/ Class ? C tfl l Book ? Y^ in: COPYRIGHT DEPOSIT. Ibeatb's flDot>ern Xanôuage Series IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION LETTERS AND MEMOIRS IN LIFE AND FICTION PREPARED BY ADELINE PELLISSIER Assistant Professor of French at Smith College D. C. HEATH & CO., PUBLISHERS BOSTON NEW YORK CHICAGO Copyright, 1914, By D. C. Heath & Co. I E 4 JUN II 1914 ©CIA374898 /Li)/ PREFACE Les critiques des élèves en apprennent long au professeur; une remarque, faite en passant, montre souvent qu'elles n'ont pas saisi, ou qu'elles ont compris de travers parce qu'elles jugent avec leurs idées d'aujourd'hui et ne connaissent que les mœurs de leur pays. C'est au professeur à s'ingénier pour suppléer à ce manque de connaissances indispensables. Aiguillonnée par cette nécessité, j'ai cherché des textes qui mettraient mes élèves à même de se rendre compte des idées et des mœurs du XVIII me siècle. Comme, au point de vue de la pratique de la langue, il leur manque surtout l'habileté de savoir manier le français idio- matique, il m'a semblé que l'étude de la correspondance et des mémoires de cette époque était un sujet tout trouvé qui com- binerait l'étude des mœurs à celle des idiotismes. Ce sujet est d'un intérêt général puisque les Français, les Anglais et les Américains ont tous leur mot à dire; en outre, chez certains écrivains de ce temps-là, l'anglais a toutes les qualités du fran- çais. En traduisant ces textes, on arrivera à combler une double lacune. Comme, au dire de Rousseau, «les Français écrivent comme ils parlent», nous trouverons dans les lettres le vocabulaire familier, qui doit compléter celui qu'on acquiert par la lecture des grands écrivains. A aucune époque l'art de la conversation n'a été porté à un plus haut point de perfection; la correspon- dance, qui en est l'écho, nous met au courant de toutes les questions intéressantes qui préoccupèrent les écrivains de ce temps-là. Ces sujets si variés sont traités avec une netteté, une finesse iii IV PREFACE incomparables. Il est facile de retenir un idiotisme quand il est enchâssé dans une petite scène de comédie; et nombre de lettres de cette époque ne sont pas autre chose. Dans les mémoires, les portraits de personnages en vue sont croqués sur le vif avec un art d'une amusante prestesse. Voilà les modèles qu'il faut étudier; il ne s'agit que de faire un choix. Pour qu'il soit profitable, il faut une idée directrice: recherchons l'ori- gine et le développement des influences étrangères sur la France du XVIII me siècle. L'influence anglaise, ayant été prépondérante, doit passer en premier lieu; d'autant plus qu'ayant rayonné plus loin, elle se manifeste dans le domaine des idées scientifiques, philoso- phiques et politiques. Les écrivains qui ont le plus contribué à la répandre doivent donc être présentés suivant l'ordre chro- nologique de leur séjour en Angleterre: Voltaire, Montesquieu, Buffon, etc. . . . Les idées nouvelles se répandirent par l'En- cyclopédie et les salons; feuilletons les mémoires, nous y trou- verons les portraits des philosophes, des femmes du monde, des étrangers qui formèrent cette société cosmopolite. Puis comme dans la littérature le réalisme est de mise, il sera possible de comparer la vie au roman, puisque là encore, les autobiogra- phies, les lettres sont à la mode. On pourra, par ce moyen, suivre l'évolution graduelle du réa- lisme au romantisme, tout en faisant venir à leur heure les différentes influences étrangères: orientale, espagnole, anglaise. Enfin, l'influence grecque sera indiquée comme étant l'avant- courrière du grand réveil de la poésie lyrique. Ce sujet étant assez neuf pour la plupart des élèves, il a sem- blé nécessaire de relier par un commentaire et par de nom- breuses citations les groupes de morceaux choisis, afin que chaque partie, venant se placer en son lieu, contribue à faire ressortir le dessin particulier de cette mosaïque. PRÉFACE V Je tiens à remercier ici ceux qui ont bien voulu m'aider de leurs conseils: Mr. C. H. C. Wright, de Harvard University, qui a consenti à critiquer le plan général de cet ouvrage; mes col- lègues de Smith College: Mademoiselle Louise Delpit, qui a bien voulu critiquer les passages écrits en français; Miss Aima Le Duc et Miss Elizabeth Tetlow, qui ont eu l'obligeance de revoir les passages traduits en anglais. A. P. Pour la commodité de l'élève, les notes forment un opuscule publié à part. IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION PART I 1. La Bastille La Bastille était la prison qui, sous l'ancien régime, sym- bolisait au plus haut degré le règne de l'arbitraire. Y avoir fait un séjour n'avait rien d'infamant, car ce qui dégrade, c'est de subir une condamnation motivée; or, à cette époque, le roi de France, sans l'ombre de formalités judiciaires, pouvait faire enfermer par lettre de cachet, c'est- à-dire par ordre signé de sa main, quiconque avait encouru son déplaisir; souvent même, l'ordre qui enlevait à un de ses sujets sa liberté était octroyé à la demande d'un père de famille incapable de faire respecter sa propre autorité. Si le roi jouissait d'un pouvoir absolu et se considérait comme le chef d'une immense famille qui comprenait son peuple entier, par contre, chaque père de famille, le prenant pour modèle, exerçait sur les siens une autorité incontestée et, le cas échéant, le père de famille s'adressait directe- ment au roi, qui donnait l'ordre d'interner dans un châ- teau, de faire entrer au couvent ou d'enfermer à la Bastille les récalcitrants. En général, l'intention dii roi était de maintenir l'ordre. Parfois, cependant, l'emprisonnement était une faveur qu'on lui arrachait; ainsi Mirabeau, le grand tribun, au début de sa carrière, se voyant pourchassé par ses créanciers, propose lui-même à son père de demander 2 IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION au roi une lettre de cachet: son internement devait être un moyen commode d'échapper à ses juges naturels. Mi- rabeau père, une fois lancé dans cette voie, ne s'arrête plus; il revient à la charge jusqu'à 70 fois, et fait enfermer tour à tour ou simultanément: son fils, sa femme, sa fille; il finit par lasser la patience du roi, qui s'écrie: «Il faudrait un secrétaire exprès pour eux.» Car en effet, pour ne pas prendre de décision à la légère, le roi a des secrétaires chargés de le renseigner. Au XVIII me siècle, on retrouve la trace de cette coutume jusque dans le roman. Lorsque Gil Bias devient secrétaire du ministre, on l'emploie d'abord à écrire l'histoire circonstanciée des familles nobles du royaume, le prince royal tenant à avoir sous la main des registres complets. Or, il est avéré que semblable travail avait été préparé à la demande du duc de Bourgogne. Pour les privilégiés, il est une prison privilégiée: c'est la Bastille; les prisonniers sont les hôtes du roi et, comme tels, ils sont traités aussi royalement qu'on peut l'être en prison. Au XVIII me siècle, ce sont surtout les écrivains qui y sont enfermés. Voltaire, qui y passa l'année 171 7, mit son temps à profit pour écrire la Henriade; neuf ans plus tard, il y fit un court séjour avant son départ pour l 'Angleterre. Si douce que fût cette prison, elle représentait le règne de l'arbitraire. Louis XVI s'en rendait si bien compte que, lorsqu'on voulut lui arracher l'autorisation de laisser jouer «Le Mariage de Figaro», cette pièce où étaient at- taqués tous les abus de l'ancien régime, il s'écria: «Si on joue cette pièce, il faudra fermer la Bastille.» IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION 3 2. Marmontel at the Bastille (Words or phrases in brackets are not to be translated) We spent 1 part of the night together getting everything ready 2 for the printing of the next [number of the] Mercury and, after 3 having slept a few hours, / rose, packed my things* and went to call on s Mr. de Sartines, where I found the policeman 6 who was going 7 to accompany me. Mr. de Sartines was planning 8 to have him ride to the Bastille in another carriage. It was I who was unwilling to accept 9 this obliging 10 offer and it was in the same car- riage that my guide 11 and I reached the Bastille. There 12 I was received in the council-room by the governor and his staff; and there 12 I began to realize 13 that I was well recommended. This governor, Mr. Abadie, after 3 having read the letters which the policeman 6 had handed 14 to him, asked me if I wished to keep my servant with me, on 15 condition, however, that we would share the same room and that he would not leave the prison until I did. 16 This servant was Bury. I consulted him about it; he answered he 17 did not wish to leave me. They made a pretence 1 * of searching 19 my luggage and they 18 took 20 me to a very large room [upstairs] where there was by way of 21 furniture two beds, two tables, a wardrobe, and three straw chairs. It was 22 cold, but a turnkey kindled for us a bright fire 23 and brought [in] an abundant supply 24 of wood. At the same time they gave me pens, 25 ink, and paper, on condition that I should account for 26 the use and number of sheets that I should receive. While I was arranging my table in order to begin 27 writing, the turnkey came back to ask me if I found my bed good enough; after 3 having examined it, I answered that the 4 IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION mattresses 28 were bad and that the bedclothes were soiled. Instantly 29 everything was changed. They 18 sent to ask* also [about] my dinner hour. I answered the usual hour. The Bastille had a library; the governor sent me the cata- logue, 28 leaving me the choice of the books which were in it. I refused 31 for myself, 32 but my servant asked [for] Prévost 's novels and they were brought to him. For my part, 33 I had enough to do to keep me from being bored, 34 For a long time, I had been provoked at the lack of apprecia- tion shown by literary people 35 for Lucan's poems which they had not read and knew 36 only through the barbaric and affected translation of Brébeuf. I had resolved to translate it more suitably 37 and more faithfully in prose, and this work which would hold my attention without tiring 38 my brain seemed to be 39 the best suited to the soli- tary leisure of my prison. Therefore I had brought with me the Pharsalia and, in order to understand it better, I had been careful to add to it Caesar's Commentaries. Here I was then 40 comfortably installed at a warm fire-side 41 medi- tating about the quarrel of Caesar and Pompey and for- getting mine with the Duke d'Aumont. As for 42 Bury [who was] as much [of a] philosopher as I, he was busy mak- ing 43 our beds placed at the two opposite corners of my room, which was lit up by a bright winter sun, 44 in spite of the iron bars of two heavy grated windows 45 which could not cut off from me the view 46 of the faubourg Saint- Antoine. Two hours later the bolts of the two doors which shut me in aroused 47 me by their noise from my deep reverie, and two turnkeys carrying a dinner which I believed to be mine come in to serve it in silence. One of them sets in front of the fire three little dishes covered with plain crockery 48 plates, the other spreads 49 on the one of 50 the two IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION 5 tables which was not being used 51 a cloth rather coarse but white. I see him setting this table 52 rather neatly with a pewter fork 5 * and spoon, home made bread, 5 * and a bottle 'of wine. This work done, the two turnkeys withdraw with the same noise of keys and bolts. Then Bury invites me to sit down at the table 55 and he brings me the soup. It was [on] a Friday. This soup, suitable for a fast day, 56 was a purée made from white beans prepared with 57 the freshest butter, and a small dish of the same beans was the first that Bury brought me. I found everything very good. The cod- fish he brought me for the second service was even better. A little bit of garlic 5 * which seasoned it gave it a delicacy of taste and aroma which would have suited 59 the taste of the most fastidious Gascon. The wine was not excellent, but it was tolerably good; no dessert; of course, one must expect to be deprived of something. Furthermore, I found that the prison fare 60 was very good. As I was rising 61 from [the] table and as 62 Bury was going to sit down to it 55 for there was enough 63 for him in what was left, I0! 64 the two turnkeys reappear with pyramids of new dishes in their hands. At the sight of the elegant service, 65 [of the beautiful table, the] fine linen, the beautiful crockery, 65 [the] silver fork and spoon, we realized our mistake, but we pretended not to be surprised at anything 66 and w T hen our turnkeys having placed everything on the table withdrew, Bury said: "Sir, you have just 67 eaten my dinner, you will not take it amiss 6 * if in turn I eat yours." "Quite right," I said, and the walls of my room w T ere, I think, very much surprised at hearing [the sound of] laughter 69 This was not a dinner for a fast day; 10 here is the menu: an excellent soup, a succulent slice of beef, a leg of boiled capon dripping w T ith 72 fat which melted 73 in the mouth, a 6 IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION little dish of artichokes fried in oil, 74 a dish of spinach, a very fine winter pear, a bunch of fresh grapes, a bottle of old Burgundy, and the best mocha [coffee]; that was Bury's dinner with the exception of the coffee and the fruit which he was kind enough 75 to keep for me. The manner in which I was treated at the Bastille led me to think 16 that I would not remain there long; and my work, combined with 11 interesting readings, (for I had with me Montaigne, Horace and La Bruyère) left me but few tedious hours. 1 * One thing only plunged 10 me occasionally into melan- choly; the walls of my room were covered with inscriptions all of which bore the stamp 79 of the sad or gloomy medita- tions which no doubt had haunted 80 the unfortunate [men] who before me had been in this prison ; I thought I saw them there still wandering about with moanings* 1 and their shades seemed to surround 82 me. 3. Voltaire en Angleterre 1726-1729 Voltaire, arrivant en Angleterre, fut reçu par Lord Bol- ingbroke. C'était en France que l'homme de lettres et le grand seigneur anglais s'étaient connus. Lord Bolingbroke présenta Voltaire à ses amis, qui formaient le groupe des libres penseurs, des déistes. Voltaire était, pour ainsi dire, né libre penseur; il trouva cependant que les grands sei- gneurs anglais allaient parfois trop loin et, s'il se fit le porte- voix de leurs idées, ce ne fut qu'en les atténuant un peu. C'était l'avis de d'Alembert:* «Voltaire n'a fait que re- * Correspondance avec le roi de Prusse, p. 100, 25 janvier 1777. IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION 7 cueillir les sentiments de quelques Anglais et leurs critiques de la Bible; lui-même il gémit de leur audace, et il ne paraît avoir fait cet ouvrage que dans le dessein qu'on le réfute. On a tant dit de choses dans ce siècle contre la religion ! Ses Commentaires sur la Bible sont moins forts qu'une infinité d'autres ouvrages qui font crouler tout l'édifice, en sorte qu'on a de la peine à le relever. Mais il est plus aisé de condamner un livre à être brûlé que de le réfuter. Voici comment M. Lanson* explique le rôle de Voltaire dans le domaine de l'exégèse biblique: «Il mit dans les esprits l'idée qu'il y a une critique de la Bible, que l'his- toire religieuse se fait par les mêmes méthodes que la pro- fane, qu'on y est en présence des mêmes difficultés, des mêmes incertitudes, des mêmes causes d'erreurs, accrues de tout ce que la piété et l'autorité mettent d'obstacles à la recherche de la vérité dans ces matières. Il fit connaître à tous ce qu'un petit nombre savait, les doutes et les débats sur la composition des livres saints, sur leur date ou leur authenticité, sur l'histoire des premiers siècles de l'Eglise. Il fit rentrer l'histoire sainte dans le plan de l'histoire uni- verselle, non plus comme le centre et l'origine de tout, mais comme une vague dans l'Océan.» 4. A passage from the Introduction to Lord 1 Chester- field's Letters Edited by J. Bradshaw Lord Chesterfield's " Characters" are not as well 2 known as they deserve to be, 3 [these] with 4 most of his other writings *Les grands Ecrivains français: Voltaire, p. 173. Hachette. 8 IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION having 5 been thrown into the shade by 6 the "Letters". The shorter ones are as piquant and 7 pithy 8 as those of "Jehu Junior" in "Vanity Fair", while in some of the longer ones — in Lord Bute for example — in 9 epigrammatic style, pointed 10 satire, and character painting, hé is not surpassed even by Macaulay. 5. Character of Bolingbroke It is impossible to find lights and shades strong 1 enough to paint the character of Lord Bolingbroke, who was a most mortifying instance of the violence of human passions, and of the weakness of the most improved and exalted human reason. 2 His virtues and his vices, his reason and his pas- sions, did not blend 3 themselves by a gradation of tints, 4 but formed a shining 5 and sudden contrast. During his long exile in France, he applied himself to study with his characteristical 6 ardor; and there he formed, and chiefly executed? the plan of his great philosophical work. 8 The common bounds of human knowledge 9 were too narrow for his warm and aspiring imagination; he must go 10 "extra flammantia moenia mundi" and 11 explore the unknown 12 and unknowable 13 [regions] of metaphysics, which 14 open an unbounded field for the excursions 15 of an ardent imagination, where endless conjectures supply 10 the defect 17 of unattainable 18 knowledge, and too often usurp both its 19 name and its influence. He had a very handsome person, 20 with a most engaging address in his air and manners; 21 he had all the dignity and good-breeding which a man of quality should or can have, and which so few, in this coun- try at least, really have. 22 He professed 23 himself [a] Deist, believing 24 in a [general] IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION 9 Providence, but doubting of, 25 though by no means reject- ing (as is commonly supposed), the immortality 26 of the soul and a future state. 27 He died of a cruel and shocking distemper?* a cancer in 29 his face, which he endured with firmness. A week 30 before he died, / took my last leave 31 of him with grief, and he re- turned me his last farewell 32 with tenderness, and said, "God who placed me here will do what he pleases with 31 me hereafter; 27 and he knows best 34 what to do. 35 May he bless you ! ' ' Upon the whole 30 of this extraordinary character, where good and ill were perpetually jostling 37 each other, what can we say, but alas / 3 ° poor human nature ! Lord Chesterfield. 6. Memoirs of M. de Voltaire Written by way of preface to a translation of "The Henriade" made by Purdon." — Goldsmith He only wanted 1 introduction, 2 his own merit was enough to procure the rest. 3 As [a] companion no man 4 ever exceeded 5 him when he pleased 6 to lead the conversation, which, 7 how- ever, was not always the case. In company 8 which he either disliked or despised, few could be more reserved than he; 9 but when he was warmed in discourse 10 and had got over a hesitating manner which sometimes he was subject to, it was rapture to hear him. His meagre 11 visage seemed in- sensibly to gather beauty; 12 every muscle [in it] had meaning, 13 and his eye beamed with unusual brightness. The person who writes this memoir, who had the honor and the pleasure of being his acquaintance, 14 remembers to have seen him in a select company of wits 15 of both sexes at Paris, when the 10 IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION subject happened 16 to turn upon English taste and learn- ing. 17 Fontenelle who was of the party, 18 and who being unacquainted with the language or authors of the country he undertook to condemn 19 with a spirit truly vulgar 21 began to revile both. 20 Diderot who liked the English and knew something 22 of their literary pretensions, 23 attempted to vin- dicate 25 their poetry and learning, 26 but with unequal abili- ties. 2 * The company quickly perceived 21 that Fontenelle was superior in the dispute 2 * and were surprised at the silence which Voltaire had preserved 29 all the former part of the night, 30 particularly 31 as the conversation happened to turn 32 upon one of his favorite topics. Fontenelle continued his triumph till about twelve o'clock, 33 when 34 Voltaire appeared at last roused from 35 his reverie. His whole frame 36 seemed animated. He began his defense with the utmost elegance mixed with spirit 31 and now and then 38 let fall the finest strokes of raillery upon his antagonist; and his harangue lasted till three in 39 the morning. I must confess that, whether 40 from national partiality or 40 from the elegant sen- sibility 41 of his manner, / never was so much charmed** nor did I ever remember so absolute 42 a victory as he gained in this dispute. Upon his arrival in England his first care* 3 was to learn so much of the language** as might enable him to mix 45 in conversation, and study more thoroughly the genius of the people. He was the first foreigner who saw the amazing 46 irregular beauties of Shakespeare, gave Milton the character he de- served* 1 spoke of every English poet with some degree of applause, 4 * and opened a new page of beauty* 9 to the eyes of his astonished countrymen. It is 50 to him we owe that our language has taken the place of the Italian among the IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION II polite, 51 and that 50 even ladies are taught to admire Milton, Pope and Otway. 7. Portrait of Lord Chesterfield In 1 many respects 2 Chesterfield was in advance of the 3 time [in which he lived]: — in 4 [religious] toleration: 5 "I would," he says, "as soon 6 murder a man for 7 his estate 8 as prosecute him for his religious and speculative 9 errors;" and "/ should as soon expect 10 every man to be of my height 11 and temperament as to wish that he should reason pre- cisely as I do;" 12 — in 4 his liberal views on the bill for 13 the Naturalization of the Jews, passed in 1752, 15 but repealed 16 [in] the following year 17 owing to the "groundless 10 and [senseless] clamors" 18 against 20 it; and in 21 his advocacy 22 of a modern side 23 in school 24 and university education. But 25 above all he stands conspicuous 27 for his wise and liberal administration 28 as Lord Lieutenant of Ireland. 26 "I came," he wrote, "determined to prosecute no set 20 of persons and to be governed by none." His rule was 30 as conciliatory as it was firm, and as free from 31 panic as it was from partizansnip. 32 When one morning he was told that it was feared 33 the people of Connaught were rising, 34 he looked [at] his watch and said, "it is certainly time 35 [for them] for it is now nine o'clock." But he neglected 36 no precaution for 37 the public safety, and the result was that while a Scottish army was marching on Derby, and 38 the dynasty in England was tottering, Ireland remained abso- lutely quiet. "No ruler," writes the late 39 Lord Carna- von, himself 40 not long ago 40 Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, "no ruler 41 was ever more easy of access, 42 more free 43 from the least shadow 44 of corruption, more ready to reward merit, 12 IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION more indulgent when indulgence was safe, 45 more firm when firmness was necessary." He was interested 46 in the welfare 47 of Ireland; in his letters of October 8, 1755, and November 25, 1757 he says: — "There is a great deal of money lying dead 48 in the Treasury; let them apply that 49 to real public uses. Let them encourage the extension and improvement 50 of their manufactures, 50 the cultivation of their lands, and above all the Protestant [Charter] Schools . . . Let them 51 make Connaught and Kerry know that there is a God, a king, and a government — three things to which they are at present 52 utter strangers." 53 . . . "Tie them down 54 to the Govern- ment by the tender but strong bonds 55 of landed 56 prop- erty, which the Pope will have much ado 57 to dissolve, notwithstanding his power of loosing and binding." What his views 59 of separation from England [were] — at a time when 60 Ireland had its own Parliament — was thus ex- pressed: 58 "When Ireland is no longer dependent on Eng- land, the Lord have mercy 61 on it!" Lord Chesterfield was intimate 62 with all the greatest men of letters, with Addison, Swift, Pope, Gay, Arbuthnot, Johnson; he knew Algarotti, Montesquieu' and Voltaire; he was the centre of fashion 63 in England, and was well acquainted 64 with foreign society; 65 he was an acknowl- edged 66 chief in the world of letters, whilst in politics 67 he played his part 68 as a successful diplomatist 69 and an eminent administrator." 8. Publication de La Henriade Voltaire ne put s'empêcher de constater la différence entre la manière dont les écrivains étaient traités en France IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION 13 et en Angleterre. Dans le pays où il venait s'installer, il voyait que les littérateurs, les savants étaient partout con- sidérés et que parfois même ils arrivaient aux plus hautes dignités, grâce à leur seul mérite. Il profita donc de cir- constances si propices pour publier, par souscription, une édition de luxe de «La Henriade». La reine Caroline mit son nom en tête de la liste. Aujourd'hui on ne lit plus guère «La Henriade», car ce qui manque le plus à ce poème épique, c'est d'être poétique; mais, au XVIII me siècle, il n'y avait pas d'homme cultivé qui n'en pût réciter de longues tirades; on se passionnait pour l'idée qui en fait le fond: la tolérance. Aujourd'hui que cette idée est entrée dans les mœurs, ce poème semble avoir perdu tout intérêt. Dans une lettre à d'Alembert, Frédéric* II fait allusion à cet état d'esprit: «On dit que vous autres Français com- mencez à prononcer sans horreur le mot de tolérance; vous vous en avisez un peu tard. Dans le temps de Louis XIV, ce mot n'était pas admis dans le dictionnaire théologique de son confesseur.» Dans une autre lettre, t le roi dit une chose qui montre à quel point il appréciait «La Henriade»: «Vous avez deviné juste sur le buste qui vous a été envoyé, c'est celui de Voltaire. Le mérite de ce morceau consiste dans la ressemblance; c'est Voltaire lui-même, il ne lui manque que la parole. Vous direz qu'il y manque donc ce qu'il y a de mieux; mais la porcelaine et la sculpture ne vont point jusqu'à cette perfection, et pour avoir l'ensem- ble, il faut regarder le buste en lisant «La Henriade.» * 'Correspondance avec le roi de Prusse, page 42, 9 septembre 1775. tDitto p. 22, 8 mai 1775. 14 IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION 9. Letter of Lord Chesterfield to his son Bath, October 4, 1752. My dear Friend, I consider you now at the court of Augustus, where, if ever the desire of pleasing animated 1 you, it must 2 make you exert all the means 21 of doing it. 4 You will see there, full 5 as well, / dare say, 6 as Horace did 7 at Rome, how States 8 are defended by arms, adorned by manners, and improved by laws. Nay, 9 you have an Horace there, 10 as well as an Augustus; I need not name Voltaire, "qui nil molitur inepte/' as Horace himself said 11 of another poet. I have lately 12 read over 13 all his works that are published, though 14 I had read them more than 15 once [before]. / was induced to this by 16 his ' Siècle de Louis XIV,' which I have yet 17 read but four times. In reading 13 over all his works, with more attention / suppose 1 * than before, my former 19 admiration of him is, I own, turned 20 into astonishment. There is no one kind of 21 writing in which 22 he has not excelled. You are so severe a classic, that I question 23 whether you will allow me to call his 'Henriade' an epic poem, for want of 24 the proper 25 number of gods, devils, witches and other ab- surdities, requisite 28 for the machinery; 26 [which] machin- ery is it seems 21 necessary to constitute the Epopée. But whether 29 you do or not, I will declare 30 (though possibly to my own shame) that I never read any epic poem with near 31 so much pleasure. I am grown old, 32 and have possi- bly 33 lost a great deal of that fire which formerly made me love fire in others at any rate, 34 and however attended 35 with smoke; but now / must have all sense, 36 and 37 cannot 38 for the sake of five righteous lines forgive a thousand 39 absurd [ones]. In this disposition of mind, judge 40 whether IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION 1 5 I can read all Homer through tout de suite. I admire his beauties;* 1 but, to tell you the truth* 2 when he slumbers I sleep. Virgil, I confess, is all sense, 43 and therefore I like him better than his model; but he is often languid, espe- cially in his five or six last books, during which I am obliged to take a good deal of snuff. 44 Besides, / profess myself an ally 45 of Turnus against the pious /Eneas, who, like many soi-disant pious people, does 46 the most flagrant injustice and violence, in order 47 to execute what they impudently call the will of Heaven. But what will you say, when I tell you truly, 48 that I cannot 38 [possibly] read our country- man, Milton, through? 