chapsal^ Grammar, rule

7 champ de hataille. See page 42S.) We find in F^nelon's TilS-
24, note "S, and leave out * and.' maq^ : — . . " I'^trancer que le roi

8 ' so much . . . &;c. ; ' simply, si faisait ohercher, et qu \)n oisait mii
pen eowrtisan. 6tait venu avec Narbal" ^page o4,

> gendarmeSf or, hommes cParrnes. edition Bell and Daldy, with notes
^(> Simply, des ennemis, by C.-J. Delille). F^elon should
u pour couvrir laretraitedureste have said, .... qu'on disut itr$

de VarmSe, venu.

92 FRENCH PROSE

to continue any longer on horseback,^ he ordered one of
his attendants to place him under ^ a tree, with his ^ &oe
towards the enemy ; then fixing his eyes on the guard of
his sword, which he held up instead of a cross,^ he addressed
his prayers to God, and in this posture, which became his
character both as a soldier and as a Christian,^ he calmly
waited the approach of death.^ Bourbon, who led the
foremost ^ of the enemy's troops,^ found him in this situa^
tion, and expressed regret and pity at the sight^ " Pity
not me," cried the high-spirited ^^ chevalier, '' I die as a
man of honour ought,^^ in the discharge of ^^ my duty :
they indeed are objects of pity, who fight against their
king, their country, and their oath."^^ The Marquis de
Pescara, passing soon after, manifested his admiration of
Bayard's virtues, as well as his sorrow for his fate, with the
generosity of a gallant enemy ; and finding that he could
not be removed with safety from that spot, ordered a tent
to be pitched ^^ there, and appointed proper persons to

^ et fCayani plva la force de te they must be joined in French, and

sotUenir sur son cheval. the second part of the sentence is

' c^ Vappuyer eorUre. — 'attend- expressed the first. Construct,

ants ; ' simply, gena, here. therefore, here, ' they who fight

> Leave out 'with ;' and see page against . . . , are indeed objects of

27, note 3. pity,' — ceiue qui (page 88, note ")

* qtCil tint SlevSe (or, QU*il tint . . . &o., sont . . . &o. Yet, these

en Vair) en guise de crucifix, pronouns can be separated, as in

^ See page 21, note ^. £nglish, by adding the partide ^dto

^ Simply, la mort. celui, celle, &o. We might there-

7 la Ute. fore also say, with the Finglish con-

8 troupes ennemiea (adjective). struction, ceux-ld sotU .... &o.,
^ le trouvant . . . , lut tSmowna ; qui . . . , &o. But, after all, the

leave out 'at the sight:' 'situ- translation here w^ gain in ^e-

ation,' just above, is enough for gance b^ our saying, simply, il

tJie sense, after our change of con- jaMi plaindre ceux ^t. Observe,

struction. however, that sometimes we use U,

^^ ce brave, elle, &c., together with celui, celle,

^1 Either leave out 'ought,' in &c., for the sake of emphasis, and

the translation, or supply the with the following construction : —

ellipsis, viz. 'ought to do;' and "II est homme de'lettres aussi,

see, then, page 5, note ^*, and page celui que le feu de son imagination

3, note '. Use the pres. ina. of porte sans cesse vers des sujets

devoir. ^* enfaisant, nouveauz. " — Saintb-Bbuvb. —

^ When in an English sentence ' country,' that is, here, ' native

the pronouns ' he,' ' she,' ' it,' or country,' jMttrie,

'they,' are separated from there- ^* 'to pitch/ dresser. Seepage

lative pronouns, 'who,' or 'which/ 9, note K

COMPOSITION • 03

attend ^ him. He died notwithstanding their care^ as his
ancestors for several generations had done, in ^ the field of
battle. Pescara ordered his body to be embalmed, and
sent ^ to his relations ; and such was the respect paid to ^
military merit in that age,^ that the Duke of Savoy com-
manded it to be received with royal honours ^ in all the
cities of his dominions ; in Dauphiny, Bayard's ^ native
country, the people of all ranks came out in a solemn pro-
cession to meet it.^ — (Robbbtson, History of Charles F.)

ON ANGER

As^ the whirlwind in its fury teareth up trees, and
deformeth the face of ^® nature, or as an earthquake in its
convulsions overturneth whole cities, so the rage of an
angry man throws ^^ mischief aroimd him. Danger and
destruction wait on his hand.^^

But consider, and forget not thine own weakness, so that
thou pardon ^^ the failings of others.

Indulge not thyself in the passion of anger ;^* it is whet-
ting a sword ^^ to wound thine own breast, or murder ^^'>
thy friend.

^ etylaissadetpertonneschargies use, in this sense, let restes, or la

de prendre soin de, dipouUU mortelle, or, simplv, la

^ comTneStaieTitmortttes ancitre* depouilU or les dipouillet (aune

(see page 8, note ^, and page 66, personne).

note ^) depuis pltuiewrt glnira- ^ See page 88,. note ^.

UonSf sur. — ^The repetition of the ^^ dfpare.

verb vumrir, here, is more forcible ^ rSpand.

than would be the translation of ^ Vaccompa^/neTU {or, le tuivent)

the English 'had done/ yet, in paaiotU; or, 8a fnain parte parUmt

other cases, the repetition of the ...» &o.

verb is inelegant. See page Q4t, ^ afin de pardonrier (page 7,

note •. note M.

' et Venvoya, ^* Simply, la coUre.

* cm'on avail potMT. " un jer; from the Latin /ar-

' See page 3, note ^. rum : fer means any murderous

' ^*(m rendu au corps de Bayard weapon, ipSe (sword), one of a par^

let hanneurt qu*on rend atuc rou. ticular kind only.

^ dece Mroe. ^' See page 49, note ^ ; and con-

^ Seepage 24, note ^.— ' solemn,' sider this case well.

grande. — * it,* eon corps. We also

94 FRENCH PROSE

If thou bearest slight proyocations with patience, it
shall be imputed unto thee for^ wisdom; and, if thou
wipest them from thy remembrance, thy heart shall not
reproach thee.^

Seest thou not 'that the angry man loseth his imder-
standing?^ Whilst thou art yet in thy senses,^ let the
wrath of another be a lesson to thyself. ^

Do nothing in a passion : ^ why wilt thou put to ^ sea in
the violence of a storm ?

If.it be difficult to rule thine anger, it is wise to prevent
it ; avoid therefore all occasions of &lling into wrath,^ or
guard thyself against them whenever they occur.

A fool ^ is provoked with insolent speeches, but a wise
man laugheth them to scom.^^

Harbour not revenge in thy breast : it will torment thy
heart, and discolour its best inclinations.^^

Be always more ready to forgive than to return an
injury; he that watches for an opportunity of revenge,
lieth in wait against himself ^^ and draweth down mischief
on his own head.

A mild answer to ^^ an angry man, like water cast upon
the fire, abateth his heat;^^ and from an enemy ^^ he shall
become thy friend.

Consider how few things are worthy of anger, and thou
wilt wonder that any but fools should be wroth. ^®

^ d; without anj article. '^ les mSprite dt ien, moqtLe.

* ne te /era point de reprochet. ^^ Que ton eceur ne nourriete
Hie verb reprwAer is never used point la isengtance : eUe ne pent qyi^
absolutely, in French, as 'to re- 7« tourmen^ eC en /a«M0r (to bend,
proaoh ' is in English. We say, wazp, perrert,--or, better, aUSter,
reprocher qudque chose d quel^'un to spoil, impair, mar) lea pint
(to reproach one with a thing) ; nobles (or, let pint heureux) pen-
but, in an absolute sense, fawe chantt. — ' To diteolour incuna-
(or, (idretter) det reprochet d quel- tions,' is sheer nonsense.

qu*un (to reproach, or upbraid, ^' te tend {or, te dretse) det em-
one), baches d luumSme (page 38, note ^,

B la rcdton (page 27, note '). and pa^ 87, note').

^ tu contervet encore la tiennej ^ faUe d; thus supplying the

or, tu es encore dant ton hon tent. ellipsis.

* 'to be a lesson to,* tervir de i* calme ton ardevr. The word
lepond. — *ym.ihf' emportemewL ardeur means 'heat,' as well as

' un acda de coUre. 'ardour;' thus, Fardeur du feu,

7 pourquoi mettre en. * the heat of the fire.'

* aimply, d^emportemenl. ^' et, d^ennemi quHl SlaiL

> L*%ntenti. See p. 80, n. '. i* que tout autre qu*unfou puttte

COMPOSITION. 95

In folly or weakness it always beginneth : ^ but remem-
ber and be weU assured it seldom coududeth without
rejientance.^

On the heels of Folly treadeth Shame ; at the back of ^
Anger standeth Remorse. — (Dodslet, Economy of Human
Life,)

THE CATARACT OF NIAGARA, IN CANADA,*

NORTH AMERICA.

This amazing fall of water is made by the river Saint-
Lawrence^ in its passage from lake Erie into lake Ontario.^
The Saint-Lawrence is one of the largest rivers^ in the
world; and yet the whole of its waters is discharged in
this plaoe, by a &11 of a hundred and fifty feet perpen-
dicular.^ It is not easy to bring the imagination to cor-
respond to^ the greatness of the scene. A river extremely
deep and rapid, and that serves to draw^ the waters of
almost all North America ^^ into the Atlantic Ocean, is here
poured precipitately down a ledge ^^ of rocks, that rises,
like a wall, across the whole bed of its stream.^^ The

ify livrer (or, £y ahamdonner—^^y in this sense.

IcMser cUler-^pai^ 86, note '). ^ «n des. plut grands fieuvet. —

^ EUe a Umjoun son origins ' in ; ' see page Z% note \

dan* . . . ., &c. See page 49, 7 entomAMnipsrpendiculairemewt

note ^, and page 80, note i^. ds cent cinquawU pieds (pieds an-

' raremeni jpar autre chose que giamSdehatU; or, par tme chute per-

par le repentir. — 'concludes;' see penaicviairedecentcinquantejneds.

paflo 85, note \ ^ de meUre son imagination e%

* Simp^, derriire. rapport avee,

* du Niagara, au Canada,^<m » porter; or, /aire icouler.

(not en) Canada. The article is al- "^^ This is a mon8tjx>us geognv-

ways used before the names of oer- phical blunder,

tain minor or distant countries, such ^^ se prfeipite id U long d^une

as U Canada, le Brisil, U Phrou, le ^tAne^igne~-rangie,

JBengale, le Japon, les Indes, la i> dans touts la laraeur de son lit,

Jamaique, la Guadeloupe, &c. ; — ' bed of its stream. We say le lit

with tneso, besides, d (with the d^un fieuve, or d^une riviire'{oi a

article) is used instead of en, * in/ river), in 1^ sense ; but le lit dPun

(without the artide), — see page 16, eouraWt is a naval term, which

note ^^ means the direction of a stream,

^ le lac, in both instances. — as le lit du vent means the direo*

' made ; ' we use the verb former, tion of the wind.

96 FRENCH PROSE

riTer, a little above, is near three quarters of a mile
broad ;^ and the rocks, where it grows narrower, are four
hundred yards over.^ Their direction is not straight
across, but hollowing inwards like a^ horse-shoe; so
that the cataract, which bends to the shape of the obstacle,^
rounding inwards, presents a kind of theatre ^ the most
tremendous in nature. Just in the middle of this circular
wall of waters,^ a little island, that has brayed the fuiy
of the current, presents one of its points, and divides the
stream at top^ into two parts; but they unite again lon^
before they reach the bottom. The noise of the &.11 is
heard at the distance of several leagues; and the fury of
the T^raters, at the termination ^ of their &11, is inconceiv*
able. The dashing^ produces a mist that rises to the very
clouds, and which forms a most beautiful rainbow,^*^ when
the sun shines. It will readily be supposed ^^ that such a
cataract entirely destroys the navigation of the stream ;^2
and yet some Indians, in their canoes, as it is said, have
ventured down it with safety.^^ — Goldsmith.

^ a pris de trois quarts de mille un dend-cereler—creuieTd) en dedans

de large (or, de largeur). Notice (or, vers Vamont) en.

this use of avoir, whereas tiie Eng- ^ qui c^de d Fdbstaele et en prend

lish use ' to be ; ' and, aJso, tiiat of la firme; or, forcSe qu*eUe eat de

the preposition efo, here, before the prendre la forme de fobstacle ; or,

adiectire, or l^e noun of dimension, literally, qui se plie d la forme

^ environ de/ux cents toises en . . . , feo.

(or, de) largeur— de large. The ^ undes spedoxles.

toise {s&x. feet, or about) is out of ' mw (Teau circulaire,

use : the current French measure ^ et le divise (or, et le partage —

is now the mHre and its decimal et le coupe) par le KauL

multiples and sub-multiples. The ^ <erm€(masc.).

m^re is very nearly three French > hrisemenL

feet and one inch : the English "^^ un arc'enrcid des plus heaux

* yard ' is mitre 0,914 There was (<— <m 9i« peui plus beau — too &•

no old French measure correspond- miliar here),

ing to the ' yard.' Some diction- u o^ pense Hen.

aries and French exercise books i> fieuve,

translate it by verge ; a greater ^3 se sont, d ce qylon dit, hasardis

mistake could haroly be made : d la descendre dans lewrs canots, et

the verge corresponded to the y ont rSttssi sans accident; or,

' rood.* C<ynt descendue (page 82, note i*),

^ lis ne travwwni pas le fil de dit-on, dans leurs canotSf d tout

Veau en droite ligne (or, en ligne hasard (or, m>algrS le danger), et

directe-~directem^ent)f mais s*Sckan- sans accident. — ^This is not only

crent (or, forment une cowrbe, or untrue, but materially impossible.

COMPOSITION. 97

BRUTUS ON THE DEATH OF OJSSAR.

BoHANB, countrymeii) and lovers!^ hear me for^ my
cause ; and be silent that you may hear. Believe me for
mine honour, and have respect for ^ mine honour, that you
may beliey&^ Censure me in your wisdom, and awake
your senses, that you may the better ^ judge. If there be
any in this assembly, any dear fidend of Csesar's, to him
I say ^ that Brutus's love "^ to Csesar was no less than his.
If then that friend demand why Brutus rose against Csesar,
this is ^ my answer : not that ^ I loved CsBsar less, but that
I loved Rome more.^^ Had you rather Caesar were living,^^
and die all slaves, than that Csesar were dead, to live ^^ all
freemen 1 As Csesar loved me, I weep for him ; as he was
fortunate, I rejoice at it ; as he was valiant, I honour him ;
but aa he was ambitious, I slew him.^^ There are tears for
his love,^* joy for his fortune, honour for his valour, and
death for his ambition. Who's here so base, that would ^^
be a bondman ? If any,^^ speak ; for him have I offended.^'^
Who's here so rude,^* liiat would not be a Roman 1 If any,
speak ; for him have I offended. Who's here so vile, that
will not love his country ? If any, speak ; for him have
I offended. I pause for^® a reply. None? Then none
have I offended ; ^o j have done no more to Cs&sar than

^ amig, in this case. ^^ Aimeriez-vous mieux voir Oi-

* dang, tcur mvarU.

* ayezfoi en, ^ etde vivre. — 'to live' is here

* eroire d m« paroles. put for * and live.*

* et prHeZ'mol votre aUeniion, ^ Use here the indefinite pre-
afin cPmre mieux en Sfat de, terite (I have slain him).

* je lui dirai. " amitiS.

^ ojlfection. — ' to/ here, potur, ^* Qv>d eet iei rhomme cusez Idche

8 void. This word, in a narra- pour eontewtir d. — 'a bondman;'
tion, or an exposition of facts, see page 76, note ^.

always relates to what follows, and ^°tyil en est un (see page 29,

voildtowhat precedes. Seepage note^^^. — 'speak,' qu'il parte (lit.

20, note ', and p. 16, n. '. 'let hun sp<^,' — ^imperat. mood).

9 ce n'est pat que; with the sut)- ^^ (feet lui quefai offenti; leav-
junctive. inff out ' for.'

^<> Leave out 'that,' here, and '^ etupide,
use the indicative. — See, bemdes, "^ J*atUnde.
page 9, note '. •* Invert, putting * none ' last.

H

98 FRENCH PROSE

you should do to Brutus. The question ^ of his death in
enrolled in the Capitol ; his glory not extenuated wherein
he was worthy; nor his offences enforced for which be
Buffered death. ^

Here comes ^ his body, mourned by Mark Antony, who,
though he had no hand in his death, shall receive the
benefit of his dying,^ a place in the Commonwealth ; as
which of you shall not?* With this I depart, that as
I slew ® my best lover for the good of Rome,'^ I have the
same dagger for myself when it shall please my country to
need my death.^ — (Shakspbarb, Jvlius Ccesar.)

SCENE BETWEEN THE JEWS SHYLOCK AND

TUBAL.

Shylock, How now,^ Tubal ? What news from Genoa ?
Hast thou heard of my daughter 1

Tvbal, I often came where I did hear of her, but can-
not '^^ find her.

8hy» Why there, there, there I ^^ a diamond gone that
cost me two thousand ducats in Frankfort ! the curse never
fell upon our nation till now ; I never felt it till now.
Two thousand ducats in that and other precious, precious,
jewels ! ^^ I would my daughter were ^^ dead at my foot,

^ La cause; or, Le sujet; or, ^ Voici ma eonduaion : fat ttti,

better, Les motift, ^ * good,' taint ; a full stop after

> ' to extenuate,' in this sense, 'Rome.'

diminuer, or, amoindrir ; 'to en- ^ *i have;' Je garde. — 'my-

force,' likewise, exagirer, — 'in the self;* simply, moi. — 'please;' see

capitol; his glory,' &c., au Capi- p. 81, n. 7. — 'to need ;^ demander.

tote dans un expos6 impartial o-A ' JSh Hen /

Fon iCa rien diminvM de la gloire ^^ En heaueouj> d^endroits on m*a

qu*U avaii itutem^nt ac^ise, rien parlS d^elle, moMJe n'aipu.

ajouiS attxJaiUes qui lui owt mSriH ^ Voild, tfoild, voild, — 'a dia^

lamort, ^ mond gone,' translate 'I lose a

' Void, diamond.'

* mt^a^omjHigne^ Mare-ArUoine ^* tpte je perds Id, outre pltuieurt

en aeuil, lui qui, tans avoir eu hijova pricieva, Men pricieux/

part d ta mart, en recueillera let ^' Quemajiuen*est-elle. — 'foot;'

bienfaisants rUuUaJts. we should use the plural, here, in

^ el qui de vous n*en recueillera French, as well as ' ear,' farther

pat aulant t on.

COMPOSITION, 89

and the jewels in her ear I would she were nearaed
at my foot,^ and the ducats in her coffin ! No news
of them ; and I know not what spent in the search :^ loss
upon loss! the thief gone with so much, and so much
to find the thief ; and no satisfaction, no revenge ;
no ill luck stirring but what lights on my shoulders;
no sighs, but o* my breathing; no tears, but o' my
shedding ! ^

Tvb. Yes, other men have ill luck too ! Antonio, as I
heard in Genoa. . . .

Shy. What, what, what 1 * ill luck, ill luck %

Tub, Hath an argosie cast away,^ coming from Tripoli.

Shy. Thank God ! ^ Thank God ! is it true ? is it truel

Tvh, I spoke with some of the sailors that escaped the ^
wreck.

Shy. I thank thee, good ^ Tubal ; good news, good
news!

Tvb. Your daughter spent in Genoa, as I heard, in one
night, fourscore ducats.

Shy. Thou stick'st a dagger in me ; ^ I shall never see
my gold again ; ^^ fourscore ducats at a sitting 1 ^^ fourscore
ducats !

Tub. There came divers of Antonio's creditors in my
company to Venice, that swear he cannot but break.^^

^ giiL€ iCett-dle Hendtie Id, fUvant hale, de larmes que edUs gtM venent

mot, prHe d Hre portie en terre. mes yeux.

* Mh q%oi / on n*tn a point de * Quoi t mie dis'tu t

n^uvellee t — Allons, <feU comme ^ A perdu un vaisseau imw-

cda.—'Et Dteu tait tout Vwrgeni chand (or, simply, un de set vats-

que cet reeherches vont me co4ter teava^.

encore / The words voni me coiUer ^ Lieu soit louS.

encore (future) are a slight devia- ^ ichappie au ; leaving out

tion from the text ( ' spent ' — ^past), ' that.'

for the sake of emphi^ ; this em- ^ mon eker.

phasis is not out of plaoe : the Jew ^ Tu m'enfonces un poignard

very naturally thinks of what must dant le coewr.

be spent altogether, in order to ^<> 'never again,' plut; and see

find his daughter — of both what page 19, note ^.

the search has already cost him, "■ d!un seul coup.

and what it will again (encore) re- i* JSn reven^nt d Venite, fa4

quire on account of its unsuooess- voyagi en tociitS de plueiewre crian^

ndness as yet. ciert (tA — ; tie dieent quHl nt

? t2 ft'y a de fnalkeurs que pour tawradt Sviter defaire banquerouig

met, de toupirs que ceux que fex' (or, defaiUir). See p. 64, note \

h2

100 FRENCH PROSE

Shy, I'm glad of it : Til plague him, I'll torture him :
I am glad of it.

TviK One of them showed me a ring that he had ^ of
jour daughter for a monkey.

Shy, Out upon her ! Thou t6rturest me,^ Tubal ! It
was my ruby, I bad it of Leah, when I was a bachelor ; *
I would not have given it for a wilderness ^ of monkeys.

Tvh, But Antonio is certainly undone.

Shy, Nay/ that's true, that's very true : go fee me an
officer ; ^ bespeak him a fortnight before. I will have the
heart of him, if he forfeit ; ^ for were he out of Venice, I
can make what merchandise I will.^ Go, go, Tubal, and
meet me ^ at our synagogue ; go, good Tubal ; at our
synagogue, Tubal — (Shakspearb, Merchant of Vemce,)

A SKETCH OF THE NORMANS.

The Normans were then the foremost race of Christen-
dom. Their valour and ferocity ^^ had made them conspici*-
ous^^ among the rovers whom Scandinavia had sent forth to

1 Translate, 'that he had had.' note w) /am««ar. In the first of

* La maihmreuse / Tv. nCassaS' these two renderings, Us is not the
nn€», aocusative of fait, but of remxir-

3 il me venait de Liay qui me qv^ ; the accusatiye, or rigime

Vavaii -douTiA Uynqw fitaia encore aired, of/att is understood, fbr it is

gargon. as if we had, literally, 'had made

* un rigimewL-^' to give/ here, (fait) some one — understood — ^no-
dder, to avoid the r^)etiiion of tioe {renuvrqner) them.' The non-
douTier, ^ Qui. agreement of fait, here, is oonse-

^ va^ Tiihal,proctNre''nudunhtd8' quently in acoordanoe with the

sier. See page 77, note ^. ride. But, even were the accusa-

7 s*il manque d son engagement tive of the past paitioiple faiU to

(or, simply, ril ne m£ paye pas), il precede it, that participle would

'faitt quefaie son cceur, not any more agree for that ; for,

^ car unefois cnCil ne sera plus d — and this is worthy of special

Venise, je puis /aire toutes les opi- attention, as being the only ezoep-

ra^ns gttil me plaira (see page tion to the rule given in note ^ of

31, note 7). page 82, — ^the past participle fouU,

^ et viens me retrouver, when fbllowed by a verb in the

v> See page 8, note \ infinitive, is always invariable : ex.,

^ les amUent fait remarqTter; or, "je lee td fait parler," "ilsnous

Us avaierU rendus (see page 32, Cfntfait taire," &c.

COMPOSITION. 101

ravage Western Europe. Their sails were long*^ the terror
of both coasts of the channel.^ Their arms were repeatedly
carried &r into the heart of the Carlovingian empire, and
were victorious under the walls of Maestrioht and Paris.
At length one of the feeble heirs of Charlemagne ceded to
the strangers a fertile province, watered by a noble river,
and contiguous to the sea^ which was their &vourite ele-
ment. In that province they founded a mighty state, which
gradually extended its influence over the neighbouring
principalities of Brittany and Maine. ^ Without laying
aside that dauntless valour which had been the terror of
every land from the Elbe to the Pyrenees, the Normans
rapidly acquired^ all, and more than all,^ the knowledge
and refinement which they found in the country where,
they had settled. Their courage secured their territory
against foreign invasion. They established internal order,
such as^ had been long unknown in the Frank empire.
They embraced Christianity, and with Christianity they
learned a great part of what the clergy had^ to teach. They
abandoned their native speech,^ and adopted the French
tongue, in which the Latin was the predominant element.
They speedily raised their new language to a dignity and
importance which it had never before possessed.^ They
found it a^® barbarous jargon ; they fixed it in writing ;ii
and they employed it in legislation, in poetry, and in
romance. They renounced that brutal intemperance to

^ LeurB voMseaux Staient (or, are somewhat different in meaning :

Xeur TMirine Stait) depuis long- — ic{iom« means the language pecu-

iemps. liar to a nation, and is sometimes,

* laMandie, though seldom, synonymous with
3 See ^age 26, note ^. patcii (dialect) ; whereas idiotUm^

* ^Siatent raptdemerU asstmilS always signifies a peculiar expres-
(or, appropriS). sion in a language, such as those,

' 'and more than all/ et mime for instance, which constitute what

tlty avaient aJ<nUS ; and put this, we call AnglidsTru, Gallicisms, Lor

in French, quite at the end of the iinismst ko.

sentence. ^ See page 8, note S ^^^ P^^

' See page 38. note a. 32, note^^.

7 du cler^^ d peu pris tout ee ^ ils n^avaieiU trouvi qtCun ; or,

(]^il pnwoaii, ils le (relating to laitgagt, subet.

B Uwr idiome national; or, leicr masc.) trouvirent d VStat de.

languenaHonaie. TheFrenohworda ^^ UsenfirentuneUiTigneicrite^
idiome and idiotisme, though akin.

102 FRENCH PROSE

which all the other branches of the Great German &mily
were too much inclined. The polite^ luxury of the Nor-
man presented a striking contrast to^ the coarse voracity
and drunkenness of his Saxon and Danish neighbours. He
loved to display his magnificence, not in huge piles of food
and hogsheaids of strong drink,^ but in large and stat<ely
edifices, rich armour,^ gallant horses, choice fedcons^ well-
ordered tournaments, banquets delicate rather than abun-
dant, and wines remarkable rather for their exquisite
flavour than for their intoxicating power. ^ That chivalrous
spirit which has exercised so powerful an influence on the
politics, morals, and manners of all European nations, w^
found in the highest exaltation^ among the Norman nobles.
, Those nobles were distinguished by their graceful bearing
and insinuating address.^ They were distinguished also by
their skill in negotiation,^ and by a natural eloquence
which they assiduously cultivated. It was the boast of
one of their historians,^ that the Norman gentlemen ^^
were orators from^^ the cradle. But their chief feme was
derived fi:om their military exploits. ^^ Eveiy country,
from the Atlantic Ocean to the Dead Sea, witnessed the
prodigies of their discipline and valour. One Norman
knight, at the head of a handful of warriors, scattered the
Celts of Connaught.^^ Another founded the monarchy of
the Two Sicilies, and saw the emperors, both of the East
and of the West,^* fly before his arms. A third, the
Ulysses of the first Crusade, was invested by his fellow-

^ iUgaiU, or, raffinS, in this (subet. masculine, in this sense ;

sense. we also say, le pltts haut piriade,

' avec. but this expression forms a pleon-

9 de larges etUatsements de meU asm, as pSriode alone means

et deji tonneaux remplis de breuvages ' highest degree,' 'highest pitch ').
ernvrarUs ; or, un amas de nuts ^ * bearing,' here, tenue, or tour-

grossiert, des fiats de liqueurs fortes, nure; 'address,' manHres.

4 < armour,' and also ' h^ess,' ^ Use the plural, here,
are used, in French, in the plural ^ Aussiun .... dit-il (page 82,

as well as in the singular ; put the note *) avec orguell.
plural, here. ^^ See page 46, note ^,

'^ des vins pltUdt remarquaJbles ^ dis,
par leur bouquet qtte par leur force; " Mais tfest surtout par ....

or, des vins pltu exquis etplus so- qy^Hs sHllustrh'eni,
vowreux qu'efUvraTUs, " See above, page 101, note >.

' se retrouvait d son piriode ^^ les emperewrs cPOrient et d^Oe-

COMPOSITION. 103

Boldiers with the soyereignty of Antiooh ;^ and a fourth,
the Tancred whose name lives in the great poem of Tasso,^
was celebrated through Christendom as the bravest and
most generous of the champions of the Holy Sepulchre.

The vicinity of so remarkable a people early began to
produce an effect on the public mind of England. Before
the Conquest, English princes received their education in
Normandy. English sees and English estates ^ were be-
stowed on Normans. Norman-French was &miliarly
spoken in the* palace of Westminster. The court of
Rouen ^ seems to have been to the court of Edward the
Confessor what the court of Versailles, long afterwards,
was to the court of Charles II.* — (Lokd Maoaulat, His-
tory of EngUmd,)

eident; we never use ut and ouest, masculintj, as anglais (maso.),

in this sense, that is, when speak- anglaise (fern.), hen (masc.), bonne

ing of those empires or emperors, (fern.), &o. This rule is sensible

or of Europe and of the countries enough, for what oould sound

that lie eastward of it : thus 'the worse them "des dvdchds et des

Eastern question,' la guution terret anglais t " The student is

(ff Orient (but we say vent cPest, here supposed to know already —

cPouest, 'east, west, wind,' &c.). and know well — that, as to an-

^ fut plod par ses compa>gnons glais, it could not be altered, and

cParmes a la tits de la souveraineU that it must be so used in the mas-

dPAniioche, culine plural, on account of one of

' que le Tasse a chantS dans son the two nouns {Svichfs) being mas-

immortel poSme. In imitation of culine.

the Italians, the French use the * Le frangais de Normandie

article with the following proper itaitfamilier au,
names: le Tasse, FArioste, le Uor- ^ This last sentence being a kind

rSge, and a few others. of risumS of the preceding details,

"^ Des SvSchfy et des domaines anr- had better b^fih so : — En un moty

glais; or, Des terres et des ivSchSs la eour de Rouen j or. La cour de

anglais. If we use terres instead JRouen enfin.
of domaines, then we must put ' CharUsII. — ^pronounce Charles

SvSckSs last. The grammatical deux. The cardmal numbers, not

rule is this: when two subetantlTes the ordinal, are used, in French,

Sualified by an adjective have not before names of sovereignB, except

lie same fender (here terres is when speaking of the first of a

fem., and IvickSs is masc), eu- name (as, Charles I., pron. Charles

phony requires the masculine sub- premier , not un) ; but, in all cases,

stantive to be used last, if the the French omit the article 'the,'

adjective has a dififerent tormina- used in £hielish before the numeral

tion in the feminine and in the following the name of a sovereign.

104 FRENCH PROSE

INFLUENCE OF THE FRENCH LANGUAGE AND
LITERATURE IN THE AGE OP LOUIS XIV.

France xmited at that period almost every species c^
ascendency.^ Her military glorywas at the height.^ She had
vanquished mighty coahtions. She had dictated treaties.
She had subjugated great cities and provinces. She had
forced the Castilian pride to yield her the precedenoew^
She had summoned Italian princes to prostrate themselves
at her footstool.^ Her authority was supreme in all matters
of good breeding/ from a duel to a minuet. In literature
she gave law ^ to the world. The fame of her great writers
filled Europe. No other country could produce"^ a tragic
poet equal to Racine, a comic poet equal to Afolidre, a
trifler^ so agreeable as La Fontaine, a rhetorician so skilful^
as Bossuet.

The literary glory of Italy and of Spain had set ; that
of Germany had not yet dawned.^® The genius, therefore,
of the eminent men who adorned ^^ Paris shone forth with
a splendour which was set ofif to full advantage by con-
trast.^^ France, indeed, had at that time an empire over

^ possfdait d cette ipoque la m- speaker. \
pirioritg dans pre»qw mules genres, lo 'had set' , . ., 'had not yet

> 'height,' here, apogie. dawned/ fCitaU plus . . . v^itaU

s letios, pas encore. The English meta-

^ wlw6 les . , . . d ihwmlier d phor would not be aeoeptable in

sespie^, French; but we might ver7 well

^en matiire de hon ton (or, de say, s*Stait Steinte {pagelB, note^)

bon g<y(U). — 'a duel' ... 'a mi- . . . ., n*avait pas encore lui {from

nuet;' use the definite article Hie Terh luire).
('the'J[, in French, here. ^^ faisaieiU Comement de (in this

^ fadsait la lot; or, donnrnt des figuratlYe, pointed sense ; in a

lois. proper, ordhiary soose, orfiaient

7 monirer, — ^to avoid ambiguity, would be the word used).
^ unpo^badin; *wi,* aussi, ^^ qu*augmeiUait encore le con-

> i(a& orateur atusi puissant ; or, tratAe (page 3, note ') ; or, qyi

simply, un oraievr tel. The word s^atimnentait encore par le contra>ste:

rhitoricien means merely one who the French are not so fimd as the

knows rhetoric ; and as to rliiteur, English of the passlye voice ; they

it either means a teacher of rhe- generally prefer the active or the

toric, or is taxen in a bad sense, reflective, even in cases besides

sigmiying a studied and bombastic those mentioned at page S, note ^.

COMPOSITION. 105

tnankind^ suoh as^ even the Roman Republic never at-
tained. For, when Rome n^as politically dominant, she was
in arts and letters the humble pupil of Greece. France had,
over the surrounding countries, at once the ascendency
which Rome had over Greece, and the ascendency which
Greece had over Rome. French was becoming the uni-
versal language, the language of fashionable society,^ the
language of diplomacy. At several courts princes and
nobles spoke it more accurately and politely^ than their
mother tongue.^

In our i^and there was less of this servility^ than on
the continent. Neither our good nor our bad qualities
were those of imitators.^ Yet even here homage was paid,^
awkwardly indeed, and sullenly,^ to the literary supremacy
of our neighbours. The melodious Tuscan, so familiar to
the gallants^ and ladies of the court of Elizabeth, sank
into contempt. New canons ^^ of criticism, new models of
style, came into fashion. ^^ The quaint ingenuity which had
defimned^^ the verses of Donne, and had been a blemish
on ^ those of Cowley, disappeared from our poetry. Our
prose became less majestic, less artfully involved,^^ less

^ See page 38, note >, and page wish, on the contrary, to dwell on

10, note ^ the continuance or repetition of it,

' to haute iociiti. on the habit in which people were,

* et plus (UgammeiU, at that period, of ' paying homage,'
' leitr mropre langtte; or, la &o., we must then use ihe im-

lanffue ae (ewr fayt ; or, leur perfect.

lafigue nuUemdle (a more poetical ^ guoique Men gaitchement et

than prosaic expression). eomme d regret (or, et comme d

* eette tervHwfiU moindre, eorUre-eoeur).

^ Put a colon, or a semi-colon, 9 preux, or, chevalien,

after 'continent.'-~-}t» nos bonnes ^ rigles.

ni no8 moMvoMes qwUiUs ne fwrvid ^ ^ivinrtmi (or, vinrent) d la

iamait eeUet des tmitatewn ; or, mode. In the same wav we say,

better, nous n*avons jama/is eu les ttre hors de mode, * to be out of

quaHtis ou les dSfauts des imiior fiushion,' and ^a«««r de mode, 'to

tewrs. go out of ftshion.'

' 'here,' chez wms, — 'to pay,' " diparS,

here, rendre. — 'was paid,^ see " Simply, et entaehi,

page 8, note ^, and (wige 1, note ^. ^* mmns artistemeiU a/rroTidU

We may use here, either the im- dans ses piriodes (or, simply, ar-

perfect or the preterite : if we rond^) ; or, moins artistement pi'

wish to consider the &ct mentioned riodique dans son style (or, simply,

only as one point in history, we piriodique) ; or, moins artistement

shiUl use the preterite ; but if we contoumSe. The verb cont<mmer

106 FRENCH PROSE

variously musioal,^ than that of an earlier age ; ^ but more
lucid, more easy, and better fitted for controversy and
narrative. In these changes it is impossible not to recog-
nise^ the influence of French precept and of French
example. — (Lord Macaulay, Uutory ofEngland),

JOHN BULL.

John Bull, to all appearance, is a plain, downright,
matter-of-fact fellow,* with** much less of poetry about
him than rich prose. There is little of romance in his
nature,® but a vast deal of strong natural feeling.^ He
excels in humour more than in^ lit ; is jolly rather thau
gay j melancholy rather than morose ; can easily be moved
to a sudden tear, or surprised into a broad laugh ;^ but
he loathes sentiment, and has no turn for^^ light pleasantry.
He^^ is a boon companion,^^ jf jq^ allow him to have^* his
humour, and tq talk about himself;^* and he will stand
by a friend in a quarrel, with life and purse, however
soundly he may be cudgelled.

means, literally, 'to giye an agree- John BiUl est un hommeiansfoffon,

able turn to ;' but contoumi more franc, positif,

commonly means, wben spealdng ^ * witii . » . . about him,' ayant

of a phrase, or of style in general, en lui.

'forced,' 'imnatural;* here, how- • 'romance,' romanetqtie; 'na-

erer, the word artustement, in the ture,' caractire, here.

context, is sufficient to remoye any ^ oeaucoup de ncUurel et deforce.

ambiguity. ^ H aplva de gaieti que,

^ mains variie dans son hur- ^ il neat ni difficile de rSmou-

monie (or, quani au nombre). voir (de le toucher— de rattendrir)

* ^*eUe Tie (P<^ 80, note U) jusm^aux larmes, ni rare de Ven-
rstait jadis. The word jadis is tendre partir totU-d-eoup dPun idat
growing obsoletCj except in poetry de rire ; or, more fireely and ooq*
and in eleyated style : in fftTniliar cisely, on le vait rire et plevrer
style we use autrefois, as, 'I was avee une SgaZefaciliti.

very strong formerly,^ fitais tris ^ n'entend rim dla; or, n*a pas

fort auir^ois. la mdndre id6e d^une.
^ * Construct so : — ' It is impos- ^ See page 72, note ^,
sible not to recognise in these ^^ unfort bon vivant,
changes.' i* de se livrer d.

* Selon Unites les apparences, ^^ de lui»

COMPOSITION. IC7

In this last respect, to tell the truth, he has a pro-
pensity to be somewhat too ready. He is a busy-minded^
personage, who thinks not merely for^ himself and fsimily,
but for all the country round; and is most generously
disposed to be everybody's champion. He is continually
volunteering his services to settle his neighbour's afiairs ;
and takes it in great dudgeon^ if they engage in any
matter of consequence without asking his advice ; though
he seldom engages in any friendly office of the kind with-
out finishing by getting into a squabble^ with all parties,
and then railing bitterly at their ingratituda He un-
luckily ^ took lessons in his youth in the noble science ^
of defence,*^ and having accomplished himself^ in the use
of his limbs and his weapons, and become a perfect
master at boxing and cudgel-play,^ he has had a trouble-
some life of it ever since. ^® He cannot hear ^^ of a quarrel
between the most distant of his neighbours, but he^^ begins
incontinently to fumble with the head of ^^ his cudgel, and
consider whether his interest or honour does not require
that he should meddle in the broil. Indeed, he has ex-
tended his relations of pride and policy so completely over
the whole country, that no event can take place, without
infringing 1* some of his finely-spun^^ rights and dignities.
Couched ^^ in his little domain, with^^ these filaments
stretching forth in every direction, he is like some choleric,
bottle-bellied old spider,^® who has woven his web over a
whole ^^ chamber, so that a fly cannot buzz, nor a breeze

^ affairi, * d. du bAton (or. Fart defatrejouer le

* et ioffsnse, poing et le b6Um),

* pour se mettre nuU. ^^ il a dH mener depuis ce tempt
'^ use here the indefinite pre- (or, depute lore) une vie tan* ceitt

terite, 'he has taken ;' speaking ciffiUe.
of a deoeased person, however, we ^^ entendre parler,
should use, in Frendi, as in Eng- ^* tant, witn the infinitive,
lish, the definite preterite. ^ d contuUer*

^ See page 8, note i^, ^^ 'to infringe,' blester, here.

7 difente de toi'Viime; or, di* ^ d^une maniire plus ou moint

fente pertonndle, fwU tet,

^ *w accomplish oneself/ te per' ^^ ItetranxhS, ^^ eniouri de,
feetionner: trmslate by, 'and as ^ une grotte et tfieiUe aradffnii

he has accomplished,' &o. colire,

* el quHl iett rendu tout d fait ^^ dant toute la largewr cPune (aft
familier Fart de boxer et de jouer at page 96, note ").

108 FRENCH PROSE

blow, 'without startling his repose, and causing him to
sally forth wrathfiilly from his den.^ •

Though really a good-hearted, good-tempered old fellow
at bottom,^ yet he is singularly fond of being in the midst
of contention. It is one of his peculiarities, however, that
he only relishes the beginning of an afi&ay ; he alwayo
goes into a fight with alacrity, but comes out of it grum-
bling, even when^ victorious ; and though no one fights
with more obstinacy to carry a contested point, yet,^
when the battle is over,^and he comes ^ to the recon-
ciliation, he is so much taken up with the ^ mere shaking
of hands, that he is apt to let his antagonist pocket all
that they have been quarrelling about. ^ It is not, there-

latsser, when followed immediately manger auz aatree (dat., with en).

by an infinitive^ take the aocusa- This peculiarity is also observable

tive (as here, la) if that following with other yerbs. The above is an

infinitive has itself no rfgime direct important point, and one espedallv

(i e.^ no aoousative, or object); difficult forJBnglish students, which

but they take the dative, instead* accounts for my thus insisting upon

if the following infinitive has a it. See the La Fontaine, p. 158,

rigime direct, and also if it is ao- n. 7, p. 58, n. *, and p. 98, n. *.

oompanied by the pronoun en * Qttoique fort bon enfa/id au

(though this pronoun is considered fond.

by grammarians as an indirect ' See page 29, note ^, %nd page

regimen). Ex. : — ' I make tiiem 41, note '^m

write,' ^6 lea (aocusat.)/au^cnVe/ * 'yet,' after 'although.' is one

and ' I make them write an exer- of those redundancies with which

aoA^ je leur (dative) fait Scrire un the English language abounds ;

thhne ; ' I make my brother read,' leave it out in the truislation.

je fait lire men fr^re (accus.) ; ' estjinie.

ana, 'I make my brother read a ^ et que Von en vient; seepage

book,' je fais lire un livre h mon 59, note ^. ^ Sm% au,

fi^re (dat.) ; 'I have made him ^ qtt^il hxitte son adversaire

mettre dans sa pocke Vobjet de la
querelle. See above, note \ Here
we use the accusative (son adver--

let him eat whatever he chose,' je saire), and not the dative, although

lui (dat.) ai laissS manger tout ce mettre has a rSgime direct, but it

qu'tl a voulu : *1 did let your sis- must be observed that mettre does

ter depart,' fai laissi partir votre not follow immediately the verb

scsur (accus.) ; and, 'I let vour laisser ; this separation of the two

sister eat whatever she chose, /ai verbs often happens with regard to

laissS monger h votre soBur (dat.) Earner, and other verbs as well (but

tout ce qu'elle a votUu; "he Ib like never with/airv), through the eid*

the dog in the manger,' [pro- gency of construction.

COMPOSITION. 109

fore, fighting that he oiight so much to be on his guard
against,^ as making Mends. It is difficult to cudgel him
out of a farthing ;^ but put him in a^ good humour, and
you may bargain him out of all the money in his pocket.^
He is like a stout ship, which ^ will weather the roughest
storm uninjured, but roll its masts overboard in the
succeeding calm.^ — (Washington Irying, Sketch-hook,)

A PRACTICAL USEFUL HINTJ

(A chapter, in which the author hinrnlf makes hit appear-
ance on the staff e.y

Though Mr. Allworthy was not, of himself, hasty ^ to see
things in a disadvantageous light, ^^ yet was-^^ this affection
of his sister, Mrs. Blifil, to Tom, and the preference which
she too visibly gave him to^^ }^qy own son, of the utmost
disadvantage to that youth.^^

For suoh was the compassion which inhabited Mr. All-
worthy's mind, that nothing but the steeU* of justice could
ever subdue it. To be uiofortunate, in any respect, was
sufficient, ^^ if there was no demerit to counterpoise it, to
turn the scale of that good man's pity, and to engage his
friendship and his benefaction.

When, therefore, he plainly saw Master^® Blifil was ab-
solutely detested (for that he was)^*^ by his own mother, he

^ See page 1, note ^. note % and constmot so : — * the

' See page 6, note u. affection of son, were of

s See page SS, note ^. the utmost/ &c.

* et wnu aurez towt son argewL i* «tr, after the noun prifSrence,

'^ II est wiMm ces vaisteaux qui. thus used in reference to two

— 'wUl weather;' see page 45, persons ; but we always use d with

note *, and others. the verb priffrer.

^ et se hrisewt pendant le calme ^ au premier de cesjeunei gens,

qui lui succide. — ^to avoid ambiguity.

7 ' hint,' here, mot d!oms. See i* le glaive.

p. 147, n. 11. " See page 3, note ".

8 entrie en seine. i^ Leave out 'Master,' in the
^ tris p(yrU. i® en mal. translation.

"Leave out 'yet' (page 108, ^^ {eestlemot).

no FRENCH PROSE

began, on that account only, to look with an eye of com<*
passion upon him ^^ and, what the effects of compassion
are ^ in good and benevolent minds, I need not here ex^
plain ^ to most of my readers.

Henceforward, he saw eveiy appearance of virtue in the
youth through the magnifying end, and viewed all his
&ults with the glass inverted,^ so that they became scarce
perceptible. And this^ perhaps the amiable temper of pity
may make^ commendable ; but the next step, the weak-
ness of human nature alone must excuse;^ for he no
sooner perceived that preference which Mrs. Blifil gave to
Tom, than that poor youth (however innocent)^ began to
sink in his affections as^he rose in hers.^^ This, it is true,
would of itself alone never have been able to eradicate
Jones from his bosom ; but it was greatly injurious to him,
and prepared Mr. AUworthy's mind for those impressions
which afterwards produced the mighty events that will be
contained hereafter in^^ this history; and to which, ^^ '^^
must be confessed, the unfortunate lad,^^ by his own wan-
tonness, wildness, and want of caution, too much con-
tributed, i*

In recording some instances of these, we shall, if rightly
understood, ^^ afford a very useful lesson to those we£Udis-
posed youths who shall hereafter be our readers ; for they
may here find, that goodness of heart, and openness of
temper, though these may give them great comfort within,

}cLle prendre en compoMion (en ^ Translate, . . . 'make it com-

pitU), We likewise say, prendre mendable/

en, UainAf en affection, en grippe, ' Construct, 'but the weakness

en horreur, &o. We also use re- .... the next step.' — 'the next

gaarder quelqvk*v,n en pitii (or, ^un step,' ce oui 9*ensuivtt,

ceil—avec un ceil — avec dee yetix — ® totU znnocent qu*il SiaiL The

de^ii), in the above sense, that English ellipsis is not allowed in

is, m the sense of 'to have com- French,

passion upon one.' > autant gw.— 'afiections,' mtg,

* Construct, ' what are,' &c. in French, here.

3 Translate as if the English ^o celle de ta eoeur.
were, ' explain it.' u dans la suite de,

* A dater de ce moment, il vU ^' See page 9, note ^.
par le gros bout de la lorgnette Us ^ Simply, Vinfortwni,
moindres apparences devertudans " Construct, 'but too much
eon neveu, et la retowma pour re- contributed, it must foe confessed,
garder see dSfatOs, by his,' &c.— ' wildness,' ses icarU.

* cette poi-tialitS, " See page 29, note ".

COMPOSITION. Ill

and administer to an honest pride in their own minds, will
by no means, alas ! do their business in the world.^ Prudence
and circumspection are necessary even to the best of men.
They are, indeed, as it were," a guard to Virtue, without
which she can never be safe.^ It is not enough that your
designs, nay, that your ^ actions are intrinsically good ; you
must take care they shall appear so.^ If your inside be
never so beautiful, you must preserve a fair outside also.*
This must be constantly looked to,^ or malice and envy
will take care to blacken it so,^ that the sagacity and good*
ness of an All worthy will not be able to see through it,^
and to discern the beauties within. Let this, my young
readers, be your constant maxim, that no man can be good
enough to enable him^^ to neglect the rules of prudence ;
nor ^1 will Virtue herself look beautiful, unless she be be-
decked with the outward ornaments of decency ^^ and
decorum. And this precept, my worthy disciples, if you
read with due attention, you will, I hope, find^* sufficiently
enforced by examples^* in the foUowing pages.

I ask pardon for this short appearance, by way ^^ of
chorus, on the stage.^* It is in r^ity for my own sake
that,^^ while I am discovering the rocks on which innocence
and goodness often split,^^ I may not be misunderstood to

^ mtdgrS UnU le honhenr iniSriettr ^ * Si beau erne toit voire inUriewr,

middles peuveni Uur procurer, et ilfanU que fexUriewr le (p. 5, n. ")

Vhonnite Jlerti qu*ellee peuveni leur sott auesi. ^ gee p. 76, n. ^.
intpirer au fond de Tdme, ne les ^ Translate, literally, ' will know

feront, hSlas / nullemeni riuasir so well (how— p. 124, n. i) to

dans ce monde, blacken it.'

■ pou/r ainti dire j GTf en quel- ^ Simply, d travers.
que eorte, *® pour pouvoir.

* 'a euard to,' les tatellites (or, ^ Bee jMige 15, note ^ and page

let aiMnLiennes) de. — Cbnstmot, 1, note *.
'which can never be safe without ^ des convenances.
them.' * ni mime vos, ^' Translate, ' you will find it,

^ See page 1, note ^ ; and use I hope.'
the present of the subjunctive, in ^^ Translate, ' enforced by the

French, after ' to take care.' Ob- examples contained.' — 'enforced,'

serve aJso that 'to take care,' is dimontri.
here prendre soin, not prendre ^' appa/rition, en forme,
garde, which only means 'to take ^^ tM^re,
oare,' in the sense of 'to beware.' ^^ 'that,' elliptical for 'in ordep

— 'so ;' see page 6, note ", but that,* is, in French, afin que,
you may here say ielles. ^^ lorsque findig^ai les icueils

112 FRENCH PROSE

recommend^ the very means to my worthy readers by
which ^ I intend to show them they will be undone.^ And
this, as I could not prevail on any of my actors to speak^
I myself was obliged to declare.^— (Fielding, Tom Jona.)

A PRETTY QUARREL BETWEEN MASTER TOM
JONES AND HIS PLAYMATE.

The matter* which put an end to the debate mentioned
in the last chapter, was no other than a quarrel between
Master Blifil and Tom Jones, the consequence of which had
been a bloody nose to the former ; for though Master
Blifil, notwithstanding he was the younger, was, in size,
above the other's match, ^ yet Tom was much his superior
at the noble art of boxing.

Tom, however, cautiously avoided all engagements^ with
that youth ; for, besides that Tommy Jones was an inno-
fensive lad amidst all his roguery,® and really loved
BlifiL Mr. Thwackum, being always second of the latter,
would have been sufficient to deter him.^

But well says a certain author, ^^ " No man is wise at all
hours."^^ It is, therefore, no wonder ^^ that a boy is not so.

Oil ^choueTit (page 8, note ') souverU conditional, in French.
rinnocence et la bonti. — *ftndi- *.Et comme je n*ai pu didder

querai ' (future), and not fvndique aucun de mes adeun a se choarger

mresent, as in English) ; see page de cette dSdanxHon, je me suit vu

02, note ^. cbligS de la /aire m&i-mhM.

^ on fCcdlU (subj., after afin que) * LHjiddewt, — ' put an end to ;'

pas se mSprendre et croire que je leare out * an,' in the translation.
recomTMHTide. ^ avail Vavaidcuge de la taille.

^ See page 10, note '; also page ^ 'engagements/ cPen venir aux

40, note is j and others. Tnains ; and render ' aU * by tou^

* The conditional, ' they would jours (see pa^ 19, note *).
be undone ' — ^understood, ' but for * un vaunen assez inojSJ^entif,
this hint,' or, 'should they disre- ® (^ en itait assez powrler^tenir,
gard this hint,' — ^would have been ^^ Mais un avtewr dit, avec tai-

better. The future, * they will be son, ^ Use the singular,

undone,* has a look of certainty i* H n*est done pea Stonfiant/

which can hardly imply such a followed by the suojunotive. — *a

restriction or condition ; use the boy,' un enfant, here.

COMPOSITION. 113

A difference ^ arising at play between the two lads, Master
Blifil called Tom a beggarly wretch.^ Upon which the
latter, who was somewhat passiqnate in his disposition.*
immediately caused that phenomenon in the face of the
former, which we have above mentioned.^

Master Blifil now, with the blood running from his nose,
and the tears galloping after from his eyes,^ appeared
before his uncle and the tremendous Thwackum ; in which
court an indictment of an assault, battery, and wounding,
was instantly preferred against Tom,^who, in his excufe»,
only pleaded the provocation, which was, indeed, all the
matter that Master Blifil had omitted.

It is, indeed, possible that this circumstance might have
escaped his memory;^ for, in his reply; he positively in-
sisted that he had made use of no such appellation ; add-
ing, ** Heaven forbid* such naughty words should ever
come out * of my mouth.'*

Tom, though against all form of law, rejoined in the
affirmance of the words. ^^ Upon which Master Blifil said,
** It is no wonder. Those who will tell one fib, will hardly
stick at another. ^^ If I had told ^ my master such a wicked
fib as you have done,^* I should be ashamed to show
my fiice."^*

" What fib, child V cries Thwackum, pretty eagerly.

« Why he told you that nobody was with him a shooting
when he killed^^ the partridge ; but he knows," (here he

^ di^rend, in the nexuse of 'dis- f6i tortie de la (page 11, note ^)

pnt©,^ G^uarrel.' mimoire.

^ vHa%n gueux. ^ A Dteu ne plaise (see page 51,

> qui Stait un jpeu emportS de sa note ^).

ncUure; or, qu% avait souvent la ^ Translate, 'should ever have

iite itn peuprls du bonnet (£un.). come out' (the compound of the

* U phSnomine sttsmentionnS. present subjunotive, in French) ;

^ le nez misselant de sang et les see page 116, note ^,

yeua rutsselants de pleurt, d qui ^^ renouvela set affirmations,

nUeux mieux. ^^ quand on a menti une fois on

' tribunal oil fui dSposSe (see ne craint gv4re de mentir deux.

page 3t note ^f and page 28, note ^^ We say, in French, /aire, as

*) aussitdt conlre Tom une plainte well as dire, un mensonge.

tCattaque, votes de fait et blessure, ^ 'wicked,* impudent, here. —

Put a fiill stop here, and begin, ' as you have done ;' simply, que le

Celui-ci, vdtre. ^* de me montrer.

7 eiU (subjunc, after possible) ^* Leave out ' why.' — Translate,

ichappi de sa mimoire; or, lui 'when he has killed.'

I

114 FRENCH PROSE

burst into a flood of tears,) ^ ** yes, he knows, for he
confessed it to me, that Black George, the gamekeeper, was
there. Nay, he said — ^yes, you did 2— deny it if you can,^
that you would not have confessed the truth, though
master had cut you to pieces."*

At this^ the fire flashed &om Thwackum's eyes, and he
cried out in triumph, '^ Oh I oh ! this is your mistaken
notion ^ of honour ! This is the boy who was not- to be
whipped again 1"^ But Mr. Ailworthy, with a more gentle
aspect, turned towards the lad, and said, " Is this true, child)
How came you to persist ^ so obstinately in a falsehood ?"

Tom said, " He scorned a lie as much as any one ; but he
thought his honour engaged him ^ to act as he did ; for he
had promised the poor fellow to conceal him ;^^ which," he
said, ''he thought himself further obliged to do, as^^ the
gamekeeper had begged him not to go into the gentleman's
manor,^^ and had, at last, gone himself in compliance with
his persuasiona" ^^ He said, '* This was the whole truth of
the matter,^* and he would take his oath ^^ of it ;" and he
concluded with very passionately begging Mr. Ailworthy to
have compassion on^^ the poor fellow's ^^ &mily, especially
as he himself only had been^^ guilty, and the other had
been with difl&culty prevailed on to do what he did. " In-

^ i'clata en ianglaU, ^ CommefU avez-votts jm sotUenir/

^ MhM il a dit, — owi, vout andlesveoat 'in/ of ooizna.

Faaee dit, ^ mais qu*il avail era de son

' See p. 5, n. i*, and p. 44, n. * honnewr (followed by de) ; and

Authors, as has been said, often translate 'as he did' as if the

dispense with le, in such cases: Bnglish were, 'as he had done.'

taste and euphony must sometimes See, besides, aboTe, note >.

decide the propriety of its use or ^* de te taire,

omission: hero the use of this ^ 'farther' . . . 'as,' d^oMtani

pronoun would be inelegant, on plus .... que (witii the indi-

account of its repetition at so oative).

short an interval. ^^ dene paint enirer sur Us terres

* quamd noire mcA^fre vqius awail du voisin,

misenpOixs, ^ el n* avail fail que dder d la

'^ A ees mots. Strange enough, Jin d ses instances,

we hero use mots, ana yet, 'in ^^ Leave out 'of the matter.'

these words' would he en ces ^ We say, in French, priter

termes (not fnots). serment, 'to take one's (or th^^

* voild voire fausse idSe. See or an) oath.' ^ d! avoir pilii de,
pitfo 97, note ^ ^ an pauvre homme.

^ d qui il nefallail plus donner ^ attendu que, lui, Tom, Stail le
Ufoud, . s$ul.

COMPOSITION. 115

deed, sir," said he, " it could hardly be called a lie that I

told ;^ for the poor fellow was entirely innocent of the

whole matter.^ I should have gone^ alone after the birds;

nay, I did go^ at first, and he only followed me to prevent

more mischief. Do pray,'^ sir, let me be punished ; ^ take

my little horse away again ; but, pray, sir, forgive poor
George."^

Mr. Allworthy hesitated a few moments, and then dis-
missed the boys, advising them to live more friendly and
peaceably together. — (Fieldino.)

SOPHIA'S LITTLE BIRD.

Tom Jonbs, when very young, ^ had presented Sophia
with^ a little bird, which he had taken from^^ the nest,
had nursed up, and taught to sing.^^

Of this bird, Sophia, then about thirteen years old, was
so extremely fond,^^ that her chief business was to feed and
tend it, and her chief pleasure to play with it. By these
means Tommy (for so the bird was called) ^^ was become so
tame, that it would feed out of ^^ the hand of its mistress,
would perch upon her finger, and lie contented ^^ in her
bosom, where it seemed sensible of its own happiness ; ^^
though she always kept a small string about its leg,^^

^ Translate^ ' what I have told vous oTiifait

can hardly be called (page 8, note ^ See page 29, note ^

^*f P«g6 9, note 19, page 104, note * avatt donnS d Sophxe.

»; and others) a lie.' ^^ dans,

' Leave out ' of the whole mat- ^ See page '60^ note >.

ter.' ^ Sophie, gut avait cUon en^

* Use courir (to run), here. viron treUe ant, admait ti pasti(mr

* et mimeje Vat fait. iUvmvU cetoiseau. ^

' ' Do, pray/ Je vmu en pne* ^ (^(tait le nom de Voiseau).

^ faites-m&i done punir. ^* See page 45, note *, and page

'The rerb pardonner requires 61, note *.

the accusative (objective case) of ^^ et dormait tranquiUemmt,

the thing governed, but the dative ^^ Put a full stop nere (see page

(prep. d> expressed or implied) 24, note 8) ; and begin CepenOanL

of ttie noim of the person who " 'about,' d. — 'its leg;' see

is the " r^imen ;" ex., pardon- page 11, note i.
nez d vot ennemii le vuU gu'iU

I 2

116 FRENCH PROSE

nar would ever trust it with^ the liberty of flying
away.

One day, when^ Mr. AUworthy and his whole &mily
dined at Mr. Western's, ^ Master Blifil, being in the garden
with little Sophia, and x>b8erying the extreme fondness
that she showed for her little bird, desired her to trust it
for a moment in his hands.^ Sophia presently^ complied
with the young gentleman's request, and after some pre-
vious caution delivered him her bird ; of which he was no
sooner in possession, than he slipped^ the string from its
leg, and tossed it into the air.

The foolish animal no sooner perceived itself at liberty,
than, forgetting all the favours it had received^ from
Sophia, flew directly from her, and perched on a bough at
some distance.

Sophia, seeing her bird gone, ^ screamed out so loud,^
that Tom Jones, who was at a little distance, immediately
ran^^ to her assistance.

He was no sooner informed of what had happened, ^^
than he cursed Blifil for a pitiful malicious rascal ;i-
and then immediately stripping off his coat, he ap-

1 'nor;' see page 15, note ^. — running, and is also used when

' would ^ see page 45, note *, — the point to be reached is not the

' to trust with/ laisser. one on which the mind is dwelling ;

' que ; see page 18, note ^8. thus, if, instead of reading about

^ ehez M. Western,, See page Sophia, and the spot where sbe

78, note '. was with her bird, we had been

^ ' to trust it . . . in his hands ;' entertained with an account of

translate, 'to entrust it to him' Tom Jones, of his sayings and

. . ., &o. doings, and of the particular spot

^ Leave out 'presently.' where he was, we should haye used

• ' of which ' . . ., &C. dis qu*U courir, in our translation, for the

Cevit, UJU glisser. X)oint to be reached by him would

' See p. 32, n. i*. — 'favours;' then have been the fiuither of the

lunfaiU. ^ See p. 60, n. i^. two in our minds.

' ti fort. We use fort more ^^ Bemember that some neuter

commonly with crier y and always verbs, like arriv&r ('to happen,'

hatU with parler, lire, &c. and also 'to arrive'), venir, devendr,

10 Use here the verb occounV (La- tom^er, &c., are conjugated, in

tin, ad^ and curr^rtf), not courir; the their compound tenses, with the

former genersJly implies running auxiliary itre, not with avoir. See

towards a particular point on which page 66, note i*.
the mind is dwelling, while the ^^ traita B — de miserable m(-

latter expresses the mere act of chant drdle.

COMPOSITION. 117

plied himself to climbing^ the tree to which the bird
escaped. 2

Tom had almost recovered his liUle namesake, when the
branch on which it^ was perched, and that hung* over
a canal, broke, and the poor lad plunged over head and
ears into the water. ^ ^

Sophia's concern now changed its^ object, and, as she
apprehended the boy's life was in danger, she screamed ten
times louder than before ; and indeed Master Blifil himself
now seconded her with all the vociferation in his power. '^

The company, who were sitting^ in a room next the
garden, were instantly alarmed, and came all forth ;^ but
just as 1® they reached the canal, Tom (for the water was
luckily pretty shallow in that part) arrived safely on
shore.^^

Thwackum felP^ violently on ^^ poor Tom, who stood
dripping and shivering before him, when Mr. Allworthy
desired him to have^* patience ; and turning to Master
Blifil, said, *^ Pray, child, what is the reason of all this
disturbance?"

Master Blifil answered, " Indeed, uncle, ^* I am very
sorry for what I have done. I have been unhappily the
occasion of it all.^^ I had Miss Sophia's bird in my hand,
and thinking the poor creature languished for liberty,
I own I could not forbear giving it what it desired, for
I always thought there was something very cruel in
confining anything.^^ It seemed to be against the law of

1 meUanl heMt bos, il grimpa d. *• 'as/ au moment oil.

• i^ftait posi (flee page 18, ^ arrivait sain et savf d bord.-^
note 8). 'reached/ * arrived ; ' see p. 1, n. «,

' edui-df — ^to remove the am- and p. 55, n. ^.

bigmty, il meaning 'he/ as well ^ iemporta.

as 'it.* * iStendait ^' contre le; in such a case, we

' tomha et diepanU sous Vta%, only suppress the article when the

^ See page % note *• phrase is an exclamation, as,

' 'louder,' pint ha/aiy here (and pauvre Torn!

not plus fort), aa forces will follow i* de prendre. See page 29,

dose. — 'with all' ... ., &o., dt note '. We also a&j patienter (to

tmUes ses forces. have patience).

8 'to be sitting!:/ here, itre ri- ^^ See page 78, note ".

tMii. Seep. 41, n. 8, and p. 28, n. * ** <fest mm pt,i at malheureuse-

* Use accourir, and put ' aJl ' at ment totU occastonnS.
tae beginning of the sentence. ^^ un Sire quelconque.

US FRENCH PROSE

Nature, by ^ which everything hath a right to liberty ; nay,
it is even unchristian,^ for it is not doing what we would
be done by.^ But if I had imagined Miss Sophia would
have been so much concerned at it, I am sure ^ I would
never have done it ; nay^ if I had known what would
have happened to the bird itself, for when Master Jones,
who climbed up that tree after it,^ fell into the water, the
bird took a second flight,^ and presently a nasty hawk
carried it away." ®

Poor Sophia, who now first^ heard of her little Tommy's
fato, (for her concern for Jones had prevented her per-
ceiving it when it^^ happened,) shed a shower ^^ of tears.
These Mr. Allworthy endeavoured to assuage, promising
her a much finer bird ; but she declared she would never
have ^2 another. Her father chid her for ^^. crying so for a
foolish bird, but^* could not help telling young Blifil if he
was a son of his his back should be well flayed. ^^

Sophia now returned to her chamber, the two young
gentlemen were sent home,^^ and the rest of the company
returned ^^ to their bottle, where a conversation ensued on
the ^^ subject of the bird.— (Fielding.)

^ en vertu de, " See pa^ 23, note «
' hienpluSf t^est anti'chriUen, "^^ que ^il Stait son p^e, il le
® ca/r ce rCest pas /aire ce que fouetterait cPimportance, — s*tl Hait,
n<ms^ voudrions ^*on n<ms fU literally, 'if ne (Mr. A — );' if
(subj., after v<yuloir). * he ' was used in the sense of ' that
^ *I am sure/ certes, here; and gentleman/ we should rather rar
put this part of the sentence first, c*itait instead of il itait (see p. 72,
(that is, after 'but.') note ^3) : same case as at p. 80, n 3.
° <m mime setUement. ^^ renvois (page 28, note *) chez
' pour le prendre. — ' fell ;' trans- enx (p. 78, n. *).
late, ' has fallen ' (see page 116, ^^ According to some gram*
note 1^). marians, and according to the
^ s'eat envois de nouveau. French Academy itself, le reste
^ et un vilain Spervier vient de must always be followed by the
Cemporter. verb, pronoim, &c., in the singU'
''now first;' translate, 'for lar. I beg to dissent from this, on
the first time,' and after the verb, no less an authority than that of
^^ de voir ce qui, Madame de StaSl, of Bacine, and
'^ torrent, of other writers, who have used
^* Translate here by the imper- the plural. It is true, that when
feet indicative of vouloir; in the there is a kind of unanimity, of in-
same way we say, e.g., voulez-vous separable unity, among the persons
du hceuff 'will you have some or things mentioned, the singular
beef I ' 18 (]jg. niay be more properly used, as in

COMPOSITION. 119

SCENE FROM " THE RIVALS."

JSnter SirLttcku ff Trigger and Bob Acres, toith p%$toh.

Acres, By my valour I then, Sir Lucius, forty yards is
ft good distance. Odds levels and aims ! — I say it is a
good distance.^

SirL, It is for' muskets, or small field-pieces;^ upon
my conscience,^ Mr. Acres, you must leave these things to
me.** Stay, now* — I'll show you. (Measures paces along
the stage,y There now, that is a very pretty distanoe — a
pretty gentleman's distance. ^

Acres, Zounds 1 we might as well fight ^ in a sentry-box!
I tell you, Sir Lucius, the farther he is ofi^, ^^ the cooler I
shall tSike my aim.^^

Sir L. Faith 1 then ^' I suppose you would aim at him
best of all if he was out of sight !

Acres. No, Sir Lucius; but I should think ^' forty,
or eight-and-thirty^* yardfr—

Sir L. Pho ! pho ! nonsense 1^^ three or four feet be-
tween the mouths of your pistols is as good as a mile. ^®

the example giyen by the Aca- you;' seep. 132, n. ^8.

damy, '' le reste de» Kommei est de ^ {11 mentre un urUdn nombre

won avis" that is, they are all of depas,)

one opinion, of one mind. But ° TeneZf voild, par exemple, pour

here, m our text, had the rest of un gcUant homme, — and put now,

tile company only one bottle to only onoe, 'a very pretty dia-

diylde among them all ? or had tance.'

they, if not a bottle each, at least ^ Fichtre / (very triyia]) autant

more than one for them all! The vavdradt runu hcUtre,

use of the wnppilar, here, {/en ^<> Use the future (he will be) ;

revint d sa houteille) might perhaps and see page 90, note s, and page

seem to imply the former, rather 49, note '.

than the latter, of these suppo- ^^ plus faurat de sang-froid d

sitions ; which would be absurd. viser.

^8 au, ^' En ee eas,

1 Simply, Par ma valeur, sir ^^ il me semble,

Lucius, je vous le rfpiUf guarante ^* See page 89, note >.

pas est une bonne distance. ^ Allons done/ cela n*a pas le

* Oui, pour, sens commun (or, chansons que tout
3 piiees de campagne. Put a full cela).

stOT) here. ^ En conscience. ^^ Entre les gueiUes . . . ., ^.,

° m£ ladsser rSgler (or, arranger) qu*il y ait trois . . . ., &c., ou un

ces choses-ld. mille de distance, qu*est'C6 que cela

* * now,' here, un peu, — 'I'Ushow fait t

120 FRENCH PROSE

Act^es. Odds bullets,^ no ! by my valour, there is no
merit in killing him so near !^ Do, my dear Sir Lucius,
let me bring him down at a long shot :^ a long shot. Sir
Lucius, if you love me !

Sir L. Well, the gentleman's friend* and I must^
settle that But tell me now, Mr. Acres, in case of aa
accident, is there any little will or commission I could
execute for you %

Acres, I am much obliged to you, Sir Lucius ; but I
don't understand —

Sir Z. Why, you may think there's no being shot at
without a little risk ;^ and, if an unlucky bullet should
carry a quietus with it — I say it will be no time then to
be bothering you about ^ family matters.

AcreB. A quietus !

Sir L, For instance, now ; if that should be the case,
w^ould you choose to be pickled,^ and sent home % or would
it be the same to you® to lie here in the Abbey ? I'm
told there is very snug lying^^ in the Abbey.

Acres, Pickled ! Snug lying in the Abbey — Odds tre-
mors i^^ Sir Lucius, don't talk so !

Sir L. I suppose, Mr. Acres, you never were engaged ^^
in an affair of this kind before.

Acres, No, Sir Lucius, never before %

Sir L, Ah I that's a pity ;^^ there's nothing like being
used to a thing.^* Pniy, now,^ how would you receive the
gentleman's shot % ^^

^ JSaUet de D — (yulgar). guire le moment de veiUr votu trou-

' de tipris, oler la cervelle de,

8 ' do r see page 88, note ' ; ^ vovdriez-^ous itre embaumS,

'bring him down/ &c., FabaUre ^ <m votu serait-il igal,

d une Imigue ^orUe, ^^ il y a de petite coins Men

^ tecond, in this sense ; yet, tranjuitlee,

there is no objection to using ami, ^ Tremblemewte de B — (vulgar).

» See paffe Q5, note ". " ' to be engaged,' here, ee

• Vous devez Men vender gu'on trouver engagi,

fCeetwie pat le feu dPun adver- ^ a^eet a<m,mage (in this sense).
taire sane cowrir guelguet petUt ^^ ^ avoir FhoSntvde dee choeee.
ritgues. ^^ Dites-mMf je vousprie.

* et si pax malheur une halle ^* Use the future (will you re-
v»«9i< d(' happen to/ 'should,') w>iM oeiye); 'the gentleman's shot/ le
ftendre (or, coucher — or, jeter^— or, feu de voire advertaire,

laieser) ewr le carreau, ce ne sera

COMPOSITION. 121

Acres, Odds files! I've practised that;^ there,^ Sir
Lucius, thcire^ — (puts himself into an attitude) — a side-
front, hey 1* Odd 1 Til make myself small enough \^ I'll
stand edgeways.^

Sw L, Now, you're quite out;^ for if you stand so
when I take my aim — (Levelling at him,)^

Acres. Zounds,^ Sir Lucius ! are you sure it is not
cocked? 10

Sir L, Never fear.

Acres. But — ^but — ^you don't know ; it may go off of its
own head \^^

Sir L. Pho ! be easy.^^ Well, now,^^ if I hit you in
the body, my bullet has a double chance ; for if it misses
a vital part of your right side, 'twill be very hard if it
don't succeed i* on the left.

Acres, A vital part 1

Sir L, But there ;i* fix yourself ao— {Placing Am)— let
him see the broad-side of your full front ; there ^^ — now a
i)all or two may pass clean through your body, and never
do you any hann at all. '^'^

Acres, Glean through me ! a ball or two clean through
me !

^ Serre-file de D — (vulgar) ; 'to ^* toyez aam erainU ; or, ras-

pracibise^' here, iex&rcer d. iur&^voiu ; or, trawjyi.illUez-vwu ;

' Unoi, or, again, iovez tranquille,

3 voyez ; or you may repeat ^ * now,' here, done,

tenez. ^* il y a d parier (see page 68,

* hein t note ^) qu*elle y riussira ; ' to suc-

'^ Leave out 'Odd;' 'smaU ceed,' in the Stinse of 'to cometo

enough,' here, le plus petit jpos- STiccession,' is succider, and it is

sihU. ritusir in the sense of 'to have

6 ' to stand edgeways,' se pri- success.' We often say^ &miliarly,
genter de cdU ; or, se tenir de ce sera Hen le diahle si, as corres-
hiais, ponding exactly to ' it will be

7 Nan, vous iCy itespas, very iSrd if,' but then generally
^ (II le vise avec son pistolet); when the thing mentioned is wished

or, (jl lui prfsente le hovJt de son for.

jnstolet). In speaking of muskets ^^ Tenez.

(not of pistols, as here), we also ^' Prhentez-votts complitement de

say €oti^£r quelqvlun en joue, in face, — comme cela.

this sense. ^^ Leave out ' clean ;' — ' your

» IHable (vulgar). body,' see page 11, note i ;— *any

^0 armi. harm at all,' turn 'the least

" partir tout teul, harm,'

122 FRENCH PROSE

Sir L. Ay, may they ;^ and it is much the genteelest
attitude into the bargain.^

Acres, Lookye !^ Sir Lucius — I'd just as lieve* be shot
in an awkward posture, as a genteel one j^ so, by my
valour I I will stand edgeways.

Sir Z. (Looking at his watch.Y Sure, they don't mean
to disappoint us ;^ ha ! no, faith. I think I see them
ooming.

Acres, Eh 1 what ! coming 1 — ®

Sir L, Ay, who are those yonder, getting over the
stile ?»

Acres. There are two of them "^^ indeed ! well, let them
come ; hey, Sir Lucius ! we — ^we — we — ^we — won't run.^^

Sir Z. Run !

Acres. No, I say, we won't run, by my valour I

Sir L. What the devil's the matter with you 1^^

Acres. Nothing, nothing, my dear friend ; my dear Sir
Lucius ; but I — I — I don't feeP^ quite so bold, somehow,
as I did. ^*

Sir L. fie ! consider ^^ your honour.

Acres. Ay, true ; my honour ; do. Sir Lucius, edge in^^
a word or two, every now and then, ^^ about my honour.

Sir L. Well, here they're coming. (Looking.)

Acres. Sir Lucius, if I wasn't with you I should almost
think I was ^® afraid. If my valour should ^^ leave me 1
Valour will come and go. 20

Sir L. Then pray keep it fast, while you have it.

* Sh, mats, sans doute; or, Out, (We also say, in the same sense,
la chose est possible. Qu^est-ce qui vous prend f)

* en outre; and at the beginning ^^ 'to reel/ here, se sentir.

of the sentence. "^^ que tout d Cheure (lit., 'as

8 TeTiez. jnst now*); see page 48, note ®,

* faime autant. and page 34, note 1.— 'somehow ;'
'^Repeat both the preposition render this by d vrai dire, and

and the nonn. put it after mats (but).

* See page 38, note ^, ^^ songez d.

7 Est-ce que, par hasard, il nous '• inCadresser*
manquerait de parole t ^^ de temps d autre.

8 Vommefni I — Q,ui venir f ^ Transdiate, ' I am afraid.'

* lepas, or, la barriire. ^' allait; or, venait d {see shoYo^
JO Translate, 'they are two.' note ' of page 120).

" 'to run,' here, se sauver. *o See page 45, note * ; also pagQ

** Que diahle avez-vous done f 115, note ^^, &c.

COMPOSITION. 123

Acres. Sir Lucius, I doubt ^ it is going ; yes, mj yalour
is certainly going I it is sneaking off!^ I feel it oozing
out, as it were, at the palms of my hands !^

Sir Z. Your honour ; your honour. — Here they are.

Acres, Oh, that I was ^ safe at Clod Hall I or could be
shot before I was aware !^

LOUIS XL

(King of France ; from 1461 to 1483.)

Brave enough for eveiy useful and political purpose,
Louis had not a spark of that romantic valour, or^ of the
pride generally associated with it, which fought on <^ for the
point of honour when the point ® of utility had long been
gained.^ Calm, crafty, and profoundly attentive to his
own Interest, he made every sacrifice, both of pride and
passion, which could interfere with it.^^ He was careful in
disguising his real sentiments and purposes from all who^^
approached him, and frequently used the expressions,
" that the king knew not how to reign who knew not how to

^ ilmesemhle. subj.) used in a similar ya.j, as

' elle nCSchappe. dussi-je Hre tu(, firai, ' were I to

3 pour ainn dire, qui me glisse be killed, I shall go there/ These

lUre lei doigU. kinds of sentences are eUiptical,

* que ne suis-je. — ' safe ; ' see the governing verb or conjunction

page 117, note ^^, and always trans- being understood : the first sen-

lato it so when it means 'un- tence is for y« disire que je puisne ^

scath^/ 'uniniured:' when it &c., and the second, for h%en qiie

means 'secured/ the French for it (or, quoique)je duase, &c.

is, en s'&reti, and when it signifies ^ See page 42, note 7.

'affording safety' (as e. g,, a safe ^ See page 6, note^. It may be

haiiwur) we use «4r. obsenred here, that the present

'^ Leave out 'or;' puissS-je Hre tense would be preferable, the fact

tuS avawt mime que je m*en doute. being a constant one.

Notice that an acute accent is ^ hvi,

placed, for the sake of euphony, » Simply, est atteint,

over the finid e of puisse (pres. ^o y nuire; or, better, le com-

subj.). Observe also this con- promeUre.

struction, the pronoun being ii 'from,' here, d. — 'all who,

placed after the verb ; the same &c. ; see page 82, note 8.
thing taJ^es place after duase (imp.

124 FRENCH PROSE

dissemble ; } and that, for himself, if he thought his very
cap knew 2 his secrets, he would throw it into the^ fire.**
No man of his own or of any other time better understood
how to avail himself of the frailties of others, and when to
avoid giving any advantage by the untimely indulgence of
his own.*

He was by nature vindictive and cruel, even to the
extent^ of finding pleasure in the frequent executions
which he commanded. But as no touch® of mercy ever
induced him to spare when he could with safety condemn,
so no sentiment "^ of vengeance ever stimulated him to a
premature violence.^ He seldom sprang on his prey till it
was fairly within his grasp,® and till all hope of rescue
was vain ; and his movements were so studiously dis-
guised, that his success was generally what first announced
to the world the object ^^ he had been endeavouring to
attain.

In like manner ^^ the avarice of Louis gave way to ^^
apparent profusion^^ when it was necessary to bribe the
favourite or minister of a rival prince for ^* averting any
impending attack, or ^^ to break up any alliance confede-
rated against him.^® He was fond of licence and plea-
sure,^'^ but not even his ruling passions ever withdrew him
from the most regular attendance to public business and

^ See p. 92, n. ^, and apply the place d,

rule to this case. Leave out ' how/ ^ See page 26, note ', page 27,

here, after ' to know * (sav&ir). note i* ; and others. Yet, here^

' Use confiaitre, here. we mleht translate by, une appa-

s au ; it would be speaking too rence ae prodigcUiU,

pointedly to use dans, here. ^* saitpaur.

* de aonner avaiUage »vr lui en ^^ soil. It is optional (as men-

cSdant inconsidSriment aux siennes. tioned page 66, note ^% after soil

' aupoifU. ('whetiier ) to use ou, or repeat

temtimerU, or, mouveTnent. soil : here, soit repeated is pre-

7 disir, ferable, as we thereby avoid the

6 'to stimulate,' Z^^''^^^^''^''^^''^* awkward repetition of ou, ex-

— 'a premature violence,' un a^^te pressed just above, before le mi-

primaturi de violence. nistre.

^ dsa portie. ... ^* pour rompre une confiafra-

^^ que ce rCitaxt ordinairement Hon dirigie (or, une alliance

que pwr le suceis qu*il avail obtenu formie) oontre lui,

gu*on apprenait le hvi. ^^ les plainre et le* divertiste'

^^ Dernhne, ments,
^' se changeait en; or, faisait

COMPOSITION. 125

the affairs^ of his kingdom. His knowledge of mankind
was profound, and he had sought it in the private walks
of life; in which he often personally mingled;^ and,
though naturally proud and haughty, he hesitated not,
with an inattention to the arbitrary divisions » of society,
which was then thought something portentously unnatural,^
to raise from the lowest rank men whom he employed on
the most important duties, and^ knew so well how ^ to choose
them, that he was rarely disappointed in ^ their qualities.

Yet there were contradictions in the character of this art-
ful and able monarch ; for human nature is never uniform.
Himself the most fidse and insincere of mankind,^ some
of the greatest errors of his life arose from too rash a con-
fidence in the honour and integrity of others. When
these errors took place, they seem to have arisen from an
over-refined system of ^ policy, which induced Louis ^^ to
assume the appearance of undoubting confidence in those
whom it was his object to^^ over-reach ; for, in his general ^^
conduct, he was as jealous ^ and suspicious as any t3rrant
who ever breathed.^*

Two other points may be noticed to complete the sketch
of this formidable character, by which he rose among the
rude chivalrous sovereigns of the period to ihe rank of a
keeper aipong wild beasts, who, by superior wisdom and
policy, by distribution of food, and some discipline by
blows, comes finally to predominate over those who, if un-
subjected by his arts, would by main strength have torn
him to pieces.

^ ne VempicJiirent jamais <L ^ See preceding page, note ^.
donner rSffmiiremewt »es soins atuc ^ se trompait rarement sur,
a^aires puhliques et d radminutrar ^ des hommes,
tion (see page 49, note ^). ' un raffinemeni excessif de sa.

^ et il Cavait acquite (page 82, ^^ translate^ 'him.'
note ^) ense mSlatU pergonneUemerU ^^ cetix qu*U se proposait de.
dans Urns les rangs ae la vie privSe. ^ ordinaire,
Pat a fuU stop here (page 24, ^ nUfiant ; and repeat 'as/

note »), and leave out ' and.' after 'and.'

* disUnctiiyM, u q^{ ^{f jamais exists. Notice

* regardSe comme aum Strange this use of the subjunctive, after
fue peu natwrelle (see p. 168, n. »). aucun (any), followed by a relative

* See page 28, note^ and Tarious pronoun ; as we have already seen
other places. it after le setU, at page 89, note ^.

126 FRENCH PROSE

The first of these attributes was Louisas ^ excessive super-
stition, a plague ^ with which ^ Heaven often afflicts those
who refuse to listen to the dictates of religion. The
remorse arising from his evil actions Louis never endea-
voured to appease * by any relaxation in ^ his Macchiavelian
stratagems, but laboured ^ in vain to soothe and silence
that painful feeling^ by superstitious observances,^ severe
penance,^ and pro^se gifts to the ecclesiastics. The second
property,^® with which the first is sometimes found^^
strangely united, was a disposition to low pleasures and
obscure debauchery.^^ The wisest, or at least ^^ the most
crafty, sovereign of his time,^* was fond of ordinary ^^ life,
and, being himself a man of wit, enjoyed the jests and
repartees of social conversation ^^ more than could have
been expected fi*om ^^ other points of his character. He
even mingled in the comic adventures of obscure intrigue,
with a freedom little consistent with the habitual and
guarded jealousy of his character ; i® and^® was so fond of
this species of humble ^^ gallantry, that he caused ^^ a
number of its gay and licentious anecdotes to be enrolled
in a collection well known to ^^ book-collectors, in whose
eyes (and the work is unfit for any other) the right edition
is very precioua^^ — (Walter Scott, Quentin DurwardJ)

^ de ees traits caracUruiiques de sition^ whereas au motns commonly

Louis XI, itait une. expresses a mmimiiTn, as, 'we were

' See page 27, note 9. at least sixty,' wnuitions au hmwiw

' dont, soixante,

* Translate, ' Never Louis en- ^* Use ' he * here, in French.
deayom*ed to appease the remorse,' ^^ privie,
ko. ^^ Bimply, de la conversation.

'^ en changeant gudque diose d, ^^ d^aprls Us,

^ See page 23, note ^. ' ^^ son naturel m^tU et ombra^

7 sa conscience, geux. Put a full stop here.

« pratiques, ^ Erifin. il,

^ Use tne plural. ^ ianoble,

w Simply, Le second, *^ See page 9, note ^*,

" See paie 8, note ^, ** des.

*' tJse the plural ; ' obscure,' ^jpour lesquels la bonne Sdition

secrites. est dTwn trls grand prix, et qui seult

'* du mains; this expression doivent se petTjtettre cTy jeter Us

generally indicates a restriction yeva,
n the preceding part of the propo-

COMPOSITION.

127

SKETCH OF CiESAR'S CAREER AND CHARACTER.

The man who broke the power of Gallia in an eight years'
war has written ^ the history of the ^ war himself. He was
a ^ soldier in his youth, like most Romans of rank,^ and he
had been a governor^ in Spain shortly before he was*
consul. But it was not till after he was more than forty
years of age® that his militaiy career commenced, and^ he
obtained a field wide enough for his daring and capacious
genius. It was Caesar's ambition^ to conquer the Qauls,
and it was prudent policy^ in the Romans, for Italy was
never safe^^ so long as the restless and warlike men beyond
the^^ Alps were unsubdued. The rapidity of Caesar's
movements, the immense extent of country over which his
military operations extended, his battles, lus sieges, his de-
feats, and his victories, with their political consequences^
give^^ to his work an untiring interest, if we read it with
proper knowledge and in a proper way. Nor^^ let any man,
who thinks that he knows ^* something of modem waifare,^*
ventxire to disparage either the Roman or his enemies
without ^® a map always before him, and his attention well
awake to the significance of a few words written in the
Latin language, and written by Caesar. The Gauls fought
with courage and desperation; they showed military
talent,^"^ and in the arm of cav^ry they were strong. ^^
They were inferior in infimtry and in their weapons ;i^ and
they were weakened by political disunion. Caesar pursued

^ TruDslate literally, 'has writ-
ten himself.' ' cette.

8 ' a soldier ; ' ' a governor ; ' see
page 76, end of note ^.

^ nobles romains (literally,
'Roman nobles').

' See page 7, note ^

* C0 neftU qu'apris qu*tl eut atteCtU
rdge de quararUe ant (or, eut mguo'
rante ans rSvoltLg—or, accomptts).

7 See p. 3, n. ', and p. 1, n. 8.

8 Turn, * Cesar's amoition was.

• See p. 26, n. * ; and others.

10 See p. 123, n. *.

^ qui habitment au deld des.

M See p. 20, n. ».

13 See page 15, note *.

1^ See above, note <*, and the
reference made there.

^ art militaire* ^ safu avoir,

^^ tTse the plural, in French.

^ et leurs armS£8 HaietU fortes en
cavalerie ; or, ti Vootm cU ia eavor
lerie itait leurfort,

^ sous le rappoii de Vivfanierie
et des annes-

128 FRENCH PROSE

his bold career through hazards and dangers enough to
have stopped^ a prudent man ; but his eyes were always
open,2 and his vigilance never slumbered ; his presence of
mind never left him, and he was full of resources in his
vigorous understanding and his resolute will He/ who
said himself^ that he was not cruel, who spared the
lives of ^ Eoman citizens, his enemies, who pardoned^ his
countrymen who would have taken his life,^ pursued bar-
barians with unrelenting ferocity. He spared neither age
nor sex ; he slaughtered men in battle, in flight, and after
submission ; he plundered them, he sold them for^ slaves ;
he mutilated them; he burnt their houses; he wasted their
fields ; he left them to perish in the winter, houseless ^
and without food. His most formidable enemy, who was
cruel like himself, ^^ and,^^ as active and as brave, the
Grallic chief who, in the seventh year of the war, made
a last effort tx) crush the Eoman proconsul, and nobly sur-
rendered to save his countrymen, was thrown into a
Boman dungeon, to wait six years for Csasar's triumph ;
and then ^^ he was put to death.

Such a man, with all his great qualities, ought not to
be made the^^ object of vulgar admiration, ^^ as he often
is by modern writers. He ought to be estimated justly.
He was better than many, perhaps than most of his con-
temporaries ; and that is all we can say .^^ — (George Lonq,
Preface to his Edition of the Gallic War,)

^ qui aw aievt suffi pour arrH&r, ^^ lux.

' The French construction is, " etdepliu,

in such cases, ' he had always the " apria guoi.

eyes open.' ^ itre r^pritentS eomme i*».

3 Le mifM homme, ^* No aruole,here, as at page 26^

* Translate, 'who has said.' note <; but whihit we say, un

^ f^ 9if^6 de la vie d. objet dP admiration vulgaire, w«

^ See page 115^ note 7. should say, Fobjet cCune admiration

7 qui en voulatent d ses jours, vtUgaire (see page 27, note ^*)'

^ comTne ; without any article. ^ et (fest aire autant qu'on en

^ sans abri; or, sans oMU, peut dire.

COMPOSITION. 129

THE DEAD ASS.

** And this,'* said he, putting the remains of a orust into
his wallet,^ " and this should have been thj portion/' said
he, " hadst thou been aliye to have shared it^ with me."
I thought, by^ the accent, it had been^ an apostrophe to
his child ; but *twas^ to his ass, and to the very ass we
had seen dead in the road, which ^ had occasioned I^ Fleur's
misadventure. The man seemed to lament it much ; and
it^ instantly brought into my mind Sancho's lamentation
for^ his; but he did it with more true touches of
nature.^

The mourner ^^ was sitting upon a stone bench at the
door, with the ass*s pannel and its bridle on one side,^^
which he took up from time to time, and laid them down^
looked at them, and shook his head.^^ He then took his
crust of bread out of his wallet again,^^ as if to ^^ eat it, held
it ioT some time in his hand, then laid it upon the bit of his
ass's bridle .... looked wistfully at the little arrangement
he had made .... and then gave ^^ a sigh.

The simplicity of his grief drew numbers^® about him ;
and La Fleur amongst the rest, whilst the horses were
getting ready ; ^^ as I continued sitting in the post-chaise,
I could see and hear over their heads.

^ See page 22, note ^. — * re- ^ Ensuite tl reprU . . . daau son

mains ;' use the singalar. — 'crustf' . . . &c.

cro4t6 de pain. i* comme powr.

3 n tu avais vicu powr le par- ^^ et pouua ; but we may also

tager, ^ d. use soupirer.

^ que c*itait, ^^ nonibre de aens. The word

B (f^i itait une. nombre, thus usea adverbially, for

^ et qui, heaucoup, corresponds to the Eng-

7 ceta. lish 'numbers/ or to 'a number,'

^ mr. in the sense of ' a great number ; '

' mais cet homme se pladgnait but in French, if we prefix the

avec des accents ^lus covformes d la article un to the substantive nombre,

•MUure; or, tmixs Vavire avait des it has not in that case the sense oi

traits plus frappants de nfUfwrel, * a great number,* and it then re-

^^ Daffiig6. quires the adjective grand, thus,

^^ Turn, ' haviog beside him the un grand nomlMre, to give it that

pannel and the bridle of the ass, meaning.

which,* &c. ; see page 10, note ^. ^ pendant gu*on p^'iparait (page

'* See page 27, note *. 8, note w) les chevatuc,

E

190 FRENCH PROSE

He said he bad come last^ from Spain,^ where he had
B6en from the furthest borders^ of Franconia ; and had got
so far on his return home,^ when his ass died.^ Every one
seemed desirous to know what business could have taken
so old and poor a man so &r a joumej from his own
home.®

It had pleased Heaven, he said, to bless him with^ thiee
sons, the finest lads in ^ all Germany ; but having in* one
week lost two of the eldest of them by the smaU-poz, and
the youngest falling ^^ ill of the same distemper, he vms
afraid of being bereft of them all ; and made a vow, if
Heaven would not take him frx>m him also, he would go^*^
in gratitude to St. lago^^ in Spain.

When the mourner got thus far on^^ his story,
he stopped to pay nature her tribute, ^^ and wept
bitterly.

He said, Heaven had accepted the conditions ; and that
he had set out from his cottage with this poor creature,
who had been a patient partner of his journey, that it had
eat the same bread with him all the way, and was unto
him as a friend.

Everybody who stood about,^^ heard the poor fellow
with concern. La Fleur offered him money. The mourner
said he did not want it .... it was not the value of the ass

^ arrivait en dernier lieu. referenoe to time. Thus^ we say,

* <ie VEtpagne; see p. 16, n. ^^ 'I shall start for America tn eleven
It is better to use tne definite davB' ^hence), Je parHrai pour
article, here, on account of oil FAmirvqu^ dans ome iourt; oat,
(where), which gives the noun tk on va maintenaaU en Amirique en
more definite meaning. ome jours, means 'people now co

> du Jin fond. to iunerica in eleven days' (m

* et qifU avait dSjdfait tout cela eleven days' time), in the sense of,
de chemin pour regagnar eon paye. * it takes eleven days to aooomplish

^Translate, 'had died' (see the journey.'
paffe 66, note ^. ^ Translate, ' having fiOkn ' (p.

• ce wd avait pu didder (see 116, note ii).— 'iU,' here, otteinL
page 8S, note •) un konme ti vieux " See page 7, note ^ — ' in,'
et ti pauvre d partir de ehex lui poff'

pour un ei long voyage, ^* Saint-Jaeaues,—* in Spain ;' see

' de lui accorder.—' It had pleas- page 16, note lo.

ed,'&c. ;seep.81,n.'.— 'hesaid;' ^ en fut Id de; eeo page 69,

see p. 145, n. ". » See p. 82, n. «. note «.

• en. There is an essential diflFer- " See page 85, note m.

enoe between dan» and en with ^^ Simply, Tout let attittaavU,

COMPOSITION. 131

«. . . • but the loss of him . . . .^ the ass, he said he wtui
assured, loved him .... and upon this told them a long
itory of a misohance upon their passage over the Pyreneau
mountains which had^ separated them from each other'
three days ; during which time^ the ass had sought hin^
as much as he had sought the ass, and that they had
Boaroe either eat or drank till they met.^

^ Thou hast one comfort, friend," said I, ** at least,^ in
the loss of thy poor beast ; I 'm sure thou hast been a
merciful master to him . . . ." — *' Alas 1" said the mourner,
** I thought so, when he was aUve ; but now that he is
dead, I think otherwise. I fear the weight of myself and
my afilictions together ^ have been^ too much for him,
they have^ shortened the poor creature's days, and I fear I
have^® them to answer for.*'^^ — " Shame on the^^ world I"
said I to myself; ** did we love each other ^' ^ this poor
souP^ but loved his assf, 't would be something." — (St^ne;,
SerUimental Journey,)

THE STARLING.

The mind sits^^ terrified at the^^ objects she has
magnified herself and blackened : reduce them to
their proper size and hue, she overlooks them.'^'^ '^'Tis

' taferU, ^ mon poida joint d cdm demat

' gut, d lewr joauage dcmt let affiidioru,

PyrMes, let avatt; see page 10^ ^ See page 87, note H

note >, and pcw;e 22, note ^, > ' they ;' use the aiuffular.-^

s See page 10, note ^, 'have ;' see page 79, noto^.

^ Translate, ' . . . . three dajB, ^ See page 7, note ^,

.doling which the ass,' &o. ^ den rSponare,

6 fJiivaiefU pretirue ni mangi ni ^ au.

&tt jutqu'd ce qu*%tt te futsent (or, ^ See p. 88, n. ", and p. 48, n. ".

aimply, , , , , ni bu qu*ilt ne te ^* homme; andleayeout 'but.'

fatHnt) retrowoSt. 16 reste,

^ L'ami, dii-je, tuat , , . ,, du ^^ dla vue det,

moint (see page 126, note ").— In i' il n*yfaii plut attention. In

fitmiliar talk, we thus use the de- speaking of persons, instead of

finite artide before such words as things, we should sav, il ne fait

aaai, Komme, f em/me, JUle, when ad- plut cUtention d eux (masp.— or, d

dressing an inferior and unknown ellee, fbmin. ; and also d lui, maso.

pevaon. sing., and d elle, fen>. sing.), but

K 2

132 FRENCH PROSE

true,"^ said I, correcting the proposition, ''the Bastille is
not an evil to be despised;^ but strip it of its towers, fill
up the /o«sl, unbarricade the doors, call it simply a con-
finement,* and suppose *t is some tyrant * of a distemper,
and not of a man which holds you in it, the evil vanishes,
and you bear the other half ^ without complaint."

I was interrupted in the hey-day® of this soliloquy
with^ a voice which I took to be ^ of a child, which com-
plained it cotdd not ^ get out, I looked up and down the
passage,^^ and seeing neither man, woman, or child,^^ I
went out without &rther attention.

In my return back through the passage, I heard the
same words repeated twice over;^^ ^^^ looking up,^* I saw
it was a starling hung^* in a little cage. / carCt get out, I
carCt get ottt, said ^^ the Starling.

T stood looking at^* the bird; and to every person who
came through the passage it ran fluttering to the ^^ side
toward which they approached it, with the same lamenta-
tion of its captivity. . . . / can^t get out, said the starling.
—"God help thee!" said I, "but 111 let thee out,^8 cost
what it will." ^* So I turned about the cage to get to the

not lew (nor luif ojig,). Seepage ^^ Translate, 'I heard repeat

20, note u. The rule on this pomt twice/ &o., and leare out 'over.'
will presently be explained at full ^ levant les yeua (page 27,

length (p. 2«), n. 1). note 8).

^ II est vrai ; il, instead o£ ee, ^* Leave tlus word out.
here: if 'it' (taken in the sense ^'^ See page 1, note <^, and page

of the demonstrative pronoun 55, note ^

'that') related to what precedes, ^* 'to stand lookmg at/ rester d

instead of depending on the fol- regarder,
lowing que ('that/ — eonjnnction, ^^ ^i^.

either expressed or understood, in ^^ je vais tefaire sortir (see page

English), we should then trans- 6, note ^). Whenever the &ot

late 'it is true' by c*est vrcd. mentioned is going to take place

' dmSpriser, immediately, the French prefer

> une retraiteforcSe, using thus the verb aller to em-

* la tyrannde. ployinff the future, as is done in
'^ le rette. English : as, in this oommoiQ
^ les houtades. phrose, 'Why? If you will listen,
^ par. I'll tell you (why),' P<ywrquoi t Si
^ Translate, 'took for that.' wms voulez bien m*€oouter, je wjm

* See page 7, note ^ vou» le dire (not je vous le dtrai).
^^ d^un bout d Pavtre du cor- ^^ co4te que co4Ue. The EngHsh

ridor, student is particularly cautioned

" See page 42, note ^. against some gross blunders, of

COMPOSITION. 133

door; it T?a8 twisted and double-twisted so fiut with wire,^
there was no getting it open without pulling^ the cage
to piece& ... 1 took both hands to it^

The bird flew to the place where I was attempting his
deliyeranoe, and thrusting his^ head through the trellis,
pressed^ his breast against it, as if impatient.^ " 1 fear,
poor creature T' said I, ''I cannot ^ get thee at liberty.**
....*' iTo," said the starling ...."/ canH get out, I carCt
get outy^ said the starling. ^

I vow I never had my 'affections more tenderly
awakened ; nor^ do I remember an incident in my life
where ^^ the dissipated spirits, to which my reason had
been a bubble, were^^ so suddenly called home.^^ Me-
chanical as ^* the notes were,^* yet so true in tune to Nature

syntax and orthograpliy, which are ' See page 7, note 7.

ourrent in Englana among even ^ 'said,' here, that is, ejaou-

well-educated persons, with regard lated all at onoe ; use the prete-

to many French expressions which rite, accordingly, not the im-

have been adopted in the Ei^lish perfect.

langua^, and were accepted at first ^ See page 15, note '•

most hkely from exceedingly in- "^^ See page 8, note ^.

competent hands. Thus, coiUe qui '^ Translate here by the com-

coMe, instead of eoUe que co^ ; pound of the present subjunotiTe

doiible entendre, instead of double (see page 35, note *").

entente ; se battre h I'outrance, in- ^* rappeUs au Icgis, The word

stead of te hattre k outrance ; &c., logis ia not often used in this sense,

&o. It is really a very ereat pity except in the common phrase, la

that these mistakes, wbicn are only folle du logiSf used to designate

a small portion of ^hose now cur- that very freakish faculty — im'&-

rent, are so generally in use that gination.

they cannot, I am afndd, be easily ^ Translate herehj Quelgtte . . .

eradicated. I shall have to notice qw ; and see p, 47, end of n. *.

a few more in the course of this Qtidqiie, 'however' or 'whatever,'

work. is spelt in three wavs : — 1st, be-

^ elle Halt enJUyrtilUe (Tun dotible fore a substantive, m one word,

JU de fer (or, JU (Tarckal), et d and it agrees with that sul>-

fortemefU. stantive, as, quelques talents (what-

' quHl iCy avait pat moyen de ever talents) ^*il ait ; 2nd,

Couwir tans mettre, before an adjective. In one word,

' Je m*y pris des deux maiTu, but remains invariable, as qu4l^

* We sometimes deviate, for the grands (however great) que sotefU

sake of emphasis, from the rule ses talents — ^yet, u that adjective

given page 27, note >. should itself be followed by a noun.

note ^. and

'^ 'new;' 'pressed;' see page 1, quelque will agree, aa, mielmies

^; also grands talefUs qu'il ait ; ora, h^ore

pafe 31, note K a verb, in two words, the first <^

. » See page 29, note ^ ; and which, only, agrees, as, quels qut

others, dmx, we may here trans- soient ses talents.

late, 'as with impatience.' ^* See page 3, note •.

U4 FRENCH FR06E

were thej duumted^ that in odo momeDt tliej OTcrtlnew
all my ajBftematical leaaonii^' upon the BastiDey and
I heayflj walked np stain,' nnaajing every wofd^ I had
laid in going down them.

^ Diigaiae thyself as thon wilt^ still,^ Slaveiy 1** said
I . . . « '' still thoa art^ a bitter draught ! And thou^
thonsands^ in all ages have been nuide^ to drink ci tfaee^
thoa art no less bitter on that acoount * . . . . Tis tho%
thrice sweet and gradons Goddess^" addressing myself to-
LiBEBTTy ** whom ally in public or in private, worshif^.
whose taste is gratefbl, and ever will be so, till Nature
herself shall changa^® No tint of words can spot thy
snowy mantle, or,^^ chymic power turn thy sceptre into
iron. With thee to smile upon him ^ as he eats his crusty
the swain is happier than the monarch, from whose court ^^
thou art exiled. ^' Gracious ^^ Heaven 1 ** cried I, kneeling
down upon the last step but one in my ascent,^^ ''grant ma
but^^ health, thou great Bestower of it/''^ and give me but ^^
this &ir Goddess as my^^ companion, and shower down thy
mitres, if it seems good^ imto thy divine Providencei
upon those heads which are aching for them." ^ — (St£bn%
SentimerUalJourney,)

1 Leaye out ' yet ' (page 108, ^ de la eour duquel (or, de gtU),

bote *).-'^et Staieni chanties dans When there is a preposition be^

un a^ceord si parfait avee la na^ t ween ' whose ' ana the noun Ut

ture; or, dUs (taient si covformet which it relates, we must use du-

d Faceent de la nature, qud, de laguelle, desquels, and des-

' Use the plural* quelles, according to the gender

' VesecUier (singular). See page and numbor, instead of using dont^

58, note '. which can never be preceded by K

* See page 28, note >. preposition ; and, if we speak of

' 'thou wilt;' use the future (<tf persons, de gut may be used as

vauhir) ; and leave out ' still ' in the well as dw^^, &o.

first instance. ^* misSncordietix.

' Again here, use the ftiture. ^ Simply, svr Cavant-demiirs

7 des milliers (or, more truly, marehe.

d€S millions) d^hommes. ^' settlement ; which is more em*

^ Use the rerb forcer, phatic than ne . , . que.

' tu n*e% es pas mains amer pour ^^ Translate, ' its great,' &c.

6ela. ^ ne , . , que; to avoid an un-

'^ Remember that jusmfd ce que neoGBsary repetition,

frequently governs the suDJunctive. ^' Simply, ^«wr,

^^ Translate by ' no,' repeated. ^ si hon semble. *

^* pour lui sowrire, *^ qui en sichentd!envie.

COMPOSITION. 135

FOX.

Ms. Fox*8 eloquence was of a kind which to comprehend
yon must have heard himself.^ When he got fairly into^
his Bubject, was heartily wanned with it, he poured forth
ikyrda and periods of fixe that smote you, and deprived
yba of all power to reflect and rescue yourself while he
went on to seize^ the faculties of the listener, and carry
Hiem captive along with him whithersoever he pleased^
to rush. It is ridiculous to doubt that he waa^ a fax
doaer reasoner, a much more argumentative speaker than^
Demosthenes; as much more so as DemosUienes would
peiiiaps have been than Fox/ had he lived in our times ^
and had to address® an English House ^^ of Commons. For
it is the kindred mistake of^^ those who fimcy that the
two were like each,^^ to imagine that the Grecian's orations
are long chains of ratiocination, like Sir William Grant's
arguments, or Euclid's demonstrations. They are close to
the point ;^^ they are full of impressive allusions ; they
abound in expressions of the adversary's inconsistency ;
they are loaded with bitter invective; they never lose

1 Turn, 'Mr. Fox had a kind of • Tarn, 'that his reasonings

cAoquence which one cannot com- were (subj.) far doser, his speeches

g'ehend without haying heard the much rioher in aiigumentation,

ator himself.' than those of.*

' Quand il efUraii enplein daru. 7 Turn, * he was by as much —

' s UnU en ifemj^Offuid de. or simply, Ba-^d^atUarU, or, simplv,

^ il lui plattait (literally, 'it autti) superior to Demostiienesm

pleased to mm'). See p. 1, n. 8, p. this double respect {tout . . . mp-

05, n. ^ and p. 81, n. "C The verb port) as Demosthenes would per^

plaire is not used, in French, as haps have been (see p. 19, n. ^, and

abore in the text ; thus jt plait, p. 6, n. ^) to Fox.'

tiL plait, kc., *1 please,' &o., are 8 tempt (singular), aejowrt (plural),

only taken in the sense of ' I ffive ^ /adretter d, ^^ Chambre.

pleasure,' *I am pleasing, or plea- u i^^^ errewr eofnmwM cha (or,

sant,' ko.t never in that of ' 1 am parUculiirt d).

pleased,' &o. ^ eet deux oraieurt te rettem-

' Remember that <2(ne^ governs hletU»

the subjunctive (without ne, when ^ gii^g ne ^iearteiU (or, ne

conjugated affirmatively, and with t^iloignent) jamait de la guttkon ;

ne when negativelv, which is the or. Tout y ett ngoureutement au

reverse with crainare, as seen page faiij or, again. Tout y va droit au

37, note "). hut.

136 FRENCH PROSE

sight of the subjeot;^ and they never quit hold of^ the
hearer by the striking appeals tifiey make to his strongest
feelings and his favourite recollections : to the heart, or to
the quick and immediate sense of inconsistency, they are
always addressed,' and find their way thither^ by the
shortest and surest road ; but to the head, to the calm
and sober judgment, as pieces of argumentation, they
assuredly are not addressed.^ But Mr. Fox, as he went along,
and exposed absurdity, and made inconsistent arguments
clash,^ and laid bare^ shuffling or hypocrisy, and showered
down upon meanness, or upon cruelty, or upon oppres-
sion, a pitiless storm of the most fierce invective, was
ever forging also ^ the long, and compacted, and massive
chain of pure demonstration.

There was no weapon of argument^ which this great
orator more happily or^^ more frequently wielded than wit,
the wit which exposes to ridicule the absurdity or incon-
sistency of an adverse argument It has been said^^ of
him, that he ^^ was the wittiest speaker of his times ;^' and
they ^^ were the times of Sheridan and of Windham. This
was Mr. Canning's opinion, and it was also Mr. Pitt's. There
was nothing more awful in Mr. Pitt's sarcasm, nothing so
vexatious in Mr. Canning^s light and galling raillery, as
the battering and piercing wit^^ with which Mr. Fox so
often interrupted, but always supported, the heavy artillery
of his argumentative declamation.

In most of the external qualities of oratory,^* Mr. Fox was
certainly deficient, being of an unwieldy person,i7 without
any grace of action, with a voice of little compass, and which,

^ The French oonstraotion is, ^'iomskecHaah/meUreencot^it,

* they neyer loee the subject of ^ ' to lay bare,' mettre d nu,

sighv or, 'theynever lose of sight ^ ne ceuait en mime temps de

the subject ; ' but neyer ' . . . lose forger (see page 48, note ^).

sight of,' &o. « argumemiaiion,

■ eaptivent jutqu^au bout. i' See p. 42, n. '. ^ See p. 8, n. i*.

' B^;in so, 'they are always ^ See p. 118, n. ^,

addressed to the hearty' ko. ^ Use the singular.

* e'yfofU jour; or, j'y tntrodui- " See p. 72, n. w.

sent, IB lee rudee hordiet et lea traUe

^ Invert the last part of this perfantt de VeaprU, ^< de Voraiewr,

proposition, in the same way as ^^ lowrd de ea personne.
in the preoeding one (note ').

'

COMPOSITION. 737

when pressed^ in the vehemence of his speech, became shrill
almost to a cry or squeak ; ^ yet all this was absolutely
forgotten in the moment when the torrent began to pour.
Some of the undertones ^ of his voice were peculiarly sweet ;
and there was even in the shrill and piercing sounds which
he uttered, when at the more exalted pitch, a power that
thrilled the heart of the hearer. His pronunciation of our
language was singularly beautiful, and his use of it ^ pure
and chaste to^ severity. As he rejected, from^ the correct-
ness of his taste, all vicious ornaments, and was most
sparing, indeed, in the use of figures at all,^ so, in his choice
of words,^ he justly shunned foreign idiom,^ or words
borrowed whether from the ancient or modem languages, ^^
and affected the pure Saxon tongue,^^ the resources of
which are unknown to so many who use it, both in writ-
ing and in speaking.^^ — (Lord Brougham.)

1 Bed pag6 29, note U. 8 Turn, Mn the choice of the

2 se faisait aigug jtuqu'd (or, words ' (see pa^g^e 28, note >).

au poirvt de) ne plus itre presque ' Use the plural ; and see pa^e

mi^'un cri, 101, note *.

9 tons bos, ^'^ Translate as if the English

* ei son expression j or, et ViLsage were, 'from the ancient languages
qvliL en faisait. or from the modem languages (or,

' jusqu'd, the modem ones)'.

• par suite de. ^^ le saaon pur.

' (tait mime tris rSservi dans ^' dun si grand nanibre de per-
temploi dejigures; or, hetteTfitOAt sonnes . . . &c.. tant pour ierire
mSmefoH sobre de figures. que pour parler.

138 FRENCH PROSE

MONTAIGNKi

The " Essays of Montaigne,"* the first edition of whioh«
appeared at Bordeaux in 1580, make, in several respects, >
an^ epoch in literature, less on account of their real im*-
portance, or the novel trulls they contain, than of their
influence upon the taste and the opinions of EuropiBi^
They are the first provocatio ad populuniy the first appealP
from the porch and the academy, to the haunts of bui^
and of idle men ; the first book that taught the unlearned
reader to observe and reflect for himself on questions of
moral philosophy. In an age when every topic of thk^
nature was treated systemati^ly and in^ a didactic form^-
he broke out^ without connexion of chapters, with all thdr-
digressions that levity and garrulous egotism could sug«J
gest, with a very delightful, but, at that time, most un-
usual rapidity of transition from seriousness to gaiety.^
It would be to anticipate much of what^ will demanct
attention in the ensuing century were we to^ mentioii
here the conspicuous writers who, more or less direetlyy
and with^ more or less of close ^ imitation, may bd
classed in the school of Montaigne ; it embraces, in &ot, il
large proportions^ of French and English literature^^^
and especially of that which has borrowed his title of

^ Michd de Montaigne ; the . . . because') itaU <dort plu8 rijgrt.
celebrated French writer, bom in ^ twr un sujet qui,
1538, and died 1692. 7 'were we to/ que de. Be-

' Leave out this article^ here, member that tbo luse of que, M

In the same way, we Ba.y,faire such cases, is quite idiomatio; ad

icole, faire image, &o. &c. i?eit se tromper que de croire, ' it

' sous. ^ is a mistidce to believe.' See pagd

* Montaigne lan^dans lemonde 87, note \ and page 66, note %
un livre (see pacpe 10, note *), ^ et par state dejtaid see page 26^

dofU les aiJFSreiUs chapiires note ').
n'oTit entre eux aucune liaison; un ^ 'dose,' here, hewreuse.
livre rempli de UnUes les digressions ^^ une portion considSrcUtle.
que pent sug^Srer (see page 3, note ^ des littSratwres frangaise H

^) un espnt Uger, vaniteua et amgUdse (or, as some grammarianB

jaseur; un livre remarquahle enjin wiU have it, contrary to general

par la rapiditi de transition du custom, de la littireOure fran^efUe

sSrieux au plaisant, variiti (see et de la littSrature anglais^-'^i^hat

page 27, note ^) cPautarU plus an awkward phrase !)
piquarUe qu'elle (lit., 'the more

COMPOSmOK. 130

'' Esflays." No prose writer^ of the sixteenth century has
been so generally read, nor probably given so much de-
light. TVliateyer may be our estimate of Montaigne as a
phUosopher,^ a name which he was finr from arrogating,
there will be but one opinion of the felicity and bright-
ness of his genius.

-• It is a striking proof of these qualities, that we cannot
h^lp believing him to have struck out all his thoughts by
H.spontaneous effort of his mind, and to have fallen after*
ifards^ upon his quotations and examples by happy acci-
dent^ I have little doubt but that the process was
^ifferent,^ and that, either by dint of memory, though he
absolutely disclaims the possessing a good one,^ or by the
UQual method of common-placing,'^ he had made his read-
ing instrumental to excite his own^ ingenious and fearless
understanding. ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦

His quotations, though they perhaps make more than
one^ half of his " Essays,** seem parts of himself, ^^ and
$ge like limbs of his own mind, which could not be sepa-
Iftted without laceration. But over all^^ is spread a charm
^ a &scinating simplicity, and an apparent abandonment
oC the whole man to the easy inspiration of genius, com-
bined with a good-nature,^^ though rather too Epicurean

^ protcUiur. that his was not good.'

* Seepage 183, note ". Turn, ' 'or;' see page 66, note ^^ —
'Whatever idea we may make to 'usual;' see page 45, note ^\ —

oonelyes of the merit of M aa ' of oommon-pladng/ eofuiHant d

a philosopher ;' see p. 288, note ^ fatre des extraitt et d prendre det

• * To strike out, /aire jaillir, notes.

But we had better turn so : — ' A ^ il avatt puuS dans ses lectures

gtriklng proof of these qualities, is, les textes et les sujets mr lesquels

(see paffe 89, note ") that one {on) iexer^it son,

cannot help {/empScher de, in this * ' than ; ' see page 60, note ^.

sen8e)belieTiiig(mfinit., in French) — 'one/ here, la.

that all his thoughts have struclc ^^ 'parts of himself,' /aiV^ corps

p, broken— out {ontjailU) spon- avec lui,

taneously from his mind, and that ^^ sur rensemble.

he has fallen (see page 116, note ^^) ^* une bonhomie. This is another

only (see page 6, note ^ after- of those expressions, mentioned at

wards.' page 182, note ^, and which have

* See page 22, note ', as well as passed current in England with a

paae 26, note *• wrong spelling. I have seen this

° 11 est peu dovtettx pour mot gtCil word repeatedly spelt bonhommie,

a dilprocfder diff6remment. with two m's instead of one m

^ l\im, 'though he pretends only, in books, newspapers, &o.

140 FRENCH PROSE

and destitute of moral energy, which,^ for that very
reason, made him a &vourite with men of similar dispo*
sitions, for whom courts,, and camps, and country man-
sions, were the proper soil.^

Montaigne is superior to any of the ancients in liveli-
ness, in that careless and rapid style, where one thought
springs naturally, but not consecutively, from another by
analogical rather than deductive connexion,^ so that, while
the reader seems to be following a train ^ of arguments,
he is imperceptibly hurried to a distance by some contin-
gent association.'^ ... He sometimes makes a show of
coming back from his excursions;^ but he has generally
exhausted himself before he does so. This is what men
love to practise (not advantageously for their severe
studies) in their own thoughts ;'' they love to follow the
casual associations that lead them through pleasant
labyrinths, as one riding along the high road is glad^ to
deviate a little into the woods, though it may sometimes
happen that he will lose his way, and find himself far
remote from his inn.^ And such is the conversational
style ^^ of lively and eloquent old men. We converse with
Montaigne, or rather bear him talk : it is almost im-
possible to read his " Essays" without thinking ^^ that he
speaks to us; we see his cheerful brow, his sparkling

This mistake has probably arisen enchai7iement rSgnlier; dies se lieni

from the fact that boTihomme par analogie, plutdt que par can-

(page 66, note ^^) is spelt with a sSqtience logique.

double m. The chance of these * une sSrie*

blunders still increasing is very ^ entrainS au loin par qudquei,

great : now that French is learnt rapports a^cidentels.

everywhere in England, what with ° parait qudquefois (page 19,

the many worthless books, and bad note ^) voulmr revenir d son sujet,

teachers, the matter becomes a ^ Telle est la marche que les %om-

serious one, as nothing less than mes se plaiseni d suivre avec leurs

the formation of an Anglo-French pensies (il est vrai que ce rCest pas d

dialect, of a hybrid language — ^if so Cavantage de leurs Etudes plus

it may be called — ^must finally be graves).

the result. ^ senibldbles au vovageur chenU-

^ mats qui. nant sur une grange route, qui S9

' ne pouvait man^u£r de plaire plait d,
aux hommes iTune duposiiion sent- ' mats d qui il arrive qudqv^ois

hlajble, aux hStes des cours, des de se perdre et de i^gar&r win de

camps et des chAteaux. son gite.

' les pejisSes jaillissent naJturdle- ^^ Simply, la conversation,
ment les unes des autres^ mais sans ^^ sans sefigurer.

COMPOSITION. HI

eye, his negligent but gentlemanly demeanour ; ^ we
picture him in his arm-chair, with his few books round
the room, and Plutarch* on the table. — (Hallam, Irvtra-
duction to the LUenxture of Europe.)

THE VICAR OF WAKEFIELD AND HIS FAMILY.

I WAS ever^ of opinion that the honest man, who
married and brought up^ a large family, did more ser-
vice^ than he who ^ continued single, and only talked of
population.*^ From this motive, I had scarce taken orders
a year before I ^ began to think seriously of matrimony,
and chose my wife as she did her wedding-gown — ^not for a
fine glossy sur&ce, but such qualities as would wear well.^
To do her justice,^^ she was a good-natured, notable
woman,^^ and as for education, there were few country ladies
who could show more.^^ She could read any English
book without much spelling ;^3 but for pickling, preserv-
ing,^^ and cookery, none could excel her. She prided herself

^ eette adsemee de maniires, ee let ordret que je ; or, again, il y

ha/mer-atltr dam lequel on recon- avait d peine un an que fcwaxe

naU encore Vhomme du monde. prit — que fOais dans — lee ordret,

* eidofwri de qv^lquet livret fa- Jortqueje.

vorit, et ton PluUirque. ^ non tur le hrillani de Vitoffe,

' Translate, ' I liaye ever been.' mats tur let qttalitit qui garantit-

* Use the present (as at page M.iewt le bon titer.

128, note 7). — 'large;' see page ^^ *to do justice to one/ rendre

42, note ^'. ju^ce dquelqu*un,

3 < to do more service,' Hre plut ^^ elle etadt d^une excellewte nature,

utile. et lahorieute ; ot, elle avail un ex-

* See page 88, note '^. ceUent natiurd et de Vcuctiviti.

^ ette contente de ditterter tur la ^* Translate, ' show more of it

population (or, de pao'ler poptUa' than she.'

Hon; — ^in the same way we say, ^ attez couramment, toute etpSce

without an^ preposition or article, de livre anglais (or, quelque tivre

parler naigique, liUSrcLture, thidtret, aiwlait que ee fOisee page 47^

se. &o.) end of note ^, and page 22,

*^^ un an, taut aujplue, aprit avoir note ^).
prit let ordret, je; or, d peine ^* let conserves au vitiaigre (or,

arnxM-je (pa^ 82, note *) prit let simply, here, as the context is

ordret dejmit un an que je ; or, d plain, let contervet), let covi^uret,
peine iiatt-je depuit un an dant

142 FRENCH PROSE

also upon being an excellent contriver in houseke^lng 5^
though I could never find^ that we grew richer with M
her contrivances.

However, we loved each other ^ tenderly, and our fond-
ness increased sus we grew old. There was, in fact, nothing
that could^ make us angry with^ the world or each
other.^ We had an elegant house, situate in a fine
country,^ and a good neighbourhood. The year was spent ^
in moraJ or rural amusements,^ in visiting our rich neigh-
bours, and relieving such sus ^^ were poor. We had no
revolutions to fear, nor fatigues to undergo ; all our adven-
tures were by the^^ fireside, and all our migrations'^ from
the blue bed to the brown.^

As we lived '^ near the road, we often had the traveller
or stranger to visit us, to taste '^ our gooseberry- wine, for
which we had great reputation ; and I profess,'^ with the
veracity of an historian, that I never knew one of them'^
find fault with it.^ Our cousins, too, even to the fortieth
remove,'^ all remembered their affinity, without any hdp
from^ the herald's office,^' and came very frequently to

^ EUe s€ piqtudt ^itre une ^* Bexnexnber that ' to Ure/ in

femme de vUnage des plus hcUnles, the sense of * to dwell/ is demeitrer,

* Tnmalate, ' I hare never or hxibiter, not vivre (p. 61, n. ^)»
found ;' — * to find,' in this sense, ^ Translate, ' the traTeller Mid
iapercevoir. the stranger often came (page 19,

^ See page 38, note u note ') to taste.'

* See page 85, note w, and page ^* 'to profsss,' in this sense^ e^-
22, note •. Jirmer,

^ notu dormer de Vhumeur contre. i7 ' x never knew ;' translate,

^Repeat the preposition, and 'never I saw.' — ' saw one of thflo^'

see pe^ 10, note «. en . , , un seul,

' When 'country * means the re- ^^ y tnmver d redire ; or, y trinir

verse of 'town/ bong taken in the ver le mot d dire.

sense of the Latin rus, rwris, the ^ degri. Either leave out 'all,'

French for it is rather campagne which is not necessary here, or

tbaajpays, put it after the verb.

^ See page 8, note ^, and page ^ satu avoir besoin de reeowrtt4.

104, note ^. » THerald's Office. We immt

^ d jomr dee plaisi/re de Cdme et keep the English erpreasion here :

des champs. See nage 240, note \ there is nouiing of the kind in

10 Translate, ' tluMe who.' France ; if, however, we must gxve

^^ att. a nearly equivalent French ex-

' voyages, presaion, we may say, . . . . d cik*

^ de Ja chambre bleue d la cun regufre (or, d aucune table)

ekamhre hrune, gSnSalogique,

COMPOSITION. 143

fiee us. Some of them did us no great honour by these
claims of kindred ; as we had the blind, the maimed, and
the halt amongst the number.^ However, my wife always
ixisisted that, as they were the same jle^ and blood, they
•should sit with us at the same table ;^ so that, if we had
2iot very rich, we generally had very happy friends about
us ;' for this remark will hold good through life, that^ the
-poorer the guest,^ the better pleased he ever is with being
treated;^ and as some men gaze with admiration at
the colours of a tulip or^ the wing of a butterfly, so I was
by nature an admirer of happy human &ces.® However,
when any one^ of our relations was found to be ^^ a person
of a very bad oharacter,^^ a troublesome guest,^^ or one
we desired to get rid of,^ upon his leaving my house, I ever
took care ^^ to lend him a riding-coat,^^ or a pair of boots,
or sometimes a horse of small value,^^ and I always bad ^^
the satis&ction to find that he never ^^ came back to return
them. By this the house was cleared of such as we did not
like ; but never was the family of Wakefield known to
turn the traveller or the poor dependent out of doors.^^

^ Begin and translate, ' as {ear), du honhewr tur lafywrt hwmatne.

in the number, figored' • . ., &c. ^ dans Fun.

1 Turn, ' AAot all, said my ^^ nout reconnaistunu.

wife, it is game flesh and same ^^ de tris mauvaises moewrs ; or,

blood J and she inidsted always to de tris mauvaise vie,

ipowr) make them sit {aueeir, '* vm.fAcheva.

without the reflectiTB pronoun se, ^ 'or one,' un h6ie, — 'we de-

«Aer /airtf) at the same table with sired' ...&•.; see page 1, note^.

us (otM wmsy — ' to ^ rid,' in a general wav,

'Turn, 'therefore {aussi) we M(2#fatr«(literally, to rid oneself),

were (see page 82, note ^) habit- i* Turn, ' I had ever oare («ot»

ually surrounded by {de) Mends, — ^page 111, note % upon his leav-

if not zich. at least (page 126, note ing my house {au momeni oil il

U) happy/ nous qwUtait).'

. * ear, et dest une remaa^gue doni, "^ une redingote de voyaaej or,

tovie la vie, vous senUrez lajustesse. simply, une reainffote, wmoh, how-

^ Supply the ellipsis of the verb ever, more commonly correqpondi

^'is'); and see jpage 90, note ^, to ' a frook ooat.'

and page 87> note ^ ^^ depeu de vaXewr,

TtLrn, ' more (see page 49, ^^ Translate, ' have had.'

note ^) he enjoys seeing himself ^^ de voir que pas un, — ^oame

{jomi de se voir) well treated.' back ;' translate, 'has oome back '

' resteiU en extase (or, t^extasient) (see page 116, note ^).

de»ant les nuances . . . ou devant, i' mais la famille de WaJeefidd

^ JoMnais, par instinct (or, pm" fC a jamais passi pour avoir jermi

nature), d contempUr V expression sa parte aiu voyagewr ou au pauvre

144 FRENCH PROSE

Thus we lived seyeral years in a state of much haj^i-
ness ; not but that ^ we sometimes had ^ those little rube
which Providence sends to enhance the value of its &vouro.
My orchard was often robbed by schoolboys, and my
wife's custards plundered by the cats or the children. The
squire ^ would sometimes &11 asleep in^ the most pathetic
parts of my sermon, or his lady^ return my wife's civilities
at church with a mutilated courtesy.^ But we soon got over
the uneasiness caused by such accidents/ and usually in^
three or four days began to wonder how they vexed us.^

My children, the offspring of temperance, as they were
educated without softness, so they were at once well-
formed and healthy ;i<^ my sons^^ hardy and active, my
daughters beautiful and blooming.^^ . Our eldest son was
named George, after ^^ his imcle, who left us ten thousand
pounds.^^ Our second child, a girl, I intended to call after
her aunt Grissel ;^^ but my wife, who had lately been reading
nxnances, insisted upon her being called Olivia. ^^ In kss
than ^^ another year, we had another daughter, and now^^

mcdheureux; or^ mai9iamaisorin*a temperance et d une Sducation sang

pu dire que la famiUe de W—^ ait motlesee, une bonne eomtituHon et

fermi »a parte au voyagewr ou d une bonne santS.
CindigeiU. ^ nan que, ^ Tranalate^ 'my sons were.'

* See page 85^ note ^^ and page ^* fraUhee,
25, note u. ^ i*appda Q — ^ du nom de.

' chdtelain ; or, teignew de Ven- We use nere the preterite, in prd-

droiL ferenoe to the imperfect, as 'was

^ 'to fJEkll asleep/ ^endormir, — named Geoiige' is taken^ in the

'in/ d here. — See page 45, note \ text^ rather in the sense of 'we

1^ la chdtelaine, — 'to return,' in gave him that name/ than in tilat

this sense, rSpondre d, of 'suoh was the name he nsuaSy

^ par une rivSrence un peu went by.' Yet, in this ease, the

(courtSe. use of the imperfect may be tole-

^ nous nous consolioTis bientdt de rated.
ces sortes d^ accidents; or, nous noue ^* Translate, 'who had left ns.'

fneUions promptement oM-destus du — 'pomids ;' see page 72, note *,
cha^n mie nous eausaient ces ^^ Translate, 'Our second child

a^ctdenti (p. 8, n. '). was a girl ; I intended to give her

^ ' in,' here, au bovi de. the name of her aunt, Q — .'

^ nous nous trouvions Unit (page ^^ insistd pour le nom d^O — ;

2>6, note *) surpris de nous en Stre or, insista pour (or, votUui aJbsohir

prSoccupfs — see page 18, note * — m^Tii) qu*eue iappeldt (or, qu*elle

(or, cP avoir pu nous en affecter— eiU nom) — .
see page 38, note f^ ; page 44, ^^ See page 60, note ^.
note 3; and others). ^ et, cette fois; or, et, pour U

^ lies enfant* davaiewt, d notre coup.

<^

COMPOSITION. 145

I wos determined that Grissel should be her name ; but a
rich relation taking a fancy ^ to stand ^ godmother, the girl^
was by her directions called Sophia : so that we had two
romantic names ^ in the famOy ; but I solemnly protest I
had no hand in it.' Moses was our next,^ and after au
interval of twelve years, we had two sons more J

It would be fruitless to deny my exultation when I saw
my little ones about me ; ® but the vanity and satisfaction
of my wife were even greater than mine. When our
visitors would say, " Well,* upon my word, Mrs. Primrose,
you have the finest children in ^^ the whole country :" —
" Ay,^^ neighbour," she would answer,^* " they are as
Heaven made them — ^handsome enough, if they be^* good
enough ; for handsome is, that handsome does." ^^ And
then she would bid the girls hold up their heads,^' who, to
conceal nothing,^^ were certainly very handsome. Mere
outside is so very trifling a circumstance with me,^^ that I
should scarce have remembered to mention it,^^ had it
not been a general topic of conversation in the country.

^ Translate, 'having taken/ and mals only. See, for further de-
leave out 'a;' or, 'naving had,' tails, the La Fontaine, page 109,
and substitute ' the ' for ' a.' note ^.

* <f e» itre la. • Leave this word out, here.

» la petite. ^® 'in ;' see page 82, note •. —

* noms de txmum. The French 'the whole country;' translate,
often form kinds of adjectives with ' all the country.'

a noun and the preposition de; aa ^ Ah.

det hraa d'Hercule, ' Herculean '' In such oases as this, always

arms,' fesHn de roi, ' kingly fes- put the subject, or nominative,

tival ;' &C. after the verb.

*^ qiie je iCy fus jamais pour ^ Translate, ' if they are.'

rien. ^* est beau qui fait lien. — ^There

* McUse fvi notre quatriime en- is no French proverb correspond-
fant ing exactly to this English saying.

^ eTieore deua gaifont. The nearest are, Les nommes ne se
^ guand je me vomit ewUmri de mesu/rent paj d Vaune^ i. e., men
mxi petite famille. Be careful here : are not to be judged by their sta-
tues petite (literally, 'little ones') is ture ; and, Lefaitjuge Vhomme, '
only said, in French, of the pro- ^ se tenir droites. — ' the girls,'
geny of animals, and corresponds sesJIUes (her daughters),
to 'young.' An analogous diflfer- *^'^ pour tout dire.
ence between the two languages ^^ JjexUriewr est, d mes yeux,
is observable in the word jemelle chose si peu importante.
(literally, 'female'), which is, in ^ * it,* ces details. — 'had it not;'
French, properly applied to ani- turn, 'if they had not' (p. 41, n. ").

146 FRENCH PROSE

Olivia, now about eighteen,^ had that luxuriancy of beauty,
with which painters generally draw^ Hebe — open, sprightly,
and commanding. Sophia's features were not so striking
at first,^ but often, did more certain execution ;^ for they
were soft, modest, and alluring. The one vanquished by
a single blow, the other by efforts successively repea^d.

My eldest son, George, was bred ^ at Oxford, as I in-
tended him for^ one of the learned professions. My second
boy, Moses, whom I designed for business, received a sort
of miscellaneous ^ education at home. But it is needless
to attempt describing the particular characters^ of youDg
people that had seen but very little of ^ the world. In
short, a family likeness prevailed through all ; ^^ and, pro-
perly speaking,^^ they had but one character, — ^that of
being all equally generous, credulous, simple and inoffen-
sive. — (Goldsmith.)

THE SPELL OF WEALTH.

What a dignity it gives an old lady, that balance at
the ^2 banker's ! How tenderly we look^^ at her faults, if
she is a^^ relative (and may every reader have a score of
Buch);^* what a kind, good-natured old creature we find

^ Translate, 'At eighteen years, tris prononci,

Olivia/ Hie ellipsis of the word ^ d propremeiU parler.

* year/ or ' years/ is not allowed, ^' un compte ouvert chez ton ; and

in French, after a numeral indioa- leave out ' it,' as well as the

tive of age. comma.

* Translate, ' which painters ^' Notioe that the adjective, or
give, in general, to.' adverb, which follows Aow(com6iei»^

3 au premier coup cPoeiL comme, or que, in this sense — ^bui

* ^et, in this sense ; or you may not commetUf meaning 'how' in the
translate, 'but their action was sense of' in what way') in English,
often more certain.' is always put after the verb in

A (tudiait, French,— see page 80, note ^^ for

* ' To intend for,' dettiner d, an example. Yet, here, we shall
' nUxte, translate more elegantly by, Avee
' Use the singular. quelle tetidreue noutf &c.

' Leave out ' of ;' and see page ^^ Tiotre.
19, note ', 1* Translate, 'of such relatives/

^ Unu avaieiU «» cdr defamille and put a full stop here.

COMPOSITION. 147

her !^ How the junior partner^ of Hobbs and Dobbs
leads her, smiling to the carriage with the lozenge upon
it)^ and the fat wheezy coachman !^ How, when she comes
to pay us a visit, we generally find an opportunity to^ let
our friends know her station ^ in the world ! we say (and
with perfect truth), I wish I had^ Miss Mac Whirter's
signature to a cheque for^ five thousand pounds. She
wouldn't miss it,^ says your wife. She ^^ is my aunt, say
you, in an easy careless way,^^ when your friend asks if
Miss Mac Whirter is^^ a^y relative 1 Your wife is per-
petually sending her little testimonies of affection ; your
little girls work endless worsted baskets, cushions, and
foot-stools for her.^^ What a good fire there is in her
room when she comes to pay you a visit,^* although your
wife laces her stays without one ! ^^ The house during her
stay assumes a festive, neat, warm, jovial, snug appear-
ance not visible at^^ other seasons. You yourself, dear

^ Qui de nous ne la juge une putting the conjunction et between

bonne et excdlenU vieille / them, in French : ex., 'a tall pale

* nouvel cMociS, man/ un homMe grand et pAle ; ez-
^ sa voiture blasonnSe. uept, Ist, when {he second is so in-

* gamie du grot cocker agthmor separably connected with the fol-
tique, lowing noun^ as to form together

* Turn, ' How we know, when with it a kmd of compound sub-
she , how (not expressed stantive, as un beau petit garQon ;

here, in French, as mentioned p. 2nd, when they are nearly synony-

124, n. ^) to find the opportunity mous ; and, 3rd, when they form a

of.* — ' to pay,' here, rendre, with- climax, as here. But, in the two

out any article after it; — ren- latter cases, a comma is placed

dre (or, faire) visite d mtelqu*unf between both adjectives. — See

is, to Tisit one, and rendre a quel- page 65, note ^^.

qyiu» sa visite, is, to return one a ^' Translate, ' would not be '

visit which we have received from (page 79, note ^').

him (or her). ^^fontpowr elle (page 22, note ^)

^ 'to let knoWf* /aire tavoir (see un rwndyre %nf,ni de . , , ,, ko.

paoe 108, note ^) ; or, apprendre, ^^ deiiMwrer ^mir quelgue teimpt

' Je voudraie avoir. ehez voiu, in this sense.

^ pour un bonde. ^'^ ien poMe quand elle . . . .,

^ jEUe ne Mrcdtpas d court; or, &c. — 'stays ;* use the singular, in

Cda ne la gineratt point, French ; so with ' trowsers,' the

^^ Here, as well as above, note French say un pantalon (sing.), in

14 of page 146, elle may be used, the sense of * a pair of trowsers.'

more pointedly than ce. See page ^^ un air propre ('neat'), eoss-u

72, note u, and pa^ 118, note ^K ('warm,' in this particular sense),

** When two adjectives thus fol- evnfortable (*SDXig*), Joyeux — or,

low each other immediately, in Eng- gai ( ' jovial * ), un air de fite { * fes

lish, we must generally translate by tive ' ) qu*elU n*a point en,

h 2

148

FRENCH PROSE

sir, forget^ to go to sleep after dinner, and find yourself
all of a sudden ^ (though you invariably lose) very fond of a
rubber.^ WJiat good dinners you have — game every day,
Malmsey-Madeira^ and no end of ^ fish &om London.
Even the servants in the kitchen share in the general
prosperity ; and, somehow, during the stay of Miss Mac
Whirter^s &t coachman, the beer is grown much stronger,
and the consumption of tea and sugar in the nursery^
(where her maid '^ takes her meals) is not regarded in the
least.^ Is it so, or is it not so ? I appeal to the middle
classes. Ah, gracious ^ powers ; I wish you would send
me^^ an old aunt — ^a maiden aunt ^^ — an aunt with a lozenge
on her carriage, and a front of light coffee-coloured hair ^^
— ^how my children should work workbags for her, and my
Julia and I *^ would make her comfortable ! ^* Sweet —
sweet vision ! Foolish — foolish ^^ dream ! — (Thackeray,
Vanity Fair.^^)

1 Turn, 'Yourself, (p. 86, n. i,and
p. 2, n. ") my dear sir, you fox^t.'

3 tovi tPun coup; this expres-
sion must be used, instead of t(nU
d coup, when we wish to indicate
that a fact, whidi might have hap-
pened gradually, has taken place
at once, immecQately ; whereas, if
we wish to express that a fact has
happened, also at once, but unex-
pectedly, we must then use tout d
coup in preference to tovU, ^un
coup,

' trh amoureux du whist. •

* du rrMdire-malvoUie,
^ et rigviiirement du.