49 I acknowledge 50 him to have 51 some most sublime passages, some prodigious flashes of light; but then you must acknowledge that light is often followed by 4 'darkness visible'', to use his own expression. Besides, not having the honor to be acquainted 52 with any of the parties 53 in his poem, except the man and the woman, the characters and speeches of a dozen or two of angels, and of as many devils are as much above my reach as 54 my entertain- ment. 55 Keep this secret for me; 56 for if it should be known, 57 I should be abused by sS every tasteless pedant, and every solid divine 59 in 60 England. Whatever 61 I have said to the disadvantage of 62 these three Poems, holds much stronger 63 against Tasso 's ' 'Gieru- salemme"; it is true, he has very fine and glaring rays of poetry, but then they are only meteors, they dazzle, [then] disappear, and are succeeded 64 by false 65 thoughts, poor "concetti", and absurd impossibilities; witness 66 the Fish and the Parrot, extravagances unworthy of an heroic poem .... I have never read the Lusiad of Camoens, except 67 in a prose translation, consequently 68 I have never read it 1 6 IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION at ally 69 so 70 shall say nothing of it; 71 but the Henriade is all sense from the beginning 72 to the end, often adorned 73 by the justest and liveliest reflections, the most beautiful descriptions, the noblest images, and the sublimest senti- ments; not to mention 74 the harmony of the verse, in which Voltaire undoubtedly exceeds™ all the French poets. Should 76 you insist upon an exception 77 in favor of Racine, I must insist, 79 on my part, 78 that he at least equals him. 80 What hero ever interested 81 more than Henry IV, who, according to the rules of Epic poetry, carries 82 on one great and long action, and succeeds in it at last? 83 What description ever excited 84 more horror than those, first of the massacre, and then of the famine at Paris? Was love ever painted with more truth and morbidezza than in the ninth book? Not better, to my mind* 5 even in the fourth of Virgil. Upon the whole,* 6 with all 87 your classical rigor, 88 if you will but* 9 suppose St. Louis a god, a devil or a witch, and that he appears in person and not in 90 a dream, 91 the Henriade will be an Epic poem, according 92 to the strictest statute laws of the Epopée; but in my court of equity 9 * it is one as it is. 94 10. Voltaire and Shakespeare M. Lounsbury 1 in his i ' Shakespeare and Voltaire' ' [makes the following statement]: "Voltaire's knowledge of plays was derived 3 largely 2 from seeing them acted. During the time he was* in England, it was mainly the tragedies of Shakes- peare that were brought upon the stage. 5 The two or three of his comedies which were performed at all 6 were not only vilely 7 altered, but even in their mutilated state* were then performed but rarely. The English works of this sort 9 which Voltaire heard of 10 were the composition 11 of men IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION 1 7 who belonged to the period 12 following the Restoration. The principal writers of them whom he knew about 13 were Congreve, Wycherley, and Vanbrugh; it is of them alone he speaks with any fulness. 14 The two pieces with which he was best acquainted were "Hamlet' ' and "Julius Caesar^. 15 The latter, 16 excellent as it is, is ranked 17 by no one among the greatest of Shakes- peare 's productions; but for some reason 18 it made upon Voltaire a particularly vivid' 9 impression. It may be 20 that he had seen it acted with peculiar power. 20 It may be that the absence 21 from it of a love intrigue, which 22 he hated 23 in tragedy, reconciled 24 him in a measure 25 to its total dis- regard 26 of the dramatic laws which he held so precious. 27 But to whatever 28 cause his interest in it was due, 29 it is the one of Shakespeare's works which on the whole 31 plays the most prominent part 32 in both 33 his critical and cre- ative 34 writings, so far as his relations with its author are concerned. 30 It is the one to which he most frequently refers 36 for the sake of conveying either praise or blame. 35 Even when it did not inspire direct imitation, it suggested 37 scenes and plots 38 and portrayals of character 39 to pieces of his own. ' ,4 ° Voltaire had read the works of English critics, among 41 others "A Short View 42 of Tragedy' ' by Rymer. The author of "Some Notes on Shakespeare", Edinburg 1867, says in speaking of Rymer 's book: "Such 43 a publication was not necessarily any proper exponent 44 of the general feeling regarding 45 Shakespeare, yet, it may be taken 46 as expressing the view, 48 to some extent, 47 of scholarly 49 and fashionable society 50 in 51 the reign of William and Mary, for Mr. Rymer was no hack writer, 52 but, on the contrary a scholar 53 of some eminence " 5A 1 8 IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION Here is a short passage from Rymer: "The Italian paint- ers are noted 55 for drawing the Madonnas by 56 their own wives or mistresses; one might wonder 57 what sort of person 58 Shakespeare found in 59 his days, 60 to sit 58 for his Portia and Desdemona; and Ladies of a rank and dignity, 61 for their place 62 in tragedy. But to him a tragedy [in] burlesque, a merry tragedy 6 * was no monster, no absurdity, nor at all preposterous; 64 all colors are the same 66 to a blind man. 65 The thunder and lightning, the shouting 67 and battle and alarms 68 everywhere 69 in the play, may well keep 70 the audience awake; otherwise no sermon would be so strong 72 an opiate." 71 11. Voltaire apprend l'anglais en allant au théâtre (Il admire la manière dont on traite les acteurs en Angleterre.) L'actrice qui interprète avec art la création d'un poète en fait ressortir toutes les beautés. L'abbé Prévost s'en rendit compte quand il vit jouer Mrs. Oldfield; à partir de ce moment-là, il n'eut ni trêve ni repos qu'il n'eût appris l'anglais. On peut juger de son enthousiasme par le pas- sage que cite M. Jusserand dans «Shakespeare* en France sous l'Ancien Régime»: «Il faut convenir que c'est une fille incomparable. Elle m'a fait aimer le théâtre anglais, pour lequel j'avais d'abord fort peu de goût. Charmé du son de sa voix, de sa figure et de toute son action, je me pressai d'apprendre assez d'anglais pour l'entendre et je ne man- quai guère après cela d'assister aux pièces où elle parais- sait.» Bientôt, la vue de l'actrice ne fut pas son principal plaisir; il s'enthousiasma pour l'art dramatique anglais et notamment pour Shakespeare. Les pièces anglaises pèchent ^Shakespeare en France sous V ancien régime, p. 156. IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION 1 9 par défaut de régularité. «Mais, pour la beauté des sen- timents, soit tendres, soit sublimes; pour cette forme tra- gique qui remue le fond du cœur et qui excite infailliblement les passions dans Pâme la plus endormie; pour l'énergie des expressions et pour l'art de conduire les événements et de ménager les situations, je n'ai rien lu, ni en grec ni en français, qui l'emporte sur le théâtre d'Angleterre.» H reconnaît cependant que quelques pièces «sont un peu dé- figurées par un mélange de bouffonneries indignes du co- thurne. » Les Anglais surent reconnaître le mérite de Mrs. Oldfield; à sa mort, les plus grands honneurs lui furent rendus. Tan- dis qu'en Angleterre Mrs. Oldfield était ensevelie à West- minster Abbey, en France, Adrienne Lecouvreur qui, de son vivant, avait été non seulement appréciée comme ac- trice, mais, chose inouïe alors, recherchée dans le monde, Adrienne Lecouvreur fut ensevelie dans la rue au pied d 'une borne, l'intolérance de l'Eglise empêchant qu'on n'enseve- lît au cimetière les acteurs qui n'avaient pas renoncé à leur profession avant de mourir. Mis au ban de la société et de l'Eglise, les acteurs, aigris par les injustices, se vengeaient en traitant du haut en bas les auteurs qui avaient besoin d'eux. Voltaire ne se trouvait pas dans ce cas-là. Il avait été l'ami d 'Adrienne Lecouvreur; indigné de voir comment on traitait les restes de cette grande actrice, il fit appel à l'opinion publique; dans son «Epître sur la mort d 'Adrienne Lecouvreur», comparant la manière dont les deux actrices avaient été traitées, il s'écrie: Ah! verrai-je toujours ma faible nation, Incertaine en ses vœux, flétrir ce qu'elle admire; Nos mœurs avec nos lois toujours se contredire, Et le Français volage endormi sous l'empire 20 IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION De la superstition? Quoi! n'est-ce donc qu'en Angleterre Que les mortels osent penser? O rivale d'Athènes, ô Londres, heureuse terre! Ainsi que les tyrans vous avez su chasser Les préjugés honteux qui vous livraient la guerre» C'est là qu'on sait tout dire et tout récompenser, Nul art n'est méprisé, tout succès a sa gloire; Le vainqueur de Tallard, le fils de la victoire, Le sublime Dryden, et le sage Addison, Et la charmante Ophile, et l'immortel Newton, Ont part au temple de mémoire: Et Lecouvreur à Londres aurait eu des tombeaux Parmi les beaux esprits, les rois et les héros. 12. Comme traducteur, Voltaire est-il en avance ou en arrière de son temps? Au XVIII me siècle, les traducteurs n'ont pour les textes qu'un médiocre respect. Voyons si Voltaire qui, le pre- mier, traduisit en français des passages de Shakespeare, est en avance ou en arrière de son temps? Il y a, dans les «Lettres anglaises» une double traduction du monologue d' «Hamlet»: Tune en prose, pour l'exactitude, l'autre en vers alexandrins. C'est à cette dernière que Voltaire don- nait la préférence, comme étant la plus artistique. Elle s'éloignait beaucoup de l'original; d'autant plus que Vol- taire prêtait gratuitement à Hamlet* ses propres doutes sur la justice divine. Cette inexactitude, nous la retrouvons vers le même temps chez Pope, qui vraiment passe la mesure lorsque, en traduisant Homère, il cherche à l'embellir. Johnson fut de cet avis et le critiqua sévèrement. Madame Dacier, la *"dieux justes, s'il en est." (Monologue d'Hamlet.) IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION 21 fidèle traductrice d'Homère, s'en indigna aussi; mais, somme toute, l'inexactitude est, chez les poètes, l'une des caracté- ristiques du temps, Ce reproche, Mr. Lounsbury le fait à Voltaire et, pour l'accabler, il fait remarquer, que la traduction en prose ne fut intercalée dans le texte qu'à la seconde édition. Il avance ce fait pour prouver le manque d'intelligence de Voltaire en- cette matière. Ne serait-il pas plus juste de reconnaître qu'il y a eu progrès chez Voltaire. Peut-être les acteurs, par leur interprétation de Shakespeare, l 'avaient- ils mis à même d'en mieux saisir l'esprit! Le fait est que Voltaire fut le premier traducteur qui entrevit que le vers alexandrin, alors universellement employé en France, n'est pas ce qu'il faut quand on traduit Shakespeare. 13. Les acteurs que Voltaire connut en Angleterre En parlant de Mrs. Oldfield, Voltaire écrit tantôt Ophile tantôt Ofil. Il ne faut pas oublier qu'il écrivait pour des Français qui ne savaient pas l'anglais; de là son orthographe phonétique. Son idée était que l'orthographe doit se rap- procher de la prononciation. Plus tard, lorsqu'il publia «Le Siècle de Louis XIV», il adopta la réforme de l'ortho- graphe déjà proposée au XVII me siècle par les Précieuses; il écrivit ais au lieu de ois quand on prononçait ais; on écri- vait alors «Frenchman» François, bien que l'on prononçât comme aujourd'hui. Voltaire se demandait comment les étrangers pouvaient s'y reconnaître? Pendant son séjour en Angleterre Voltaire connut et Mrs. Oldfield et Colley Cibber; celui-ci, qui était à la fois acteur et auteur dramatique, nous a laicsc dans ses Mémoires 2 2 IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION «Apology for my Life» un intéressant portrait de Mrs. Old- field. Colley Cibber n'avait pas pour les œuvres de Shakes- peare l'espèce de vénération qu'ont aujourd'hui les Anglais; il n 'avait pas hésité à remanier Richard III et le Roi Lear, et ces pièces, ainsi adaptées, se jouèrent en Angleterre pen- dant près d'un siècle. 14. Un talent primesautier Adrienne Lecouvreur avait essayé de ramener sur la scène française le naturel; cependant, Marivaux la trouvait en- core bien maniérée; seuls les Français qui allèrent en Angle- terre comprirent, en voyant Mrs. Oldfield, le sens du mot primesautier. 15. Portrait of Mrs. Oldfield By Colley Cibber However Mrs. Oldfield seemed to come 1 but slowly for- ward 1 until the year 1703. Our company 2 that summer acted at [the] Bath, during the residence 3 of Queen Anne at that place. At that time 4 it happened 5 that Mrs. Ver- bruggen by reason of her last sickness was left 5 in London; and though most of her parts were of course to be disposed of, yet so earnest was the female scramble 6 for them, that only one of them fell to the share 1 of Mrs. Oldfield, that of Leonora in "Sir Courtly Nice", a character 8 of 9 good plain sense, but not over elegantly written. 10 It was in this part Mrs. Oldfield surprised 11 me into an opinion of her having all the innate powers 12 of a good actress, though they were 13 yet but in the bloom 14 [of what they promised]. Before IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION 23 she had acted 15 this part, / had so cold an expectation 16 from her abilities, that she could scarce 17 prevail 18 with me to rehearse with her the scenes she was chiefly concerned in 19 with "Sir Courtly'', which I then acted. However, we ran them over with a mutual inadvertency 20 of one another. I seemed careless, 21 as 22 concluding 23 that any assistance 24 I could 25 give her would be to little or no purpose* 6 and she 27 muttered out her words in a sort of misty manner 2 * dit my 29 low 30 opinion of her. But when the play came to be acted, 31 she had a just occasion to triumph over 32 the error of my judgment, by the amazement 33 that her unexpected per- formance awaked 34 me to; so forward and sudden a step 34 into nature I had never seen; and what made her performance 36 more valuable 35 was, that I knew it all proceeded 37 from her own understanding, untaught and unassisted by any one more experienced 38 actor. Perhaps it may not be unac- ceptable, 39 if I enlarge 40 a little more upon the [theatrical] character 41 of so memorable 42 an actress. Though this part of Leonora in itself was of so little value 43 that when she got more into esteem 44 it was one of the several she gave away 45 to inferior actresses, yet it was the first that corrected my judgment of her* 6 and confirmed me in a strong belief, 47 that she could not fail in a very little time of being, what she was afterwards allowed 48 [to be], the foremost ornament of our theatre. Upon this 49 unex- pected sally 50 then of the power and disposition^ of so unfore- seen 52 an actress, it was [that] I again took up the two first acts of the "Careless Husband", which I had written 53 the summer before, 54 and had thrown aside 55 in despair 56 of having justice done 58 to the character of Lady Betty Modish by any one 57 [woman then] among us, but Mrs. Oldfield having thrown out such new proofs 59 of [a] genius, 24 IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION I was no longer at a loss for support? my doubts were dis- pelled, and I had now a new call 61 to finish it: accordingly 62 the "Careless Husband'' took its fate upon the stage 63 the winter following, in 1704. Whatever favorable reception 64 this comedy has met with from the public, it would be unjust in me not to place a large share of it to the account of Mrs, Oldfield 65 not only from the uncommon 66 excellence of her action, 67 but even from her personal 68 manner of conversing. There are many sentiments 69 in the character of Lady Betty Modish, that I may almost say were origi- nally her own, 69 or only dressed with a little more care 10 than when they negligently fell 71 from her lively humor; 72 had her 73 birth placed her in a higher rank [of life] she had cer- tainly appeared in reality what in this play she only excel- lently acted, 74 an agreeable gay woman of quality, a little too conscious 75 of her own attractions. 76 I 77 have often seen her in private society 1 * where women of the best rank might have borrowed some part of her behavior 19 without the least diminution 80 of their sense or dignity; and this very morn- ing 81 where I am now writing at Bath* 2 November 14th, 83 1738, the same words were said of her* 4 by a lady of condition. 16. L'absolutisme de la Faculté Charles de L'Orme, médecin de Marie de Médicis Charles de L'Orme est un médecin du XVII me siècle; mais évidemment il avait fait école, car on retrouve dans «Zadig» la critique du ton autoritaire que le médecin de la reine considérait comme une chose indispensable. Il ne faudrait pas croire cependant que Charles de L'Orme ne fût pas, sous bien des rapports, en avance de son temps; IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION 25 il faut lui savoir gré d'avoir toujours insisté sur la nécessité de la propreté dans les pansements. Ce fut lui aussi qui eut l'idée de recommander l'usage interne des eaux de Bour- bon. L'influence d'un autre médecin du XVII me siècle, ami de Charles de L'Orme, se faisait encore également sentir. Nommer Guy Patin, c'est pour ainsi dire personnifier la saignée. Il poussait si loin la foi qu'il avait en ce traite- ment qu'il n'hésitait pas à saigner et des enfants de quel- ques mois, et des octogénaires, si bien que la rumeur publique l'accusa d'avoir, par des saignées intempestives, abrégé les jours de plusieurs membres de sa famille. D'abord, les médecins avaient été partagés d'opinion au sujet de ce traitement. Cela s'était vu lors d'une consultation géné- rale qui eut lieu à l'occasion d'une maladie de Louis XIV. On saigna le roi en dépit de l'opinion de la majorité. Il guérit. Une autre fois, dans un camp, le roi eut la fièvre typhoïde; on le saigna de nouveau et, malgré ce traitement, il guérit encore. La saignée devint alors le remède par, excellence, non seulement en France, mais jusque dans les Indes. Voici ce que dit Tavernier dans le récit du voyage qu'il fit en 1648: «Ce* n'est que récemment qu'on a trouvé le secret de guérir par de fréquentes saignées; on saigne, s'il le faut, jusqu'à trente ou quarante fois, tant qu'il sort du mauvais sang; ce qui me fut fait une fois que je me trouvais à Surat. » Dans Gil Bias, le docteur Sangrado, qui recommande la saignée et l 'eau chaude est le digne émule des deux médecins dont il vient d'être question. Cependant, Lesage avait trouvé son modèle parmi ses contemporains. «Il est im- possible, dit Léo Claretie,t de ne pas reconnaître dans le * Voyage aux Indes, vol. 1, p. 198. t Lesage romancier, p. 381. (Armand Colin.) 2 6 IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION vieillard créé par Lesage le docteur Hecquet, l'auteur du traité sur les Vertus de Veau commune, de V Explication phy- sique et mécanique des effets de la saignée et de la boisson dans la cure des maladies. Et comme Lesage n'a pas voulu faire des portraits, mais bien créer des types d'après nature, rien n'empêche aussi de reconnaître le même Hecquet sous le pseudonyme transparent du docteur Oquetos.» «Tandis* que le docteur Sangrado s'inonde l'estomac de pintes d'eau et veut convertir Gil Bias à la doctrine de la boisson fréquente, Lesage n'a qu'à rassembler ses souve- nirs pour copier son modèle: il lui suffit de se rappeler, avec quelques phrases de Hecquet, ce qu'il a vu chez son pro- tecteur et ami, l'abbé Jules de Lyonne, dont Saint Simon conte à deux reprises qu'il buvait «tous les matins plus de vingt pintes d'eau de Seine.» Montesquieu, Lesage, Voltaire, Rousseau tournent en ridi- cule les médecins de leur temps; Voltaire fait exception pour un seul: le Genevois Tronchin, qui vint s'établir à Paris en 1766. Comme lui, Voltaire considère l'hygiène comme la chose la plus importante et il préconise les mesures pré- ventives: l'inoculation, par exemple, coutume anglaise qu'il aida à introduire en France. Le développement des études scientifiques, en formant l'esprit d'examen, donna le coup de grâce à l'absolutisme de la Faculté. Une curieuse estampe du temps, qu'on peut voir dans le livre de Paul Lacroix «Usages et Costumes»,! consacre le triomphe définitif de Tronchin: c'est «Le Médecin à la mode écrasant ses rivaux.» Tronchin, l'air placide, est à la portière de son carrosse dont les roues passent sur le corps de deux médecins tombés en travers de la chaussée; eux, * Lesage romancier, p. 367. (Armand Colin.) t Usages et Costumes, p. 285, P. Lacroix. IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION 27 malgré tout, tiennent en leurs mains crispées des fleurs dont quelques unes, leur échappant déjà, jonchent le pavé. Groupées devant une boutique des femmes regardent, in- différentes. 17. Charles de L'Orme After 1 his thesis, Charles de L'Orme did not wish 2 to publish anything [more]; but a few of his consultations written in Latin have been preserved; J. Bernier has given us some interesting 3 information about him in his "Essays on Medicine", and what is more interesting in the end, 4 the abbé de Saint-Martin has codified his prescriptions and rec- ipes 5 in 6 one large volume very rare to-day 7 which bears as a title: 8 "An easy and tried 9 method used 10 by M. de L'Orme to live 11 almost to a hundred years. ' ' It is indeed necessary 12 for a doctor to inspire 13 blind con- fidence in those he treats; it is 14 the only way to guarantee 15 their absolute docility. That 16 is why he should 17 never allow his patients 19 or 20 those who surround him to question 18 anything. Not 21 long ago an ambassador having asked a physician out 22 of curiosity why the latter 23 had prescribed as many as 24 thirty-two bleedings, 25 the physician answered calmly: 26 "Sir, he would have 27 died had he 28 been bled 29 only thirty-one and a half 30 times", and he turned his back 31 on him. This physician was a brute 32 and it was enough™ to kill the page, 33 but I highly approve 35 of him for having treated the ambassador so haughtily. 36 It is on account of such an indiscreet question that I broke 37 long ago with Queen Marie; we separated 37 at Aigre (Sour) in 38 Angou- mois with words 39 which were 40 sourer than the name of the place where they were spoken. 41 / hold so rigidly to my 28 IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION opinion* 2 that I fell out 43 with a bishop because he had expressed 44 an opinion which differed from 45 mine on [the subject of] a text from Saint Augustine and I demanded 46 that he apologize 47 before 48 I would consent to treat him again. I do not wish 49 that my patients should entertain 50 the opinion that they may appeal 51 from my judgments, even on subjects which do not pertain to 52 medicine; 53 1 mean 54 to have despotic power over them, for at this price only am I sure 55 of curing them. Open this little box that you have there 56 by your side; it contains a preparation of anti- mony; you know that this wonderful remedy is nowadays 57 very much criticized; 58 it might be compared to 59 Jansenism 60 [in the line] of medicine; 53 not later than the day before yesterday, I was 61 to give some 62 to one of my patients 19 who was in a most critical condition; 63 had I offered 64 him under its real name the discredited 65 remedy, he would have refused to take it, and he would have died; I told him it was a solution 66 of pearls that 67 angels had prepared for me; he looked at me with astonishment; my tone of authority and the gravity of my expression silenced 68 him and filled 69 him with utmost respect; he took the antimony and he is cured. But La Flèche is coming to tell me that the time has come 70 for me to go 71 to the Viscount of Melun. Please help me to put on my fustian neckerchief. 72 Don't I look like a captain with his gorget? 73 THE ABBÉ Exactly. 74 But is it true, Sir, that during the plague of 1 619 you wore 75 a very odd 76 costume? de l'orme Nothing is truer, and had 28 they listened to me the conta- gion would not have caused so many deaths. 77 They ought 78 IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION 29 to have buried the dead in remote places, 79 and disinfected the houses by kindling large fires. I recommended 80 that they drink pure water, eat good 81 meat and 82 refrain from all excesses, (and) that they avoid as much as possible keep- ing late hours, 83 and all worries 84 and sorrows; I prescribed to those who looked after 85 the sick to wear 86 serge or taf- feta, or if they were sufficiently well to do 87 (to wear) morocco leather. Strengthening my advice by an object lesson,™ I ordered 89 a morocco suit to be made and / wore it all the time. 90 I formed 91 the habit of never going out without having garlic 93 in my 92 mouth, rue in my nose, incense in my ears, [while] 94 my eyes [were protected by] spectacles. Later on I ordered a mask 89 of the same morocco as the coat and I had a nose half a foot long attached to it, in order to ward off 95 malignant air. A little later, Charles de L'Orme calls upon 96 the Maré- chale de Créquy who is suffering from indigestion. 97 De L'Orme prescribed a medicinal oil, the principal ingredient 98 of which is an old hen; it has 99 to be boiled alive, unplucked, along with laxatives 100 of all kinds. The poor maréchale makes an awful face, 101 whereupon 102 one of her attendants ventured 103 to say that a nun who is also a nurse 104 having recently given 105 this remedy to a patient, the latter came near 106 dying of it. "That proves," answers de L'Orme in a haughty manner, "that she would have died had she not taken it." And as the Maréchale worries 107 because her hus- band is subject to fits of dizziness 108 which cause her appre- hension 109 lest he may have a predisposition to apoplexy, the physician reassures her: "Well, in the very unlikely 110 case of a stroke, 111 place immediately on his head 112 a pigeon cut in two." Cité dans Hommes et Mœurs au XVII me Siècle, par N. Bernardin, pp. 17, 30, 35. 30 IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION 18. Fontenelle et Voltaire, vulgarisateurs des sciences Fontenelle, le neveu de Corneille, cet homme qui trouva moyen d'arriver à Page de cent ans en se perfectionnant toujours, représente mieux que personne, la théorie du pro- grès si chère aux hommes du XVIII me siècle. Après sa mort, ses idées firent du chemin et Nietzsche, qui s'est rencontré avec lui sur plus d'un point, a pu écrire en marge d'un exemplaire de ses œuvres: «croissance après la mort». Du reste, de son vivant, son influence s'était étendue hors des limites de la France et Swift lui a emprunté l'idée d'un de ses contes philosophiques. Défenseur des modernes dans la grande discussion qui passionna son siècle, il voyait dans le progrès des sciences une preuve de la supériorité des modernes sur les anciens; c'est pourquoi il entreprit d'intéresser le grand public aux études scientifiques. Il s'adressa tout particulièrement aux femmes, mettant en œuvre, pour les intéresser, toutes les ressources de son esprit inventif, fin et délié. Les portraits de Fontenelle sont nombreux; si on tient à le connaître, on n'a que l'embarras du choix; mais encore faut-il faire preuve de discernement pour avoir de lui l'im- pression favorable que son mérite et le rôle qu'il a joué doivent lui assurer. Il ne faudra donc pas croire La Bru- yère, qui a fait de lui un portrait aussi ressemblant que peut l'être une caricature. Que voulez-vous, il détestait la préciosité, même en ce qu'elle a de meilleur. Voltaire aussi est sujet à caution: il voulait qu'on prît la science au sé- rieux et ne pouvait pardonner à Fontenelle d'avoir, pour en parler, pris le ton de la galanterie; il n'hésita pas à le tourner en ridicule dans «Micromégas», quoique Fontenelle eût été son initiateur dans le domaine scientifique. Mais IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION 3 1 Voltaire lui-même, en cette matière, est-il toujours aussi sérieux qu'il croit l'être? C'est ce qu'il faudrait demander à Buffon qui, plus d'une fois, eut l'occasion de le remettre à sa place quand il avançait des théories par trop aventu- reuses, notamment en géologie. Alors, que dire de ces sévé- rités de la part de La Bruyère et de Voltaire? Qu'on n'est jamais trahi que par les siens; car, au point de vue intel- lectuel, et La Bruyère et Voltaire sont de la même famille que Fontenelle: la finesse, la délicatesse, l'esprit les carac- térisent, mais inégalement; Fontenelle, en allant jusqu'à la subtilité, n'a fait que dépasser la mesure. Faudra-t-il donc renoncer à trouver un portrait ressemblant? Heu- reusement que les femmes, pour qui Fontenelle avait tant fait, surent lui rendre justice, et Mademoiselle Lecouvreur a laissé de lui un portrait vraiment sympathique. «Sa phy- sionomie,» dit-elle, «annonce l'esprit; un air du monde ré- pandu sur toute sa personne le rend aimable dans toutes ses actions; la probité, la droiture, l'équité composent son caractère; une imagination vive, brillante, des tours fins et délicats, une expression nouvelle et toujours heureuse en font l'ornement. La supériorité de son mérite se montre, mais il ne la fait jamais sentir.» Quel charmant causeur que Fontenelle! Sans avoir l'air d'y toucher, il savait, en employant les comparaisons les plus simples, faire comprendre à des ignorantes les com- plications du mouvement de la terre: il prenait comme exemple la boule qu'on lance au jeu de quilles et qui, tout en tournant sur elle-même, s'avance vers le but. Pour mettre les sciences à la portée d'un public aussi neuf, il fallait faire preuve d'une admirable ingéniosité; c'est ce que Voltaire semble oublier. C'est d'autant plus surpre- nant que lui-même s'est essayé aussi à ce travail de vulgari- 32 IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION sation dans le domaine des sciences; c'était le seul qui pût lui convenir ; mais là, il était dans son élément. Fontenelle avait ouvert la voie et Voltaire, venant après lui, ne fit que continuer son œuvre. Il se chargea de faire connaître les découvertes de Newton. Sa langue claire et nette est un modèle de style scientifique. Voltaire voulait être entendu de tout le monde; car, disait-il, «rame est un feu qui s'alimente de tout.» Il pensait que l'écrivain «devait se mettre à la portée des femmes, qui à leur tour, intéresseraient les enfants»; de cette façon le goût des sciences se répandrait rapidement. Pour arriver à son but, Voltaire employa tous les moyens; tantôt, suivant l'exemple du poète anglais Thomson, il célé- brait les découvertes de Newton dans des vers qui sont parmi les plus beaux qu'il ait écrits, (Epître à M me du Châ- telet); tantôt, dans ses «Contes Philosophiques», il glissait des détails scientifiques qui devaient piquer la curiosité du lecteur; enfin, dans «Zadig» (épisode du Cheval et de la Chienne) il montrait l'usage pratique que l'on pouvait faire de l'observation scientifique appliquée à la recherche de la criminalité et il donnait le modèle gracieux et piquant d'un genre nouveau; ce genre, qui a aujourd'hui entièrement perdu son charme aristocratique, est connu en anglais sous le nom de «detective story». 