* See page 43, note ^^.

7 sa bonne; or, sa femme de
chamJbre, if we had not to avoid
here the awkward repetition of the
word chamlyre, coming just above
in the translation.

B n'est plus surveHUs du tout.

* cilestes,

^<* ' I wish you would :' we might
use je voudrais (conditional) que

. . . ., with the imperfect subjunc-
tive (of envoyer, here), as directed
at page 86, note ^ ; but here, we
shall more elegantly translate by
mie ne m*envoy&s-votu. Notice, by
the way, that, witii que, in the
sense of wmrquoi (why), pas, or
point, is elegantly suppr^sed ; aod
observe, moreover, that the im*
perfect, not the present, of the
subjunctive, is used after a verb
governing the subjunctive, whioh
is in the conditional (p. 118, n. '),
as well as after one wmch is in the
preterite or in the imperfect of Hie
mdicative, as seen at p. ^, n. *.

'^ une tantefille.

^ etunfaiixtoupet couleur c<{fS
clair.

'' comme ma Julia (or Julie, for
the French have both names) ^et
moi ; see page 65, note ".

^* serions aux petits toins pour
elle I

^' vain, trop vain.

** Lafoire aux vanitis.

COMPOSITION. 149

REAL HAPPINESS.

Geobgb was too humane or too much occupied with the^
tie ^ of his neckcloth to conrey at once all the news ^ to'
Amelia which ^ his comrade had brought with him fix>m
London. He came into her roem, however, holding the
attorney's letter in his hand,^ and with so solemn and im-
portant an air that his wife, sdways ingeniously on the watch
for calamity,^ thought the worst was about to be&l,^ and
running up to^ her husband, besought her dearest^ George
to tell her eveiything — ^he was ordered abroad ; there
would be a battle next week — she knew there would.^

Dearest George ^^ parried the question about foreign
service,^^ and with a melancholy shake of the head^^ said,
" No, Emmy ; it isn't that : it's not m3r8elf I care about :
it's you.^^ I have had bad news from my &ther. He
refuses any commimication with me ; he ha§) flung us off;
and leaves us ^^ to poverty. / can rough it well enough ; ^^

' nceud, ' Son ordre de dSpart itaU-U

' nouvelle is used in French, in venu t devait-on se battire la semaiTie

ih» plural as weU as in the singu- tutvanU t Ce iCtUai rien moint

lar ; wu nouvelle \b, a pieoe of om UhU eda, elle en itaxt s^ire^

news, of intelligence, and, det We haTe used here tuivante, not

nouwUeif several pieces of news, proehaine, as the a4Jeotiyd pro-

or news in general. chain means next to the present

3 See page 10, note '. one— in which we speak {mois pr<h

* See page 27, note ', and page ehoAn, senuvine prockadfUyko,), but
22, note^. — ' in,' here, d. not so the adjective suivant.

' qui avait le taXent de toujours ^ See page 117, note ^K

prtvoir unefoule de malheurs; or, " dipart pour titranger,

rimply, iow'ourt en defiance de ^' fnouvemiiU de Ute, We say

quetque malheur. The word taZ^fti seeouer la tite (to shake one's head),

IS often so used, ironically, and but the substantive eecotuse (a

here corresponds exactly to 'in- shake) is not used in this sense,

genious^,' used in a similar way. ^ met inqwitudet tont pour ioi,

* ^e pour le moins toutes Us car non pour mot,

lamxtis de la terre venaient de ^* il me ferme sa porte, il nous

fondre (had just fJEtllen) sur eux, A livte,

full etop here, and leave out ' and.' ^ * I,' thus used emphatically :

7 Tnmslate, ' She ran up to ;' see page 48, note n. — < can," &c.,
and see page 116, note ^^ puis (or, peux) hien Vendwrer jus-

8 Simply cher, here, before a qu>*au bout; or, '/can,' &o., ISlle
noun. ^^ me fait point peur^ d mm.

150 FRENCH PROSE

but yon, my dear,^ how will you bear it ? read here." ^
And he handed her over the letter.

Amelia, with a look of tender alarm in her eyes, ligtened
to her noble hero as he uttered the above generous senti-
ments, and sitting down on the bed, read the letter which
George gave her with such pompous martyr-like air.^ Her
&ce cleared up as she read the document, however.^ The
idea of sharing poverty and privation in company with the
beloved object, is far from being disagreeable to a warm-
hearted woman/ The notion was actually pleasant to
little Amelia. Then, as usual, she was ashamed of herself
for feeling happy at such an indecorous moment,^ and
checked her pleasure, saying demurely, " 0, George, how
your poor heart must bleed at the idea of being separated
from your papa."

^' It does,'*^ said George, with an agonised countenance.^

^ But he can't be angry with^ you long," she con-
tinued.^^ " Nobody could,^^ I'm sure.^^ He must forgive
you,^* my dearest, kindest husband. 0, I shall never for-
give myself if he does not."^*

" What vexes me, my poor Emmy, is not my misfor-
tune, but yours," Geoi^ said. " I don't care for a little^^
poverty; and I think, without vanity, I've talents enough
to make my own way."

^ ma chire femme ; — mon cKer, ' Ah I bien t^ I

and ma chire, are chiefly used ^ (Tun air de craeifiS.

among intimate friends^ and also ' cotUre; — ^refdchScontreqwl-

among brothers and among sisters, qu'un, is, ' to be angry irt^ one/

Thus, Eate will addretiis Bess by, whilst HrefdcM aveo qiielqu'un, is,

maehire; and so will Dick say to 'to be on bad terms with one/

Bob, man cher, * to have &llen out with him.'

• Tims, lis, — Tiens, and the i« See page 146, note i*.
plural, Tenez — ' Hold,* are used in *i See pj^ge 44, note *.

the sense of Here,' when handing ^' We might translate elegantly

anything to a person. these two sentences thus, Uterally,

^ en, se drapant dans une (or, ' But his anger will not be able to

d^une) orgueUteuse rSsignation de hold against thee, oontintfeKl she.

martvr. Who would have the hard-hearied-

• a mjufwre qu*elle avanQait dans nees {courage) to bear thee Ul will
sa leetvre, {de fen vatUoir) long ? '

• pour un eosur de femme vive- ^ Use the future.

ment (pris. ^* ' my dearest,' &o., cher ami, et,

^ comma d VordiTMire, elle fut ^il ne le faisait pas, ceseraitpour

prise d!un reniords subit pour cette moi un chaqrin ae toute la vie.

Joie si intempestive. ^' Que m importe d moi la.

COMPOSITION. 161

^' That you have,"^ interposed his wife, who thought
that war should oease, and her husband should be made a
general instantly.

'' Yes, I shall make my way as well as another/' Osborne
went on ; " but you, my dear girl,^ how can I bear your
being ^ deprived of the comforts and station in society
which my wife had a right to expect ?^ My dearest girl in
barracks, the wife of a soldier in a marching regiment ;
subject to all sorts of annoyance and privation ! It makes
me miserable."^

Emmy, quite at ease,^ as this was her husband's only
cause of disquiet/ took his hand,^ and with a radiant &.ce
and smile ^ began to^^ warble that stanza from the £a,vourite
song of "Wapping Old Stairs," in which ^^ the heroine,
after rebuking her Tom for inattention,"^^ promises " his
trowsers to mend and his grog too to make,"^^ if he will
be^^ constant and kind, and not forsake her. ** Besides,"
she said, after a pause,^^ diu'ing which she looked as pretty
and happy as any young woman need,^® " Isn't ^^ two thou-
sand pounds an immense deal of money, George ? "

George laughed at her naivet6 ; and finally they went
down to dinner, Amelia clinging on George's arm, still

^ Oh/ cela est sir; or, femi- J d^itre V unique 6b jet de la tolli-

liarly. Oh 1 pour cela {or, abbre- citude de son mart,

▼iatod, (Ml) oui. ^ Use the plural ; and see page

' Tna chirie. 11, note *.

s See page 21, note \ page 37, ^ 'with a/ &o. ; translate, 'the

note ^, and page 80, note K fiioe radiant and smiling.'

* detes aises, de ce ran^ que ma ^^ When ' to begin ' is taken in

femme (taii appelie d tenir dans le the sense of 'to set about/ the

monde. French for it is se m^ttre (followed

^ Penser ^ tu> seras soumise d by d), and not comm^ncer.

toutes les fatigues et les souffrances n See page 9, note ^.

de la vie du soldaJt , , , akl cede ^^ a^%s avoir reproehS d son

id6e m*accahle etm^tue / — Our say- Hen-aim^ sesfroideurs ripStSes.

ing . , . et les soi^rances, is an ex- '' Invert into prose order,

ception to the rule mentioned page ^^ Translate, ' if he is.'

49, note 8. Yet, this can hiurdly " See page 67, note * ; here,

be called a deviation from the rule, however, we may say pause, this

for, tovies intervening, the case is word being French in this parti-

not within the rule : if toutes was cular ease and sense,

not there, we should say, ava ^^ die semhlait reprendre tout eel

fatigues et auz Kmffrances. iclat de bonheur et de beautS qui

* ' ' at ease,' joyeuse. — ' quite ;' sied si Hen d une femme,

see page 85, note ^. ^^ Use the plural.

152 FRENCH PROSE

warbliog the tune of '' Wapping Old StairBy** and more
pleased and light of mind than she had been for some days
past^ Thus the repast, which at length came off,^ instead
of being dismal, was an exceedingly brisk and merry one.^
— (Thackeray, Vanity Fair.)

RURAL LIFE IN ENGLAND.

Thb stranger who would form a correct opinion of the
English character, must not confine his observations to the
metropolis.^ He must go forth into the country ;^ he must
sojourn in villages and hamlets ; he must visit castles,
villas, farm-houses, cottages ; he must wander through
parks and gardens; along hedges and green lanes; he
must loiter about country churches ; attend wakes ^ and
&irs, and other rural festivals ; and cope with the people
in all their "^ conditions, and all their habits and humours.^

In some coimtries the large cities absorb the wealth and
&shion of the nation : ^ they are the only fixed abodes of
elegant and intelligent society, and the country is inhabited
almost entirely by boorish peasantry. In England, on the
contrary, the metropolis is a mere gathering ^^ place, or
general rendez-vous, of the polite classes,^^ where they
devote a small portion of the year to a hurry of gaiety and
dissipation,^'-* and having indulged this^^ carnival, return
again to the apparently more congenial ^^ habits of rural

^ elle avait Cesprit Hen pint ^ See page 69, note ^^.

cUligre et bien plut sat^fait que '^ clataes ilevSes.

Unu let jowrs pricidenU. ^* d to folie et au towrbillon des

' lorsqu'ils te /went enfin mis d plaisirs,

table. ^ apris ^itre rijouiet (page 18,

* Leave out 'an ' and ' one.' note S) pendami cette espice de.

* See page 69, note ^'. ^^ . . . . 'congenial f translate
^ See pi^ 142y note 7, this, at the end of the sentence,
^ files vulageoises, by, qui sembUnt mieux leur con-
^ See page 41, note s. vewir (a few adverbs, snoh as bien,
^ earau^e (singiilar). mieux, &;o., elegantly precede the
^ donneifU le ton d la nation et verb in the inmiitive, contrary to

en aibsorbent taule V opulence. See the rule mentioned p. 19, note ^)»
page 18, note «.

COMPOSITION. 153

Mb. The yarious ^ orders of society are therefore dififused
oyer the whole BurfEtce of the kingdom, and the most
retired neighbourhoods ^ afford specimens of the different
mnks.

The English, in fact, are strongly gifted with the rural
feeling.^ They possess a quick sensibility to the beauties ^
of nature, and a keen relish for^ the pleasures and enjoy-
ments of the coimtry. This passion seems inherent in
them. Even the inhabitants of cities, bom and brought up
among' brick walls and bustling streets,^ enter with facility
into rural habits,^ and evince a tum^ for rural occupation.
The merchant has his snug retreat in the vicinity of the
metropolis, where ^ he often displays as much pride and
zeal in the cultivation of his flower-garden, and the matur-
ing of his fruits,^^ as he does in the conduct of his business
and the success of^^ his commercial enterprise& Even
those less fortunate individuals, who are doomed to pass
their lives ^^ in the midst of din and traffic, contrive to
have something that shall remind them of the green
affl)ect ^^ of nature. In the most dark and dingy quarters
ofthe city, the drawing-room window resembles frequently
a bank of flowers ;^* every spot capable ^* of vegetation
has its grass-plot and flower-bed ;^^ and every square its
mimic ^^ park, laid out with picturesque taste ^^ and gleam-
ing with refreshing verdure.

Those who see the Englishman only in town, are apt to
form an unfavourable ^^ opinion of his social character. He

^ diffirtrUt, — wMoh adjectiTe ^ gtt'd diriger sa matson (this

always prooedes the noun, in this word is used as a commercial term)

sense. ou d riustir dans,

• liefus. *' Use the singular.

> Les Aii^lait ont un senUmerU ^ tdchenldumoins,par une dottee
profotid desoeauUs de la campagne, iUurion, de se reprisenUr Faspect,

* lis sofU vivement sensibies aux ^^ un partem,

ehtvrmes, ^ In this sense, stuc^tible is

^ etils aimeni avec passion, more properly used than capable,

^ et dans le fracas aes rues. when speaking of things, not of

' Translate, ' contract easily the persons.

habits ofthe country.' ^^ et ses plates-bandes.

^ un instinct singulier, ^^ arti^ficiel,

^ See page 3, note ^. ^ See page 26, note ', page 27«

^0 d disposer iUgammeni son note^^,&o.

parterre (A d cvMver ses frtkits, ^^ dSfavora^le; or, pcu faw

154 FRENCH PROSE

is either absorbed in business, or distracted by the thousand
engagements that dissipate ^ time, thought, and feeling, in
this huge metropolis : he has, therefore, too commonly a
look of hurry and abstraction.^ Wherever he happens to
be,^ he is on the point of going somewhere else ;^ at the
moment he is talking on one subject, his mind is wander-
ing to ^ another ; and while paying a friendly visit,* he is
calculating how he shall economise time so as to pay the
other visits allotted to the morning J An immense^metro-
polis like London is calculated to make men^ selfish and
uninteresting. In their casual and transient meetings,
they can but deal briefly in common-places.* They present
but the cold superficies of ^^ character — its rich and genial
qualities have no time to be warmed into a glow.^*^

It is in the country that the Englishman gives scope to
his natural feelings. He breaks loose gladly from the cold
formalities and negative ^^ civilities of town; throws off
his habits of shy reserve, and becomes joyous and free-
hearted.^^ He manages to collect around him all the con-
veniences and elegancies of polite life, and to banish its
restraint. His country-seat abounds with every requisite,
either for studious retirement, tasteful gratification,^* or
rural exercise. Books, paintings, music, horses, dogs, and
sporting implements of all kinds, are at hand. He puts
no constraint either upon his guests or himself,-^^ but

ruble. The adverb pen (little) is between soirie and soir, and be-
often thus used, by a kind of tweenjoumie Bud jour.
irony, in the sense of not at all.' ^ doit prSsewter ses habitants

^ font ^erdre. comme des hxmvmes,

' un axr soiicieiix et riveur. ' its ne peuvent que (page 6, note

3 A peine dant un lieu, ^) dSbiter promptement gudgues

* dans un autre, phrases bancues,

'^ voUige sur, ^o de leur,

^ et pendajU quHl est — quails sont ^^ tandis que les brillantes qua-

— ckesi un ami, litSs quHls <mt regues de la nature

7 qu*U doit — quHls doivewt — tie peuvenl pas u divelopper dans

rendre dans la matinie. There is une cowrte entrevue,

this difference between mafoW« and ^ II ia^anckit avec joie des —

matin, that matinSe means the or, II quitte . , . les—formalitis de

whole time between the rising of VHiquette, des— les — insipides,

the sun and noon, and is also used ^ potir se livrer d une gaieti

mime ni ses

C0M!P0SITI0N. 156

in^ the true spirit of hospitality provides the means of
enjoyment,^ and leaves every one to partake according to
his inclination.^ — (Washington Irving, Sketch BoohJ)

MOONLIGHT SCENERY.*

The wind had arisen, and swept before it ^ the clouds
which had formerly obscured the sky. The moon was
high, and at the full, and all the lesser satellites of heaven
shone forth in cloudless efifulgenoe.^ The scene which
their light presented "^ was in the highest degree unex-
pected and striking.

In the latter part of his journey our traveller approached
the sea* shore, without being aware how nearly.^ He now
perceived that the ruins of EUangowan castle were situated
upon a promontory, or projection of rock,^ which formed
one side of a small and placid bay on the sea-shore. ^^ The
modern mansion was placed lower, though closely adjoin-
ing, and the ground behind it descended to the sea by a
small swelling green bank,^^ divided into levels by natural
terraces ^2 on which grew some old trees, and tenninating ^^
upon the white sand. The other side of the bay, opposite
to the old castle, was a sloping and varied ^* promontory,
covered chiefly with copsewood, which on that favoured

hMes (or, ni let autres) par les efrS- voyaii resplendir darts tout leur

monies. (clot sur la vo^ azurSe lesfeux du

^ sdon, firmament — ^poetio style).

* il (pa^e 23, note ') paurvoit ^ airisi iclairSe de toutcs ces lu-
aux plaisirs de tons, mitres.

'* a chaeun la liberU dSen jouir ^ jusqtidk queUe distance,

(or, ef y prendre 'part) suivarU • ow rocker avanci.

ses propres inclincUions (without ^^ Translate, ' one of the sides ; '

propres, 'own,' the sense might and leave out 'on the sea-shore,'

be considered somewhat am- mentioned just above,

biguous). " par une petite colliiie ver-

* Un effet de clair de lune. domnde,

' Leave these two words out. ^ Simply, c» ierrasses naturelles.

^ La lune itait dans son plein, ^ et qui venaiewt mourir,

et pas une itoile ne pouvait Scmpper ^* accidents,
d Toeil de Vobservateur (or, et ton

156 FRENCH PROSE

ooast grows almost within water-mark.^ A fisherman's
cottage peeped from among ^ the trees. Even at this dead
hour of night there were lights moving^ upon the shore,
probably occasioned by the* unloading a smuggling lugger
from * the Isle of Man, which was lying* in the bay. On
the light from the sashed door of ^e house being ob-
served,^ a halloo from the vessel, " Ware hawk ! Douse
the glim !" alarmed those who were on shore, and the
lights instantly disappeared.^

It was one hour after midnight, and the prospect around
was lovely. The grey old towers of the ruin, partly
entire, partly broken* — here bearing the rusty weather
stains of ages, and there partially mantled with^^ ivy,
stretched along the verge of the dark rock which rose
on the right hand ^^ of Mannering. In front ^^ was the
quiet bay, whose little waves» crisping and sparkling ^^ to
the moonbeams, rolled successively along its surfitce, and
dashed with a soft and murmuring ripple against^* the
silvery beach. To the left, the woods advanced far into ^
the ocean, waving in the moonlight along ground of an
undulating and varied form,^* and presenting those
varieties of light and shade, and that interesting combi-
nation of glade and thicket, upon which the eye delights
to rest, charmed with what it sees, yet curious to pierce
still deeper ^^ into the intricacies of the woodland scenery. ^^

^ pre8quejtaqu*d FendroU cUUint ' let unet renversiet, et les attires

par let marSes. encore ddmU; or, les unet eniiiret,

3 pergait d Uuvers ; or. On y et let avlret d moUiS icrovUet,

remarguait, d travert . . . &c. ^^ Vempreinte rouillSe du temps,

> Mims d cette heure avancSe de et Id tapitsiet de,

la nuit, det lumUret cUlaient et ^^ dla droite. ^ Devant ltd.

venaient (or^ on voyait det lumiiret ^ ' crispixi^ and sparkling ; *

se promener). sinrply, Htru^daiU,

* iclairaaU taait doute le. — '^* se dSroulaient tuecettivement et
' smuggling lugger ; ' lougre de con- expiradent (or, et venaient mourir)
trebanaiert. ^ venant de, avee un doux murmure tur,

• ' which was lying ; ' simply, et i* * far into ; * jutqtie dant.

d Fancre. ^' ' waving in/ &c. ; simply,

7 Turn, ' As soon as they peroeiv- tuiva^U let nonibreutet ondtUations

ed/ &;c. ; or, 'At the sight of/ &c. du terrain,

® on cria du navire: **Oare d ^' de pinHrer plut avant. —

voutf iteignez I" etdcecri d^alamie, ' intricacies ; * profondeurs.

toutet let lumiiret du rivage du- ^ 'woodland scenery;* simply,

paru,reiU d Pinstawt, feuillage.

COMPOSITION. 157

Above rolled the planets, each, by its own liquid orbit
of light, distinguished^ from inferior or more distant stars.
So strangely can imagination deceive even those by whose
volition it has been excited,^ that Mannering, while gazing
upon these brilliant bodies, was half-inclined^ to believe
in the influence ascribed to them by superstition^ over
human events.* — (W. Scott, Guy Mannering,)

LADY MONTAGU TO MRS. THISTLETHWAYTE.

[A familiar LetterJ]

Adrianople^ April 1, 1718.

I CAN now tell dear^ Mrs. Thistlethwayte that I am safely
arrived^ at the end of my very long journey. I will not tire
yoti with the account of the many &tigues I have sufifered.^
You would rather^ be informed of the strange things that
are to be seen here ;^^ and a letter out of Turkey that has
nothing extraordinary in it,^^ would be as great a disap-
pointment as my visitors will receive at London if I return
thither without any rareties to show them.

What shall I tell you of ?^^ — ^You never saw^* camels in
your life j and perhaps the description of them will appear

1 'oachj by its own ....,' &c., pexused with. Thus, either traiui-

dittinguiet, ehacune pa/r ton orbUe late, ' . . . tell my dear,' ko., or,

lumineuz. ' . . . tell vou, dear (or, my dear),'

' L' imagination sait ti hien &o. : the latter turn, however, is

€^nuer ceux-ld, mime qui Cont votonr preferable.

tairemeiU excitSe. ^ See page 28, note *.

* pregque tentS, ^ See page 1, note u and page

* See page 104, note >*. 82, note ".

' On account of these last words, * Vmu atTnerez mietuc {aimer

'over human events/ we must de- mieux is used like the Latin malo).

viate here firom the rule given at ^^ qu*on voit id ; or, de ce

page 3, note ', if we wish to avoid pays.

ambiguity, or, at the least, an i^ 'that has. . .in it,' qui ne

awkward construction. eontiendrait ; or, <^i ne raxionf

^ K we do not address the per- terait.

son directly, the possessive pro- i* See page 1, note u,

noun must be used, in French ; ^s Translate, ' have seen.'
if we do, the pronoun may be dis-

158 FRENCH PROSE

new to you :^ I can assure you the first sight of them was
so to me; ^ and though I have seen hundreds of pictures
of those animals, I never saw any that was resembling
enough to give a true idea of them. I am going to make
a bold observation, and possibly a false one,^ because
nobody has ever made it before me ; but I do take them
to be of the stag kind;^ their ^ legs, bodies, and necks are
exactly shaped like them, and their colour® very near the
same. 'Tia true they are much larger, being a great deal
higher than a horse ; and so swift, that, after the defeat of
Peterwaradin, they far outran*^ the swiftest horses, and
brought the first news of the loss of the battle to Belgrade.^
They are never thoroughly tamed ; the drivers take care
to tie them one to another with strong ropes, fifty in a
string, led by an ass, on which the driver rides.* I have ^®
seen three hundred in one^^ caravan. They carry the third
part more than any ^^ horse ; but *tis a particular art to load
them, because of the bunch on their backs. They seem to

^ Je vais votu en parler : ce sera oeptions beizig the present, fiiture,

du Tiouveau pour votu. Pat a full preterite definite, and imper£9ct

stop here, as well as after ' life.' subjunctiTe, inierrogcUive, (esi-ce

s J*ai H6, je vow assure, bien etuc t sera-ce eux t fat-ce eux f fKit-

StonnSe la premiire fois que fen ce eux t — ^instead of sont-ce, serovJb-

aivu. ce,furetU-ce, and fussenlrce). Tet^

3 In such cases, the noun must soni-ce mav be used before a noun,

be repeated, in French. as sont-ce Id vos livres t * are these

^ Je cUuse le chameau dans la your books?'

famille des eerfs. ' Put a semicolon after 'ropes /

^ Translate, ' its.' ' pdage, quand its sotU atnsi maintenus, un

7 les ehameaux prirent lepas sur seiU k&mme, monti sw un dne, en

. . . (or, gaffnirent . . ,de vitesse), conduit cin^piawU,

This QxgceiBaion, prendre lepas, how- ^ J* en at. The personal pronoun

ever, is more frequently used in «» ('of it," of them'^ always ac-

the sense oi * to take precedence.' companies the indefimte pronouns

s Turn, ' and it was {ce furerU, qudqu*un, quelqv£s-uns, autre, and

plural) they which brought the the numeral adiectiTes or adverbs

first to Belgrade (page 22, note M of quantity, when the noim to

the news of the loss of the battle, which they refer is not expressed

The French say, as the English, in the same part of the sentence ;

putting the verb in the singular, it corresponds to ' one,* plural

tfest nous (it is we), and &est vous * ones,' sometimes used similarly

^it is you) ; but they say, putting in English, ' I have a good one/

It in the plural, ce sont eux— or, 'several good ones.'

eUes (it is they) ; and this, not ^ une seule.

only in the present tense, but in ^ un Hers en plus de la charge

all tenses and moods, the only ex- du.

COMPOSITION. 159

me very ugly creatures ; their heads being ill-formed and
disproportioned to their bodies. They carry all the bur-
dens ; and the beasts destined to the plough are bufialoes,
an animal you are also unacquainted with.^ They are
larger and more clumsy ^ than an ox ; they have ^ort,
thick, black horns close to their heads, which grow turning
backwards.^ They say this horn looks very beautiful when
'tis polished.^ Th^y are all black, with very short hair on
theii* hides,^ and have extremely little white eyes, that
make them look like devils.^ The country people dye their
tails, and the hair of their forehead, by way of ornament.^

Horses are not put here to any laborious work,^ nor are
they at all fit for it^ They are beautiful and full of
spirit,^^ but generally little and not strong, as the breed of
colder coimtries;^^ very gentle, however, with all their
vivacity, and also swift and sure-footed.^^ I have a little
white favourite that I would not part with on any terms :^^
he prances under me with so much fire, you would think
that^^ I had a great deal of courage to dare to mount
him ; yet, I'll assure you,^^ I never rid a horse so much
at my command ^^ in my life.

Here are some little birds held in^"^ a sort of religious
reverence, and for that reason they multiply prodigiously :
turtles ^^ on the account of their innocence ; and storks,
because they are supposed to make every winter the pil-

1 ' an animal ;' see page 27, les cAevaux,

note s. — 'are alBo/ &o., ne eon- ^ Translate as if the English

naiuez pas non plus. were, ' nor (and not) would

' pesanU, work suit them at all.'

3 'dose/ &o., qui t^StendetU en ^o vivacia,

arriire de leun tiUt, ^^ Translate, 'and weaker than

^ . . . come, Hen polie, tert d those of cold countries.'

/aire de beaux ouvraaea, ^* etontU pied tris «4r.

^< Translate, simp^, 'Their hair ^ Turn, 'I have made my far

(poil, speaking of animals) is black vourite of a little white horse which

and short.' I would give at no price.'

« Turn, 'which (page 8, note «) " gu'ufaui que; and see page

renders them somewhat similar to 22, note *.

the devil.' ^^ Use the present.

7 Turn, 'To embellish them, ^< n docile; and at the end of

.... dye their tail (pagell, note the sentence.

I ; and also p. 12, notes * and ^) ^^ pmur lesquela on a,

and the hairs of their {la) head.' ^^ Translate, 'turtles, for in-

^ On ne fait pat id travailler stance.'

160 FRENCH PROS£

grimage to^ Mecca. To say truth, they are the happiest sab-
jects^ under the Turkish goyemment,^ and are so sensible
of ^ their privileges, that they walk the streets without
fear, and generally build in the low parts ^ of hou8e&
Happy are those whose houses are so distinguished,^ as the
vulgar Turks are perfectly persuaded that they will not be
that year attacked either by fire or pestilence. I have the
happiness of ^ one of their sacred nests under my chamber-
window.®

Now I am talking of my chamber, I remember the
description of the houses here will be as new to you as any
of the birds or beasts.^ I suppose you have r€»Eul in most
of our accounts of Turkey, that the houses ^® are the most
miserable pieces of building^^ in the world. I can speak
very learnedly on that subject,^^ having been in so many
of them ;^* and I assure you 'tis no such thing, i* We are
now lodged in a palace belonging to the grand-signior. I
really think the manner of building here very agreeable,
and proper for the country. 'Tis true they are not at
all solicitous ^^ to beautify the outsides of their houses,^*
and they are generally built of wood, which I own is the
cause of many inconveniences ; but this is not to be
charged on the ill taste of the people, but ^"^ on the oppres-

^ de. — ' Mecca ;* see page 21^ or, 8(demmetU--sa'»ammeni — en (or,

note *. avee) connaitsanee de cause.

* Stres, ^ Turn, 'for I have seen many
> Turn, ' in Turkey' (page 32, of them (en, before the verb).'

note 0). ^* qtte rien n*ett moint vrai ; or,

^ Turn, 'and they (page 28, qu*UiiCenestrxen,

note •) know so well.' ^' ^on n*est pas trie soucieux

' etfofU U plus souventleurs nids (same kind of irony as that men-

au bas. tioned page 1^, note ^*). We

^ dofU ils choitisseni ainsi les must use here pas, and not poini

haMtcUioiu, (see page 71, note ^) : poirU being

7 ^ avoir, the strongest expression of nega-

^ mafenibre, tion, being of itsetf equivalent to

* De ma fenHre je passe d ma 'not in the least,' it obviously fol-
chamJbre et crois lien que si je vous lows that it can never be coupled
la dieris, ce sera Id une autre nour with such tenns as trie, pen, becm-
veauU pour vous. coup, &o., and that, in such cases,

^0 dans les relations que les mat' its weaker firmonym, pas, must be

sons de Twrquie. substituted for it.

^ Simply, 'miserable buildings.' ^< de la beauU desfapades.

" vous en parler d bon eseient — ^^ This repetition of ' but ' would

COMPOSITION. 161

sioa of the government. Every^ house at the death of its
master is at the grand-signior's disposal ; and therefore no
man cares to make a great expense^ which he is not sore
his femily will be the better for.^ All their design is to
build a house commodious, and that will last their lives ;
and they are very indifferent if it fells down the year
after.2

Every ^ house great and ^ small is divided into distinct
parts, which only join together by a narrow passage. The
^rst house '^ has a large court before it, and open galleries
all round it ; which is to me a thing very agreeable. This
gallexy leads to all the chambers, which are commonly
large, and with two rows of windows, the first being of
painted glass : ^ they seldom build above two stories, each
of which has galleries. The stairs are broad, and not often
above "^ thirty steps. This is the house belonging to the lord,
and the adjoining one is called the haram, that is, the^ ladies*
apartment (for the name of seraglio is peculiar to the
^rand-signior) j it has also a gallery running round it
towards the garden, to which all the windows are turned,
and the^ same number of chambers as the other,^® but
more gay and splendid, both in painting and furniture.
The second row of windows is very low, with grates like
those of convents ; ^^ the rooms are all spread with Persian
carpets,^^ and raised at one end of them (my chambers are

b^ inelegant in French: use an- partient au maitre. II commn-

other turn. nique avec le harem ou.

^ chacun met le Ttvoins d^ argent ^ qalerU tovmante, mais die re-
possible dans les constructions, puiS' qarae (or, a vue — donne — sur) le
quesafamille n*en doit (page 41, jardin, cornme toutes les fenitres.
note 8) rien recueillir. II y a le,

* Tout ee qtte Con veui, &est (page "> dans ce corps de logis que dans
60, note ^) une maison commtxie VavJbre,

p&wr la. vie J peu importe qu'elle ^^ Turn, 'The windows of the

i'lScroule plus tard, second row are very small, and

' See page 40, note ^7. * (w. with grates {et grillies) like those

* Simply, La premiire. of our convents ;* a ftdl stop here.

* le premier rang est omi de ^* Les appartements soni tapissSs
vitres de cauieur. Init a semicolon de tapis de Perse. The national
before le premier, and a full stop adjective is hardly used, in such
after c(m2««r. cases, except when speaking of

^ et rHont pas souvent plris de articles of aresa : thus we say, des
(pnge do, note «). wtw d'Espagne, and un chapeau

^ Tel est le corps de logis qui ap- fran9ais.

M

162 FRENCH PROSE

raised at both ends) about two feet^ This is^ the soia,
which is laid with a richer sort of carpet, and all round it
a sort of couch, raised half a foot, covered with rich silk
according to the fancy or magnificence of the owner. Mine
is of scarlet cloth, with a gold fringe : round about this
are placed, standing against the wall, two^ rows of
cushions, the first very large, and the next little ones ; and
here the Turks display their greatest magnificence. They
are generally brocade, or embroidery of gold wire upon
white satin ;— nothing can look more gay and splendid.
These seats are also so convenient and easy,^ that I believe
I shall never endure chairs as long as I live.^ The rooms ^
are low, which I think no fault, and the ceiling is always
of wood, generally inlaid or painted with flowers. They
open in many places with folding-doors, and serve for^
cabinets, I think, more conveniently than ours. Between
the windows are little arches to set pots of perfume, or
baskets of flowers. But what pleases me best, is^ the
fashion of having marble fountains in the lower part^ of
the room, which throw up several spouts of water, giving
at the same time an agreeable coolness, and a pleasant
dashing sound, falling from one basin to another. ^^ Some
of these are very magnificent. Each house has a bagnio,
which consists generally in two or three little rooms, leaded
on the top, paved with marble, with basins, cocks of water,
and all conveniences for either hot or cold baths.

You will perhaps be surprised at an account so difierent
from what you have been entertained with by the common
voyage- writers, who are very fond of speaking of what they

^ et d I'un det howt$ de la ^ et je Tie m*en plains guire;

chamhre it y a une estrade de deux partovt sont det kvmbrit de bois

piedi : chez moi, ily ena deux qui omSs de marqueteries ou de fleurs

tefofUface. peintes, mdlfouvreTUpar un grand

^ Ld est. nomlnre de partes brisees sur,

3 A full stop after ' frinse.' De ^ See page 50, note ^.

Unites parts se trouvent adossis au ^ aujond,

mur detuc, ^^ A full stop after ' room.'

* doux. Veau y viefU par des conduits et

* je doute que je fuisse (p. 135, rSpana une douce fraickewr, De
n. ^) revenir aux chmses dSsomuUs, pelils jets d^eau (spouts of water),

' p^fl^(mc2s(ocnliDg8),— toremoTO tomibant d!un bassin dans un autre,
the amoiguity. y joignent leur agriaJble muaiqui.

COMPOSITION. 163

don't know. It must be under ^ a very particular oha-
i-acter, or on some extraordinary occasion, diat a Christian
is admitted into the house of a man of quality ; and their
harama are always forbidden ground. 2 Thus they can only
speak of the outside, which makes no great appearance ; '
and the women's apartments are always built backwards,
removed from sight, and have no other prospect than the
gardens, which are enclosed with^ very high walls. There
are none of our parterres in them ;^ but they are planted
with high trees, which give an agi'eeable shade, and, to my
fancy, a pleasing view.® In the midst of the garden is the
ckiosh^ that is, a large room, commonly beautified with a
fine fountain in the midst of it.^ It is raised nine or ten
steps, and enclosed with gilded lattices, round which vines,
jessamines, and honeysuckles make a sort of green wall.^
Large trees are planted round this place, which is the scene
of their greatest pleasures, and where the ladies spend
most of their hours, employed by their ^® music or em-
broidery.

In the public gardens there are public ckiosks, where
people go that are not so well accommodated at home, and
drink their coffee, sherbet, &c. Neither are they ignorant
of a more durable manner of building : ^^ their mosques are
all of freestone,^^ and the public hanns, or inns, extremely
magnificent, many of them taking up a large square, built
round with shops under stone arches,^^ where poor arti-
ficers are lodged gratia. They have always a mosque
joining to them,^* and the body of the lumn is a most noble

^ par V influence de. ® 'round which,* &c., le l(mg

' sant/ormellement inierdiU. des^els se dSveloppent . . . , &c.,

* We use avoir with apparknce, qui font un rideau de verdure,
and /aire with effel. ^® la plus grande partie de leur

* loin de la vue de* passcmtSy et temps a f aire de la.

U$ jardins qui Us eniourent sont ^ Les Turcs n'ianormt pas la
fermSs par, maniire de bdtir solidemeni,

* Turn, * One does not find in ^* pierres de faille,

them/ &c. ^' formeni un grand carri, avec

^ ^ d num grSf forment un char- des arcades de pierre sous lesquelles

mant coup dPml, se trouvent des boutiques, e^. — ' a

"^ hiosque (masc. ). large square built roimd ;* see page

8 md en occupe le centre, — 'beau- 60, note •.

t^ed with dk finSf &o • nee.iMge ^* Une mosquSe y est toujours

60, note K attarhAe,

h2

164 FRENCH PROSE

hall^ capable^ of holding three or four hundred persons,
the coTurt extremely spacious, and cloisters round it,^ that
give it the air of our colleges. I own I think it a more
reasonable piece of charity than the founding of convents.^
I think I have * now told you a great deal^ for once. If
you don't Hke my choice of subjects, tell me what you
would have me write upon;^ there is nobody more
desirous to entertain you than, dear Mrs. Thistlethwayte,
Yours,^ 4cc. &c.

THE BURNING OF MOSCOW.

(1812.)

On the 14th ^ September, 1812, while the rear-guard of
the Russians were in the act of evacuating^ Moscow,
Napoleon reached the hill called the Mount of Salvation,
because it is there that the natives kneel and cross them^
selves ^^ at first sight of the Holy City.

Moscow seemed lordly and striking as^^ ever, with the
steeples of its thirty churches, and its copper domes glitter-
ing in the sim ; its palaces of Eastern architecture mingled

^ In this sense only, must ca- 'thereon/ i.e., on the matter, or

fohlehQ used, in French, accord- subject which has just occupied us.

mg to the AOAD^MIE, when speak- ^ Turn, 'K you don't uke the

ing of thin^ ; but tlus injunction choice of the things which I relate

is far fcom being complied with by to vou, indicate to me others (page

any one in many cases. See page 158, note ^o) for the future.'

163, note ". 7 Turn, ' there is nobody that is

^ avec une . . . ., et une encdnU more desirous (use t&nir d, here,

cloitHe. and see page 40, note ^) not to tire

3 Turn, * I own that I find tiiat {ennuyer) you, dear Mrs. T — , than

a foundation much more reason- your.

ably charitable than our con- ^ Le 14 {qitatorze — cardinal num-

vents.* ber). The first day of a month

* See page 7, note ^ is the only one which is designated

^ With such a construction, in in French by an ordinal number

French, every one would at once {premier).

ask, *a great deal, of whaiV For ^ See p. 65, n. 8, and p. 41, n. 8.

the sake of more deamess, always ^^ font le signs de la croix,

use, in such cases, en, 'thereof,' ^^ aiusi . . . ^^^.Seep. 183, n. -.

COMPOSITION. 165

with trees, and surrounded with gardens ; and its Kremlin,
a huge triangular mass of towers, something between^ a
palace and a castle, which rose like a citadel out of the
general mass of groves and buildings. But not a chimney
sent up smoke, not a man appeared on the battlements,
or^ at the gates. Napoleon gazed every moment expect-
ing to see a train of bearded^ boyards arriving to fling
themselves at his feet, and place their wealth at his dis-
posal. His first exclamation was, " Behold at last that
celebrated city !*'* — His next, " It was full time."^ His
army, less regardful of the past or^ the future, fixed their
eyes on the goal of their wishes, and a shout of " Moscow 1

— Moscow !" passed from rank to^ rank

When he entered the gates of Moscow, Bonaparte, as if
unwilling ^ to encounter the sight of the empty streets,
stopped immediately on entering^ the first suburb. His
troops were quartered in the desolate city. During the
first few hours ^^ after their arrival, an obscure rumour,
which could not be traced,^^ but one of those which are
sometimes found to get abroad before the approach of
some awful certainty, announced that the city would be
endangered by fire^^ jn the course of the night. The
report seemed to arise from those evident circumstances
which rendered the event probable, but no one took any
notice of it, until at midnight, when^^ the soldiers were
startled from their quarters, by the report that the town
was in flames. The memorable conflagration began
amongst the coachmakers' warehouses and workshops in
the Bazaar^ or general market, which was the most rich
district of the city. It was imputed to accident, and the
progress ^^ of the flames was subdued by the exertions of

^ tenant le milieu entre. ^ * when he entered ... on evUer-

^ See page 42, note 7.

2 d longue harhe.

iiw / see page 60, note ^.
10 Simply, 'the first hours.'

* " La voild done enjin cette ville ^^ un bruit sourd, d Vorigine
fameuse / " duquel (page 134, note ^) on ne put

• et la seconde : " H itait remonter.

temps/" 13 Turn, 'in danger of beingr

^ 'and.' consumed by fire.'

"^ en fin such phrases, not d, cor- '3 See page 18, note is.

responds to de. ^* Use the plural.
■ See page 29, note w.

166 FRENCH PROSE

the French soldiers. Napoleon, who had been roused by
the tumult, hurried to the spot,^ and when the alarm
seemed at an end,^ he retired, not to his former quarters
in the suburbs, but to the Kremlin, the hereditary palaoe
of the only sovereign whom he had ever treated as an^
equal, and over whom his successful arms had now attained
such an apparently immense superiority. Yet he did not
suffer himself^ to be dazzled by the advantage he had
obtained, but availed himself of the light of the blazing
Bazaar, to write to the Emperor proposals of peace with his
own hand. They were despatched by a Russian officer of
rank ^ who had been disabled by indisposition from follow-
ing the army. But no answer was ever returned.

Next day the flames had disappeared, and the French
officers luxuriously employed themselves in selecting out
of ^ the deserted palaces of Moscow, that which best pleased
the fancy of each for his residence. At ^ night the flames
again arose in the north and west quarters of the city. As
the greater part of the houses were built of wood, the con-
flagration spread with the most dreadful rapidity. This
was at first imputed to the blazing brands and sparkles
which were carried by the wind ; but at length it was ob-
served, that, as often as ^ the wind changed,^ and it
changed^ three times in that terrible night, new flames
broke always forth in that direction, where the existing
gale was calculated to direct them on the Kremlin. ^^ These
horrors were increased by the chance of explosion. There
was, though as yet unknown to the French, a magazine of
powder in the Kremlin ;^^ besides that a park of artillery,
with its ammunition, was drawn up under the Emperors

1 See page 6, note ^^. * Remember the rule about the

2 Translate, * seemed to have preterite and the imperfect,
ceafied/ or, * was appeased.' ^^ on voyait s'Hever de nouvelles

8 * he had ; * see page 39, note flammes, qui partaient tovjours du

^. — ' as an/ en. c6t§ d!(yd, le vent pouvait .... &c.

* Translate, 'he did not let him- (or, .... flamToes pricisiment dans

self,' with the infinitive active, and la nouvelle direction que le vent

no preposition before it. preriait aur le Kremlin).

5 distingui. " See page 22, note i. — 'though,'

fi 'amongst.' &c. ; turn, 'though the French

7 ' During tiie.' were yet ignorant of it (use igao-

8 'every time that.' rer)'.

COMPOSITION. 167

window. Morning came, and with it ^ a dreadful scene.
During the whole night, the metropolis had glared with an
untimely and unnatural^ light. It was now covered with
a thick and suffocating atmosphere, of almost palpable
smoke. ^ The flames defied the efforts of the French
soldiery ; and it is said that the fountains of the city had
been rendered ^ inaccessible, the water-pipes cut, and the
fire-engines destroyed or carried off.^

Then came the reports of fire-balls having been found
burning in deserted houses ; of men and women, that, like
demons,^ had been seen openly spreading flames, and who
were said to be furnished with combustibles for rendering
their dreadful work more secure. Several wretches against
whom such acts had been charged, were seized upon, and
probably without much inquiry,^ were shot on the spot.
While it was almost impossible to keep the roof of the
Kremlin clear^ of the burning brands which showered
down the wind. Napoleon watched from the windows the
course of the fire which devoured his fair conquest, and
the exclamation burst from him, ^' These are indeed
Scythians! "9

The equinoctial gales rose higher and higher upon the ^°
third night, and extended the flames, with which there
was no longer any human power ^^ of contending. At the
dead hour of midnight,^^ the Kremlin itself was found to
be on fire. A soldier of the Russian police, charged with
being the incendiary, was turned over to the summary
vengeance ^^ of the Imperial Guard. Bonaparte was then,
at length, persuaded, by the entreaties of all around

* vint offrir. 6 g^Q page 3^ note M.

* lugubre et svmaturelle. — 'me- 7 gf^i^ enquSte hien sirieuse. —
tropohs ; ' see page 69, note 13, and ' to shoot/ here, funller ; see also
page 152, note *. page 60, note ».

8 See page 26, note «. » 'to keep clear,' d^larraaaei-.

* See p. 8, n. ".-—Yet, use the ^ etil lutichap'pa cette exclama-
passive here, as in English, instead tian: ** Quels hommesf Ce soiU
of on with the active voice ; other- des Scythes I "

wise we should have, in the same lo de plus en plus la.
proposition, the pronoun on relat- n Turn, * no human power could

ing each time to a different noun any longer (pluis),*
understood,— -which is incorrect. la Simply, 'At midnight.'

8 See page 23, note 7. is n^g ^ la vengeaiice.

168 FRENCH PROSE

him^^ to relinquish his quarters in the Kremlin, to which,
as the visible mark^ of his conquest, he had seemed to
cling with the tenacity of a lion holding a fragment of his
prey. He encountered both difficulty^ and danger^ in
retiring from the palace, and before he could ^ gain the
city-gate, he had to traverse with his suite, streets arched
with fire,^ and in which the very air they breathed was
suffocating. At length, he gained the open country,^ and
took up his abode in a palace of the Czar's called Petrowsky,
about a French^ league from the city. As he looked back
on^ the fire, which, under the influence of the autumnal
wind, swelled and surged round the^ KremHn, like an
infernal ocean around a sable Pandemonimn, he could not
suppress the ominous expression, ''This bodes us great
misfortune." ^^*

The fire continued to triumph unopposed,^^ and con-
sumed in a few days what it had cost^^ centuries to raise.
*' Palaces and temples,*' says a Russian author, *' monu-
ments of art, and miracles ^^ of luxury, the remains of
ages which had passed away, and those which had been the
creation of yesterday ; the tombs of ^^ ancestors, and the
nursery-cradles of the present generation, were^^ indis-
criminately destroyed. Nothing was left of Moscow save
the remembrance of the city, and the deep resolution to
avenge its fall."^®

^ See page 32, note ". 8*6levaierU entourbillons des toits dtu

' ffo^e. ^® " Ceci notu pritage de grands

' Use the plural. moUheura."

* See page 7, note ''. " Turn, 'without anything op-

posing it ' ^see page 14, note ^0).
1* ce qv,*tl avcdtfcUlu,

'^ des rues avrdesstis desqudles
les^mmes forma/ient une arcke,
' il arriva en pleine campagne. ^ meirveilles.

7 Leare this word out. ^* de nos,

8 See page 6, note ^'. i* tovifiU,

* les fiamrneSf qui, augmentSes ^^ See page 18, note ^.
(or, activSes) encore par .... &c..

* Napoleon entered Russia June 24, 1812, with an immense host,
numbering half-a-million of men. Of this great army it has been cal-
culated that 125,000 perished in battle, 132,000 died of fiiti&^e, hunger,
and cold, during their retreat after the burning of Moscow, and
193,000 were taken prisoners, including 48 generals and 3000 inferioi
officers*

COMPOSITION, 169

The fire raged till the 19th with unabated yiolence, and
then began to slacken for want of fuel It is said, four-
fifths^ of this great city were laid in ruina^ — (W. Soott,
lAfe of BonajKirte,)

SCENE FROM "THE CRITIC."
(Dangle, Sneer, and Puff,)

Puff, {entering.) My dear Dangle, how is it with you 1 ^

Dan, Mr. Sneer, give me leave to introduce * Mr. Puff
to you.

Pvff, Mr. Sneer is this ? Sir, he is a gentleman whom I
have long panted for the honour of knowing ; a gentleman
whose critical talents and transcendent judgment

Sneer, Dear sir

Dan, Nay, don't be modest,^ Sneer ; my j&iend Puff
only talks to you in the style of his profession.

Sneer, His profession !

Puff, Yes, sir ; I make no secret of the trade I follow :
among friends and brother authors,^ Dangle knows I love
to be frank on the subject, and to advertise myself vivA
voce!^ I am, sir, a practitioner in panegyric j or, to speak
more plainly, a professor of the art of puffing,^ at your
service, or anybody else's.

Sneer, Sir, you are very obliging. I believe, Mr. Puff,
I have often admired your talents in the daily prints.

Puff, Yes, sir ; I flatter myself I do as much business
in that way,^ as any^® six of the fiatemity in town.^^
Devilish hard worB:,^^ all the summer, friend ^* Dangle !

Use 'the/ in French. * 'business/ here, ouvrage ;

'reduced to (<n) ashes/ ' waj,* genre.

comment vous va f — ^fiamiliar. ^ Leave this word out.

prSsenter, ^^ * in this town.*

I'oini de modestie. ^ J^ai eu diciblement d^ocey^

et met confrh'es let avieurt. potion.

de vive voix. '' Vami.

dant Vart du povf.

170 FRENCH PROSE

Never worked harder I But, hark ye ! — ^the winter mana-
gers were a little sore, I believe.^

Dan, No : I believe they took it all in good part.

Tnjf. Ay ! ^ — ^then that must have been affectation in
them ; for, egad ! there were some of the attacks which
there was no laughing at !^

Svveer. Ay ! the humorous ones ; * but I should think,
Mr. Puff, that authors would in general be able to do this
sort of work for themselves.

F%iff, Why, yes;^ but in a clumsy way. Besides, we
look on that as an encroachment, and so take the opposite
side.^ I dare say, now, you conceive'*^ half the very civil
paragraphs** and advertisements you see, to be written^
by the parties concerned, or their friends? No such
thing :^^ nine out of^^ ten, manufactured by me in the
way of business. ^2

Svjeer, Indeed !

Puff, Even the auctioneers now — the auctioneers, I say,
though the rogues have lately got some credit ^^ for their
language — not an article of the merit theirs ! Take them
out of ^^ their pulpits, and they are as dull as catalc^ues !
No, sir ; 'twas I first enriched their style \ 'twas I first
taught ^^ them to crowd their advertisements with pane-
gyrical superlatives, each epithet rising above the other —
like the bidders in their own auction-rooms ! From me ^^
they learned to inlay their phraseology with variegated

^ 'But,' &c., Jt crois que les direc- 160, note ^*).
teur3 des tMd^es Shiver doivent un ^* ' out of,' here, «er.
penm*envwdoir;qu*en,pm9ez-v(msl ^* Turn, 'Out of ten, I manu-

Min t — ^fam. facture nine (p. 158, n. ^%' — 'in the

* See page 46, note ^®. way,' &c., qm me sont commandSs.
8 Turn, ' which must not hare ^'■^ se sciewtfait une reputation.

made them laugh' (see page 88, '^^ Tirrni 'Make them descend

note **). from,* &o. — ' pulpits,' in this

* Ouif la partie jplaisante tur- sense, tribunes aux encMres; but
tdwt, use the first of these nouns in the

^ Turn, ' It is true.' singular, in this instance, which

Vd^enaive, wiU give it a more extensive and

7 Vous V(m8 imagiiiez sans doute. general meaning.

8 articles ; or, riclaanes (kinds of ^* Turn, ' it is I who have first
editorial announcements). enriched .... have taught ' (page

* See page 7, note *. 48, note 3).

^^ erreur complite (see also page ^^ 'It is firom me that.'

COMPOSITION. 171

chips of exotic metaphor:^ — ^bj me, too, their inventive
faculties were called forth. Yes, sir, by me they werb
instructed to clothe ideal walls with gratuitous fruits;^ to
insinuate obsequious rivulets into visionary groves; to
teach courteous shrubs to nod their approbation of the^
grateful soil ; or, on emergencies, to raise upstart oaks,^
where there never had been an acorn ; to create a delight-
ful vicinage without the assistance of a neighbour ; or fix
the temple of Hygeia^ in the fens of Lincolnshire !^

Dan. I am sure you have done them infinite service ;
for now, when a gentleman is ruined, he parts with his
house with some credit.

Sneer, Service ! If they had any gratitude, they would
erect a statue to him ; they would figure him as a pre-
siding Mercury,''^ the god of traffic and fiction,^ with a
hammer in his hand instead of a^ caduceus. — But pray,
Mr. Puflf, what first put you on^** exercising your talents in
this way 1

Puff, Egad ! sir, sheer necessity — the proper parent of
an art so nearly allied to invention.^^ You must know,
Mr. Sneer, that from the first time I tried my hand at an
advertisement,^^ my success was such, that for some time
after, I led a most extraordinary life indeed !

Sneer. How, prayl

Puff, Sir, I supported myself two years entirely by my
misfortunes !

Sneer, By your misfortunes ?

* Use the plural. " (Test la nicemU, mire cPin-
' de fruit id4al dee espcUiera veniion,etfnireconaSquemmentd^un

absents. art <nk tinvention entre pour heau*

* ' to teach/ &c., d courber des coup, — ^The French proverb also
berceatLx dociles sur un, runs thus : NicesHU (or, m more

*' ov, d fwire dans V occasion, sot- modem style, La nicessiti) est

tir de terre des chines sourcilleux, mire d^industrie (or, de Vindus-

* de la santi. trie). Observe that, in proverbs,
^ See page 26, note \ tiie use of the definite article is
7 ' they would,' &c. ; simply, often dispensed with before nouns

'under the f^fore of Mercury' thus employed in the whole extent

{Mercure), of their signification, which ous-

^ et des ruses ifi^inieuses. tom is in opposition to the gram^

'Leave out 'with.' — 'instead matioalrule.

of a ;' see page 92, note *, ^^ Turn, ' my talent in adver-

10 vous a conduit d. tisements.'

172 FRENCH PROSE

Fuff, Tes, sir; assisted by a long sickness, and other
occasional disorders ; and a very comfortable living I had
of it.i

Sneer, From sickness and misfortunes 1 You practised
as a doctor and an attorney at once ?

Puf, No, egad! both maladies and miseries were my
own.

Sneer, Hey ! what the plague I^

Bam,, 'Tis true, i' faith.

Fuff, Harkye ! — By advertisements — ' To the charitable
and humane!'^ and *To those whom Providence hath
blessed with aflOiuence !'*

Sn^eer, Oh ! I understand you.

Fuff, And, in truth, I deserved what I got ; for I sup-
pose never man went through such a series of calamities
in the same space of time 1 Sir, I was five times made a
bankrupt,^ and reduced^ from a state of affluence, by a
train of unavoidable misfortunes ! ^ Then, sir, though a
very industrious tradesman, I was twice burnt out, and
lost® my little all,^ both times 1 I lived upon those fires
a month. I soon after was confined by a most excrucia-
ting disorder, and lost^® the use of my limbs ! That told
very well;^^ for I had the case strongly attested,^^ gji^j
went about to collect the subscriptions myself.

Ban, Egad ! I believe that was when you first called
on me —

Puff, In November last ? — no ! I was at that time

^ 'and other,' &o., «t ^un cer- foreseen and unavoidable misfor*

ttiin n<mJbre d^affiidions diverges, tunes (ciisastres).*

et mr ce rewmi-ld, fai v(cu fort d ^ Twm, * I have had the misfor-

mon aisef je V0U8 jure, tune of seeing twice bum my

' Quelle diaJble d^histoire nous house and to lose thus.'

coTUez'VOu* Idt ^ tovte ma petite fortune ; or,

3 Turn, 'To humane and cha- toui mon petit avoir; — and leave

ritable persons.' out 'both times,' which has been

* a gratiJiSs des dons de la for- en>ressed above, by ' thus.'

tune, ^^ Turn, ' . . . disorder confinivl

* fai fait dnqfois hanquerovte. me {me for^ d garder le lit) and
^ Translate, ' and have seen my- made me lose.'

self reduced as many times.' ^^ Ce m>oyenrld me riussit d mer-

' Turn, '. . . affluence to the veiUe,

deepest misery, after having ex- ^> Turn, ' for I obtained attesta-

perienced a number (foiUe) of un- tions in due form {en rigle),*

COMPOSITION. 173

a close prisoner in the Marshalsea,^ for a debt benevolently
contracted to serve a friend. I was afterwards twice
tapped 2 for a dropsy, which declined into a very profitable
consumption. I was then reduced to — ^O no — then, I
became a widow ^ with six helpless children,* — after
having had eleven husbands pressed,^ and without money
to get me into ^ an hospital.

Sneer. And you bore all with patience, I make no
doubt ?

Puff, Why, yes, though I made some occasional attempts
at fdo de se;^ but as I did not find those rash actions
answer,^ I left ofi" killing myself very soon. Well, sir, at
last, what with^ bankruptcies, fires, gouts, dropsies, im-
prisonments, and other valuable calamities, having^^ got
together a pretty handsome sum, I determined to quit a
business which had always gone rather against ^^ my con-
science, and, in a more liberal way, still to indulge my
talents for fiction and embellishments, through my fevourite
channels of diurnal communication \^^ and so, sir, you
have my history.

Sneer, Most obligingly communicative indeed ; and your
confession, if pubhshed, might certainly serve the cause
of true charity, by rescuing the most useful channels of
appeal to benevolence from the cant of imposition.^ ^
But surely, Mr. Puff, there is no great mystery in your
present profession ?

Puff, Mystery ! sir, I will take upon me to say, the

^ Simply, 'I was then in prison.* d force de; and see p. 8, note i.

' See page 21, note '. lo Leave this word out (trans-

' See p. 76, latter end of note '. lated in note ^).

* ayant six enfants stir les bras, ^^ un peu rSpugvA d.

sans un sou pour les nourrir, ^' de suivre utie carriire pltis

' apris avoir ome fois convoK noble, oii je pusse (page 6, note ^)

en secondes noces et avoir vu mes ctUtiver mon talent pour la fiction

onze ma/ris enlevSs Vun apris Cautre et le pouf, et mettre ainsi d profit

pour le service maritime, m£s mot/efis de communications

® See p. 6, n. 1*; *an/ use 'the.' joumaXiires avec le public par

^ qu£lques tentatives de suicide, Fentremise des journaux, moyens

^ * not to answer,' in this case, ^i rtCavaient si bien rittssi,

ne pas rapporter grand^ chose ; and ^ en interdisant d Vimposture

nse me (to me) together with the ces uHUs mxmens de commumcaiion

verb, here. entre le malheur et la bi^jfaisance,

• * Well,' &c., enfin, apris avoir,

174 FRENCH PROSE

matter was never scientificaUy treated, nor reduoed to
nile^ before.

Sneer, Reduced to rule 1

Puff. lud, sir ! you are very ignorant, I am afraid.*
Yes, sir ; puffing^ is of various sorts : the principal are,
the puff direct — the puff preliminary — ^the puff collateral —
the puff collusive, and the puff oblique, or puff by impli-
cation. These all assume, as circumstances require, the
various forms of * letter to the editor' — 'occasional anec-
dote* — 'impartial critique' — 'observation from a corre-
spondent ' — or ' advertisement from the party.'

Sneer, The* puff direct I can conceive^

Pnff. yes, that's simple enough. For instance : a
new comedy or farce is to be produced^ at one of the
theatres, (though by-the-bye they don't bring out half
what they ought to do.) The author, suppose Mr. Smatter,
or Mr. Dapper, or any particular friend of mine."^ Very
well; the day before it is to be performed, I write an
account of the manner in which it was received. I have
the plot from the author,^ and only add — 'characters
strongly drawn — ^highly coloured — ^hand of a master —
fund of genuine humour^ — mine of invention — neat
dialogue — attic salt! Then for the performance — Mr.
Dodd was astonishingly great in the character ^^^ of Sir
Harry; that universal ^^ and judicious actor, Mr. Palmer,
perhaps never appeared to^^ more advantage than in^* the
Colonel; but it is not in the power of language to do
justice to Mr. King ; indeed, he more than merited those
repeated bursts of applause which he drew from^* a most
brilliant and judicious audience ! As to the scenery — the

^ soumUe d des rigles fixes, — s Je Hens le plan de Vauteur lui-

You need not repeat ^es in the m^m«.

next sentence. ^ un f(ynd» tnS]mi8aJ)le de gaiet6

^ Turn, * I see that you are yet (or, de verve comique, in this par-
very ignorant in these matters.' ticular sense).

3 la poufferie (coined for the ^^ rdle, in this sense ; not eanu-

porpose). tire, as above.

^ ' As to the.' ^^ d^un UUewt universel,

* * I conceive.' ^^ avec,

• une premiere reprSsewtaiion *' ' in the part of.'

dioit (page 79, note ^) avoir lieu, ^* le concert d^applaudissemenit

^ ou tout autre de met amis, unanimes que lui a prodiguis.

COMPOSITION. 175

miraoulous powers ^ of Mr. De Loutherbourg's pencil are
univei'sally acknowledged. In short, we are at a loss
which 2 to admire most, — the^ unrivalled genius of the
author, the great attention and liberality of the managers,
the wonderful abilities of the painter,* or the ipcredible
exertions of all the^ performers T

Sneer, That's pretty well indeed, sir.

Fuf, cool — quite cool — ^to what I sometimes do.^

Sneer. And do you think there are any who are
influenced by this ?

Puf. 0, dear! yes, sir;^ — the number of those who
undergo the fisitigue® of judging for^ themselves is very
small indeed ! ^^

Sneer, Well, sir, — ^the puff preliminary ?

SWIFT TO LORD TREASURER OXFORD.

(Letter of condolence on the death of the Marchioness of
Caermarthen, daughter of the Lo7*d Treasurer.)

My Lord, — Your Lordship is the person in the world
to whom^^ every body ought to be silent upon such an
occasion as this, which is only to be supported by the
greatest wisdom and strength of mind : wherein, God
knows, the wisest and best of us,^^ ^j^q ^ould presume

^ ^et8 merveilUfix. the following : 'it (il) is not great

^ nous ne savons ce que nous the number of those who,' &o.

devons. ^ de tous les homines celui envers

3 du ; and see page 8, note \ lequel.

* dicoratewr, ^^ Simply, les meUleurs d^entre

'^ jeu admirable des, nous ; custom does not allow

^ Oh/ ce n'est Hen I <fest de la the preposition d>e to stand by

gla4;e aupris de ce que je fats qud' itself between a superlative and

quefois quand je mis en verve, one of the personal pronouns, t^us

"f Commsnt I mats il n'y a pa^ used alone : but we may say le

de doute. plus sage de voue Urns, though we

s se donnetU la peine. must not say le plus sage de vous

^ par. (it should be d'entre vou>s). like-

10 A peculiarly elegant and ex- wise after plusieurs : plu^eurs

pressive inversion, in French, is d'entre eux, not plusieurs d'eux.

176 FRENCH PROSE

to oflFer their thoughts,^ are far your inferiors. It is true,
indeed, that a great misfortune is apt to weaken the mind
and disturb the understanding.^ This, indeed, might be
some pretence to us to administer our consolations, if we
had been wholly strangers to the person gone.^ But, my
Lord, whoever had the honour to know her, wants a com-
forter as much as your Lordship ; because, though their
loss is not BO great, yet they have not the same firmness
and prudence to support the want ^ of a friend, a patroness,^
a benefector, as^ you have to support that of a daughter.
My Lord, both religion and reason forbid me to have the
least concern for that lady's death, upon her own account;"
and he must be an ^ ill Christian, or a perfect stranger to
her virtues, who^ would not wish himself, with all sub-
mission to God Almighty's will, in her condition. But
your Lordship, who hath lost such a daughter, and we,
who have lost such a friend, and the world, which hath
lost such an example, have,^^ in our several degrees,^^
greater cause to lament than, perhaps, was ever given by
any private person before.^^ For, my Lord, I have sat
down to think of ^^ every amiable quality that could enter
into the composition of a lady,^* and could not single out
one which she did not^^ possess in as high a perfection
as human nature is capable of.^^ But, as to your Lordship's
own particular,^^ as it is an inconceivable misfortune to^^

* croiraient pouvoir dire leur ^<* See page 65, note ^'.
ieidimeni. '^ chacun pour iicire part respee-

* Translate, 'may «onietimes tive,

weaken the mind and disturb ^ qv£ Von n'en a javiais eu de

(troubler) the exercise of its (page d^plorer une perte partictUiire

87, note *) fistculties/ qtielconmie ; and put ' perhaps '

' g^i nest pltu, before ^greater.*

* privation. ^ Simply, fai rijUchi d.

5 protectrice. ^* Turn, ' susceptible (page 164,

* qi/ie ; — see page 10, note * ; note ^) of uniting to constitute a
p. 3, note ^^. ; and p. 40, note ^*. lady {une femnte estimable, in this

7 pour die-mime, sense).'

8 ou un, ^^ See page 35, note w,

^ ou dans une ianorance com- ^^ Translate, 'the highest do-

plite des vertus de la dSfunte — ^for gree of perfection to which ....

the sake of clearness, here, as son, can reach.'

sa, ses, mean ' his ' (and ' its ') as ^^ antiquated, for ' own self,' or

well as * her.' — 'who,' thus placed ; ' own person.'

see page 92, note ^3. ^^ Bee page 138, note ^.

COMPOSITION. 177

have lost such a daughter, so it is a possession which few
can boast of,^ to have had such a daughter. I have often
said to your Lordship that I never knew any one, by many
degrees, so happy in their domestics as you ;^ and I afi&rm
so still, though not by so many degrees ;^ from whence it
is very obvious that your Lordship should reflect upon
what you have left,* and not upon what you have lost

To say the truth, my Lord, you began to be too happy
for a mortal ; much more happy than is usual with the
dispensations of Providence long to continue.^ You had
been the great instrument of preserving^ your country
from foreign and domestic ruin;''' you have had the felicity
of establishing your femily in the greatest lustre, without
any obligation ^ to the bounty of your prince, or any in-
dustry^ of your own; you have triumphed over^^ the
violence and treachery of your enemies by yoiu* courage
and ability, and, by the steadiness of your temper, over
the inconstancy and caprice of your friends. Perhaps your
Lordship has felt too much complacency within yourself,
upon^^ this universal success ; and God Almighty, who
would not disappoint ^2 your endeavours for the public,
thought fit to punish you with a domestic loss, where ^^ he
knew your heart was most exposed ; and at the same time
has fulfilled his own wise purposes,^* by rewarding in

^ Turn, ' 80 it is a blessing {bien) * ' what is left — remains — to

which few can boast of possessing you (to it — ^note *, above).'
— see page 1, note ^. ' It is a pos' "^ Turn, ' than one is (see p. 5,

session , , . to have had / see page n. ^*, and p. 30, n. ^) usually lonfip

60, note ^. by the dispensations of ProTidenoe/

^ d beaticoup pris atusi heureux ^ Translate, ' You had power-

dans son cercle domestigue qu'elle- fully contributed to preserve.'
mhne. In such cases as this (with ^ de la mine gueTUrainent les

'Lordship,' 'Majesty,' &c.), the guerres Hrangires et les dissensions

French logically keep to the use inieAines {Gr, les guerres civiles).
of the thud person {elU-mSme in ^ 'without owing anvthing.'
our translation), instead of passing > 'or;' see page 42, note ^. —

at once to the second ('you,' in 'industry,' in this sense, effort, or

our text). See the La FoNTAiNB, travail, or peine. . ^^ de.

page 15, line 10 and following. — ^^ une trop grande tatisfaetion

' domestics ;' see, for a use of this iTUirieure de.
word in nearly the same sense, is faire Schauer ; or, trahir,
page 62, note ^ is id otl.

» 'though,' &c., mais je dirai w 'his,Wef. — ' own,' o«»Wi(t jon<

ctttefois : d moins de chose pris. propres : and at the ena.

178 FRENCH PROSE

a better life that excellent nature he has taken from
you.

I know not, my Lord, why I write this to you, nor
hardly what I am writing. I am sure it is not from any
compliance with^ form; it is not from thinking^ that
I can give your Lordship any ease : I think it was an
impulse upon me that I should^ say something. And
whether I shall send you what I have written, I am yet in
doubt.

WORLDLY MOTIVES.*

If a fault may be found with Mrs. Bute's arrangements,
it is this, that she was too eager :^ she managed rather too
well ; undoubtedly she made Miss Crawley more ill than
was necessary ; and though the old invalid succumbed to^
her authority, it was so harassing and severe, that the
victim would be inclined to escape^ at the very first
chance which fell in her way.^ Managing women, ^ the
ornaments of their sex, — women who order everything
for everybody, and know so much better^^ than any person

^ pour $ati8f aire OMxexiffCTicesde. of overwhelming oppression^ is

* ' in the idea.' implied in our text.

' que je me suis senti enirainS ' que la malkeureiue vietime tie

dafis mon ccgur d ; or, qtt*une voix poicvait qu*itre tentSe de ^en

iiUSrieure m*a crii qvHtfollcuU qoA affranchir.

je (see page 22, note % ^ d la premih'e occasion qui se

^ MoUfi inUresUs, rencontrerait ; or, simpl7> d la pre-

* t^Uyavaitunreprochedadres' mih-e occasion. Notice this use
ser d MtM B — , (fitait d^apporter of the conditional, where the Eng-
trop dSardeur d rexScution de ses lish use the preterite indicative.
plans. * Ces femmes qui ont la manie

* sous; — succomber sous, implies de ripenter ; or, Ces fenimes <l
the idea of a weight, under wnich Vespnt donUnateur.

we bend, whereas succoTnJber 2k ^ Simply, 'much better;' the

implies the idea of a struggle, French do not use ' so much

wherein we are (Overcome, as, suc' more' . . ., or 'so much better,'

comher d la tentaiion, d la dovr in this way ; but they use, in an-

letMT, &o. But, here, the bestren- other way, tPautant plus .... qus

dering for ' to suooumb imder aa (so much more . . .because), and

(or, her) authority ' wiU be courier d^autant mieux . . . que (somucnbet-

la tite sous lejouq, as an idea of ter. . .because). AAtotaidmieuxp

voluntary submission, rather tfaac it means / so much the better.'

COMPOSITION. 179

concerned, what is good for their neighbours, don't some-
times speculate upon the possibility of a domestic revolt,
or upon other extreme consequences resulting from theu*
overstrained authority.^

Thus, for instance, Mrs. Bute, with the best intentions
no doubt in the world, and wearing herself to death ^ as
she did by foregoing sleep, dinner, fresh air,^ for the sake
of her invalid sister-in-law, carried her conviction of the
old lady's illness so far, that she almost managed her into
her coffin^ She pointed out her sacrifices and their results
one day to the constant apothecary, Mr. Clump.

" I am sure, my dear Mr. Clump," she said, " no efforts
of mine have been wanting to restore^ our dear invalid,
whom thenngratitude of her nephew has laid on the bed of
sickness.^ / ^ never shrink jfrom personal discomfort : /
never refuse to sacrifice myself

" Your devotion,® it must be confessed, is admirable,'*
Mr. Clump says, with a low bow ;® " but" —

" I have scarcely closed my eyes^*' since my arrival : I
give up sleep, health, every coinfort, to my sense of ^^ duty.
When my poor James was in ^^ the small-pox, did I allow
any hireling to nurse him 1 No."

" You did what became an excellent mother, my dear
Madam — the best of mothers ; but"—

" As the mother of a family and the wife^^ of an English
clergyman, I humbly trust ^* that my principles are good,"^^
Mrs. Bute said, with a happy solemnity of conviction;
*' and, as long as Nature supports me, never, never, Mr.
Clump, will I desert ^^ the post of duty.^^ Others may

^ <Uun aJbut cPavioritS, ^ See page 4, note ^7.

3 tuafU ta tanU (or, son corps) ; ^^ Vceil (page 27^ note b).

Wf ruinant sa satUi. ^ Turn, ' the sense of my.'

^ repcu et promenades. ^ ' my little James had.'

* See page 6, note u. ^ Simply, 'Mother of family,

' Mon. cher . . . ., je puis me wife,*

donnsr ce timoignage de n* avoir ^* * I dare affirm.'

nSgligiaticune tentative pour rendre ^' 'pure.'

la sanii d, ^^ Turn, 'never, as long as {tant

> ce lit de douleur, que) nature supports (page 62,

7 See page 67, note ^", and page note ^) me, I will desert.'

149, note i*. i' la place oti mon devoir m'«/t-

s dSvouement, chaine,

N 2

ISO FRENCH PROSE

bring that gray head with sorrow on the bed of sicknese **
(here Mrs. Bute, waving her hand, pointed to one of old
Miss Crawley's coffee-coloured fronts,^ which was perched
on a stand in the dressing-room), " but I will never quit it.
Ah, Mr. Clump ! I fear, I know, that^ that couch needs
spiritual as well as medi(»l consolation."^

" What I was going to observe, my dear Madam,"*—
here the resolute Clump once more interposed^ with a
bland air — " what I was going to observe when you gave
utterance to sentiments which do you so much honour,
was that I think you alarm yourself needlessly about our
kind friend, and sacrifice your own health too prodigally
in her favour."^

" I would lay down^ my life for my duty, or for any
member of my husband's family/' Mrs. Bute interposed.

*' Tes, Madam, if need were ; but we don't want Mis.
Bute Crawley to be a martyr," Clump said gallantly.
** Dr. Squills^ and myself® have both considered Miss
Crawley's case with every anxiety and care, as you may
suppose. We see her low-spirited and nervous;^ &.mily
events have ^® agitated her."

" Her nephew will come to perdition," ^^ Mrs. Crawley
cried.

*' Have agitated her : and you arrived like a guardian
angel, my dear Madam, a positive ^^ guardian angel, I assure
you, to soothe her under the pressure of calamity. But Dr.
Squills and I were thinking ^^ that our amiable friend is not
in such a state as renders ^^ confinement to her bed neces-
sary.^^ She is depressed, but this confinement perhaps

^ See page 148, note ^*. ^ Now Pavons trouvSe dans «a

' ' I fear,' &c., je ne le sais que Stat defaihUtte et de twrixeUation

trop. nervetue.

^ Turn, 'as much the spiritual ^^^ 'afihirs had.' — 'to agitate,'

assistance {secours, plur.) as that here, meUre ioiU en imoi,

(plur.) of the physician.' ^^ teperdra.

* se dScida a aire Clump, ^* 'positively a.*

el qiie voui faitea d cause d^elle ^ Use the present.

trop hon martM de voire saintS. ^* See p. 88, n. ', and p, 85, n. *>.

^ ' I would eive,' ^ The following turn will be

' See page 4, note ^« the best, as 'confinement,' in this

* ' ana I.' — ' have ;' see page 65, sense, can hardly be rendered very
sote^^ idiomatically by a noun: — 'the

COMPOSITION. 181

adds to her depression.^ She should have change, fresh
air,^ gaiety; the most delightful remedies in the pharma-
copoeia,** Mr. Clump said, grinning and showing ^ his
handsome teeth. '^ Persuade her to rise, dear Madam ;
drag her from her couch and her low spirits ; ^ insist upon
her taking ^ little drives. They will restore the roses too
to your cheeks, if I may so speak to Mrs. Bute Crawley."

" The sight of her horrid nephew casually ^ in the park,
where I am told the wretch drives "^ with the brazen part-
ner of his crimes,** Mrs. Bute said (letting the cat of
selfishness out of the bag of secrecy),® " would cause her
such a shock, that we should have to bring her back to bed
again ! She must not go out, Mr. Clump. She shall not go
out as long as I remain^ to watch over her. And as for my
health, what matters ifi^^ I give it cheerfully. Sir, I sacri-
ficfr it at^i the altar of my duty.'*

" Upon my word, Madam," Mr. Clump now said bluntly,
" I won't answer ^2 for her life if she remains locked up
in that dark room. She is so nervous that we may lose
her any day ; and if you wish Captain Crawley to be her
heir, I warn you frankly. Madam, that you are doing your
very best to serve him."^^

" Gracious mercy ! is her life in danger?" Mrs. Bute
cried. " Why, why, Mr. Clump, did you not inform me
sooner 1"

state of does not reqmre ' to let the cat out of the ba^ '

(use exiaer) that she should be thus may be translated by Sventer un

ooiifineatoherbed,(pres.subj. and secret (no dictionaries, even the

see pa^ 172, note ^^. largest, contain anything at all

^ Uhypocondrie de son humeur about this, any more than about

nepeui q%*augmenter dans cet isole- many expressions which will be

ment. found in the present work). As

• le grand air, to dScouvrir le pot aux roses, it only
3 en riaivb et en laissant voir. means * to find out the secret ' (any

• sa torpeur. particular secret of no very good
■ TJae /aire, not prendre, here. sort).

• rencontri. ^ Use itre Id.

7 Use simply se promener. "^^ gu' imports t or, peu m^im-

8 laissant percer son igolste CU' porte /
piditS ; or you may translate lite- ^^ *Mr,

rally, thoujffh the expression is not ^* 'I don't answer.* — *for,' de.

a French idiom. — ' to let out,' see ^8 vous en prenez tout d fait le

page 6, note ^.—'secrecy,' here, ehemin,
dissimulation. In a general way.

182 FRENCH PROSE

The night before,^ Mr. Clump and Dr. Squills had had
a considtation (over a^ bottle of wine) r^arding Miss
Crawley and her case.

" What a little harpy that ' woman from Hampshire is.
Clump," Squills remarked, " that has seized upon old
Tilly Crawley I Capital Madeira."

" What a fool Kawdon Crawley has been," Clump re-
plied, " to go and marry* a governess ! There was some-
thing about the girl, too,*' ^

" Of course the old girl will fling him over,"^ said the
physician ; and after a pause added, " She'll cut up weU,"^ I
suppose."

" Cut up,"* says Clump, with a grin ; " I wouldn't have
her^ cut up for two hundred a^^ year."

" That Hampshire woman will kill her in two months,
Clump, my boy, if she stops about her," Dr. Squills said.
" Old woman ; full feeder ; nervous subject ; palpitation
of the heart ; pressure on the brain ; apoplexy ; off she
goes.^^ Get her up,^^ Clump ; get her out : or I wouldn't
give many weeks' purchase for your two hundred a year," ^^
And it was acting upon this hint that the worthy apothe-
cary ^* spoke with so much candour to Mrs. Bute Crawley.
— (Thackebay, Vanity Fair.)

^ La veille au soir. lation of the English expression,

* tout en vidant une, which, in this sense, has no eqiii-
' que cette (page 138, note ^) ; valent in French. ^ la voir

and leave out ' is/ w par. — ' two hundred ; * add,

* Qtidle folie ausH, . , , d ce 'pounds.* — 'in two months;' see
Jt. C. , (JC oiler ipouser; — 'to p. 180, n. •.

marry' is 6pouser (or, se marier " Vieillesse ; riplition; nerfs

avec), in the sense of 'to taJte in irrUahUi ; palpitatione de cceur ;

marriage,' and rMx/nefr^ in the coTiffestiofi cirSbrale ; apoplexie ;

sense of 'to give in marriage:' la voild partie (or, vulgarly, and

thus we say, Sponger sa (one's) not in bad keeping with the gene-

fiancie, and marier sa fille (one's ral tone of these two men, bonsoir

daughter). la compagnie).

^ II est vrai (or, Le fait est) "^ Jiemettez-la sur pied; or,

qu*il y adu sang dans cette fille. Faites-la lever. See page 6, note ^.

•wiroM5fo'er((to8 son testament). ^ on sans cela je ne donnepas

^ die ne passera (or, sauiera) lon^/ue durie d voire revenu annuel

pas le pas (very faTnUiar for 9i« dece c6U-ld.

mourra pas) sans laisser du quihus ^* Et le diqne , . .ne faisait

(familial^. qu*agir d*apres cet avis quand il,

8 Passer le pas 1 Of course, this ic. ; or, Et c'itaii sous V empire

is f3fir from bemg the literal trans- de cette pensie que le digne, &c.

COMPOSITION, 183

THEi STORY OF LEFEVRE.

It was some time in the summer of that year in which
Dendermond^ was taken by the allies, which was about
seven years before my feither came into the country, and
about as many after the time that my uncle Toby and
Trim had privately decamped from my father's house in
town, in order to lay some of the finest sieges to some of
the finest fortified cities in Europe,^ when my uncle Toby
W8W one evening getting his supper, with Trim sitting
behind him at a small sideboard. The landlord of a little
inn in the village came into the parlour with an empty
vial in his hand to beg a glass or two of sack : '* 'Tis for
a poor gentleman, I think of the army,** * said the land-
lord, " who has been taken ill ^ at my house four days ago,
and has never held up his head since, or^ had a desire to
taste anything, till just now, that he has a fancy for*^ a
glass of sack and a thin^ toast — 'I think* says he, taking
hi& Band from his forehead, * it^ would comfort me.* "

" If I could neither beg, borrow, nor buy such a thing,"
added the landlord, " I would almost steal it for the poor
gentleman, he is so ill. I hope in God^® he will still
mend," continued he ; " we are all of us concerned for
him.'*

" Thou art a good-natured soul, I will answer for tliee,"^^
cried my uncle Toby ; " and thou shalt drink the poor
gentleman's health in^^ a glass of sack thyself, and take a
couple ^^ of bottles, with my service,^* and tell him he is

^ No article (whether definite, * un pauvre mondmr, un offici^r,

re

or the title of a book. ^ jv,squ*d ee morneni, oH %l vieiU

2 Dendermcmde (in Belgium). — d'avoir envie de.

Proper names of towns are, as a ^ petite. * 'that.'

rule, masculine in French. ^^ J'espire encore.

2 €^n defaire avec iclat le siiae ^^ fen rSponds.

de qwelipbea-unes des plus belles ^^ Use ^health' in the dative

places Jvrtes de '(page 32, note ^) (prep, d) ; and leave out 'in.'

V Europe. Put a fcdL stop here, ^^ See page 3, note ^.

and leave out ' when.' ^* ' my compliments.'

184 FRENCH PROSE

heartily welcome to tbem,^ and to a down more, if thej
will do him good."

^ Though I am perBoaded," said my mide Toby, as the
landlord shut the door, " he is a very compassionate fisUow,
Trim, yet I cannot help entertaining a high opinion of his
guest too; there must be something more than common in
him,^ that in so short a time should win' so much upon
the a£Q3Ction8 of his host" " And of his whde fiunily,'**
added the corporal, " for they are all concerned for huuL"
''Step after hun,** said my unde Toby, ''do,^ Trim, and
ask if he knows his name."

^ 1 have quite forgot it, truly," said the landlord, coming
back into the parlour with the corpora], '' but I can ask
his son again." " Has he a son with him then f " said my
uncle Toby. '' A boy," replied the landlord, '' of about
eleven or twelve years of age,^ but the poor creature has
tasted almost as little as his ^Either ; he does nothing but^
mourn and lament for him night and day ; he has not
stirred firom the bed-side these two days."^

My unde Toby laid down his knife and fork, and thrust
his plate from before him,^ as the landlord gave him the
account ; and Trim, without being ordered, took away
without saying one word, and in a few minatee after
brought him his pipe^^ and tobacco.

" Stay in the room a little,** said my uncle Toby.

" Trim !" said my uncle Toby after he had lighted ^^ his
pipe and smoked about a dozen whififis. Trim came in
front of his master, and made his bow ; my unde Toby
smoked on,^^ and said no more. ''Corporal!" said my

^ queie les lid offre de tout eomr ; ^ depuis deux jowr$,

or, qu*elles sotU tout d, son service, ^ * mr from him.'

* Dee page 22, note ^. ^^ pipe ('tobaooo-pipe'), here,

8 pow quHl ait, en , . ., gagnJS. not tuvau (any other kind of pipe):

^ Bee page 82; note '. a connision oi these two woitu is

^ va. often made ; tuyau is also said of

> Leave oat 'of age.' the 'stem' of a tobaooo-pipe, in

' 'To do nothing but/ is, in opposition to foumeau, wldch is

French, nefaire que : which must the ' bowl.'

not be mistaken with ne faire que ^^ See p. 1, n. '.

de (likewise followed by an m- ^^ See p. 6, rendering of n. u.

finitive), 'to have but just' (with We shall lucewise use cftf, here, not d,

a past participle, in English). as in the example given in the note

COMPOSITION. 185

uncle Toby. The corporal made his bow. My uncle
Toby proceeded no farther, but finished his pipe.

" Trim 1" said my uncle Toby, ** I have a project in my
head, as it is a bad night, of wrapping myself up warm in
my roquelaure,^ and paying a visit to this poor gentle-
man." — " Your honour's roquelaure," replied the corporal,
'' has not once been had on ^ since the night before your
honour received your^ wound, when we mounted guard in
the trenches before the gate of St. Nicholas ; and, besides,
it is so cold and rainy a night, that what with the roque-
laure, and what with* the weather, 'twill be enough to^
give your honour your death, and bring on your honour's
torment in your groin." — ** I fear so," replied my uncle
Toby ; " but I am not at rest in my mind,^ Trim, since
the account the landlord has given me. I wish I had
not known so much of this affair,"'^ added my uncle Toby,
<' or that I had known more of it. How shall we manage
it?" — "Leave it, an please your honour, to me,"* quoth
the corporal ; " I'll take® my hat and stick, and go to the
house and reconnoitre,^® and act accordingly ; and I will
bring your honour a full account in an hour." — "Thou
shalt go, Trim," said my uncle Toby, " and here's a shilling
for thee to drink with his servant." — " I shall get it all
out of him," 11 said the corporal, shutting the door.

My uncle Toby filled ^^ his second pipe, and had it not
been that he now and then wandered from the point, with

refen«d to. Both prepositions are in rest/

used after continuer, with this ^ Je vovdrais n*en pas tant sa-

(Ufferenoe, thatch generally iiiiplies voirj see page 86^ note ^^, and

no interrviption, whereas d gener- paee 7, note ^.

ally implies resuming after an « Laissez-moi faire, savf voire

interruption. respect. ' See p. 132, n. ^8.

1 We cannot a&j, in French, "> 'ond go,* ko,, pousser une re-

' .... a project of wrapping up/ connaissance jusqwd Vauberge ;

&o. ; use, therefore, anotiier con- thus leaving out the two ' and,'

struotion. — ' roquelaure ;* a kind which, as a third and a fourth are

of cloak out of jukshion long ago. coming, would sound badly, in

* Turn, 'Your honour, ... has Frenc£.

not put on his roquelaure.'—' to " fapprend^rai (or, je Hrerai)

put on ;* in this sense, 'on' is not de lux towte Vhittoire; or, simply,

translated. « See p. 177, n. «. je saurai tout de lui,

* ^w«, taiU la roquelawre que, "^ Ixywrrer is more used than
^ %ly aura de quoi. remplir, in speaking of a tobacco-
Turn, 'I have not the mind pipe.

186 FRENCH PROS£

considering whether it was not full as well to have the
curtain of the tenailU a straight line as a crooked one^ he
might he said to have thought of nothing else hut poor
Lefevre and his hoy the whole time he smoked it^

It was not till^ my uncle Tohy had knocked the ashes
out^ of his third pipe, that corporal Trim returned from
the inn, and gave him the following account : —

^' I despaired at first/' said the corporal, " of heing able
to bring back your honour any kind of intelligence^ con-
cerning the poor sick lieutenant" — " Is he in the army
then?"^ said my uncle Toby. — "He is,"^ said the cor-
poral. — " And in what regiment V* said my unde Toby. —
" I'll tell your honour," replied the corporal, " everything
straightforward, as I learnt it." 7—" Then, Trim, I'll fill
another pipe," said my uncle Toby, '^ and not ^ interrupt

1 €t sauf de temps en temps quel- you in any capacity) is a physician/

ques excursions pour consiePhrer HI c'at im nUdeein ; * He is tne phy-

vlitait pas tout austi lien dJa/oolr la sician to the hospitals in the towi^'

eowrUne de la tenaiUe (mil. terms) o*est le midecin des hdpitaux de la

endroitel%pnequ*enligne eourhe, — ville. Second case: — 'What is

on pevi dire que tant qu*elle dura, your brother doing now ? ' — ' He

il ne pensa qu*au pauvre Lefivre {i. e,, the gentleman already known

et d (page 49, note ") son fits. to you in the capacity of brother

' 'it was only when.' of mine) is a physician/ il eet «i#*

' 'to knodc out,' faire Umber ; decin; il eet vUdedn des M]pitaux,

see pd^ 28, note \ &c. (no articles, and il mstead

^ renseignem»nJts, in this sense. of ce).

^ (feet ^Mige 72, note ^) done un « Simply, (hU. This elliptical

wiilitaire t or, II est done militaire kind of answek*, ' He is/ is entirely

(page 76, note ^) ? or, II est done opposed to the genius of the

dans le militaire (or, au service — d french language.

Varm6e)^ — ^Notice that il is used ^ tout raeov^ d voire Honneusr

instead of ce (page 72, note ^) (or, d m^nneur) o/ufwr et d mssure,

when the noun is used as a kina dans Vordre oHje Vai appris,

of adjective, without any article ^ 'and I will not,' &c. See pace

preceding (page 76, note ^). The 80, note ^. We might add the

nsMTt is, that tiie use of ce seems to following to that note : — ^At least,

call for the use of an article {le in the second case (viz. from ne-

or un), and the employment of U, gation to affirmation) the use of

ef^, &»., to call for we suppres- the pronoun before the second

sion of either artide. The differ- verb is indispensable, but, in the

ence between these two cases, first (from affirmation to negation),

namely, ce with an aitide, and il, taste alone must be our guide.

&a, without any, will be better See i^ain, for other roles on this

understood by means of examples, use of a personal pronoim before a

First case : — 'Who is that gentle- second verb, page 23, note <. page

man I see over there?' — 'He(t. e., 31, note ^, page 32, note \ and

thai gentleman, as yet unknown to page 56, note >.

COMPOSITION. 187

thee till thou hast done ; so sit down at thj ease, Trim^ in
the window seat,^ and begin thy story again." The corporal
made his old bow, which generally spoke,''' as plain as a
bow could speak it : " Your honour is good ;" ^ and having
done that, he sat down, as he was ordered, and began the
story to my uncle Toby over again in pretty near the same
words.*

" I despaired at first," said the corporal, " of being able
to bring back any intelligence to your honour about the
lieutenant and his son ; for, when I asked where his ser-
vant was, from whom I made myself sure of knowing
everything which was proper to be asked. . ." — " That's a
right distinction, Trim,** said my uncle Toby. — " I was
answered,^ an please your honour, that he had no servant
with him ; that he had come to the inn with hired horses,
which, upon finding himself unable to proceed (to join, I
suppose, the regiment), he had dismissed the morning
after he came.* — * If I get better, my dear,' said he, as he
gave his purse to his son to pay the man, ' we can^ hire
horses from hence.' — * But, alas ! the poor gentleman will
never get from Aence,' said the landlady to me, ' for I
heard the death-watch ^ all night long ; and when he dies,^
the youth, his son, will certainly die with him, for he is
broken-hearted already.'

** I was hearing this account," continued the corporal,
" when the youth came into the kitchen, to order the thin
toast the landlord spoke of. ' But I will do it for my
father myself,' said the youth. — * Pray, let me save you the
trouble, young ^® gentleman,' said I, taking up the fork for
the purpose, and offering him my chair to sit down upon
by the fire whilst I did it.^^ — * I believe, sir,' said he, very

^ Vavanee (or, la hangttette) de la pose), he had dismissed them the

fenitre—OTtdaaioD. of dictionaries. morning after {le ItndemaCn matin

* Use dire; see page 85, note ^ <2«) his anival.' ^ Use the future.
> bien bon. ^ Vhorloae de la mort ; a popu-

* termes, in such a case (p. 114, lar name K>r an insect that makes,
note '), not moU or paroles (page when gnawing wood, a ticking
28, note '). noise, superstitiously imagined to

'^ See pago 21, note 0, page 23, prognosticate death,
note ^, and page 48, note K ^ See page 52, note *.

^ *. , .horses, and that, finding ^o 'my young.'
.... (to join the regiment, I sup- ^ Use the conditional.

188 FRENCH PROSE

modestly, * I can please him best mysell' ^ — * I am sure,'
said I, ' his honour will not like the toast the worse for
being 2 toasted by an old soldier.' The youth took hold of
my hand, and instantly burst ^ into tears." — " Poor
youth ! " said my uncle Toby ; " he has been bred up jfrom
an infant in the army,^ and the name of a soldier, Trim^
sounded in his ears like the name of a friend ; I wish
I had him here."^

" I never, in the longest march," said the corporal, " had
so "great a mind to my dinner, as I had to cry with him
for ^ company : what could be the matter with me,'' an
please your honour 1 " — " Nothing in the world, Trim,"
said my uncle Toby, blowing his nose, " but that thou art
a good-natured fellow." 8

" When I gave him the toast," continued the cor-
poral, " I thought it was proper to tell him I was captain
Shandy's servant, and that your honour (though a stranger)
was extremely concerned for his father ; and that if there
was anything ^ in your house or cellar . . ." — " And thou
might'st have added, my purse too," said my uncle Toby.
— " He was heartily welcome to it. He made a very low
bow, which was meant ^® to your honour, but no answer; for
his heart was full. He went up stairs ^^ with the toast.
' I warrant you, my dear,' said I, as I opened the kitchen
door, 'your fe,ther will be well again.' Mr. Yorick's curate ^^
was smoking a pipe by the kitchen fire, but said not a
word good or bad to comfort the youth. I thought it was

^ quejeaawrai mimx la fair e d, before the words hymrae, femme,

songoiU, gargon, and the like, it means

* 'for having been.' 'good-natured,* 'nice/ and after
' Vaefondre (to melt). the same words it means ' brave.'

* il a its ilffo6 d VarmMe depuis * ' ever3rthing that was ' (transl.
le has Age, literally, 'all that which there

* See page 186, note '. was * — U y avail).

* de. — 'a mind to my dinner,' *<> s^adressait

envie de diner* ^^ Simply, II ett moniS.
^ Qu'est'ce que jepouvais avoir. i' vicaire ; this word corre-
^ * to blow one's nose,' te moii- spends, in France, to ' curate,'
<r^r. — 'but that,' &c., seulement and curS corresponds to 'vicar,*
tu es un brave gar^on. The adjec- or 'rector,* so fkr as their respec-
tive brave is one of those whose tive functions, and their relative
signification changes according as position and emoluments, are con-
they precede or follow the noun : cemed.

COMPOSITION. 189

'wrong/' added the corporal — " I think so too," said my
uncle Toby.

** When the lieutenant had taken ^ his glass of sack and
toast, he felt himself a little revived, and sent down ^ into
the kitchen, to let ^ me know, that in about ten minutes
he should be glad* if I would step up stairs. * I believe,'
said the lancQord, *he is going to say^ his prayers; for
there was a book laid upon the chair by his bedside ; and,
as I shut the door, I saw his son take up a cushion.'

" * I thought,' said the curate, * that you gentlemen ^
of the army, Mr. Trim, never said ^ your prayers at all.' —
' I heard the poor gentleman say his prayers last night,'
said the landlady, 'very devoutly, and with my own ears, or
I could not have believed it.' — 'Are you sure of it?'
replied the curate. — * A soldier, an please® your reverence,'
said I, ' prays as often (of his own accord) as a parson ;
and when he is fighting for his king, and for his own life, and
for his honour too, he has the most reason to pray to God
of any in the whole world.' " ^ — ** 'Twas well said of thee.
Trim," said my uncle Toby. — " ' But when a soldier,* said I,
' an please your reverence, has been standing for twelve
hours together ^® in the trenches, up to his Imees in cold
water, or engaged,' said I, ' for months together,^^ in long
and dangerous marches ; harassed, perhaps, in his rear^^ to-
day ; harassing others to-morrow ; detached here, counter-
manded there ; resting this night out upon his ^^ arms, beat
up in his^* shirt the next ; benumbed in his joints, perhaps

^ aett|>m(lit., 'hashadtaken'). plaisir de.

This form is used, instead of the ^ que qui que ce soit au monde.

pritirit or passi ajUirieur, or com- '<> *to be standing/ here, rester

pound of the preterite (page 28, surpied. — * togQiher,* de suite.

note ''), when the action, anterior ^ 'whole months.'

to another, occurred at a time ^^ 8ur ses derriiret.

which may still be ^oing on, for ^ passant cette nuit dehors s(ms

instance, this day, this week, kc. les.

8 Use simplv envoyer (d). ^* surpris en. — 'beat up ;' were

" 'to make. not surpris a more suitable ex-

* je luiferais plaisir. pression here, the literal rendering
5 See page 48, note 8. — as literal, at least, as the French

• See page 66, note '. language allows, consistently with
7 Bepeat vous (elegant and for- clearness — ^would have been, ^i;«t7^^

cible). par le bruit du tanibour aui Vap-

^ rCem diplaise d ; or, sous le bon pelle» See page 6, note ^

190 FRENCH PROSE

without straw in his tent to kneel on^ he must say hig
prayers how and when he can. I believe/ said I — for I was
piqued," quoth the corporal, " for the reputation of the
army — ' I believe, an 't please your reverence,' said I, * that
when a soldier gets time to pray, he prays as heartily as
a parson, though not with all his fuss ^ and hypocrisy.* " —
'< Thou shouldst not have said that,^ Trim," said my unde
Toby j " for Grod only knows who is a hypocrite, and who
is not. At the great and general review of us all, ^ cor-
poral, at the day of judgment {and not till then), it will be
seen who has done their duties^ in this world, and who
has not;^ and we shall all be advanced. Trim, accord-
ingly." — " I hope we shall," ^ said Trim. — '* It is in the
Scripture," said my uncle Toby, " and I will show it thee
to-morrow. In the meantime we may depend upon it,
Trim, for our comfort," ^ said my uncle Toby, " that ® God
Almighty is so good and just a Governor of the world,*
that if we have but done our duties in it,^^ it will never be
inquired into, whether we have done them in a red coat
or a black one."^^ — " I hope not," ^^ said the corporal. —
" But go on. Trim," said my uncle Toby, *•' with thy
story."

" When I went up," continued the corporal, " into the
lieutenant's room, which ^^ I did not do till the expiration
of the ten minutes, he was lying in his bed with his head
i*ai8ed ^^ upon his hand, with his elbow upon the pillow, and
a clean white ^^ cambric handkerchief beside it.^® The youth
was just stooping down to take up the cushion, upon which
I suppose he had been kneeling ; the book was laid upon
the bed ; and as he rose, in taking up the cushion with one
hand, he reached out his other to take it ^^ away at the

^ quoigyOl ne fcuse pas autant ^ 'is that;' see page 50, note^.
d^emharras, • Simply, 'a master.'

> Use devoir, and see pa^ 88, "^^ *m. it,' ici-b<u.
note ', and also the rendermg at ^^ Repeat 'coat,' and see page

page 44, note •. 8, note K

* A noire grande revue giriirale ^' * not,' ^ue noti.

d tons, " See page 8, note «.

* * his duty.' ** (jmpu^e,

« *has not done it.* ^' ramply, blane,

« ' I hope it.' ^8 Simply, d c6t^,

7 ce qui doit nout ratmrer. Trim, ^' * the book.'

COMPOSITION. 191

same time. * Let it remain^ there, my dear/ said the
lieutenant.

" He did not offer to speak to me,^ till I had walked up
close to his bedside : ' If you are Captain Shandy's servant/
said he, * you must present my thanks to your master, with
my little boy's thanks along with them, for his courtesy to ^
me ; if he was of Leven's/ * said the lieutenant ... I told
him your honour was. * Then,* said he, * I served * three
campaigns with him in Flanders, and remember^ him;
but 'tis most likely, as I had not the honour of any ac-
quaintance with him, that he knows nothing of me. You
will tell him, however, that the person his good-nature has
laid under obligation to him,"^ is one Lefevre, a lieutenant
in Angus's ; ^ but he knows me not,' said he, a second
time, musing : ' possibly he may * my story,' added he ;
' pray tell the captain I was the ensign at Breda, whose
wife was most ^^^ unfortunately killed with a musket shot, as
she lay in my arms in my tent.' ^^ — * I remember the story,
an please your honour,' said I, * very well.' — *Do you
sol' ^2 said he, wiping his eyes with his handkerchief, ' then
well may I.'^^ In saying this, he drew a little ring out of his
bosom, which ^^ seemed tied with a black riband about his
neck, and kissed it twice. * Here,^^ Billy,* said he. The boy
flew across the room to the bedside, and foiling down upon
his knee, took the ring in his hand, and kissed it too, then
kissed ^^ his father, and sat down upon the bed and wept."

" I wish," said my uncle Toby, with a deep sigh, " I
wish. Trim, I was asleep."

*' Your honour," replied ihe corporal, " is too much con-

^ ' Leaye it.' ^ peiU-itre bien contudt-il (page

* II n'a pas ouvert la bottcke. 82, note •),

* See pa^ 86, note ^, ^^ Turn, 'I am that ensign who,
^ du rigxment de Leven, at Breda, has had his wife so.'

^ ' I have made.' ^^ Turn, ' killed in his arms . .

8 ' Flanders,' Flandre (see page . . ., as she lay in his tent.'

16, note '^% — ' and remember ;* i« Vraiment t

see page 81, note K ^ ' then I may well remembei

^ d qui (pa^ 108, note ^) son it also.'

hon caur afaU eontracter des obli- ^* See page 10, note ^.

ffotions, — 'is one,' est un nommS, i' Tiens (page 150, note *),

8 dans le corps d'A — ; and leave w Use here ernhrasser,
out 'a.'

192 FRENCH PROSE

cemed ; shall I pour your honour out a glass of sack to
your pipe?"^ — " Do, Trim," said my uncle Toby.

" I remember," said my uncle Toby, sighing again, " the
story of the ensign and his wife, with a circumstance his
modesty omitted ; and particularly well that he, as well as
she, upon some account or other (I forget what), was imi-
versally pitied by the whole regiment But finish the
story thou art upon."^ — « 'Tis finished already," said the
corporal; "for I could stay no longer; so wished his
honour a good night. Young Lefevre rose from off ^ the
bed, and saw me to the^ bottom of the stairs ; and as we
went down together, told me they had come from Ireland,
and were on their route to join the regiment in Flanders.
But alas 1" said the corporal, " the lieutenant's last day's
march is over." — " Then what is to become of ^ his poor
boy?" cried my uncle Toby.

It was^ to my uncle Toby's eternal honour — ^though I tell
it only "^ for the sake of those who, when cooped in^ betwixt
a natural and positive law,^ know not, for their souls,
which way in the world to turn themselves ^^ — ^that not-
withstanding^^ my uncle Toby was warmly engaged at that
time in carrying on the siege of Dendermond, parallel with
the ^2 allies, who pressed theirs on so vigorously that they
scarce allowed him time to get his dinner — ^that ^^ neverthe-

^ *to your pipe/ ^ottr boire en come?' See. besides, page 3,

fumant sa (page 177, note *) pipe, note *. * *I say it.'

— *Do,' Verse, ' 'fJiough,' &o. ; simply, 'but

* Simply, ' thy story.* only.*

B de desstu. As a rule, adverbs ^ See page 29, note ^3.

take no regimen after tnem ; yet * ^ 'a. natural law and a positive

some of them, such as desstts, des- law ; * the English construction

smu, dedans, &o., are used instead would, in French, convey the

of the prepositions corresponding meaning of a law which is at once

to them {sur, soiUf dans, kc), natural and positive: after all,

whenever a preposition precedes in English too, this construction

(as cLe does here). The same ex- (with ' a ' only once), in a case like

ception to the rule takes place the present, though not \mfre-

when these adverbs are used in quent, is, in itself,* irregular,

opposition to each other ; as, il y "^^ Simply, ne savent plvs de j««i

a des livres dessus et dessous /a c6U se Ummer.

table. 1^ 'that notwithstanding ;' aim-

* et 7n*a reconduit jusqu*au. ply, qttoiqv^,

* qtie va devenir . , ., &c., lite- ^^ parcdlHement aux,
rally, * what will his pcor boy be- ^^ Leave out 'that.'

COMPOSITION.

193

less he gave up Dendermond, though he had already made a
lodgment upon the counterscarp, and bent his whole thoughts
towards the private distresses at the inn ; and, except
that he ordered the garden gate to be bolted up, by which^
he might be said to have turned the siege of Dendermond
into a blockade, he left Dendermond to itself to be re-
lieved or not by the French King, as the French Kmg
thought good ; and only considered how he himself should^
relieve the poor lieutenant and his son.

That kind Being,^ who is a friend to the Mendless,
shall recompense thee for this.

" Thou hast left this matter short,"* said my uncle Toby
to the corporal, as he was putting him to bed ; '^ and
I will tell thee in what. Trim : in the first place, when
thou madest an offer of my services to Lefevre, as sickness
and travelling are both expensive, and thou knowest^ he
was but a poor lieutenant, with a son to subsist as well as
himself out of his pay,^ that thou didst not make an offer
to him^ of my purse ; because, had he stood in need, thou
knowest. Trim, he had been as welcome to it ^ as mysel£"
— '^ Your honour knows," said the corporal, " I had no
orders." — " True," quoth my uncle Toby, " thou didst very
right. Trim, as a* soldier, but certainly very wrong as
a man.

** In the second place, for which, indeed,^^^ thou hast
the same excuse," continued my uncle Toby, " when thou
offeredst him whatever was in my house, thou shouldst
have offered him my house too. A sick brother officer ^^
should have the best quarters^ Trim ; and if we had him
with us, we could tend and look to him.^^ Thou art an
excellent nurse ^ thyself. Trim ; and what with thy care of

^ au moyen de quoi.

3 et il Tie 8(yngea plus, quant d lui,

> UEtre souverainemerU hon.

^ Tu vHas pas fait UnU ce qu*U
fallait,

^ Us>e the imperfect ; and see
poffe 17, note ^^, and page 1, note K

8 Turn, ' he is a poor,' &c. See
p. 72, n. ^. — ' with a son,' &c. ;
turn, ' who has only (p. 6, n. ^) his

pay to lire on (leave out ' on ') and
sujpport {fairs vivre) his son.'

' tu aurais d^ lui fairs (see
page 190, note *, page 38, note *,
ana page 44, note ') Vqfrs.

^ atusi bisn venu d y jmiser,

* comrns (p. 283, note «).

1® et icif tl est vrai.

^ XJnfrh's (£armss malade,

^ Seep. 12, n. w and p. 90,n. 7.

^ garas-maladej in this sense •

194 TBINCH FRO&E

bim ^ aud the old woman's, snd his boy's, and mine togo-
ther, wo might recruit him again ai once, and set bim
upon his legs.^

*< In a fortnight or three weeks," ^ added my node
Toby, smiling, " be might march-" — *' He will never
march, an please your honour, in this world," ^ said the
oorporal. — " He will march,'* said my uncle Toby, rising
up from the side of the bed, with one shoe off. ^ " An pleaae
your honour," said the corporal, " he will never march
but to his grave." — " He shall march," ^ cried mj uncle
Toby, marching his foot which had the shoe on,^ though
without advancing an ^ inch, ^ he shall march to his regi*
ment." — ** He cannot stand it,"® said the oorporal — " H^
shall be supported," said my uncle Toby.—" He '11 drop at
last," said the oorporal, "and what will become of his boy V*
— " He shall not drop,"i® said my ande Toby, firmly--*
"A-well-o*-day, do what we ean for him,"^ said Trii%
maintaining his point,^^ *' the poor soul will die." ^^ — ^* H^
shall not die, by 0-— d!" ^* cried my nncle Toby.

The accusing tpirU ^^ whidai flew up to heaven's chancery
with the oath, blushed as he gave it in ;^^ and the recording
angel}'^ as he wrote it down, dropped a tear upon the Yford^
and blotted it out for ever.^

My imcle Toby went to his bureau, put his purse into

this substaDtive IB of botk genders, ^ Mur le hord de son lit, avec un

but is more used in the ^minine Soulier de moins.

than in the masciilme. ^ Si fait (fam.), il marehera.

^ Simply, ei avec tes soins. ^ du pied q%*il avait de ckautti,

' le ravitailler tout de suite etle ^ <fun,

r«m««reattr pied (^age 182, note ^*). • Turn, 'He "will not have the

This word, ravitailler, means, pro- strength of it.'

perly, 'to reyietuid' (a besieged ^ Turn, 'I tell thee that he shall

place, especially), and is here used, not drop (simple future).'

jocularly, as a military term, by ^ Hilas / nous aurons beau

the captain ; just, as above, he /aire.

ipoke to Trim of 'advancement' ^ ^^^ dire.

in the next world, and as Trim is ig pauvre KoMTne vHen vMwrra

himself had spoken of 'reconnoi- 'paa moins (Ht. 'none the lees for

tring' at the inn. that').

8 See p. 130, n. ». Here either pre- w nom de 2>— (vulgar),

position maybe used, as both senses i« £* ange accusateur.

are equally suitable to the case. w ^^ py d^posarU,

* ' He will .... in this world ; * 17 fange greffier.

turn, 'Never in (cfe) his life he,* &a m pour jamais; this word, Ja-

COMPOSITION. 185

his breeches pocket, and haymg ordered the corporal to go
early in the morning fbr^a phjsiciaii, he went to bed^
and fell asleep.

The sun looked bright the morning after to every eye in
the village but Lefevre's and his afflicted son s ; the hand
of death pressed heavy ^ upon his eye-lids, when my unde
Toby, who had rose up an hour before his wonted time,
entered the lieutenant's room, and without preface or^
apology, sat himself down upon the chair by the bedside,
and, independently of all ^ modes, and customs, opened the
curtain in the manner an old friend and brother officer
would have done it, and asked bim how be did,® how he
had rested in the night,^-<-what was his complaint, where
was his pain, cmd what he could do to help him 9 and
without giving him time to answer any one of tbe inquiries,
went on and told him of the little plan which he had been
concerting with the corporal the night before for him.®

*• You shall go home,^ directly, Lefevre," said my uncle
Toby, " to my house, and we'll send for^® a doctor to see
what's the matter,^^ and we'll have an apothecary, and the
corporal shall be your nurse ; and I'll be your servant,
Lefevre."

There was a frankness in my uncle Toby, not^* the effect
of femiliarity, but the cause of it,^^ which let you at once
into his soul,^* and showed you the goodness of his nature;
to this, there was something in his looks, and voice, aaad
manner, siiperadded,^^ which eternally beckoned to the

9nai« ('never'), is often used in the ^ 'jou shall come.* — 'home,'

sense of toujours ( ' always,' ' ever '). diez moi,

^ chercher, * il se couc/ui, ^® * To send for,' envot/er cher-

* ' to press heavy,* ^appesantir. cher, or, faire venir.

* See pa^ 42, note 7. ^^ See page 122, note ^*, and
' «t, sans auaifi respect des. Do page 188, note ^.

not repeat, here, the preposition ^* ' wMch was not ;' and see page

(^before 'customs/ as these two 10, note*.

noons, thus taken together, are ^ mats bien la cause,

too dosely oonneoted to allow such ^* et qui votis faisait voir tout

a repetition. d^abord le fond de son dme ; or, et

* comment il se portait, qui tWM* faisa'U tout d*un coup
' ^^Lssi la nuit, (P&go 148, note *) pinitrer darts
** Turn, * for him the night be- son dm£. See page o, note >*.

fore {la veille au soir) with the cor- ^ Be^n, A cela sejoianait (' To

this was s^iqperadded ), Jxj.

poral' See page 22, note >.

o 2

196 FRENCH PROSE

unfoitanate to come and take shelter under him ; so that
before mj uncle Toby had half finished the kind offers he
was making to the &ther, the son had insensibly pressed
up close to his knees,^ and had taken hold of the breast of
his coat, and was pulling it ^ towards him. The blood and
spirits of Lefevre^ which were waxing cold and slow^ with-
in him, and were retreating to their last citadel, the heart,
rallied back ;^ the film forsook his eye ^ for a moment, he
looked up wistfully in ^ my uncle Toby's &ce, then cast a
look upon his boy, and that ligament, fine as it was/
was never broken.

Nature instantly ebbed again ;^ the film returned to its
place, the pulse fluttered,* stopped, went on,^® throbbed :
stopped again, moved, stopped : shall I go on i^^ No. —
(Stbbne, Trigiram Shandy.)

SCENE FROM "SHE STOOPS TO CONQUER'*

[Yonn^ Marlow and his aoquaintance, ffatUnas, are trarelliiig togothek* '
to visit Mr. HardcasUe, an old friend of Marlow's &ther, w£o ex-
pects them, but is personally unknown to both of them. IAeutIow
is intended as a husband for Hardcastle's daughter. They lose
their way after dusk, and are directed to Mr. IT.'s house, where, on
being told by a mischievous boy that it is the nearest inn, they at
once make up their minds to pass the night, with the intention of
continuing their joumev on the nert day. It is well known that
Goldsmith once made this same blunder, of taking an old Mend of
his &ther for an innkeeper, under circumstances somewhat like
those which he has here so cleverly portrayed.]

Hard. Gentlemen, once more you are heartily welcome.
Which is Mr. Marlow 1 [Mar. advances.'] Sir, you're heartily
welcome. It's not my way, you see, to receive my frieni '

^ c<ynire Us genoux du vieillard. eyes forsook them.'

' Favait aaiti aux revers de ^ ' he raised them wistfully (avec

VhoJbit, et VaJUirait. anxiStS) on.'

* * to wax cold,' te r^froidir ; "^ etce lien, tovJlfaible quHl itaii,

* to wax slow,' it rcUenbir. ^ eutun nouveau r(fiux.

^ See page 6, note U; bum, ^ tressaillit,

^ rallied and retraced their steps.' ^® se remit en marche.

'the film which oovered his '^ JPownUvrai-jet

COMPOSITION. 197

with my baok to the fire ! I like to give them a hearty
reception, in the old style,^ at my gate ; I like to see their
horses and trunks taken care of.

Mar, \A^de^ He has got our names from the servants
already. \To Hard.] We approve your caution and hospi-
tality, sir. \To Hast.] I have been thinking, George, of
changing our travelling dresses in the morning ; I am
grown confoundedly ashamed of mine.

Hard, I beg, Mr. Marlow, youll use no ceremony in
this house.

Had. I fiincy, Charles, you're right : the first blow is
half the battle. We must, however, open the campaign.

Hard, Mr. Marlow — Mr. Hastings — gentlemen — pray
be under no restraint in this house.^ This is Liberty-
hall;* gentlemen ; you may do just as you please here.

Mar, Yet, George, if we open the campaign too fiercely
at first, we may want ammunition before it is over. We
must show our generalship by securing, if necessary, a
letreat.

Hard, Your talking of a retreat,* Mr. Marlow, puts me
ia mind of ^ the Duke of Marlborough, when he went to
besiege Denain. He first summoned the garrison

Mar, Ay, and we'll ^ summon your garrison, old boy.^

Hard, He first summoned the garrison, which might
consist of about five thousand men

Hast, Marlow, what's o'clock ?

Hard, I say, gentlemen, as I was telling you,* he sum-
moned the garrison, which might consist of about five
thousand men

Mar, Five minutes to seven.*

Hard, Which might consist of about five thousand
men, well appointed with stores, ammunition, and other

^ d Vantique, ^ mon vieux,

* je VOU8 en prie, ne vous gSnez ^ * I say/ &o. ; simply, Comme
pat, ^ je vous disais, messieurs,

* Cest id le palais de la Id' ' Sept heures moins cinq minutes
hertS. (or, simply, cinq). The word mi-

* Ce nuft de retraite, nvies (from five upwards) is often
^ me rappelle, understood, in French ; out h^enres
' nous aussi, nous, &o. ; see page is never so, as ' o'clock ' frc(|ucntl^'

43, note u. ie in English.

198 FRENCH PROSE

implements of war«^ Now, fiays the Duke of Marlboroag^h
to George Brooks, that stood next to him — you must
have heard of^ George Brooks — " III pawn my dukedom,"
says he, '^ but ^ I take that garrison without spilling a
drop of blood." So — ^—

Mar, What % My* good friend, if you give us a glass of
punch in the meantime, it would help us to carry on the
siege with vigour.

Hard, Punch, sir ! — This is the most unaccountable
kind of modesty I ever met with.^ [ilm?«.]

Mar, Yes, sir, punch. A glass of warm punch after our
journey will be comfortable.®

[Enter Servant, toith a tankard,]
This is Liberty-hall, you know.

Hard. Here's a cup, sir.

Mar, So this fellow, in his Liberty-hall, will only let us
have ^ just what he pleases.* [Aside to Hast.]

Hard, [Taking the cup.] I hope you'll find it to your
mind. I have prepared it with my own hands, and I be-
lieve you'll own the ingredients are tolerable.^ Will you
be so good as to pledge me,^^ sir 1 Here,^^ Mr, Marlow,
hero IS to our better acquaintance.^^ [Drinks and gives ^
cup to Marlow.]

Mar. A very impudent fellow this ;^^ but he 's a cha-
racter,^* and I'll humour him a little, [^^u^.] Sir, my
service to you.^^

Hast, I see this fellow wants to give us ^® his company,

^ et de toiU ce qui est nScessaire d ^ See page 135, note *, and fiage

laaueire, 31, note '.

' ' To hear of/ entendre parler ^ n'e^h soni pas mauvais,

de. ^^ f^auUz'Wut fne permettre de

^ que,' and the future, 'shall voiufaireraUon,

take.' " Allons.

* Dites-moi, mon. ^^ je bou d notre connaissanee
' Voild une singulUre rSserve, plus intime.

comtM Jen* en at jamais vu. — [Mar- ^' Voild un gaillai'd qtd n*est

IoVb &ther had represented his peu rruUfamilier.
son, in a letter to Mr. Hardcastle, ^* un oHginaZ; and leaYe out

as a very modest young man.] ' and.'

• Turn, 'will do us good {du " laissons-le faire, M&nsieur,
Hen) after our journey.' je suis voire serviteut,

' prendre, ^* notu honarer de*

COMPOSITION. 199

and forgets that he's an hmkeeper, before he has leani^ to
be a gentleman.^ [^nc^.]

Mar, From the excellence of your cap, mj old friend,
I suppose you have a good deal of business in this part of
the country.^ Waim work, now and then, at elections, I
suppose.^ \Give% ike tankard to Habdoastlb.]
. Hard, No, sir, I have long given that work over. Since
our betters have hit upon the expedient of electing each
other,^ there's no business for us that sell ale.^ \Qive9 the
kmkardto Hastings.]

Hast. So you have no tvtm for politics, I find.®

Hard, Not in the least. There was a time, indeed,
1 frett^ myself about the mistakes of government^
like other people; but finding myself every day grew
more angry, and the government growing no better,'^
I left it to mend itself.^ Since that, I no- more trouble
my head about ^ who's in or who's <lut,^^ than I do
about John Nokes or Tom Stiles. So my swvice to
you.

Hast. So that, with eating above stairs and drinking
below,^^ with receivii^ your friends within, and amusing ^^
them without, you kad a good, pleasant, bustling life of
it.i«

Hard, I do stirabout a good deal,^^ that's certain. Half
the differences of the parish are adjusted is this very
parlour.

Mar. [After drinking,] And you have an alignment in

^ let maniirtt cPun komme eomime ^ tans que le gowoemeiMMt m

ilfauU <UUU mietix.

' Je nCimagiiM que wmt devee ^ t*amender tout teul,

a/a^r htaneoup d faire (or, &«a«- ^ je ne me mett peit plut en peine

coup de hesogne) dant eel endrciU de tamwr,

*8ant dovte (ot, Je tuppote) que ^ qui eel au pcuwrir et qui ny

r(mt tratfodUez ehaudemetU aux iteC'-^ ett votJit.

tions de temps en tempt (or, de tenipt ^ atee eeux qui mangenJt au pre-

d autre) t * See p. 48, n. ^, mier, et ceux qui boivsnt au rez-de-

^ TuTD, * there is aotbing more ehauttie,

to do for UB (pa^ 65, note >> kmd- ^s * between the occupation of

lords ipropriitatree, here), who sell receiying . . . ., and that of

our ale.' amueini^.'

• Ainti donCf d ee que je 9oit, « Leave these two words out.

"out n*avez aucun gotU pour la i* *l giye myself much movs-

volitique, ment/

200 FRENCH PROSE

your cup, old gentleman, better^ than any in West^

minster-halL^

Hard, Ay, young gentleman, that, and^ a little phi-
losophy.

Mar, Well, that is the first time I ever heard of an
innkeeper's phUosophy. \_Amde.\

Haxt. So then, like an experienced general, you attack
them on every quarter. If you find their reason manage
able, you attack them with your philosophy ; if you find
they have no reason, you attack them with this. Here's
your health,^ my philosopher. [Z>rtn^.]

Hard, Good, very good ; thank you ; ha ! ha 1 Yonr
generalship puts me in mind of Prince Eugene, when he
fought the Turks at the battle of Belgrade. You shall
hear.*

Mar, Instead of the battle of Belgrade, I think it'ef
almost time to talk about supper. What has your phi'>
losophy got in the house for supper %

Hard. For supper, sir? — ^Was ever such a request* to a
man in his own house % \Az\deI\

Mar, Yes, sir, supper, sir ;^ I begin to feel an appetite.®
I shall make devilish work^ to-night in^^ the larder, I
promise you.

Hard. Such a brazen dog sure never my eyes beheld.^^
[-iawfe.] Why, really,^^ sir, as for supper, I can't well tell.^
My Dorothy and the cookmaid settle these things between
them. I leave these kind of things entirely to them.

Mar, You do, do you?^*

Hard, Entirely. By-the-by,^* I believe they are in

^ ' cup,' fo'jMMw.— ' my old/ &o. »wiir en appStit : — the pronoun

— 'an argument in your cup, bet- me, in the second phrase, is in the

ter ;' see page 8, note ^^ and page aocusatiTe, whereas in the first it

40, note K is not, and means ' within myself.'

' que tout eeux du pcUoM de > uneJUre br^che.

Wettmintter, i® d.

^ ' that, and ;' d avee cela, ^^ Vit'OnjatfuUs un ffmllard (or,

^ A voire tanti, unieune homme) plus dprontSt

5 Je vais vout conter cela, la 'Why, really,' Mafoi,

* Supply the ellipsis of the ^' ' well tell,' trop vout dire,

verb. ^* BjUHremeTUf aites-wnu t

7 * Yea, sir, yes, the supper !' " jEt par parewtkise,
^ me eentir de Fapp4tit; or, me

COMPOSITION. 201

aottuJ oonyersation upon what's for supper this moment in
the kitchen.

Mar, Then I beg they'll admit me as one of their privy-
counciL It's a way I have got.^ When I travel, I
always choose to regulate my own supper. Let the cook
be called. No offence, I hope, sir.^

Hard, no, sir, none in the least :^ yet, I don't know
how, our Bridget,^ the cookmaid, is not very communica-
tive upon these occasions. Should we send for her, she
might scold us all out of the house.'*

Hoot. Let's see the list of the larder,^ then. I always
match my appetite to my bill of fere. ^

Mar. \To Habdoastlb, wha looks at them with mrprUe!\
Sir, he's very right, and it's my way® too.

Hard. Sir, you have a right to command here. Here,*
Eoger, bring us the bill of fare^*^ for to-night's supper: I
believe it's drawn out. Your manner, Mr. Hastings, puts
me in mind of my uncle, Colonel Wallop. It was a saying
of his, that no man was sure of his supper till he had eaten
it.' \Servant brings in the bill of fare, and exU."]

Mast, All upon the high ropes 1^^ His uncle a^^ colonel !
We shall soon hear of his mother being a justice ^^ of peace.
[ilai(^] But let's hear the bill of fare.

Mar, [FerusingJi What's here ? For the first course ;
for the second course ; for the dessert. — The devil,^^ sir I
Do you think we have brought down the whole Joiners'
Company, or the corporation ^^ of Bedford, to eat up such

^ 'It's my habit.' ^ ^ Leave this word out.

* FoiM exctuez, monneur f ^^ la note des plats, Mr. Hard-

* ' I exoiuie you^ oertamly.' castle does not use ' carte,* for his
^ Niaummns, ^e ne mm irop ; house — aud he knows it — ^is not a

mais noire Bru/itte, restaurant,

^ See page 6, note u. ^^ Le voild swr ses grands che^

* le menu du souper. vaux,

^ la carte. This word, carte, i' 'the.*

was also used, till lately, in the ^^ ' who was a (page 76, note ^

sense of *biU,' 'account/ — of judffe.'

eating-houses (restaurants) and ^* Diantre / — a vulgar, bat

inns ; but now the term addi- milder word for another ezdama-

tion has prevailed in the latter tion o! the same kind,

sense. ^^ la corporaiion des menvdsiers,

B * my,' emphatically ; see page ou ceUe,
68, note ^

202 FRENCH PROSE

asupper) Two (urihreeUtUe things^ clean and oomfortoUe^

will do.

East, But let*8 hear ifc.

Mar. \ Heading.'] For the firgt ooune : at the top, a pig
and prune sauce.^

Mai\ And d your prune Bauce, say I. .

Sard. And yet, gentlemen, to m^i that are hungry
pig, with prune sauce, is Tery good eating.' — ^Their impn-
dence confounds me. [jiMcltf.] Gentlemen, you are my
guests, make what alterations you please.^ Is there any-
thing else you wish to retrench or alter, gentlemen ?

Mar, Item : a pork pie, a boiled rabbit and^ sausages,
a florentine, a shaking puddings and a dish, of tiff — ^taff —
taffety cream.^

Hcui. Confound your made^ dishes! I shall be as
much at a loss ^ in this house, as at a green and yelloir
dinner at the French ambassador's table.^ I'm for plain
eating.

Hard. I*m sorry, gentlemen, that I have nothing you
like ; but if there be anything you have a particular
&noy to

Mar. Why, really,^^ sir, your bill of fere is so exquisite,
that any one part of it is fuU as good as another. Send
us what you please. So much for supper :^^ and now^
to see that our beds are aired, and properly taken care o£

Hard. I entreat you'll leave all that to ma^' Ton
shall not stir a step.

Mar. Leave that fo you! I protest, sir, yon must
excuse me, I always look to these things myself.^^

1 un petit eoehon avec de la cow- * Simply, ' as at the table of the

poU de pmneaux. ambassador of France.'

^^Au diable (vulg.) ; and leave ^ Comment done.

out 'I say,' as well as 'say I' in " Votld Vogavre d» tonper

the next line. » * a delicious dish.' ^ff^^- . .^ . .

^ Use the future. ^ *' «^«y.*< mainienafU de.

« «n povding et une cr^ . . . er^ , " -?^<» ««>«* ^^^ «* .*<^»^

une crime Manneur, trouvez w» que ye vou&

' '7 La petU (or, PetU—Pette t&U) due qw cet article-Id est de cem,

^^08. OMX^tueU je veUU Unyiourt nw*

• oMsii embarrattS. vUme.

COMPOSITION. 20d

Bard, I must insist, air, you'll make yourself^ easy on
that head.

Mar. You see Tm resolved on it.^ — A rery troublesome
fellow, as ever I met with, [il^witf.]

H<xrd, Well, sir, I'm resolved, at least, to attend you.
— This may be modern modesty, but I never saw anything
look so like old-fashioned impudence.^ \A8ide^

[Exeunt Mar. and Habd^

Hast So, I find this fellow's civilities begin to grow
troublesome. But who can be angry with those assiduities
which are meant to please him ?

SEA FOG, AND WRECK.

On the 9th of May,* we reached Halifax, off which port
we were detained in a very disagreeable way ;^ for we had
the misfortune to be kept three whole days off the harbour,
in one of those Nova Scotia fogs,® which are celebrated all
over the world. I can hardly give by description an idea
of how gloomy they are;" but I think their effects may
be compared to those of the sirocco; with the further
annoyance, that while they last, we are not able to see far
beyond our noses. They ar^ even worse than rain, for they
seem to wet one through sooner ;^ while they make every-
thing appear dreary, and certainly render all the world
lazy and discontented.*

On the day we made the land,^^ we had great hopes of

^ Non ; ^e prStends que vans colon after 'port/ higher up, and

toytz pavfoiUemeni, The verb prS' turning, ' during three days, in

timdref in the sense of vcvloir, go- one of those Nova Scotia fogs

vems the subjanotire. {hrum.es de fa Nourdle-A'cosse),*

• Cest un parti prtt, voyez-vous, 7 Simply, ' an idea of them.*

> fnais elleneresaembU pas mold ^ car elles vous mouilUtU encore

Vimpudence d'avirefcie, plus vitejnsqu'aux os.

* Bee page 164, note ^. ^ jettent un voile noir sur tons let
' Turn, ' and we were detained ohjets et vous ctccah/eut de lanmtewr

, ... off that port.' — * off/ d la et de tristesse. The word voile, * a

kauUur de, in this sense. veil,' is masculine ; but voile, ' a

' for we had/ &o. ; cut all this sail/ is feminine,
shorter by suppressing the semi- ^o Le hur que nous aUerrdmu.

204 FRENCH PROSE

being able to enter the harbour, as the wind was fair:*
when, all at once, we were surrounded by so thick a mist,
that, for the three succeeding days, we could not see above
twenty yards on any side.

There are few things, indeed, more provoking than these
fogs off Halifax; for, as they happen to be companions of
that very wind, the south-east,^ which is the best for
runnrng in, the navigators is pli^gued with the tormenting
consciousness, that if he could be allowed but a couple of
hours' clear weather, his port would be gained, and his
troubles over. The clearing up, therefore, of these odious
clouds or veils is about the most delightful thing I know ;^
and the instantaneous effect which a distinct sight of the
land, or even of the sharp horizon, when far at sea, hajs on
the mind of every person on board,^ is quite remarkable.
AU things look bright fresh, and more b^utifol than ever.
The stir over the whole ship at these moments is so great,
that even persons sitting below ^ can tell at once that the
fog has cleared away. The rapid clatter of the men's feet
springing up the hatchways at the lively sound of the
boatswain's call to " make sail !" soon foUows.'^ Then
comes the cheerful voice of the officer, hailing the topmen
to shake out the reefe, trice up the stay-sails, and rig out
the booms.® That peculiar and well-known kind of echo,
also, by which the sound of the voice is thrown back from
the wet sails, contributes, in like manner, to produce a
joyous elasticity of spirits,® greater, I think, than is excited
by most of the ordinary occurrences of a sea-life.^^

A year or two after the time I am speaking of, it was
resolved to place a heavy ^^ gun upon the rock on which

^ hon, or favorable. pide piiHnement des matelots for-

' car, camme dies accompa^nent tarU mitemeni dea icoviilles d la

Jtutement le vent du sud-est, voix du maitre diquimLge qvi crie:

^ ^^ow etUrer dans le port, le "Faites de lavoiU/

ma/nn. ^ qui hile Us gabiers pov/r lew

^ Turn, 'Therefore nothing is dire de dinouer ces garcettes {or, de

delightful {dotuc) as to see .... larguer les ris), d^ilever les voiles

clear up.' cT^toi et de pousser dehors,

^ d lord, ^ d donner d Vesprii une vivarilS

^ les iiidlvidus demeurSs d fond joyeuse et une (UutvciiS.

de cole (lit., '.in the hold '). -^^ la vie martUme.

' BierUU se fadt entendre le ra- "^ grot.

COMPOSITION. 205

Sambro light-house is built; and, after a gocd deal of
trouble^ a long twenty-four pounder was hoisted ^ up to
the highest ridge of this prominent station. It was then
arranged that, if, on the arrival of any ship off the ^ harbour
in a period of fog, she chose to fire guns,^ these were to be
answered^ from the light-house ; and in this way a kind of
audible, though invisible, telegraph might be set to work.
If it happened that the officers of the ship were sufficiently
familiar with the ground, and possessed nerves stout
enough for^ such a groping kind of navigation, perilous at
best, it was possible to run fiiirly into the harbour, notwith-
standing the obscurity, by watching® the sound of these
guns, and attending closely to the depth of water.

I never sailed^ in any ship which ventured upon this
feat ; but I perfectly recollect a curious circumstance,
which occurred, I think, to His Majesty's ship Cambrian.
She had run in from sea towards the coast,® enveloped in
one of these dense fogs. Of course they took for granted^
that the light-house and the adjacent land, Halifax in-
cluded, were likewise covered with an impenetrable cloud
or mist. But it so chanced, by what freak of Dame
Nature I know not, that the fog, on that day, was confined
to the deep water ;^^ so that we, who were in the port,
could ^^ see it, at the distance of several miles from the
coast, lying ^^ on the ocean like a huge stratum of snow,
with an abrupt fe.ce, fronting the shore.^^ The Cambrian,
lost in the midst of this fog- bank, supposing herself to be
near the land, fired a gun.^* To this the light-house
replied ; and so the ship and the light went on, pelting
away, gun for gun,^^ during half the day, without ever see-
ing one another. The people at the light-house had no

^ on parvint d en kisser un de penser.

vinfft-guatre livres de hcdle» ^^ lapleine mer,

* en vue du, ^^ In such a case as this, the
' tirer le canon, pronoun subject of the verb is ele-

* on lui ripondrait, gantly repeated.
s etse sentaient astez de Aardiesse ^^ s*Stendant.

pour tenter. ^ . . . neige dont Vextrime hord

* en itvdiant,^ ^ faisaitface au rivage.

7 Je ne me suis jamais trouvi, ^* tira un coup de canon,

^ avait donni dans la rode. "^^ et le vaisseau et le phart

' Naiurellement Cfquipage dut (changirent adnsi lews signaux.

296 FB£NCH PROSE

meftDS of oammmiicatiiig to the firigate, that, if ehe would
only stand on a little farther, ahe would disentimgie
heraelf from the cloud, in which, like Jupiter Oljmpius of
old, she was wasting^ her thunder.

At last, the captain, hopeless of its clearing up,^ g^ve
orders to pijie to dinner;^ but as the weather, in all
respects except this impenetrable mist^ was quite- fine, and
Uie ship was still in deep water,^ he directed her to
be steered towards the shore, and the l«id kept constantly
going,^ As one o'clock approached, he b^an to feel unea^,
from the water shoaling, and the light4iou8e guns sound-
ing^ closer and closer; but being unwilling to disturb the
men^ at their dinner, he resolved to stand on^ for the
remaining ten minutes of the hour.^ Lo and behold !
however, they had not sailed ^® half a mile further, beforB
the fljing-jib-boom end^^ emeiged from the wall of log,
then the bowsprit ^^ shot into^^ daylight^ and, lastlj, the
ship herself glided out of the cloud into the full blaze of a
bright and " simshine holiday." ^^ All hands were instantly
turned up to make sail ; and the men, as they flew on
deck,^^ could scarcely believe ^^ their (senses when they saw
behind them the huge bank, right ahead the harbour^s

^ comme U Jupiter du vieil exteaamv^ sense, far 'to ge/b on'

OlwiM^e, die contumait en vain, (anyhow) : thus, Pimprtmeur ntor-

' Bee page 21, note K che bien, 'the printer gets on well'

> ' oommaaded to the crew to (that is, with printing the copy in

dine.' hand).

* et . . . (see page 17, note ^) il ^^ que le hdton de clinfoc.
y avail atsez d^eau sous la quiUe. ^^ te niAt de heauprS.

^ UJU gofwvemer le vaisseau vers ^' 'To shoot into,' se montrer d.

le rivaae sans discontinuer dialler ^^ ' into the/ &c. ; turn, ' and

la sonde d la main. shone in the {aux) rays of a magni-

• de setUir proffressivemenl di- fioent sun.* ^' sur le pont,
nUnuer le hroMiage et (Teviendre ^^ en croire ; the pronoun tn (p.
le Sim du canon. 164, n. B), in such phrases, gi\>Ba

7 ses matelotSf here. greater deamess to the expression,

'^ de se porter encore sur le ri- as indicating the full bearing of the

vaae. fact mentioned upon the matter in

^ Simply, 'during ten minutes.' question : thus, votLs en avez menti

10 j^otU d coup (pa^e 148, note — ^literally, ' you told a lie on this

•), d peine le Cambrien avait-il paaiicular matter (en)' — ' that's a

marcM. The verb m^ircher does lie ;' whereas, vous avez menti would

net only mean 'to march,' and 'to simply state that a lie was told,

walk ;' it is also used in a far more without saying about what.

COMPOSITION , aov

moutb,^ with the bold^ cliffs of Cape Sambro on the left,
and, farther on, the ships at their moorings,^ with their
ensigns and pendants blowing out/ light and dry in the
breeze.

A far different fate, alas ! attended^ His Majesty's ship
Atalante,^ Captain Frederick Hickey. On tlie morning of
the 10th of NoTember, 1813, this ship stood in for ^ Halifiax
harbour in very thick weather, carefully feeling ® her way
with the lead, and haying look-out men at the jib-boom
end, fore-yard-arms,» and everywhere else from which
a glimpse of the land was likely to be obtained. After
breakfast, a fog signal- gun was fired,^° in the expectation of
its being answered by the light-house on Cape Sambro, near
which it was known they must be. Within a few^^
mlnutesy accordingly, a gun was heard in the NN.W.
quarter,^^ exactly where the light was supposed to lie. As
tiiie soundings agreed with the estimated position of the
ship, and a£ the guns from the Atalante, fired at intervals
of fifteen minutes, were regularly answered in tlie direction
of the harbour's mouth, it was determined to stand on,^^ so
as to enter the port under the guidance of these sounds
alone. By a &tal coincidence of circumstances, however,
these answering guns^* were fired, not by Cape Sambro,
but by His Majesty's ship Barrossa, which was likewise
entangled by the fog. She, too, supposed that she was
communicating with the light-house, whereas it was ^^ the
guns of the unfortunate Atalante that she heard all the
time.

There was, certainly, no inconsiderable risk incurred by
running in for the harbour's mouth under ^mch circum-

1 'mouth,' here, enirSe. ' et a^ni des hommes en vigie

' McarpSa. ^ au fMmillage, an bdton de foe, aux boutt de la

* *wil^*ko,fpavUl<m8eiJlammes veraue de muadne,

te diroulant. ^ le capitadne Jit Hrer wn tigneL,

A * was tiiat of.' de brume,

^ Notice that proper names of ^^ Au bout de quelguea.

ships are usually preceded, in ^' dans la partie au N. JV. 0,

French, bj the definite article ^^ il {i.e., le capitaine), rSsolut

(omission of grammars). — ^See pre- de t^avancer toujour*.

ceding pa^e, note '^^, '^ ce» coupe dU canon en rSponai

^ te dirtgeait vers. d ceux de T Atalante.