19. Conversations on the plurality of worlds I must warn those who are going to read this book, and who have some knowledge of the natural sciences, that [in writing it] I in no way 1 intended 2 to instruct them, but meant only to entertain 3 them in presenting under a pleas- IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION 33 anter and brighter 5 form 4 what they already know more thoroughly. 6 I warn those to 7 whom these things 8 are new, that I thought I 9 could both 10 instruct and entertain them. The former 11 will defeat 12 my end, if they try to find here something useful; 13 and the latter, 11 if they seek in it nothing but entertainment. 13 I have introduced 14 in these Conversations a woman who is being 15 instructed and who has never heard 16 anything about the subject. 17 I thought such a fiction would help me to make 18 my book more easily 19 entertaining, 19 and encourage the ladies 20 by this example of a woman who, though she never goes beyond the limits of a person who has not even the most elementary notions 21 of sciences, is capable 22 of understanding what she is told and of placing, without any confusion in her mind, 23 vortices 24 and worlds. All I ask of the ladies in behalf 25 of this whole system of philosophy is the same [amount of] attention 26 they would have 27 to give to "the Princesse de Clèves", if they wanted 28 to follow 29 the plot 30 and understand all its beauties. As 31 for digressions, I have made a rather discreet 33 use 32 of them; I have placed most of them 29 in the beginning of the work, because the mind is not sufficiently used to the main ideas I am introducing, 34 moreover I have chosen 35 them in the subject itself 36 or in matters closely connected with 37 my subject. "All science, " 38 1 said, "is based 39 upon these two things, the fact 40 that one has an inquisitive mind and an imperfect vision; 41 for if your eyesight were better than it is, you would easily 42 see whether or 44 not the stars are suns which give light 43 to so many worlds ; and if, on the other hand, 45 you were less inquisitive, you would not care 46 whether ycu knew it or not, which [in the end] would amount 47 to the 34 IDIOMATIC FRENCPI COMPOSITION same thing; but people wish to know more than they see; there is the rub. 48 // at least* 9 one could see clearly what one sees, it would be so much 50 gained; but one sees things entirely differently from what they 41 are. That is why 51 true scientists spend their lives in doubting what they see, 52 and in trying to guess what they do not see; and this con- dition, it seems to me, 53 is not altogether 54 to be envied. I 55 picture 56 to myself Nature as a big stage, 57 similar to that of the Opera [House]. From your place 58 you do not see the theatre exactly as it is: the stage setting and the ma- chinery have been 59 so disposed as to produce from afar a pleasing effect, and the wheels and weights which set everything in motion 60 have been hidden from your [sight]. That is why you little care 61 to find out how everything works. 62 There may be perhaps a stray 63 mechanician hid- den among the orchestra seats, 64 whose curiosity is aroused 65 by a flight which seems 66 to him unusual and who is bound 67 to find out 68 how this flight was executed. You see plainly that this mechanician has the same turn of mind as 69 the philosophers. But the thing which in the scientist's case 10 adds to the difficulty is that the ropes of the machines which Nature offers to our view are perfectly well hidden and so well hidden that it has taken 71 men a long time to find out what caused the motions of the Universe. From the earth where we are, the most distant thing 72 we see is this blue sky, this great vault to which the stars seem to be driven 73 like nails: they are called fixed stars because they do not seem to have any other motion save 74 that of their heaven which seems to be carrying them along [in its course] from East to West. Between the earth and this last vault of the Heavens are suspended at different heights the sun, the moon, and the five other astral [bodies] IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION 35 which are called planets: Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn. These planets, not being connected 73 with the same heaven and having unequal 75 courses, 74 do not appear in the same relative positions 16 and are grouped 77 in varied ways; while the fixed stars are alw T ays in the same relative 70 positions. Now, the dipper, 78 which you see consists 79 of seven stars, has always been as it is, and it will remain like this [for a] long time [to come] ; but the moon is sometimes 80 near the sun, sometimes 80 far removed from it, and so it is 81 wdth the other planets. That is how things appeared to the ancient shepherds of Chaldea, whose 82 long leisure [hours] gave them 83 an opportunity to make those first observations w T hich were to be the basis 84 of astronomy; for astronomy originated 85 in Chaldea, just as geometry originated, so they say, in Egypt, where the inundations of the Nile which obliterated 86 the boundaries of the fields led 87 people 88 to invent exact measurements in order to tell 89 their fields [from those of their neighbors]. Thus, Astronomy is the daughter of Idleness; 90 Geometry 90 the daughter of [personal] Interest, and if we w^ere to talk about poetry, we would in all likelihood 91 discover that it is the daughter of Love." "I am glad," said the Marquise, "to have learned this genealogy of sciences and I clearly 42 see that I shall have to limit 92 myself to astronomy. Geometry, according to 93 what you tell me, would require a more mercenary 94 soul than I have, 41 poetry would require a more emotional 95 one, but I have all the leisure which Astronomy may require. Fortunately, in addition to this, 96 we are in the country and the life we lead here is wellnigh 97 pastoral; all [of] this is well suited to Astronomy." FONTENELLE. 36 IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION 20. Voltaire crée l'histoire de la civilisation Un des traits les plus caractéristiques du XVIII me siècle en France est l'intérêt croissant que prennent les écrivains à la société dans son ensemble: les individus, même lors- qu'ils sont rois, sont relégués au second plan. Voltaire, voulant concentrer l'intérêt sur le développement de l'es- prit humain, élargit merveilleusement le cadre de l'histoire en créant un genre nouveau: V histoire de la civilisation. En étudiant la marche de l'esprit humain, ce que Voltaire s'attache à mettre en lumière, c'est le progrès. 21. Voltaire and M me du Châtelet The chief personal 1 fact of this time was the connection 2 which [Voltaire] formed with the Marquise du Châtelet, [and] which 2 lasted from 1733 to 1749. She was to hint* that important and peculiar influence which, in 4 one shape or another, some 5 woman seems to have been to nearly every foremost man. It has been rather the fashion to 6 laugh 7 at the Marquise du Châtelet, for no better 9 reasons* perhaps than [that she], being 10 [a] woman, studied Newton, and had relations called tender with 11 a man so little associated 13 in common opin- ion 12 with tenderness as Voltaire. 11 The first 14 reason is disgraceful, 15 and the second is perhaps childish. 16 Every- thing goes to show 11 that Madame du Châtelet possessed 18 a hardy 10 originality of character, [of which] society 20 is so little likely 21 to have 23 an excess that we can 23 hardly ever be thankful 24 enough for it. [There is] probably nothing IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION 37 which would lead 26 to so rapid and marked an improve- ment in the world as a large 27 increase of the number of women [in it] with 28 the will and the capacity 29 to master 30 Newton as thoroughly as she did. And her 31 long and sedu- lous affection for a man of Voltaire's exceptional quality, entitles 32 her to the not too common praise of recognising 33 and revering intellectual greatness as it deserves. The truly important feature 34 of the life which Voltaire led at Cirey was its unremitting diligence. 35 Like a Ho- meric 36 goddess, the divine Emily poured 37 a cloud [round] her hero. There is a sort of moral climate 2 * 9 in a 38 house- hold, an impalpable, unsizable, indefinable set of influences* which predispose the inmates 41 to industry and self-control, 42 or else relax fibre* 3 and slacken purpose. 44 At Cirey there was an almost monastic rule. Madame de Grafigny says that though Voltaire felt himself bound by politeness** to pay her a visit from time to time 46 in her apartment, he usually avoided sitting down, apologetically protesting* 1 [how] fright- ful a thing is the [quantity of] time people waste 48 in talk- ing, 49 and that waste of time is the most fatal kind of extravagance of which one can be guilty. He seems to have usually 50 passed the whole day at his desk, 51 or in making physical experiments 52 in his chamber. The only occasion [on] which 53 people met w r as at the supper at nine in 54 the evening. Sometimes after supper Voltaire would exhibit 55 a magic lantern, with explanatory comments 56 after the showman's manner, 57 in which he would convulse 58 his friends at the expense 58 of his enemies. But [after] the evening's amusement was over, 59 the Marquise would retire to work in her chamber until the morning, and, [when] morning came, 60 a couple of hours' sleep was the only division between^ 1 the tasks of the night and the tasks of the day. 62 38 IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION Madame du Châtelet, with 63 all her faults, was a far loftier 64 character than the malicious gossips 65 who laughed at her. Everything that occupied society was within her power, except slander 66 She was never heard to hold up 67 any- body to laughter. When she was informed that certain people were bent 68 on not doing 69 her justice, she would reply that she wished 70 to ignore it. Voltaire, by John Morley. * 22. Translation of a passage from Voltaire By John Morley Voltaire has told us the circumstances under 1 which he was led 2 to approach the philosophy of history.* Madame du Châtelet, whose mind would fain have reached* every kind of knowledge, but was especially apt for 5 metaphysics 6 and geometry, had conceived an aversion for history 6 "What does it matter 7 to me," she would ask, "a Frenchwoman living on my estate, 8 to know that Egil succeeded Haquin in Sweden, and that Ottoman was the son of Ortogrul? I have read with pleasure the history of the Greeks and the Romans; they offered me certain great pictures 9 which at- tracted me. But I have never yet been able to finish any long history of our modern nations. / can see scarcely anything in them but 10 confusion; a host 11 of minute events without connection or sequence™ [a] thousand battles which settled 13 nothing. I renounced 14 a study which overwhelms the mind without illuminating it." To this frank state- ment 15 [of the case], to which so many thousands 16 of per- sons in all epochs 17 would so heartily subscribe* 5 Voltaire replied by pointing 18 out that perhaps the study of history would be no waste 19 of time if, by cutting away 20 ' sd\ the de- IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION 39 tails of war, as tedious as they are untrustworthy, 21 all the frivolous negotiations which have been nothing but pieces of purposeless cheating, 22 all the minute details which stifle great events, and by retaining those which paint manners, 23 you made of this chaos a general and well-arranged 24 pic- ture; 9 [in] short, if you tried to disengage from the concourse of events the history of the human mind. 23. Lord Chesterfield to his son Voltaire sent 1 me from Berlin his "Histoire du Siècle de Louis XIV". It came at a very proper time; 2 Lord Boling- broke had just 3 taught me how History should be read; Voltaire shows me how it should 4 be written. I am sensi- ble 5 that it will meet 6 [with] almost as many critics as readers. Voltaire must be criticised; 1 besides, every man's favorite is 8 attacked; for every prejudice is exposed, 9 and our prejudices are our mistresses; reason is at best 10 our wife, very often heard indeed, 11 but seldom minded. 12 It is the history of the human understanding, 13 written by a man of parts. 14 Weak 15 minds will not like it, even though 16 they do not understand it; which is commonly the measure of their admiration. Dull ones 17 will want 18 those minute and uninteresting 19 details, with which most other histories are encumbered. 20 He tells me all 21 I want to know and nothing 22 more. His reflections [are] short, just, [and] pro- duce others in 23 his readers. Free from religious, phil- osophical, political, and national prejudices, beyond any historian I ever met with 24 he relates all 25 [those matters] as truly and as impartially as certain regards 26 which must always be to some degree 21 observed, will allow him; for one sees plainly 28 that he often says 29 much less than he would* 40 IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION [say, if he might]. He has made me much better acquainted with the times 31 of Louis XIV than the innumerable volumes which I had read could do ; 30 and has suggested 32 this reflec- tion to me, which I had never made 33 before. — His vanity, not 35 his knowledge, made him encourage all, and introduce many arts and sciences in his country. 3 * He opened in a manner 36 the human understanding 37 in France, and brought it to its utmost perfection; 3 * his age 39 equalled in all, 40 and greatly exceeded in many things 41 (pardon me, Pedants), the Augustan. 42 This 43 was great and rapid; [but] still it might be done,** by 45 the encouragement, the applause, and the rewards of a vain, ' liberal and magnificent Prince. What 46 is much more surprising is that he stopped the operations of the human mind just where he pleased, and seemed to say, "thus far shalt thou go, and no farther." For, [a] bigot 47 [to his religion and] jealous of his power, free and rational thoughts upon either never entered* 9 into a French 50 head during 48 his reign; and the greatest geniuses that ever any age 39 produced, 49 never entertained a doubt of 51 the Divine 52 right of Kings, or the infallibility of the Church. Poets, Orators [and] Philosophers, ignorant [of] their natural rights, cherished 53 their chains; and blind active faith triumphed, 54 in those great minds, over silent 55 and passive reason. The reverse of this 57 seems 56 now to be the case 51 in France; reason opens 58 itself; fancy and inven- tion fade and decline. 59 I will send you a copy 60 of this history by Lord Hunting- don, as I think it very probable that it is 61 not allowed to be published and sold at Paris. Pray 62 read it more than once, and with. attention, particularly the second volume, which contains short but clear accounts 63 of many 64 interesting things which are talked of by everyone 65 though fairly 66 understood IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION 4 1 by very few. There are two very puerile affectations which I wish this book had been free from; 61 the one is, the total subversion 6 * of all the old French orthography ; the other is, the not making use of any one capital letter throughout the whole book 69 except 70 at the beginning of a paragraph. It of ends my eyes 11 to see rome, paris, france, caesar, henry the 4th, etc., begin with small letters, 72 and I do not con- ceive, that there can be any reason for doing it half so strong as the reason of long 73 usage is to the contrary. This is an affectation below 74 Voltaire; whom I am not ashamed to say that I admire and delight in, 15 as an author, equally 76 in prose and in verse. 24. La méthode scientifique appliquée à l'histoire For fifteen years Voltaire kept challenging in a courteous manner 1 Foncemagneps view] [on] the subject of Cardinal de Richelieu's will; [Voltaire had questioned] the authen- ticity of the document. 4 He didn't win in the contest? since he did not succeed in having his theory 4 accepted. 3 But the fact which* has not been sufficiently emphasized 6 is that his effort was not lost to science. Before him, Richelieu's will appeared 7 under 8 very unfavorable 9 circumstances, be- tween the very apocryphal wills of Colbert and Louvois, without any guarantee of any kind. Voltaire made it a rule 10 that the editor of a posthumous work should give a strict account 11 of the origin and fate of the manuscript, scholars 13 expressed surprise on hearing of such a rule; 12 the learned Menard 14 used to say: "It is a new law". But if Foncemagne silenced 15 Voltaire, it was because he had satis- fied 16 his curiosity. Thanks to Voltaire, too, the affirma- tion of the will's authenticity changed 17 meaning. In order 42 IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION to answer some objections, Foncemagne was obliged to admit that the Cardinal had had collaborators, that the document was not entirely in 18 his [own] hand. In short, 19 [thanks to] Voltaire's doubt the question 20 of Richelieu's will took a scientific form. Hachette. Voltaire, by G. Lanson. 25. Lord Chesterfield to Madame du Boccage London, November 26, 1750. It is only six days ago that I received the letter and the package you kindly 1 sent me; [please] accept my thanks for both. 2 The cases 3 you wish me to settle, 4 you bring if I may express 5 myself in technical terms 3 u coram non judice", and were I to pass judgment on them, 6 one might reasonably 8 appeal 7 from my decision; never mind, everybody settles 4 [cases] ; often those who are less qualified 9 are more authori- tative, 10 therefore I send you my verdict, 11 but have it stricken 12 from the registers whenever you please. In primis, I decide without any hesitation 13 that Cardinal 14 Richelieu is the author of his own will; and 15 [all] Voltaire's plead- ing 16 does not prove anything against [it]. The document bears the stamp both of a 17 prime minister and of a priest. / find it harder 18 to settle the case which is actually pend- ing 19 between the king and the clergy. The letters against the clergy are well written and so are 20 the answers, but without settling 21 [the case], / side with 22 the king, and I consider the clergy of all religions as a body which has aims 23 and interests entirely distinct from those of mankind. 24 The most despotic kings only claim sovereignty over 25 the persons 26 and the property 27 of man, but all 28 the clergy, IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION 43 from the Grand Lama of Thibet to his Holiness at Rome and the Archbishop of Cantorbery in London, try to extend their sways over 29 the minds; [a] kind of despotism which is all the more dangerous that when 30 once established it carries along* 1 with it all the rest. Men and property are nothing but 32 rags; 33 those gentlemen have your salvation 34 entirely in their [own] hands, and what 35 wouldn't one do in order to obtain it? Seven or eight consecutive centuries of priest rule 36 [combined with] ignorance have sufficiently proved 37 this point & But the case 39 of the clergy seems to have been superseded 40 by that of the Estates of Brit- tany, 41 which has the advantage of novelty. This is not a small matter* 2 and in France less than anywhere else. Of course you understand 43 that, as [an] Englishman and [a] member of Parliament, I must be the very humble servant 44 of the Estates, therefore I shall keep silent 45 on this subject, for fear my judgment might be challenged and I considered as a partial judge. 46 Once upon a time 47 the horse called man to his rescue against the stag; man rode 48 him, helped him, subjugated him, and remained 49 his master. Men too when fighting against each other called kings to their aid. Hap- pily the horses are still unconscious of 50 their strength and the subjects [of] their natural rights; if they knew 7 them, how many riders would lose their stirrups and how many kings would fall from their thrones. 51 A certain amount 52 of ignor- ance on such matters is perhaps for the best. Lord Chesterfield. 26. Influence of women The fair 1 sex in France have also not a little contributed 2 to prevent the decline of taste and literature by expecting 3 44 IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION such qualifications 5 in 4 their admirers. A man of fashion 7 in Paris 6 must 8 be acquainted with the reigning modes 9 of philosophy 10 as well as of dress, 10 to be able to entertain his mistress agreeably. The sprightly 11 pedants are not to be caught 12 by dumb show, 13 by the squeeze of the hand or the ogling of a broad eye; 14 but must 15 be pursued at once through all the labyrinths of the Newtonian system, or the metaphysics of Locke. I have seen as bright a circle of beauty at the chemical 16 lectures of Rouelle, as gracing 17 the court of Versailles. And, indeed 1 * widsom never ap- pears 19 so charming as when graced and protected by beauty. To these advantages may 20 be added the reception of their language 21 in the different courts of Europe. An author who excels is sure of having all the polite 22 for admirers, and is encouraged to write by the pleasing expectations 23 of universal fame. Add to this, that those countries who can make nothing good from their own language 24 have lately begun to write in this, some 25 of whose production 26 contrib- ute to support 21 the present 28 literary reputation of France. Goldsmith. 27. Lord Chesterfield to his son I hear 1 much of your conversing 2 with u les beaux esprits" at Paris ; I am very glad 3 of it ; it gives a degree 4 of reputa- tion, especially at Paris; and their conversation is generally instructive, though sometimes affected. It must be owned that the polite 5 conversation of the women of fashion at Paris, though not always very deep, is much less futile and frivolous than ours here. It turns 6 at least upon some subject, something 7 of taste, some point of history, criti- cism, and even philosophy, which, though probably not IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION 45 quite so solid as Mr. Locke's, is however better, and more becoming 8 rational beings, than our frivolous dissertations upon the weather or upon whist. Monsieur Duclos ob- serves, 9 and I think very justly, 10 qu'il y a à présent en France une fermentation universelle de la raison qui tend à se développer. Lord Chesterfield. 28. De l'esprit scientifique et de sa portée Au XVIII me siècle, les crimes judiciaires sont nombreux non seulement en France, mais un peu partout, en Amé- rique comme ailleurs; si l'on en recherche les causes, on trouve infailliblement que le fanatisme est la racine du mal. A propos de l'affaire des sorcières de Salem, M. J. Fiske a écrit une page intéressante où il montre quel fut l'antidote qui ramena les esprits à des idées plus saines; selon lui, ce fut le grand développement que prit au XVIII me siècle l'es- prit scientifique. 29. Selection from "New France and New England" At the present day, 1 among communities 2 like our own, we may observe [a] wonderful change. 3 Among 4 educated 5 people the belief 6 in witchcraft is practically extinct. It has not simply 7 ceased to be taken 8 seriously, but it 9 has vanished 10 from people's minds. 10 We recognize 11 it as one 13 of the grotesque features 14 in an Indian theory of things 12 or perhaps 15 we find it cropping out 16 among the odds and ends 18 of diabolism that the negro mind retains 11 from the old stock of African folk-lore 18 but we no longer associate 10 such a 46 IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION belief with civilized men, and a good deal 21 of historical study is needed 20 to enable us to realize adequately 22 its omni- presence only two centuries ago 23 What has caused 24 this remarkable change in our mental attitude toward 25 witchcraft? Surely 26 not argument. No- body has ever refuted the evidence that once seemed so con- clusive in favor 27 of the belief. [For] the most part 28 we should now 1 regard that evidence as not worth the trouble of refuting 29 Some powerful cause has made 30 our minds 31 insuperably inhospitable* 2 to such sort 33 of evidence. That cause is the gigantic development of physical science 34 since the days 35 of Newton and Descartes. The minds 31 of civil- ized [people] have become familiar 36 with the conception 37 of natural law, 38 and that conception 37 has simply 39 stifled the old superstition, as clover chokes 40 out weeds. 41 It has been observed that the existence of evidence 27 in favor of witchcraft closely depends upon 42 the disposition 4 * to believe 44 it, so that when the latter 45 ceases, the former 45 disappears. Accordingly, 46 we find no difficulty in 47 understanding 48 the universality 49 of the belief until quite modem times. 50 The disposition 51 to believe 52 was one of the oldest inheritances of the human mind, while the capacity 53 for estimating evidence in cases 54 of physical causation is one of its very latest and most laborious 56 acquisitions. 55 John Fiske. 