* Studiant. " See page 158, note ^

208 FRENCH PROSE

stances, even if the gons had been fired by the light-house.
But it will often happen that it becomes an officer's duty ^
to put his ship, as well as his life, in hazard ; and this
appears to have been exactly one of those cases. Captain
Hickey was charged with urgent despatches relative to the
enemy's fleet, which it was of the greatest importance
should be delivered^ without an hour's delay. But there
was every appearance of this fog lasting a week ; and as
he and his officers had passed over the ground^ a hundred
times before, and were as intimately acquainted with the
spot as any pilot could be, it was resolved to try the bold
experiment ; and the ship was forthwith steered in the
supposed direction of Hali&x.

They had not, however, stood on far, before one of the
look-out men exclaimed, *' Breakers ahead ! hard a-star-
board !"* But it was too late, for, before the helm could
be put over,^ the ship was amongst those formidable ree&
known by ^ the name of the Sisters' Bocks, or eastern ledge
of Sambro Island. The rudder and half of the stem-post,'''
together with great part of the fiilse keel,^ were driven oflf
at the first Wow, and floated up alongside.^ TJiere is
some reason to believe, indeed, that a portion of the bottom

1 Mais il est souveni du devoir ' fait la mime rotUe.

d^un officier. * lis n'avaient enxiore parcouru

^ qu'U itait important de re- fus qaelques milles (mille takes s

m£ttre. The English construction in the plural only when it is, as

is elliptical for ' which it was of the here, a noun), lorsqu*une des vigies

greatest importance that they s'Scria : " Brisants en avant d

should be delivered,' and I need noiu / tout d tribord / " — ^The word

not explain how this turn is alto- vigie is always feminine ; and sen-

gether ungrammatical. I have tinelle (I mean, of course, when

already commented (page 91, note taken in the sense of ' a man stand -

^) upon the irregularity-of such a in^ sentry,' for in the other sense

oons^iction, or a similar one; since it is invariably feminine) is more

writing the note referred to, I frequently used also in the femi-

have met with this other phrase nine.

in F^nelon's same work, p. 140 : '^ avant qv^il p(U meUre la harre

— ** H semble qu' Astr^e, ou'on dit an vent,

qui est retiree dans le ciet " — ^Ute- ^ sous'.

rally, 'whom they say who is re- ^ Le ffouvemail et la moitU de

tired.' F^nelon should have writ- rstamhot,

ten, " qu'on dit itre retirSe/' a con- ^ de lafausse quiUe,

struotion which is perfectly cor- ^ * alongaide/ U lon^ du hard,
root (see page 7, note ^).

COMPOSITION. 209

of the sbip,^ loaded with 120 toi^ of iron ballast,^ was
torn from the upper wodss^ by thk fearful blow, and that
the diip,^ which instantly Med with water, was afterwards
buoyed up^ merely by the empty coaks, till the decks
and sides ^ were burst through or riven asunder by the
waves.

The captain, who, throughout the whole scene, con-
fanned as composed as if nothing remarkable had oc-
curred, now ordered the guxis to be thrown overboard;^
but before one of th^n could be oast loose,^ or a breeching
eut,^ the ship feU over^^ so mu(^ that the men could not
staod.^^ It was, therefore, with grout dil&culty that a fidw
guns were fired ias ^ signals of distress. In the same breath
that this order was givaa, Oaptaui Hickey desired the yjard
tackles to be hooked,^^ in (xrder that the pinnaoe might
be hoisted out;^ but us the maats, deptiyedof their
foundation, barely stood, tottering &om side to side, the
people were called down agaiou^^ The quarter boats were
then lowered into the water witib some^^ difficulty ; but
the joUy-boat,^^ which happened to be on the poop ui^er-
going repairs,^^ in being launehed overboard,^ struck
against one of the stem davits,^^ bilged and wenit down.^
M the ship was joow falling £su3t over on her beam ends,^
directions were ^ven to out away the fore and main masts.^^
Fortunately, they fell without injuring the laige boat on

^ 'the bottom of the ship^' la deshovis deverpv>es,
ear^ne. ^* Turn, 'in order that one

9 chcurgfe ^vm, Utt de f&r chu might keep oneself ready to hoist

poids de cent-vingt tonneaux, out the pinnace ' (d mettre.la pifuiue

3 des hatUs du vaisseau. d la mer),

* r Atalante,--4o ayoid the awk- ^ UnU Vigm^page fvt rapfieU d

ward repetition of the word vais- sonjposte*
ieau. ' remise dfioi. ^^ Let hcdeatLX de piloie Jwent

^ tiles pieces latSrales, alon mdt d Veau, nou soms,

7 ' oveH>oai*d,* d la mer, *' le petit canot.

^ 'cast loose/ ditachS. "^ en r^aration twr la dwMtte.

' ou une estrope d^offHit (or, une "^ par-desttu le lord.

tmiav^) coupie,
^^ ^enfonfa.

^ des daviers de Vanriire,

, . ^ ereva est ewda dfoTuL

^ n« puretU demewer anw to- ^ iaffaistaiJL toujours sur son

lords. '^ en, maitre-oau (midship beam),

^s ' Captain ;' see page 4, note \ ^ dSahaXire U mdt de mitaine el

— 'desired the yard«' &o.^ avait le grand m^,

command^ d^accrodker les palans

210 FRENCH PROSE

the booms ^ — ^their grand hope. At the instant of this
crash, the ship parted in two, between the main and mizen
masts J ^ and within a few seconds afterwards, she again
broke right across, between the fore and main masts :
so that the poor Atalante now formed a mere wreck,
divided into three pieces,* crumbling into smaller firag-
ments at every send of the swell.*

By this time a considerable crowd of the men had
scrambled into the pinnace on the booms,^ in hopes that
she might float off as ^ the ship sunk;^ but Captain
Hickey, seeing that the boat so loaded could never swim,^
desired some twenty of the men to quit her ; and, what is
particularly worthy of remark, his orders, which were
given with the most perfect coolness, were as promptly
obeyed as ever. Throughout the whole of these trying
moments, indeed, the discipline of the ship appears to have
been maintained, not only without the smallest trace c^
insubordination, but with a degree of cheerfulness which is
described as truly wonderful. Even when the masts fell^
the sound of the crashing spars were drowned in the ani-
mating huzzas^ of the undaunted crew, though they^®
were then clinging to the weather gunwale,^ ^ with the sea,
from time to time, making a clean breach over them,
and when they were expecting every instant to be carried
to the bottom !

As soon as the pinnace was relieved from the pressure
of the crowd, she floated off the booms,^^ or rather was
knocked off by a sea,^* which turned her bottom upwards,
and whelmed her into the surf ^* amidst the fragments of
the wreck. The people, however, imitating the gallant bear-

^ la chalonpe, encore mr les ^ U hruU des espwn mti era'

porte-fnanteaux pkusSs efUre les deux auaient se perdit au milieu des

gaiUwrds. nowus joyeux.

' eiUre U grand mdt et U wM ^ See p. 41, n. ^, and p. 209, n. ^^.

cFartiman. ^ rSfugiS en quelqvs sorte sur le

* n'Hattpltu^'un triple dShris, nlai-bord compris entre les gaU'
*' d dMque mouvement de lames. cards.

' dans la ch4iloupe, toujours sur ^ elle se dStacha de ses supports.
set supports. -^ par une lame ; or, par un coup

• retter dfiot quand. de mer.

7 Use the conditional. ^* qui la renversa sens dessus ties'

^ aumager, here. sotu, et lajeta dans le ressae.

COMPOSITION. 311

ing of their captain, and keeping their eyes fixed upon him,
neyery for one instant^, lost their self-possession.^ By dint
of great exertions, they succeeded in not only righting the
boat, but in disentangling her from the con^sed heap of
spars, and the dash of the breakers, so as to place her at a
little distance from the wreck, where they waited for
further orders fi:om the captain, who, with about forty
men, still clung to the poor remains of the gay Atalante,
once so much admired 1

An attempt was next made to construct a raft, as it was
feared the three boats could not possibly carry all hands ;^
but the violence of the waves prevented this, and it was
resolved to trust. to the boats alone, though they were
already, to all appearance, quite fiill. It became now,
however, absolutely necessary to take to them, as the wreck
was disappearing rapidly; and in order to pack close,
most of ^e men were removed to the pinnace, where they
were laid flat in the bottom, like herrings in a barrel,
while the small boats returned to pick off the rest. This
proved no easy matter in any case, while in others it was
found impossible ; so that many men had to swim for it ;^
others were dragged through the waves by ropes, and some
were forked off^ by oars and other small spars.

Amongst the crew there was one famous merry fellow,
a black fiddler,^ who was discovered, at this critical junc-
ture, clinging to the main chains, ^ with his beloved
Cremona^ squeezed tightly but delicately under his arm —
a ludicrous picture of distress, and a subject of some joking
amongst the men, even at this moment. It soon became
indispensable, that he should lose one of two things — his
fiddle or his life. So, at last, after a painful struggle, the
professor and his violin were obliged to part company !®

J f ^-/'•^'f than ctyrde.

« tovi. r^qmpam. a ^^ j^^y^^ maidot nigre, un

8 ne purent ichapper qu*d la joueur de vioUm.
iMwe (page 6, note 8) ,^ ^^ . 6 cramponrii aux chaines des

* See page 6, note ^—Notice grands haubans.
that * a fork, in thia sense, is 7 t^n crSmone chSri.
fowche, not /(mrcheiie; the latter 8 ce fvi U violon qu*a aban^

word means only a table-fork. — donna,
'rope,' too, is here cdble, rather

p 2

212 FRENCH FBOSE

Die poor negro musician's tenacity of |mipo6e anosc
from sheer love of his art ; but there was another laugb
raised about the same time, at the expense of the oaptain's
clerk,^ who, stimulated purely by a^ sensa of duty, lost
all recollection of himself,' in his anxiety to axfe what
was entrasted to his care, and thus bodi he and his
charge had nearly gone to ihe bottom. This sealous
person had general instructions,^ that whenever guns were
fired,* or^ any other circumstance ocouired hkdy to shake
the chronometer, he was^ to hold it in his hand, to pva-vsent
the concussion deranging its works.' As soon, therefore,
as the poor ship dashed against the rocks,' the clerk's
thoughts naturally turned exclusiTely on the time-5)iece.
He caught up the preciois watdi, and ran on deck ; but
being no swimmer,^ was obliged to cling to the mizen*mast^
where he Gituck fest, careless of everything but his impor-
tant trust. When the ship fell over, the mast beeazne
almost horizontal, and he managed to creep along till he
reached the mizen-top,^^ where he seated himself in some
trepidation, grinning like a monkey who has run off with
a cocoa-nut, till the spar gave way, and he was plunged,
chronometer and all,^^ right overboard. Every eye was
now turned to the spot, to see whether this most publio-
spirited of scribes ^^ was ever to appear again ; when to
the great joy of all hands, he emerged from the waves
— ^watch still in hand ! but it was not withc»zt great

^ seoritaire ; here. See page 41, see page 23, note *. Notice this

note ^^. use of sawnr, instead «f pomcir

s Use 'the,' in French. (as in English 'to be able^) whem

B iouiblia toiU d fait lui-mSme wo refer to the general knowledge

(page 88, note ^3). of and ability in an art, instead of

* Ce zili subard&nnS avait pour ^ *^® power, oar the means, ai«ny

ifutinietion. giniraU. particular time, of exeixsising it ;

5 See page 17, note ^. thus, savoir Href (crire, compter,

« See page 79, note *. &c. Ex., il tu salt pas lire,

7 ' the concussion,' &c., qw ' he cannot read ' (he has no know-

rfbraniement rCen trovblAt Fexacti- ledge of reading) ; il ne pent pas

tvde (see page 18, note ^, and idso lire, 'he cannot read' (from nis

page 21, note ^, for a rule which text bein^ illegible, or his eyes

applies Ukewise to this case). refusing him their service, or from

^ Turn, ' had dashed ' («ee page any other similar cause),

28, note *). — * the rocks ; * you ® la hune cPartimon,

may translate by let hatUs-fenas. " 'on chronomHre et lui,

^ moM ne sachani pas Tiager, — ^ *i ce patriotiqut tecritaire.

COMPOSITION 218

difi&culty that he was dragged into (me of the boata^ half
drowned.

With the exception of this fortunate chronometer, and
the admiral's despatches, which the captain had secured
when the ship first struck,^ everything on board was lost.

The pinnace now contained seventy-nine men>^nd one
woman, the cutter forty-two, and the gig,^ eighteen, with
which cargoes they barely floated.^ Captain Hickey, of
coui*se, was the last man who left the wreck ; though such
had become the respect and affection felt for him by his
crew, that those who stood along with him on the last
vestige^ of the ship, evinced great reluctance at leaving
their commander even for a moment in such a perilous
predicament. So speedy, indeed, was the work of destruc-
tion,'^ that by the time the captain reached the boat,
the wreck had almost entirely ''melted into the yest of
waves." ^ As she went down, the crew gave three hearty
cheers,^ and then finally abandoned the scattered frag^
ments of what had been their ^ house and home for nearly
seven years.

The fog still continued as thick as ever ; and as the
binnacles had both been washed overboard, no compass
could be procured.^ The wind also being still light,^^
there was great difficulty in steering in a straight line.
In this dilemma^^ a resource was hit upon, which, for
a time, answered pretty well to guide theuL It being
known, loosely,^^ before leaving the wreck, in what direc-
tion the land was situated, the three boats were placed in
a row pointing that way. The stemmost boat then qxiitted

^ avait UmcfU powr la premUrt rattre, *

f(M les rSci/i, ^ 'its ' (as aboye, scUua), accord-

s < the cutter,' U cuiter, or, le isg to tho rule, pa^ 4L note ^. —

cotre; * the gig/ la ffuigue. 'home/ demmre. — 'had been.. ,

' et ifitait toiU jtute ce que^<m- for;' turn, 'was .... since' (see

vaiwi porter let troU emharcatians, page 88, note ^).

* dioris, ^ Les habitacles avaient iti <u6-
' Begin, 'The work/ &;c. mergU totia les deius, et il rCy avait

* Umtfui enfflouU dam le gouffre plus de houssole. "^^ faiUe.

des vaaues, "^ emharras (or, aUernaiive), not

7 JjUqmpage cependani salua dilemme, here.

TAtalante par trois demiires ae- ^^ Comme on tavait d^wie ma^

elamatioM, en la v^yaiU dispor niire vague.

214 FRENCH PROSE

her station in the rear, and pulled ahead till she came in a
line with the other two boats,^ but took care not to go so
far as to be lost in the fog ; the boat which was now fur-
thest astern then rowed ahead, as the first had done ; and
so on, doubling along, one after the other.^ This tardy
method of proceeding answered only for a time ; for at
length they found themselves completely at a loss which
way to steer. Precisely at this moment of greatest need, an
old quarter-master (Samuel Shanks by name)^ recollected
that at the end of his watch-chain there hung a small
compass-seal.^ This precious discovery being annoimced
to the other boats by a joyous shout from the pinnace,
and the compass being speedily handed into the gig, to the
captain,^ it was placed on the top of the chronometer, so
nobly saved by the clerk. As this instrument worked on
jimbles,^ the little needle remained upon it sufficiently
steady for steering the boats within a few points.^ The
course now secured insured their hitting the land, from
which they had been steering quite wide.®

Before reaching the shore, they fell in with an old fisher-
man who piloted them to a bight called Portuguese Cove,
where they all landed in safety, at the distance of twenty
miles from the town of Halifax. The fishermen lighted
great fires, to warm their shivering guests, most of whom
being very lightly clad, and all, of course, dripping wet,*
were in a very sorry predicament ; many of them, also,
were miserably cramped by close packing ^^ in the boats.
Some of the men, especially of those who entered the
boats ^^ last, having been obliged to swim for their

^ L*embarcaUon en serre-file houssole. — DictioDaries hare it

quttta son paste d Varriire-garde, 'gimbalB.'

et viwt se placer en tHe, ^ ^ pourgouvemer Us emharcations

' 'the boat which,' &c. ; puis dansquetques qv>aris de vents,

cefut le tour dv, nouveau serre-JUe * ven fut oMez pour gagner la

(Sen faire aviantf puis le tour du c6te, dotU les naufragis nefaisaietU

troisiime ; ainsi de suite, Vun 9^ (pag® 184, note ') s'iloigner

aprh V autre. ^ P^^ ^» pli^ (lit., ' more and

* unvieuaquartier-fMiitre (or, un more').

vieil offider marinier) nommi S. S-^ trempis dea,v.,

4 t^nfltMt i>4> <•/)•»«>/*• "^^ ' were miaeral

cachet en compos. ^? '^e^e miserably /&o. ;

" ayaiU it6 passi rapidement de ^i^nt crudlemerU courbatwrSsjIant

wtain en main au capitaine. ^ avaient itS serrSs.

« marchait swr des balanciers de " Turn, 'who had left the ship j*

COMPOSITION. 216

lives,^ had thrown off everything bnt their trousers; so that
the only respectably-dressed person ^ out of the whole party
was Old^ Shanks^ the owner of the watch and compass-
seal, — a steady hard-a-weather sailor,^ who throughout
took the whole affitir as deliberately as if shipwreck had
been an every-day occurrence. He did not even take off
his hat, except, indeed, to giye his good^ ship a cheer as
she went to the bottom.

Their subsequent measures were soon decided upon.
The captain carried the three boats round to the harbour,^
taking with him the men who had suffered most from &-
tigue, and those who were worst off for clothes.^ The officers
then set out with the rest, to march across the country to
Halifax,^ in three divisions, keeping together with as much
regularity as if they had been proceeding upon some pre-
viously-arranged piece of service.^ Very few of the party
could boast of shoes,^^ an inconvenience which was felt
more severely than it would otherwise have been, from
their having to trudge over a country but partially cleared
of wood.^^ Notwithstanding all this, there was not a single
straggler ; and the whole ship's company, officer, man, and
boy,^^ assembled in the evening at Hali&x, in as exact
order as if their ship had met with no accident

I have been more particular in describing this shipwreck,
from its appearing to offer several uncommon and some
useful details, well worthy, I think, of the notice of prac-
tical men, in every profession.

in this maimer^ the idea will be ^ Turn, 'The greater (snper^

more exactly expressed, consider- lative, in French) number of the

in^ what follows immediately. sailors were in want (manquaUwt)

^ dete sauver d Ui fuige, of shoes.'

' le sevZ homme propremerU vHu, ^^ pays trii imparfaitement dS-

3 le vieux', this case is similu* fricM,

to that of page 117, note u. ^ ojfficien, matdots et mouues ;

* meux (p. 27, n. ^) marin endurci notwithstanding these nouns in the

aux mauvais temps. ^ cher. plural, put the following verb in

< partit pour Halifax avec let the singular (page 41, note % as

trois embarcations. the predominant idea is one of col-

^ les plus mat vStiu. lectiveness. on account of the word

8 'to march across,' &o. ; sim- 'company {(quipage), expressed

ply, par la vote de terre, just above, and wmch is, gram-

> que 8*11 te fiU agi dCune expS- matically, the subject of ' assem-

dition privue. bled.'

316 FRENCH PROSE

It is rather an unusual combination of disasteis for a
ship to be so totally wrecked, as to be aotuallj obliterated
from the face of the waters, in the course of a quarter of
an hour, in fine weather, in the day-time, on well-known
rocks, and dose to a light-house ; but without the loss of
a single man, or the smallest accident to any person on
boai*d.^

In the next place, it is highly important to observe^ that
the lives of the crew, in cdl probability, would not, and
perhaps could not, have been saved, had the discipline
been^ in the smallest d^^ee, less exactly maintained. Had
any impatience been manifested by the people to rush into
the boats, or had the captain not possessed sufiBcient
authority to reduce the numbers which ^ had crowded into
the pinnace, when she was still resting on the booms, at
least half of the crew must have lost their live&^

It was chiefly, therefore, if not entirely, to the personal
influence which Captain Hickey possessed over the minds
of all on board, that their safety was owing. Theit
habitual confidence in his fortitude, talents, and profes-
sional knowledge, had, from long experience, become so
great, that every man in the ship, in this extremity of
danger, instinctively turned to him for assistance ; and see-
ing him Bo cheerfuUy and so completely master of himself,
they relinquished to his well-known and often-tried saga-
city the formidable task of extricating them from the im-
pending peril It is at such moments as these, indeed,
that the grand distinction between man and man is deve-
loped, and the full ascendancy of a powerful and well-regu-
lated mind makes itself felt. The slightest hesitation on
the captain's part, the smallest want of decision, or any
uncertainty as to what was the very best thing to be dona,
if betrayed by a word or look of his, would have shot, like
an electric spark, through the whole ship's company — a
tumultuous rush would have been made to the boats — and
two out of the three, if not all, must have been swamped,
and every man in them drowned.

^ Turn, 'for any of those who ' ' the number of those who.'
are on board.* > e(Up(r%.

COMPOSITION. an

Captain Hiokey and his crew had been serving together
in the same ship for many years before/in the course of
which period they had acquired so thorough an acquain-
tance with one another, that this great trial, instead of
loosening the discipline, only augmented its compactness,^
and thus enabled the commander to bring all his know-
ledge, and all the resources of his vigorous understanding,
to bear at once, with such admirable effect, upon^ the dif-
ficulties by which he was surrounded.

There are some men who actually derive more credit
from their deportment under the severest losses, than
l^hers can manage to earn by brilliant success ; and it may
certainly be said that Captain Hickey is one of these ; for,
although he had the great misfortune to lose his ship, he
must ever enjoy the noble satisfaction of knowing, that his
skill and firmness, rendered efiective by the discipline he
hsid been so many years in perfecting, enabled him to save
the lives of more than a hundred persons, who, but for*
him, in all human probability, must have perished with
their hapless chief. — (Capt. Basil Hall, Fragments of
Travels and Voyages,)

A HIGHLAND REVENGE.*

Messengers were despatched in great haste, to concen-
trate the MacGregor's forces,^ with a view to the proposed
attack on the Lowlanders; and the dejection and despair,
at first visible on each countenance, gave^ place to the
hope of rescuing their "^ leader, and to the thirst of ven-
geance. It was under the burning influence of the latter
passion that the wife of MacGregor commanded that the
hostage exchanged for his safety shoxdd be brought into

"^ nefi que (page 184, note ^ ' 'but for/ «a»w.

reuerrer let liens de la discipline ^ Une vengeance dans les hivies

au lieu de les reldcher, terres (or, lesMiffhlands) de VEcosse,

* etle commandant, obH au pre- ' Us forces dies Mac-Qregors,

mier sianaZ, eut tovtes ses ressources ' Use /aire.

naiureUes d sa disposition pour ' 'the/
liiMer cowtre.

218 FRENCH PROSE

her presence. I believe her sons had kept this unfortnnate
wretch out of her sight,^ for fear of lie consequences ;2
but if it was so^ their humane^ precaution only post-
poned^ his &te. They dragged forward at her summons
a wretch already half dead with terror, in whose agonized^
features I recognised, to my horror and^ astonishment, my
old acquaintance Morris.

He fell prostrate before the female Chiefs with an effort
to clasp her knees, from which she drew back, as if his
touch had been pollution, so that all he could do in token
of the extremity of his humiliation, was to kiss the hem of
her plaid. ^ I never heard entreaties for life poured forth
with such agony of spirit.^ The ecstasy of fear was such^®
that instead of paralysing his tongue, as^^ on ordinaiy
occasions, it even rendered him eloquent; and, wilji
cheeks pale as ashes,^^ hands compressed ^^ in agony, eyes
that seemed to be taking their last look of all mortal
objects, he protested, with the deepest ^^ oaths, his total
ignorance of any design on the person of Bob Roy, whom
he swore he loved and honoured as his own souL^^ In the
inconsistency of his terror,^^ he said he was but the agent
of others, and he muttered the name of Rashleigh. He
prayed but for life — for life he would give all he had in
the^'^ world : it was but life he asked — ^life, if it were to
be^^ prolonged under tortures and privations: he asked
only breath, though it should be drawn in^^ the damps of
the lowest caverns of their hills.

1 (loiffnS de ses yeva. ^' ' covered with (de) a deadly

^ par humanitS. paleness.'

^ ouoi quHl en soit, cette. ^ se tordani let mains.

^ See page 184, note ^. ^^ 'the most solemn ' (page 69,

' pdXea et dSdaurSs ; and see note *).

page 134, note A » ' with (de) aU his soul.' The

^ ' with as much . . . as.' idiomatic expression, aimer quel-

7 ' He threw himself at the feet qu*uii comms ses yeux (or, comme la

of the chief's ^nife ;' see page 145, prunelle de ses yeux) would be too

note K fiuniliar for ejevated style, like

s les parts (lit., 'the skirts') de this.

son, plaid (manteau ^cossais). ^^ Par une ineoTtsSquence, swte

^ avec atUarU de disespoir. du dfsordre de son esprit, ^^ au,

xo t Yqsjc acted on his mind with ^^ gee page 79, note ', and page

such strength ;' see page 26, 123, note ''.

note '. " comiM cela arrive, " 'he asked,* &c ; simply trans-

COMPOSITION. 219

It is impossible to describe the scorn, the loathing, and
contempt,^ ^ith which the wife of MacGregor regarded
this wretched petitioner for the poor boon of existence.

" I could have bid ye live/' ^ she said, " had life been to
you the same weary and wasting burden that it is to me
— ^that it is to every noble and generous mind. But you
— wretch ! you could creep through the world unaffected
by its yarious disgraces, its inefilable miseries, its constantly
accumulating masses of crime and sorrow : you could live
and enjoy yourself,^ while the noble-minded are betrayed
— while nameless and birthless villains tread on the neck
of the brave and the long-descended:^ you could enjoy
yourself, like a butcher's dog in the shambles, battening
on garbage, while the slaughter of the oldest and best
went on around you !^ This enjoyment you shall not live
to partake of ! — ^you shall die, base dog ! ^ and that
before yon^ cloud has passed over the sun.*'

She gave a brief command in Gaelic to her attendants,
two of whom seized upon the prostrate suppliant, and
hurried him to the brink of a cliff which overhung the
flood.^ He set up the most piercing and dreadful cries
that fear ever uttered — I may well term them^ dreadful,
for they haunted my sleep for years afterwards.^^ As

late, ' were he to breathe no lon^r je veux,

{plui) any {de) other air than *^ Turn, 'for during some ((^^

tnat of.' ques) years I often started up out

^ ' the scorn,' &c. ; simply, Vair of my sleep {je m*iveillai souverU

de mSpris et de dS^odt, en sursaut), thinking still I hecoxl

• Je faccorderais la vie. them (page 7, note 7).* We had

* 'to enjoy oneself/ here, te better use here the preterite (Je
trouver heureux, nCSveillai) than the imperfect (page

* tandis que dee gens sane nais- 1, note *» and ^age 55, note %
sance et sans couraae fofulefnX aux although the action was repeated,
WAds dee hommes illustrie par leur — and this is often done when it is
oravoure et par une loiwvs suite intended to point to each time the
d^aleva. Put a full stop nere. action took place, as separate and

9 'you could/ ico. ; Au milieu distinct from the others. By thus

du carnage gSn4ral, tu serais aussi striking the mind with the idea of

heureua que le chien du boucher, a fact which happened at once—

qui liehe le sang des hestiaux qu*on though repeatedly so — instead of

igorge, letting it dwell on that secondary

' Ideke, chien/ ' ce, oonsideration, namely, that of a

B qui surplomhait le la/i. repetition of the fact mentioned,

• simply, ' I may say,' — 'I may,' we give to our narration both more
it puis, wnich is more quaint than vivacity and more rapidity.

220 FRENCH FEOSE

the mnrdetere, or execatioDen, call them as jou will,^
drugged him along, he recpgniaed me in that moment of
horror, and exclaimed, in the last articolate words I ever
heard him utter, " O Mr. Osbaldistone^ saye me !— «8ve
me!"

I was so mndi moyed bj this horrid spectacle, that^
although in momentary expectation of sharing ^ his fate^ I
did attempt to speak in his b^ial^ but, as might have
been expected, mj interference was sternly disregarded.
The Tictim was held fast by some^ while others, binding a
large heavy stone,' in a plaid, tied it round his neck, and
othen again eagerly stript him of some part of his dress.^
Half-naked, and thus manacled, they hurled him into the
lake, there about twelve feet deep, with a loud halloo of
vindictive triumph, — above which, however, his last death-
shriek, the yell of mortal agony, was distinctly heard.
The heavy burden splashed in the dark-blue waters, and
the Highlanden, with their pole-axes and swords, watched
an instant, to guard, lest,^ extricating himself from the
load to which he was attached, the victim might have
struggled to regain the shore. But the knot had been
securely bound — the wretched man sunk without effort ;^
the waters, which his fail had disturbed, settled calmly over
him, and the unit of that life for which he had pleaded so
strongly, was for ever withdrawn from the sum of human
existence.'^ — (Sir Waltbb Scott, Bob Hoy.)

^ Uae ilie future of votdoir. gnit d jamatt (see pafe 194, note

• 'although I expected at every ") dans cet aMme, — 'ror ever/ is,

instant to share/ in French, d jamais, and pour jo-

' Simply, uTie grosse pierre. mais ; the former expression is

^ se partageaierU ses vitements. stronger than the latter : " un

'^ pour voir si; and make the homnxe est perdu h jamais" (says

rest of the sentence fit, according very appositely Dr. Dubuc, in ma

to this alteration here. yaluable notes to Picdola), "when

' 'without resistance.' it is absolutely impossible for him

' 'settled,' &;o. ; se refermireni to rise frbm his abjectness; il est

tw lui en reprenant leur caZme perdu pour jamais, if it is only be-

aceoutumSf et la vie ^uHl avail de- lieved that he wiU not rise again."

Maikdie avee tant d^tnstance, Utei' — Picdola, page 8, note 1

COMPOSITION. 221

THE WIDOW AND HER SON.

The parents of the deceased had resided in the village
from childhood. They had inhabited one of the neatest
cottages, and by various rural occupations and the assis-
tance^ of a small garden, had supported themselves cre-
ditably, and comfortably, and led a happy and blameless
life. They had one son, who had grown up to be the
staff and pride of their age.^ " Oh, sir I" said the good
woman, ** he was such a comely lad, so sweet-tempered, so
kind to every one around him, so dutiful' to his parents !
It did one's heart good to see him of a^ Sunday, dressed
out in his best, so tall, so straight, so cheery, supporting his
old mother to church — ^for she was always fonder of leaning
on George's arm than on her goodman's,* and, poor soul,*^
she might well be proud of him, for a finer lad there was
not in the country round.'*

Unfortunately, the son was tempted, during a year of
scarcity and agricultural hardship, to enter into the service
of one of the small craft that plied on a neighbouring
river.^ He had not been long in this employ when he was
entrapped by a press-gang and carried off to sea.® His
parents received tidings of his seizure, but beyond that
they could learn nothing. It was the loss of their main
prop. The father, "^o was already infirm, grew heartless®
and melancholy, and sunk into his^^ grave. The widow,

1 'the pfoduce.^ * On tprouvait «« plaisir diU-

* Vojp^pvi et rorgueii de leur deux en te voyant It,

vieilleue. The figurative expires- ^ cdui de son mart.

sion bdton de vieHieue ia French ; * femme.

but, on aocount of the oommon ^ deee louer et de travailier swr

idea called forth by the word frdtoTt, un (or, simplj, de se meUre {tux

which, in its proper sense, is of so gctges d^un) dee petite bAtimenle q%fii

extensive application, measung, as deseervaiefU une rivHre voieine,

it does, 'staff,' 'stidc,' 'ou(&el,' ^ prie par la ^re»e (enrdlement

&o., bdton and orgu^il would rorm force, lev^e de matelote en Angle-

a somewhat migracious association terre), et entrc^n6 loin de eon vil-

af tenns. lage pour eervir sur mer. See page

^ un ei digne gourpon, ei edmable, 1, note <^, and pa^ 88, note T.

si doitx avec UnU le monde, ei ret* ^ languissant, m this sense.

peotueux, — ' to ; ' see page 86, ^^ * to sii^,* here, deeeendre,~^

note ^^« 'his ;' use the definite article. *

222 FRENCH PROSE

left alone in her age and feebleness, could no longer support
herself, and came upon^ the parish. Still there was a
kind feeling toward her throughout the Tillage, and^ a
certain respect as being one of the oldest inhabitants. As
no one applied for the cottage in which she had passed so
many happy days,^ she was permitted* to remain in it,
where she lived solitary and almost helpless. The few
wants of nature were chiefly supplied from the scanty pro-
duction of her little garden, which the neighbours would
now and then cultivate ^ for her. It was but a few days
before the time at which these circumstances were told
me, that she was gathering some vegetables^ for her
repast, when she heard the cottage-door which faced the
garden suddenly opened J A stranger came out, and
seemed to be looking eagerly and wildly around.^ He was
dressed in seaman's clothes, was emaciated and ghastly
pale, and bore the air of one broken^ by sickness and
hardships. He saw her, and hastened toward her, but
his ste2)s were faint and faltering ; he sank on his knees
before her, and sobbed like a child. The poor woman
gazed upon him with a vacant and wandering eye. '' Oh
my dear, dear mother !^^ don't you know your soni
your poor boy Greorge 1" ^^ It was indeed the wreck of her-
once noble lad ; who, shattered by wounds, by sickness,
and foreign ^^ imprisonment, had at length dragged his
wasted limbs homeward, to repose among the scenes of his
childhood.

^ tomba d la chargt de; or, se sense of 'a plant/ 'a tree:' vigi-

it inscrire sur les registres des ted is also an adjective, as in ^

pauvres de, rigne (not rovaume, there) vfgital,

' Turn, 'Ererybody liked her ' uie vegetable kingdom.'

in the village, and they (on) showed ^ See page 65, note ^.

towards her {lui, — literally, to ^ se prtserUa : %l avait Pair effort

her).' (wild) e< empressi (eager). -

> Turn, 'The cottage . . . &;o., " 'and seemed to be worn out.'

not letting (use se loner, the re- ^o <o my mother, my dear

fleotive voice).' mother.'

* See page 21, note*. '^ 'your son,' &c.; simply, 'youj:

'^ See page 45, note *. — 'now {ton) poor George.' — 'to]aiow,'in

and then,' de temps d avire, or, de the sense of 'to recognise,' is re-

temms en temps, connaUre, not connalUre,

^ Uaumes, in this sense; and ^^ 'foreign/ d F Stranger, and

vtgStal, only in the more general after the noun.

COMPOSITION. 223

I wiU not attempt to detail the particulars of such
a meeting, where joy and sorrow were so completely
blended. Still he was aliye 1 he was come home ! he might
yet live to comfort and cherish her old age ! Nature,
however, was exhausted in him ; and if anything had been
wanting to finish the work of fate, the desolation of his
native cottage would have been sufficient.^ He stretched
himself on the pallet, on which his widowed mother had
passed many a sleepless night, and he never rose &om
it again.

The villagers, when they heard ^ that George Somers
had returned,^ crowded to see him, offering every com-
fort and assistance that their humble means afforded.^
He was too weak, however, to talk ; he could only look
his thanks.^ His mother was his constant attendant ;
and he seemed unwilling to be helped by any other
hand.

There is something in sickness that breaks down^ the
pride of manhood, that softens the heart, and brings it
back to the feelings of infancy. Who that has languidied,
even in advanced life, in sickness and despondency, who
that has pined on a weary bed ^ in the neglect and loneli-
ness of a foreign land, but has thought on the mother
** that looked on his childhood," that smoothed his pillow,^
and administered to his helplessness 1 Oh ! there is an
enduring tenderness in the love of a mother to a^ son that
transcends all other affections of the heart It is neither
to be^^ chilled by selfishness, nor daunted by danger, nor
weakened by worthlessness, nor stifled by ingratitude.
She will sacrifice every comfort to Jiis convenience ; she
will suiTcnder every pleasure to his enjoyment ; she will
glory in his fame and exult in his prosperity : and if mis-
fortune overtake him, he will be the dearer to her from

* attrait suffipow raniaaUir. 40, note i*. — ' to break down/
s ' When tne villagers had abaisser. — ' manhood,' hem, Vkom'

heard/ See page 28, note ^ me,

> HaU de retour; and use 'they' ^ lit de douleur,
before ' crowded.' ^ faisait mollemetU reposer sa

* ' allowed them to ffive him.' tite »ur U duvet.
" See page 6, note ^C » son.

* See page 10, cote 3, and page ^^ ne sauraU itre n».

224 FRENCH PROSE

misfortune ;'^ and if disgraoe settle iipon^ his name, she
will still loTe and cherish him in i^ite of his disgraoe,*
and if all the world beside cast him o^, she will be ail tbe
world to him.^

Poor George Somexa^ had known what it was to be in
sickness, and none to soothe ; lonelj and in prison, and
none to visit him.^ He could not endure his mother fixMU
his sight ;^ if she moved away, his eye would follow® her.
She would sit for hours b j his bed, watching him as he
slept. Sometimes he would start^ from a feverish dream
and look anxiously up until he saw her bending over him,
when^^ he would take her hand, lay it on his bosom, and
fall asleep with the tranquillity of a child. In this way ^^
he died.

My first impulse, on hearing this humble tala of afflie*
tion,^^ was to visit the cottage of the mourner, and ad*
minister pecuniary assistance, and, if possible, comfort. I
found, however, on inquiry, that the good feelings of the
villag^is had prompted them to do everything that the
case admitted, and as the poor know best how^^ to oonsole
each other's sorrows, I did not venture to intrude.

The next Sunday I was at the village 'Church, when, to
my surprise, I saw the poor old woman tottering down ikte
aisle to her accustomed seat on the steps of the altar.

She had made an effort to put on something like^
mourning for her son ; and nothing could be more toucih-
ing than this struggle between pious affection and otter

^ par .ses tnfortunes miiMS ; ^ ,See pa|;e 90, note ^.

aadleaveout' the/ before 'dearer/ ^ 21 ne laissait ^as sa mere

* une tachejUtrU, • B*H<ngner de lui,

> Leave out these last five ^ Bee page ^6^ note ^

words. » |to start' (fiom sleep)^ ee

^ elle lui Uendra lieu de Vuni- rSveiller en sursaut,

vers. — ^This expreesum, tenir lien ^^ alors ; see page 18, nete^B.

de, means, 'to be as much as,* " ' It is thus that/

'to be eqniTalent to :' as in this ^ hdetoire timpU, fncds dScht'

weU-]mown line of Baaine,-^-^ raatie,

«TT w A.'i. X.K A- i *^., ^ In such a case, 'how' la not

"Un bienfeit reproQh^ tint ton- ,^^ ^ jgvench, and no pre-

jours heu d offense." ^^^.^^ ^ ^^ 1^^^.^;^ ea^rBitd

See the La. FONiiONB, page S6, the nest verb,
note s. 1^ ' to take a kind of;* and leavo

' See page 117, note ^. out ' for her son.'

COMPOSITION. 225

poverty :^ a black riband or so,^ a faded black handker-
ohiefy and one or two more such humble attempts to
express by outward signs that grief which passes show.^'
When I looked round upon the storied monuments,^ the
stately hatchments, the cold marble pomp, with which
grandeur mourned magnificently over departed pride,* and
turned to® this poor widow, bowed down by age and
sorrow at ihe altar of her God, and offering up the prayers
and praises^ of a pious, though a broken heart, I felt that
this living monument of real grief was worth them all.^

I related her story to some of the wealthy members
of the congregation, and they were moved by it They
exerted themselves to render her situation more com-
fortable and to lighten her afflictions. It was, however,
but smoothing a few steps to^ the grave. In the course of
a Sunday or two after she was missed from her usual seat
at church,^^ and before I left^^ the neighbourhood I heard,
with a feeling ^^ of satisfaction, that she had quietly
breathed her last,^^ and had gone to rejoin those she loved
in that world where sorrow is never known and friends are
never parted. — (Washington Irving, Sketch-Booh)

^ Seepage 26, note*. ^ 'but they only spread (page

s ' or something similar ;' page 6, note ^) a few {qudques) flowers

9, note **• on the little {le peu de) way which

> ' to manifest by outward signs remained to her to make towards.*

one of those griefs that cannot be The adverb J)e^6 is often thus used

expressed (page 8, note ^•») out- substantivefy, in the sense of * the

wardly {au dehors)* small quantity,' just as U irop

* cea tomheaux gravis dUnscrip- (literally 'the too much') means

UoTis. * the excess ;' but we do not say

^ ' those pompous marbles which le beaucoup,

a cold sorrow has raised to de- ^^ ' There elapsed one or two

parted pride {Cwgueil qui n'est Sundays without her appearing

plus).* (P&go 14» iiote ^^, and page 21,

^ 'and when (page 17, note ^^) note ^) at church at her usual

from there I (page 23, note ^) car- place.' — 'usual,' here, accovtumiej

ried my looks upon.' or as directed at page 45, note ^^.

7 encens ; in the singular. ^^ See page 7, note '.

8 (tait Men atb-desstis de terns ces ^^ * a land.'

vains mausolies» '' rendu le dernier soupir.

Q

226 FRENCH PROSE

AN EPISODE OF THE LATE WAR.
(Armistice — Marchj 1855.)

On Saturday, during the armistice, I came out upon
the advanced French^ trench, within a few huniked
yards ^ of the Mamelon. The sight was strange beyond
description. French, English, and Russian officers were
walking about saluting each other courteously as they
passed,^ and occasionally entering into oonyerBation, and a
constant interchange of little civilities, such as ofiering
and receiving cigar lights/ was going on in each little
group. Some of the Russian officers were evidently men
of high rank and breeding.^ Their polished manners con-
trasted remarkably with their plain, and rather coarse
clothing. They wore, with few exceptions,® the invariable
long grey coat over their uniforms.^ The French officers
were all en grande tentie, and offered a striking contrast to^
many of our own officers, who were dressed dt la Balaklava,
and wore imoouth head-dresses, catskin coats, and nonde-
script ^ paletots.

Many of the Russians looked remarkably like English
gentlemen in " style" of face and bearing. ^° One tall, fine-
looking old man, with a long grey beard and strangely
shaped cap, was pointed out to us as Hetman of the
Cossacks in the Crimea, but it did not appear as if there
were many men of very high military rank present.^^
The Russians were rather grave and reserved, but they
seemed to fraternize with the French better^^ than with
ourselves, and the men certainly got on better^* with our

^ des Fraivgais, ^ la longtu capote grise dusoldat

' yards (mesure anglaise d*en- rtisse.

-viron trois pieds fran^ais). See ^ avec.

patfe 96, note *. ' %7id6finismbU»,

> aXlaient et venaient, se salu- ^ par le port et let inaniires,

aient en poMO/nt. ^^ mats it ne semblaU paa y iwar

^ comme de se prater lefevi, d!un en cet endroit heauconp d*q]^iciert

eigare. d^un rang ilevi.

• 'and excellent breeding;' Bee " 'more easily/
pa/f^ 26, note '. ^ s*eniendaiefU mitux.

• preigueUmi.

COMPOSITION. 227

allies than with the few privates of our own regiments
who were down towards the front.^

While all this civility was going on,^ we were walking
among the dead, over blood-stained^ ground, covered with
evidences* of recent fight. Broken muskets, bayonets,
cartouch-boxes, caps,^ fragments of clothing, straps and
belts,® pieces of shell, little pools of clotted blood, shot—
round and grape "^ — shattered gabions and sandbags,® were
visible around us on every side, and through the midst of
the crowd stalked a solemn procession of soldiers bearing
their departed comrades to their long home.^

I counted seventy- seven litters borne past me in fifteen
minutes— each filled with^^ a dead enemy. The contortions
of the slain were horrible, and recalled the memories ^^ of
the fields of Alma and Inkermann. Some few French were
lying fisir in advance towards ^^ the Mamelon and Round
Tower among the gabions belonging to the French ad-
vanced trenches, which the Russians had broken down.^'
They had evidently been slain in pursuit of the enemy.
The Russians appeared to treat their dead with great
respect. The soldiers I saw were white-faced ^^ and seemed
ill- fed, though many of them had powerful frames, square
shoulders, and broad chests. ^^ All their dead who fell
within and near our lines were stripped of boots and
stockings.^® The cleanliness of their feet and, in most
cases, of their coarse linen ^"^ shirts, was remarkable.

^ les quelques aoldats que noiis Ttiarades.

avians sur ce point; 'a common "^^ 'each of which contained;'

soldier/ 'a private/ is, in French, see page 10, note '.

unsimple soldcU ; but soldat alone ^^ 'and recalled the afflicting

will do here, as there is no contra- spectacle.'

distinction made. ^^ gisaient loin des lignes, pris

* 'While they exchanged these de. — gisaient, from gisir, an irre-
civilities.' gnlar and defective verb, much

3 'reddened with (de) blood.' used in the third person sing, of

* et quiportait les traces, the pres. indicat., in the beginning
^ des scnaJcos, here, not des cos- of epitaphs : ci-^tf 'here lies.'

queues, nor, still less, des bonnets. ^^ ' belonging,' &o., que les

^ des ceinturons, des baudriers RvMes avaient enlevSs d la premiere

"^ des boulets et de la mitraille trancMe fraTigaise*

{i, e,f mitraille en grappe de raisin). ^^ pSUes.
8 des sacs de terre. ^ Simply, ' were robust meo.*

B desJUes de soldcUs qui portaiefU ^^ avaient StS dSchaussSs.

en terre les cadavres de leurs car ^^ See page 62, note ^^

«J 2

228 FRENCH PROSE

Several sailors of the " equipages" of the fleet of Sebnfs-
topol were killed in the attack. They were generallv
muscular, fine, stout fellows, with rough, soldierly &oe6.

In the midst of all this stem evidence^ of war, a certain
amount of lively conversation began to spring ap,^ in
which the Russian officers indulged in a little badinage.
Some of them asked our officers " when we were coining
in to take the place,'' others '' when we thought of going
away?"^ Some congratulated us upon the excellent
opportunity we had of getting a good look at ^ Sebastopol,
as the chance of a neareA* view, except on similar occa-
sions, was not in their opinion very probable.^ One officer
asked a private, confidentially in English, how many men
we sent® into the trenches? " Begorra, only 7,000 a-
night, and a wake covering party of 10,000,"'^ was the
ready reply.® The officer laughed, and turned away.

At one time^ a Russian with a litter stopped by a dead
body, and put it into the litter. He looked round for
a comrade to help him.^^ A Zouave at once advanced
with much grace and lifted it, to the infinite amusement
of the bystanders ;^^ but the joke was not long-lived, as a
Russian brusquely came up and helped to carry oflp his
dead comrade. In the town we could see large bodies of
soldiery in the streets, assembled at the corners and in the
public places. ^2 Probably they were ordered out to make
a show of their strength. ^^

General Bosquet and several officers of rank^* of the

1 trUtes restes. and put this just before 'only.*

* comnuTiQa une converscUion U- * ' At another moment.'

give. ^® Turn, 'a Russian placed a

^ Leave out 'of/ and use the dead body {cadavre) on a litter,

infinitive without any preposition, and began to (page 151, note ^<^)

after the verb penser, when thus look round for {chercher dea yeux)

employed, in the sense of ' to ex- a comrade to help him to carry it

pect,' ' to intend.' away.*

* de hien. voir. ^^ ce qui JU beaucoup rire let
B en ajotUarU qu*d mains d^occor amsiants.

sions seTnhlaJblet nous avionspeu de ^ de nomlreux ffroupes de sol-

chances de voir la place de plus dais sur les places et aux coins des

pris. ' ' had sent.' ntes.

^ avec la ha^aielle de dix mille u avaievJl repu Vordre de sefcdre

hommes, de rSserve. voir.

8 Simply, ' answered the soldier, w offiders g€n4raux»

COMPOSITION. 229

allied army visited the trenches during the armistice, and
staff officers were present on both sides to see that the
men did not go out of bounds. The armistice was over^
about three o*clock. Scarcely had the white flag disap-
peared behind the parapet of the Mamelon before a
round shot from the sailors' battery,^ went slap through
one of the embrasures of the Eussian work, and dashed up
a great pillar of earth inside.^ The Russians at once
replied, and the noise of cannon soon re-echoed through
the ravines. — (W. H. Russell, The War,)

POOR RICHARD.*
( Written by Benjamin Franklin)

I HAVE heard,^ that nothing gives an author so great
pleasure as to find his works respectfully quoted by other
learned authors. Judge then how much I have been gra-
tified by an incident which I am going to relate to you.

I stopped my horse lately where ® a great number of
people were collected at lan auction of merchants* goods. ^
The hour of sale not being come, they were conversing on
the badness^ of the times ; and one of the company called
to a plain, clean, old man, with white locks,^ " Pray>

1 ' The armistice ended.' and other such functionaries, have

' gu'un botUet land par la hat' retained to the present day, in

terie de la marine, their antiquated forms of address,

^ poMa droit d iravers une enibra- the second person plural of its im-

sure russe, etfibjaillir comme une perative {oyez, 'hear ye,' — which

cohnne de terre dans FinUrieur de they wrongly pronounce ' Oh,

ttrnwa^t, yes ! ' ), borrowed from the Norman-

* This admirable production of French, and by which they gene-
Dr. Franklin is known in France rally begin their announcements,
under the title of La science du &c.

bonhomme Richard. ^ ' at a place where.'

* J'at aul dire. The verb ouvr ' Sim^y, pour une vente d Fen-
( * to hear ' ) is old and defective ; it is ch^re,

only used now in the infinitive and ^ de la duretS.

the compound tenses (as here, in ^ iadressaid d un bon vieillard

the compound of the present indi- en cheveux blancs et assee bien mi$t

cative). The English public criers, lui dit.

230 FRENCH PROSE

&ther Abraham, what think ye of the times )^ Won't
these heavy taxes quite ruin the country 9 How shall we
be ever able to pay them 1 What would you adyise us
to 1" Father Abraham stood up, and replied, — *^ If
you'd have my advice, I'll give it to you in short ; ^ for
' a word to the wise is enough ;^ and many words won't fill
a bushel,'* as poor Richard says."^ They joined in desiring
him to speak his mind ;^ and, gathering round ^ him, he
proceeded as follows :

" Friends (says he) and neighbours, the taxes are indeed
very heavy; and if those laid on by the government were
the only ones we had to "p&j, we might more easily dis-
charge them ; but we have many others, and much more
grievous to some of us. We are taxed twice as much^ by
our idleness, three times as much by our pride, and four
times as much^ by our folly ; and from these taxes the
commissioners cannot ease or deliver us, by allowing an
abatement ^^ However, let us hearken to good advice,
and something may be done for us ; * Grod helps them that
help themselves,' ^^ as poor Richard says in his Almanac.

'' It would be thought a hard government that should
tax its people one-tenth part^^ ^f their time, to be em-
ployed in its service ; but idlene^^ taxes many of us much
more.^^ Sloth, by bringing on diseases, absolutely shortens
life. * Sloth, like rust, consumes &£ter than labour wears,

^ de ce temps-ci. depenaer. See page 85, note ^.

* en peu de mate; or, en roc- '* to gather around/ /aire cerc^^
eourd, autour de. — 'gathering . . . he;'

> * Le sage erUend d demt'MoV alter this oonstruotion, which is

This form of the Proverb is little not grammatical,

used; the following are the cur- ^ Notts sommes cctis pour U

rent sayings: *A bon entendeur, double.

demi-mot (or, salvif or, again, j76u ^ 'three/ &c., pour le triple, —

de paroles).' ' four,' &c., pour ie quadrtiple,

* et souvefU on emphie * bien des ^® et, pour ces impdts-ld, le per-
«»oto pour ne pas dire grand! chose * cepteur ne pevi nvus obtenir nt di-
(Pbovebbial) ; or, et quant aux mmuiion ni dilai.

vainsmots {or, avjc paroles en Fair), '^ 'Aide-toi, le del faidera*

*autant en emporte le vent* (Pbo- (Proverb).

VBBBiAli). ^* exigerait de ses sujets la dixi-

• See page 8, note '. — * poor ime pariie.

Richard,' le bonhomme Richard ^ est bien plus exigeante chez la
•(see preceding page, note *). plupart (Tentre nous,

• sexpliquer; or, dire safagon

COMPOSITION. 231

while the key often used is always bright,' ^ as poor
Richard says. * But dost thou love life? then do not
squander time, for that's the stuff life is made of/^ as
poor Richard says. How much more than is necessary do
we spend in sleep 1 forgetting, that ' the sleeping fox
catches no poultry,^ and that there will be sleeping enough
in the grave, * as poor Richard says. If time be of all
things ^ the most precious, 'wasting time must be (as poor
Ricluird says) the greatest prodigality;' since, as he else-
where tells us, ' Lost time is never found again j^ and
what we call time enough, always proves little enough.'^
Let us then up and be doing, and doing to the purpose : ^
so by diligence shall we do more with less perplexity.
* Sloth makes all things difficult, but industry dl easy,' as
poor Richard says ; and, * he that riseth late must trot all
day, and shall scarce overtake his business at night ;^
while laziness travels so slowly, that poverty soon overtakes
him,'^^ as we read in poor Richard; who adds, ' Drive thy
business, let not that drive thee ;' and, ' early to bed, and
early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise.'^^
** So what sig])ifies wishing and hoping for better times 7
We make these times better if we bestir ourselves. ' In-
dustry needs not wish,'^^ as poor Richard says ; and, ' He
that lives upon hope will die fasting.' ^^ * There are no ^
gains without pains ;^* then help hands, for I have no^^ *

^ use plus que le travail ; la clS et, tPautre part. — ^The French pro-
eft claire tawb que Von ^en sert. verbs on this subject are, " Qui
> Bee page 1, note ". dort grasse (p. 171, n. ^^) matinee
8 'Menard (page 171, note ") ('lies in bed till late in the mom-
qui dort la matinie rCa pu la ing/ ' sleeps it out') trottetoute la

^ des liens; and invert this mir cause mal vdtir."

phrase, thus, ' the most precious ^^ Va bientdt aUrapSe.

of,' &o. ^1 'give health, wealth, and wis-

<^ ' Le temps jhirdu ne se ripare dom.'

{or, recouvre) point* (Provebb). i* ActivitS n*a que /aire desour

7 Simply, 'time enough is al- haits.

ways too short.' ^ 'of hunger.'

i) Dehovt done et d la hesogne, ^^ * Nul hien sans peine* (Pbo-

— d la hesogne, dans un hvi ntice. VERBIAL).

* et cUtrape d peine le boiU de ^'^ il faiU m'aider de mes mains,

son ouvrage d la nuit. — ' while ;' faute de.

232 FRENCH FROSE

lands; or if I have,^ they are eonartly taxed ;'^ and (as
poor Richard likewise observes) * He that bath a trade
hath an estate,^ and he that hath a calling hath an office
of profit and honour ;'^ but then the trade must be worked
at, and the calling well followed, or^ neither the estate
nor the office will enable us to pay our taxes. If we are
industrious,^ we shall never starve ; for, as poor Bichard
says, ' At the working-man's house hunger looks in, but
dfures not enter.' ^ Nor will the bailiff or the constable^
enter ; for, ' Industiy pays debts, but despair ^ increaseth
them,' says poor Richard. What though you have found
no treasure, nor has any rich relation left you a legacy! ^^
' Diligence is the mother of good luck,' as poor Hichard
says ; and * God gives all things to industry ; then plough
deep while sluggards sleep, and you will have com to sell
and to keep,' says poor Dick. Work while it is called ^^
to-day; for you know not how much you may be hindered
to-morrow ; which makes poor Richard say, ' One to-day
is worth two to-morrows ;' ^^ and, farther, 'Never leave that
till to-morrow, which you can do to-day.' ^^ * If you
were a servant, would you not be ashamed that a good
master should catch you idlel^* Are you then ^^ your
own master, be ashamed ^^ to catch yourself idle,' as poor

^ Supply the ellipsis. arrive un riehe hSritage,

' Scrcuies cPimp^, ^^ pendant que if est.

s un mitier est (or, vaut) un fonds ^ ' dn bon aujourd'hui vaut mievj
de terre. The nearest French Pro- mie deux demain ' (Pbovebb). No-
verb to this, is, ** n n'y a point de tioe that demain, being an adverb,
si petit metier qui ne nourrisse and therefore an essentially in-
son maltre." variable word, cannot agree, even

" Travailles, prenez de la peine : when used substantivel/, as it is

C'est le fonds qui manque le here,

moins." — La Fontaine, p. 77. ^^ Ne remets jamais d demain

* ' which combines {riunit) hon- (or, au lendemain) ce que tu peux
our with {et) profit.' — ' office,' jf'aire aujoiMrcPhui (or, le jour nCSnu)
emploi, — Common precept.

• sans ^[uoi, or, autrement, ^* Turn, * If you were in the
' laborieux. (att) service of a good master, would
' La f aim regards d la wnie du you . . . ., &o. — ' that he should,'

travailleur ; mais elle nose pas so. ; qu*U vous surtnit les bras

y enlrer. eroisSs (fi^furative, ana much used,

^ commissaire, for dn^ne^t/airtf, 'doing nothing,'

' dScouraffem4nL 'idle'V.

^ II n'est que /aire que vous ^' ' But you are.'

irouviei un ihtar ni qylU vous ^^ Use a synonymous expression

COMPOSITION. 233

Dick says. When there is so muoh to be done for your-
self, your family, and your country, be up by peep of day.
Handle your tools without mittens ; remember, that ^ the
cat in gloves catches no mice,'^ as poor Richard says. It
is true there is much to be done, and perhaps you are
weak-handed ; but stick to it steadily, and you will see
great effects; for ^continual dropping wears ■a^vay stones,^
and by diligence and patience the mouse ate into^ the
cable ; and light strokes fell^ great oaks,' as poor Eichard
says in his Almanac, the year I cannot just now remember.

*' Methinks I hear some of you say, * Must a man afford
himself no leisure?' — I will tell thee, my friend, what
poor Richard says : * Employ thy time well, tf thou
meanest to gain leisure ; and since thou art not sure of a
minute, throw not away an hour.' Leisure is time for
doing something useful : this leisure the diligent man will
obtain,^ but the lazy man never ; so that, as poor Richard
says, ^ A life of leisure and a life of laziness are two
things.'* Many without labour would live by their own
wits only;"^ but they break® for want of stock ; whereas
industry® gives comfort, and plenty, and respect ' Fly
pleasures, and they'll folio wjrou ;^^ the diligent spinner haia
a large shift ;^^ and, now I have a sheep and a cow, every
body bids me good-morrow ;'^^ all which is well said by
poor Richard.

^' But with our industry, we must likewise be steady,

here, in French, (and there is one), ^ The oonBtniction, in French,

to avoid the unnecessary repetition must be, either, ' The diligent man

of the same.-^Likewise, translate will obtain this leisiure,' or, more

here ' idle ' by, d ne rUnfaire. forcibly, ' This leisure, the c^lkrent

1 ' in gloves,' ffanti (just as we man wiU obtain it / but the £ng-

fiay lotU, ' in boots *) ; out trans- lish construction is not allowed,
late here 'Jamais chat eminitouflS ^ Simply, 'are two.'
(< muffled') ne jnit sourit* (Pbo- ' Bien aes gens vovdraienlvivre

VBBB). umquemefU d'i^idutiine, sans tra-

^ d la longvs * Us gouttes cPeau vatUer. There is no fear of any

eaverii la pierre ' (Pbovbrb). ambiguity, here, as vivre cPindur

s coupe, trie is always used in a bad sense.

* font tomler, — The French have ^ ichouenL
the following proverb, which pre- ^ le travail au coniraire.
sents this idea inverted: — "On ^^ ' they'll run after you.'
n'abat pas un chtoe au premier ^ 'isnotin want of shifts.'
ooup." ^' me donne U hon^our.

234 FRENCH PROSE

Bettled, and careful, and overaee our own affidrs with out
own eyes, and not trust too much to others ; for, as poor
Richard says,

' I never saw an oft-removed tree.
Nor yet an oft-removed feumily.
That tiirove so well as one that settled be.' ^

" And again, ' Three removes are as bad as a fire ;' ^ and
again,^ ' Keep thy shop, and thy shop will keep thee ;' and
again,* ' If you would haver your business done, go ; if not,
send/ ^ And again,®

' He that by the plough would thrive.
Himself must either hold or drive.''

And again, * The eye of the master will do more work than
both his hands j' ^ and again, ' #ant of care does us more
damage than want of knowledge;' and again, 'not to
oversee workmen is to leave them your purse open/
Trusting too much to others' care is the ruin of many:
for, as the Almanac says, ' In the affairs of this world, men
are saved, not by fftith, but by the want of it ; ' ^ but a noan's
own care is profitable ; for, saith poor Dick, ' Learning is
to the studious, and riches to the careful, as well as power
to the bold, and heaven to the virtuous.' And, £sui;her, * If
you would have a feithful servant, and one that you like,
serve yourself.' ^^ And again, he adviseth to circumspec-
tion and care, even in the smallest matters, because some-
times, 'A little neglect may breed great mischief;'

I ''Arbres ni gens ne s'accom- ^ Le Bonhomme dit atusi.

modent gu^re ' ** p^r la chairue entends-tu

D'un constant change- t'enrichir?

ment : H faut alors de ta main la

Oui, croyez-moi, plus sou- tenir."

vent I'on prospfere g The French Proverb in oom-

Sans d6m€nagement. j^^^ ^^ ^^ ^^ ^.y ^ ^en de tel

* ' Trois dSminagenieTUs valerU que roeil du maitre."
unineendie* (Pbovebb). ^ Turn, 'In the things of this

8 Puis ailleurs. world, it is not fiuth wmch saves,

* JSt ailleurs eiicore. but doubt.'

' The French have, upon this, ^^ The French have the follow-

the following Proverb : — " On ne ing Proverb : "Nul ne feit si bien

trouvejamaisdemeiUeurmessager la besogne que celui k qui elle

que soi-m6me." est."

COMPOSITION. 235

adding, * For want of a nail the shoe was lost ;^ for want
of a shoe the horse was lost ;^ and for want of a horse the
rider was lost/ being overtaken and slain by the enemy ;
all^ for want of care about a horse-shoe nail.^

" So much for ^ industry, my friends, and attention to
one's own business ; but to these we must add frugality, if
we would make our industry more certainly successfuL A
man may, if he knows not how to save as^ he gets, ' keep
his nose all his life to the grindstone, and die not worth a
groat at last.*^ 'A fat kitchen makes a lean will,'^ as poor
Richard says ; and,

' Many estates are spent in the getting",
Since women for t^ forsook spinning and knittinff.
And men for pimch forsook hewing and splitting. ^

" * If you would be wealthy, (says he, in another Al-
manac) think of saving, as well as of getting : the Indies
have not made Spain rich, because her outgoes are greater
than her incomes.' ^^

" Away then with^^ your expensive follies, and you will
not have much cause to complain of hard times, heavy
taxes, and chargeable families j^^ for, as poor Dick says,
^ What maintains one vice would bring up ^^ two children."
You may think, perhaps, that a little tea, or a little punch
now and then, diet a little more costly, clothes a little
finer, and a little entertainment now and then,^* can be no
great matter ;^^ but remember what poor Richard says,

^ Faute (Tun clou, le fer du che- Et que son homme aussi, pour

val seperd* le punch abandonne

^ ' ror want of a shoe, one loses Scie ou rabot."

the horse.' --' rider was lost;' lo TAmiH^e n*a pas ennchi

8°/ V */ ^ VJEspagne, parce que ses dSpenses

4

tejoMt. ^j^ Umjours dipass6 ses recettes,

i^u ^TiS^ Prorerb used here u Menoncez^donc d ; or, simply,

would be, " Pour un pomt Martm ^iame^ Id.

perd^ son &ne. is ^ ^^ ^^ ^^ TnSnage,

I / ottd po^'T. 13 Turn, ' one vice costs more to

^dmesureque. nourish than.'

7 ^mourra saru le sou. u par-d par-Id (fam.),— to avoid

. wS'^ *'^'** ^ -P^^* '^^ reposing iJonecessarily the same

^.i?^^/^'* ji ^ expression for 'now and then,' a

3"Adieufonds,quandlafemme, uttle above.

au th6 qui trop s adonne, „ ^ ^-^^ ^ consequence,

Laisse la rouet et tncot ; ^ ^

236 FRENCH PROSE

' Many a little makes a mickle ;'^ and £arthery ' Beware <d
little expenses ; a small leak will sink^ a great ship ;* and
again, ' Who dainties love shall beggars prove ;'^ and,
moreover, 'Fools make feasts, and wise men eat them.'^

'' Here you are all got together at this sale of fineries
and nicknacks. You (^ them goods ; but if you do not
take care, they will prove evila to some of you. Yoa ex-
pect they will be sold cheap, and perhaps they may for
less than they cost;^ but if you have no occasion for
them,^ they must be dear to you. Remember what poor
Richard says, ' Buy what thou hast no need of, and ere
long thou shalt sell thy necessaries.* ^ And again, ' At a
great pennyworth, pause a while. '^ He means, that per-
haps the cheapness is apparent only ; or the Imrgain, by
straitening thee in thy business,^ may do thee more harm
than good. For in another place he says, ' Many have
been ruined by buying good pennyworths.'^® Again, as
poor Richard says, ' It is foolish to lay out money in a pur-
chase of repentance ;' and yet this folly is practised every
day at auctions, for want of minding the Almanac.

'* Many, a one, for the sake of finery on the back, have
gone with a hungry belly,^^ and half starved their families :
' Silks and satins, scarlet and velvets, (as poor Richard
says) put out the kitchen fire.' These are not^^ the neces-
saries of life; they can scarcely be called the conveniences ; ^^
and yet, only because they look pretty, how many want to

^ ' Let petils ruiueaux fonJt let du hon marehS.

grandet nviires * (Pbovebb). ^ 'or that the purchase, by the

' Turn, ' It oiilv requires (use strait which it brings.'

falloir) a small leak {fewte),* &c. ^^ Let hont maanhit otU ruini

8 Let gent friandt teront fnen- nombre (pago 129, note ^||) de gent,

diantt. — The Ptorerb is, " Les Dons

* 'Let font f(ytd let fHetf let marches ruinent," ' Good bargains

toga en owt le plaitir * (Provsbb). are ruinous * — or, ' emp^ the

^ et petU-itre terowt-ilt en ^et purse,' or, 'A good bargain is a

. _ simply,

' ' Qui tuKiU ce q%*il ne Pf^t Combten,

vend aprit ce g[u*tl ne vetU ' (tbo- " 'Far from being.'

VERB). 1^ Supply the ellipsis.
* Jt^chit hien avant depn^Uer

COMPOSITION. 237

have them?^ By these and other extravugances, the

genteel ^ are reduced to poverty, and forced to borrow

of those whom they formerly despised, but who, thi'ough

industry and frugality, have maintained their standing;^

in which case, it appears plainly,^ that * A ploughman on

his legs is higher^ 'than a gentleman ^ on his knees,' as poor

Eichard says. Perhaps they have "^ had a small estate left

them, which they knew not the getting of j^ they think,

' It is day,^ and will never be night ;' that a little to be

spent out of so much is not worth minding.^^ But ' always

taking out of the meal-tub, and never putting in, soon

comes to the bottom ;' ^^ then, as poor Dick says, • When

the well is dry, they^^ know the worth of water.* But this

they might have known before, if they had taken ^^ his

advice : * If you would know the value of money, go and

try to borrow some ; for he that goes a borrowing, goes

a sorrowing j^^ and, indeed, so does he that lends to such

people,^^ when he goes to get it again.' ^® Poor Dick farther

advises, and says,

' Fond pride of dress is sure a very ourse :
Ere fancy you consult, consult your purse.' ^^

And again, ' Pride is as loud a beggar ^^ as Want, and a
great deal more saucy.' ^^ When you have bought one

^ hrillent d la vue, comhien, de thing in it, we find the bottom

gentf^enfontunhesoinJ of it.'

^ Us gem du bd air. This ex* '^ ' as says poor Dick ; and it is

pression is always used in a bad then, it is when the well is drv

sense, — ^ironically. (d sec, here) that they {ony

* Simply, * have maintained ^ * followed.'

themselves by industry and fru- ^^ * Argevd empmiUS porte iris-

gality.' tesse* (PnoYVBB).

* * in which case,' &c. ; turn, ^^ ett de fait, non seulement d
simply, by 'which (page 8, note VemprunUur, mats au priteur
*) proves that.' mime, lorsquil a affaire (page 248,

" sur ses pieds est pita grand, note ^^) d certatnes (page 89, note ^^)

^ genUlKomme, here, ' 'had.' gens. — 'when;' turn, 'and when

8 'without Imowing how this (pace 17, note ^*).'

fortune had been acquired.' ^* il vetU render dan^ sesfonds.

® ' It is day, ttiey thought;' ^^ " L'orgueil de la parure, abo-

see page 145, note ^K minable vice,

io <what does so paltry an ex- Nous vole notre bourse en

pense make on such a sum ? ' flattant un caprice."

11 Turn, 'But by dint {d force) ^^ 'a beggar that cries as loud.'

of taking out of (puiser d) the ^^ ' and with a great deal more

meal-tub, without putting any- sauomess.'

238 FRENCH PROSE

fine thing, you must buy ten more, that your appearance
may be sdl of a piece ;^ but poor Dick says, ' It is easier
to suppress^ the first desire, than to satisfy all that
follow it.* And it is as truly folly for the poor to ape the

rich, as for the frog to swell, in order to equal the ox.^

ft

' Vessels large may venture more,
But little Ixtats should keep near shore.' *

'Tis, however, a folly soon punished ; for ' Pride that dines
on^ "vanity, sups on contempt,' as poor Richard says.
And, in another place, ' Pride breakfasted^ with Plenty,
dined with Poverty, and supped with Infamy.* And, after
all, of what use is this pride of appearance,^ for which so
much is risked, so much is suffered 1 It cannot promote
health, or ease pain, it makes no increase of merit in the
person ; it creates envy ;^ it hastens misfortune.