30. Montesquieu «Au sortir du collège, dit Montesquieu, on me mit dans les mains des livres de droit: j'en cherchai l'esprit.» Bien qu'il y eût dans sa famille une charge héréditaire qui devait IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION 47 lui revenir, Montesquieu ne montra aucun goût pour le côté pratique de sa profession; mais cet esprit, qui l'avait attiré dès l'abord, devait vivifier et dominer toute son œuvre. Dès les «Lettres Persanes», son point de vue est nettement indiqué; il s'intéresse non pas à quelques hommes en particulier, mais à des sociétés entières, qu'il montre marquées au sceau d'une époque et d'une civilisation. Pour mieux arriver à son but et rendre, par le contraste des idées, le tableau de la civilisation française plus frappant, il met les critiques ou les éloges dans la bouche de deux Persans de caractères différents: l'un, gai et léger, s'attache à l'ex- térieur des choses; l'autre, plus grave, veut tout approfon- dir. Montesquieu a, avant tout, l'intention de critiquer et de faire comprendre aux Français le rapport qu'il y a entre étrange et étranger; il semble même qu'il ait voulu peindre cette étrangeté nuancée de ridicule qui a peut-être trouvé sa plus forte expression en anglais dans le mot «outlandish ». Après le succès des «Lettres Persanes», Montesquieu se mit à voyager. Il avait une théorie à vérifier, une théorie qu'il tenait du voyageur Chardin: jusqu'à quel point le climat, qui modifie le caractère des hommes, exerce-t-il son influence sur la formation des lois? Ses voyages terminés, il se tourna vers le passé pour découvrir les causes de la grandeur et de la décadence des Romains; cette forte étude lui fut une sorte de préparation à la composition de son grand ouvrage: «L'Esprit des Lois». Il a lui-même expli- qué la méthode qu'il avait suivie en écrivant ce livre : «Plu- sieurs choses gouvernent les hommes: le climat, la religion, les lois, les maximes du gouvernement, les exemples des choses passées, les mœurs, les manières; d'où il se forme un esprit général qui en résulte.» Ces éléments qui com- posent toute société humaine, cet esprit général qui l'anime 48 IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION sont connexes et solidaires. Ce n'est point l'agrégation for- tuite de matériaux inanimés; c'est un organisme vivant. Les lois sont comme les nerfs de ce corps social; il faut qu'elles s'approprient à la nature des organes qu'elles animent et à la fonction de ces organes. «Elles doivent être relatives au physique du pays, au climat glacé, brûlant ou tempéré; à la qualité du terrain, à sa situation, à sa grandeur; au genre de vie des peuples . . . elles doivent se rapporter au degré de liberté que la constitution peut souffrir; à la religion des habitants, à leurs inclinations, à leurs richesses, à leur nombre, à leur commerce, à leurs mœurs, à leurs manières. Enfin elles ont des rapports entre elles, elles en ont avec leur origine, avec l'objet du législateur, avec l'ordre des choses sur les- quelles elles sont établies. C'est dans toutes ces vues qu'il faut les considérer. C'est ce que j'entreprends de faire dans cet ouvrage. J'examinerai tous ces rapports: ils for- meront tous ensemble ce que l'on appelle l'Esprit des lois.» Tous les gouvernements l'intéressent comme sujet d'étude ; un seul excite chez lui une admiration sans réserve, c'est le gouvernement anglais. Montesquieu, le premier, analysa la constitution anglaise. La profondeur d'esprit dont il fit preuve pourrait presque passer pour prophétique; il semble prévoir les difficultés que le gouvernement anglais devait avoir avec les colonies d'Amérique lorsqu'il dit: «Si le gou- vernement statue sur la levée des deniers publics sans le consentement de ceux qui doivent les payer, il n'y aura plus de liberté. » M. Sorel a expliqué l'influence exercée par les idées de Montesquieu sur la révolution. «Tout Français éclairé, à la fin du dernier siècle, avait dans sa bibliothèque un Montesquieu, un Voltaire, un Rous- IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION 49 seau et un Buffon. La convocation des Etats Généraux invitant chaque Français à donner ses idées sur la réforme de l'Etat, chacun recourut à ses livres et demanda à ses auteurs favoris de lui fournir des idées ou des arguments pour soutenir les principes qu'il voulait faire prévaloir. Rousseau et Montesquieu furent les plus consultés. Rous- seau suscita plus de disciples, mais Montesquieu procura plus de citations: Rousseau ne développait qu'un système, le sien; Montesquieu exposait tous ceux que l'histoire avait recueillis. «L'Esprit des Lois» devint comme une sorte de Digeste; tous les partis en tirèrent des maximes et des pré- cédents à l'appui de leurs vœux ou de leurs prétentions.» Montesquieu a eu parmi les écrivains de la France mo- derne un continuateur: c'est Tocqueville, l'auteur de «La Démocratie en Amérique». 31. Le bon sens préférable à l'esprit Montesquieu disait: «Quand j'ai voyagé dans les pays étrangers, je m'y suis attaché comme au mien propre»; et encore: «Quand je suis en France, je fais amitié à tout le monde; en Italie, je fais des compliments à tout le monde; en Allemagne, je bois avec tout le monde.» 32. Letter from Diderot to M lle Volland Paris, September 5, 1762. While they were both travelling 3 in Italy, President 1 de Montesquieu and Lord Chesterfield met. 2 These men were just suited to each other * that is why 5 it did not take them long to become 6 acquainted. They were constantly discuss- 50 IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION ing 1 the comparative merits* of the two nations. The English nobleman [willingly] granted 9 to the President that the French were more witty 10 than the English, but, on the other hand, 11 [he maintained] that they had no common sense. 12 The President admitted 13 the fact, but wit, he said, was far superior to common sensed This discussion lasted several days; 15 they were in Venice. The President went out 16 a great deal, he went everywhere, saw everything, asked ques- tions, 17 talked [to people], and [at] night he would write down 1 * what he had noticed. 19 He 20 had been in for one or two hours and he was at his usual occupation, when an unknown [man] asked to be admitted. 21 It was a Frenchman rather poorly 22 clad who said to him: "Sir, I am your countryman. I have been living 23 here for twenty years, but I have always maintained a friendly feeling for 24 the French and occasion- ally I have deemed myself fortunate 25 when, as it is to-day the case with you 26 I have had an opportunity to help them. With the exception 2 * of prying 29 into state affairs, a man 21 may do everything [he pleases] in this country. An incon- siderate word on government affairs [however] would cost [a man] his head, 30 and you already have uttered 31 over a thousand [such words]. Your conduct has attracted the attention 32 of the State Inquisitors, you 27 are watched, 33 your 27 footsteps have been dogged,™ account has been taken of 33 your plans, the Inquisitors do not doubt that you are writing. 34 I know it as a fact, 35 possibly to-day, possibly to-morrow, your house will be searched. 36 Sir, if you have written [anything], look 37 [at your papers], keeping in mind 3 * that a harmless line wrongly interpreted might cost you your 39 life. This 40 is all I had to say. I have the honor, Sir, to wish you good day. 41 If you should meet me on the street, / beg of you as the only return for 42 a service which IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION 5 1 I consider as being of some importance, not to recognize me, and, if perchance it were too late to save you, if 43 you should be captured, do not betray 44 me." After saying this, 45 the 46 man disappeared leaving President Montesquieu in utter 47 consternation. His first impulse 48 was to hasten 49 to his desk, then taking the papers he threw them into the fire. No sooner 50 was this done when 51 Lord Chesterfield returned. He easily detected 52 his friend's agitation; 53 he asked about the possible cause of it. 54 The President told him all about the call 55 he had received; [he told him of] the burnt papers and 56 [said also] that he had ordered his post chaise to be ready at three in 57 the morning, for his intention was to leave without delay a place 58 where a pro- longed stay were it to be ever so brief 59 might prove fatal. Lord Chesterfield listened to him composedly and said: All right, 60 my dear President, but let us calm 61 down [just for] a minute, 62 in order to review quietly 63 the details of your adventure. — It is impossible for me to be calm where my life is hanging in the balance. 64 — But who is that man who exposes himself so generously to the greatest danger in order to save 85 you from it? That is not natural. Even if he is a Frenchman 66 love for one's country does not impel any one to take such a dangerous step 67 and specially in favor of an utter stranger 6 * This man is not your friend? — No. — He was poorly clad? — Yes, very. 60 — Did he ask you to give him some money, a silver coin 70 as a reward for his advice? — No, not a farthing. 71 — That is still more extraor- dinary. But, how did he come by 12 all he told you? — To tell you the truth™ I don't know. [He got it] from the Inquisitors, [directly] from them. 74 — Not only 15 is this Coun- cil the most secret there is 76 in 97 the world, [but moreover] this man is not the kind of person who would be likely to come 52 IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION near it. lS — But possibly it is one of the spies in their em- ploy. 79 It would take a more gullible person than I am to believe this} Would they 21 take as a spy Sl a foreigner, and would this foreigner be clad like a tramp 82 while doing a business 83 dirty 84 enough to be well paid, and this spy would betray his employers for your benefit 85 at the risk of being strangled if you were caught and were 43 to accuse him ; or if you should escape and they 43 & 27 suspect that you had been warned by him! Nonsense, 86 my friend, all this [is nonsense]. — But, what could it have been? I try in vain to discover it? . . . If this fellow had been sent by a man who is occasionally [a little bit] mischievous; 87 a certain Lord Chesterfield who might have wished to show you by experience that an ounce of common sense is worth more than a hundred pounds of wit, for with common sense . . . Why! [you] rogue, 88 ex- claimed the President, what a trick you played on me! 89 And my manuscript, my manuscript I 90 have burned! Diderot.* 33. Montesquieu as historian What 1 attracts Montesquieu to Rome and holds 2 him there is the study of the most complete phenomenon that history brings within our range of observation. 3 Several phe- nomena of this kind 4 studied in the same way, 5 would give us the key to all others. Politics 6 has its laws, experience brings them out, 7 and history defines them. History is a science only 8 in so far as 9 it collects 10 facts, classifies them, shows their connection, 11 and indicates the conditions under which they are linked. 12 * Lettres du XVIII me Siècle. Albert Cahen. IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION 53 "As men," says Montesquieu, "have had at 13 all times the same passions, the occasions which bring about 14 great changes are different, but the causes are always the same." To discover 15 these causes in Roman history is the main 16 object of his book. In the study of Rome he had had 17 illustrious predeces- sors: Polybius 18 whom he had closely 19 analyzed, Tacitus who inspired 20 him to such an extent that he 21 at times 22 equaled him; Florus, his teacher of rhetoric and his favorite author?* had shown the sequence 24 and the results of Roman affairs; but the idea of a higher and general law had not entered their minds. Machiavelli in his "Essay 25 on Livy" 18 still holds 26 the 27 same point of view. No one [ever] equaled Bossuet in [showing] the develop- ment of Roman greatness; the majesty 28 of his style is in keeping 29 with the greatness of the subject. . . . What he wishes to do is to place in the hand of 30 his reader "the thread of affairs". He shows it plainly 31 entwin- ing 32 itself constantly in the midst of men and things, but the men who twist 33 this thread and entwine 34 it, do not direct it. From God 36 it comes 35 and by him it is set into motion. From him it comes, to him it returns . . . Mon- tesquieu did not pretend to be a theologian, 3 * to him the sub- ject of final causes was a closed book. 39 Like Bossuet he allows considerable freedom 40 to men — their choice, their in- dividual effort 41 [counts for a great deal] in the carrying out 42 of public affairs; like Bossuet he admits that in politics as 43 in gambling the most skilful one succeeds 44 in the long run' 1 ' 41 but in his opinion there are rules 41 to the game 46 and a table on which it is played, 48 skill itself comes into play 49 under certain conditions, and none of these things* is due to* 1 chance. The intricacy 52 of causes and effects forms the 54 IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION woof, 53 the mutual attraction of men and ideas; the uni- versal gravitation of events regulates the course of history. "Fate", 54 says Montesquieu, "does not govern the world; you may ask the Romans who had a continuous run 55 of pros- perity when they governed themselves according to 56 a cer- tain plan, and an unbroken 57 succession of misfortunes 58 when they followed 59 another [plan]. There are some gen- eral causes either 60 moral or 60 physical which are at work 61 in every monarchy, they cause its rise, 62 its continuance or its fall; 62 all that happens is the result of these causes ; and if the downfall of a state is brought about by the fortuitous result 63 of a battle, that is to say by a particular cause, [one may be sure that] there was a general cause which compelled 64 the destruction 65 of this state by a single battle ; in short, 66 the general course 67 [of events] brings 68 forth as a regular thing all minor 69 accidents in its wake." 68 "It is on account of 10 this scientific view that Montesquieu ranks as one of 11 the great masters of modern history. In litera- ture, the perfection of his style has made him 73 one of our classics." 74 Hachette. Montesquieu, by A. Sorel. 34. Lord Chesterfield to his son London, June n, 1750. My dear Friend, The Président Montesquieu, whom you will be acquainted with at Paris, 1 after having laid down 2 in his book de "l'Es- prit des Lois," the nature and principles of the three different kinds of government, viz : — the democratical, the monarch- ical, and the despotic, treats of the education necessary 3 for each 4 [respective form]. His chapter upon the education proper 5 for the monarchical / thought worth 6 transcribing IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION 55 [and] sending to you. You will observe 7 that the monarchy which he has in his eye 8 is France. * * * Though our government differs considerably from the French, inasmuch as 9 we have fixed laws and constitutional barriers for the security of our liberties and properties, 10 yet the President's observations hold pretty near as true in 11 England as in France. Though Monarchies may differ a good deal, 12 Kings differ very little. 13 Those who are absolute desire to continue so, 14 and those who are not 14 endeavor 16 to become so; 15 hence 17 the same maxims and manners almost in all courts ; voluptuousness and profusion encouraged, 18 the one to sink 19 the people into indolence, the other into poverty, consequently into dependency. The court is called the world here, as well as at Paris; 20 and nothing more is meant, 23 by saying 21 that a man knows 22 the world, than that he knows courts. In all courts you must expect 24 to meet with 25 connections 26 without friendship, enemities without hatred, honor without virtue, appearances 27 saved, and realities sacrificed; good manners with bad morals; and vice and virtue so 28 disguised that whoever has only reasoned upon both 29 would know 31 neither when he first met 30 them at court. It is well 32 that you should know the map 33 of that country, that when you come 35 to travel in it you may do it with greater safety J 4 35. L'Esprit des Lois (1748) Passage concerning slavery If I were to defend 1 the right we have had to reduce the negroes to slavery, 2 this is what I would say : 56 IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION The people of Europe having exterminated the people of America, they had to reduce 3 the Africans to slavery 3 in order to make use 4 of them to clear 5 such 6 (large tracts) of land. 5 Sugar would be too expensive if the plant which produces it were not cultivated by negroes. The people 7 about whom we are speaking 8 are black from head to foot, 9 and their 10 nose is so flat 11 that it is almost impossible to pity them. It is almost inconceivable 12 that God, who is a very wise being, could have 13 placed a soul, specially a good soul, in a perfectly black body. From the color of the hair, that of the skin may be in- ferred, 14 and among 15 the Egyptians, the best philosophers in 16 the world, it was considered as being of so much con- sequence that they used to put 17 to death all red-haired 18 men which fell into their hands. A proof that negroes have no common sense 19 is that they care more 20 for a string of glass beads 21 than for gold, which among civilized nations is of so much consequence. We cannot possibly think 13 that these people are men, because if we thought they were men, people would begin to think that we are not Christians. Narrow-minded people 22 exaggerate too much the injustice which has been done unto 23 the Africans. For, if it were such as they say, wouldn't it have occurred 24 to the princes of Europe, who make so many useless conventions among themselves, to make a general one in favor of mercy 25 and pity. Montesquieu. IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION 57 36. Opinion des Contemporains Sur "L'Esprit des Lois" Le genre humain avait perdu ses titres, M. de Montes- quieu les a retrouvés et les lui a rendus. Voltaire. Son livre est mon bréviaire. De l'esprit sur les lois. Catherine II. M me du Deffand. 37. Un admirateur de Montesquieu Montesquieu est le seul des grands écrivains français du XVIII me siècle qui ait excité l'admiration d'Horace Walpole; serait-ce peut-être à cause de l'horreur que leur inspirait à tous les deux l'esclavage? C'est en 1750 que Walpole écrivait la lettre qui suit; ce ne fut qu'en 1787 que Wilberforce, avec l'aide de Pitt, commença à agiter la ques- tion de l'abolition. Ce sujet, du reste, n'est pas le seul sur lequel H. Walpole ait eu des idées avancées: il fut aussi l'un des premiers à se prononcer en faveur de l'indépen- dance des colonies d'Amérique. 38. Letter from Horace Walpole February 25, 1750. [We have been sitting] this fortnight 1 on 2 the African 3 Company. We, the British Senate, 4 that temple of liberty 58 IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION and bulwark 5 of Protestant Christianity? have this fortnight been considering methods 1 to make more effectual 8 that horrid traffic of selling negroes. 9 It has appeared 10 to us that six- and-forty thousand of these wretches 12 are sold every year to our plantations alone J 11 It chills one's blood 13 — / would not 14 have to say / voted for it 15 for the Continent of America! 14 The destruction of the miserable inhabitants 17 by the Span- iards was but a momentary 18 misfortune that followed from the discovery of the New World, compared with the lasting havoc which it brought upon Africa. 16 We reproach 19 Spain, and yet do not even pretend the nonsense 20 of butchering 21 these poor creatures 22 for 23 the good of their souls. 24 39. De la formation du goût chez Montesquieu «La société des femmes, a-t-il dit quelque part, gâte les mœurs et forme le goût.» On pourrait dire le contraire des femmes qu'il a connues: son sens moral, son goût s'y est affadi. C'est pour leur plaire qu'il a composé certains opuscules qui déparent ses œuvres, et. qu'il a semé ses plus beaux chapitres de pointes licencieuses qui les gâtent. C'est ce qui faisait lire ses livres au beau monde d'alors; c'est ce qui risquerait d'en détourner le beau monde d'aujourd'hui. Non que ce monde soit moins frivole en ses pensées et se montre plus délicat en sa morale; mais la mode a changé, et la mode, en cette matière et en ce milieu, est le plus intolérant des censeurs. Montesquieu aurait été profond et brillant, mais sec, si l'observateur, le curieux et le penseur ne s'étaient doublés en lui d'un artiste. Il n'a pas seulement le sens politique de l'antiquité, il en a le sens poétique: «Cette antiquité IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION 59 m'enchante, et je suis toujours prêt à dire avec Pline: c'est à Athènes que vous allez, respectez les dieux.» Il goûte «cet air riant répandu dans toute la fable.» Hachette. Montesquieu, by A. Sorel. 40. Invocation to the muses Montesquieu intended to use this passage as an introduc- tion to the second volume of his "Esprit des Lois". "Virgins from the Pierian Mount, 1 do you hear the name I give you? Inspire me. The race course I have to follow 2 is [a] long [one]; I am sad and weary. 3 Place in my mind the charm and the gentleness which used to be mine 4 and which now has fled from 5 me. If you do not wish to make my hard task easier, 6 conceal the work itself, make 7 it possible for [the reader] to gain 8 knowledge without compelling me to impart 9 it ; and make it possible that while I think deeply 10 I may (simply) appear 11 to feel. When the waters of your fountain spring 12 from [under] the rock you love, they do not rise into the air 13 to drop down ; they flow through the meadow." 14 "In Montesquieu, the artist 15 is as hard to please 16 as the thinker. The literary composition of his work preoccupies him fully as much 11 as the discovery 18 of the principles and as the method. He wishes 19 [to have] in his book a perfect order, but it must not be forced 21 upon the reader, it must be insinuated; 20 he wishes to display a constant 22 variety in the forms of style, 23 so that the reader may forget 24 the monotony of the road and the weight 25 of the luggage. His aim 26 is to make the reader think rather than read. He wishes to leave something for the reader to guess; it is a 6o IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION way 27 of asking for his collaboration 28 and of flattering his perspicacity.' ' Hachette. Montesquieu, by A. Sorel. 41. Les physiocrates L'influence exercée par Montesquieu sur les penseurs eut pour résultat la création d'une science nouvelle. Parmi ceux qui se réclament de lui, il faut placer au premier rang les économistes; l'un d'eux, Dupont de Nemours, dans un article* publié dans les «Ephémérides du citoyen», en 1769, rend hommage à Montesquieu. «Ce furent, dit-il, les éclairs de son génie, les charmes de son style, la séduisante variété des tournures fines, vives, saillantes qui caractérisent la mul- titude d'observations qu'il a rassemblées sur les lois, qui montrèrent à notre nation, encore si frivole, que l'étude de l'intérêt des hommes réunis en société pouvait être préfé- rable aux recherches d'une métaphysique abstraite, et même plus constamment agréable que la lecture de petits romans. » Ceux qui reçurent de Montesquieu une forte impulsion in- tellectuelle se lancèrent dans deux directions opposées: les uns, ayant choisi l'érudition pure, tombèrent vite dans l'ou- bli; les autres, se souvenant que Montesquieu avait su joindre à la profondeur d'esprit le charme de la forme et un sentiment de fraternité internationale, se vouèrent à la recherche du plus précieux des secrets: le bonheur de l'hu- manité. Celui qui d'emblée sut se faire écouter avait eu la main heureuse; le titre de son ouvrage indiquait nettement ses intentions: «L'Ami des Hommes» ne pouvait être qu'un messager de bonnes nouvelles. Certes, on en avait besoin! *Loménie. Les Mirabeau, II, p. 152. IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION 6l On se ressentait encore de la terrible panique financière amenée par les spéculations de Law» Les traitants qui, avant l'arrivée du banquier écossais, avaient eu le mono- pole des opérations financières, se sentirent frustrés lorsque celui-ci essaya de former une sorte de trust dont ils étaient exclus; eux, pour se venger, firent passer à l'étranger l'ar- gent monnayé; la dépréciation des billets de banque en résulta et quantité de gens furent ruinés. Les nobles qui avaient des terres n'en étaient pas plus riches pour cela; les paysans payaient généralement leurs redevances en na- ture, souvent en quantité infime ; par exemple :* trois setiers de seigle et deux poules. Parfois ils refusaient tout paye- ment et alors, il fallait faire au récalcitrant un procès, qui en entraînait d'autres. A un certain moment, M me de Mirabeau eut jusqu'à soixante procès sur les bras. Il le fallait: renoncer à un droit, à un seul, c'était briser un chaî- non et tout sacrifier. Les nobles, vivant à la cour, étaient obligés de s'en remettre à d'autres du soin de leurs affaires; grandes dépenses, petits revenus, tel était le résultat. Quoi de surprenant, en présence d'un tel état de choses, qu'on ait songé à prendre pour sujet d'étude: l'origine de la ri- chesse, les moyens de l'augmenter et d'en généraliser la répartition? Pour traiter ces sujets facilement épineux, le marquis de Mirabeau dans «l'Ami des Hommes» prenait un ton de familiarité bienveillante, de bonhomie et de ron- deur méridionales; son style, parfois archaïque, avait une originalité savoureuse, un pittoresque inattendu qui venait, tour à tour, toucher ou émoustiller le lecteur; il y avait des tableaux de mœurs qui étaient de petites scènes de comédie. Dans «l'Ami des Hommes», le marquis de Mirabeau in- diquait les grandes lignes de son système: que les nobles *Loménie. Les Mirabeau, II, p. 40. 6 2 IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION quittent la cour et que, retirés sur leurs terres, ils se con- sacrent au développement de l'agriculture ; que, par l'irri- gation des landes, par le dessèchement des marais, par des connaissances agronomiques plus étendues, par un outillage perfectionné, on tire des terres tout ce qu'elles peuvent rendre; qu'un sentiment de bienveillance règne entre le seigneur et les paysans: le travail en sera mieux fait car les petits ont besoin d'encouragement. «Tant que vous n'ho- norerez pas, dit-il, les basses classes de l'humanité, il est impossible d'y maintenir l'abondance nécessaire à l'émulation et au progrès.» Il va plus loin, et, critiquant le système colonial, il réclame en faveur des noirs; car, dit-il, (d'Europe ne saurait désormais être tranquille si l'on ne travaille à nous fraterniser dans le nouveau monde autant que dans l'ancien.» C'était instinctivement et en tâtonnant que le marquis de Mirabeau était arrivé à construire son système; mais, tel qu'il était, son livre eut un succès fou. Ce fut à l'Ami des Hommes que le poète Thomson dédia son poème des Saisons; à Paris, il y avait des boutiques qui avaient pour enseigne : à l'Ami des Hommes ! Un autre économiste, inconnu encore, celui-là, qui s'était rencontré avec le mar- quis de Mirabeau sur plus d'un point, désira le connaître; c'était Quesnay, médecin de madame de Pompadour, celui qui bientôt allait devenir le chef de l'école, ou plutôt de la secte. Au nom d'économistes on joignit celui de physio- crates;* «de deux mots grecs qui signifient: l'un nature et l'autre pouvoir parce que les économistes prétendaient avoir trouvé le système de gouvernement et d'administration le plus conforme aux lois de la nature.» Mirabeau et Ques- nay ne s'entendirent pas du premier coup. Dans une pre- mière entrevue orageuse, Quesnay essaya de faire comprendre *Loménie. Les Mirabeau, II, p. 174. IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION 63 à Mirabeau qu'il partait d'un point de vue erroné lorsqu'il disait que la population est la source des richesses; que, «c'était mettre la charrue avant les bœufs.» D'abord, le marquis ne voulut pas en démordre ; mais, à la réflexion, des doutes lui vinrent et le soir du même jour il alla voir Quesnay et reprit la controverse: ce fut là, «qu'on fendit le crâne à Goliath».* Quand les deux hommes se quittèrent, l'alliance était conclue; le marquis de Mirabeau était prêt à mettre «sa popularité au service de son maître.» Un sujet qui tenait de très près à l'agriculture était celui du commerce des grains. A cette époque, de province à province, les droits étaient exorbitants ; «l'Ami des Hommes» était pour le libre-échange, non seulement dans l'intérieur de la France, mais de pays à pays; le même principe de liberté appliqué à l'industrie devait tendre à la débarrasser des entraves qui la gênaient et qui, à l'origine, avaient été imposées par les corporations, dans le but de la protéger. Pour manifester nettement leurs intentions, les économistes choisirent pour devise: «laissez passer, laissez faire.» Les économistes formèrent un groupe à part, d'abord assez mal vu des encyclopédistes; Voltaire cependant était pour eux ; et les autres finirent par se rallier. Evidemment, l'application immédiate de ces théories avancées était dan- gereuse, et on le vit bien lorsque Turgot, le plus célèbre des économistes, étant devenu ministre, voulut passer de la théo- rie à la pratique. Dans toute société, les intérêts des agri- culteurs sont en opposition avec ceux des industriels. Si Voltaire était pour les économistes, c'est que l'industrie qu'il encourageait, la fabrication des soieries, pouvait se passer de protection; tandis que Buff on, qui essayait de perfectionner une industrie encore dans l'enfance, celle du *Loménie. Les Mirabeau. II, p. 156. 64 IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION fer, voyait ses efforts gravement compromis par l'ardeur intempestive des réformateurs. Les économistes eurent des disciples et même des adversaires parmi les étrangers; un Italien, l'abbé Galiani, écrivit, pour montrer le défaut de leur cuirasse, de charmants dialogues sur le commerce des blés, et B. Franklin, qui se trouva être en harmonie d'idées avec eux, devint leur ami. Ces idées, qui firent tant pour précipiter la marche de la révolution, ont aussi exercé leur influence sur la littérature. On en trouve la trace jusque dans le roman. Lorsque J.-J. Rousseau, dans la «Nouvelle Héloïse», opposait à la vie artificielle des villes le charme de la vie des champs, il trou- vait moyen de donner un aperçu du fonctionnement nor- mal de réchange des produits sans l'aide d'intermédiaires. En suivant ce principe on peut, avec des revenus modestes, vivre dans l'aisance; et le jardin de Julie, qui s'épanouit merveilleusement frais dans un lieu naguère aride et sa- blonneux, n'est-ce pas, sous sa forme poétique, le charmant miracle de l'irrigation? Cet arbre auquel le marquis de Mirabeau assimilait l'Etat et qu'il représentait comme re- vêtu d'un luxuriant feuillage, devait aussi porter sa fleur. Note Explicative.* «Je n'ai pas eu, Monsieur, sur vos écrits l'indifférence de M. Hume, et je pourrais si bien vous en parler qu'ils sont avec deux traités de botanique, les seuls livres que j'aie apportés dans ma malle.» (J.