" But what madness must it be to run iu debt^ for these
superfluities ! We are oiFered by the terms of this sale six
months' credit ; and that perhaps has induced some of ns
to attend it, because we cannot spare the ready money, and
hope now to be fine without it.^^ But, ah ! think what you
do when you run in debt. You give to another power over
your liberty. If you cannot pay at the time,^^ you will be
ashamed to see your creditor : you will be in fear when
you speak to him ; you will make poor, pitiful, sneaking
excuses,^^ and by degrees come^^ to lose your veracity, and

1 pour que vos andennes et vos any money to lay out (dibourser),

nouvelles acquisitions ne jurent pas we hope to dress {nous parer, in

entre elles. this sense, not Turns hcMlUr) gra-

* ri primer, tuitously/

8 Add, ' in size.' — See the La ^ au termeJixS,

Fontaine, Fable iii., page 5. ^ Simply, vov^ inventerez de

^ " Le grand vaisseau peut ris- pitoyahles excuses,

quer davantage ; ^^ gee page 56, note ', and page

Mais toi, petit bateau, tiens- 23, note f . See also page 59, note

toi pr^ du rivage." ^ ; but, whereas we cannot dis-

* de, pense with en, here, if we use venir
^ Put this verb and the next two (as venir d, means ' to happen to '

in the present. — ^page 1 20, note 7), en is not, after

7 envie deparaitre. all, strictly necessary with arrt-

* iveille la jalousie, vert which we may very well use,
^ s*endetter, instead of ve^iir, in the sense of tka
10 Turn, 'because, net having text.

COMPOSITION. 239

sink into base downright lying ; ^ for/as poor Richard says,
*The second vice is lying ; ^ the first is running in debt.' And
again, to the same purpose, 'Lying rides upon debt's back j'^
whereas a freebom Englishman ought not to be ashamed
nor afraid to speak to any man living. But poverty often
deprives a man of all spirit* and virtue : * It is hard for
an empty bag to stand upright,' as poor Richard truly says.
What would you think of that^ prince, or that govern-
ment, who would issue an edict, forbidding you to dress
like a gentleman or gentlewoman, on^ pain of imprison-
ment or servitude? Would you not say, that you were^
free, have a right to dress as you please, and that such an
edict would be a breach of® your privileges, and such
a government ^ tyrannical ? And yet you are about to
put yourself under that tyranny when you run in debt for
such dress ! ^° Your creditor has authority, at his pleasure,
to deprive you ^^ of your liberty, by confining you in gaol
for life, or by selling you for a servant,^^ if you should not
be^^ able to pay him. When you have got ^* your bargain,
you may, perhaps, think little of payment ; but * Creditors
(poor Ridiard tells us) have better memories ^^ than
debtors : ' and in another place he says, * Creditors are a
superstitious sect, great observers of set days^^ and times.'

^ dans les mensongea les plus tor- upon the back/ &c.).
tuenx et les pliis vils, * courage, here.

^ Turn, 'Lying is but the second '^ ' a ;' and likewise, just after,
vice ;' but leave the construction ^ sous ; followed by no article,
of liie rest of the sentence as ^ 'are.'
it is. ^ est un attentat formel d; leave

s ' Debt carries lying upon its out ' and/ after ' please.'
back, says he again on {d) this ^ ' and that such . . . &c., is.'
subject.' We must obviously use '* pour hriller.
a different turn from the English, ^^ Turn, 'is authorised to(d)

as ' to ride ' is fiionier d cheoal (or, deprive you, at his pleasure {selon

d dne, &c.), or, elliptically, monter, son bon plaisir).*
when the rest is well understood *. ^' 'for a slave' (seo p. 128, n. 6).

the former expression, of course, — This custom now is (wheUier or

could not do, and the latter would not unfortunately in some cases)

decidedly be ambiguous and ob- out of foshion.
scure {monie la d^ would cer- *' ' if you are not.*
tainly be imderstood to mean, ^* ' have made.'
though it would make no sense ''^ Use the singular, and without

with what precedes, 'raises — in- any article.
creases the debt,' and monte sur le '^ forment une sectesuperstitieuse,

das, kO; to signify merely, ' gets ohservatrice des jours.

240 FRENCH PROSE

The day^ comes rotind before you are aware, and the
demand is made before you are prepared to satisfy it. Or
if you bear your debt in mind, the term which at first
seemed so long, will, as^ it lessens, appear extremely short :
Time will seem to have added wings to his heels as well as
his shoulders. ' Those have a short Lent (saith poor
Richard) who owe money to be paid at Easter.'^

^' At present, perhaps, you may think yourselves in
thiiving circumstances, and that you can^ bear a little ex-
travagance without injury ; but

' For age and want save while you may,
No morning sun lasts a whole day,' '

as poor Richard says. Gain may be temporary and unoer-
tain ; but ever, while you live, expense is constant and
certain : and ' it is easier to build two chimneys, than
to keep one in fuel,* ^ as poor Richard says. So, ' Rather
tro to bed supperless than rise in debt.*^

' Get what yon can, and what you get hold,
'Tis the stone that will turn all your lead into gold,* ^

as poor Richard says. And when you have got the phi-
losopher's stoue,^ sure you will no longer complain of bad
times, or the difficulty of paying taxes. ^®

** This doctrine, my friends, is^^ reason and wisdom :

^ Lejour de FicMance. Gardez pour la soif tme

' d mesure que, in this sense, — poire,

indicating a progress, succession, or Si yous youless reboire :

proportion ; see p. 150, n. *, and p. Le soleil du matin n'est pas

235, n. ®. pour tout le jour."

cmH ' (Proverb). u'Mpotre pour la smf, corres^nds

^ 'aid able t^> The English *° ^^ ^7 ^^^^^^ t>y for a

construction is not allowed in ™?T+vt«' ♦« v««r. ^r,^ «ro^.»i »

French, on account of the want of I *^^ *? ^®®P *»f « ^^J™! .

symmetry it exhibits in those two 'JI^^T^LT^T.

iSTorthe attribute which are S^^^^.^ ^^ ^^^ ^

''^^l ^t vos besoins, ' "^^ autant que^peux ,•
pour I'flS^ de retour : duwinfeisimta^r:
iTsoleilTu matii n'est pas ^^^, ^I^^Zt"^
pour tout le jour." "^'^^ ®* ^'™ ^^ ®'-
-..-,, ' cette pierre philasophaU, —
Or, m four Hues :— , Yia.re ;' s^ page 62, note^«.
"(Jardez pour les besoins et ^" Cimpdt.
rage de retour, " 'is that of.'

COMPOSITION. 241

but, after all, do not depend too much upon youi own
industry and frugality, and prudence, though^ excellent
things j for they may be blasted ^ without the blessing of
Heaven : and therefore ask that blessing humbly, and be
not uncharitable to those that at present seem to want it,
but comfort and help them.^ Remember Job suffered,
and was afterwards prosperous.

" And now, to conclude, * Experience keeps a dear
school,^ but fools will learn in no other, and scarce in
that;* for it is true, we may give advice, but we cannot
give conduct,' as poor Richard says. However, remember
this, * They that will^ not be counselled, cannot be helped,'
as poor Richard says; and, further, that ' If you will not
hear^ Reason, she wiU surely rap your knuckles.'"®

Thus the old gentleman ended his harangue. The
people heard it, and approved the doctrine, and imme-
diately practised^ the contrary, just as if it had been a
common sermon ; for the auction opened, and they began
to buy^^ extravagantly, notwithstanding all his cautions,
and their own fear of taxes. I found ^^ the good man^^ had
thoroughly studied my Almanacs, and digested all I had
dropped^® on these topics, during the course of twenty-five
years. The frequent mention he made of me must have
tired every one else ;^* but my vanity was wonderfully de-

^ Supply the ellipsis. it, instead of higher up (after

' 'they would be quite useless helped'),

to you.' ^ Uaefaire.

8 See page 90, note '. ^^ et cha/Mn encMrit. — 'auction ;*

* 'a school that costs dear :' or, simply verUe, here, instead of vervU
* a school where lessons are dear.' d Cenchiref as, by using the latter
Do not confound cher, adverb, with expression at the beginning of this
cher, adjective ; the adverb, of extract, we thus stated, once for
course, is always invariable. all, what kind of stile it was : be-

6 'and yet they do not learn sides this, we have used here en-
(page 32, note ^) much {grandC dUrit, together with which word
ch^ie) in it.' enchire would form a pleonasm.

• Use savoir, in preference to " 'to find,' in this sense, voir,
vouloir, or s^ap&rcevoir.

7 'do not listen to.' i« tyrave homme (page 188, note

8 ' she will not fiul to rap your ^).

knuckles {de vons donner sur les '^ 'had said.'

doiguy — ^This being a quaint say- i* ' The £peq\ient quotations

ing, it will be better to put 'as which he made must have tired

poorBichard says,' at the end of {avaient dH fatiguer — page 38,'

R

242 FRENCH PROSE

lighted with it, though I was conscious that not a tenth
part of the wisdom was my own, which ^ he ascribed to
me, but rather the gleanings that I had made of the sense^
of all ages and nations. However,^ I resolved to be the
better for the echo of it ;^ and though I had at first deter-
mined to buy stuff for* a new coat, I went away, resolved
to wear my old one® a little longer. Header, if thou wilt
do the same, thy profit will be as great as mine J
I am, as ever, thine to serve thee,^

BlOHARD SAUNDKBa

THE OLD MAN AND HIS ASS.»

An old man and a little boy were driving an ass to the
next market ^® to sell. "What a fool is this fellowj^^^ saye
a man upon the road,^^ iq ]qq trudging it on foot^^ with his
son, that this ass may go light ! "^* The old man heajring
this set his boy upon the ass, and went whistling by the
side of him. " Why, sirrah !"^^ cried a second man to the
boy, " is it fit for you to be riding, while your poor old
father is walking on foot ?" The father, upon this rebuke,
took down his boy from the ass, and mounted himself
" Do you see," says a third, " how the lazy old knave ^^
rides along^^ upon his beast, while his poor little boy is

note ^) all present (see p. 28, n. ^) "^^ au marchS U plug voiwin,^

except the author quoted.' ' to sell ;' turn, ' to sell him.'

1 See page 10, note •. i^ Cet homme-ld^a perdu la Uu,

* hon sens, here. ^ Simply, un passant,

3 Quoi guHl en soit. ^ Waller aiTisipitvAlementd pied.

^ ae mettre cet icho d profit pour ^ 'that (page 111, note ^7) their

moi-TnivM, ^ ^ ass may waJk at his (or, at the)

" ' stuff for,* de quoi me f aire, ease ;' or, 'not to (in order not to)

^ 'to make the old one (leave load their ass.'— 'in order to ' is,

this last word out) last.' in French, afin de,

^ situpeuxenfaireauiant(-p.S8, ^^ Cammentf maraud que vout

n. '^), tu y gagnffras autant que mot, ites I

8 'thine,' &o. ; turn, 'at thy ^^ ce vieux fainSant (or, ca-

service.' • gnard),

» See the La Fontaine, pages ^^ ckemine,

81-«4.

COMPOSITION. 249

almost crippled with walking]^ The old man no soouer
heard 2 this, than he took up his son behind him.^ " Pray>
honest friend,"* says a fourth, ** is that ass your own V*
*^ Yes," says the man. " One would not have thought so,**^
replied the other, "by your loading® him so unmercifully.
You and your son are better able "^ to carry the poor
beast than he you,"^ "Anything to please,"® says the
owner ; and alighting with his son, they tied the legs of
the ass together, and by the help of a pole endeavoured to
carry him upon their i^oulders over the bridge that led to
the town. This was so entertaining a sight, that the
people ran in crowds ^^ to laugh at it, till the ass, conceiv-
ing a dislike to the over-complaisance of his master, burst
asunder the cords that tied him, slipped from the pole,
and tumbled into the river. The poor old man made the
best of his way home,^^ ashamed and vexed that,^^ by en-
deavouring to please every body, he had pleased nobody,
and lost bis ass into ^^ the bargain. — ( World.)

^' n*en pevi plus d force de mar' note i*, (where the case, gramma-

dter {i,e.f 'is tired out — off his tically speaking, is different from

legs— by dint of walking '). the present one). See also page 49,

^ ' had no sooner heard (p. 28, n. ^) . note ^.

' 'behind him,' 67tcrottj30/ thus ^ This ellipsis would be con-

leaTing out 'him:' en cnmiTe means sidered somewhat too strong, in

' behind (any one),' on a horse, an French,

ass, &c. ^ Monsieur, je suia tout d votre

^ ' Tell me, my firiend ' (or as at service, — In the same way we say,

paffe 131, note •). Qu'v orUil p(mr votre service t

* ' One would say so (page 6, 'What is your pleasure ? '

note 1^) but little {ne , . , giiire)* ^o Use the singular.

« 'by (d) seeing you load;' see ii 'retumedhome (page 78,

page 21, note '. note «) as fut as he coidd ;' or,

^ ' It is easier for (d) you and ' hastened to reach again his home

your son/ Adopt, for the sake of {loots).*

emphasis only, here, the second ^^ de ce que (elliptical for de ce

turn which is used, for the sake of fait qzie, 'of that fact, via., that'),

grammatical accuracy, at page 23,. ^8 par-dessus.

R 2

344 FRENCH PROSE

LOUIS XVI. IN PRISON. (1792.)

The doora of the Temple were cloeed^ on Loidb Gapet :
he was a dethroned king and a prisoner. RemoTed from
the cares of government for which he was not fitted, from
an ambig^ons and dangerous position in whidi he com-

1 At this stage of tlie present Hre in their oonqioimd
voik, a risumi of the rales oon- ienalUr,s*eKfKnir,k/ii.). SeepEige
ceming the past participle, in 18, note " ; page ^, note * ; page

Frendiy cannot fail to be Teiy use- 65, note *; pi^ ISl, note ^ ; page

fill and very aooeptaUe to the 152, note ^ ; &c. Bat we aboold

anxious learner ; for they oonsti- say; iU m $otd parU {natparlSs\

tnte a real dtfficalt7,er6a to French suet m MotU plu {ne/t plues), dU

students. — ^Ist, When a psst parti- /at wd (not nuie), as parUr,

oiple is joined with the aiualiaiy plaire, and nuire are neater irarhs,

avoir, it agrees (in gender and m Froich. We should also write,

number) wiUi the o6;«cf(aooasatiTe, iU te satU donni (invariable) la

or riffime direct) of the rerb, but main, i. e., ils omt donnM d euz-

onlj when that object precedet viSnus la main, becanae here the

the verb. See pige 32, note >* ; pronoon '«e' which precedes is not

p. 15, n. 7 ; p. 44, n. ^ ; page 23, the object : 'la main,* which fol-

note 7 ; page 125, note * ; &c. lam, is the object (see p. 101, n. *,

The ODty exception to this role is, and p. 170, n. ^). We should also

the participle fait, which nev^er write. Hi te tont laitti (inTariahle)

agrees when followed by a verb turmndre(ilt cnl laitti turprendre

in the infinitive (see page 100, note aur), because ' «« ' is the rf^m>e di-

^^). If, on the oontnuy, the object red (or object) of the actiTe verb

should follow the rerD, no agree- turjorendre, whlbh infinitiye is the

ment will take place (see page 29, r^m^ of laitti ; bat we should

note ' ; page 81, note^ ; page 39, write, t2r te tont laittit (agreeing)

note 7 ; page 79, note ^ ; kc.). An- mourir {ilt ont laitti eux vu>mrir),

other considention is, that the pro- because 'te* is here the ri^ime di-

noun en is looked upon by gram- red of laittit, — m^ourir is a neater

nmrians as being alwaya an ifulirect verb. Srd, A participle joined

regimen (not an aocusatare), mean- with the auxiliary itre, in passive^

ing simply de cela, * thereof ;* and, and in some neuter verbs, agrees

consequently, a participle can with the tujet (nominative, or sab-

never agree with en preceding it ject) of the verb. See page 38y

(seepage 158, notes >, and ^^ ; page note « ; page 24, note ^ ; page 34,

176, note " ; and page 198, note note " ; pa«e 58, note • ; &o.,—

''). 2nd, The agreement of a and psge 66, note ^^ ; I^tge 67,

past partidple with the preoed- note ^ ; page 93, note ' ; &c. 4th.

ing object alao takes place, when andfinaUy, A past participle joined

the participle is joined with the with a substantive without any

auxiliary itre, but only in re- auxiliary, agrees like an adjective,

ciprocal, and in pronominal or See page 7, note ^^ ; page o2, note

reflectiveverbs, formed from octivtf ^; page 63, note ^; &c. I may

verbs (it agrees with the subject also i^d, that iti, the past parti-

in those formed from neuter verbs ciple of the auxiliaiy itre^ is itself

which are always conjugated with always invariable.

COMPOSITION. 245

mitted many errors, separated from false friends and
foolish advisers, he was restored to himself and to his own
thoughts. Solitude and suffering tiy the temper ^ of a
man*s soul, but solitude and suffering are not the greatest
trials of his virtue. High station and luxurious ease will
corrupt 2 the best disposition, if it is not chastened by
religion or strengthened by philosophy. Prosperity assails
a man's virtue by the blandishments of pleasure and the
possession of power ; adversity by the stings of pain and
the contumely of base men. But he who has not yielded
to the soft seduction of power and pleasure, will not fear
the rude gripe of poverty, of imprisonment, of death.
Louis escaped the corrupting influence of power by his
native goodness and his religious £siith : Aurelius by his
excellent education and the discipline of philosophy. The
Boman was a philosopher, a soldier, and a statesman : the
Frenchman had only the virtues that befit a private
station. On a^ throne the king of France was feeble,
irresolute, contemptible. Louis Capet in a dungeon is
firm, courageous, heroic. His abasement is his exaltation :
the triumph of his enemies is their eternal shame and de-
gradation ; immeasurable becomes the distance ^ between
the oppressors and the oppressed. One man in France now
commands our sympathy and respect ; one man only,^
the prisoner in the^ Temple, the crownless king, the
victim preparing for the sacrifice.

The prison of Louis and his family was the ancient resi*
dence of the Knights Templars,*^ situated not far from the
site of the Bastille : it was a spacious edifice, which con-
tained laany large apartments, but the royal captives
were confined, by the order of the Commune, to whose
care^ they were entrusted, in the small tower which
adjoined the large tower, but had no internal com-
munication with it. This tower consisted ^ of four stories :

I irempe, in this sense. our . . . . ^i:c. ; it is.'

3 See page 45, note *. <> du.

* le, 7 dga Templiera ; or, des cheva-

* This construction is not Hers du Temple.
French. 8 See page 134, note ^.

^ Turn, 'One man in France, * 'was composed' (reflective
only one (;u,n seul) conmiands now form, in French).

246 FRENCH PROSE

the first contained an ante-room, a dining-room, and a
small chamber formed in one of the two turrets which
flanked the building : this small chamber contained the
library of the keeper of the archiyes of the order of Malta.
The second story was similarly arranged : one of the
apartments was the bed-room of Marie-Antoinette and
the dauphin ; the other, which was very small, was occupied
by Madame Elisabeth and the queen's daughter. The
king slept ^ in a room on the third story, and he had a
small sitting-room ^ in the turret. The fourth stoiy was
closed.

Louis rose at six ^ in the morning, and shaved himself^
C16ry, his only servant, after he had been deprived of
Ohamilly and HUe, assisted him to dres& The king then
went into his small room to pray, but the door was left
open, in order that the municipal guard,^ who was always
there, might not lose sight of him.® Till nine o'clock he
employed "^ himself in reading, and C16ry went down to
assist^ the queen and the dauphin, Madame Elisabeth
and the young princesses ; for since the 20th of August,
all the attendants of the royal family had been sent away.
At nine the royal family breakfasted in the king's rooms,
and at ten the queen, with Madame Elisabeth, and the
princesses, left the king alone with his son, to whom he
gave lessons in ® geography, a subject^® with which Louis
was well acquainted, in history, and the ^^ elements of
Latin. Marie- Antoinette occupied herself ^^ ^jth the
education of her daughter, and the princesses passed the
rest of the day in sowing, knitting, and working at^^

^ * slept, i. e., had his bed there ; impinal, ' an imperial guard (a

use couch^r (neuter), in this sense, man of that body).'

— ^As to the word ' dauphin,' higher « g^Q pag© 135^ ^ote *.

up, see page 5, note ^®. ' 'occupied.'

* un petit salon, ^ servir, ^ de,
3 See page 197, note • ; ' in the,' *» See page 27, note 8.

du. ^^ et enseignait Chutoire et les.

* See pa|^ 38, note u. The English construction would be
^ garde is feminine when it re- inelegant in French, after render-

I'ers to a body, but masculine ing in the first instance, aa must

when it refers to a man : la garde be done, *in ' by d^.

impiHale, * the imperial guard ^' i^occupait de son c^,

(body of guards)/ and un ga/rde ^* et dfaire de la

COMPOSITION. 247

tapestry. When the weather was fine,, the royal family
walked^ in the garden in the middle of the day, accompa-
nied by four municipal officers, and a commander of a
legion of the National guard ;^ but the space allowed for
the exercise of the royal &mily along the alley of trees,
was purposely contracted^ by building some walls and
other obstructions. The dauphin amused himself with
running about and playing at^ ball or quoits,^ and his
fisither often played with him. From the upper windows
of the houses which commanded a view of ^ the garden,
anxious looks were darted towards the royal prisoners from
faithful friends and adherents, some slight '^ consolation for
the coarse and vulgar behaviour which they often experi-
enced from their guard.^ Santerre, with two aide-de-
camps, ^ daily inspected the tower, and regularly made his
report to the Commune. Sometimes the king would
speak ^^ to Santerre ; the queen never spoke to him. At
two the royal family dined ; the king alone drank wine,
and very little ; the rest drank only water. After dinner
the king and queen would play at picquet or some other
game ; and the king would take a short nap, during which
the ladies worked in silence at their needles,^^ while C16ry
exercised the young prince in another room at such games
as were suitable to ^^ his age. The rest of the time till
supper was occupied by reading aloud : ^^ the king or
Madame Elisabeth read.^^ At eight the dauphin supped,

^ See page 52, note ^, and page French grammar, when a com-

il, note s. pound substantiye is formed of two

^ See preceding page, note ^. substantives joined by a preposi-

3 Turn, 'but they (on) had pur- tion, the first alone takes the mark

posely contracted the space,' &c. of the plural : as, des chtfa-d^ceuvre

■* 'at the.' (John Bull invariably writes chef'

** See page 8, note \ d^ceuvres), des arcs-en-ciel (rain-

• Simply, cammandatetU ; or, do- bows), &c. But aide-de-camp can
minmcTU sur; or, vayaierU, hardly be called a compound sub-

7 'gome sUght ;' simply, Ugire, stantive, for it is generally spelt in

or faible. ^ See page 45, note ^. three distinct words, without hy-

* deux aides de camp. This is phens, as I have written it above,
one of the many French words ^o See page 45, note *.

which, as soon as they are adopted ^^ ' worked at their needles,'

into the English language, are travaillaient d Vaiguille.

subjected to the rules of English i* Simply, ddesjeux de»

grammar and orthography. See ^ une lecture d haute voix.

page 132, note ^. According to ^* * made by the Hng,' &c.

218 FRENCH PROSE

and Louis used to amuse ^ the children with riddles from a
collection called the ' Mercure de France.* Cl^rj put the
boy to bed,^ after he had said his prayers to his mother.

At such moments as he could steal, in the evening, when
the dauphin was going to bed,^ and when the royal fiimily
was supping, C16ry told them such news as he was able to
learn. He had contrived to hire a crier, who came CTery
evening, and posting himself under the windows of the
Temple, called out the chief events of the day as loud as
he co\ild, under the pretence of selling the journals. CI€tj
stationed himself in the little room in the turret of the
third floor,^ and listened to the crier's report ^ of what was
going on ^ in the Convention, in the Commune, and the
news of the armies. After supper the king parted from his
fjEunily and went up to his little room, where he read till
midnight. He read Montesquieu, Bufibn, Hume's history
in English, the Latin and Italian classics, and the Imitation
of Jesus Christ, in Latin. It is said that when he left the
Temple he had got through ^ a great number of volumes of
different works. — (Geobge Long, France^ and its Revoln^
tions.)

PROFESSIONAL EDUCATION.

In those who were destined^ for the church,® we would
undoubtedly encourage classical learning, more than in any
other body ^^ of men ; but if we had to do with ^^ a young
man going out into^^ public life, we would exhort him

1 ' used to amuae ;' use simply ^ d Fitai eccUncutique,

the imperfect indicatiye of awiuser ^ catigorie.

(page 1, note *, and page 55, note^^. ^^ aviona affairt d (some write

* 'to put to bed,' coucher (active). A f aire, but it is wrong).

' * to go to bed,' oiler se coucher; *' gut eiU fait ckoix de ; or, <mi

cowcher is more particularly d^ emhrauer. The subjnnctiTe

'to get into bed.' must be used here, not the indica-

* 'of the third floor of the tive, as 'if/ which precedes, im-
turret.' plies a kind of doubt about the

* '. . . . which the crier made.' positive existence, or rather im-
^ ' to be going on,' in this sense, plies the absence of our positive

se passer. Knowledge, of any particular young

* 'to get through,' parcourir, man of that class, to whom we
B Use the conmtional, and the could point.

reflective voice.

COMPOSITION. 249

to contemn, or at least not to affect the reputation of a
great scholar,^ but to educate himself for the offices of civil
life. He should learn what the constitution of his country
really was — ^ how it had ^ grown into its present state—
the perils that had threatened it — the malignity that had
attacked it — ^the courage that had fought for it, and the
wisdom that had made * it great. We would bring strongly
before his mind the characters of those Englishmen who
have been the steady friends of the public happiness ; and,
by their examples, would breathe into him a pure public
taste,^ which should keep him untainted in all the vioissi-
tudea of political fortune. We would teach him to burst
through ^ the well paid, and the pernicious cant of indis-
criminate loyalty ; and to know his Sovereign only as ^ he
discharged those duties, and displayed those qualities, for
which the blood and the treasure ^ of his people are confided
to his hands. We should deem it * of the utmost import-
ance, that attention was ^^ directed to the true principles
of legislation — what effects laws produce upon opinions,
and opinions upon laws — what subjects are fit for legisla-
tive interference, and when men may be left to^^ the
management of their own interests. The mischief occa-
sioned by bad laws, and the perplexity which arises from
numerous laws — the causes of national wealth — ^^ ^jjg j.^,
lations of foreign trade — ^^ the encouragement of manu-
factures and agriculture — ^the fictitious wealth occasioned
by paper credit — ^* the laws of population — the manage-
ment of poverty and mendicity — the use and abuse of
monopoly — the theory of taxation — ^* the consequences of

^ cPSrudii eonaommS, ' Do not translate 'it/ in such

' ce gv!est riellement la constitur phrafles. ,
tion .... &o. ^® Use the subjunctiye, here,

3 'has;' use likewise the pre- after the adjective 'important,'

sent in the following similar cases, followed by ' that/ on which ad-

* See page 85, note ^. jectiye ' was ' diiiactly depends ;
' 'a pure taste of the public and see page 148, end of note ^<'.

weal.' ^^ 'when one may (use poutwwV)

• ^qffranchtr de. leave to men.'

7 'as/ here, en tarU que; fol- ^^ 'wealth of nations.'

lowed by the conditional, or by the ^^ commerce extSrieur,

present indicative. '* papter-monnaie.

« Use the plural. ^* imp6t.

250 FRENCH PROSE

the public debt. These are some of the subjects, and some
of the branches of civil examination,^ to which we would
turn the minds of future judges, future senators, and future
noblemen. After the first period of ]ife had been given
up 2 to the cultivation of the classics, and ^ the reasoning
powers * were now beginning to evolve themselves, these
are some of the propensities in study which we would en-
deavour to inspire. Great knowledge at such a period of
life, we could not convey ; ^ but we might fix a decided *
taste for its acquisition, and a strong disposition to respect
it in others. The formation of some great scholars we
should certainly prevent, and hinder many from learning
what, in a few years, they would necessarily forget ; but
this loss would be well repaid — if we could show the
future rulers of the country that thought and labour which
it requires to make a nation happy — or if we could inspire
them with ^ that love of public virtue, which, after religion,
we most solemnly believe to be the brightest ornament of
the mind of man. — (Stdnby Smith.)

FEMALE EDUCATI0X.8

One of the greatest pleasures of life is* conversa-
tion; — and the pleasures of conversation are of course
enhanced by every increase of knowledge : ^^ not that we
should meet together to talk of alkalis and angles, or to
add to our stock of history and philology — though a little
of these things is no bad ingredient in conversation ; but
let the subject be what it may,^^ there is always a pro-

^ examen pour les emplois civils, pace 145, note ^.

' 'to give up,' here, consacrer, * See page 60, note *.

— ' had been ;' use the compound ^® The plural is used, in French,

of the oonditional. when the word is taken in its

s et alors que ; and leave out general sense ; but we should saj

' now '. la connaissance cTune lanfftte, * the

* lesfactUtSs inteltectuelles, knowledge of a language,' i. e., of
5 Invert. « pivnoTici, some pf^ioulcur thi^.

7 'inspire to thtfm.' ii 'whatever the subject may

* Education des femmes. See be (pres. subj. of ^tre),'

COMPOSITION. 261

digious difference between the conversation of those who
have been well educated and of those who have not en--
jojed this advantage. Education gives fecundity of thoughti
copiousness of illustration,^ quickness, vigour, &ncy, words,
images, and illustrations — ^ it decorates every common
thing, and gives the power of trifling without being undig-
nified ^ and absurd. The subjects themselves may not be
wanted upon which ^ the talents of an educated man have
been exercised ; but there is always a demand for ^ those
talents which his education has rendered strong and quick.
Now, really, nothing can be further from our intention
than to say anything ^ rude and unpleasant ; ^ but we
must be excused for observing that it is not now a very
common thing to be interested by the variety and extent
of female knowledge, but it is a very common thing to
lament, that the finest faculties in ^ the world have been
confined to trifles utterly unworthy of their richness and
their strength.

The pursuit of knowledge is the most innocent and in-
teresting occupation which can ^ be given to the female
sex ; nor ^^ can there be a better method ^^ of checking a ^^
spirit of dissipation, than by ^^ diffusing a taste for ^* lite-
rature. The true way to attack vice, is by setting up
something else against it. Give to women, in early youth,
something to acquire, of sufi&cient interest and import-
ance to command the application of their mature faculties,
and to excite their perseverance in future life;^^ teach
them, that happiness is to be derived from the acquisition
of knowledge, as well as the gratification of vanity ; and
you will luise up a much more formidable barrier against
dissipation, than a host of invectives and exhortations can
supply. 1®

^ exemples, ^^ See page 15, note *,

' comparaisorii, 3 trivial. ^^ moyen, or maniire (as mot/en

* See page 10, note '. will come just below).

* ©» recherche toujowg, ** * the.

. ^ quoi que ee eoit, followed by de ^^ Use de, with the pres. infi-

(see page 9, note U). nitive.

" oSsobligeaKt. " * the taate of.'

8 See page 32, note «. ^' * in future life/ pltu tard.

9 See page 18, note ^. ^^ Turn, ' and you will raise up

252 FRENCH PROSE

It sometimes happens that an unfortunate man gets
drunk with very bad wine-— not to gratify his palate but
to forget his oares :^ he does not set anj value on^ what
he reoeiyes, but ^ on account of what it excludes ; — * it ^
keeps out something worse than itself. Now, though ^ it
were denied that the acquisition of serious knowledge is of
itself important to a woman, still ^ it prevents a taste for
silly and pernicious works of imagination ; it keeps away
the horrid trash of novels; and, in lieu of that eager-
ness for emotion^ and adventure^ which books of that sort
inspire, promotes a calm and steady temperament^ of
mind.

A man who deserves such a piece of good fortune,^^ may
generally find an excellent companion ^^ for all the vicissi-
tudes of his life ; but it is not so easy to find a companion
for his understanding, who has similar pursuits with him-
self, or who can comprehend the pleasure he derives from
them. We really can see no reason why it should not be ^
otherwise ; nor comprehend how the pleasures of domestic
life can be promoted by diminishing the number of sub-
jects in^^ which persons who are to spend their lives
together take a common interest

thus a much more . ... &c., applicable to this case, page 60,

than you could do (page 5, note i^) note '. Turn, 'on account of what

bj- a host .... and e^diortations ;' happens thereby to be excluded.'
and leaye out 'supply :' 'to mp- ^ 'it ;' ce vin, tout mauvais qu'il

jply a barrier ' Is a yery questionable soit .
expression. ^ 'though/ here, quand mime,

* stmcis, here, not soins. We or (but rawer obsolete) quand Men

might translate here by noyer sea mhne, with the conditional ; and

wwcis (or, set chagrins) *. 'noyerses see page 8, note '^^ : use on here.
chagrins {ses souds) dans le vin* 7 umjours est-il oue.
means precisely perdre U souve- ^ Use the plural
nir de ses chagrins en buvant, ' to ' situation,
forget one's cares by drinUmg,' ^^ un tel bonheur.
'to drink away — ^to drown — one's ^^ compa^ne (fem., — compagnon

cares.' ^ n'aitachedeprix d. is the masculine).

s qtie, ^ Nous ne voyons en vSritS point

* 'what he receives .... what pourqttoi il n*en serait pas,--

it excludes.' Very bad sentence : here, means ' about it :' in tbuB

*it* relates to the first 'what' same way we say, il en sera Um-

('what he receives excludes'); so jours adnsi, 'it (i.e., things) wiH

the sentence comes to this, .... always be so ' — ^with regard to th9

' but <m account of tohat what ex- particular case in question,

dudes.' Se«9, for a reflectipn fuUy i» 'to.'

COMPOSITION. 258

One of the inost agreeable con»equenceh of knowledge, is
the respect and importance which it communicates to old
age. Men rise in character often as they increase in
years ; ^ — they are venerable from ^ what they have ac-
quired, and pleasing from what they can impart. If they
outlive their faculties, the mere frame itself is respected for
what it once contained ; but women (such is their unfor-
tunate style of education) hazard everything upon one cast
of the die ; ^ — ^when youth is gone all is gone. No human
creature gives his admiration for nothing : either the
eye must be charmed, or the understanding gratified. A
woman must talk wisely or look weU.^ Every human
being must put up with^ the coldest civility, who^ has
neither the charms of youth nor the wisdom of age.
Neither is there ^ the slightest commiseration for decayed
accomplishments ; — ^no man mourns over the fragments of
a dancer, or drops a tear on the relics of musical skill.
They are flowers destined to perish ; but the decay of
great talents is always the subject of solemn pity ; and,
even when their last memorial is over, their ruins and
vestiges are regarded with pious affection. — (Sydney
Smith.)

DR. JOHNSON TO THE EAKL OF CHESTERFIELD.

My Lord, — I have been lately infom^ed, by the pro-
prietor of the "World," that two papers,® in which my
Dictionary is recommended to the public, were written by
your Lordship. To be so distinguished is an honour
which, being very little accustomed to favours from the
great, I know not well how to receive or ^ in what terms
to acknowledge.

^ avancent en Age, — ' as ;' see * i^accommoder de,

piu?e 240^ note >. ^ See page 10, note '.

'par. ^ Aum hien ne trouve-t-on jxif

' coup de dS. non plus. See page 88, note ^\

* ou Hre de bonne mine ; — axoir ^ articles,

honne mine means ' to look well * ^ See page 42, note ^.
in the sense of 'to look healthy/

254 FRENCH PROSE

When, upon some slight encouragement, I first ^ visited
your Lordship, I was overpowered, like the rest of man-
kind, by the enchantment of your address,^ and could
not forbear to wish that 1 might boast myself le vainqueur
du vainqueur de la terre; — that I might obtain' that
regard for which I saw the world contending; but I found
my attendance so little encouraged, that neither pride nor
modesty would suffer me to continue it When I had
once addressed your Lordship in public, I had exhausted
all the art of pleasing which a retired and uncourtly^
scholar can possess. I had done all that I could ; and no man
is well pleased to have his all neglected, be it ever so littla^

Seven years, my Lord, have now past, since I waited in
your outward rooms, or was repulsed from your door;
during which time® I have been pushing on my work
through difficulties, of which it is useless to complain, and
have brought it, at last, to the verge ^ of publication,
without one act of assistance, one word of encouragement,
or one smile of &vour. Such treatment I did not expect,^
for I never had a patron before.

The shepherd in Virgil grew at last acquainted with ^
Love, and found him a nati^^e of the rocks.

Is not a patron, my Lord, one who looks with unconcern
on a man struggling for life in the water, and, when he
has reached the ground, encumbers him with help ? The
notice which you have been pleased to take of ^^ my
labours, had it been early, had been kind;^^ but it has
been delayed till^^ I am indifferent, and cannot enjoy
it; till I am solitary, and cannot impart it; till I am
known, and do not want it. I hope it is no^^ very
cynical asperity not to confess^* obligations where ^*

1 Never separate thus, in French, « seveo years, during which.*

the sul^ect from the verb (see p. ^ moment. ^ Invert.

80, n. i«, and p. 81, n. *). » finit par connalUre.

* abord, — 'your Lordship;* turn, i<> 'The attention which you
' you, my Lord : ' see p. 177, n. « {tan have deigned to give (to grant) to.*
oWe^fhere, would sound awkward). "^^ 'would have been kind if it

• See p. Ill, n. ^f, p. 7, n. 7, and had come sooner.*

p. 242, n. 1*. ^ ^squ'dprisent que,

* et itranger au grand mande. ^ tiny a pas de.

• de voir dSdoAgner cequi, si pen ** d n« point reeonnaitre {or, Toir).
que ce soit, est Una pour tm, ^ /dot^; pointedly. See p.l77,n.».

COxMPOSlTION. 255

no benefit has beou received, or to be unwilling that the
public should consider me as owing that to a patron which
Providence has enabled me to do for^ myself.

Having carried on my work thus for^ with so little
obligation to any favourer of learning, I shall not be dis-
appointed though I should 3 conclude it, if less be possible,
with less; for I have long been wakened from that dream
of hope in which I once boasted myself with so much
exultation,* my Lord, your Lordship's^ most humble,
mosi* obedient servant.

THE« DEATH OF WILLIAM PITT, EARL OF

CHATHAM.

When the Duke of Richmond hatd spoken,^ Chatham
rose. For some time his voice was inaudible.® At length
his tones ^ became distinct and his action animated. ^^
Here and there his hearers caught a thought or an ex-
pression which reminded them of William Pitt. But it
was clear that he was not himself ^^ He lost the thread
of his discourse, hesitated, repeated the same words
several times, and was so confused that, in speaking of
the Act of Settlement,^^ he could not recall the name of
the Electress Sophia. The House ^^ listened in solemn

^ de; or you may leave it as it ought, 'humble obedient ser-

out. vant,* or whatever else you may

* Jusqu*ici. think proper to style yoiirself.

* See page 123, note * — -'con- « See page 183, note \
elude ;' see page 85, note \ 7 g^e page 28, note «

* je me disais (styled myself) « il ne jmt se fa/ire entendre,
auir^ois avee une si vive j<ne miUe There can be no ambiguity here,
d^orgueil. in the French rendering, on ao-

* de voire Seigneurie ; and, in count of what follows,
such cases as this, obaerre, in * ' the tones of his voice.'
French, exceptionaUy, the same lo iandma,

construction as in English : not " iCStait plus le mime (or, plus

only is it more civil to put first the reconnaisscUtle) ; or, almost liie-

title of the person whom you ad- rally, n'gtaU plus lui-mSme,

dress, but, besides, this construe- ^^ la Loi de la succession au

tion is more regular, as your own trdne.

name will then follow immediately, i^ See page 135, note ^<^.

255 FRENCH PROSE

silenoe,^ and with the aspect of profound respect auc
compassion. The stillness was so deep that the dropping
of a handkerchief would have been heard.^ The Duke
of Richmond replied with great ^ tenderness and courtesj:
but while he spoke, the old man was observed to be* rest-
less and irritable.'^ The Duke sat down. Chathani stood
up again, pressed his hand on his breast, and sank do^
in an apoplectic fit. Three or four lords who sat near him
caught him^ in his fiilL The House broke up in confusion.
The dying man was carried to the residence of one of the
officers of Parliament, and was so far restored as to be able
to bear a journey to Hayes. At Hayes, after lingering a
few weeks, he expired in his seventieth year. His bed'
was watched to the last,^ with anxious tenderness, by his
wife and children ; and he well deserved their care. Too
often haughty and wayward to* others, to them he had
been almost effeminately kind.^° He had through life
been dreaded by his political opponents, and regarded with
more awe than love even by his political associates. But
no fear seems to have mingled with^^ the affection which
his fondness, constantly overflowing in a thousand endear-
ing forms, had inspired in the little circle at^* Hayes.

Chatham, at the time of his decease,^^ had not, in both
Houses of Parliament, ten personal adherents. Half the
public men of the age^* had been estranged from him hj
his errors, and the other half by the exertions which he
had made to repair his errors. His last speech bad been
an attack at once^'* on the policy pursued by the govern-
ment, and on the policy recommended by the opposition.
But death restored him to his old ^® place in the affection

^ See page 26, note '. kind (bon presque jiuqu'd la fai-
' 'that one would hare heard hleste)*

drop a handkerchief .' " d. " de.

' 'much.* 13 „i^ J — dich is a law term.

^ See page 7, note '. ^^ Spoque, in this sense : — some-

^ ' in a state of irritation.' times, nicle ; as, le ** Si^cU d(

• U retinrent. Louis XIV." (the title of one of
' ch£vet, Voltaire's works).

^ 'to 0'u«^'d) the last moment.' ^^ 'at once;' see page 53,

* See page 36, note ". note s.

*® ' he had been to {povr, or as ^* andenne (fern.),
aboye) them almost effeminately

;

COMPOSITION. 257

of his country. Who could hear unmoved of the fell of
that which had been so great, and which had stood so
loDgl The circumstances, too, seemed rather to belong
to the tragic stage than to real life. A great statesman,
full of years and honours, led forth to the Senate House
by a son of ^ rare hopes, and stricken down in full council
while straining his feeble voice to rouse the drooping spirit
of his country, could not but be remembered ^ with pecu-
liar veneration and tenderness. The few detractors who
ventured to murmur were silenced by the indignant
clamours ^ of a nation which remembered only the lofty
genius, the unsullied probity, the undisputed services, of
him who* was no more. For once,^ the chiefs of all parties
were agreed. A public funeral,® a public monument, were
eagerly voted. The debts of the deceased were paid. A
provision was made for^ his family. The City of London
requested that the remains of the great man whom she
had so long loved and honoured might rest under the
dome of her magnificent cathedral. But the petition
came too late. Every thing was already prepared for the
interment in Westminster Abbey.

Though men of all parties had concurred in decreeing
f posthumous honours to Chatham, his corpse was attended
: to the grave almost exclusively by opponents of the
i government. The banner of the lordship of Chatham
L was borne by Colonel Barr6, attended by the Duke of
n Bichmond and Lord Eockingham. Burke, Savile, and
i Dunning upheld the pall.^ Lord Camden was conspicuous
( in the procession. The chief mourner was® young William
p» Pitt. After the lapse of more than twenty-seven years,
j in a season as dark as perilous, his own shattered frame
and broken heart were laid, with the same pomp, in the
* same consecrated mould.

J 1 ' who gave ' (page 66, note 8). one of those which hare no singular

' See page 21, note Q; and in French (as mentioned page 69,

I change the construction accord- note ^).

^ ingly . ' On povrvtU aux besoins de,

3 ' clamours of indignation.' 8 We say, porter (or tmir) les

^ See page 88, note ^*. coins dupoile.

« Une setUefois. • ' To be the chief mourner,' if,

® Bemember that this word is conduire (or mener) U deuil,

S

^

258 FRENCH PROSE

Chatham sleeps^ near the northern door of the Church,
in a spot which has ever since been appropriated to states-
men, as the other end of the same transept has long been
to poets. Mansfield rests there, and^ the second William
Pitt, and Fox, and Grattan, and Canning, and Wilberforce.^
In no other cemetery do so many great citizens lie^ within
so narrow a space. High over those venerable grayes
towers the stately monnmeut of Chatham,^ and from
above,^ his efiBgy, graven by a cnnning ^ hand, seems stil],
with eagle face and outstretched arm, to bid England be
of good cheer, and to hurl defiance ^ at her foes. The
generation which reared that memorial of him has disap-
peared. The time has come when the rash and indiscri-
minate judgments which his contemporaries passed on his
character may be calmly revised by history. And history,
while, for the warning of vehement, high, and daring
natures, she notes his many errors,^ will yet deliberately
pronounce,^^ that, among the eminent men whose bones ^^
lie near his, scarcely one has left a more stainless, and
none a more splendid name.^ — (Lord Maoaulay, Essays,)

^ Tou may use chmUr, used poetically, in this sense.

' et autn. ^ tl iCen est peutStre pas un ^ut

' a»ec F—, G — , C—€t W — , ait ladssS un nom plus . . . &c., el

* gisent (see page 227, note ^'). aucun certes un nom plus . . . &c. ;
^ 'The statdy towers or, d peine un seui a laissi un

high oyer {domine de toute sa hau- nom plus .... &;c., et que nul

teur) those venerable graves.' n*en a laissS un plus .... &o. —

^ ' fh>ni its summit.' There is here, in the literal trans-

7 habile, in this obsolete sense. lation, with the BSnglish construc-

^ lancer le d6fi» tion, a double and insmrmountable

* ' And histcny, while she notes difficulty to deal with : 1st, ne,
{towl en inscrivant) his many errors, which is not expressed in the first
for the warning ' . . . . &c. — ^Eng- part of the sentence, cannot with
lish writers do not observe as often any degree of accuracy be under-
as the French, the closest con- stood eUiptically in the second ;
nezion of idecui, which is one of and, in the next place, either nom
the most important rules of the ^'name') must be repeated, or en
art of writing. (see page 158, note ^^) used in its

^^ See page 34, note i<. stead, in the second part oS the

u ossements, here ; — os is only sentence.

COMPOSITION. 269

SCENE PROM " THE CLANDESTINE MARRIAGE.'*
Sib John Melvil^ and Sterling.

Sir John, After having carried the negotiation between
our £Eimilies to bo great a length; after having assented so
readily to all your proposals, as well as received so many
instances of your cheerful compliance with the demands
made on our part, I am extremely concerned, Mr. Sterling,
to be the involuntary cause of any uneasiness.

SterL Uneasiness! what uneasiness? — ^Where^ business
is transacted as it ought to be, and the parties understand
one another, there can be no uneasiness. You agree, on
such and such conditions, to receive my daughter for a
wife ; on the same conditions I agree to receive you as a
son-in-law ; and as to all the rest, it follows of course, you
know, as regularly as the payment of a bill after
acceptance.^

Sir John. Pardon me, sir, more uneasiness has arisen
than you are aware o£ I am myself at this instant, in a
state of inexpressible embarrassment ; Miss Sterling, I
know, is extremely disconcerted too ; and unless you will
oblige me with the assistance of your friendship, I foresee
the speedy progress of discontent and animosity through
the whole &mily.

SterL What the deuce is all this?^ I don't tmderstand a
single syllable.

Sir John, In one word then — it will be absolutely im-
possible for me to ftilfil my engagements in regard to Miss
Sterling.

Sterl, How, Sir John ! Do you mean to put an afiront
upon* my family 1 Whati refuse to

Sir John. Be assured, sir, that I neither mean to ai&ont,
nor forsake your &,mily.^ My only fear is, that you should

1 'When.' instead of another and stronger

s dPuTie lettre de change acceptSe. particular word, for the sake of

> Que diantre dgnijie totU cela t euphemism. See p. 201, note ^*
-~The term diantre, which is still * /aire un affront d.
Tnlgar, is used (in the same way • ' to insult vour family nor r«-

as the English word in the text) Bounce your alUance.'

s2

260 FRENCH PROSE

desert me ; for the whole happiness of my life depends on
my being connected with your family, by the nearest and
tenderest ties in the world.^

Sterl, Why, did not you tell me, but a moment ago,
that it was absolutely impossible for you to marry my
daughter?

Sir John, True. — But you have another daughter, sir —

Sterl Well! 2

Sir John, Who has obtained the most absolute dominion
oyer my heart. I have already declared my passion' to
her ; nay, Miss Sterling herself^ is also apprised of it, and
if you will but^ give a sanction to my present addresses,^
the uncommon merit of Miss Sterling^ will no doubt
recommend her to a person of equal, if not superior rank

^ Turn, 'The whole happiness 'to it,' 'to them,' and en, 'of it,'
of my life depends on my being 'of them,' before the verb). For
connected with you {de m'attacher those of my readers who might be

not vous m* attacker: this case is personal pronoun, representing

similar to the one which I pro- one or more persons, not things,

mised to explain, at p. 20, note ^, is indirectly governed by any of

p. 29, n. s, and p. 181, n. ^^ The the above mentioned verbn which

disjunctive, instead of the con- requires after it the preposition d,

Junctive personal pronouns must or the preposition ae, you mnnt

be used, in French, exceptionally, use, and place after the verb, one

when the governing: verb is either of the pronouns moi, toi, lui, elle,

a reflective verb (pp .20 and 29, soiy n<ms, votu, eitx, elles, soi, pre-

and also here), or any of the fol- ceded immediately by the prepo-

lowing : recourir ('to have re- sition (whether d or e^).
course *), oiler, courir (and also * Apris t ' mea sentiments,
recourir, 'to run again'), a^ccourirj * 'Miss Sterling herself;* simply,

venir, penser, renoncer, &c. Thus, sa soeur. Accoraing to French

at page 20, note ^^, we could not custom, had a Mr. Sterlingr even

have said, lui se plaignit; and twenty daughters, they would each

thus we BA-yje pense d lui, not je be "Miss Sterling," any one of

lui pense ; &c. Observe, besides, them as well as any other, instead

that these disjimctive pronouns of this appellation being reserved

must follow the verb, whereas the exclusively for the eldest, and they

conjunctive precede it, as a rule, would all be distinguished from

The above rule, however, applies each other by their Cluistian

only to the case where persons, not names solely,
things, are represented by the pro- ^ ' but,' seidenient, here,
nouns ; for, with regard to things, • ' my present addresses ;• sim-

the case is not altered here (we ply, 'them' (viz., ' ines sentvTnenis*),
•till use, as in all other cases, y, ^ votreJUle ainie.

COMPOSITION. 261

to myself,^ and our families may still be allied by my
union with Miss Fanny.

Sterl, Mighty fine, truly! Why, what the plague do
you make of us,^ Sir John? Do you come to market for
my daughters, like servants at a statute-fair?* Do you
think that I will suffer you, or any man in the world,* to
come into my house, like the Grand Siguier, and throw
the handkerchief first to one. and then to t'other, just as
he pleases? Do you think I drive a kind of African slave-
trade with them;^ and

Sir John. A moment's patience,® sir I Nothing but the
excess of my passion for Miss Fanny should have induced
me to take any step that had the least appearance of
disrespect to any part of your femily; and even now
I am desirous to atone for my transgression, by
making the most adequate compensation that lies in my
power.

Sterl, Compensation ! what compensation can you pos-
sibly make in such a case as this, Sir John ?

Sir John, Come,^ come, Mr. Sterling; I know you to
be a man of sense, a man of business,^ a man of the world.
I'll deal frankly with you; and you shall see that I don't
desire a change of measures for my own gratification,
without endeavoiiring to make it advantageous to you.

Sterl, What advantage can your inconsistency be to me.
Sir John?

1 'will easily make her find a trade' is, properly, in French,

person {un parti, here — 'a match') traite det n^^es (or, des Tioirs), or,

of my rank, even a more consider- simply, traite ; but there are no

able match/ 'negroes' in this case, and, as to

^ £hf p&ur qui notu prenez-vous traite, it also means the regular

done, exchange of certain goods made on

8 Mes fUei vous paraissent-elles the Afirioan coasts. However,

une ma/rcftandise d Vessai, comme there could be no ambiguity here,

ces dome8tiqv£s qui se louenJt d une and traite africaine might be used.

/9te de campagne f 6 < a.^ instant of patience.'

* SSimply, n'importe qui, ^ AUons; or, Voyons,

^ gue je fasse — ^pres. subj. (or, ** un homme qui entendez lei af-

better, yaw, pres. md., i.e., 'that /aires. The expression, komme

I actiudly do drive,' 'that I ac- cP affaires is also sometimes used

tually do carry on') id une esp^ce in this sense ; but it more com-

de commerce aesdaves, comme un monly means an 'agent' (for gene-

mcurchand ^Afrique t — ' Slave- ral, not for commercial afSsurs).

262 FR£NCH PROSE

Sir John, Pll tell you,^ sir. — ^You know that by the
articles at present subsisting between us, on the day of
my marriage with Miss Sterling, you agree to pay down
the gross sum of eighty thousand pounds.

Sterl. WeU!

Sir John. Now if you will but oonsent to my waiving
that marriage^^ —

St^L I agree to your waiving that marriage! Impossible,
Sir Johnl

Sir John. I hope not,^ sir ; as on my part» I will agree
to waive my right to thirty thousand pounds of the fortune
I was to receive with her.^

Sterl. Thirty thousand, d'ye say I

Sir John. Yes, sir; and aooept of Miss Fanny with fifty
thousand, instead of fourscore.

Sterl. Fiffcy thousand — [Ptmsing.

Sir John. Instead of fourscora

SterL Why — ^why — ^there may be something in that,^ —
Let me see^ — Fanny with fifty thousand, instead of Bet£iy
with fourscore. — But how can this be,^ Sir John? For
you know I am to pay this money into the hands of ^ my
Lord Ogleby; who, I believe, between you and me, Sir
John, is not overstocked with ready money at present ;
and threescore thousand^ of it, you know, is to go to pay
off the present encumbrances on the estate,^^ Sir John.

Sir John. That objection is easily obviated^^ Ten of
the twenty thousand, which would remain as a surplus of
the fourscore, after paying off ^^ the mortgage, was intended
by his lordship for my use, that we might set off with
some little iclat on our marriage ; and the other ten for
his own. — Ten thousand pounds, therefore, I shall be able

^ See page 132, note ^^. to ;' see page 79, note >.

* Simply, d le rompre. * Add ' pounds.' — ' of it,' de la
s See page 190, note ^'. dot.

* je m' oblige, en faveur de ^<> 'are destined to disengage
Vichange, d anm* abandofmer treiUe his estate (terres).*

miUe hvres (sterling) ... ^^ Use risovdre,

* Mais, moM, il me amble que ^* Use purger, or itemdrta or
c'tfs^ une idie. aanortir ; and observe that, after

^ Voyons. apris, in suoh a case, the com-

^ cela pourrart-il i^ arranger, poond of the infinitive must be

> remettre la somme d, — ' I am used in French.

COMPOSITION. 263

to pay jou immediately ; and for the remaining twenty
thousand, you Bhall have a mortgage on that part of the
estate which is to be made over to me,^ with whatever *
security you shall require for the regular payment of the
interest, till the principal is duly discharged.

Sterl, Why — to do^ you justice, Sir John, there is
something fair and open in your proposal; and since
I find you do not mean to put an afi&ont upon the
&mily —

Sir John, Nothing was ever farther from my thoughts,*
Mr. Sterling. — And after all, the whole afi&ir is^ nothing
extraordinary — ^such things happen every day; and as the
world has only heard generally of a treaty between the*
fiunilies, when this marriage takes place, nobody will be
the wiser, if we have but discretion enough to keep our
own counsel^

SterL True, true ; and since you only transfer from one
girl to the other, it is no more than transferring so much
stock,® you know.

Sir John, The very thing !

Sterl. Odso ! I had quite forgot.® — We are reckoning
without our host here^° — there is another difl&culty —

Sir John, Tou alarm me. What can that be ?

Sterl. I can't stir^^ a step in this business without con-
sulting my sister Heidelberg. — The fitmily has veiy great
expectations from her,^^ and we must not give her any
offence.^*

Sir John, But if you come into this measure,^* surely
.she will be so kind as to consent —

Sterl, I don't know that^^ — Betsy is her darling, and I

^ tur la parUe de la propriSti ' it ifl no more,* i^ett eomme n.
que milord me die, ' Ah diahle (Tulgar), fouih-

* * and besides eyery.' ais . , , .

3 rendre, ^® Leave out 'here.'

^ Use the singular. ^^ ' make.'

6 'has.' " < We expect much from her.'

• 'our two.* ** Ufavi La minager*

' * will know anything {rien) of ^* * approve my project/

the details, if ... . &o. to keep ^'^ ' It is what I don't know;' or,

them for ourselvra {noui), * I doubt it.*

^ fondt (plural, in this sense). —

264 FRENCH PROSE

can't telU how far^ she may resent any slight that seemtf
to be offered to her favourite niece. However, I'll do the
best I can for you.^ You shall go and break the matter
to her first,^ and by the time I may suppose that your
rhetoric has prevailed on her to listen to reason/ I will
step in to reinforce^ your arguments.

Sir John, I'll fly to her immediately ; you promise me
your assistance?

Sterl. I doJ

Sir John. Ten thousand thanks for it ! and now success
attend mel [Gaing,^

Sterl. Hark'e, Sir John! [Sir John retuims.^] Not a
word of the thirty thousand to my sister, Sir John.

Sir John, Oh, I am dumb, I am dumb, sir. [Going.

SterL You'll remember it is thirty thousand.

Sir John, To be sure I do.

SterL But, Sir John ! — one thing more.^^ [Sib John
returns.'] My Lord must know nothing of this stroke of
friendship between us.

Sir John. Not for the world. Let me alone !^^ Let
me alone 1 \Offering to go.

SterL [Holding him,] And when everything is agreed^
we must give each other a bond to be held &st to the ^^
bargain.

Sir John. To be sure. A bond by all means !^^ a bond,
or whatever you please. [Exit hastily.

SterL I should have thought of more conditions — he's

^ 'I ignore/ traoBlatixig 'do' literallj^ in suob

^ j%Lsqu*d. quel point. — 'may;* phrases,

use the future of pwivoir, ^ See page 78^ note ^.

* * to satisfy you.' » Observe the difference betwden

* Allez la trouver pour enUtmer revenir, 'to return— come back^'
r of aire; or, Rompez la glace and retoumer, 'to return — go
[' break the ice ') en lui en pa/rlaTU back.'

r'emier. ^® qite je vous dite encore (eUip-

' and when I have reason (page tical, for venez, or, attendez, qv^.

47> note ^, and page 52, note^) to je, &o.).

suppose .... &c. has succeeded ^^ ' No, for nothing in the (x>age

(page 121, note ^*) in making her 40, note ^) world. ]^t me ! *

listen to reason (€7i^«7i(2re rat«07i, — ^ 'we shall make, you and I,

and see page 108, note ^).' a reciprocal bond {ohligaHon)

* a^puyer, which will secure our.*

7 Simply, 'Tes;* there is no ^^ 'by aQ means,' here, out, oitC

i

COMPOSITION. 266

in a humour to give me everything — why, what mere
children are your fellows of quality; that cry for a play-
thing one minute, and throw it by the next ! as changeable
as the weather, and as uncertain as the stocks.^ Special
fellows to drive a bargain ! and yet they are to take care
of 2 the interest of the nation, truly ! Here does this
whirligig man of fashion oflFer^ to give up thirty thousand
pounds in hard money,^ with as much indifference as if it
was a china orange.'^ By this mortgage, I shall have a
hold on his terra firma;^ and if he wants more money, as
he certainly will,^ — ^let him have children by my daughter
or not,^ I shall have his whole estate in a net^ for the
benefit of my family.

THE NATIVE VILLAGE.

A KIND of dread had hitherto kept me back; but I was
restless now, till I had accomplished my wish. I set out
one morning to walk ; I reached Widford about eleven in
the forenoon; after a slight breakfast at my inn, where I
was mortified to perceive the old landlord did not know
me again (old Thomas BiUet, he has often made angle-
rods^^ for me when a child), I rambled over all my
accustomed haunts.

Our old house was vacant, and to be sold ; I entered,
unmolested, into the room that had been my bed-chamber.
I kneeled down on the spot where my little bed had stood :
I felt like a child; I prayed like one.^^ It seemed as

* 'public funds/ ' Always supply the ellipsis, in

' Voild pourtant d qui nous con- French, in such a case as this.

fiona. — 'the interest ;' use the ^ 'let >^iTn have or not, &c.*—

plural. Leave out 'truly,' which 'by,' de,

follows. » ' I shall be able, in one haul

' ' See how this whirligig man {^un cou^ deJUet), to take posses-

of fashion {cet itowrdi — or, cet sion of his , . . &c,*

^toumeai^, 'giddy goose' — dPhomme ^^ des manches de lianes ; or,

d la mode) oflFers.' des gaules. — ' when a cnild ;' see

^ eapices sonnantet, page 29, note i'*, and leave out 'a.'

' orange douce. " ' like a child.'
' ' rights on his lands.'

266 FRENCH PROSE

though old times were to return agaiu.^ I looked round
inyoluntarily, expecting to see some face I knew; but aU
was naked and mute. The bed was gona My little pane
of painted window, through which I loved to look at the
sun, when I awoke in a fine summer's morning, was taken
out, and had been replaced by one of common glass.

I yisited by turns every chamber; they were. all desolate
and unfurnished, one excepted,^ in which the owner had
left a harpsichord, probably to be sold: I touched the
keys ; I played some old Scottish tunes, which had de-
lighted me when a child. Past associations revived with
the music ; blended with a sense of unreality y^ which at
last became too powerful, I rushed out of the room to
give vent to my feelings.

I wandered, scarce knowing where, into^ an old wood,
that stands at the back of the house; we called it the
Wilderness, A well-known ^brm was missing that used to
meet me in this place: it was thine, Ben Moxam, the
kindest, gentlest, politest of human beings, yet was he
nothing higher than a gardener in the &,mily. Honest
creature, thou didst never pass me in my childish rambles
without a soft speech and a smile. I remember thy
good-natured face. But there is one thing for which I can
never forgive thee,^ Ben Moxam, that thou didst join with
an old maiden aunt of mine in a ^ cruel plot to lop away
the hanging branches of the old fir-trees. I remember
them sweeping to the ground.^

I have often left my childish sports to ramble in this
place; its glooms and its solitude had a mysterious charm
for my young mind, nurturing within me that love of
quietness and lonely thinking, which have accompanied
me to maturer years.

* See p. 25, n. i', and p. 22, n. •. * 'I wandered • . . .^ into,' A.prii

—'as though,* que, — * were to ; * use avoir errS .... fewtrai dans (see p.

aller.—' return ; ' see p. 264, n. «. 6, n. ^). * See p. 115, n. 7.

s When excepts follows the noun, > ' it is to have joined (use m

it agrees witii it both in gender joindre) to an old maiden aunt of

and number ; when preceding the mine {ufie vieille tanU fille d moi)

noun, it remains invwiable. in the (p. 87, n. *).*

8 non-Haliti (coined for the pur- ^ II me semble que je let vats en*

pose). core se balajicer en raaani le soL

COMPOSITION. 267

lu this Wilderness I found myself after a ten years*
absence. Its stately fir-trees were yet standing, with all
their luxuriant company of underwood : the squirrel was
there, and^ the melancholy cooings of the wood-pigeon ;
all was as I had left it ; my heart softened at the sight ;
it seemed as though my character had been suffering a
change since I forsook these shades.

My parents^ were both dead ; I had no counsellor left, no
experience of age to direct me, no sweet voice of reproo£
The Lord had taken away my friends, and I knew not
where he had laid them. I paced round the wilderness,
seeking a comforter. I prayed, that I might be restored
to that state of innocence in which I had wandered in those
shades.

Methought my request was heard ; for it seemed as
though^ the stains of manhood were passing from me, and
I were relapsing into the purity and simplicity of child-
hood. I was content to have been moulded into a perfect
child.^ I stood still as in a trance. I dreamed that I was
enjoying a personal intercourse with my heavenly Father,
and, extravagantly,^ put off the shoes from my feet; for
the place where I stood, I thought, was holy ground.

This state of mind could not last long, and I returned,
with languid feelings, to my inn. I ordered my dinner,
green peas and a sweetbread : it had been a &vourite dish
with me in my childhood ; I was allowed to have it on
my birth-days. I was impatient to see it come upon
table ; but, when it came, I could scarce eat a mouthful ;
my tears choked me. I ctiUed for ^ wine ; I drank a
pint and a half ^ of red wine, and not till then had I

^ et atusi, — 'oooings ;' use the dettx parents simply means 'two

singular, that the ellipsis (of * was relatives.'

there/ already expressed, rather ^ car on e&t dit qtLe, — to avoid

than of ' were there,' not expressed too frequent repetitions,

before) may be correct. * J*aurais bien voiUu revStir

"^ 'My father and my mother.' UyiUes les formes, totis les aUribvis

Translate so on accoimt of ' both/ d'un enfaiU,

which follows : for the same reason ^ 'by an exaggeration of the

that we do not use parent in the fancy.'

singular, in this sense (see ptsge ® * I asked.'

69, note ^^), we cannot say either ^ See page 5, note K
deux parents in the same sense,—

268 FRENCH PROSE

dared to^ visit the churchyard, where my parents were
interred.

The cottage lay in* my way. Margaret had chosen it
for that very reason, to be near the church ; for the old
lady was regular in her attendance on public worship. I
passed on,^ and in a moment found myself among the
tombs.

I had been present at my father's burial, and knew the
spot again; my mother's funeral I was prevented by
illness from attending :^ a plain stone was placed over the
grave, with their initials carved upon it,^ for they both
occupied one grave.

I prostrated myself before the spot ; I kissed the earth
that covered them ; I contemplated with gloomy delight
the time when I should mingle my dust with theirs, and
kneeled, with my arms incumbent on the grave>stone, in
a kind of mental prayer : for I could not speak.

Having performed these duties, I arose with quieter
feelings, and felt leisure to attend to indifferent objects.
Still I continued in the churchyard, reading the various
inscriptions, and moralizing upon them with that kind of
levity which will not unfrequently® spring up in the mind
in the midst of deep melancholy. I read of nothing but^
careful parents, loving husbands, and dutiful children. I
said jestingly, where be all the had people buried %^ Bad
parents, bad husbands, bad children, what cemeteries are

1 'and it -was only after that page 89 (the present case, however,

that I dared to go.' is within the rule). The above-

> sur» mentioned exception with regard to

> Je continual ma route; or, Je UnU, takes place : — ^Ist, when tout is
passai ovire. ' the only aojective which precedes,

^ Bemember that this construe- as tova (maso.) les gens; and, 2nd,

tion is not French. when totU, though not being the

' upon it,' dessus. only adjective pr^)eding, is coupled

6 'not unfrequently,' oMez sou- with another adjective which has
tent. — 'will ;' see page 45, note *. the same termination for both gen-

7 On iCyfaxwAi nuntion que de. ders, as (ous (masc.) lee hoMlesgens,

8 OH euterre-t'on done Umtee let tons (masc.) lee jeunes gens; — but
mauvaiaes genst See p. 89, n. we must say, as above, toutes (fern.)
^^. When the adjective tout pre> les mauvaiaea gene, as the adjective
cedes gene, it sometimes forms, by mauvaie{fDBac) has a difTeient tor-
being put in the masculine, an ex- mination {mauvaiee) in the femi-
oeption to the rule moitioned at nine*

COMPOSITION. 269

appointed for these! do they not sleep in consecrated
ground? or is it but a pious fiction, a generous oversight,
in the sui-vivors, which thus tricks out^ men's epitaphs
when dead,2 who, in their life-time, discharged the offices
of life, perhaps, but lamely? Their foiling, with their
reproaches, now sleep with them in the grave. Man
ibar9 not with the dead. It is a trait of human nature, for
which I love it.^ — (Chables Lamb, Hosamund Gray*)

ON FORMING A TASTE FOR* SIMPLE

PLEASURES.

The simple and innocent satisfactions of nature are
usually within reach ; and, as they excite no violent per-
turbation in the pursuit, so are they enjoyed without
tumult, and relinquished without long or painful regret.
It will, then, render essential service, both to happiness
and morality, if we can persuade men in general to taste
and to contract an habitual relish for the genuine satiBfac-
tions of uncorrupted nature.