-J. Rous- seau au marquis de Mirabeau, lettre datée de Wooton, le 31 janvier 1767.) Mirabeau ayant envoyé à Rousseau les livres de ses disciples, Rousseau refuse de se laisser enrégi- menter; au cours de ses lectures il relève ces mots: ({despo- tisme Ugah); horripilé d'une aussi odieuse contradiction, il écrit au marquis: «Illustre ami des hommes et le mien, je *Loménie. Les Mirabeau, II, p. 274. IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION 65 me prosterne à vos pieds pour vous conjurer d'avoir pitié de mon état, et de laisser en paix ma mourante tête. Aimez- moi toujours, mais ne m'envoyez plus de livres; on ne se convertit plus sincèrement à mon âge. » 42. Fragment of "L'Ami des Hommes" By the Marquis de Mirabeau The state is a tree; the roots are agriculture, the trunk is population, the branches industry, the leaves are commerce and arts. The roots 1 supply 2 the tree with nourishing 4 juices; 3 they send forth 5 an infinity of imperceptible root- lets and root hairs, 6 all of which 1 absorb the substance from the earth; this substance is changed 8 (into) sap; 9 the trunk grows stronger 10 and sends 5 forth a number of branches the growth of which is proportionate to 11 the trunk's strength, and (it) seems 12 as if the trunk might do without 13 the roots, as their work in its different stages 1 * is so remote as to be almost unknown to the trunk. 15 The nourishing 16 sap ends its course by forming the leaves, the most brilliant and pleasing part of the tree. This part, he least durable, is more than any other exposed to the beating 17 of storms; 18 a scorching sun may 10 dry it up and destroy it. If the roots keep their strength, 20 the sap will soon repair the dev- astation; 21 on all sides, 22 new leaves spring up, taking the place of 23 the ones which a malignant power 24 has scorched ; 25 but if a harmful 26 insect has been pricking the roots in the bowels 27 of the earth, it is in vain 28 to expect 29 sun and dew to give life 30 to the dried up trunk; the thing to do 31 is to attend 32 to the roots, and make it possible 33 for them to reach out and to recover; 3 * otherwise 35 the trunk will perish. Passage cité dans Les Mirabeau, par Loménie. 66 IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION 43. Fragment of a letter from Grimm concerning the physiocrats What contributed most [of all], as it proved, 1 to the warmth 2 of Franklin's welcome, was 3 the interest taken 4 in his writings on politics, or what we should call 5 social econ- omy. 6 In the midst of the rigmarole and gossip 1 of that immense 8 [body of] correspondence which Grimm, Diderot, and others sent, twice a 9 month, to different princes and noblemen 10 of Europe, there comes in, 11 fortunately for us, at the date of the first [of] October, in this [very] year 1767, a curious essay on this passion. After 12 showing at some length that France always has some "object of predilection," the writer says, 13 "At 14 the [present] moment, political and rural economy, agriculture, the principles of government, are the objects of this national passion." A society had been formed 15 in Paris [which] brought together 16 political economists and agriculturalists. 17 "The two pillars of this society are the old Doctor Quesnay and the Marquis of Mirabeau, known 18 as 19 the Friend of Men, from one 20 of his [own] books." The chiefs of the "Economists" tried to make 21 a sect [of their adherents], with its ritual, its jargon, and its mys- teries. So 22 Grimm says, or his coadjutor. "Quesnay calls himself the master, the others call themselves the elders. Rural economy is called 'the Science' par excellence. They 4 meet every Tuesday at Monsieur de Mirabeau's. They begin with a good dinner, then they labor; 23 they chop 24 and dig and drain; 24 they 4 do not leave an inch 26 of ground 27 in France ; 25 and when they 4 have thus labored all day in a charming saloon, cool in summer and well warmed in winter, they 28 part 29 [in] the evening, well contented, IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION 67 and with the happy satisfaction that they have made 30 the kingdom more flourishing." This society, or sect, pub- lished "The Ephemerides 31 of a Citizen" of which Dupont was the editor. It continued 32 several years. Their views 33 based on the theory that the farmer is the only producer in society,** are well stated in "Physiocratie" 34 [a book] by Dupont. Grimm was so provoked 36 with them that he says he 37 should be glad some fine day to take 38 Monsieur de Mirabeau, "with 39 all his Tuesday," and 40 their mattocks/ 1 pickaxes, and carts, 41 and carry 42 them to the Landes de Bordeaux, or some other ungrateful soil, 43 that they might learn 44 [the business of] draining with other tools than tongues or pens. He says 45 they make a mystical science and a divine institu- tion of agriculture, of which they are the theologians; that Monsieur de Mirabeau's "Tuesday" would be the Sorbonne of the laboring man; 46 and that this Sorbonne, as much as the other, would oppose what he calls "Philosophy". And Grimm closes 47 his rather 49 bitter account 48 [of them] by a prayer to the sovereign distributer of all light, that they might learn to read and talk intelligently 50 and to know what they are talking about. 51 With all this sect of "Economists" Franklin became well acquainted. 52 Quoted in Franklin in France, by Edward E. Hale. 44. La physiocratie et la poésie descriptive Aujourd'hui on ne songe plus, sous le rapport du mérite, à faire comparaison entre l'œuvre de Saint-Lambert, ce froid versificateur, et celle du poète Thomson; mais, en 68 IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION poésie, Voltaire n'était pas bon juge. Mieux que lui, M me du DefEand a apprécié à sa juste valeur ce pauvre Saint- Lambert ; il est, dit-elle, «froid, fade et faux ; il croit regor- ger d'idées et c'est la stérilité même.» 45. Fragment of a letter from Voltaire to M. Dupont You give M. de Saint-Lambert the praise he has [a] right to expect 1 from a citizen and a writer like you. You are not like the man 2 who supplies 3 Parisian news to foreign newspapers ; who, 4 among a great many other erroneous state- ments 5 derogatory 6 to the government, to the reputation of private citizens, 7 and to the honor of literature, has recently expressed the opinion that the French poem on Seasons is inferior to Thomson's English poem. // it were my place* to decide [between them], I would without the slightest hesitation give the preference to M. de Saint-Lambert. To me, his poem seems 9 not only more pleasing but also [of] more practical value. 10 The Englishman describes the seasons and the Frenchman tells what is to be done in each. 11 His pictures 12 seemed to me more touching and more pleas- ing; moreover [the fact that he has] overcome 14 the diffi- culty of rhyme 14 counts for a good deal 13 [in my estimation]. Blank verse 15 is so easy to make that there is hardly 16 any merit in this kind 17 [of composition]; the writer, to save him- self from mediocrity and dull verbosity, 18 is often obliged to resort 19 to extravagant 20 ideas and expressions by which he tries to make up for 21 the lack 23 of harmony. 22 In the great age 24 of art, Boileau used to emphasize 25 the necessity of a 26 polished style. I think that M. de Saint-Lambert has perfectly fulfilled 27 this requirement. 28 Can anyone IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION 69 describe with more accuracy 29 and dignity the work of the ploughman. 30 "Et le soc, enfoncé dans un terrain docile, Sous ses robustes mains ouvre un terrain facile. " See how he pictures [the sheperdess] with 31 her lambs and her dog. "La naïve bergère assise au coin d'un bois, Et roulant le fuseau qui tourne sous ses doigts.'' How much 22 these true and pleasing pictures are enhanced 33 by the contrast between these rustic 34 occupations and the luxury and idleness 35 which prevail in 36 cities. "Tandis que sous un dais la Mollesse assoupie Traîne les longs moments d'une inutile vie." Has Thomson, 37 whom I otherwise 38 thoroughly appre- ciate, anything which could be compared to such passages? 39 To me it is a question whether* a man of the North could 41 sing [of] the seasons as well as a man born under happier climes. 42 To a Scotchman like Thomson, the subject [mat- ter is] inferior; 43 it is not the same nature he describes. The vintage, 44 [as it has been] sung by Theocritus, by Virgil, [is the] joyful occasion of the first festivals and of the first plays; 45 [as such] is unknown to the inhabitants of the 54th degree. They gather 46 without joy [a] wretched 47 [crop of] insipid and tasteless apples, while we see under our windows boys and girls [by the] hundred 48 dancing around the carts they have loaded 49 with delicious grapes: that is why 50 Thomson dared not treat a subject which to Saint-Lambert afforded an opportunity 51 of drawing such pleasing pictures. A point in favor 51 of our poet philosopher is that he ad- dresses 52 not so much the tillers of the ground 53 as the land- 70 IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION lords 54 who, living on 55 their estates, 56 can make their tenants 58 wealthier, 57 encourage them to marry, and, far from the insolent greed 59 and oppression of the ruling classes, be happy because of other [people]'s happiness; the poet rises 60 against the oppressors with praiseworthy 61 courage and independence . . . Allow me now, Sir, to comment 62 on the remark 63 you make in connection with the thatch covered cottages 6 * of the laboring man, those cabins, 65 homes 66 of the poor ; you condemn the use of these expressions in the poem of the Seasons which, on the whole, 38 you appreciate as much as I do. You are perfectly correct in making the statement 61 that a cabin cannot be the home 68 of a man who goes into farming extensively; 69 that he must have convenient stables for the horses 10 and [others] 71 well-planned 72 [for the cattle], large, well-built barns, cool dairies with vaulted ceilings, 13 etc Certainly, Sir, and (in regard) to farming 76 no one 74 is a better authority than you; in matters of detail 15 no one has shown 77 better how precious a farmer must be to the state. I have the honor to be [a] farmer, 30 and I thank you for the kind things you say about 18 us; but since we are speaking about 19 farmers, notice the difference between the mansions 80 of the farmers of the revenue, 81 who signed their contract in 1725, and the cottages of our [country] farmers; you will see that the words thatch-cottages, cabins, are only too suitable 82 [in the case of the latter]; the homes of our wealthiest farmers 83 in Picardy as well as other provinces, have thatch roofs. 84 In my opinion, 85 nothing is more beautiful than a large farm building 86 through whose four main entrances 88 go in 87 and out wagons loaded with the products of the fields; the oak columns on which the whole framework 90 rests 89 are IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION 7 1 placed at equal distances on granite pedestals; on [the] right and on [the] left are to be seen 91 extensive stables. 70 One side is occupied by fifty well-kept 92 cows with their heifers; 93 the horses and the oxen are on the other side ; their fodder 94 drops into their cribs 95 from 96 extensive barns; the barns where the wheat is 26 threshed 97 are in the center 98 [of the building] ; and you know that all these animals, every one of whom has 99 its own place in this large building, realize clearly that the fodder 100 and the oats it contains are theirs by right. 101 South of these monuments of agriculture are to be found the barnyards 102 and the sheepf old ; 103 while to the north are the vinepresses, 104 the fruit cellars, 105 and the dairies ; 106 on the east are the lodgings of the overseer 107 and of thirty servants; to the west are large [tracts of] meadow 108 and pasture [land] for all these animals, [the] comrades of man in his work. The trees of the orchard, loaded with 109 fruits, both those that have stones and those that have seeds, 110 are another source of wealth. Four or five hundred beehives 111 stand 112 by the little brook which runs through the orchard; the bees give to the owner a large supply 113 of honey and wax. . . . Avenues of mulberry trees 114 extend as far as you can see ; the leaves are food for 115 the precious worms which are not less useful than the bees. Part of this precinct 116 is enclosed 117 by a thick wall IlB of neatly cut 119 hawthorn as fragrant as it is pleasing to the eye 120 The yard and barnyard are surrounded by a good- sized wall. 121 A good farm must 123 be of this type j 122 there are a few to be found in the vicinity of the borderland where I live; and I may acknowledge without vanity that my farm 124 is in some respect modeled 12 * after the one I have described; but, after all, are there many like this in France? 72 IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION 46. Méthode de Buffon Buffon, l'homme des grandes vues d'ensemble, pense que Ton ne peut séparer l'histoire naturelle de l'homme et des animaux de celle de la terre. Ce point de vue grandiose semble avoir été entrevu poétiquement et en miniature par La Fontaine lorsqu'il dit, en parlant de «tout ce qui res- pire»: «Hôtes de l'univers sous le nom d'animaux.» Bufïon, qui n'aimait pas les poètes, faisait cependant exception pour La Fontaine. Cette prédilection s'explique : les deux écrivains avaient un trait en commun; ils aimaient et comprenaient la nature en poètes, dans un temps où ce sentiment était chose rare. Inspiré par elle, Buffon sut donner à sa prose un tour poétique et grandiose. Bufïon, lorsqu'il fut nommé Intendant du jardin du roi, n'était pas préparé à sa tâche. Sans s'effrayer de l'immen- sité de l'effort, il entreprit, à une époque où tout était à faire dans le domaine des sciences naturelles, de débrouiller les grandes lignes directrices. L'intuition lui permit d'arra- cher à la nature plusieurs de ses secrets; la profondeur de son génie lui fit entrevoir du coup la portée de ses décou- vertes. Deux ouvrages de géologie, publiés à plusieurs années d'intervalle, nous font comprendre comment il procédait. Parfois, l'observation d'un petit détail lui ouvrait tout un horizon. Il savait qu'on trouvait sur les plus hautes mon- tagnes des incrustations de coquillages; ce simple fait l'amène à découvrir une partie de la vérité: selon lui, la for- mation de la terre est due à la double action des eaux, les continents sont des fonds de mer mis à sec qui seront de nouveau submergés quand le fond des mers actuelles se sera élevé jusqu'à surgir de l'abîme. Telle est sa première théo- IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION 73 rie. Mais il ne s'en tient pas là. Suivant l'enchaînement naturel des sciences, il en vient à étudier la minéralogie; Taction du feu sur les minéraux lui fait compléter sa théo- rie: la formation de la terre est due à la double action du feu et des eaux. Il représente la terre comme étant à l'origine une masse incandescente détachée du soleil; à me- sure qu'elle se refroidit, une croûte se durcit ; les vapeurs en se condensant forment les mers. Buffon avait l'inten- tion de refondre en un seul ouvrage la Théorie de la Terre et les Epoques de la Nature; mais, la mort étant venue interrompre ses travaux, le chevalier de Buffon, qui devait être son collaborateur, ne se sentit pas à la hauteur de la tâche et y renonça. Mieux que personne, Buffon a su ré- sumer sa double méthode: «L'on peut dire que l'amour de l'étude de la nature suppose dans l'esprit deux qualités qui paraissent opposées: les grandes vues d'un génie ardent qui embrasse tout d'un coup d'œil, et les petites attentions d'un instinct laborieux qui ne s'attache qu'à un seul point.» Buffon disait souvent: «Voilà ce que j'ai découvert avec les yeux de l'esprit.» Si parfois les expériences ont détruit quelques-unes de ses hypothèses, souvent aussi les expé- riences sont venues les confirmer. «Il avait jugé», dit Vicq- d'Azir, «que le diamant était inflammable, parce qu'il y avait reconnu comme dans les huiles une réfraction puis- sante. Ce qu'il a conclu de ses remarques sur l'étendue des glaces australes, Cook l'a confirmé. Lorsqu'il compa- rait la respiration à l'action d'un feu, toujours agissant; lorsque, pour expliquer la calcination et la réduction des métaux, il avait recours à un agent composé de feu, d'air et de lumière; dans ces différentes théories, il faisait tout ce qu'on peut attendre de l'esprit; il devançait l'observa- tion; il arrivait au but sans avoir passé par les sentiers pé- 74 IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION nibles de l'expérience; c'est qu'il Pavait vu d'en haut, et qu'il était descendu pour l'atteindre, tandis que d'autres sont à gravir longtemps pour y arriver. » Aujourd'hui, on peut ajouter qu'il a devancé Darwin en émettant l'hypothèse de l'évolution, et Pasteur en émet- tant celle de la théorie microbienne. 47. Buffon Born in Montbard, [on] the 7th [of] September, 1707, Buffon came 1 early 2 [in life to] Dijon with his father who had bought an office of counsellor in the Burgundy Court of justice.* He studied 4 at the Jesuit's school; 5 the only thing one knows about this period of his life is that he was pas- sionately 6 fond of tennis 7 and geometry. It was in Dijon that Buffon met 8 two Englishmen. The Duke of Kingston who, according to the wishes of his family, was traveling 9 with his tutor 10 M. Hinckman, had stopped in Dijon with the intention 11 of pursuing later his journey 12 to Italy. He was a rather wild young man, 13 in possession of an immense fortune, inclined to go into every eccentricity of the time, 14 and ready- to enter 15 into any kind of adventure. Buffon met him at a friend's house 16 where the Duke was some- times invited, 17 and he was introduced to him. There was little 18 to gain for him by this new acquaintance; 10 but the Duke was accompanied by his tutor, 20 [a] man of high merit, who had gathered 21 on his different journeys valuable 22 material ; the sight of the different countries he had visited 23 had awakened in him an innate taste for natural history. Buffon became so intimate with the pupil and the master that when they decided to proceed on their journey 24 it was IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION 75 agreed 25 that he would accompany his new friends. They left Dijon [on] the 3d [of] November, 1730 and traveled through™ France as tourists, stopping for long sojourns 21 in the cities they came across 2 * on their route. They reached Rome in the beginning of the year 1732. M. Hinkman, who was of German parentage, 29 was the friend of the studi- ous 30 hours; he used to speak about natural sciences with an enthusiasm which was most catching. 31 Buff on while listening to him felt another passion growing in him; a passion for work and study* 2 which was to lead him to glory. In Rome the three friends separated. During the winter of 1736, the Duke of Kingston, who had been in the habit of stopping 27 in Paris for months [at a time], eloped 33 [with] M me de la Touche, a friend of the Buffon family. Buffon did all he could 34 to keep his friends from entering 35 on such an adventure; it was in vain. They sought refuge 36 in England, taking along with them, one can 37 hardly believe it, . . . l'abbé Le Blanc w T ho assumed in the household 3 * of Lord Kingston [the functions] of chaplain. At the end of the year 1738, Buffon met his friends again 39 in London; l'abbé Le Blanc was still there. Buffon re- mained 40 in England over a year, and it was through 41 [association with] the English aristocracy, into which he had been introduced by Lord Kingston, that he assumed 42 his dignified manner of walking, 43 the rich elegance of his cos- tume, the irreproachable correctness 44 in his manners, the constant nobility of bearing, 45 which made Hume remark 46 when he saw him for the first time, that "he gave the im- pression 41 of [being] a field marshal of France rather than a literary man." 48 Nadault de Buffon. 76 IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION 48 "Le génie est une plus grande aptitude à la patience." Buff on. "In early 1 youth, " Buffon used to say, "I was very fond of 2 sleep; the best part of my time was wasted that way; 1 poor Joseph was very helpful 4 in enabling me to conquer 5 this fatal 6 habit. One day, dissatisfied with myself, I sent for 1 him and I promised to give him a crown every time he would succeed in making me rise before six o'clock. The next morning he did not fail to awaken 9 me at the appointed 10 time; I answered by [using] abusive language; 11 he came the following day; I threatened him. 'My poor Joseph, you have not earned anything/ said I, when he brought in 12 my breakfast, 'and I have wasted 13 my time. You don't know how to go about it; 1 * henceforth 17 the reward 16, is the only thing you ought to keep in mind; 15 never mind 18 my anger or my threats.' The next day he came at the appointed time, 19 asked 20 me to rise; he insisted; I begged 21 him [to leave me], I told him I dismissed 22 him, he was no longer in my service. Without allowing 23 himself to be intimidated by my anger, he used 24 [main] force and made 25 me rise. For a long time there was no change 26 but my crown, which he received regularly, made up 27 every day for my fit of bad temper 28 on awakening. I am indebted to poor Joseph [for] three or four volumes of natural history." Nadault de Buffon. 49. Parentés intellectuelles Racine, Fénelon, La Fontaine étaient les auteurs favoris de Buffon. Au point de vue artistique, c'est sans doute à Racine et à Fénelon qu'il doit l'ampleur et la majesté IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION 77 grandiose de son style si différent de celui des autres écri- vains du XVIII me siècle. Le fabuliste, par contre, semble avoir exercé une influence plus profonde; Buff on tient pro- bablement de lui l'art merveilleux de représenter les animaux dans toute la vérité de leurs allures. Mais si, chez Buffon, l'artiste a gagné à la fréquentation du poète, il semble bien que le naturaliste n'a pas impunément contemplé le tableau des animaux formant une société organisée. En effet, Buf- fon ne peut se défaire de l'idée qu'il 'existe chez eux une hiérarchie; pour lui, malgré l'opinion contraire de Dauben- ton, le lion sera toujours le roi des animaux; et, s'il donne à la fourmi un vilain caractère, ne serait-ce pas parce que, tout au fond de sa mémoire, reste gravée en traits ineffa- çables la sentence du poète : "La fourmi n'est pas prêteuse: C'est là son moindre défaut." La tradition et l'imagination enchaînent par mille liens invisibles les esprits les plus indépendants. Buffon ne peut entièrement libérer son imagination du souvenir de la fable ; non plus que Diderot, en dépit de ses efforts pour ramener les artistes à la vérité de la nature, ne peut entièrement secouer le joug des souvenirs mythologiques. Dans son petit monde d'animaux, La Fontaine n'ayant pas donné à l'écureuil droit de cité, Buffon aura certaine- ment pu décrire ce charmant petit animal sans la moindre arrière-pensée. 50a. Fragment of the address on reception into the Academy Well written works are the only ones which will be handed down to 1 posterity. The amount 2 of knowledge, 3 the unusual 78 IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION value 4 of the subject matter, 5 and even the novelty of the discoveries are not a guarantee 6 to immortality. If the works which contain them are limited in their scope, 1 if they are written without taste, without dignity and without genius, they will fall into oblivion* because knowledge, facts, and discoveries can easily be taken away, transfered, and even improved 9 by being worked out 10 by more skilful hands. These things are outside 11 of man; style is the man him- self. Therefore 12 style can neither be taken away, nor be transfered, nor lose its value. 1 * 50b. From the Natural History The squirrel 14 is a pretty little animal that is only half wild who, on account 15 of its gracefulness, its docility, and the very 16 innocence of its habits, 17 would deserve to be spared; 18 he is neither carnivorous nor harmful, 19 although he occasionally catches 20 birds; his usual 21 food consists of fruits, 22 almonds, hazelnuts, beechnuts, 23 and acorns; 24 he is clean, quick, 25 lively, very alert, very wide-awake, very industrious; his 26 eyes are full of fire, his 26 physiognomy is delicate, his 26 body is wiry, 27 his 26 limbs are very supple ; 27 the prettiness of his face 28 is enhanced by a beautiful plume- like 30 tail which he raises 31 above his head and under which he shades 32 himself. He is, so to speak, 33 less [of a] quad- ruped than the others; he usually sits [up] almost erect, 34 using a front foot* 5 as 36 [if it were] a hand to carry food to his mouth; instead of hiding under-ground, he is always [way above] in 37 the air; in 39 lightness he may almost be compared to 3 * the birds; like them he lives 40 on the tree tops, 41 goes from one end of the forest to the other, jump- ing from tree 42 to tree, there too he builds his nest, picks IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION 79 seeds, drinks the dew, and only comes down to the ground when the trees are shaken by violent winds. He is not to be found 43 in the fields, in open places** in lowlands; 45 he never comes near houses; he does not take his abode 46 in copses, 47 but on the heights, in forests of full-grown trees, on the oldest of the finest growth. 48 He is even more afraid 49 of the water than of the ground, and it is said that when he has to cross it he uses a [piece of] bark 50 as a boat and his tail as a sail and rudder. He does not hibernate 51 like the dormouse; 52 he is at all times very wide-awake, and were one to touch ever so lightly 53 the foot of the tree on which he is resting, he would come out of his little lodg- ings, 54 flee to another tree, or hide himself under the cover of 55 a branch. He gathers 56 hazelnuts during the summer, fills up with them the holes and crannies 57 of an old tree, and in winter he draws from 58 these supplies ; he also hunts for them under the snow which he throws aside 59 by scratch- ing [the ground]. He has a 26 loud piercing 60 voice, even shriller 61 than that of the martin, 62 and in addition to this 63 he can, with his "mouth shut, produce a murmur, a sort of little grunting of dissatisfaction 6 * which he gives 65 whenever he is irritated. Too light to walk, he generally covers the ground by little leaps 66 and occasionally by bounds ; his nails are so pointed and his motions are so swift that in an instant he will reach the top of a tree having as 68 smooth 69 a bark as the beech. 67 51a. To President de Brosses February 16, 1750. Although you have given 1 me your approbation in general, it seems to me you make reservations on 2 two points which 8o IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION I consider as the best proven in the whole work : I mean my theory on generation, and the cause of the negroes' colour, which I think is produced by 3 the effects of the east wind. If you take the trouble 4 of reading what I said about it with a world's hemisphere 5 before 6 your eyes, I think you will not have any more doubt 1 than I have with regard to the ex- planations I have offered* in connection with 9 the different colours of men. 51b. From the Natural History of Man The 10 description of all the recently 11 discovered peoples leads us to think 12 that the main differences, that is to say, the principal varieties, depend entirely on 13 the influence of climate. One is to understand 14 by climate, not only the higher or lower latitudes, but also the high or low 15 lands, their vicinity 16 or their remoteness from the seas, their exposure 17 to winds and specially east winds, in short, 18 all the circumstances which working together contribute 19 to form temperature in every country, for this temperature which may be more or less hot or cold, damp or dry is the real cause not only of men's colour, but of the very exist- ence of some species of animals and plants. . . . Every- thing, therefore, tends to prove that human kind 20 is not composed of species essentially different from each other, but that on the contrary there was originally but one species of men. 52. Buffon's collaborators Gueneau de Montbeillard Punctuality 5 was not to be 4 counted among 1 the many 2 [good] qualities which were characteristic 3 [of] Gueneau de Montbeillard. M me de Montbeillard, in the account 6 she IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION 8 1 has given of 1 her husband's life, very cleverly 9 attracts 8 [our attention to the fact] that, as the main craving 10 of his mind was independence, he unwillingly 11 submitted [to the neces- sity of] supplying 12 a given 13 task and he reluctantly 14 fol- lowed a line of work traced beforehand. 15 His friendship for Buffon, to whom he knew he was helpful, 16 induced 17 him to give every now and then a certain number of articles which were to appear in the Natural History of Birds. Soon, however, he tired of this kind of work, and stopped 18 producing 10 it. In 1772 and in 1773, we find him in Paris working busily 20 on the history of birds. He writes to M me de Montbeillard [on] the 22a [of] January, 1773: I worked yesterday on the birds [for] six hours [by the clock], 21 and every day I shall do as much 22 until I leave. 23 Nadault de Buffon. 