The young mind is always delighted with rural scenery.
The earliest poetry was pastoral, and every juvenile poet
of the present day delights to indulge in the luxuriance of
a rural description. A taste for these pleasures will render
the morning walk at least as delightful as the evening
assembly. The various forms which nature assumes^ in
the vicissitudes of the seasons constitute a source of com-
placency which can never be exhausted. How grateful to
the senses is the freshness of the herbage, the fragrancy of
the flowers, and all those simple delights of the field, which
the poets have, from the earliest ages, no less justly than
exuberantly described! " It is all® mere fiction," exclaims

* ome, or pare, or dScore» qtd me font V aimer),

9 <when dead;' see page 29, ^ '(hi the formation of the taste

note". — 'who,' thus plac^Ml: see of.'

page 10, note >. " Use revitir,

* Cest un dee traita de la naiure ^ * All that, will exclaim . . ., is
kumaine qui font que je Vaime {w, but,'

ttO FRENCH PROSE

the man of the world, ^ the painting of a yisionary enthu-
siast.'' He feels not» he cannot feel, their tmth.^ He sees
no charms in herbs and blossoms; the melody of the grove
is no mnsic to his ear;^ and this happens because he has
lost by his own fault those tender sensibilities i^hich
nature had bestowed. They are still daily perceived in all
their perfection by the ingenuous and innocent, and they
have been most truly described by feeling poets, as contri-
buting to pure, real, and exalted delight

Yet the possessor of extensive lands, if he is a man of
fashion and spirit, forsakes the sweet scenes of rural
nature, and shuts himself up in a crowded metropolis, and
leaves that liberal air, which breathes over his lawns and
agitates his forests, to be inhaled by his menial rustics.^
He perverts the designs of nature and despises the heredi-
tary blessings of Providence; he receives the adequate
punishment in a restless life, perpetually seeking, and
never finding, satisfaction. But the employments of agri-
culture, independently of their profit, are most congenial
and pleasing to human nature. An tmcorrupted. mind
sees, in the progress of vegetation, and in the manner and
excellences of those animals which are destined to our
immediate service, such charms and beauties as art can
seldom produce. Husbandry may be superintended by an
elegant mind; nor is it by any means necessary that they
who engage in it should contract a coarseness of manners
or a vulgarity of sentiment. It is most fevourable to
health, to plenty, to repose, and to innocence ; and great,
indeed, must be the objects which justify a reasonable
creature in relinquishing these. Are plays, are balls, are
nocturnal assemblies of whatever denomination, which
tend to rob us of sleep, to lessen our patrimony, to injure
our health, to render us selfish, vicious, thoughtless, and
useless, equivalent to these? Reason replies in the nega-
tive;^ yet the almost imiversal departure from innocence

> ' the truth of these reflections.' haled {d, and the infinitiYe active)

* ' he is deaS—^, e., dead, insen- by (d) his menial rustics that,*

sible — {sourd) to the melody . . . kc.

&0.' * par une niffcUwn ; or, %igaJtxv€-

s Turn, 'and leaves to be in- menX; or, par la nSgatvfe,

COMPOSITION. 271

and simpHoity will leaye the affinnatlYe established by a
corrupt majority.

It is not without a sigh that a thinking man can pass
by a lordly mansion, some sweet retreat, deserted by its
Msely refined possessor, who is stupidly carousing in a
polluted city. When he sees the chimney without smoke
in the venerable house where all the country was once
welcomed to partake of ^ princely hospitality, he cannot
help^ lamenting that progress of refinement which, in
rendering the descendants of the great fine gentlemen, has
left them something^ less than men through the defect of
manly virtues.

The superint.endence of a garden might of itself occupy
a life elegantly and pleasurably ; nothing is better able to
gratify the inherent love of novelty, hr nature is always
renewing her variegated appearance. She is infinite in
productions, and the life of man may come to its close
before he has seen half the pictures which she is able to
display. The taste for gardening in England is at present
pure. Nature is restored to her throne, and reigns majesr
tically beautiful in rude magnificence. The country
abounds with cultivated tracts truly paradisiacal^ But
as the contemplative observer roams over the lawn and
enjoys the shade of the weeping willow, he is often led to
inquire, '' Where is now the owner of this wilderness of
sweets?^ Happy manl" he exclaims, '^to possess such a
spot as this, and to be able at all times to taste the pleasure
which I feel springing in my bosom.*' But, aJasl the
owner is engaged in other scenes. He is rattling over
the streets^ of London, and pursuing^ all the sophisticated
joys which succeed to supply the place where nature is
relinquished. If he condescends to pay an annual visit to

^ prendre part d ; or, pcuticiper. finitiyej in this senBe.

d. Observe that parhciper fol- ^ en qudque torte.

lowed by (i« means 'to participate/ * ^% en font un vfritahle pa-

in the sense of ' to be of the same radu.

nature ;' whereas, when followed by " profwion d^agrSments,

d, it means ' to partake of/ * to ^ jLet roues de sa voiture ritonr

partici^te,' in the sense of ' to iteni tur le pavS (or, par Us rues),

share (m).' ' 'where he pursues.'

* 8*empicher de, — with the inr

272 FRENCH PROSE

the retreat, he brings with him all his acquired inclina-
tions; and while he sits at the card-table, or at the banquet,
and thinks of little else than promoting his interest at the
next election, he leaves the shrub to blossom and the rose
to diffuse its sweets^ in unobserved solitude. — (Knoz,
Essays^

ON THE FOLLY OF INCONSISTENT
EXPECTATIONS.

This world may be considered as a great mart of com-
merce where fortune exposes to our view various commo-
dities, riches, ease, tranquillity, &me, integrity, knowledge.
Every thing is marked at a settled price. Our time, our
labour, our ingenuity, is ^ so much ready money which we
are to lay out to the best ' advantage. Examine, compare,
choose, reject; but stand to your own judgment, and do
not, like children, when you have purchased one thing,
repine that you do not possess another which you did not
purchase. Such is the force of well-regulated industry,
that a steady and vigorous exertion of our faculties,
directed to one end, wiU generally insure success. Would
you, for instance, be richi Do you think that single
point worth the sacrificing every thing else to?^ You
may then be rich. Thousands have become so, from the
lowest beginnings, by toil and patient diligence, and atten-
tion to the minutest articles of expense and profit. But
you must give up the pleasures of leisure, of a vacant
mind, of a free unsuspicious temper. K you preserve
your integrity, it must be a coarse-spun^ and vulgar
honesty. Those high and lofty notions of morals, which
you brought with you from the schools, must be consider-
ably lowered, and mixed with the baser alloy of a jealous

* parfums. ' ' to our greatest/

• 'are.' — 'ready money,' argent * digne qu'on lui tcurifie ....
comptawt, — 'settled pricse,' ^prix &c.

fdiU » Simply, grottUre (fern.).

COMPOSITION. 273

and worldly-minded prudence. You must learn ta do
hard, if not unjust, things ; and, as for the nice embarrass-
ments of a delicate and ingenuous spirit, it is necessary
for you to get rid of them as fast as possible. You must
shut your heart against^ the Muses, and be content to feed
your understanding with plain household truths. In
short, you must not attempt to enlarge your ideas, or
polish your taste, or refine your sentiments ; but must
keep on in ^ one beaten track, without turning aside either
to the right hand or to the left. '' But I cannot submit
to drudgery like this; I feel a spirit^ above it" *Tis
well ; be above it * then ; only do not repine that you are
not rich.

Is knowledge the pearl of price? That too may be
purchased by steady application, and long solitary hours
of study and reflection. Pestow these, and you shall be
wise. *' But,*' says the man of letters, '' what a hardship
is it that many an illiterate fellow, who cannot construe
the motto of the arms on ^ his coach, shall raise a fortune
and make a figure, while I have little^ more than the
common conveniences of life 1 " Was it in order to raise
a fortune that you consumed the sprightly hours of youth
in study and retirement? Was it to be rich that you
grew pale over the midnight lamp,^ and distilled the
sweetness from the Greek and Roman spring ? You have
then mistaken your^ path and ill-employed your industry.
" What reward have I then for all my labours ? " What
reward ! A large comprehensive soul, well purged from
vulgar fears, and perturbations, and prejudices ; ^ able to
comprehend and interpret the works of man, of God. A
rich, flourishing, cultivated mind, pregnant with inex-
haustible stores ^^ of entertainment and reflection ; a per-

^ 'to.' 8 xjge gg tromper de, here.

» j^oursuivre, * pHjugit, in this sense ;■— jpr«

^ jeme sens CitUelHgence. judtce corresponds to the English

^ Simply, an-dessus, here. word 'prejucuce,' only in the sense

* 'which are on.* of 'wrong,* 'damage/ 'detri-

• 'a figure;' leave out 'a.* — ment.'

'little/ here, gvire, with ne before ^^ 'pr^fnant with stores,* possj-
the verb. daiU %n finds (or, des irisorsu

7 la lampe de vos veilles.

274 FRENCH FR08E

petual fipnng of fresh ideaa^ and the conacious dagmty cf
sttperiw intelligeaoe. Good Heayen ! ^ and whaJk reward
can Tou ask besides t

"But is it not some reproach upon the economj of
PkoTidenoe, that such a one, who is a mean dirty fellow,
should have aniassed wealth enough to buy half a naiticmr
Not in the least.^ He made hiiniself a mean dirty fellow,
for that yery end. He has paid his health, his oonscience,
his liberty for it ;' and wiU you envy him his baigaint
Will you hang^ yoor head and blush in his presence
because he outshines you in equipage and show 9 Lift up
your In:ow with a ndble confidence, and say to yourself
'' I have not these things, it is true ; but it is because I
haye not sought,'^ because I haye not desired them ; it is
because I possess something better. I haye chosen say
hyt ; I am e<Hitent and satisfied.*.*

Tou are a modest man, you loye quiet and independence^
and haye a delicacy and reserve in your temper, which
renders it impossible for you to elbow your way ia the
world,^ and be the herald of your own merits. Be content
then with a modest retirement, with the esteem of your
intimate friends, with the praises of a blameless heart, and
a delicate ingenuous spirit; but resign the ^lendid dis-
tinctions of the world to those who can better scramble
(or them.^

The man, whose tender sensibility of conscience and
strict regard to the rules of morality make him^ scrupulous

^ JfuU del I QT, Grand Dieu ! In Frenob,— the lan^aage of oloar-

' See page 71, note i". ness, par exeelUfice, it is not tole-

3 Seep. §5, n. i*. Yet, here, we rated : oonstnict here, therefore,

shall translate both more correctly ' The man, whom his'— or, a — ten-

and more elegantly by II v est 'po/r- der sensibility of conscience and

venv, an prix de ta satUS, sc. (his — a) strict regard .... &o.

* baitser, make (page 85, note 7) scru-
' See page 90, note '. pulous/ &c. — But there will be

* ' to elm>w one's way,' ^ouvrir a difficulty of another sort a little
UA cAonin d covpt de coude (see farther on, and one whioh wiU
page 6, note ^, and also page 22, interfere with the above con-
note 1). 7 y prftendre, struction : ' fearful of offendingr '

^ 'whose .... make him;' a cannot be translated literaUy* as

rather awkward and obscure con- we do not say cradntif d^ojf^enser

struction, authocised by custom, (craintif being always used abao-

bat which it is better to avoid, lutely). Construct now, theiefore.

COMPOSITION. 275

and fearful of offending, is often heard to complain of the
disadvantages be lies under ^ in eyQry path of honour and
profit " Could I but get over some nice points, and con-
form to the practice and opinion of those ^ about me, I
might stand as fair a chance as others for' dignities and
preferment.* And why can you not? What hinders you
from discharging* this troublesome scrupulosity of yours
which stands so grievously in your way) If it be a smaU
thing to^ enjoy a healthful mind, sound at the vety core,
that does not shrink from the keenest inspection ; inward
freedom from remorse and perturbation ; tmsullied white^
ness and simplicity of manners; a genuine integrity,

Fare ift the last reoesses of tlio mind ;

if you think these advantages an inadequate necompetise
for what you resign, dismiss your scruples this instant,^
and be a slave-merchant, a director, or what you please.'^ —
(Mrs. Babbauld.)

'The znaa to whom .... ko. Id- tune, to alter oxu» more the last

spire scruples and the fear of construction which I have set down,

offending.' But now (and I hope ^ ' to lie under/ here, Sjprowi^.

the student's patience is not yet ' 'those who are.'

eoEhausted, as patience is a neces- ^ jte sircds e» aussi beUe pout

sary- ingredient for translation as que dPatUres cTcuvoir (or, cPobtenir),

well as for composition) — ^but now, * meO^e de c6ti; or; ^oug cK-

a third difficuliT- presents itself, faifede. Leai^oot 'of yours.'

via., ' is often heara to complain/ " ^S^^ (fest peu di chase ^gue (page

which turn, as we have repeatedly 138, note ^) de.

Seen above, is not fVench. With > d Finstcmt,

this hint only, however, I shall ' Use the future, and see page

leave the student himself, this 135, note *.

T 2

376 FRENCH PROSE

RELIGION NEVER TO BE TREATED i WITH

LEYITY.

I11PBISS8 your minds with reverence for all that is sacred.
Lei no wantonness^ of youthful spirits^^ no compliance
with the intemperate* mirth of oUiers, eyer betray you
into^ pro&ne sallie& Besides the guilt which is thereby
incurred, nothing gives a more odious appearance of
petulance and presumption to youth, than the affectation
of treating religion with levity. Instead of being an
evidence of superior understanding, it discovers a pert
and shallow mind; which, vain of the first smatterings of
knowledge, presumes to make light of ^ what the rest of
mankind revere/ At the same time you are not to
ima^ne that, when exhorted to be religious, you axe
called upon to become more formal and solemn in your
manners than others of the same years, or to erect your-
selves into supercilious reprovers of those around you.
The spirit of true religion breathes gentleness and affii-
bility. It gives a native unaffected ease to the behaviour.
It is social, kind, and cheerful; hi removed from that
gloomy and illiberal superstition which clouds the brow,
sharpens ^ the temper, dejects the spirit, and teaches men
to fit themselves for another world by neglecting the con-
cerns of this. Let your religion, on the contrary, connect
preparation for heaven with an honourable discharge of
the duties of active life. Of such religion discover,® on
every proper occasion, that you are not ashamed ; but
avoid making any unnecessary ostentation of it before the
world. — (Blaib.)

1 MU ne fiaU jamais traiier la * 'spiritfl;' entrain (or, v%nacii£

religion. The conjunction qtie is or, ffoteU) in this sense. *

sometimes thus used, with an * immodirie; or, dSmesurSem
ellipsis of the first member of the " Use enirainer d.
sentence, in the titles of chapters > mtpriser; or, sefaire unjeude.
or sections of a book, &c., to indi- ' See p. 118, n. i' ; and use the

cate the subjects treated of therein, singular nere, by all means.
* exubSrance. * aigrH. > vwrUreg^

COMPOSITION. 277

SCENE FROM THE PLAY OF « MONEY "
(6y Sir Edward Bvlwer Lytton!)

Gborgina, and Sir John Vesbt {Bart,, Knight of the
Gtielph, F.E,3.y F.S.A,), her father.

Geor, And you really feel sure that poor Mr. Mordaunt
has made me his heiress ?

Sir J. Ay, the richest heiress in England. Can you
doubt it ? Are you not his nearest relation 1 Niece by
your poor mother, his own sister. ^ All the time he Was
making this enormous fortune in India, did we ever miss
sending him little reminiscences of our disinterested
affection? When he was last in England, and you only
so high,^ was not my house his home ? ^ Didn^t I get a
surfeit out of complaisance to his execrable curries and
piUan^ 1 * Didn't he smoke his hookah — nasty old — that
is, poor dear man — in my best* drawing-room ? And did
you ever speak without calling him your " handsome
uncle?'* — for the excellent creature was as yain as a
peacock,® —

Geor. And so ugly,"^ —

Sir J, The dear deceased ! Alas, he was, indeed.® And
if after all these marks of attachment, you are not his
heiress, why then the finest feelings of our nature — the
ties of blood — the principles of justice — are implanted in
us in Tain.

Chor. Beautiful, sir.' Was not that in your last speech
at the Freemasons' Tavern upon the great Chimney-sweep
Question ?

Sir J, Clever girl ! ^^ — what a memory she has 1 Sit

1 < niece/ &o. ; sitnply, 'his sis- ^ JEt laid! , . . ne inCen parlig

ter^s daufl:litejp.* pas; or, more concisely, £t (tune

' ' not taller than that.' laideur

» Simply, lasienne ( ' his '). 8 * Poor (p. 117, n. ») dear man I

* oiprit avoir mangi^ pour lui Alas, yes. Indeed.*

faire platsir, cFun de ses maudits ' A merveilte,

pilaux au cuny t • 'finest.* *® Comme elle eitjine, cettejoetite

« car U (tait alorieux (or, Jier) JUle-ld,! or, simply, 'ComnM eUt «tt

comme un pa^m, U cher onclt, fine I

278 FRENCH PE08B

down, Geology. Upon this most happy — ^I mean meilan-
oholy Qo^afiion, I feel that I may trust you iKth a secret
You see this fine house-^-our fine servants— our fine plate
—our fine dinners: eveiy one thinks Sir John Yesey a
rich man.

GeoT, And are you not, papa)

Sir J, Not a bit of it ^ — all humbug, child — all hum-
bug,^ upon my soul ! As you hazard a minnow to hook
in a trout, so one guinea thrown out with address is often
the best bait for a hundred. There are two rules in life-—
First, Men are valued not fcur what they are, but what
they 8/eem to be. Secondly, If you have no merit or mooey
of your own, you must trade on the merits and iacu»aey ^
other people. My &ther got the title by services in the
army, and died penniless. On the strength of ^ his services
I got a pension of 400Z. a-year — on the strength of 4002.
a-year^ I took credit for<^ 800L : on the strength of 8002.
Sryear I married^ your mother with 10,0002.: on tbe
strength of 10,0002., I took credit &r 40,0002., and paid
Dicky Gossip three guineas a- week to go about everywhere
caning me *^ Stingy Jack 1 *' ^

€r€or. Ha ! ha 1 A disagreeable nickname.

Sir J, But a valuable reputation. When a man is
called stingy, it is as much as calling him rich ; and when
a man's called rich, why he's a man universally respected.
On the strength of my respectability I wheedled a con-
stituency,^ changed my politics, resigned my seat to a
minister, who, to a man of such stake ^ in the country,
could offer nothing less in return than a patent office of
2,0002. a-year. That's the way to succeed in li&. Humbug,
my dear I — all himibug,^^ upon my soul !

1 ' Not in the least/ — as ren- be able to spend 800/. {tn, dSpenter
4ered sereral times lusher up. Mi ceniuy

* blague (yery fiunibmr) ^ taut ^ See pofi:e 182, note 1

eda, enfant, blague dCun bovt ' le pire Liardeur ; «r, U p^re

d f autre {or, depuit A jutqyCdk XoWniw.—' Dicky Qossip,* Jean

Z), Dueanean.

* A lafavettr (or. Far U moyen * un corps iledoral,
'Swr lafoi) dej or, simply, Svr, ^ ausii bien poti,

* par an, ^o La blague, ma chire et^fdnt,

* ' I obtained credit enough to il n*y a Hen eomme la Mq^nceu.

COMPOSITION. 279

QkiiT, I must «ay that yoti—

Sir J, Know the world, to be sure. Now, for your
fortune, — as I spend more than my income, I oan have
nothing to leave you ; yet, even without counting your
uncle, you have always passed for an heiress on the credit^
of your expectations from the savings of '^ Stingy Jack."
The same with your education. I never grudged anything
to make a show * — never stuffed your head with histories
and homilies ; but you draw, you sing, you dance, you
walk well into a room ;* and that's the way 3roung ladies
are educated now- a-days, in order to become a pride to
their parents, and a blessing to their husband — that is,
when they have caught him. A propos of a husband:
you know we thought of* Sir Frederick Blount.

Gwr. Ah, papa, he is charming.

Sir J, He wm «o, my dear, before we knew your pooi
uncle was dead ; but an heiress such as you will be should
look out for^ a duke.— >Where ^e deuce is Evelyn this
morning 9

G^toT. I've not seen him, papa. What a strange charac-
ter he is ^ — so sarcastic; and yet he can be agreeable.

Svr J. A hummst^*— a cynic ! one never knows how to
take him. My private secretary, — a poor couBin,-^ha8
not got a shilling,^ and yet, hang me,^ if he does not keep
U8 all at a sort of a distance. ^^

Gear. But why do you take him to live with us, papa,
since there's no good to be got by it %

Sir J. There you are wrong ;^^ he has a great deal of
talent : prepares my speeches, writes my pamphlets, looks
up my <»Iculation8. My report on^^ the last Commissioii
has got me a great deal of fame, and has put me at the
head of the new one. Besides, he is our cousin — he has

1 fai, ^ pearance or qualities. ' ori^inaL

* te donner du relief; or, /aire " il n*a p<u un icu vatUant.
Jloris (faxxL). * je veux Hre pendu.

* tu te ^sentei hien dans un *• We say, tenir d distance,
talon ; or, simply, tu teprieenies Men. without any article, in this sense :

^ fetvaisjeU les yeuxsur* the literal translation, therefore,

A chereher d trouver, wUl not do here, and you must

> /aire is oilon quaintly used, change the construction a little,

with such a construction, instead ^^ C eat ce quite (rompe; or, &est

of itre, in relation to a person's ap- en ^ot tu te trompet. ^* d.

280 FRENCH PROSE

no salary : ^ kindneaB to a poor relation always tells ve&'
in the world ; and Beneyolence is a useful virtue, — ^par-
ticularly when you can have it for nothing 1 With, our
other cousin, Claia^ it was different : her fieither thought
fit to leave me her guardian, though she had not a penny
— a mere useless incumbrance; so, you see, I got my half-
sister, Liady Franklin, to take her off my handsL^

Geor. How much longer is Lady Franklin's visit to bet
Sir J. I don't know, my dear ; the longer the better,^! —
for her husband left her a good deal of money at her own
disposal Ah, here she comes.

LORD CHATHAM'S SPEECH FOR THE IMME-
DLiTE REMOVAL OF THE TROOPS FROM
BOSTON, IN AMERICA.— (June 20, 1775.)

Too well apprized of the contents of the papers, now at
last laid before the House, I shall not take up their ^
lordships^ time in tedious and fruitless investigations, but
shall seize the first moment to open the door of reconcile-
ment ; for every moment of delay is a moment of danger.
As I have not the honour of access to his Majesty, I will
endeavour to transmit to him, through the constitutional
channel of this House, my ideas of America, to rescue him
from the misadvice of his present ministers. America,
my lords, cannot be reconciled, she ought not to be recon«
ciled, to this country, till the troops of Britain are with-
drawn from the continent ; they are a bar to all confidence ;
they are a source of perpetual irritation ; they threaten a
fatal catastrophe. How can America trust you with the

^ traitemefU; or, appoifUemenis j ' Use m*en dSbaiTosger (or,

or, honorairet ; — iolaire and gages dSlivrer, or, di/aire).

mean ' wages,' the former, of work- * Supply the ellipds, whioli is

men, and the latter, of servants. not French.

* ' produces a good effect ;' or, ' ' your.'
' looks weU (fait bien)**

CX)MFO^ITION. 281

bayonet at her breast? How can she snppose that you
mean less than bondage or death ? I therefore, my lords,
moye, that an humble address be presented to his Majesty,
most humbly to advise and beseech his Majesty, that, in
order to open the way towards a happy settlement of the
dangerous troubles in America, it may graciously please
his Majesty to transmit orders to Genend Gage for remov^
ing his Majesty's forces from the town of Boston. I know
not, my lords, who advised the present measures ; I know
not who advises to a perseverance and enforcement of
them ; but this I will say,^ that the authors of such
advice ought to answer it^ at their utmost peril. I wish,
my lords, not to lose a day in this urgent, pressing crisis ;
an hour now lost in allaying ferments in America may
produce years of calamity. Never will I desert, in any
stage of its progress, the conduct of this momentous
business. Unless fettered to my bed by the extremity of
sickness, I will give it unremitting attention. I will knock
at the gates of this sleeping and confounded ministry, and
will, if it be possible, rouse them to a sense of their
danger. The recall of your army I urge as necessarily
preparatory to the restoration of your peace. By this it
will appear ^ that you are disposed to treat amicably and
equitably, and to consider, revise, and repeal, if it should
be found necessary, as I affirm it will, those violent acts
and declarations which have disseminated confusion
throughout the empire. Resistance to these acts was
necessary, and therefore just ; and your vain declarations
of the omnipotence of parliament, and your imperious
doctrines of the necessity of submission, will be found
equally impotent to convince or enslave America, who
feels that tyranny is equally intolerable, whether it be
exercised by an individtual part of the Legislature, or by
the collective bodies which compose it. The means of
enforcing this thraldom are found to be as ridiculous and
weak in practice as they are unjust in principle. Conceiv-
ing of General Gage as a man of humanity and under-

^ Simply, mais faffiitM. ' » Cette meaure/era voir.

* en rSpondre*

S82 FRENCH FROSE

■landing, entertoiniog, as I ewer most, the higfacBt
and affection for the Britiah ttoegB^ I feel the moat anzkNB
aenaibility for their aitnation, pining in ing^oriooa inactiTitjfL
Ton may call them an army of safety and d^snee* but
they are in truth an army of impotenoe and contempt ;
and to make the folly equal to the dipgraoe, they axe aa
army of irritation and Texation. Allay then the fennent
preyailing in America by remoTing the obnoxioiia boafcile
cauae. If you delay oonoeesion till your Tain hope shall
be aocompliBhed of triumphantly dictating reoondliatioo,
you delay for ever : the force of this oountiy would be
disproportionately exerted against a brave, generoii8» and
united people, with arms in their hands, and ooionige in
their hearts — ^three millions of people, the genuine de-
scendants of a Taliant and pious ancestiy, driven to those
deserts by the narrow maxims of a auperstitious tyranny.
But is the ^irit of persecution never to be appeased!
Are the brave sons of those brave fore&then to inherit
their sufferings, as they have inherited their virtues ) Are
they to sustain the infliction of the most oppressive and
unexampled severity, beyond what history has related or
poetzy has feigned ?

BhadamanthtuB liabet dariaaima r^gna,

But the Americans must not be heard; they have been
condemned unheard. The indiscriminate hand of vengeance
has devoted thirty thousand British subjects of all ranks,
ages, and descriptions^ to one common ruin. You may, no
doubt, destroy their cities; you may cut them off from^
the superfluities, perhaps the conveniences of life; but,
my lords, they will still despise your power, for they have
yet remaining^ their woods and their liberty. What
though^ you march from town to town, from province to
province ; though you should be able to enforce a tempo-
rary and local submission : how shall you be able to secure
the obedience of the country you leave behind you, in

^ lew erdever ; or, let fyriver de. subj.^ ; or, Q;wMid rnhne (with, the
' ' there will remain stUl to them.' conditional) ; or, Bimply, Quaatd
^ ^' imporU qvs (with the pre3. (with the oondiUonal).

COMPOSITION. 29$

yoitf progress of ^ eighteen hundrad miles of oontiaont,
aoimi^ed with the same spirit of liberty and of resistaace 9
This ixmversal opposition to your arbitrary system of
taxation might have been foreseen ; it was obvious from ^
the nature of things, and from the nature of man, and,
above all, from the confirmq|d habits of thinking, from the
spirit of whig^m, flourishing in America. The spirit
which now pervades America, is the same which formerly
opposed loans, benevolences,^ and ship money ^ in this
country; the same spirit which roused all England to
aotion at the revohition, and which established at a remote
era your liberties on the basis of that great fundamental
maxim of the constitution, that no subject of England
shall be taxed but by his own consent. What shall oppose
this spirit, aided by the congenial ^ flame glowing in the
breast of every generous Briton 9 To maintain this prin-
ciple is the common cause of the whigs on the other side
of the Atlantic and on this : it is liberty to liberty engaged.
Jn this great cause they are immoveaLly allied : it is the
allianoe of God and nature, immutable, eternal, fixed aa
the firmament of heaven. As an^ Englishman, I recognize
to the Americans their supreme, unalterable right of pro*
perty. As an American, I would equally recognize to
England her supreme right of regulating commerce and
navigation. This distinction is involved in the abstract
nature of things : property is private, individual, absolute;
the touch of another annihilates it. Trade is an extended
and complicated consideration : it reaches as far as ships
can sail or winds can blow; it is a vast and various
machine. To regulate the numberless movements of its
several parts, and to combine them in one harmonious
effect, for the good of the whole, requires the superintend-
ing wisdom and energy of the supreme power of the empire.
On this grand practical distinction, then, let us rest:

1 voifOffB (or, better, marche) d ' Leare out 'an/ here ; bat if

travers. > ctapris. there was a oomparison eeta*

9 dont grtxtmU. blished (ex., * lie fought as a lion \

4 rimp/U sw let navires (impdt 'a/ or 'an,* should be translatea.

qu'on levait pour la construction Seep. 193, n. », and p. 189, n. «, for

Has navires). '^ sympcOhique. cases similar to the above.

284 FRENCH FROSE

taxation is thein ; oomtnercial regulation is ouis. As to
the metaphysical refinements,^ attempting to show that
ihe Americans are equally free from legislative control and
commercial restraint, as from taxation for the purpose of
reyenue, I pronounce them futile, frivolous, groundless.
When your lordships have peijised the papers transmitted
us from America, when you consider the dignity, the firm*
ness, and the wisdom with which the Americans have
acted, you cannot but respect their cause. History, my
lords, has been my favourite study; and in the celebrated
writings of antiquity have I often admired the patriotism
of Greece and Rome; but, my lords, I must declare and
vow that, in the master-senates^ of the world, I know not
the^ people, nor the senate, who in such a complication of
difficult circumstances, can stand in preference to^ thd
delegates of America assembled in General Congress at
Philadelphia. I trust it is obvious to your lordships that
all attempts to impose servitude upon such men, to
establish despotism over such a mighty continental nation,
must be vain, must be futile. Can such a national prin*
cipled union ^ be resisted by the tricks of office or minis-
terial manoouvres? Heaping papers on your table, or
counting your majorities on a division,^ will not avert or
postpone the hour of danger. It must arrive^ zny lorda^
unless these fatal acts are done away with : it must arrive
in all its horrors; and then these boastful ministers, in
spite of all their confidence and all their manoeuvres, shall
be compelled to hide their heads.^ But it is not repealing
this or that ^ act of parliament, it is not repealing a piece
of parchment, that can restore America to your bosom :
you must repeal her fears and resentments, and then you
may hope for her love and gratitude. But now, insulted
with an armed force, irritated with an hostile array before

■ 1 suhtilitit. — 'Attempting/ tevt^ * rSctamer la pr^rence tur j^ or,

dant. Notice that present par- vouloir Hre mis au-dessus de,

ticiples are essentially invariable, ^ 'a national union founded on

in French, except when used ad- a principle.'

jectively (as at page 113, note ^). '^ ' on,', &;c., en allanJt avas voix.

> 'the great senates;' or, 'the ^ 'to hide themselves ;* or, 'to

first senates*' show themselves no more (see p^

• pas (U, 118, n. "), 8 'such or such.*

COMPOSITION. 286

her eyes, her concessions, if you could force them, would
be suspicious and insecure. But it is more than evident
that you cannot force them to your unworthy terms of
submission — it is impossible— t(^e ourselves shall be forced
ultimately to retract: let us retract while we can, not
when we must. I repeat it, my lords, we shall one day
he forced to undo these violent acts of oppression; they
must be repealed ; you will repeal them. I pledge myself
for it,^ that you wiU in the end repeal them. I stake my
reputation on it;^ I will consent to be taken for an idiot
if they are not repealed. Avoid then this humiliating,
disgraceful necessity. With a dignity becoming your
exiJted situation, make the first advances to c#ncord, to
peace, and to happiness. Concession comes with better
grace and more salutary effect from superior power; it
reconciles superiority of power with the feelings of man,
and establishes solid confidence on the foundations of
affection and gratitude. On the other hand, every danger
and every hazard impend to deter you from perseverance
in the present ruinous measures : foreign war hanging over
your heads by a slight and brittle thread ; France and
Spain watching your conduct, and waiting for the maturity
of your errors, with a vigilant eye to America and the
temper^ of your colonies, more than to their own concerns,
he they what they may} To conclude, my lords, if the
ministers thus persevere in misadvising and misleading the
king, I will not say that they can alienate the affections of
his subjects from the crown ;^ but I afi&rm they will make
the crown not worth his wearing. I will not say that the
Idng is betrayed, but I will pronounce that the kingdom is
undone,

^ je wtu en tuts (or, J9 m*eh The French call them janotu-

potie) gararU ; and leave out mes, from jaiuA^ a * simpleton ;'

'that.' and, were writing more culti-

' Xy engage ma rimOaJUon, vated in England, as an art,

' sentiment; or, aitposition. English authors generally would

^ ' whatever they may be (page not abound, as they do, in such

138, note ").* awkward combinations of words,

' Once more, avoid this kind It should be, here, *' alienate from

of oonstructionB (see page 8, his crown the anootlons of his

note ^^, and page 258, note*), subjects.'

286 FRBKCH PROISE

THE SPECTRE GUESTS COMING.*

"Ah! poor Waldrich,* exclaimed Frederika to her
mother, as they sat chatting in the warm room, by the
window, while in the open street the rain came down in
torrents. " Ah ! if he were only not away. It was the
finest weather in the world before ; and now he is away it
16 the worst.*'

. ** A soldier must put up with ererything," replied Frau
Bantes ; '^ and if you would become a soldier s wife, you
muftt learn that a soldier belongs more to his sovereign
than to As wife ; to honour, more than love ; to the camp,
more than to home; and that when other men look
forward to but one death, a soldier must look forward to
a hundred ; therefore, I should never be a soldier's wife."

'^ Ah I but, mamma, don't you see how it rages aloft
there ; how bkck the heavens arel And do not you see
the great hailstones between the rain-drops 1 "

Fran Bantes smiled ; for there came an idea into her
head, which at first she did not care to impart.^ At
length she said, " Frederika, do you know that to-day is
the first Sunday in Advent, when^ the reign of the Spectre
Guest begins? The evil power ever announces himself
thus, in storm and rain.**

''I would wager, mamma, that this will make all
Herbesheim no little anxious. They will bolt and bar the
doors, lest the long white visage should venture in."

At this very moment, Herr Bantes made his appearance^
in the apartment, with loud, and somewhat strange laugh-
ter. Strange it was, because one could not very well tell
whether it was involuntary or otherwise.

" Stupid stuff,'* and so forth,^ shouted Herr Bantes.
'' Away into the kitchen, mamma, and bring the girls into

^ Vinte imminenie du BevenanL page 10, note '.

* 'head, whioli .... impart j* '^ de VAveiU, — 'when;' see page

i,€., according to this con- 18, note ^.

stmotion, 'she did not care to ^ Simply, 'appealed.'

impart hh- fiead :* a janoHsme, ' Toi de balivemes gue tomi eda f
again. See page 285, note ', and

COBiPOSITION. 287

some kind of order, else tbey will pitch the roast meat into
the soup, the soup amid the Tegetables^ and the vegetables
into the cream pot."

"What is wrong r*^ asked Frau Bantes, astonished.

** Don't you know that the whole town says the Speetre
Quest has arrived? Two manuf&cturerB came, breathless
and dripping wet,^ across the street, to let me know what
they had already heard said in mqre than ten places. I
won't hear another word of such nonsense; so away to the
kitchen. What an uproar they are keeping up L I put
my head in to see what was tiie matter,^ and the silly
wenches sereamed out when th^ saw my black periwigs
and made off, thinking that I waa the Spectre Guest in
proper person. 'Are you all mad 9' said I. 'Ah^ good
gracious/^ cried Kate, * I will not deny, Herr Bantes, that
I am ^ horribly frightened ; my knees are bending under
me; and I have no reason to be ashamed, though I am
engaged to Mat, the tiler. But now, I wish I had never
Boea Mat in all my days.' Then she began to cry ; and
when she went to dry her eyes, she let the panful of eggs
fall upon the ground Susanna sits in the chimney comer,
and weeps behind her apron. The old simple Lena, although
she is past her fiftieth year, was so confused, that she has
well nigh^ cut off her finger with the kitchen knife."

" Did I not say so, mamma?" said Frederika^ laughing
immoderately.

" Do bring them into order in the kitchen^ mamma^"

^ Qu'€st^cegu*ilyad<mc{*WhaA the subordinate propositioii ; and

ia the matter then')? ne must be used Ukewiae when

* el tovi trempSs (page 35^ note nier (as well as douter) appears

p ; or, et trempSs (or mouilUs) imder the intern^tive form. It

Jtumi*aux oSf 'wet through' — 'wet may be remembered here that,

to the skin ' (literally, ... to the with regard to the use of ne, nier

bones). (and douter) follows a rule just the

> 'what the cause of it was/ — reverse of that to which craindre

not to repeat, at so short an in- is subjected (see page 37, note ^).

terval, the same expression as at Ex. i-^e crains gyCil ne vienne;

note K jene erains pas qu*il vienne ; je

^ bonti du del t nie {je doute) j« il vienne ; je ne

' Beoollect that nier, as well nie pa* {je ne dowte pas) qu*il ne

as douter, craindre, ko., govems vienne. See, again, page 185,

the subjunctive. Besides, when note^.

nier (and also douter) is used with ^ gu'clle afailli (followed by the

a negation, ne must be repeated in infimtiy^.

288 FRENCH PROSE

said Herr Bantes, ** else the first devilry of the Speotre
Guest, in Herbesheim, will make us fiist all Sunday.**

Frederika bounded away into the kitchen, exclaiming,
" It shall not come to such a pass as that.** ^

" These are the fruits of superstition,** said Herr Bantes.
*' This is all they know, up and down, from the groom to
the prime minister.

• *«• #••• •
When I die I leave ten thousand guilders^ to maintain a
teacher in the schools, to hammer reason into the people.
What with^ their insane notions about goblins, devils,
spectre guests, and so forth, the world has become no
better than a great madhouse, and each separate countiy
a den for slavery, wherein one-half of the people suffer
extortion, while the other half are armed with musket and
cannon to force obedience.*'

While Herr Bantes ran on after this fashion, thundering,
and roaring, and pacing up and down the apartment, and
stopping occasionally, the book-keeper slipped softly in.

" It is all true, Herr Bantes."

"What is all true?**

** He is here. He has put up at the Black Cross."

" Who is herel Who has put up at the Bl^k Cross?"

" The Spectre Guest.**

" Stuff 1 Are you, who are a reasonable man, going to
believe all that the old women tell you 1 *'

" But my eyes are no old women. I went to the Black
Cross out of curiosity ; the clerk of the court was, so to
speak, my conductor. We took a glass of liquor together
as a pretext ; then he sat down.**

*' Who sat down 1 "

"I knew him on the spotl^ The host appeared to
know him too ; for when it ^ went out of the door, he

^ Les choses n*en viendront pas all.' ^ sur-U-champ.

14 (or, d ce point) ; or, Nota wen * * the spectre ;* the use of 'it,'

viendroju pas Id. See page 59^ here, after using * he ' and ' him '

note \ so much before, to designate the

* fiortTis (monnaie hollandaise et same person, though adopted for

•ll«mande). avoiding ambiguity, has somethimc

•'What with;' turn, 'With very awkward about it.

COMPOSITION. 289

looked at the clerk, as much aB to say, * that means no
good,* " 1

« Tol-de-rol-lol ! " «

" The gate-keeper knew him at the gate, and made off
upon the instant to the lieutenant of police. He told us
all about it as we came out of the Black Cross together."

'* The gate-keeper is a superstitious ass. He should be
ashamed in his very soul."

" It is all very well ; ^ but permit me to observe, that,
if it be not the Spectre Guest, it is his twin brother. A
pale face ; in raven black from head to heel ; a figure some ^
four or five ells long ; a triple chain of gold across his
breast; diamonds sparkling on his fingers; a handsome
equipage ; extra post-horses." •

Herr Bantes' countenance assumed an expression in
which disbelief and astonishment struggled for the masteiy.
At length he burst into an immoderate fit of laughter,
and exclaimed : ^' It appears, then, that the devil carries
on his jokes among us exactly on the first Sunday in
Advent ? "

" Aye, and exactly during divine service, too," said the
book-keeper; "just as the people were struggling through
the streets, while the wind and rain were at the worst." ^

" What is the stranger called 1 " inquired Herr Bantes.

*• I do not know," replied the book-keeper ; " but name
or no name, it is aJl the same.^ At one time he is the
Earl of Graves; at another,^ Count Altenkreuz, Is it not
altogether ominous, too, that he should stop at the Black
Cross, of all other places 1 "

" The name appears made fbr him on purpose."

Herr Bantes remained silent and thoughtful; then drew
his hand over his face, and said : '< It is all chance. A
wonderful concurrence of circumstances. Let us not think
of it. A Spectre Guest, forsooth ! Stuff ! Mere accident,

1 comme pour (p. 129, n. ^^) Ivi ' Tout eela ett hel et ton; Kft,

dire (or, dPun air qui semblait dire): H fait Ion votu entendre paHer

je lien augure rien de hon (or, rien ainsi, ^ 'something: like.
qm vaille). * au fort (or, au ptue fort) du

* Traj derif deraJ or, Tra, la, vemL et de la pluie, • 'all one.'
la, lire, la I or, Tararet or, To, ' *At one time*. ... 'at ait-

ta, ta / or, Turlututu / other/ Tant6t .... tant^t.

U

290 FRENCH PROSE

I say ; a droll joke ! Exactly on Advent Sunday, in
horrible weather; long, black, pale; diamond rings on
his fingers, and then his equipage. I would not believe a
word of it, book-keeper, if you were not a reasonable
man. It is not so bad.^ You heard the story of the
Spectre Guest ; saw a stranger who had black clothes on ;

when whoo 1^ your unbridled imagination plays

you false,^ and supplies all that is wanting."

Thus matters remained. Herr Bantes was not to be
persuaded.— (Miss Mitpord, Country Stories,')

TOWN verms COUNTRY.*

Having sent his comrade off, William Howe, leaving his
steeds quietly browsing by the wayside, bent his steps
towards home. Susan advanced rapidly to meet him;
and in a few seconds, the brother and sister were in each
other's arms ; and, after most affectionate greetings, they
sat down, by mutual consent, upon a piece of felled timber
which lay upon the bank, the lane on one side being
bounded by an old coppice, and began to ask each other
the thousand questions so interesting to the children of
one house who have been long parted.

Seldom, surely, has the rough and rugged bark of an
uohewed elm had the honour of supporting so perfect an
exquisite.^ Jem Hathaway, the exciseman, had in nothing
exaggerated the magnificence of our young Londoner.^
From shoes which looked as if they had come fi*om Paris
in the ambassador's bag, to the curled head, and the
whiskered and mustachioed countenance, (for the hat,
which should have been the crown of the finery, -was
wanting, — probably in consequence of the recent over-

1 Void {page 97, note 8) tout > votu abuse.
iimplemetU la chose, * La Ville cordre la Campagne.

* crofi ('in a second I' 'before 6 iUgaiU.
you could say Jack Robinson,* ^ Londonnien{\Kit 'London 'is

*whoo!'). Lond/res),

COMPOSITION. 291

turn), from top to toe he looked fit for a ball at Almack'a
or a f^te at Bridgewater House : and, oh ! how unsuited
to^ the old-fashioned homestead at Rutherford West! His
trousers^ were of the finest materials;^ his coat was claret
colour of the latest out; his waistcoat — talk of the great
peacock, he would have seemed dingy and dusky beside
such a splendour of oolour ! — ^his waistcoat literally dazzled
poor Susan's eyes; and his rings, and chains, and studs,
and brooches, seemed, to the wondering girl, almost suffi-
cient to stock a jeweller's shop.

In spite of all this nonsense, it was clear to her, from
every look and word, that she was not mistaken in believ-
ing William unchanged in mind and disposition, and that '
there was a warm and a kind heart beating under the
finery. Moreover, she felt, that if the unseemly magnifi-
cence could once be thrown aside, the whiskers and mus-
tachios cleared away, and his fine manly person reinstated
in the rustic costume in which she had been accustomed
to see him, her brother would then appear greatly improved
in face and figure, taller, more vigorous, and with an ex-
pression of intelligence and frankness delightful to behold.
But how to get quit of the finery, and the Frenchman,
and the britschka? Or how reconcile her father to iniquities
so far surpassing even the smell of musk ?

William, on his part, regarded his sister with unqualified
admiration. He had left a laughing blooming girl : he
found a delicate and lovely young woman — all the more
lovely for the tears that mingled with her smiles, true
tokens of a most pure affection.

" And you really are glad to see me, Susy? And my
father is^ well ? And here is the old place, looking just
as it used to do;^ house, and ricks, and barnyard, not
quite in sight, but one feels that one shall see them at the
next turning — the great coppice, right opposite, looking
thicker and greener than ever I — how often we have gone
nutting in that coppice ! — the tall holly at the gate, with
the woodbine climbing up and twisting its sweet garlands

^ mais atuai, combien ceUe toilette * itoffe,
Stait peu en harmonie avec, * va; or, se parte.

9 See page 147, note i». » Simply, ' as formei-ly. '

U2

292 FRENCH PROSE

round the yerj topmost spmj, like a ooronet. Many a
time and often have I climbed the holly to twine the
flaunting wi«ath round your 8tniw4Mnuiety Miss Susy.
And here, on ihe other side of the hedge, is the yrery field
where Hector and Harebell ran^ their fiunous couiBe, and
gave^ their hare fifty turns before they killed her, without
ever letting her get out of the stubbla Those were
pleasant days, Susan, after all ! "

** Happy days, dear William ! "

" And we shall go nutting again, shall we notf "'

" Surely, dear brother ! Only ** and Susan suddenly

stopped.

" Only what, Miss Susy ?-

^* Only I don't see how you can possibly go^ into the
copse in^ this dress. Thiok how the brambles would prick
and tear, and how that chain would catch in the haael
stems ! and as to climbing the hoUy tree in that fine tight
coat, or beating the stubbles for a hare in those delicate
thin shoes, why the thing is out of the question.^ And I
really don't believe,'* continued Susan, finding it easier to
go on than to begin, " I really don't believe that either
Hector or Harebell would know you if they saw you so
decked out."

William laughed outright.^

** I don't mean to go coursing in these shoes, I assure
you, Susy. This is an evening dress. I have a shooting-
jacket and all thereunto belonging in the britschka, whid)
will not puzzle either Harebell or Hector, because it's just
what they have been used to see me wear."

*' Put it on, then, I beseech you ! " exclaimed Susy ;
" put it on directly !"

<« Why, I am not going coursing this evening."

"No — ^but my father 1 Oh I dear William, if you did
but know how he hates finery, and foreigners, and whiskers

^ Vsefaire; or rather, as faire * Simply, 'how it will bo po»-

cornea twice just below, construot slble for you to go.' See p9ge 39^

thus« 'where took place the famous note '^, and page 43, note '.
course of H — and of H — .' * avec.

* firent faire d (page 108, ^ UnefautpcLsmimey penser.
note ^)r 7 partit cPun grand ickU d* ritK

^ S« page 72, note ^\

COMPOSITION. 293

and britscbkas ! Ob, dear William, send off tbe Frencb
gentleman and tbe outlandisb carriage — run into tbe
coppice and put on tbe sbooting-dress 1 "

" Ob, Susan ! " began William ; but Susan baying once
summoned up courage sufficient^ to put ber remonstrances
into words, followed up tbe attack witb an earnestness
tbat did not admit a moment's interruption.

** My &tber bates finery even more tban Harebell or
Hector would do. You know bis country notions, dear
William ; and I tbink tbat latterly be bas bated eyery"
tbing tbat looks Londonisb and new-£Bmgled worse tban
ever. We are old-fasbioned people at Rutberford. Tbere's
your pretty old friend Mary Amott can't ^ abide gewgaws
any more tban my fatber."

" Mary Amott ! You mean Mrs. Giles. Wbat do I care
for ^ ber likes and dislikes ? " exclaimed William, baugbtily«

''I mean Mary Amott, and not Mrs. Giles, and you
do care for ber likes and dislikes a great deal/' replied bis
sister, witb some arcbness. " Poor Mary, wben tbe week
before tbat fixed for tbe wedding arriyed, felt tbat sbe
cotdd not marry Master Jacob Giles; so sbe found an
opportunity of speaking to bim alone, and told bim tbe
trutb. I eyen belieye, altbougb I baye no warrant for
saying so, tbat sbe confessed sbe could not loye bim because
-sbe loyed anotber.^ Master Giles bebayed like a wise man,
and told ber fatber tbat it would be very wrong to force
her inclinations. He bebayed kindly as well as wisely, for
he endeayoured to reconcile all parties, and put matters in
train for tbe wedding tbat bad hindered his. This, at tbat
time, Master Amott would not bear of, and therefore we
did not tell you that tbe marriage, which you took for
granted, bad gone off. Till about three months ago, that
odious lawsuit was in full action, and Master Amott as
violently set against my father as eyer. Then, however,
he was taken ^ ill, and, upon his death-bed, he sent for his
old friend, begged his pardon, and appointed bim guardian

1 'to summon up ... . &c.,' moque hien dej or, Je nCinquiiU-

8*armer dloMez de courage, fort peu de.

« 'who can't.' * Bee pa^e 158, note i<>.

^ (^ue me fontf d moi ; or, Jeme * * he feU.'

204 FRENCH PROSE

to Marj. And there she is at home — ^for she would not
come to meet you — ^but there she is, hoping to find you
just what you were when you went away, and hating
britschkas, and finery, and the smeU of musk, just as if
she were my other's daughter in good earnest. And now,
dear William, I know what has been passing in your mind,
quite as well as if hearts were peep-shows,^ and one could
see to the bottom of them at the rate of a penny a look.
I know that you went away for love of Mary, and flung
yourself into the finery of London to try to get rid of the
thought of her, and came down with all this nonsense of
britschkas, and whiskers, and waistcoats, and rings, just
to show her what a beau she had lost in losing you — Did
not you now ? Well I don't stand squeezing my hand, but
go and meet your French friend, who has got a man, I
see, to help to pick up the £Eillen equipage. Gro and get
rid of him," quoth Susan.

" How can I ? " exclaimed William, in laughing per-
plexity.

" Give him the britschka I " responded his sister, " and
send them off together as fast as may be. That will be a
magnificent farewell. And then take your portmanteau
into the copse, and change all this trumpery for the
shooting-jacket and its belongings ; and come back and let
me trim these whiskers as closely as scissors can trim
them, and then we'll go to the farm, to gladden the hearts
of Harebell, Hector, my dear father, and — somebody else;*
and it will not be that somebody's fault if ever you go to
London again, or get into a britschka, or put on a chain,
or a ring, or write with blue ink upon pink paper, as long
as you live. Now go and dismiss your friend," added
Susan, laughing, " and we'll walk home together the
happiest brother and sister in Christendom." — {Miss Mn-
VOBD, Country JStories.)

^ d48 opiiqiies, ' quelqi^un encore^

COMPOSITION. 295

BATTLES.

THE BATTLE OF PHARSALIA. (48 b. c.)

CiESAR had employed all his art for some time^ in
sounding the inclinations of his men ; ^ and finding them
once more resolute and vigorous, he advanced towards the
plains of Pharsalia, where Pompey was encamped. The
approach of the two armies, composed of the best and
bravest troops in the world, together with ^ the greatness
of the prize for which they contended, filled every mind
with anxiety, though with different expectation. Pompey's
army being most numerous, turned * all their thoughts to
the enjoyment of the victory ; Csesar's, with better aim,^
considered only the means of obtaining it. Pompey's
army depended upon their numbers, and their many
generals ; ^ Ceesar's upon their discipline, and the conduct
of their single commander. Pompey's partisans hoped
much from the justice of their cause ; Csesar's alleged the
frequent proposals which they had made for peace ^ with-
out effect. Thus the views, hopes, and motives of both ^

^ See page 38, note ''• note 7. — When 'men* is used, in a

' Simply, des sieju. The dis- cfeneral way, in the sense which it

junctive possessive pronomis, le has above, in our text, we may

mien, le Hen, le sien, &c., are so also render it by aoldats, or monde,

used in the plural, in various but hardly by kommes : in a more

senses: they mean, according to restricted sense, however, Aomme^ is

circumstances, 'relatives,' 'race/ used, ta, e.g., ** Ce gjSnSrcU perdit

' feJlow-countrymen,' ' subjects trois mille hommea (3000 men) dam

(jpeople),' 'men (soldiers)/ &c. See cette rencorttre" ' joitUe d.

T^Lf MAQTTB (edition annotated by ^ See page 41, note \ Observe,

my late friend, M. C. J. Delille, here, that eTin^mt, used collectively,

London, Bell and Daldy,) " Ido- follows the same rule,

m^n^e crai^nait d'arriver parmi ^ mieux aviiie.

les siens (his people)/' — page 79. • 9ur Vavantage (or, la tupS-

And farther on, page 90, " Les rioritS) du nomhre tant de set sol-

tiens (thy dynasty) cesseront de dots que de ses gSniraux (see page

r^gner," &c. See also my anno- 37, note *).

tated edition of La Fontaine, 7 ' proposals of peace which,' &o,

page 15, note ^ and page 32, s 'of both parties.'

296 FRENCH PROSE

seemed different, while their hatred and ambition were
the same. Csesar, who was ever foremost in offering
battle,^ led out his army to meet the enemy,^ but
Pompey, either suspecting the^ troops or dreading the
event, kept his advantageous situation, at the foot of the
hill near which he was posted.^ Caesar, unwilling to
attack him at a^ disadvantage, resolved to decamp the
next day, hoping to weary out his antagonist, who was not
a match for lum in sustaining the fatigues of duty.^
Accordingly, the order for marching was given,*^ and the
tents struck,^ when word was brought him,^ that Pompey's
army had now quitted their entrenchments, and advanced
farther into the plain than usual ; ^^ so that he might engage
them at less disadvantage. Upon this, he caused his
troops to halt,^^ and with a countenance of joy informed
them that the happy time was at last come which they
had so long wished for,^^ and which was to crown their
gloiy, and terminate their &,tigues. He drew up his
troops in order,^^ and advanced towards the place of
battle. ^^ His forces did not amount to half those of
Pompey; the army of the one ^was about ^^ forty-five

^ qui prenait toujovrg Finitiaiive ellipsisas in the text (tents struck).

du combat ; or, more literally, qyii ^ 'They (On) had already stnudc

%ia.ii toujcurs le premier d livrer the tents ( p/t jf les tentet — or, Uvf

(or, donrier) laJtaitle, le camp).* We also say, planter le

* Simply, 'marohed to the piquet (or, atseoir un camp), 'to
enemy/ pitch a camp— to camp ;' dresser

B sdt qu'il ne se fM pas d (or, une tewte, ' to pitch a tent f and
qu*il dotUdt de) ees. lever le piquet (i. e., dScamper),

* Ton may here translate lite- ' to decamp.'

rally, or use the military expres- » ' when he heard,' — ^to avoid the

sion, se couvrir (d^un boie, aune ungrammatical repetition of on

riviire, d^une colline, — ^to postone- (see page 167, note *).

self near a wood, or a river, or a *'' S^ page 8, note *^. — 'usual,*

hill, so as not to be easily attacked here, de coutume ; or, d Vvrdi'Mvire,

on that side). ^^ See page 9, note '^\ and page

* a'oec, followed by no article. 108, note *. — ' to halt * (neuter),

* qui n*Sta)it pas de mime force faire haUe. *• See p. 88, n. ^.
mte tui d (or, qui n*6tait pas capo- i* 'to draw up one's troops in
ole au m>ime aegi^ que lui de — or, order,' ranqer aes troupes en ha-
again, qui le lui cedait quand il taille (or, en ordre de hataille) ; or,
i^agissait de) supwurter lesfaiigues simply, former sa hataille,

de la auerre (or, aune campagne). '* combat, to avoid repeating 6a-

^ ' he gave his orders for march- taille at so short an interval,

ing {paHir) f and put a full stop " 'of about.'
here, — to avoid the same Ticious

COMPOSITION. 297

thousand foot and seven thousand horse ;^ that of the
other, not exceeding twenty-two thousand foot, and about
a thousand horse. This disproportion, particularly in the
cavalry, had filled Cassar with apprehensions ; he therefore
had, some days before, picked out the strongest and
nimblest of^ his foot-soldiers, and accustomed them to
fight between the ranks of his cavalry. By their assist-
ance,^ his thousand horse was a match for^ Pompey's seven
thousand, and had actually got the better^ in a skirmish
that happened^ between them some days before. Pompey,
on the other hand, had a strong expectation ^ of success ;
he boasted that he could ^ put Osdsar's legions to flight,
without striking a single blow;^ presuming that, as soon
as the armies formed,^^ his cavalry, on which he placed his
greatest expectations,^^ would outflank and surround the
enemy. In this disposition^^ Pompey led his troops to
battle.

As the armies approached, the two generals went from
rank to^^ rank encouraging their men, warming their ^*
hopes, and lessening their apprehensions-i^ . . .

There was no more space between both armies than to
give room ^^ for fighting : Pompey therefore ordered his
men to receive the first shock without moving from their
places, expecting the enemy's ranks to be put into disorder.

^ ' foot/ farUcusins, or, hommes sion saris eoupfSrir,
cPinfanterie^ or, hommes de pied, — ^^ ' would lorm :' this instance is
' horse ;' chevaux, or, cavaliers^ or, connected with the role given at
h(mmes de cavalerie. ^ 'among.' page 62, note ^ ; see also page 178,
' ' By this means.' note ^, and page 210, note ^,
* (taierU d m^hne de Unir (or ^ 'he chiefly (principally) re-
faire) tite d.— 'match,' in this lied' (p. 19, n. «, and p. 264 n. i).
sense, is variously translated, ao- ^^ 'It was in this disposition of
oordine to the phrase : for another mind that.'
rendermg, see preceding page, ^ en (page 165, note 7).
note •. 1* leur monde, animant les, — so
^ et avaierU ^eetivemeTU (the as to avoid both the awkwaixl re-
French adjective actuel oommonlv petition of leurs, and also am-
means 'present,' and the adverb biguity.
(ictuellem^rUf 'at present,' 'now') " rassurant les esprits.
eu le dessus (or, remportS V avail- ^^ ' no more apocd (or room) than
tage). ^ 'had happened.' to give room,* is a shocking redun-
^ ' scarcely doubted.' dancy (see page 60, note «) : turn,
8 See page 7, note 7. 'There was now (tic . . . plvs) be-
» You may either translate li- tween both armies but just (^
terally, or use the made-up expres- toiU juste) space enough.'

298 FRENCH PROSE

Caesar's soldiers were now rushing on with their nsual^
impetuosity, when, perceiving the enemy motionless, they
all stopped short, as if hy general consent, and halted in
the midst of their career. A terrible pause ^ ensued, in
which both armies continued to gaze upon each other with
mutual terror and dreadful serenity.^ At length, Csesar's
men having taken^ breath, ran furiously upon the enemy,
first discharging their javelins, and then drawing their
swords.^ The same method was observed by Pompey's
troops, who as firmly had sustained the attack. His
cavalry, also, were ordered to charge at the very onset ;
which,^ with the multitude of archers and slingers, soon
obliged Caesar's men to give ground.^ Csesar instantly
ordered the six cohorts, that were placed as a reinforce-
ment, to advance, and to strike at the enemy's faces.^
This had its ^ desired effect : Pompey's cavalry, that were
just before sure of victory, received an immediate check.
The^^ unusual method of fighting pursued by the cohorts,
their aiming entirely at the visages ^^ of the assailants, and
the horrible disfiguring wounds they made,^^ all contri-
buted to intimidate so much that, instead of defending
their persons, they endeavoured only to save their faces.^^
A total rout ensued : they fled to the neighbouring
mountains ; while the archers and slingers, who were thus
abandoned,^* were cut to pieces.^^ Caesar now commanded

^ See page 45, note ^^. ^ rectUer ; or, lAcher pied (or,

* moment de repos; for the va- lepied).

rious ways of rendering the word ^ Vennemi au visage.

'pause,* in this sense, according ' 'the.* "^^ 'This.*

to the phrase, see page 67, note ^ ^^ ' the stratagem which thev

and page 151, note ^^. used, of aiming {porter, or diriffer)

3 restirent leg yetue jixi» Vune their blows only at the visage.'

tur V autre (or, rextireiU d se con- See page 21, note \

templer mwtiiellement), glacies di- ^^ *x^q horror of these wounds

pouvarUe (or deffroi^, mms avee which threatened with {de) a

uTie cotUenafice ('an air,' ' a look *) hideous deformity ;' or, ' the conse-

dune imposante sSrSnitS. quenoes of wounds which disfl^^ured

* Use reprendre. frightfully.' — ' all,* tout ceUu

^ landrent leurs demi-pi^ues ^ Use the plural here (see page

(page 5, note ^), et attssitdt mxrent 12, notes ^ and ^).

CSp4e d la main (or, tirirent ^* * who,' &o. ; simply, 'po-

VipSe). mained (past part.) alone.'

* See pages, note ».— 'with,' ** ' to cut to pieces,' in a military
joint d, sense, is tailler en piices.

I

COMPOSITION. 299

the cohorts to pursue their success, aud charge Pompey's
troops upon the flank ;^ this charge the enemy withstood ^
for some time with great bravery, till Ccesar brought up ^
his third line, which had not yet engaged.* Pompey*8
infantry being thus doubly attacked, in front by fresh
troops, and in rear ^ by the victorious cohorts, could no
longer resist, but fled to their camp. The flight began
among the strangers.® Pompey's right wing still valiantly
maintained its ground.''^ Caesar, however, convinced that
the victory was certain, with his usual clemency cried out
to pursue the strangers,® but to spare the Romans ; upon
which they all laid down their arms, and received quarter.
The greatest slaughter was among the auxiliaries, who fled
on all sides. The battle had now lasted from break of
day till noon : ^ the weather was extremely hot ; neverthe-
less, the conquerors remitted ^^ not their ardour, being
encouraged by the example of a general who thought his
victory incomplete till he should become ^^ master of the
enemy's camp. Accordingly, marching on foot at their
head, he called upon them to follow and strike the decisive
blow. The cohorts, which were, left to defend the camp,

^ charger (or, attaquer) de fianc * en queue ; or, par derrih'e,

(or, enjlanc) ; or, prendre en fianc. ® troupes Strangeres (or, aujci-

3 Use soutenir, and change the liaires),

construction thus, ' the enemy ^ tint bon — or, tint ferme— or, se

withstood this charee.' mairUint, — or, again, fit femie

^ fit avancer. The YQrh' fit is (/aire ferme is a military term

here in the preterite of the indi- for ' to keep, stand, or main-

cative : after jusqu*dL ce que ('till,* tain one's groimd') — quelque temps

or 'until') the subjimctive is used encore, et montra oeaucoup de

if the action expressed by the courage.

second verb is the end to which ^ It should have been, * to pursue

the action expressed by the first only the strangers, and to spare/

tends voluntarily or necessarily &c. : put it so in French. There

(as, il restera Id jusqu'd ce que is no ' clemency ' in pursuing

je revienne); whereas the se- people: it is true that 'but,' which

cond verb is put in the indicative follows, acts somewhat as a cor-

if it expresses an action fortuitous, rective, but this does not prevent

unforeseen, and independent of the the idea from being badly pre-

first verb (as, "Ces trois grands sented altogether,

hommescommenc^rentkdemeurer ' 'It was noon, and the battle

dans la terre de Chanaan, mais had lasted (see page 38, note ^

comme des strangers, jusqu'k ce since the break,' &c.

que la fidm aXtira Jacob en ^o ' to reiaii,* here, se relAchei- de,

Egypte." — BossuET). See p. 184, " * should have rendered him-

note ^. * dotinf. self.'

300 FRENCH PROSE

for some time made a formidable resistance, particularly a
great number of Thracians and other barbarians, who were
appointed for that purpose j ^ but nothing could resist the
ardour of Csesar's victorious army; the enemy were at
last driven from the ^ trenchesi, and they all fled to the
mountains. GaBsar, seeing the field' and camp strewn
with his fallen countrymen/ was strongly affected at the
melancholy prospect, and cried out to one that stood near
him,^ " They would have it so." ^

Upon entering the camp, every object presented fresh
instances of the blind presumption and madness of his
adversaries. On all sides were to be seen tents adorned
with ivy and myrtle, couches ^ covered with purple, and
sideboards laden with plate.^ Everything gave proo& of
the highest luxury, and seemed rather ^ the preparatives
for a banquet, or the rejoicings for a ^® victory, than the
dispositions for^^ a battie. A camp so richly furnished
might have been able to engage the attention of any troops
but Caesar's; but there was still something to be done,

^ This sentence is awkwardly confusion to be aroided respecting

constructed ; put it so in French : these words, vadsselle and 'plate' :

— 'He had to experience (esrieyer) vaisselle also means 'plates and

for {pendant, in this sense) some dishes' (as, vaiudle de terre,

time a vigorous resistance from 'earthenware,' vaisselU de paree-

(see p. 45, n. ', and p. 247, n. ^) laine, 'chinaware'); a 'plate,' or

the cohorts, which .... &c., and small dish to eat out of, is un«

particularly from a great number oMtette, whilst plaque means a

.... ko., who were appointed 'plate' of metal, a 'slab.' In this

for that purpose (simply, pripotSs case, we had better translate, to re-

pour cet efety move all ambiguity (I mean, a

' repovMi de (or, for<^ hors de) confusion between the two kinds of

»es. See page 295, note *, and vaisselU, viz. the gold and silver

leave out ' all.' plate, on the one hand, and the

8 la plaine. plates and dishes on the other)—

^ 'with {de) the corpses of his we had better translate hjvaiaselle

countnrmen ;' or, simply, de marts d^or et d^araent : we may fairly

(with dead bodies— with dead). use d^or (gold), which is evidently

' ' and turning towards one of meant, as well as cFar^ent, in the

those who stood . . . ., cried out.' text, where we find, a httle &rther

< lis VotU voulu. on, the words 'highest luxury,' —

^ des lits de table (literally, with which words <t ardent (suTer)

' table-beds '), in this sense. alone would hardly correspond.

^ vaisselle, in this sense (i.e., ' 'seemed to announce rather.*

vaisselle (Por, 'gold plate,' and — *toT* de. ^^ 'after the.'

vaisselle oTargewl, or f vaisselle plate, ^^ 'than those (i.e. 'the pre^

'silver plate'). There is great paratives '—masc, in French) of.'

COMPOSITION. 301

and he permitted them not to pursue any other object
than their enemies. A considerable body haying retired
to the adjacent moimtains, he prevailed on his soldiers to
join ^ him in the pursuit, in order to oblige these to sur-
render. He began by inclosing them with a line drawn
at the foot of the mountain ; but they quickly abandoned
a post which was untenable for want of water, and endea-
voured to reach the city of Larissa. Csesar, leading a part
of his army by a shorter way, intercepted ^ their retreat.
However, these xmhappy fugitives again found protection
from a mountain,^ at the foot of which ^ ran a rivulet,
which supplied them with water. Night approaching,
Csesar's men were almost spent and fainting with their
incessant toil since morning ; yet still he prevailed upon
them once more to renew their labours, and to cut off the
rivulet that supplied the defendants. The fugitives, thus
deprived of cJl hopes of succour or subsistence, sent
deputies to the conqueror, offering to surrender at discre-
tion. I>uring this interval of negotiation, a few senators
that were among them took the advantage ^ of the night
to escape, and the rest next morning gave up their arms,
and experienced the conqueror's clemency. In fact, he
addressed them with great gentleness, and forbade the
soldiers to offer violence, or to take any thing from them.
Thus Cedsar gained the most complete victory that had ^
ever been obtained : and by his great clemency after the
battle, seemed to have deserved it. His loss^ amounted
only to two hundred men; that of Eompey to fifteen
thousand : twenty-four thousand men surrendered them-
selves prisoners of war, and the greatest part of these
entered into Caesar^s army, and were incorporated with the
rest of his forces. To the senators and Roman knights
who fell into his hands he generously gave liberty to retire

1 ' he obtained from his soldiers them as a (simply, de) refuge.' A

that they should join {sejoindre d, full stop here,

in the imperf. subj.)/ See page * Simply, 'At the foot.'

260, note ^. 5 proJUirenU — * the rest gave

> Use couper, and see page 11, up ; see page 118, note ^7.

note *. — ' Larissa/ LarUse. * See page 13, note **.

3 ' a mountain which served ^ Use the plural.

302 FRENCH PROSE

wherever they thought proper; and as for the letters
which Pompey had received from those who wished to be
thought neutral, Ceesar, unwilling to know who had failed
to support him, burned them all unread,^ as Pompey had
done upon a former occasion. Thus having performed all
the duties of a general and a statesman, he sent for the
legions which had passed the night in camp, to relieve
those which had accompanied him in the pursuit, and
arrived the same day at Larissa.

As for Pompey, who had formerly shown such instances
of courage and conduct, when he saw his cavalry routed,
on which he had placed his sole dependence, he absolutely
lost his reason. 2 Instead of thinking how^ to remedy this
disorder, by rallying such troops as fled,* or by opposing
fresh troops to stop the progress of the conqueror, being
totally amazed by this first blow,^ he returned to the camp,
and in his tent waited the issue of an event which it was
his duty to have directed, not to follow : ® there he re-
mained for some moments speechless, till being told that
the camp was attacked, " What ! " says he, '* are we pursued
to our very ^ entrenchments ?" when® immediately quitting
his armour ® for a habit more suited to his circumstances,
he ^^ fled on horseback to Larissa : thence, perceiving that
he was not pursued, he slackened his pace, giving way to
all the agonising reflections which his deplorable situation
must ^^ naturally suggest. In this melancholy manner he
passed aloflg^^ the vale of Tempo, and pursuing the
course of the river Peneus,^^ at last arrived at a fisher-
man's hut. Here he passed the night, and then went on

^ ' without reading them.' vailler d se rendre favorable,

^ * reason,' here, tMe ; see page ^ jusque dans nos.

19, note *, and page 27, note s. ^ 'and ;* see page 18, note ^.

3 Use songer aux mot/ens ae, and ' il quitta sa cotte d^armes (coat-
turn ' He did not think/ &c., so as armour) de g^niral.
to make short sentences. ^^ * took a habit suited {conve-
* Simply, lesfuyards. noble) to his bad fortune, and.'
' A full stop after ' conqueror ; ' ^^ Use the preterite indicai. of
and benn, 'Amazed' {ConsteriU), devoir.
&c. — ' blow,* icheCf here. " 'to pass along,' here, enfUer.

^ ' the issue of,' &c. ; simply, ^^ ' Tempe,' Tempi, — ' river Pd-

r^vSnement, guHl devait plut6t tra- neus,* j2e«w PSnie,

COMPOSITION. 303

board a little bark ; ^ keeping along the sea-shore till he ^
descried a ship of some burthen,^ which seemed preparing
to sail. In this he embai'ked ; the master of the vessel
still paying * him that homage which was due to his former
station. — (Goldsmith, History of Borne.)

THE BATTLE OF OTTERBURN.

(Percy and Dougla&)

[ANN. 1388.]

It was from prudence, not from want of courage, that
the Scots avoided great battles with the English. They
readily engaged in smaller actions, when^ they fought with
the utmost valour on both sides, till, as an old historian
expresses it, sword and lance could endure no longer,^ and
then they would part^ from each other, saying, "Good
day; and thanks for the sport you have shown."® A very
remarkable instance of such a desperate battle ® occurred
in the year 1388.

The Scottish nobles had determined upon an invasion
of England on a large scale,^^ and had assembled a great
army for that purpose ; but learning that the people ^^ of
Northumberland were raising an army on the eastern
frontier, they resolved to limit their incursion ^^ to that
which might be achieved by the Earl of Douglas, with a
chosen band ^^ of four or five thousand men. With this
force he penetrated into the mountainous frontier of

1 ' mounted in a little boat.' mentque voiu nCavez prociiri.

' II aagna atTisi la mer ; et, c6- ^ de ces coinbats d (mtrance (see

toyarU le rivage, il, page 182, note ^').

* un Idtiment de charge assez "• *had formed the project of
grand. making a formidable invasion in

•* * to pay,' here : see p. 105, n. 7. England.*

« *and then;' see page 18, " 'the inhabitants.'— 'of North-
note u. umberland ;' see page 2Q, note 7
« ' refused their service.' " Use the plural.
7 See page 45, note *. M troupe d^ilite (as cwja cTiliit,

• Au revoir, merci de Vamxue- ' picked men ').

304 FRENCH PROSE

England, where an assault was least expected,^ and issuing
forth ^ near Newcastle, fell upon the flat and rich country
around, slaying, plunderii^, burning,^ and loading his
army with spoil.

Percy, Earl of Northumberland, an English noble of
great power, and with whom the Douglas had frequently
had encounters, sent his two son^ Sir Henry and Sir
Ralph Percy, to stop the progress of the invasion. Both
were gallant knights ; but the first, who, from his impe-
tuosity, was called Hotspur,* was one of the most dis-
tinguished warriors in England, as Douglas was in^
Scotland. The^ brothers threw themselves hastily into
Newcastle, to defend that important town ; and as Douglas,
in an insulting manner, drew up ^ his followers before the
walls, they came out to skirmish with the Soots.^ Douglas
and Henry Percy encountered personally;^ and it so
chanced,^^ that Douglas in the struggle got possession ^^ of
Hotspur's i^ear, to the end of which was attached a small
ornament of silk, embroidered with^^ pearls, on which was
represented a lion, the cognizance, as it is called, of the
Percies.^^ Douglas shook this trophy aloft, and declared
that he would carry it into Scotland, and plant it on his
castle of Dalkeith.

^ 'a side (page 27, note^) where ^ en vinrent pergonnelUmetU aux

they least expected an assault {at- mains,
toque, in this sense, and sometimes ^^ * and it happened.'
iTisuUe — a term of war).* ^^ ' struggle,* here, milSe, — ' to

^ et se manirant taut d coup (page get possession,' s^emparer.
148, note *); or, et dShoucnant toiU ^* en.

d coup, — ^The English have now ^* A semicolon after ' lion ; '

adopted, as a military term, the c*Stait le cimier de* Percys, — The

French verb dib&ucker, and given student must not fiancy that all

it an English termination, thus — proper names ta.ke the mark of the

' to debouch.' plural, in French : on the contrary,

3 mettarU tout dfeu et d sang. as a rule they do not, and this case

* Hotspur {i. e., €peron brCllant is only an exception to the mle.

— ^t^te chaude). The exception is, that proper

^ See page 32, note ^, and page names, in French, become plnral

5, note ^ when bhey may be considered as a

^ ' The two.' title common to an illustrioas

' 'had drawn up ;* 'to draw up,' family, a royal race, a dan, &c. :

here, ranger. thus, les Stuarts, les Bourbons, and

^ ils se dicidirent d /aire une also in some cases somewhat simi-

sortie, et les devjs partis escarmou- lar to the preceding, BAlesCuricices,

chirent pendarU gueLque temps. let Oracgues, les Scipions, &c.

COMPOSITION. 305

" That," said Percy, " shalt thou never do.^ I will
regain my lance ere thou canst get back into Scotland."

" Then," said Douglas, '* come to seek it, and thou shalt
find it before my tent."

The Scottish army, having completed the purpose of
their expedition, began their retreat up the vale of ^ the
little river Beed, which afforded a tolerable road running
north-westward towards their own frontier. They encamped
at Otterburn, about twenty miles from the Scottish border,
on the 19th August, 1388.

In the^ middle of the night, the alarm arose in the
Scottish camp, that^ the English host were coming upon
them, and the moonlight ^owed the approach of Sir
Henry Percy, with a body of men ^ superior in number to
that of Douglas. He had already crossed the Eeed water,*^
and was advancing towards the left fiank of the Scottish
army. Douglas, not choosing to receive the assault in
that ^ position, drew his men out of the camp, and, with
a degree of military skill which could scarce have been
expected when his forces were of such an undisciplined
character,^ he altogether changed the position of the
army, and presented his troops with their front to the
advancing English.^

Hotspur, in the meantime, marched his squadi'ons
through the deserted camp, where there were none left

^ Cest ce ^« tu neferas, &c. object of the verb (aurait cru) :

* dse retirer le long de la vcUUe that object is the following part of
qu*arroie (page 8, note ^). ^ Au, the proposition, whUst manceuvie

* 4t was said that.' ^ 'of troops/ que is the object of exSctUer.

* Simply, 'the Reed' (fern.). What is it, in fact, that 'one
7 f feeling the disadvantage of his.' would never have believed'?
B 'skill . . . expected,' so. The Surely not 'the manoeuvre' {une

idea is not expressed cori'eotly : the foanoeuvre gtu^), but one would ne-
discipline of soldiers has to do not ver have believed 'that suoh sol-
with the 'skill' of the chief, but diers were able to execute.' If
with the execution of his orders ; the sentence ran thus, ' a ma-
turn, se retira du camp avec toutea noeuvre which one would never
se» troupes f et par une manomvre have believed practicable,' the
atusi haJbile ^ savawte, qu'on J*rench would be ... ' crtte prati-
n* aurait jamats cru de pareiu sol- cable* {crue, feminine, here, agree-
dais en 6tai cPexScvier, See page ing with manoffuvre que, which
244, note K Here the past parti- would then be the object of the
oiple cru remains invariable, be- verb, and placed before the verb),
cause it is not preceded by the • Simply, et fit face d Pennemi.

30t7 FRENCH PROSE

but a few servants and stragglers of the army.^ The
interruptions which the English troops met with,^ threw
them a little into disorder^^ when the moon arising, showed
them the Scottish army, which they had supposed to he re-
treating, drawn up in complete order, and prepared to fight*
The battle commenced^ with the greatest fiiry ; for Peroy
and Douglas were the two most distinguished soldiers^
of their time, and each army trusted in the courage and
talents of their commanders,^ whose names were shouted
on either^ side. The Scota, who were outnumbered,^ were
at length about to give way, when Douglas, their leader,
caused his banner to advance, attended by his best men^^.
He himself,^^ shouting his war-cry of " Douglas ! " rushed
forward, clearing his way with the blows of his battle* axe,
and breaking into the very thickest of the enemy. ^^ jj^
fell, at length, under three mortal wounds. ^^ Had his
death been observed^* by the enemy, the event woiQd
probably ^^ have decided the battle against the Scots ; but
the English only knew that some brave man-at-arms had
fallen.^® Meantime, the other Scottish nobles pressed
forward, and found their general i" dying among several of
his faithful esquires and pages, who lay slain around.^
A stout priest, called William of North Berwick, the

1 quelques trainards (or, trai- p. 148. n. \
neurs) et qtielques valets cParmie. ^ Turn, ' Then, shoutiiig (use

3 'The obstacles which it (tY) pre- pousser) his . . . &&, he rushed
sented to the march of the En^glish torwurd himself into the Y&cy
troops.' thickest of the enemy {dam le pins

8 <put some (quelmte, here) dis- fort de la miUe), clearing his way
order in their ranks.'^ with the blows of (m fnytmt «»

4 * when,' &o. ; turn, 'and it was passage avec) his battle-axe.'

at the moment that (see p. 18, n. ^) u pg^cf de trois coups mortel$»

they thought the Scotch in full ^* See page 29, note u. — * his

retreat, that by the moonshine {d death' .... 'obsenred,' cet Svine-

la clarti de la luiie) they saw them mejU .... connu.

drawn up in complete order, and ^ 'it (il, here, not ee, ^which

prepared to fi^ht {ranaSs en ordre de means ' it ' in the sense of ' that ' —

hataille et gut attenaaiewt de pied i. e., that thing mentioned before)

ferfne),* * Use ftengager. is probable that it would.'

^ 'celebrated captains.' ^ cktfs, I< brave chevalier venait de 9uc

8 Staieni rSpitSs d grands oris de tomJber (or. de mordre la pousaHre),

ckamte. > 'inferior in number.' ^^ /Hatent Slanefs sur les paa de

^^ * under the escort of his best leur gSn6ral mCils trouvirewL

warriors.' w 'who,' &c., massacris auUmr

" See p. 86, n. \ p. 2, n. «, and de lui.

COMPOSITION . 307

chaplain^ of Douglas, was protecting the body of his
wounded patron with a long lance. ^

"How fares it,^ cousin 1" said Sinclair, the first Scottish
knight who came up to the expiring leader.

" Indifferently,"* answered Douglas; "but blessed be*
God, my ancestors have died ^ in fields of battle, not on
down beds J I sink fast;^ but let them still cry^ my war-
cry, and conceal my death from my foUowers.^^ There
was^^ a tradition in our fiimilythat^^ ^ ^jead Douglas
should win a field,^^ and I trust it will be this day
accomplished." ^*

The nobles did as he had enjoined ; they concealed the
Earl's body, and again rushed on to the Imttle, shouting,
" Douglas! Douglas 1" louder ^^ than before. The Engli^
were weakened by the loss of the brave brothers, Henry
and Ralph Percy, both of whom ^® were made prisoners,
fighting most gallantly,^^ and almost no man of note ^^
amongst the English escaped death or captivity.

Sir Henry Percy became the prisoner of Sir Hugh
Montgomery, who obliged him for^^ ransom to build a
castle for him at Penoon in Ayrshire.^® The battle of Otter-
burn was disastrous to the leaders on both sides — Percy
being made captive,^! and Douglas slain on the field. 22 It
has been the subject of many songs and poems, and the
great historian Froissart says that, one other action only
excepted, it was the best fought battle of that warlike
time. 23 — (W. Scott, Tales of a Grandfather,)

^ aumdnier is more used^ in this ^^ ' afler prodigies of valour.'

sense, than chapdain; see, be- ^^ di^inetion, ^* 'for Ms.'

sides, page 27, note 8. *> dans le comtS d^Ayr,

* de son. inaitre,armg cCuneianee. *^ Tmaonnt'cr >•- -the word capH/

* Comment cela va-t-il. is omy used in poetry and in ele-

* Pas trop lien.. ' grAce d. Vated style, in the sense of any
< See page 66, note ^*. — ' in/ prisoner : in ordinary style^ it is

here, sur. ^ tits de plumes, said exclusively of prisoners re-

8 Je sens que is m*en vais. duced to slavery, according to the

> pousser, ^^ * to the soldiers.' custom of the ancients,

u <ig/ u 'which says that.* ** champ de bataUle ; or, to

u 'a Douglas will gain a battle avoid the awkward repetition of

after his death.' bataille, put dans le combai.

1* See page 104, note 1*. S3 « jt was that in which foil) ore

^^ See page 116, note ^. fought best on both sides {de part

19 See page 56, note \ «t ^ autre) in these times of wars.'

x2

308 FRENCH PROS£

THE DEFEAT OF THE SPANISH ARMADA.

[1588.]

It was on Saturday, the 20th of July, that Lord
Effingham came in sight of his formidable adversaiies.
The ** invincible " Armada was drawn up ^ in form of a
orescent, which from horn to horn measured some seven
miles.^ There was a south-west wind ; and before it the
vast vessels sailed slowly on.^ The English let them pass
by; and then, following in the rear,^ commenced an attack
on them. A running fight ^ now took place, in whidi
some of the best ships of the Spaniards were captured ;
many more® received heavy damage ; while the English
vessels, which took care not to close with^ their huge
antagonists, but availed themselves of their superior
celerity in tacking ^ and manoeuvring, suffered little com-
parative loss.® Each day added not only to the spirit,
but to the number of Effingham's force.

Raleigh justly^^ praises the English admiral for ^^ his
skilful tactics. ^2 He says, " Certainly, he that will happily
perform a fight at sea, must be skilful in making choice
of vessels to fight in ; he must believe that there is more
belonging to a good man-of-war, upon the waters, than
great daring ; ^^ and must know that there is a great deal

^ Use cUifffier, here (a naval ^ 'to close with/ joindre; or,

term)j not ran^«r (a military term), en venir aux prises {aux mains, as

< ' in a length of some seven well, if spealon^ of men) avec,

miles from one horn to the other.' ^ d virer de oord ; or, d Iovl-

— * some,' environy or, qudqviA, wver.

8 ' The vast vessels saUed slowly * 'relatively but few losses.'

on, having the wind behind them ^^ avec raison, in this sense.

(ayant le vent en poupe) which blew ^ dfi.

from the south-west. We say, " Use the singular,

likewise, in the same sense, avoir ^^ doit savoir choisir ses vaiueaur

(and also filer — ' to sail on ') vent (or, tes bddmeTits de guerre) y qu*H

arriire (i.e., lit., 'to have — to soit Hen persttadS qu'un combat

sail on with — ^the wind right aft — naval exiae quelqtte chose de plus

astern'). que de Uaudace. — Some persons

* pwr derriire* still use vaisseau de guerre, but

' Un combat en ckAsse, this expression forms now a kind

^ ' a still greater number. * of pleonasm, as vaisseau alone

COMPOSITION. 30ft

of difference between fighting loose, or at large, and
grappling.^ The guns of a slow ship pierce as well, and
make as great holes, as those in a swift. To clap ships
together,^ without consideration, belongs^ rather to a
madman than to a man of war.*'

The Armada lay off^ Calais, with its largest ships
ranged outside. The English admiral could not attack
them in their position without great disadvantage, but on
the night of the 29th he sent eight fire-ships among them,
with almost equal effect to that of the fire-ships which the
Greeks so often employed againut the Turkish fleets in
their late war of independence. The Spaniards cut their
cables and put to sea ^ in confusion. One of the largest
galeasses^ ran foul of^ another yessel and was stranded.^
The rest of the fleet was scattered about on the Flemish
coast,* and when the morning broke,^® it was with difficulty
and delay that they obeyed their admiral's signal to range
themselves round him near Gravelines. Now was the
golden opportunity for the English to assail them, and
prevent them from ever letting loose Parma's flotilla
against England ; and nobly was that opportunity used.^^

implies a trar-sbip, whilst navire is remain in the singular, as infini-

said of any other ship (merchant tires, not having in themselves the

vessel or &c.) ; hdiiment is the property of number, cannot, when

general term for all kinds of used as subjects, communicate the

ships. form of the plural to the verb :

^ se baUre d distance, et en venir thus, manger, boire et dormir, ifett

d VoJbordage, (not ce tont, as mentioned p. 158,

* 'To clap tog^ether (mettre en- n, ^) l^r unimie occttpation,
gemble) ships,' — * in a swift ;' turn, * ' to lie tm,* itre (or, se trouver)
' of a swift ship.' devant (or, d la havUur de).

* est (or c*est) lefait (followed by * £P^^^ ^* large.

de, not by d— 'to ). When there ^ This was the name of an an-

is only one infinitive (as here, met- dent Venetian land of galley.

tre) serving as a subject, or nomi- 7 aborda par accident,

native to another verb {est, here), ^ et Schoua twr la c6ie (or, sim-

the use of ce is not indispensable : ply, ichoiui) : or, etJU c&te,

taste must decide it ; yet, in ge- > c6te de Plandre, Always use

neral, it is better to use that pro- the name of the country, instead

noun, when the infinitive has a of the adjective, in such a case as

regimen of a certain len^h. But this.

when there are several mfinitives ^^ 'the day appeared.'

serving as nominatives to another ^^ ' they obeyed,' &c. ; turn,

verb, ce must be used ; and, by the 'she (i. e., lafiotte — ^fem.) obeyed,*

way, the' verb must, even then, &c. ' Now was,' &c &o. ; turn,

310 FRENCH PROSE

Drake and Fenner were the first English captains who
attacked the anwieldy leviathans : then came Fenton,
Southwell, Burton, Cross, Eaynor, and then the lord
admiral, with Lord Thomas Howard and Lord Sheffield.
The Spaniards only thought of forming and keeping close
together,^ and were driven by the English past Dunkirk,^
and far away from the Prince of Parma, who in watching
their defeat from the coast, must, as Drake expressed it,
have chafed like a bear robbed of her whelps. This was
indeed the last and the ^ decisive battle between the two
fleets. It is, perhaps, best described in the very words
of the contemporary writer as we may read them in
Hakluyt*

^* Upon the 29th of July in the morning, the Spanish
fleet after the abovementioned tumult,^ having arranged
themselves again into order,^ were, within sight of Grave-
lines, most bravely and furiously encountered by the
English ; where ^ they once again got the wind of® the
Spaniards; who suflered themselves to be deprived of
the commodity of the place in Calais road,^ and of the
advantage of the wind near unto Dunkirk, rather than
they would change ^^ their array or separate their forces
now conjoined and united together, standing only upon
their defence.^^

" And howbeit^^ there were many excellent and warlike^*

* It was for the English a precioiis now be the word, here,

opportunity of ooming seriously * 'having put itself again (dt

to action, and of preventing for ncuveau) in order of battle. —

ever (p. 220, n. ') the Spaniards ' -vere,* &:c. ; see page 41, note 8.

from letting loose {Idchw) the fleet ' ' There ;' put ' within sight of

of the Duke— the prince — of Parma Gravelinea' last, and put a full

(Parme) against l!<ngland (see page stop after ' Gravelines.'

22, note *) ; and that opportunity * ' to get the wind of,* gagrt^er le

was admirably used (mise d proiUy vent (or, le d^ssus du v€nt)sur (or, d).

i d former el d terrer leur eigne » rode, in this sense ; and turn,

[a naval term^. — The military term ' the road of C — .*

is, serrer lesjUe*. * Dunierque. ^^ * rather than change (de'y be-

* ' the • should not be repeated, sides gw*, before the verb),*

as both adjectives qualify the same ^^ We should say, now-a-days,
noun : this case is the reverse of 'and standing only upon the do-
that at p. 192, n. », and p. 238, n. K fensive.*

* Simply, Mais laiuom parler ^* 'although.*

un, icrivain eofUemporain, K-^. i* 'warlike,' in this case, 6»V«

* * aSray ' {^chauffourie) would armis en gueire.

COMPOSITION. 311

ships in the English fleet, yet scarce were there 22 or 23
among them all, which matched 90 of the Spanish ships
in the bigness,^ or could conyeniently assault them.
Wherefore the English ships using their prerogative of
nimble steerage,^ whereby they could turn and wield
themselves with the wind which way they listed,^ came
often very near upon the Spaniards, and charged them so
sore,^ that now and then they were but a pike's length
asunder : and so continnaUy giing them one bedside after
another,^ they discharged all their shot both great and
small ^ upon ^em, spending one whole day from morning
till night in that violent kind of conflict, until powder and
bullets^ failed them. In regard of which want^ they
thought it ^ convenient not to pursue the Spaniards auy
longer, because they had many great advantages of the
Engli^, namely, for the extraordinary bigness of their
ships, and also for that they were so nearly conjoined, and
kept tc^ther in so good array, that they could by no
meaus be fought withal one to one. The English thought,
therefore, that they had right well acquitted themselves,
in chasing the Spaniards first from Calais, and then from
Dunkirk, and by that means to have hindered them from
joining with ^^ the Duke of Parma's forces, and getting
the wind of them, to have dri»ven them from their own
coasts.

*' The Spaniards that day sustained great loss and
damage, having many of their ships shot through and
through,^^ and they discharged likewise great store of

^ en grandeur, maintB quolibets (low jokes) ren-

' Simply, offilitf, roy6a coup turcoup" — La Fo5-

> Obsolete, for 'wished,' Miked.' tainb, page 83.

* Use pretser vivemtat, ' un€ griU de houleU (or. defer^

• d Jore$ d$ Uar Idcher (or «^ de plomh,

tirer) des bordSes coup twr coup, " projectiles (missiles). — ' fidled/

There is a misconception to be after 'until ;' see paee 299, note >.

guarded against, here : coup is not ^ Give to the wnoie of this old

used exaotly for coup de canon English style a modem French

(flrinff of a gun), though it might construction. » See p. 249, n. •.

be said to mean that, indirectly, lo 'to join with,' rallier (a

in this particular case ; the idiom- naval term),

atic expression coup sur coup ('one u percis d outre en outre (or, de

after another') may be said of part en party—OTf traversis des deux

iUmost anything, as, e.g., " Aprbs bords (naval) — 'par les houlets.

812 FRENCH PROSE

ordinance ^ against the English ; who, indeed, sustained
some hindrance, but not comparable to the Spaniards'
loss : for they did not lose either one ship or person of
importance, although Sir Francis Drake's ship was pierced
with shot about forty times.**

It reflects little credit on the English government^ that
the English fleet was so deficiently supplied with ammuni-
tion, as to be unable^ to complete the destruction of the
invaders. But enough was done to ensure it. Many of
the largest Spanish ships were sunk or captured in the
action of this day.^ And at length the Spanish admiral,
despairing of success, fled northward with a southerly
wind, in the hope of rounding Scotland, and so return-
ing to Spain without a farther encounter with the
English fleet. Lord Effingham left a squadron to con-
tinue the blockade of the Prince of Parma's armament ;
but that wise general soon withdrew^ his troops to
more promising fields of action.^ Meanwhile the lord
admiral himself and Drake chased^ the vincible® Armada,
as it was now termed, for some distance northward ; and
then, when it seemed to bend away^ from the Scotch coast
towards Norway,^^ it was thought best, in the words of
Drake, 'Ho leave them to those boisterous and uncouth
northern seas."

The suflerings and losses which the imhappy Spaniards
sustained in their flight round Scotland and Ireland, are
well known. Of their whole Armada only fifty-three
shattered vessels brought back their beaten and wasted
crews to the Spanish coast which they had quitted in such
pageantry and pride. — (Crbast, The Fifteen Decisive JBaUles
of the World.)

^ JirefU igdUment force dicha/rges ^ * to combats that promiaed

d^artillerie ; force, used thus ad- (page 65, note ^) more glory.*

verbiallj, means ' plenty of.' "»' to chase/ as a naval term,

' II revient peu d^wnneur au donner ckasse {or, la chaase) cL

gouvemement anglais, dufait ^ vincible ; a new ( Jj'rendh) woid,

3 ' so deficiently .... as to be lit^e used as yet.

imable ;* tum^ 'too deficiently . . ^ ^Sloigner, — 'Scotch coast;* see

. . to be allowed (or, enabled V page 309, note '.

* Simply, dans cetU joumSe (in lO gn gg dirigeant vers la Nor*

this battle). ^ Use remmener* wige.

COMPOSITION. 813

THE BATTLE OF ASSYE (India).
[Extracted from the Duke oJ Wellington's Despatches.]

To THE Governor Genera;[4.

Camp at ^ Assye^ 24Ui Sept., 180*^.

I WAS joined by Major Hill, with the last of the convoys
expected from the river Kistna, on the 18th ; and on the
20th was enabled to move forward towards the enemy,
who had been joined, in the course of the last seven or
eight days, by the infantry under Colonel Pohlman, by
that belonging to Begum Sumroo, and by another brigade
of infantry, Sie name of whose commander I have not
ascertained.^ The enemy's army was collected about
Bokerdun, and between that place and Jaffierabad.

I was near Colonel Stevenson's corps on the 21st, and
had^ a conference with that officer, in which we concerted
a plan to attack the enemy's army with the divisions
under our command^ on the 24th, in the morning; and
we marched on the 22nd, Colonel Stevenson by the western
route, and I by the eastern route, round the hills between
Budnapoor and Jaulna.

On ihe 23rd, I arrived at Naulniah, and there received a
report that Scindiah and the Rajah of Berar had moved
off in the morning with their cavalry, and that the
infantry were about to follow, but were still in camp ^ at
the distance of about six miles from the ground on which
I had intended to encamp. It was obvious that the attack
was no longer to be delayed; and, having provided for
the security of my baggage and stores at Naulniah, I
marched on to attack the enemy.

I found the whole combined army of Scindiah and the
Rajah of Berar encamped on the bank of the Kaitna

1 tJflo dehere, not d. 81, note K

* dont je ne sais pas encore le * niys ordre»,

n&m du commandant, ^ Use the past participle of

B 'was/ 'had;' see page 1, camper,
note fi, page 55, note ^ and page

314 FRENCH PROSE

riyer,^ nearly on the ground which I had been informed
they occupied. Their right, which consisted entirely of ^
cavalry, was about ^ Bokerdun, and extended to their
corps of in£Eintry, which were encamped in the neighbour-
hood of Assye. Although I came first in front of ^ their
right, I determined to attack their left, as the defeat of
their corps of infentry was most likely to be effectual : ^
accordingly I marched round to ^ their left flank, covering
the march of the column of infantry by the British^
cavalry in the rear,® and by the Mahratta and Mysore
cavalry on the right flank.

We passed the river Kaitna at a ford beyond the enemy's
left flank, and I formed the infantry immediately in two
lines, with the British cavalry as a reserve in a third, in
an open space ^ between that river and a nullah ^® running
parallel to it The Mahratta and Mysore cavalry occupied
the ground beyond the Kaitna, on our left flank, and kept
in check a large ^^ body of the enemy's cavalry which had
followed our march from the right of their own position.

The enemy had altered the position of their infantry
previous to our attack : it was no longer, as at first, along
the Kaitna ; but extended from that river across to the^^
village of Assye upon the nullah, which was upon our
right. We attacked them immediately, and the troops
advanced under a very hot fire from cannon,^ ^ the execution
of which ^* was terrible. The piquets of the infantry and
the 74th regiment, which were on the right of the first
and second lines,^^ suffered particularly fix>m the fire of the

^ de la rivih'e Kaitfui ; or, plaine ; or, une rcue ccunpoffne.

simply, de la Kaitna, ^^ A 'nullah/ or 'nallah' (pru

* en. ^ aux alentourt de. perly *n£i&'), is a Hindustani

* 'to oome,* aariver. — 'in front word, which means 'a brook,' *a
of,' devant, water-course/ 'the ohanncd of a

'^ ne pouvait manquer, selon toute torrent.'

apparence, d^assurer noire sticcit. ^^ See page 42, note ^•.

■ Use toumer vert. ^' ju8qu*au,

^ anglaise. — ' oovering ; ' use '* une trit vive eanonnade,

praUger, here, to avoid ambiguity " doni Veffet.

to some extent, as convrir sa "^^ de la premdire et de la dettri"

marclie is usually taken in the ime lipne (not lign£s)l When an

sense of 'to conceal one's march.' adjective qualifies several substan*

^enqueue. — 'Mahratta,'maAra^. tives, it must be put in the plural ;

* un endroit dSeouvert; or, une but the French grammar does not

COMPOSITION. 315

guns on the left of the enemy's position near Assye. The
enemy's cavalry also made an attempt to charge the 74th
regiment, at the moment when ^ they were most exposed
to this fire, but they were cut up ^ by the British cavalry,
which moved on at that moment. At length the enemy's
line gave way^ in all directions, and the British cavalry
cut in* among their broken^ infantry; but some of their
corps went ofi^ in good order, and a fire was kept up on
our troops from many of the guns from which the enemy
had been first driven, by^ individuals who had been passed
by the line under the supposition that they were^ dead.

Lieutenant Colonel ^ Maxwell, with the British cavalry,
charged one large body of infantry, which had retired, and
was formed again, in which operation he was killed ; and
some time elapsed before we could put an end ^ to the
straggling ^^ fire, which was kept up by individuals from
the guns from which the enemy were driven.^^ The
enemy's cavalry also, which had been hovering ^^ round us
throughout the action, were still near us. At - length,
when the last formed body of infentry gave way, the
whole went ofi^, and left in our hands 90 pieces of cannon.
The victory, which was certainly complete, has, however,
cost us dear. Your Excellency will perceive, by the
enclosed retum,^^ that our loss in officers and men has

allow a tubstawtive qualified by ' TJaetaillerenpiiees. — 'to move

aereral adjectives to take the mark on.' in this sense, sSbranler,

of the plural. The reason given * 'to give way,' in this sense,

l^ grammarians is, that in such a plier, * * penetrated.'

case, the phrase is elliptical, as, ^ 'to break,' here, rompre.

for instance, here, it is for la pre- ^ et not troupes eurent d eauyer

mdire ligne et la deuxiime ligne. le feu de jHugieurs de» eanont

This reason is bad, and the rule of oU let ennemit avaient daJbord iU

absurd ; but absurd though it be, it repouMSt, toutenu par.

is generally observed, except, how- ^ Simply, que notre ligne avail

ever, when the adjectives follow laiesie pov/r.

the substantive (as at p, 188, n. ^^), 8 gee page 4, note \

in which case the best authors have ^ See page 112, note ^.

almost invariably broken through i<* irrigulier.

this poiut of grammatical (tiqueUe, ^^ ' the individuals of whom I

Yet, even here, good writers would have spoken.'

not scruple to say, dee premiere et "^s ' to hover,' here, voltiger,

deuaiime lignes. "^ V6UU (or, le compte-rejidu, or,

^ au momejU oil (or que); or^ le relevi) ci-incltti, — 'loss;' see

alor* que, page 801, n. 7.

316 FRENCH PROSE

been very great; and, in that of Lieutenant Colond
Maxwell and other officers, whose names are therein
included, greatly to be regretted.^

A Memorandum on the Battle of Asste.
{Svhiequently transmitted.^

1. The information which we obtain regarding the
position of an enemy whom we intend to attack is in
general very imperfect. We cannot send out Natives in
the 2 Company's service, who,^ from long habit, might be
able to give an accurate account, because they, being
inhabitants of the Camatic, or Mysore, are* as well known
in this part of the country as if they were Europeans ;
and we cannot view their positions ourselves, till we can^
bring up the main body^ of our armies, because the
enemy are always surrounded by immense bodies of horse.
The consequence is, that'^ we are obliged ta employ, as
hircarrahs, the natives of the country, and to trust to
their reports.

2. All the hircarrahs reported that the enemy's camp,
which I had concerted with Colonel Stevenson to attack,^
was at Bokerdun. I was to^ attack their left, where we
knew the infantry was posted; and Colonel Stevenson
their right. Their camp, however, instead of being at
Bokerdun, had its right to that village, and extended above
six miles to ^^ Assye, where was its left : it was all ^^ in the

^ et pariictUiirement rt^e^tabUt ^ 'because, being . . . &o., they

en ee qui coneeme U hevtenant- are ' ; see page 254, note K

colonel M — et awlres officier* dont ^ 'before we have been able to';

les noms y tofU metUionnit, see page 7, note ^.

• au. * legros.

' See page 29, note i^ In all ' // riniUe de Id (or, II en, ri-

cases where the construction can- tiUte) que.

not be altered, and qui would be ^ 'which we had agreed to at-

awkward, follow the course recom- taok, Gol. Stevenson and I.'

mended in the note referred to, * See page 79, note *.

even when no ambiguity is to be ]^ d une distance de pint de six

feared; and when the construction milles jusqu*d, — 'to that village';

'»n be altered, follow the rule ' to ' here, du cM de,

given at page 10, note '. ^ erUiiremeiU,

COMPOSITION. 317

district of Bokerdun, which was the cause ^ of the mis-
take.

3. My march of the 23rd was so directed as that^ I
should be within twelve or fourteen miles of the enemy's
camp on that day,^ which I supposed to be at Bokerdun.
Instead of that, by the extension of their line to the east-
ward, I found myself within six miles of them. I there
received intelligence^ that they were going off; at all
events,* whether they were about to go or to stay, I must
have reconnoitred.® I could not have reconnoitred"^ with-
out taking the whole of my small force; and, when I got®
near them, it would have been difficult, if not impossible,
to retire in front ^ of their numerous cavalry. But I
determined to attack them, as I really believed the intel-
ligence I received at Naulniah to be true.^^

4. When I found the intelligence I received at Naulniah
was false, that I had their whole army in my front,^^ and
that they had a most formidable position, three or four
times my number of infantry only,^^ ami a vast quantity
of cannon,^^ I deliberated whether I should withdraw,
and attack on the following morning, according to the
plan.

5. The consequence of my withdrawing^^ would have
been, that I should have been followed to Naidniah by
their cavalry, and possibly should have found it difficult

^ See page 29, note % and page ^ il m^anrait fcUlu reeonnoAtre

117, note ^*. We siiao use causer (or, /aire une reconnaissance),
( to cause, to occasion) : Hre la ^ ISee page 44, note ^, and page

caiise de, &c., may, however, be 38, note'. Observe that * could*

used, and the rule at note ^ of p is here conditional (for ' should be

29 is not absolute in this cat}e ; butf able'), not imperfect indicative

before (j[iie, the article must be left (for ' was able ^ as at page 88,

out, as, votis Hes cause que je nie note''.

mis briUS les doigts (' I have burnt ^ XTse the compound of the con-

my fingers tmvugh you ' ), — ditional. — * to get,' here, arriver.
* which ; ' see page S. note \ * en face.

8, , .

* ' There I received (page 264, ^^ une infanferie settle (or, . . .

note ^) intelligence.' — ' intelli- d elle setUe) trois ou qtuxtrefois plus

gence,' avis, in this sense, preceded forte que la mienne,

by no article. ^^ Use the plural.

^ de totUe maniire. ^* See page 21, note >.

318 FRENCH PROSE

to get thei-e. They would have harassed me all that day;
and, as I had only ground fortified by myself to secure
my baggage in, it was ten to one whether I should not
have lost a part of it^ during the attack on the following
morning; and, at all events, I should have been obliged
to leave more than one battalion to secure it. During
the attack of the 23rd, the enemy did not know where the
baggage was : and, although it was so close to them, they
never went near it*

6. Besides this, on the other hand, there was a chance,
indeed^ a certainty, that the enemy would hear that
Colonel Stevenson also would move upon them on the
24th, and would withdraw their in&ntry and guns in the
night. I therefore determined to make^ the attack.

7. The plan concerted, you will observe,* failed, from
the deficiency of our information regarding the enemy's
position, and, consequently, my coming too near them on
the 23rd, with my camp, baggage, &c.

8. The enemy's first position was as shown in® the plan.
The Kaitna is a river with^ steep banks, impassable for
carriages everywhere, excepting at Peepulgaum and Waroor.
I determined, fix>m ® the ground on which the cavalry was
first formed, to attack the enemy's left flank and recur, and
to cross the river at Peepulgaum. I intended at that
time to throw my right up to^ Assye.

9. For a length of time^*^ they did not see my infantry,
or^^ discover my design. When they did discover it, they
altered their position, and threw their left up to Assye,

1 'mjrself,* moi. — 'in;' leave ' d, followed by no artide. —

out this word. — * it was ten/ &c., Notiee this use of d, instead of

il y avait dix d parier contre nn avec : in the same way we say^ un

que fen aurais perdu unepartie, homme d cheveux hlafics, CHomwu

' Simply, aupris. an masque de fer, la PouU omx

* je dirai mime. — Construct, * it oeufs d^or, &c. — ^If, howevimr, the
was likely, Indeed certain.' Kaitna has high as well as stedp

* * to gfive.' banks, the French epithet for it

• rerMirquez-le hie%. — 'to foil,* will be nvt'^rt ^recatM^e.
here, (chouer, — ' trom f see page ^ gge page 126, note ^7.

187, note •. » 'to throw up t0|,' porter juM-

• 'such as it is (w trouve^ — ^to qu*d.

avoid the awkward repetition of "^ Pendant oMez lonfftempzm
Hre) indicated on.' ^ See page 42, note ^

COMPOSITION. 319

and formed across the ground between the Kaitna and
Assye;^ but in more than one line. Luckily, they did
not occupy the ford at Peepulgaum : if they had,^ I must
have gone lower down;^ and possibly I should have been
obliged to make a road* across the river, which ^ would
have taken so much time, that I should not have had day
enough for the attack.

10. When I saw that they had got their left to Assye,
I altered my plan ; and determined to manoeuvre by my
left, and push the enemy upon the nullah, knowing that
the village of Assye must ^ fall when the right should be
beat. Orders were given accordingly.

11. However, by one of those milucky accidents which
frequently happen, the officer commanding ^ the piquets,
which were upon the right, led immediately up to the
village of Assye: the 74th regiment, which was on the
right of the second line, and® was ordered to support*
the piquets, followed them. There was a large break in
our line^® between these corps and those ^^ on the left.
They were exposed to a most terrible ^^ cannonade from^^
Assye, and were charged by the cavalry belonging to the
campoos; consequently, in the piquets and the 74th
regiment, we ^* sustained the greatest part of our loss.^*
One company of the piquets, of one officer and fifty
rank and file,^^ lost the officer and forty-four rank and
file. This company belonged to the battalion left at
Naulniah.

^ 'on the ground which eepa- note^\

rates the K — jfirom A — .' ' totUenir, or appuyer, here,

' Supply the ellipsis, which, as not supporter,

we have repeatedly seen above, is ^^ II resta un grand espaee

not fdlowed in French. (or, intervalle) dans notre tigne

8 il nCaurait fallu (or, faurais rompibe.

iti obligS de— faurais eu d) des- ^^ 'those which were.*

cendre plus has. See page 44. >* See page 96, note ^®.

note >, and page 38, note ». •' ' ftom, partie de (lit., ' pro-

* chemin, ceeded— oome — ^from').

' Sea page 8, note ^ ^^ 'itisin . . . &c., that we have.'

^ Use the imperfeot tense. — ' to sustain,' here, iprouver, or

' ' who commanded.' essuyer,

^ 'and which;' see page 66, ^^ le plus de pertes.

note ^>-' was ordered;' turn, 'had ^^ 'rank and file/ hommes (or

order — or, the order' (page 21, soldats).

320 FRENCH PROSE

12. Another bad^ consequence resulting from this mis-
take was, the necessity of introducing the cavalry into the
action at too early a period.^ I had ordered it to watch
the motions ^ of the enemy's cavalry* hanging upon our
right ; and, luckily, it charged in time to^ save the remains
of the 74th, and the piquets. It was thus brought into ^
the cannonade ; horses and men were lost : it charged
among broken infantry, and separated ; the unity of the
body was lost, and it was no longer possible to use it, as
I had intended*^ when I placed it in the third line, to
pursue and cut up the defeated and broken enemy,
and thus make^ the victory still more complete than it
was.^

13. As I had foreseen, the corps at Assye was not
defeated till worked upon ^^ by the centre and left of our
line, notwithstanding the movement of the piquets, the
74th, and the caval^ ; and then it went ofif directly, and
was cut up.

N.B. The Juah river, or nuUah, has steep banks, im-
passable for carriages, scarcely passable for horses.

^ fdcJieuse (fern.). ' d temps pour.

^ * of introducing too soon/ &c. ^ au milieu dt,

' mxmv€m.ejUt, ' See pa^ 5, note H — ' when I

* We rather say cavalerie — or placed; 'turn, 'in placing.'

ivfanterie — ennemie ( adjective ) 8 Sqq page 86, note ^.

than . , . . de Vennemi (substan- ' See page 30, note ^^, and page

tire, as in £higlish). — * banging 5, note '^*.

upon,' qui ne cessait de rdder aux ^^ ' to work upon,' here, aiia-

cUentours de. quer : see page 29, note ^.

COMPOSITION. 321

THE BATTLE OF THE ALMA (1854).

Strategic Operations — The Biver Alma — Position and Force of the
Bufuiaofl — ^Earthwork Batteries to defend the Heights — The French
Charge"— Advance of the British Line — Gallantry of Lord Baglan —
Passage of the Biver, and Brilliant Charge np the Heights —
Sanguinary Straggle — ^The Bussian Battery taken, and Betreat of
thellneiny.

Heights of the Alma, September 21.

Thb order in which our army adTOnoed was in columns
of brigades in deploying distance,^ our left protected by a
line of skirmishers, of cavalry, and of horse artiUeiy. The
advantage of the^ formation was, tbat our army, in case
of a strong attack from cavalry and in&ntry on the left or
rear,^ could assume the form of a hollow square, with the
baggage in the centre.^ Our great object was ^ to gain
the right of the position, so that our attacking parties^
oould be sheltered by the vertic-al fire of the fleets.

We had, in £eLct,^ altered our base of operations. As
we marched forward to Barljanak, we allowed the enemy
to deprive us of our old^ basis of operations, in order that
we might ^ get a new one. For this purpose the baggage
was brought up and covered by the 4th Division, and the
Cossacks were allowed to sweep the country in our rear
&r behind us.^^ Our new principle, in fact, was to open
oommunication with our fleets, and as far^^ as possible
obtain their material and moral aid. In advancing towards
the sea obliquely, on the morning of the 19th, we were

^ d distoMce (or, d iwtervalU) d$ wWdn (but not inJU>) a square.'

(Uploiement, ? L'issenUel itait de,

* ' that.' • nos troupes (or, colonnet) <ral-

* <tu 9wr la derriires, ia^; or, simply, not atiaquet.
^ se former en un carri, dam ^ par Ufaxi.

iMmlelleamuiten/ervUtonha^offe, ^ an/cienne (fern, here), — ^in this

Notice this difTerence between en sense.

and dcms : en (not dans) must aU ' See page 7, note ^,

ways be used to indicate a change ^^ ' in our rear far,' &c. ; sim-

of form, the conversion of a thing ply, d une grande distance der-

into another ; thus, se former dans riire nous. — ' were allowed ;' s

wn carr^. would mean 'to form page 21, note o. ^^ autanL

T

322 FRENCH PROSE

met by seventeen squadrons of cavalry, deployed to meet^
our handful of horse, and it was necessary to make a
demonstration of artillery and in&ntiy to extricate our
men from the difficulty into which they had been plunged
by advancing too far in front of their supports.^ However,
the enemy were driven back ^ by our guns, which made
beautiful practice,^ and the cavalry maintained their
ground,^ having retired in splendid^ order before a force
which refused to meet them when they might have done
so,^ by a charge down from ® the elevated position they
occupied, with a &ir chance of an encounter^ ere our
artilleiy could come up. Our line of march on the 20th,
as I have said, was toward the right of our former base, and
brought us in contact with the French left, ^^ under Prince
Napoleon, it being understood ^^ that Sir De Lacy Evans's
division on the extreme right should act in concert with
that of his Royal Highness the Prince, which was of course
furthest from the sea. As soon as we had ascertained the
position of our allies accurately, the whole line, extending
itself across the champaign country ^^ for some five or six
miles, advanced. ^^

The scheme of operations concerted between the gene-
rals, was, that the French and Turks on our right were to
force ^^ the passage of the river, a rivulet of the Alma, and
establish themselves on the heights over the stream at the

1 * to meet/ pour barter U eke- ^ ' down from,* du havt de,
in (or passage) d. — ' squadrons * et cela avec une auez
of oaTalry;' 8impl7ye«C0K2ron<; this chance pour lui ; and a oomnia

min (or passage) d, — ' squadrons * et cela avec une asaez hdU
of oaTalry;' 8impl7ye«C0K2ron<; this chance four lui; and a oomnia
word la said only of cavalry, in after lu%, — 'to come up;' simply.

French (a squadron of infantiy is arriver,

called bataillon). ^ et nous relia d lagauekeda

' en s^aventwrani trap loin en Francis, — 'Prince l^pol6on;'

avawt de leurt appuis, see page 4, note \ and Tarioos

' 'to drive back,* r^pouMer, or other juaces.

reorder, ^ car il avait iti convenu y * it

* quijouhentadmiraklemenibiaCf being/ &c., is not any more a

d ravir), ' See p. 299, n. '. French turn than 'its being-^' &c.

s admirable ; see page 26, (paee 21, note ^),

note'. "^^ la ]^a^n€. — 'some, in this

7 'avoided the combat when sense ; see page 308, note *.

(page 67, note *) it might have en- is * to advanoe,* or ' to move,

gaged (page 44, note ') it ; ' and no or 'begin to move,* in a military

comma after ' it.' — ' force,* corps sense, tfibranUr,

de troupes, " See page 79, note «. .

J

COMPOSITION. 323

oppodie Bide, bo that they could ^ enfilade the poeition to
their right and opposite to our left and centre. The Akna
is a tortuous little stream, which has worked its way
down ^ tl^ough a red clay soil, deepening its course as it
proceeds seawards, and which drains the steppe-like lands^
on its right bank, making at times pools and eddies too
deep to be forded, though it can generally be crossed by
waders who do not fear to wet their knees.^ It need not
be said that the high banks formed by the action of the
stream in cutting through^ the soil are sometimes at one
side, sometimes at another, according to the swe^^ of the
stream.

At the place where the bulk^ of the British army
crossed, the banks are generally at the ri^t side, and vary
from two and three to six or eight feet in depth to^ the
water; where the French attacked, the banks ace generally
formed by the imvaried curve of the river on the leftnhand
side. Along the right or the north bank of the Alma are
a number of Tartar houses, at times numerous and close
enough to form a cluster of habitations deserving the
name of a^ hamlet, at times scattered wide apant amid
little vineyards, surrounded by walls of mud and .stone of
three feet in height. The bridge over which the post
road^^ passes from Bouljinanak to Sebastopol runs close
to^^ one of these hamlets — a village, in &ct, of some fifty
houses. This village is approached from the north by a
road winding through a plain nearly level till it ^omes
near to the village, where the ground dips,^^ so that at the
distance of three hundred yards ^^ a man on horseback
can hardly see the tops of the nearer and more elevated

^ See pBjire 7, note 7. ment de fxt^d-viewt ; or, simplT, le

• iest creiLsi (p. 244, n. i) un lit; va-et-vient. — 'sometixnes/ repsat-
or, s^esijpratim^ un court, ^ed ; translate as at p. ^9, n.X

• faiiicotuer tea mux des apices ' U grot.

de steppes qui sent. ^ hauteur Q> partir de la iurfaes d^

• mait onpeiU la traverser pre*- • Leaye out "a,*

gu« partotA en ayartt de Veaujus- ^ rmiU potUUeyOt, rfytUe c^poste
qu*aux genoux. (and see pe^e 8, note ').

• 'to out througrV 1^6™ ; miner, " est mroau de,

or, treuser. ^* s^ahaisse hrusquement

• * the «weep,* here, le mouve- *' See p, 96, n. ^ and p. 226, n. *.

Y 2

324 FRENCH PROSE

houses, and can only ascertain the position of the streani
by the willows and yerdure along its banks. At the left
or south side of the Alma the ground assumes a very
different character — smooth where the bank is deep/ and
greatly elcTated where the shelve of the bank occurs,^ it
recedes for a few yards at a moderate height above the
stream, pierced here and there by the course of the wintei's
torrents, so as to form small ravines, commanded, however,
by the heights above.^ It was on these upper heights
that the strength of the Russian position consisted. A
remarkable ridge of mountain, varying in height from
500 to 700 feet, runs ^ along the course of the Alma on
the left or south side with the course of the stream,^ and
assuming the form of cMk when dose® to the sea. This
ridge is marked all along its course^ by deep gullies, which
run towards the river at various angles, and serve no
doubt to carry off the floods produced by the rains, and
the melting of the winter snows on the hiUs and tablelands
above. If the reader will place himself on the top of
Richmond-hill, dwarf the Thames in imagination to the
size^ of a Hampshire rivulet, and imagine the lovely bill
itself to be ^ deprived of all vegetation and protracted for
about four miles along the stream, he may form some
notion ^^ of the position occupied by the Russians, while
the plains on the north or left bank of the Thames will
bear no inapt similitude to^^ the land over which the
British and French armies advanced, barring only the
verdure and freshness.^^ At the top of the ridges, between

^ Id 4»l (page 254^ note ^') la ^^ sefatrequelqueidie. — 'may;

herae ext d ptc. use the fdtore (or pouvoir),

' 'the bank shelves '('to ahelye/ ^ reprderUeront OMez bien,
aUer en pente), ^^ la verdure et la fraich£urse%Ut

s ^to oommaiid,' in this sense^ exceptSet ; or, excepts — dPexception

dominer, — 'above/ v(dsine8 (lit., de — la verdure et — de — lafraUikem.r

'neighbonrinp^'). ^ 'extends.' tetUet; or, d la settle verdure ei d

' 8ur la nve gauche ou c6U du la fraicheur prit. See page 61,

97id, euivarU le lit du courant (page note ^^ When excepU precedes

95, note "). • See p. 29, n. ". the noun or nouns, it is a prepo-

'^ 'in all its length (or, extent).' sition, and consequently invari-

^ rapdtiiser la Tamise, par la able ; when it follows, it agrees

pmeSe, jtuqu'aux dimensions, as being a past participle. — ' Bri-

• See page 7, note ^ ; leave out tish,' &c. ; see p. 138, n. ^i (and

•to be,' here. also, if you choose, p. 814, n. ").

COMPOSITION. 325

the gullies, the Bussians had erected earthwork batteries,^
mounted with 321b. and 241b. brass guns,^ supported by
numerous field-pieces and howitzers. These guns enfiladed
the tops of the ravines parallel to them, or swept them to
the base, while the whole of the sides up which an enemy,
unable to stand ^ the direct fire of the batteries, would be
forced to ascend, were filled with masses of skirmishers
armed with an excellent two-groove rifie,^ throwing a large
solid conical ball with force at 700 or 800 yards, as the
French learnt to their cost.^ The principal battery con-
sisted of an earthwork of the form of two sides of a
triangle, with the apex pointed ^ towards the bridge, and
the sides covering both sides of the stream, corresponding
with the bend in the river below it, at the distance of
1000 yards,^ while, with a fair elevation, the 32-pounders
threw,® as we saw very often, beyond the houses of the
village to the distance of 1,400 and 1,500 yards. This ^
was constructed on the brow of a hill about 600 feet above
the river, but the hill rose behind it for another fifty feet
before it dipped away towards ^^ the road. The ascent of
this hill was enfiladed by the fire of three batteries of
earthwork on the right, and by another on the left, and
these batteries were equally capable of covering the village,
the stream, and the slopes which led up the hill to their
position. In the first battery were thirteen 32-pounder
brass guns of exquisite workmanship,^^ which only told
too well.^2 In the other batteries were some twenty-five
guns in all. It was said the Bussians had 100 guns on
the hills, and 40,000 men (forty battalions of in&ntry,

^ avaierU irig6 (or dressi — or said, in French, to bo e» potence.

(iahli — or construit — or Uevf) dei ^ au coude que fait la riviire A

batteries en terre. 1000 yards plus loin dans la plains,

• de canons de fonJU de trente- ^ lespiices de 82 (or, les bouckes
deux ei de viTigUquaire. A feu eft* calibre de 82) portaient.

^ souUnir, »' This battery.*

• caraMne d deux rainures (or '<> iSlevait encore derriire elle d
cannelures). la hauteur de Hnquante pieds (i. e.,

<^ dSpens (this word has no sin- pieds anglais) avant de (or. avant

gular). que de) redescendre du c6t^ de.

• toumS. — Such a figure as is ^^ travailUs dans la (or, d la —
here described (whether in a bat- or, en) perfection,

tery or in the ranks of an army) is ^* et qui nefrent q^ie trop d'efct,.

d26 FRENCH PROSE

1000 strong each^ of the 16tli, 3l8t, 32nd, and 52nd
tegiments).^ We "were opposed principally to the 16th
and 32nd regiments,^ judging by the number of dead in
front of us. Large masses of cavalry, principally Lancers
and heavy Dragoons,^ manoeuvred on the hilk on the right
of the Russians, and at last descended the hills, crossed
the stream, and threatened our left and rear. As we came
near the river our left wing was thrown back,^ in order to
support our small force of cavalry, and a portion of our
artillery was pushed forward^ in the same direction. Our
danger in this respect was detected by the quick eye ^ of
Sir George Brown, and 1 heard him give the order for the
movement of ^ the artillery almost as soon as he caught
sight of ^ the enemy's cavalry, and just as we were coming
to the village. As I have already said, our plan of opera-
tions was, that the French should establish themselves
imder the fire of the guns on the heights on the extreme
of the enemy's left. When that attack was sufficiently
developed, and had met^^ with success, the British army
was to force the right and part of the centre of the Russian
position, and the day was gained. When we were about

^ fwU de mille hommet chacun ; sense of euphony, which are the

mstiead of chacun (each) we should essentials of a pure and elegant

use dhaqite before a noun, as, chor writer.

que bataillon, ■ Here, follow the rule. — * We

^ des . . , . and 'regiments' in were opposed to/ Notts aviont

the plilral. In such a case as this, corUre nous. — ' judging,' d en

BY&ty one breaks the rule men- juger.

tioned at page 814, note ^ ; but * Simply, dragoTis, leaving out

obsetve, hoWerer, that des (plural) ' heavy ; ' as the dragons, in

is used at fiifst, and not repeated, France, at least, all belong ezcltt-

of course, inst^td of du (singular) sively to the grosse cavalerie (heavy

r^>€oted, as it ought to be, before cavalry).

each numeral, — ^which would alter ^ * to throw back, ' here, replier.

the case, and bring it more directly ^ ' to push forward,' here, porter

within the compass of the rule, en avant.

The present instance be&rs some ^ le coup d^oeil pSnSirant, in this

similitude with the one at page particidar sense : Pceil vff (or, le

138, note ^. Taste alone ought to regard prompt) refers to the appear-

Siide us in these kinds of phrases, anoe, rather than to the effect^ of

ere, the repetition of au, four a person's looks,

times over, would be intolerable, ^ defaire avancer.

and would even shock, I dare ^ ' he saw.'

say, some professed grammarians, ^^ 'was'; 'had met;' — use the

though they have not generally that conditional, then its compound. —

delicate taste and quick ear, that ' to meet with success,' r€ussir.

COMPOSITION. 327

three miles from the village, the French steamers ran in
as close as they could to the bluff of the shore ^ at the
south side of the Alma, and presently we saw them shell-
ing^ the heights in splendid style,^ the shells bursting over
the enemy's squares and batteries, and finally driving them
from their* position on the right, within 3000 yards of
the sea.

The French practice '^ commenced about half-past twelve
o'clock on the 20th, and lasted for about an hour and a
half. We could see the shells falling over the batteries of
the enemy, and bursting right into them;^ and then the
black masses inside the works broke ^ into little specks,
which flew about in all directions, and when the smoke
cleared away® there were some to be seen strewed over the
ground. The Russians answered the ships from the
heights,* but without effect. A powder tumbril was
blown up by a French shell ;i<^ another shell fell by
accident into an ambuscade which the Russians had pre-
pared for the advancing French, and at last they drew off
from the sea-side, and confined their efforts to the defence
of the gullies and heights beyond the fire of the heavy
guns^i of the steamers. At one o'clock we saw the French
columns struggling up ^^ the hills, covered by a cloud of
skirmishers, whose fire seemed most deadly.^^ Once at
sight of a threatening mass of Russian in&ntry, in a com-
manding position above them, who fired rapid volleys
among them,^* the French paused, but it was only to

etoM

cdte, IB, in naval language, 'to run » 'answered from the heights

in close to a coast— K>r shore/ and to the firing <rf the ships.'

rajiger d Phonneur une cdte, &o., ^^ Uh ofw parti du c6U des

is, exactly, 'to run in as close as Francis JU tauter un caisson

possible to,' &c., &c. rempli depoudre.

* lancer (or diriger) des ohus ^^ ffrosses ^ces d^artillerie.
«wj. .. V . " ?«** fa%saient des ^orts dS-

■ avec un ^et (execution) art- sespfrSs pour gravir,

mirahle. « des plus meurtriers. — 'seemed;*

* leforcirewt evfin d quitter (or turn, 'seemed to be.'
abandonner) sa, i* qui, d^une Sminence qui Us do-

* Le itr des Francis. minaU, dirigeait contre eux un feu
» ow beau milieu d^elles. him nourri (or, bien soutenu),

' se divisaieni (imperfect tense.

328 FRENCH PROSE

collect their skirmishersy for as soon as they had formed,
they ran up the hill at the pas de charge, and broke up-^
the Russians at once, -who fled in disorder with loss, up
the hill. We could see men dropping on both sideSy
and the wounded rolling down the steep.^ At 1*50, our
lines of skirmishers got within range ^ of the battery on
the hill, and immediately the Russians opened fire^ at
1200 yards with effect, the shot ploughing through^ the
open^ lines of the riflemen, and falling into the advancing
columns behind. Shortly ere this time, dense volumes of
smoke ^ rose from the river, and drifted aloug to the east-
ward, rather interfering with the view of ^ tie enemy on
the left of our position. The Russians had set the village
on fire.^ It was a fair exercise of military skill — ^was wdl
executed — ^took place at the right time,^^ and succeeded
in occasioning a good deal of annoyance. Our troops
halted when they neared this villc^e, their left extending
beyond it by the verge of the stream ; our right behind
the burning cottages, and within range of the batteries.
It is said the Russians had taken the range ^^ of all the
principal points in their front, and placed twigs and sticks
to mark them. In this they were assisted by the post
signboards ^^ on the road. The Russians opened a furious
fire^^ on the whole of our line, but the French had not
yet made progress enough to justify us in advancing.^^
The round shot^^ whizzed in every direction, dashing up

1 *to break up,' here, enf oncer. ^ cPipadt towrhillont de fumie;

* escarpemejit. or, simply, unefttmie fyaiue,

B dportie. B'wmoa, drifting. ••ratherinter-

^ 'opened tlie firo ;' but we say fered. ke. {nout cacha enparHe).*

faire feu (to fire^, without any ^ Turn, 'had set (use m€ftr«) the

article {faire du feu is, to make a fire to the village f but we say, le

fire, as m a chimney, ko.), village est en feu (the village is on

* You may use here either la- fire — ^is burning),

bourer, or balayer (to sweep) ; we /*" took place at the right time ;*

more commonly use, howeyer, la- simply, et a propos,

bourer (to plough), in speaking of ^ ' had measured the distance.'

cannon, with reference to the ^ par let Seriteaux des poteaux

ground, and to ramputs under indicaUurt (or, poteaux guidet),

the fire of oblique oatteries. — ^ unfeu d^enfer.

' shot/ here, bouleU (plural.) ^^ pour qu'UfiU prudent dt rumt

^ ' open, here, laissSes d tUcou^ porter en avant.

vert, and put it after 'riflemen.' ^ Let bouUtt,

COMPOSITION. 329

the dirt and sand into the faces of ^ the staff of Lord
Eaglan, who were also shelled severely, and attracted
much of the enemy's fire.^ Still Lord Raglan waited
patiently for the development of the French attack. At
length an aide-de-camp came to him and reported the
French had crossed the Alma, but they had not established
themselves sufficiently to justify us in an attack.^ The
infantry were, therefore, ordered* to lie down, and the
army for a short time was quite passive, only^ that our
artillery poured forth an unceasing fire of ^ shell, rockets,
and round shot, which ploughed through the Russians^
and caused them great loss. They did not waver, however,
and replied to our artilleiy manfully, their shot falling
among our men as they lay, and carrying off legs and
arms at every round. ^ Lord Kaglan at last became weary
of this inactivity — ^his spirit was up — he^ looked around,
and saw men on whom he knew he might stake ^ the
honour and fate of Great Britain by his side, and antici-
pating a little in a ^? military point of view the crisis of ^^
action, he gave orders for our whole line to advance.^^
Up rose these serried masses,^^ and passing through a
fearful shower of round, case shot,^* and shell, they dashed
into the Alma, and floundered through its waters, which
were literally torn into foam by the deadly hail.^^ At the
other side of the river were a number of vineyards, and
to our surprise they were occupied by Russian riflemen.

1 en balayaia la boue et U sable, » ; Iwuillant cPimpaUence, il.

et iclab<nusantju8qu*au visage, s hasarder,

* lequel (page W, note ^^) servait ^ au.
(page 41, note S) particiUiirefMiU u 'of the.'

de poiiU de mire aux ennemis, d ^^ 'for .... to advanoe ;' this

att wiUeit dvquel pleuvaieiU les oonstniotion is not French.

obus et avtres projectiles, ^ En un instant ces . , . . sont

^ pour none permettre de /aire swr pied,

nne attaque, -* une pluie (or, itne grile) </"-

* 'received the order ' (page 21, froyable de houlets, de mitraille.
note*). — *io]ie dxrnn,* deseeoucher i* Scumawts, d la leUre, swales
pwr terre. dSehirvres eauuies par les projectiles

^ excepts, memiriers ; and leave out 'which

* nos oou4^ d feu vonUrent sans were.' — 'a number;' turn, 'a ra-
disconHnuer, ther laige number.'

7 voUe,

330 FRENCH PROS£

Three ^ of the staff were here shot down,^ but led by Lord
Raglan in person, they^ advanced cheering on the men.^
And now came the turning ^ point of the battle, in which
Lord Raglan, by his sagacity and military skill, probably
secured the victory at a smaller sacrifice than would have
been otherwise the case.® He dashed over the bridge,
followed by his staff. From the road over it, under the
Russian guns, he saw the state of action. The British
line, which he had ordered to advance, was struggling
through the river and up the heights^ in masses, firm
indeed but mowed down by the murderous fire of the
batteries, and by grape, round shot, shell, canister, case
shot,^ and miu^etry, from some of the guns^ of the
central battery, and from an immense and compact mass
of Russian in&ntry. Then commenced one of the most
bloody and determined ^^ struggles in the annals of war.
The 2nd Division, led by Sir De L. Evans in the most
dashing manner, crossed the stream on the right. The
7th Fusileers, led by Colonel Yea, were swept down by
fifties.li The 55th, 30th, and 95th, led by Brigadier
Penne&ther, who was in the thickest of the fight,i^ cheer-
ing on his men, again and again were checked indeed, but
never^^ drew back in their onward progress, which was
marked by a fierce roll^* of Mini6 musketry,!*^ and
Brigadier Adams, with the 41st, 47th, and 49th, bravely
charged up the hill, and aided them in the battle. Sir
George Brown, conspicuous on a grey horse, rode in front
of his Light Division, urging them with voice and gesture.

1 'Three officers;' and leave ^ diriaSs tur elles par uiie joartie

out ' here.' de Partulerie, — ' andTfrom/ et par,

* Umbenttotulefeu, ^^ achamis. — 'in;* turn, 'that

s 'the rest' (see page 118, are (ptage 13, note ^) recorded (use

note ^7). enreffittrer) in.' ^ cinquantaiina.

e(U iU (page 82, note *) m/m (but pa< unt settle foU; or, ns . , . .

for) cet conditions. point cPun pas\one step).

7 See p. 6, n. " and p. 827, n. » " 'roU,'/(m rotdant

8 'grape,^ 'canister,^ and 'case " de carabines MiniS ; or, di
shot/ are all called by the general cardHnes de precision {%, «. oan-
name of mitrailUf in Yreum. blnei Ik balles coniquee).

COMPOSITION. 331

Gallant fellows!^ they were worthy jf slich a gallant
chief. The 7th, diminished by one-half,^ fell back to re-
form their columns lost for the time;^ the 23rd, with
eight officers dead and four wounded, were still rushing to
the front, aided by the 15th, 33rd, 77th, and 88th. Down
went Sir George in * a cloud of dust in front of the
battery. He was soon up, and shouted, " 23rd, I'm all
right.^ Be sure I'll remember this day," and led them on
again, but in the shock produced by the fall of their chief,
the gallant regiment suffered terribly, while paralyzed^
for a moment. Meantime the Guards on the right of the
Light Division, and the brigade of Highlanders, were
storming the heights on the left. Their line was almost
as regular as though they were in Hyde-park Suddenly
a tornado of round and grape rushed through from the
terrible battery, and a roar of musketry from behind
thinned their front ^ ranks by dozens. It was evident
that we were just able to contend ^ against the Russians,
favoured as they were by a great position. At this very
time an immense mass of Russian in&.ntry were seen
moving down towards the battery. They halted. It was
the crisis of the day. Sharp, angular, and solid, they
looked as if they were cut out of the solid rock.^ It was
beyond all^^ doubt that if our in&ntry, harassed and
thinned as they were, got ^^ into the battery, they would
have to encounter again a formidable fire, wluch they were
but ill calculated to bear.^^ Lord Eaglan saw the diffi-
culties of the situation. He asked if it would be possible
to get a couple ^^ of guns to bear on these masses. The
reply was ** Yes,'*^* and an artillery officer, whose name I

1 Let braves toldaU I dScharae) de mtmsqaeterie,
■ de moitii, — *to fell back/ se ^ n'eiions que tout jtute deforce,
replier, ' tailUe (fern, sing., agreeing

> momewtaiUmemt, witli maese) dans le roc vif.

* T<mt d coup (p. 148, n. ») Sir lo ^^ d.faii hors de.
Cf-" se laisse toniber an milieu de. ^^ donnadt,

ff il iCy a pas de mal: ^' itait d peine en itat de sou-

* See pAffe 29, note ^ tenir.

f et un Jv» nourri de mous^ue- ^ See page 8, note ^ — 'to bear

Urie parti de derrOre elle iclatrcit on ;' pour conUnir, or, powr arrHer.

lewrs premiers. We also say, " On lui ripondit que out,
simply, fusillade, as well as/fu (or

332 FRENCH PROSE

do not now knbw,^ brought up two guns to fire on tbd
Russian squares. The first shot missed, but the next, and
the next, and the next^ cut through the ranks so cleanly,
and so keenly,^ that a clear lane could be seen for a
moment^ through the square. After a few rounds the
columns of the square became broken, wavered to and
fro, broke, and fled over the brow of the hill, leaving
behind them six or seven distinct lines of dead, lying as
close as possible to each other,^ marking the passage of
the &tal messengers.^ This act relieved our in&intry of a
deadly incubus,^ and they continued their magnificent
and fearful progress up the hill. The Duke^ encouraged
his men by voice and example, and proved himself worthy
of his proud command and of the Royal race from which
he comes.^ '' Highlanders,*' said Sir C. Campbell, ere
they came to the charge, '* I am going to ask a fiivour of
you ; it is, that you will act so as to justify me in^^ asking
permission of the Queen for you to wear a bonnet ! Don't
pulP^ a trigger till you're within a yard of the Russians!"
They charged, and well they obeyed^^ their chieftain's
wish; Sir Colin had his horse shot^^ under him, but his
men took the battery at^^ a bound. The Russians rushed
out, and left multitudes of dead behind them. The
Guards had stormed the right of the battery ere the
Highlanders got into the left, and it is said the Soots,
Fusileer Guards were the first to enter. The Second and
Light Division crowned the heights. The French turned
the guns on the hills against the flying masses, which the

^ See page 35, end of note *>. de.

* mats le suivant, puis un troi" * ' to come,' in this sense, ties'
sUme, un guatrUme. cendre, or, soriir.

^ JirerU de ianglanUet et larget ^ me oUmner le droit de, — ' for

trouies. you to wear ;' remember that tins

^ si lien qv!on apercevaU par oonstraction is not French.

momejUs nn passage tibre. ^^ 'to pull/ here, Iddker,

* 'to,' here, de. — ^Leave out 'ly- ^ 'and obeyed well {porndtuUe-
ing/ and see page 10, note ^, and merU, here ; or, depoiiU en point)
page 48, note K to/

^ ^mi^\y, trances perceptihlea des ^^ Simply, fttl. — For yarioiis

projectiles destrudeurs* — 'This act,' other ways of rendering ' to shoot/

Cette iMswre, see page 60, note ', and page 167,

^ d^un p6rU imminent, note ^.

8 Le due de Cambridge, — 'by,' i* de.

COMPOSITION. 338

cavalry in vain tried to cover. A few faint struggles^
from the scattered infantry, a few rounds of cannon and
musketry, and the enemy fled to the south-east, leaving
three generals, drums, three guns, 700 prisoners, and 4,000
wounded behind them. The battle of the Alma was won.
It is won with a loss' of nearly 3,000 killed and wounded
on our side. The Russians' retreat was covered by their
cavalry, but if we had had an adequate force,^ we could
have captured many guns and multitudes of prisoners. —
(W. H, Russell, The War,) »

1 Aprii qudquet ^orU lanpuis- gudaues renforUf et den HoeU faii

tants; and leaye out 'and; or, ae I insurrection {& few more rein-

JBneore quelqties . . . &;c., and trans- forcements, and it would have been

late 'and: but this latter oon- all over with the insurrection — and

stmotion is chiefly used in relation the insurrection would have been

to a future time, or to a conditional entirely suppressed),

post, as, enwre un peu de temps, et * en avians eu suffisammeni dt

vous ne me verree plus, and, encore notre c6tS.

THE END.

LOU dor:
ntrHAUD rt.AY, pkintbR) dkead tnir.KT imm.,

I

li

1