53- Fragments of letters to Gueneau de Montbeillard October, 1766. I send you back the jaw of the supposed 1 giant who was only a small donkey ; for I have had under my 2 eyes the jaw of a tall man and that of a small donkey, and this one com- pares 3 exactly 4 with the latter. I thank you nevertheless for your kind attention. Montbard, November 6, 1766. You really 5 should have lost your way 6 between Chevigny and Montbard. For 8 three days M. and M me Allut have been with us. 7 In my opinion, 9 she is a charming little woman, and I am sure she would have been to your taste 10 too. Choose, my dear Sir, the days which will suit you better, 11 but choose two days in succession, 12 for when one 82 IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION meets only at dinner, one has not time either to digest one's enjoyment or to talk over business. 13 Tell me, how far along 14 are your birds, for every day I receive some sorts 15 of imprecations from people who find it tiresome to receive two or three times a 16 year coloured plates 17 without having anything to read [along with it]. Good-bye, my dear, kind friend, etc. Buffon. 54a. To abbé Bexon Montbard, July 27, 1777. I am very much pleased, 1 Sir, and even more than pleased, for the only criticism that could 2 be made is that you have worked too hard on the composition of the articles you have sent me. In general there is too much erudition; you [certainly] do not wish 3 that the reader, 5 when 4 comparing these articles with those already printed, should find 5 that a greater 6 effort has been made 2 [in the line] of mythological science and erudition, subjects which have very little to do with 1 natural history. I shall leave out 8 a great deal of it, and I shall have the honor of sending you soon the first book 9 corrected by 10 my [own] hand; you will guide yourself by it 11 in the subsequent numbers. 12 But, I say it again, Sir, I am perfectly satisfied and you may go on; start 13 [with] the heron family and keep on through 1 * the whole class of marsh 15 birds. // will take you a long time 16 and I think you have covered considerable ground 17 in 18 the few weeks you have been 19 at it. Try, Sir, to make all your descriptions from life; 20 that is essential, for [the sake of] precision. I am very much obliged 21 to Mr. Daubenton Jr. for having placed at your disposal all you needed. 22 Buffon. IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION 83 54b. To abbé Bexon Au jardin du Roi, December 5, 1777. M. de Buffon 'sends 23 his compliments to abbé 24 Bexon; he begs him not to come until Sunday, because, to-morrow, Saturday, he would not be able to see him. It will give abbé Bexon so much more 25 time to classify the warblers. 26 Buffon. Buffon aime l'histoire des minéraux "pour les grandes vues dont elle est susceptible". 55a. To Gueneau de Montbeillard January, 1781. . . . Only 3 in 4 six months [from now] shall I be able 1 to give to the printer 2 the last volume of the History of the Birds, because it will still demand 5 considerable work, and, more- over, I have sent to the printer 6 a second supplement to the History of Quadrupeds. All this puts me back 7 considera- bly in my beloved [study of] minerals, to which I should like to devote 8 [my time] entirely; 9 but that is not possible for the present. 10 Buffon. 55b. Buffon et Daubenton The qualities which Buffon 13 lacks, 11 in order to carry out successfully 12 the work he has undertaken, [he] 13 finds them in 14 the man he has taken as an associate 1 * [in] his work. 16 If Buffon likes grand hypotheses, if he finds pleasure in 11 the extensive 18 combinations which are unfolded 19 to his mind, 20 Daubenton [on the other hand] possesses a genius for 21 observation, he knows how to master 22 details; both men, 23 completing each other, follow a parallel course, 24 and 84 IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION each one, by the nature of his researches, adds to the per- fection of the work. No one, besides, 25 was a better judge of the tendencies of his mind than Buffon himself. "One may say that a love for nature studies requires 26 two seem- ingly 27 opposite qualities: the grand outlook 28 of an ardent genius which embraces everything at one glance, and the attention to small details, characteristic of a painstaking 29 instinct which centers 30 on one point only." Daubenton Jr. 3I had 32 an important share in the compo- sition of the book on birds, both 33 by the conscientious notes [with] which he supplied 34 Buffon and 33 by the active super- vision 35 that he exercised over the workmanship 36 of the drawings 37 which figure in this part of the natural history. Buffon, moreover, 25 has more than once praised his zeal and his ability. In the preface to the first volume on birds he says: "One will recognize everywhere the easy talent 38 of M. Martinet who has drawn and engraved all these birds, and the intelligent and careful supervision* 9 of M. Dauben- ton Jr. who alone conducted this great undertaking. I say great, on account of the numberless details* which it requires, 41 and of the continuous 42 care which it demands; 26 more than eighty artists and workmen have been constantly employed for the last five years on this work, even though it was 43 reduced by us to a small number of copies, 44 and it was much to our regret that we did not publish a larger number* 5 [of copies]." Nadault de Buffon. 56. Buffon and Needham I had become acquainted with 1 M. Needham [who] is well- known 2 to all naturalists on account of the excellent micro- IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION 85 scopical observations which he published 3 in 1745. This clever 4 man, whose merit well deserces commendation^ had been sent to me by M. Tolkes, president of the London Royal Society ; having become his friend , 6 I thought 7 I could do no better than share 8 with him my ideas ; and as he had an excel- lent microscope, more convenient and better than any one of mine, I asked him to lend it to me for my experiments. 9 Buffon. 57a. M me d'Epinay to abbé Galiani Paris, November 6, 1770. Shall I speak to you about BufTon's 2 book 1 on birds 4 which is just out? 3 Pretty bold 6 is it not, on the part of a woman, an ignorant 5 [one too]. Never mind, I shall whisper in your ear s ever so low 7 what I think about it. I am afraid there is more poetry than truth in all this. 7/ we were to believe 10 his first discourse on man, [the latter] is 11 the first and most perfect among the animals. In his discourse on quadrupeds one could see that he could hardly refrain from 12 placing them, if not 13 above man, at least side by side with 14 him. Do you remember 15 [how T ] he attributed to chance [the fact] that man held in his hand 16 the scepter of the world? Now, 17 in the discourse on birds, he says that with 18 their vision 19 [w T hich is] the most perfect of their senses, and the quadrupeds with 18 their sense of smell, 20 they all 21 can accomplish things 22 which are w T ay above what man could ever do. Then, you see, 23 birds have over man the advantage of flight, 24 vision, and reproductive power. 25 Quad- rupeds have swiftness in running, 20 ' sense of smell, and physi- cal strength. All that is left 27 to man is: tact, taste, and reason. But afterwards he goes farther and says that, after having compared in each being 28 the results of mere feeling 86 IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION and tried to find 29 the causes of diversity in instinct, he found the results were more regular, less capricious, less liable 30 to error than reason 31 [is], in the only species 32 who thinks it possesses 33 it. Then 34 man has nothing left 27 but tact and taste. And the first rhinoceros, had he chosen 35 to take the trouble, 36 might have come to a more correct™ con- clusion 37 in regard to 3 * his nature 28 than [did] Buffon. I shall not carry the insult so far as 40 to take him at his word. 41 Of course, 44 one [can] see 42 well enough 43 what he means, 45 but why [should he] introduce 46 poetry and metaphysical suppositions where a mere statement 48 of facts is needed? 47 Why should he consider 49 himself as the panegyrist of every species he mentions? 50 We are as we are. 51 He ought 52 to show the chain of beings from the cold marble which is formed 53 in the depth of a cave 54 to the oak which lifts 55 its head in the clouds ; then from the oak to the oyster, and from the oyster show the whole succession of animals up to 56 man, indicate 57 the limit of each being, and not allow them to encroach 58 on each other. If bears and vultures could understand his language, we would no longer be in safety on the earth. These apparent contradictions come from the fact 59 that there are things that he gives to understand 60 because he dared not 61 tell 62 them plainly, for when he writes he always sees Dr. Riballier at the bottom of the page, and, with such a picture 63 before one's eyes, it is very difficult to accomplish a truly great and philosophical work. Never- theless he is 64 a great genius, and his eloquence is noble, simple and enchanting. 65 My dear abbé, since 66 you infer 67 from 68 the length of my letters what my feelings 67 [are], it rests entirely with 69 you, should you take this one as a proof, 70 to conclude that I adore you and, in truth, leaving aside the length of it 71 you woidd IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION 87 not be far from the truth. 12 Good-bye, however, until the next mail. Dr. Riballier was the. syndic of the Theological School™ in 74 Paris, and royal censor; he could grant 75 or refuse the permit to print a new book. In one of his letters, President de Brosses says: "Buffon has just left me, he has given me the key to his fourth volume, explaining how we are to under- stand the statements which are made for the special benefit of 76 the Sor bonne." 57b. Note from Albert Cahen Although there is 9 more wit 77 than justice in M me d'Epi- nay's criticism — for no one 78 more than Buffon made it 19 a point 80 to bring out %1 the superiority of human reason over animal instinct — one cannot deny 82 that it is 79 indeed a rather wearisome method 83 in 84 Buffon, this persistance in Ss almost always speaking about animals or species, in 86 com- parison with other animals and other species, as if he were drawing some sort of a parallel^ 7 after 88 the fashion of moral- ists or critics : hence 89 the character of some of 90 his descrip- tions which are like a lawyer's defence; 89 take for instance the comparison between the donkey and the horse, the goose and the swan, the elephant compared with 91 the dog, the monkey with the beaver; one may notice on the other hand 92 the regular set of accusations 9 * which Buffon has drawn 94 against the tiger [shown in] opposition 95 with the lion, the vulture compared with the eagle, etc. Lettres du XVIII me siècle. A. Cahen (Librairie Armand Colin, Paris). 88 IDIOMATIC TRENCH COMPOSITION Passages cités dans les notes de la Correspondance de Buffon. Nadault de Buffon 58. Opinion de quelques contemporains sur le style de Buffon «L'oie nous fournit cette plume délicate sur laquelle la mollesse se plaît à reposer, et cette autre plume, instrument de nos pensées, avec laquelle nous écrivons ici son éloge. » M me Necker disait à propos de ce passage : «Quand on est obligé de dire une chose commune, il faut tâcher d'y jeter toujours un peu d'intérêt. C'est ainsi que M. de Buffon, dans son histoire de l'oie, ne nous a pas appris platement qu'elle donne les meilleures plumes; mais il dit: «cette plume avec laquelle j'écris son histoire.» Cependant, tout le monde alors ne partageait pas cet avis; ce style, appliqué à de petites choses, semblait peut- être un peu pompeux, et Voltaire parlant de «l'Histoire na- turelle» disait, non sans une pointe de malice: «pas si na- turelle ! » «En 1795, dans un discours sur les véritables qualités que doit avoir le style du naturaliste, prononcé à l'Ecole normale, Daubenton attaqua Buffon. Lisant l'histoire du lion il modifia la phrase et dit: «Le lion n'est pas le roi des animaux. Il n'y a point de roi dans la nature» ... La salle entière se leva au milieu d'applaudissements fréné- tiques. » Vol. I, p. 139. «Parlant des voyages de La Condamine dans le nouveau monde, Buffon hasarda cette espèce de prosopopée: «La Nature, accoutumée au plus profond silence, dut être éton- née de s'entendre interroger pour la première fois»; la gran- deur de l'image saisit l'assemblée, elle en fit à l'orateur IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION 89 l'application, et se recueillit avant d'applaudir; BufEon lui- même, dominé par l'émotion, dut s'arrêter avant de pouvoir achever son discours». Correspondance de Bujffon, I, 311. Nadault de Buff on. Opinion de J.-J. Rousseau «Je lui crois des égaux parmi ses contemporains en qualité de penseur et de philosophe; mais en qualité d'écrivain je ne lui en connais aucun, c'est la plus belle plume de son siècle. » Vol. I, p. 220. 59. Admiration de Catherine II pour les écrivains français On a soupçonné la politique de ne pas avoir été entière- ment étrangère à l'ardente admiration que professait Ca- therine pour les écrivains français de son temps. En Europe, c'étaient eux qui dirigeaient l'opinion et il lui importait de les avoir de son côté dans l'éventualité du partage de la Pologne ou de la conquête de Constantinople; elle cher- chait donc à donner l'impression que partout où elle régne- rait, on verrait l'avènement de la tolérance et le triomphe de la civilisation. Si telle était réellement son intention, elle dut penser que ses efforts n'avaient pas été vains lors- qu'elle reçut de Buff on la lettre que voici: 60a. To Catherine II Au Jardin du Roi, December 14, 1781. Madam, I have received through Baron Grimm the superb furs and the valuable 1 collection of medals and large medallions CO IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION which Your Imperial Majesty has been kind 2 enough to send me. My first impulse, 3 after [getting over] the thrill 4 of surprise 5 and admiration, 5 was 6 to press my lips on the beautiful and noble picture of the greatest woman 8 in 9 the universe, offering 10 her the deepest sentiments of respect my 11 heart [can give]. Then, considering the magnificence of such a gift, 12 I thought it was a present from sovereign to sovereign and that, if it were from genius to genius, I was far below 13 this celestial head, which deserves 1 * to rule over the whole 15 world. The chain [which was] found on the shores of the Irtich is a new proof of the antiquity of civilization in Her empire. The north, according to 16 my Epoques, is also the cradle 17 of the greatest things 1 * which nature in its primeval strength was able to produce, and my wish is 20 to see this beautiful nature and the arts come down a second time from the North to the South 21 under the standard of such a powerful genius. The bust on which M. Houdon is at work 22 will never express in 23 the eyes of my great Empress the keen 24 and deep feelings which fill my heart; seventy-four years stamped on this marble cannot but 25 make it colder still. 26 I beg 27 leave to send along with it 2S a living effigy; my only 29 son, [a] young officer in 30 the guards, will bring 31 it to the feet of her august Majesty. Buffon. 60b. Reply from Catherine II Count 32 Buffon, I hasten 33 to announce by a courrier the arrival of your son in Petersburg. I shall receive him as the child of a celebrated 34 man, that is to say, 35 without ceremony. To-night, 37 he will take 36 supper tête-à-tête with me. IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION 9 1 60c. Notes et Eclaircissements Par Nadault de Buffon A Buffon ne revient pas l'honneur d'avoir le premier découvert l'identité de la foudre et de l'électricité; mais ce fut lui qui, le premier, tenta l'expérience du paratonnerre. Voici dans quelle circonstance. Franklin parlait dans ses lettres à Collinson de la possibilité de cette expérience; ces lettres furent publiées et connues de Buffon, qui établit aussitôt sur les toitures de sa maison une longue tige de fer, pointue à son extrémité supérieure, et isolée à sa partie inférieure avec de la résine. Dalibard, pressé par Buffon, en éleva une toute semblable à sa maison de campagne de Marly, et c'est chez lui que fut reconnue pour la première fois, le 10 mai 1752, la présence de l'électricité dans l'atmos- phère. Le 19 mai de la même année, l'expérience réussit pareillement à Montbard. Franklin ne vérifia le même fait, au moyen d'un cerf -volant, que le 22 juin 1752. C'est donc à Buffon et à Dalibard que revient l'honneur d'avoir les premiers démontré par l'expérience l'identité de la foudre et de l'électricité annoncée comme une hypothèse par Franklin. Hachette. Correspondance de Buffon, v. 1, p. 276. 60d. Franklin, Dalibard, and Buffon In a letter to Dalibard, Franklin alludes 38 to Priestley's "History of Electricity", which he had sent to the French- man. 39 He says very handsomely: 40 "Philosophy is already indebted 41 to you as being 42 the first of mankind that had the courage to attempt drawing lightning 43 from the clouds to be subject to 44 your experiments." Ç2 IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION Dalibard himself, 46 with equal courtesy, 45 in describing his own experiment had said: "I have obtained complete satis- faction in following the road 48 which 49 Monsieur Franklin had laid down 50 for us". Franklin in France, Edward Everett Hale. 61. L'Encyclopédie Un édifice "de marbre et de boue". Voltaire. Il y a tant d'encyclopédies aujourd'hui qu'il faut, pour se faire entendre, nommer chacune d'elles par son nom par- ticulier; au XVIII me siècle, on disait «l'Encyclopédie» tout court et ce fait seul en dit long. Avant Diderot, un dic- tionnaire représentait la somme des connaissances d'un seul homme. Quand un éditeur demanda à Diderot de traduire en français le dictionnaire de Chambers, une ère nouvelle allait s'ouvrir. Tirant parti d'une idée déjà ancienne, Dide- rot allait créer une chose éminemment moderne. Selon son propre témoignage, c'est au chancelier Bacon qu'il était redevable de l'idée qu'il se faisait d'une encyclopédie; mais la méthode qu'il employa pour mettre cette idée en œuvre était bien à lui: le travail devait être fait par des spécia- listes et en collaboration. Les articles devaient avoir un cachet littéraire ; c'étaient des essais, des parallèles, du nou- veau sous toutes les formes. Doué d'un admirable génie d'improvisation, mais manquant de méthode, il ne pouvait à lui seul diriger l'entreprise; il eut recours à d'Alembert, le savant géomètre, qui composa le plan. Tous les grands écrivains du XVIII me siècle collaborèrent à l'entreprise, à l'exception de Buffon qui, n'aimant pas les coteries, pré- féra se tenir à l'écart; Daubenton le remplaça. A une époque où la liberté de penser et d'écrire n'existait pas, les IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION 93 Encyclopédistes imaginèrent de tirer parti de ce dictionnaire pour répandre rapidement, et par mille voies détournées, les idées qu'il eût été dangereux d'exprimer ouvertement. L'En- cyclopédie contribua aussi à faire connaître les nouvelles théories scientifiques. Diderot fit une large place aux arts mécaniques et il se chargea lui-même de la rédaction de cette partie de l'ouvrage, qui offrait les plus grandes difficultés. Autre idée neuve : il fit intercaler dans le texte des planches explicatives. Cette partie de l'œuvre était si parfaite qu'elle a pu être utilisée même de nos jours. Ainsi, lorsque au siècle dernier, à l'époque connue sous le nom de Mid- Victo- rian, William Morris, se rendant compte du goût déplorable qui régnait en Angleterre, voulut faire revivre des arts dis- parus, il fut arrêté dès le début: on ne trouvait plus les ma- chines dont il avait besoin! L'idée lui vint de consulter l'Encyclopédie et, d'après les données qu'il y trouva, il put mener à bien son entreprise. Cette importance donnée aux arts mécaniques, et le soin qu'on apporta à traiter ce sujet, marquent bien la révolution qui s'était produite dans les esprits : les littérateurs ne sont plus uniquement des hommes de lettres; avec l'étude des sciences, le travail manuel a repris ses droits. Comme les Encyclopédistes étaient fort en vue, il y eut des gens influents qui, pour se faire une réputation d'hommes de lettres, recherchèrent l'honneur de collaborer; pour ne pas se mettre à dos des gens qui pouvaient nuire, on accepta trop souvent de piètres articles. On trouvait un peu de tout dans l'Encyclopédie: à côté de l'excellent, le détesta- ble; de là le mot de Voltaire: «un monument de marbre et de boue». 94 IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION 62. From Frederick II to d'Alembert You are surprised that in Philopatros Letters the encyclo- paedists are mentioned? 1 I have read in their works that love for one's country 2 is a prejudice which rulers 3 have tried to sanction, 4 and that in an enlightened age 5 like ours, it was [high] time to get rid 6 of such ancient and vain imag- inations. 7 For the weal 10 of mankind 11 such 8 assertions should 9 be refuted. Finally, to clear 12 myself more fully, I must add that here in Germany people 13 hold the encyclo- pœdists responsible for 14 all the works which are published in France by any visionary writers; 15 I was addressing 16 the public, therefore 17 I had to use its language, for I hope you do not hold me in such low esteem as lS to believe that I make no difference between 19 writers like d'Alembert and writers like Diderot, Jean- Jacques, and the so-called 20 philosophers which throw their discredit on 21 literature. 63a. From Frederick II to d'Alembert Many men have won battles and conquered provinces, but few men have written as perfect a book as the Preface to the Encyclopœdia; and as a correct appreciation 1 of all branches of human knowledge 2 is a rare thing, and as it is a common thing to put to flight 3 people who are already frightened, 4 I believe, if we were to take a vote, 5 the work of the philosopher would be considered 6 superior to that of the military 7 [man], if we look 8 at it from the standpoint 9 of usefulness; a full and minute 10 knowledge 2 keeps [its value] for. ever, books transmit it to the remotest 12 posterity, while the passing triumphs 13 of a war, which interests only a few nations in a little corner of Europe, are no sooner 15 IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION 95 passed than forgotten. 14 And this is what 16 the warrior and the philospher (may expect). 63b. From Franklin to Arthur Lee "If you think we should account to one another for 11 our expenses, I have no objection, though / never expected it. 18 I believe they 19 will be found very moderate. 20 I answer 21 mine [will], having had only the necessaries 22 [of life], and purchased nothing besides, except 23 the Encyclopaedia, nor sent a sixpence worth 24 of anything to my friends or family in America." Franklin's Select Works, p. 80. Sargent. Au dire des Français, Lord Chesterfield a plus d'esprit qu'eux. 64a. Lord Chesterfield to Madame de Tencin London, August 2, 1742. Struggling 1 between conflicting impulses, 2 I hesitated 3 a long time before I made up my mind to send you this letter. I felt how very indiscreet 4 such a step 5 [would be] and what an advantage 6 1 should be taking 7 of the kindness you showed 8 me during my stay 9 in Paris, if I were 7 to ask for an addi- tional 10 [favor]; but, [being] strongly 12 urged 11 by a lady whose worth shields her from refusal, 13 and on the other hand being inclined 14 to avail myself of 15 the first opportunity to revive 16 a memory which I prize so highly 17 my inclination, 18 as is generally the case, got the better of 19 my judgment, 20 and I am gratifying 21 my own wishes while granting Mrs. Cleland's urgent request 22 for this lady will have the honor g6 IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION of handing 23 you my letter. I know from [personal] experi- ence that this occasion 24 is not the first [of its kind] ; your 25 reputation which extends beyond the boundaries of France has [frequently] exposed you [to similar importunities]. However, / make bold to say 26 that this request is not the most disagreeable. A superior merit, a keen and delicately appre- ciative 27 mind cultivated by the reading of what is best in all languages, great knowledge 28 of the world, have won 29 for Mrs. Cleland the esteem and consideration of all the cultivated people 30 in this country; that is why I [no longer have any misgivings] 31 in having taken the liberty of rec- ommending her to you, and I even feel assured 32 that you will not be displeased with me 33 for what I have done. I must acknowledge, Madame, thai it would be a very poor return 34 for all your kindness, to force 35 upon you my com- patriots, people [who are] poorly fitted to 36 add 37 charm to society and who would seem very much out of place 3 * in the circle 39 which, thanks to your merit and your good taste, has been gathered in your house, for you are the mainstay 40 and the [chief] ornament of it. Have no fear; I shall not be indiscreet to such an extent 41 Madame Cleland is Eng- lish by 42 birth only; she is French by regeneration, if I may use such a 43 term. If you should chance 44 to ask me why she singled me out to introduce 45 her to you, and why she thought I had acquired such a right, I shall have to confess that it is my own fault. In this respect, I have followed the example of most travellers, who on 46 their return show of 41 at home by bragging about their acquaintances 48 with the most distinguished people 30 in foreign countries. Kings, princes, ministers, have always overwhelmed them with 49 favors, and, thanks to their sham pretences,* they often acquire a consideration which they do not deserve. I prided myself IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION 97 on the kindnesses you had shown me, I even exaggerated them if it were possible, and finally my vanity made me so bold 51 as to pass 52 myself off for your favorite friend, a friend who was almost considered as a member of the household ; 53 Mrs. Cleland then taking me at my word 54 said: "I shall soon start for France; my highest ambition 55 would be, if possible, to have the honor of making M me de Tencin's acquaintance; it will not cost you anything, since you are on stick intimate terms 56 with her, to give me a letter of in- troduction.' ' I was in a predicament, 57 for, after what I had said, a refusal would have wounded 58 Mrs. Cleland's [feelings], and the confession 59 that I had no right to give the letter would have been too humiliating to my pride; so that I found myself driven 60 to run the risk, and I think I should have done it even if I had not the honor of knowing you at all, rather than give myself the lie in 61 a matter 62 [in regard to] which I was so sensitive. 62 Having taken 63 the step, / should like to avail myself of this opportunity 04 to express to you my gratitude for the kindness you showed 65 me when I was in Paris, and I should also like to say all I think about the quali- ties which make your heart and your mind entirely differ- ent 66 from any others; but [such an undertaking] 67 would be beyond my strength and would carry me beyond the limits 68 of a letter. I wish 69 Mr. Fontenelle would be kind enough 70 to express 71 these feelings for me. On this subject, I may say without vanity that we think alike, 72 with this difference, however, that he could express my feelings with the delicacy and elegance which are his own and which are exactly adapted to 73 the subject. Allow me then, Madame, since I am en- tirely lacking in 74 these intellectual qualities, 75 to give you the assurance of the kind regards, 76 the esteem, the venera- 98 IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION tion, and the respectful devotion 77 with which I shall remain as long as I live, Yours. 64b. Madame de Tencin's reply October 22, 1742. I wish, my Lord, you could have been present [at the time] your letter was received. 78 It was handed 23 to me by M. de Montesquieu in the midst of the circle 79 you know. The flattering things you said 80 of me made me hesitate at first about showing it, but vanity always finds an opportunity of getting full satisfaction. 81 Well, the letter was read and read [more than once]. "This English Lord makes fun 82 of us!" exclaimed M. de Fontenelle, and the others joined 83 in. "Let him be satisfied, if he so chooses** to be the first man in his country; he may have the depth and brilliancy of genius which characterizes the English, but he must not, in addition 8s to that, rob 86 us of our charming and quaint ways"* 7 The faultfinding 88 and murmuring of the crowd would still be heard 89 if, after having frankly admitted that you were to be blamed, 90 1 had not bethought 91 myself of remind- ing them of your delightful manners and pleasing intercourse. 92 "Then he must come back to us !" they all said at once, "under that condition only will we forgive 93 him for being more witty than we are." 65. Madame du Deffand et Mademoiselle de Lespinasse De l'aventure de ces deux femmes Mrs. H. Ward a fait un roman: "Lady Rose's Daughter". Ce récit reste bien au-dessous de la réalité. En effet, rien, dans la société con- IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION 99 temporaine, ne saurait, même de très loin, donner une idée de ce qu'était un salon du XVIII me siècle. • * * * This arrangement of [a] life in common was made in 1754, and [it] lasted till 1764: ten years of household companion- ship 1 and concord; a long period, longer 2 than could have been hoped between two minds so equal in quality* and [asso- ciated with elements] so 4 impetuous. But finally, M me du Deffand, who rose late and was never afoot 5 before six in 6 the evening, discovered that her young companion was re- ceiving in her private room, 1 a good hour earlier, most of her own habitual visitors* thus taking for herself 9 the first fruits 10 of their conversation. M me du Deffand felt herself defrauded 11 of her most cherished 12 rights, and uttered loud outcries 1 * as if it were a matter of domestic robbery 1 * The storm was terrible, and could only end 15 in a rupture. Mlle de Lespi- nasse left the convent of Saint- Joseph abruptly; her friends clubbed 16 together to make 18 her a salon and a subsistence 11 (in the) rue de Belle-Chasse. These friends were: d'Alem- bert, Turgot, the Chevalier de Chastellux, etc. — in short 19 the flower of the minds of that day. 20 From 21 that moment, Mlle de Lespinasse lived apart and became, through her salon and through her influence on d'Alembert, one of the [recognized] powers of the eighteenth century. Sainte-Beuve. Letter from Madame du Deffand to Mademoiselle de Lespinasse. I am very glad, 22 my queen, that you are satisfied with 6 my letters and also with the course 2 * which you have taken [towards] 24 M. d'Albon. I am convinced 25 that he will resolve 26 on securing you a pension; he would be stoned 21 [by every one] if he did otherwise 2 * In case 29 he refuses, IOO IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION you obtain entire freedom,* to follow 31 your own will, which I trust* 2 will bring you to live with me. But examine your- self well, my queen, and be very sure that you will iftt repent. In your last letter you wrote me very tender and flattering things; but remember that you did not think the same only** two or three months ago; you then confessed to me that you were frightened 34 at 6 the dull life I made you foresee, — [a life which], 36 although you are accustomed to it, would be* 1 more intolerable in the midst of the great world than it has been in your seclusion ; 38 you feared, you said, to fall into a state of discouragement, which would render you intolerable, 39 and inspire me with 6 disgust and repentance. 40 Those 41 were your expressions; you thought them a fault* 2 which required my pardon, and you begged 43 me to forget [them] ; but, my queen, it is not 44 a fault to speak our thoughts** and explain our dispositions; on the contrary, we can do nothing better. I shall treat you not only with politeness, but even with compliments before 46 the world, to accustom [it] to the consideration it 47 ought to have for you. ... I shall not 44 have the air of seeking to introduce you ; I expect 48 to make you desired; and if you know me well, you need 49 have no anxiety as to 50 the manner in which* 1 I shall treat your self-love. But you must rely 52 on the knowledge that I have of the world. There is a second point 53 on which I must explain myself to you; it is that the slightest 54 artifice, or even the most trifling™ little art, if you were to put it into your conduct, would be intolerable to me. I am naturally distrustful, 55 and all those in whom I detect slyness* 6 become suspicious 57 to me, to the point of no longer feeling the slightest 54 con- fidence in them. I have two intimate friends, Formont and d'Alembert; I love them passionately/ but less for their IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION IOI agreeable charms 58 and their friendship for me than for their absolute truthfulness. Therefore, you must, my queen, re- solve to live with me with the utmost 59 truth and sincerity, and never use 60 insinuation, nor any exaggeration ; in a word, never deviate, and never lose one of the greatest charms of youth, which is candour. 61 You have much intelligence, you have gaiety, you are capable of feelings; with all these qualities you will be charming so long as 62 you let yourself go 63 to your natural [impulse], and 64 are without pretension and without subterfuge. 65 Translated by Katharine Prescott Wormeley. 66. Horace Walpole The conformation of his mind 1 was such that whatever was little seemed to him great; and whatever was great seemed to him little. Serious business was a trifle 4 to him, 3 and trifles were his serious business. ... He understood and loved the French language. Indeed, 5 he loved it too well. His style is more deeply tainted with 6 Gallicism than that of any other English writer [with] whom we are acquainted. 7 His composition* often 9 reads, 8 [for] a page together, 10 like 8 a rude 11 translation from the French. We 12 meet every minute 13 [with such] sentences as these: "One knows what temperaments Annibal Caracci painted." "The imperti- nent personage !" "She is dead rich." "Lord Dalkeith is dead of the smallpox 14 in three days." His 15 love of the French language was of a peculiar kind. 16 He loved it as having been for a century the vehicle 17 of all the polite nothings 18 of Europe, as 19 the sign by which the freemasons of fashion recognized each other in every capital from Petersburg to Naples, as 19 the language of raillery, [as the language] of anecdote, [as the language] of memoirs, I02 IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION [as the language] of correspondence. Its 20 higher uses he altogether discarded, 21 The literature of France has been to ours what Aaron was to Moses, the expositor 22 of great truths which would else have perished 23 for want 24 of [a] voice to utter 25 them with distinctness. The relation which existed between Mr. Bentham and M. Dumont is an exact illustration of the intellectual relation in which the two countries stand to each other. 26 The great discoveries in physics, in metaphysics, in political science, are ours. 27 But scarcely 28 any 29 [foreign] nation except 29 France has received them from 30 us [by] direct [communication]. Iso- lated by our situation, isolated by our manners, we found truth, but we did not impart 31 it. France has been the in- terpreter between England and mankind. In 32 the time of Walpole, this process of interpretation 33 was in full activity. 3 * The 35 great French writers were busy in 36 proclaiming through Europe the names of Bacon, of Newton, and of Locke. The [English] principle of toleration, 37 the [English] respect for personal liberty, the [English] doc- trine that all power is a trust 38 for the public good were 39 making rapid progress. There is scarcely anything 40 in his- tory so interesting 40 as that great stirring 41 up of the mind 42 of 43 France, that shaking of the foundations of all established opinions, 44 that uprooting of old 45 truth and old error. It was plain 47 that mighty principles 48 were at work, whether 46 for evil or for good. It was plain that a great change in the whole social system^ was at hand 49 Fanatics of one kind might anticipate a golden age, in which men should live under the [simple] dominion 50 of reason, in [perfect] equality and perfect amity, 51 without property, or 52 marriage, or king, or God. A fanatic of another kind might see nothing 53 in the doctrines of the philosophers but 53 anarchy and atheism, IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION 103 might cling more closely 54 to every old abuse, and might regret the good old days when 55 St. Dominic and Simon de Montfort put down 56 the growing 57 heresies of 43 Provence. A wise man would have seen with regret the excesses into which the reformers were running, 58 but he would have done 59 justice to their genius and to their philanthropy. He would have censured their errors; but he would have remembered that, as Milton has said, error is but opinion in the making. 60 While he 61 condemned their hostility to religion, he would have acknowledged that it was the natural effect of a sys- tem 62 under which religion had been constantly exhibited 63 to them in 64 forms which common sense rejected 65 and at which humanity shuddered 66 While 61 he condemned some of their political doctrines as incompatible with [all] law, 67 [all] property, and [all] civilization, he would have acknowl- edged that the subjects of Louis the Fifteenth had every excuse which men could have for being eager 62, to pull down, and for being ignorant of the far higher art 69 of setting up. While 61 anticipating 70 a fierce conflict, a great and wide-wast- ing destruction? 1 he would yet have looked forward to 12 the [final] close [with] a good hope 73 for France and for mankind. Walpole had neither hopes nor fears. Though the most Frenchified English writer of the eighteenth century, he troubled himself little about 74 the portents 75 which were daily to be discovered in the French literature of his time. While the most eminent Frenchmen were studying with enthu- siastic delight 76 English politics and English philosophy, he was studying as intently the gossip 77 of the old court of France. [The] fashions and scandal a hundred years old 78 occupied him infinitely more than a great moral revolution which was taking place 79 in his sight. 80 Macaalay's Essays, vol. Ill, p. 188. I04 IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION 67. Fragment of a letter from Horace Walpole Portrait of Madame du Deffand My dear old friend was charmed with your mention 1 of her, and made me vow 2 to return 3 you a thousand com- pliments. She cannot 4 conceive why you will not step hither. Feeling 5 in herself no difference between the spirits 6 of twenty-three 7 and seventy-three, she thinks there is no 8 impediment to doing 11 whatever one will, but 9 the want 10 of eyesight. If she had that, 12 I am persuaded no considera- tion would prevent her making me a visit 13 at Strawberry Hill. She makes songs, sings them, and remembers all that ever were made; and, having lived from the most agreeable to the most reasoning age, has all that was amiable in the last, 14 all that is sensible in this, without the vanity of the former, 15 or the pedant impertinence of the latter. 15 I have heard her dispute with all sorts of people, on all sorts of subjects, and never knew her in the wrong. 16 She humbles 17 the learned, sets right 18 their disciples, and finds conversa- tion 10 for everybody. Affectionate as Madame de Sévigné, she has none of her prejudices, but a more universal taste; and, with 20 the most delicate frame, her spirits hurry her through 21 a life of fatigue that would kill me, if I were 22 to continue here. If we return by 23 one in the morning from suppers in the country, she proposes driving 24 to the Boule- vard or to the Foire St. Ovide, because it is too early to go to bed. I had great difficulty 26 last night to persuade her, though 25 she was not well, not to sit up 27 till between two and three 28 for 29 the comet ; for which purpose 30 she had appointed 31 an astronomer to bring his telescopes to the president Hé- nault's, as she thought 32 it would amuse me. In short, 33 her goodness to me is so excessive, that I feel unashamed 34 IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION 105 at producing 35 my withered person* 6 in a round of diversions 31 which I have quitted 38 at home. 39 I tell a story; 40 I do feel ashamed, and sigh to be in 41 my quiet castle and cottage; 42 but it costs me many a pang when 41 I reflect 44 that I shall probably never have resolution enough to take another journey to see this best and sincerest of friends, who loves me as much as my mother did! But it is idle to look for- ward 4 * — what is next year? — a bubble that may 46 burst for her or me, before even the flying 41 year can 48 hurry to the end 49 of its almanack ! . . . Horace Walpole and his World, edited by L. B. Seelye, p. 107. 68. Fragment of a letter from Grimm* As M me Geoffrin's sole aim in life was to do good, 1 she would have liked 2 [to have] everybody resemble her; but [in] her charity 3 she was discreet. She used to say: "When I speak of 4 the condition 5 of an unfortunate [man] for whom I should like to secure some assistance, 6 I do not break the door open 1 1 stand close by s and wait until people are willing 9 to open [it for me]." Her illustrious friend, Fontenelle, was the only one with whom she adopted a different policy. 10 This philosopher, [who was] so renowned 11 for his wit and so much sought after 12 on account of his pleasing manners 1 * who had no vices and was almost faultless 14 because he had neither warmth nor passion, had consequently only 15 feeble 16 and rather lifeless 17 virtues which in order to become active 1 * needed to be roused, 19 but that was all they needed 20 M me Geoffrin used to go to 21 her friend and, with feeling and with sincere interest, pictured to him the condition 22 of the unfortunate [people] she wished to help. "They are very *Mêmoires de Marmontel, éd. Barrière, Introduction, p. 9. IOÔ IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION much to be pitied/ 723 the philosopher would say then, after adding 2 * a few words on the condition 25 of humanity, he 26 would talk of something else. M me Geoff rin used to let him go [on], but on leaving she would say: "Give me fifty crowns 27 for these poor people. " "You are right," Fontenelle would say. And after fetching 2 * the fifty crowns would give them to her, and never again mentioned the gift, 29 perfectly willing* to do the same thing again* 1 the next day, provided he were reminded 32 of the need. 29 Writing* to Lady Hervey in October, 1765, Horace Wal- pole says of Madame Geoff rin, "She has one of the best understandings I ever met, and more knowledge of the world." 33 Yet 34 his account 35 of her, on the whole™ con- firmed Lord Carlisle's opinion that she was "thé most im- pertinent old brimstone :" 36 (Lord Carlisle to George Selwyn, December 26, 1767.) Passages à traduire à livre ouvert ) 69. The Salons If you were [a] man of letters and more or less [of a] phi- losopher, here is the regular employment you could make of your week: Sunday and Thursday, dinner with Baron d'Holbach ; Monday and Wednesday, dinner with M me Geof- frin; Tuesday, dinner with M. Helvétius; Friday, dinner with M me Necker. I do not mention the Sunday break- fasts of the Abbé Morellet ; those, I think, came a little later. M lle de Lespinasse, having no means to give dinners and suppers, was punctually at home from five to nine o'clock, * Correspondance de Gibbon, en Note, Vol. I, p. 9. IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION 107 and her circle assembled every day during those hours of the "early evening". M lle de Lespinasse was not pretty ; but through mind, through grace, through the gift of pleasing, Nature had amply compensated her. From the first day she came to Paris, she seemed as much at her ease and as little provincial as if she had lived here all her life. She profited by the education of the excellent society that surrounded her, although she had little need to do so. Her great art in social life, one of the secrets of her success, was to feel the minds of others, to make them shine, and to seem to forget herself. Her conversation was neither above nor below those with whom she talked; she had the sense of measurement, proportion, accuracy. She reflected so well the impressions of others, and received so visibly the effect of their minds, that others loved her for the success they felt they had with her. She raised this method to an art. "Ah! how I wish," she exclaimed one day, "that I knew everybody's weakness." Translated by K. P. Wormeley. SAINTE-BEUVE. 70. D'Alembert "His conversation," says Grimm, "offered all that could instruct and divert the mind. He lent himself with as much facility as good-will to whatever subject would please most generally; bringing to it an almost inexhaustible fund of ideas, anecdotes, and curious recollections. There was, I may say, no topic, however dry or frivolous in itself, that he had not the secret of making interesting. He spoke well, related with much precision, and brought out his point with a rapidity which was peculiar to him. All his humor- ous sayings have a delicate and profound originality." I08 IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION 71. Passage from the Memoirs of. Marmontel Où l'on voit pourquoi Diderot appelait Madame Geoffrin "maman Geoff r in' ' Among the Academicians whose votes 1 had not been secured 2 for me, I counted President Hénault and Moncrif. M me Geoffrin spoke to them, and came back to me in a state of wrath.* "Is it possible," said she, "that you [need] spend 4 your life making enemies! Now, here is 5 Moncrif perfectly 6 furious against you, and President Hénault is scarcely 7 less angry. 8 — What is the cause of it, Madam? What have I done to them? — What you have done! Your [book on] Poetry ; 9 you are still 11 possessed 10 to write books. — What is there in this book which makes them angry? 12 — As for Mon- crif, I know what it is, she said, he does not conceal his feel- ings; 1 * he says openly 15 what he has on his mind. 14 You have quoted a song by 16 him and you have spoilt 17 it. There were lS five stanzas 19 and you quoted but three. — Alas, Madam, I quoted the best [ones]; I left out 20 only the stanzas in which 21 the same idea [was repeated]. — Indeed! 22 that is exactly what 23 he complains of; you ventured 24 to correct his book. He will not pardon you during his lifetime or at the time of his death 25 — Then, Madam, let him live 4 and if he so chooses die 4 my enemy on account of 26 two stanzas [in a] 16 song. I (can) bear 27 my misfortune. 28 May I ask how I was so unfortunate as to offend the worthy President? 29 — He did not tell me, but I do believe that he too is complaining about your book. I will find out." 30 She did. 31 But, when it came to the point of 32 telling what she knew 33 it was [as good as] a scene in a comedy; 34 abbé Raynal was present. "Well, Madam, you have seen President Hénault; did he finally tell you what constitutes my offense? 3 * — Yes, I know what IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION IO9 it is; but he has forgiven you, he is willing 36 to forget; don't Jet us talk about it any more. — May I at least know what constitutes 37 the involuntary crime he is willing 38 to forget? — You want to know it? What 39 for? What is the use? 40 You will have his vote, 1 that is enough. — No, it is not enough, and I am not the kind of man 41 who will stand being reproved 42 without knowing what has been the cause of the reproof m Madam, said abbé Raynal, I think Mr. Marmon- tel is right. — Don't you see, said she, that his only reason for wishing to know is because he wants 44 to make a story out of it 45 and joke [about it.] 45 — No, Madam, I promise you to keep [it] secret, after I learn what it is. — What it is ! Your book again, 46 and your foolish way of giving quotations. 47 Is not your book here 48 [somewhere]? — Yes, Madam, here it is. — Let us see the song by 16 the President, the one you quote in connection with 49 drinking songs. Here it is : Venge-moi d'une ingrate maîtresse, etc. Who gave you 50 this song? — [I have it] from 16 Géliote. — Well ! 51 Géliote did not give it to you correctly, 52 since I have 32 to tell you. There is an O which you have left out. 20 — An O, Madam ! — Well! 53 Yes, an O. Isn't there a line which reads: 54 Que d'attraits? — Yes, Madam. Que d'attraits ! Dieux ! qu'elle était belle ! — Exactly, 55 there you have the mistake. 56 You should have said : O dieux ! qu'elle était belle ! — Well, Madam, the meaning 57 is the same. — Yes, Sir, but when you 58 quote, you should 32 quote correctly. 59 Every man wishes 60 to have his work quoted exactly; 61 that is natural. The President did not ask 62 you to quote his song. — The quotation was accompanied 63 with praise. — Then, you should not have changed anything. Since he chose to say : 64 O dieux ! he pre- ferred that [wording]. What [harm] had he done to you? 110 IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION Why should you take away from him his O? Anyhow, he has 65 assured me that this incident would not keep him from being fair to you, and he will recognize 66 your talent." Abbé Raynal could hardly refrain from laughing, 61 and I too, but we did not laugh 6S for M me Geoffrin was beginning to feel uncomfortable 69 and when she knew herself to be in the wrong 70 she was not easy to get along with J 1 72. Letter from Lord Chesterfield M me de Lambert is the one referred to Greenwich, June 6, 1751. My dear Friend, Solicitous and anxious 2 as I have 3 ever 1 been to form your heart, your mind, and your manners, and to bring you as near* perfection as 5 the imperfection of our natures will allow 6 I have exhausted, 7 in 8 the course of our correspond- ence, all that my own mind could suggest, and have bor- rowed from others whatever I thought could be useful to you; but this has necessarily been interruptedly 9 and by snatches. 10 It is now time 11 and you are of an 12 age to re- view, and to weigh in your [own] mind, all that you have heard, and all that you have read, upon these subjects; and to form 13 your [own] character, your conduct, and your manners, for the rest of your life allowing for such 14 improve- ments 15 as a 16 farther knowledge of 11 the world will naturally give you 11 In this view, 18 1 would recommend to you to read, with the greatest attention, [such] 19 books as treat particu- larly of those subjects, reflecting seriously upon them, and then comparing the speculation 20 with 8 the practice. For example, if you read [in] the morning some of La Roche- loucauld's maxims, consider them, examine them well, and IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION III compare them with the real characters you meet [with in] the evening. Read La Bruyère [in] the morning, and see [in] the evening whether his pictures are like. Study the heart and the mind of man, and begin 21 with your own. Meditation and reflection must lay the foundation 22 of that knowledge; but experience and practice must, and alone can, 2 * complete it. 23 Books, it is true, point out 25 the opera- tions 26 of the mind, the sentiments of the heart, the influence of the passions — and so far 27 they are of previous use; 2% but without [subsequent] practice, experience, and observa- tion, they are as ineffectual, 29 and would even lead 30 you into as many errors, [in fact], as a map 31 [would do], if you were to take your notions* 2 of the towns and provinces from their 33 delineations [in it]. A man would reap very little benefit by 34 his travels, if he made them only in his closet 35 upon a map of the [whole] world. Next to 36 the two books that I have already mentioned, 37 I do not know [a] better for you 38 to read, and seriously reflect upon, 39 than "Avis d'une mère à un fils", par la Marquise de Lambert. She was a woman [of a] superior [understanding and] knowledge of the world, 40 had always kept 41 the best company, was solicitous that 42 her son should make 43 [a] figure and a fortune 43 in the world, and knew better than anybody 44 how to point out 45 the means. It is very short, and will lake you much less time 46 to read than you ought to employ in 41 reflecting upon it after you have read it 4% Her son was in 8 the army; she wished he might 3 rise 49 (there) ; but she well knew that, in order to rise, 43 he must 50 first please. She says to him, there- fore, 51 à l'égard de ceux dont vous dépendez, le premier mérite est de plaire. And, in another place, 52 Dans les em- plois subalternes vous ne vous soutenez que par les agré- ments. Les Maîtres sont comme les maîtresses; quelque 112 IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION service que vous leur ayez rendu, ils cessent de vous aimer quand vous cessez de leur plaire. This, I can assure you, is at .least as true in courts as in camps, and possibly more so. 53 If to your merit and knowledge you add 54 the art of pleasing, you may very probably come in lime 55 to be Secre- tary of State: but, lake my word for it, 56 twice 57 [your] merit and knowledge, without the art of pleasing, would, at most, raise you 58 to the important post of Resident at Hamburgh or Ratisbon. / need not tell you 59 now, for I often have, and your own discernment must have told you, 60 of what number- less 61 little ingredients that art of pleasing 63 is compounded, 62 and how the want of the least of them 64 lowers the whole; 65 but the principal ingredient is, undoubtedly, la douceur dans les manières; nothing will give you this more 66 than keeping company (with) your superiors. Madame Lambert tells her son, que vos liaisons soient avec des personnes au-dessus de vous, par là vous vous accoutumez au respect et à la politesse; avec les égaux on se néglige, Pesprit s'assoupit. She advises him, too, to frequent those people, and to see their inside; il est bon d'approcher les hommes, de les voir à découvert, et avec leur mérite de tous les jours. A happy expression! It was for this reason that I have so often advised you to establish and domesticate yourself, 61 wherever you can, 6S in good houses of people above you, 69 that you may see their everyday 70 character, manners, habits, etc. Courts 71 are the best keys 72 to characters ; there every pas- sion is busy, 73 every art exerted, 74 every character analysed; jealousy, ever watchful, 15 not only discovers, but exposes 76 the mysteries of the trade, 77 so that even bystanders 78 y apprennent à deviner. There, too, the great art of pleas- ing is practised, 19 taught, and learned, with all its graces and delicacies. It is the first thing needful 3 there ; it is the IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION 113 absolutely necessary* harbinger of merit and talents, let them be 5 ever so great. 81 There is no advancing a step without it. 82 Let misanthropes and would-be philosophers declaim as much as they please against the vices, the simulation, and dissimulation of Courts; those invectives are always the re- sult of 3 ignorance, ill-humour, or envy. Let them 84 show me a cottage, where there are not 85 the same vices of which they accuse Courts; with this difference [only], that in a cottage 86 they appear in their native deformity, 87 and that in Courts, manners and good-breeding 88 make them less shock- ing, and blunt their edge 89 No, be convinced that the good- breeding, the "tournure", la douceur dans les manières, which alone are to be acquired at Courts, are not the showish trifles 91 only which some people call or think them; 90 they are solid good; 92 they prevent a great deal of real mischief; 93 they create, adorn, and strengthen friendships; they keep hatred within bounds; 94 they promote 95 good-humour and good- will 96 in families where the want of good-breeding 97 and gentleness of manners is commonly the original cause 98 of 99 discord. 73. Gibbon to his mother-in-law Dear Madam, Paris, February i*,^. You remember our agreement: 1 short and frequent letters. The 2 first 4 part of my treaty you have no doubt 3 of my observ- ing; 4 I think 5 I ought not to leave you any 6 of 7 the second. A propos of treaty, our definitive one was signed here yesterday 8 and this morning the Duke of Bridgewater and M. Neville went for London with the news of it 9 The plenipotentiaries sat up 10 till ten o'clock in 11 the morning at the ambassador of Spain's ball, [and then] went to sign this treaty which regulates 12 the fate of Europe. 114 IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION Paris, in most respects, 13 has fully answered my expecta- tions. 14 I have a number 15 of very good acquaintances which increase every day, for nothing is so easy as the making of them here. Instead of complaining of the want of them, 11 I begin already to think 18 of making a choice. Next Sunday, for instance, I have only three invitations to dinner. Either, 19 in the houses where you are already acquainted™ you meet 16 with people who ask you to come and see them, or some 21 of your friends offer themselves to introduce 22 you. When I speak of these connections, 23 / mean chiefly for dinner 2 * and the evening. 25 Suppers** as yet, / am pretty much a stranger to, 21 and I fancy 28 shall continue so; 27 for Paris is divided into two Species 29 who have but little communication* with each other. The one who is chiefly connected with 31 the men of letters dine 32 very much at home, 33 are glad to see their friends, and pass the evenings till about nine in agreeable and rational conversation. The others are the most fashionable, 34 sup in numerous parties, 35 and always play [or rather game] both before and after supper. You may easily guess which sort suits me best. Indeed, Madam, we may say what we please of* 6 the frivolity of the French, but I do assure you that in a fortnight 37 passed at Paris I have heard more con- versation worth remembering, and seen more men of letters among the people of fashion, 39 than I had done 40 in two or three winters in London. Amongst my acquaintance I cannot help mentioning 41 Mr. Helvétius, the author of the famous book de VEsprit. I met 16 him at dinner at 42 Madame Geofïrin's, where he took great notice 43 of me, made me a visit next 44 day, and has [ever] since treated me, not 45 in a polite, but a friendly manner. 46 Besides 49 being a sensible man, 47 an agreeable companion, 48 and the worthiest creature in the world, 50 he has IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION 115 a very pretty wife, a hundred thousand livres a year, 51 and one of the best tables in 52 Paris. To 53 the great civility of this foreigner, who was not obliged 54 to take the least notice 55 of me, I must 53 just contrast the behaviour of the Duke of B. I could 56 (not) see him (on account of his gout) till 56 last 57 Sunday. I was then introduced 22 to him and pre- sented 58 my letter from the Duke of Richmond. He received me civilly, desired 59 I would apply 60 to him whenever 61 I wanted his assistance, and [thus] dismissed 62 me. / have not heard of him since. 62 Indeed 64 I have often blushed for him, for I find 65 his stateliness 66 and avarice make him the joke of Paris. 61 Instead of keeping anything of a public table, 68 he hardly ever asks anybody; while the Spaniard 69 gives balls every week, the magnificence of which is only exceeded 70 by their [politeness and] elegance. Gibbon. Correspondence, vol. I, p. 28. 74a. Anglomania Gibbon to his mother-in-law Paris, March 25, 1763. . , . [I have] nothing 1 new to say of his Excellency. I have not seen him since my last letter, and but 2 once in all. Not a single 3 invitation, either general or particular, and tho' I have made it a rule 4 to leave 5 my name at the door, at proper intervals 6 1 have never been let in. 7 The behaviour is so very singular (especially with such a recommendation as mine) that I am sometimes tempted to think some ill offices 9 must 8 have been [done me]. Not that 10 I am con- scious" of anything 12 wrong 13 or even 12 imprudent 13 in my behaviour. On the contrary, whenever I have heard 14 the Il6 IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION Duke's manner of living [here] blamed 14 [and] laughed 15 at, I have always thought it right to try 16 to justify him, even against 11 my own conscience. 1 * Indeed I am sorry, for the honor of my country, to see how contemptible a figure he makes 19 amongst our late 20 enemies and 21 constant 22 rivals. My only comfort 23 is that the National character is as much revered 2 * as his is despised. What Cromwell wished is now literally 26 the case. 25 The 8 name of Englishman inspires 27 as great an idea at Paris as that of Roman could at Carthage, after the defeat of Hannibal. 28 Indeed the French are almost exces- sive. 29 From 30 being very unjustly esteemed a set 31 of pirates and barbarians, we are now, by a more agreeable injustice, looked upon as a nation of Philosophers and Patriots. I wish 32 we would consider this opinion as an encouragement 33 to deserve a character 34 which, I am afraid, we have not yet attained. I could add many things (some curious enough) with regard 35 to the reigning politics 36 and public affairs; but I have no occasion 37 to say why it is 38 much better to talk them over in your dressing room 39 some time hence. Perhaps I have even said too much 40 already. Gibbon. 74b. Fragment of a letter from the Marquis d'Argenson* Why do the books translated from the English seem so attractive 41 to us? We do not find in them any method; everything seems to be disconnected, 42 without prepara- tion 43 . . . The reason is that** generally English books are free 45 from the commonplace remarks* 6 which are so tiresome, even in the works* 1 of our most celebrated writers. Among us, I do not know anyone entirely free from this failing,** *Buffon, Correspondance, vol. II, p. 36. IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION 117 except the literary men who have been in England, Voltaire and abbé Le Blanc. Among the English everything bears the influence^ of freedom of thought 50 and of a depth of think- ing 51 which can be developed because op 2 liberty. 75. Qui était l'abbé Le Blanc? L'abbé Le Blanc, qui était fort lié avec Buffon, traduisit en français des passages de Hume et publia, en 1743, les lettres qu'il avait écrites à ses amis pendant son séjour en Angleterre, sous le titre de: Lettres d'un Français sur les Anglais. De cet abbé, qui était grand parleur, Piron nous a laissé le portrait que voici : "La Tour va trop loin, ce me semble, Quand il nous peint l'abbé Le Blanc. N'est-ce pas assez qu'il ressemble? Faut-il encore qu'il soit parlant?" 76. Opinion de l'abbé Le Blanc sur Shakespeare «A l'égard du style, c'est la partie qui distingue le plus Shakespeare des autres poètes de sa nation ; c'est celle où il excelle. Il peint tout ce qu'il exprime. Il anime tout ce qu'il dit. Il parle, pour ainsi dire, une langue qui lui est propre et c'est ce qui le rend si difficile à traduire. Il faut pourtant avouer aussi que, si quelquefois ses expres- sions sont sublimes, souvent il donne dans le gigantesque. » Cité dans Shakespeare en France sous V ancien régime, p. 177. — Jusserand. Il8 IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION 77. Different ways of receiving foreigners of rank Letter to George Montagu, May, 1763. Horace Walpole «On vient de nous donner une très jolie fête au château de Straberri : tout était tapissé de narcisses, de tulipes et de lilas; des cors de chasse, des clarinettes; des petits vers ga- lants faits par des fées, et qui se trouvaient sous la presse; des fruits à la glace, du thé, du café, des biscuits et force hot-rolls. ...» This is not the beginning of a letter 1 to you, 2 but of one 1 that / might suppose* sets out 4 to-night for Paris, [or] rather, 5 (which) I do not suppose 6 (will set out thither) ; for though the narrative is 7 circumstantially true, 8 I don't believe the actors were 7 pleased enough with the scene to give so favourable an account of it. 9 The French do not come hither to see. A l'Anglaise happened to be the word 10 in fashion, and half a dozen of the most fashionable people have been the dupes of it. I take 11 for granted that their next 12 mode will be 7 à lTro- quoise, that 13 they may be under no obligation 14 of realizing their pretensions. 13 Madame de Boufflers, I think, 16 will die [a] martyr to a taste which she fancies 17 she had, and finds 1 * she has not. Never 10 having stirred 20 teri^miles from Paris, and having only rolled 21 in an easy 22 coach from one hotel to another on a gliding 22 pavement, she is already worn out with 23 being hurried 24 from morning till night from one sight or another. 25 She rises every morning so fatigued with the toils 26 of the preceding day 21 that she has not strength, if she had inclination 22, to observe the least or the finest thing she sees! 29 She came hither to-day to a great breakfast I made for 30 her, with her eyes a foot deep 31 in her 32 head, her 32 hands dangling, 33 and scarce 34 able to support her knitting-bag. 35 IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION IIÇ She had been yesterday to see a ship launched, and went from Greenwich by water 36 to Ranelagh. Madame Dusson, who is Dutchbuilt, 37 and whose muscles are pleasure-proof, 38 came with her; there were the Duke and Duchess of Graf- ton, Lord Hertford, Messieurs de Fleury, D'Eon et Duclos. The latter is author of the Life of Louis Onze; dresses like a dissenting 39 minister, which I suppose 40 is the livery of a bel esprit, and is much more impetuous than agreeable. We breakfasted in the great parlour, and I had filled the hall and large cloister by turns 41 with French horns and clari- nettes. As the French ladies had never seen a printing- house, 42 I carried them into 45 mine; they found something ready set, and desiring to see what it was, it proved as fol- lows: (Poems had been printed in their honor.) . . . "You will comprehend that the first speaks English, and that the second does not; that the second is handsome, and the first not; and that the second was born in Holland. " This little gen- tillesse pleased and atoned for 44 the popery 45 of my house, which 46 was not serious enough for Madame de Boufilers, who is Montmorency, et du sang du premier Chrétien ; and too serious for Madame Dusson who is a Dutch Calvinist . . . The Duc de Nivernois (the French ambassador) called 43 here the other day on his way from 47 Hampton Court; but, as the most sensible French never have eyes 49 to see [any- thing], unless they see 7 it every day and see it in fashion, I cannot say he flattered 7 me much, or was much struck 50 with Strawberry. When I carried him into 41 the Cabinet, which / have told you 51 is formed upon the idea 52 of a Catholic chapel, he pulled of his hat, 53 but perceiving his error, he said: «Ce n'est pas une chapelle pourtant,» and seemed a little displeased. W al pole to Mann, April 30, 1763. I20 IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION 78. From Boswell's Life of Johnson "When Madame de Boufflers was 1 first in England/' said Beauclerk, "she was desirous 2 to see Johnson. I accordingly went with her to his chambers* in 4 the Temple, where she was entertained by 5 his conversation for some time. [When] our visit [was] over, 6 she and I 7 left him, and were got 8 into Inner Temple-lane, 9 when all at once I heard a noise like 10 thunder. This was [occasioned by] Johnson, who, it seems, upon a little recollection , IJ had taken it into his head that he ought to have done 12 the honours of his literary residence to a foreign lady 13 of quality, and, eager 14 to show 15 [himself a man of] gallantry, was hurrying down 16 the staircase in violent agitation. He overtook 17 us before we reached 18 the Temple-gate, and brushing 19 in between me and Madame de Boufïïers, seized her hand, and conducted her to her coach. His dress 20 was a rusty-brown 21 morning suit, a pair of old shoes by way 22 of slippers, a little shrivelled wig stick- ing 23 on the top of his head, and the sleeves of his shirt and the knees 24 of his breeches hanging loose. 25 [A] considerable crowd 26 of people gathered round, and were not a little struck by this singular appearance." 27 BoswelVs Life of Johnson , vol. II, p. 252. 79. Rousseau a prey to the delirium of persecution Rousseau and Hume Through Hume's intercession 1 the King, moreover, agreed 2 to grant him a pension on 3 the condition that it should not be made public* To this 3 Rousseau at first willingly assented. But all the while 6 the black 7 [clouds of] suspicion were once more gathering 8 [in] his mind. In the St. James's Chronicle IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION 121 was published 9 a letter, as malicious as it was witty, addressed to him 10 in the name of 11 Frederick the Great, but really written 12 by Horace Walpole. The Prussian King is made 13 to offer him a shelter 1 * and to 13 conclude : 15 «Si vous persistez à vous creuser l'esprit pour trouver de nouveaux malheurs, choisissez-les tels que vous voudrez. Je suis roi, je puis vous en procurer au gré de vos souhaits: et ce qui sûrement ne vous arrivera pas vis-à-vis de vos ennemis, je cesserai de vous persécuter quand vous cesserez de mettre votre gloire à l'être. » Rousseau suspected Hume of having had a hand in its publication. 16 He became sullen 17 even before he left London for Wooton. In a letter dated April 3, Hume de- scribes a curious scene [with him] which proves, he says, his extreme sensibility and good heart. Rousseau had charged him with sharing in lS a good-natured contrivance, 20 [by which] Mr. Davenport 19 hoped to save him part of the expense 21 of the 22 journey to Derbyshire. Hume in vain 23 protested [his ignorance]. "Upon w T hich 24 Mr. Rousseau sat [dow r n] in a very sullen humour, and all attempts 27 which I could make to revive 28 the conversation and turn 29 it on other subjects were [in] vain. 26 After 30 near an hour, he rose up, and walked 31 a little about the room. Judge of my surprise when, all of a sudden, he sat down upon my knee, 32 threw 33 his 33 arms about my 33 neck, kissed me w T ith the greatest 34 ardour, and bedewed 35 all my 33 face 36 with tears! 'Ah! my dear friend,' exclaimed he, 'is it possible you can 37 ever for- give my folly? This ill-humour 38 is the return 39 I make you for all [the instances of] your kindness 40 towards me. But, notwithstanding 41 all my fault and follies, I have a heart 42 worthy of your friendship, because it knows both to love and esteem you.' " 122 IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION Hume to the Countess de Boufflers London, January 19, 1766. My companion is very amiable, always polite, gay often, commonly 43 sociable. He does not know himself 44 when he thinks he is made for [entire] solitude ... He has an excel- lent [warm] heart; and in conversation kindles 45 often to a degree 46 [of heat] which looks like inspiration* 1 I love him much and hope that I have some share in his affections. 4 * Hume to the Marchioness de Barbantane February 16, 1766. M. Rousseau's enemies have sometimes made you doubt of his sincerity, and you have been pleased 49 to ask my opin- ion on this head. 50 After having lived so long with him, and seen him in a variety of lights, 51 I am now better enabled 52 to judge ; and I declare 53 to you that I have never known [a] man more amiable and more virtuous [than he appears to me]: he is mild, gentle, modest, affectionate, disinterested, and, above all, endowed with a sensibility of heart in a supreme degree. 54 Were I to seek [for] his faults, I should say that they consisted in a little hasty impatience^ which, as I am told, inclines him sometimes to say 57 diso- bliging things to people that trouble 58 him; he is also too delicate 00 in the commerce of life; 59 he is apt? 2 to entertain groundless 61 suspicions of 62 his best friends ; and his lively imag- ination working upon them feigns chimeras 61 and pushes him to [great] extremes. I have seen no instances 64 of this disposition, but I cannot 65 otherwise account for 66 the violent animosities which have arisen between him and several men of merit, with whom he was once 67 intimately acquainted ; 68 and some 60 who love him much have told me that it is diffi- cult to live much with him and preserve 70 his friendship; IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION 1 23 but for my part, 71 I think 72 I could pass all my life in his company' 12 ' without any danger of our quarrelling. Hume to his brother John Hume Lisle Street, March 22, 1766. Rousseau left me four days ago. 74 . . . Surely he is [one of] the most singular of [all] human Beings, 75 and one of the most unhappy. His extreme Sensibility [of Temper] is his Torment; as he is much more susceptible of 76 Pain than Pleasure. His Aversion to Society is not Affectation 77 as is commonly believed. When in it, 78 he is commonly very amiable, but often very unhappy. And tho' he be also unhappy in Solitude, he prefers that Species of suffering to the other. He is 79 surely a very fine Genius. And of all the Writers that are or ever were in Europe, he is the Man 80 who has acquired 81 the most enthusiastic and most passionate Admirers. I have seen many extraordinary Scenes of this Nature.* 2 Letters of David Hume, edited with notes by G. Birbeck Hill. — Oxford, p. 77-78. 80a. Selection from BoswelFs Life of Johnson 1766-1769 I 1 having mentioned 2 that I had passed some 3 time with Rousseau, in his [wild] retreat, 4 and 5 having quoted 6 some 7 remark made by* Mr. Wilkes, with whom I had spent many pleasant hours 9 in Italy, Johnson said, 10 sarcastically, "It seems 12 to me, sir, you have kept very good company abroad, Rousseau and Wilkes!" 11 Thinking it enough 13 to defend one 14 at a time, 15 I said nothing 16 [as to] my gay friend, 17 but answered with a smile, "My dear Sir, you don't call 19 124 IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION Rousseau bad 18 company. Do you really think 20 him a bad man?" — Johnson: "Sir, if you are talking jestingly of this, 21 I don't talk with you. 22 If you mean 23 to be serious, I think him 2 * one of the worst 25 of men ; a rascal, 26 who ought to be hunted out of society, as he 28 has been. 29 Three or four nations have expelled 30 him, and it is a shame 31 that he is protected in this country." Boswell: "I don't deny, Sir, but 32 [that] his novel may, perhaps, do harm; 33 but I cannot think 34 his intention was 35 bad." — Johnson: "Sir, that will not do. 36 We cannot prove any man's intention to be bad. You may shoot a man through the head, 37 and say you intended to miss 38 him; but the judge will order you to be hanged. 39 An alleged 41 want of intention, 42 when evil is committed, 40 will not be allowed 44 in a court 43 [of justice]. Rousseau, Sir, is a very bad man. I would sooner* 5 sign a* 6 sentence for [his] transportation* 7 than that of any felon* 2, who has gone from the Old Bailey these many years.* 9 Yes, I should like to have him work in 50 the plantations." — Boswell: "Sir, do you think 51 him as bad a man as Voltaire?" Johnson: "Why, Sir, it is difficult to settle the proportion of iniquity between them." 52 This violence seemed very strange to me, 53 who had read 5 * many of Rousseau's animated 55 writings with great pleasure, and even edification; had been much pleased with 56 his so- ciety, and was just come 57 from the continent where he was generally admired. Nor can I yet 58 allow 59 that he deserves the very severe censure 60 which Johnson pronounced upon him. 61 His absurd 62 preference of savage to civilized life, and other singularities, 63 are proofs 6 * rather [of a] defect in his understanding 65 than [of any] depravity 66 [in his heart]. And notwithstanding 67 the unfavourable opinion which many worthy men 6 * have expressed of his 'Profession de Foi du IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION 1 25 Vicaire Savoyard/ I cannot help 69 admiring it as 70 the per- formance 71 of a man full of sincere, reverential 73 submission to 74 Divine mystery, although beset with perplexing doubts; 12 [a] state of mind to be viewed with pity 75 rather than with anger. On his favourite subject of subordination, 76 Johnson said, "So far is it from being true 77 that men are naturally equal, that [no] two people 78 can 79 be half an hour together, but 80 one shall acquire 81 an evident 82 superiority- over the other" 81 BoswelVs Life of Johnson, vol. II, p. 6. 80b. On reading 83 old books I fell 85 early 84 (upon) French romances and philosophy 86 and devoured 87 them tooth-and-nail. 87 Many 88 a dainty re- past have I made of 89 the New Eloïse; — the description of the kiss, the excursion 90 on the water, the letter of Saint- Preux recalling their first loves, 91 and the account 92 of Julia's death ; these 93 1 read over and over 94 again with unspeakable 95 delight [and] wonder. 95 . . . Nothing could exceed 96 the gravity, the solemnity with which I carried home and read the Dedication to the Social Contract, with some other pieces 86 of the same author, which I had picked 97 up at a stall 98 in 99 a coarse 100 leathern [cover]. Of the Confessions I have spoken elsewhere, 101 and may repeat 102 what I have 103 said — "Sweet is the dew of their memory and pleasant the balm of their recollection ! 104 Their beauties are not scattered like stray gifts over the earth" 105 but sown 106 thick on the page rich and rare. I wish 107 I had never read the Emilius, or read it with less implicit faith. 108 Hazlitt's Table Talks, vol. 1, p. 19. I2Ô IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION 81. BoswelPs Life of Johnson 1775-1776 When I met 1 him in London the following year, the account 2 which he gave 2 me of his French tour 3 was, "Sir, I have seen all the visibilities 4 of Paris and around it; but to have formed 5 an acquaintance [with the people there], would have required 6 more time than I could stay 7 ..." He observed, "The great in France live very magnificently, but the rest very miserably. There is no happy middle state 8 as in England . . . The French are an indelicate people; 9 they will spit upon any place. 10 At Madame — 's, a literary lady of rank, 11 the footman took the sugar in his fingers, and threw 12 it into my coffee. I was going to put it aside, 13 but hearing it was made on purpose 14 for me, / ëen tasted 15 Tom's fingers. The same lady would needs 16 make tea à l'anglaise. The spout 17 of the tea-pot did not pour freely; 19, she bade the footman blow into it. France is worse than Scotland in everything but climate. 19 Nature has done more for the French, but they have done less for themselves than the Scotch have done." It happened that Foote was at Paris at the same time with Dr. Johnson, and his 20 description of my friend while there 21 was abundantly ludicrous. 22 He told me that the French were quite astonished at his figure 2 * and manner, and at his dress, 23 which he obstinately 24 continued exactly as in London ; — his brown clothes, black stockings, and plain shirt 25 He mentioned that an Irish gentleman said to Johnson, "Sir, you have not seen the best French players." Johnson: "Players, Sir! I look 26 on them as [no better than] creatures 27 set upon tables and joint-stools 28 to make faces and produce laughter 29 like dancing dogs." i0 "But, Sir, you will allow 31 IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION 1 27 that some players are better than others?'' Johnson: "Yes, Sir, as some dogs dance better than others." While Johnson was in France, he was generally very reso- lute in 32 speaking Latin. It was a maxim with him that 2,2 a man should not let himself down 34 by speaking a language which he speaks imperfectly. 35 BoswelVs Life of Johnson, vol. II, p. 250. 82. Amitié de Buffon pour les Necker Pour faire face aux dépenses nécessitées par le jardin du Roi, Buffon se voyait souvent obligé de faire des avances qu'on ne lui remboursait qu'à grand peine. M. Necker fit son possible pour lui faciliter les choses. 83. A Madame Necker* Montbard, le 2 février 1778. Tous les jours et à presque toutes les heures de ma vie, mon cœur s'élève délicieusement à vous, ma très respectable et tout aimable amie. Je vous vois au milieu du tourbillon d'un monde inquiet, environnée de mouvements orageux, pressée d'importunités ennuyeuses, conserver votre carac- tère inaltérable de bonté, de dignité, et ne pas perdre ce sublime repos, cette tranquillité si rare qui ne peut appar- tenir qu'à des âmes fermes et pures, que la bonne conscience et la noble intention rendent invulnérables. Je vous admire tous deux autant que je vous aime ; mais je vous dois à tous deux plus que de l'amitié, plus que du respect. Je jouis de ma reconnaissance autant que vous pouvez jouir de vos *Buffon. Correspondance, vol. II, p. 36. 128 IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION bienfaits. M. Dufresne m'a prévenu de la manière la plus honnête que mon affaire est comme terminée; vous y avez répandu le souffle de vie depuis le premier de Tan jusqu'à la fin de mes jours. Vous animez tout ce qui respire auprès de vous, et dans l'éloignement, vos lettres font mon bonheur. Adieu, mon adorable amie; mille respects à notre grand homme, et mille tendresses à votre charmante enfant. Buffon. 84. Madame Necker Both Saint Lambert and I belonged to 1 the group of people who gathered at: 3 Baron d'Holbach's, at Helvétius', at Madame Geoffrin's ; we also were 1 regular guests 4 at 5 Madame Necker's, but there I had preceded him, for / had been almost the first to be received in the house. 6 Strange to say, 7 it was at a private ball 8 that I had become acquainted with M me Necker; she was young then, rather handsome, with a florid complexion; 9 she danced badly, but put her whole heart into it. 10 No sooner had she heard my name than she came toward me with an innocent expression of joy. 11 "When I came to Paris," she said, "one of my (ardent) wishes 12 was to become acquainted with the author of 'Moral Tales'. I did not think / should be so fortunate as to meet him 13 at a 14 ball. I hope this will not be a passing 15 acquaintance." "Necker," she said, turning to her hus- band, "come and join 16 me in 17 asking M. Marmontel, the author of "Moral Tales" to do us the honour of calling on us." M. Necker gave me a cordial invitation 1 * and I went. Thomas was the only literary man they had known before me, but soon, in the beautiful mansion 19 where they went IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION 1 29 to live, 20 M me Necker, following M me Geoffrin's example, gathered her select group of friends, 21 Being unacquainted with 22 Parisian manners, M me Necker had none of the attractive ways 23 of a young French [woman]. In her manners, in her language, she had neither the air nor the tone of a woman brought up in literary and artistic circles and trained in 24 the school of the world. Without taste in her dress, 25 without ease 26 in her bearing, 27 without charm of manner, there was both in her mind and in her bearing 2 * (something) too prim 29 to be graceful. But she had a charm more w T orthy of her; it was that of modesty, 30 of [genuine] innocence, 31 and of kindness. A vir- tuous bringing up, and studies which she had carried on en- tirely by herself 32 had given her all that culture can add to an excellent disposition. 33 Her 34 sentiment was perfect, but 35 her thoughts, 36 as she dwelt on them, 35 became vague and confused. Her 37 ideas, instead of becoming clearer, grew 38 more obscure; 39 while 40 exaggerating them, she thought she was giving them breadth; 41 when trying to give them greater scope, 42 she lost herself in abstractions or hyperbole. Cer- tain objects she seemed to see only through a mist which magnified them; on such occasions her style became so inflated 43 that, had not its pomposity 44 been so thoroughly genuine, 45 it would have been ludicrous. Taste was in her not so much 46 & [matter of] sentiment as the result of opinions she had gathered and jotted down 41 on her tablets. There was no need of asking for her authori- ties ; it was easy to see on whose opinion and on what stand- ards 4% her judgment had been formed. As far as 49 the art of writing [was concerned], all she cared for was 50 elevation, majesty, stateliness. 51 Gradations, shades [of meaning], va- riety in 3 tone and in 3 colouring made but little impression 130 IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION h on her. She had heard people praise La Fontaine's naïveté, de Sévigné's naturalness; she spoke [of these qualities] 40 by hearsay,* 2 and was little impressed by them. 53 The charm 54 of carelessness, of a fluent style, 55 of abandonment 56 were unknown to her. Even in conversation, she disliked 58 a familiar tone. 57 I often took pleasure in 59 trying to find out how far 60 she would carry this fastidiousness 61 [of speech]. One day I quoted to her some familiar expressions, the use of which I thought was permissible to elevated style; for instance : to make love, to begin to see through a thing, 61 make up your mind, 63 the thing to do would be, 64 no, I tell you, 65 let us do something better 66 [than that], etc. She rejected them all as being unsuited 67 to elevated style. "Racine," I said, "was less fastidious 68 than you [are]. He used them all," and I showed her instances [of this]. 40 But her opinion once formed 60 was not to be shaken, 70 and the authority of Thomas or Bufïon was for her an article of faith. One might have thought that 71 she was preserving 72 justice and right judgment 73 for the regulation of conduct. [In this field] 74 everything was precise and rigidly measured; 75 there seemed to be a reason and a method in the very choice of her 'amusements. One could see her busily engaged in 76 making 77 herself agreeable to her company; eager 78 to receive in a kindly way those she had admitted into it ; desirous to say to every- one the thing which would most please him ; but all this had been planned beforehand; 79 nothing flowed easily,* nothing could create an* 1 illusion. It was not for our benefit,* 2 it was not for herself that she took so much trouble;* 3 it was for her husband. To give us an opportunity to become acquainted with him, to conciliate our good will, to have his name men- tioned** with praise in society, and thus establish his reputa- IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION 131 tion, such was her aim in creating her literary circle. With the exception of a few bright remarks 85 which he now and then dropped, his part was a silent one; 86 he entirely left to his wife the care of keeping 87 the conversation [going]. She used to do her best, but her mind could not adapt itself to light table-talk. 88 Never a [sprightly] sally, never a clever remark, never a smart hit 89 which would challenge wit. 90 [Feeling] worried 91 [and] uncomfortable as soon as she saw conversation flagging, 92 she looked askance at us. 93 In her simplicity, sometimes she even went so far as to complain to me. "// can't be helped 91 Madame/' I said, "one cannot be witty on demand 96 and one does not always feel in the mood for wit. Take for instance M. Necker himself, is he entertaining 97 every day?" Marmontel. 85. Franklin in France* There were no great newspapers 1 that could daily 1 report 2 his sayings and doings, 3 but Franklin, his appearance, his opinions, his modes of life, 5 were known to all Paris. 4 "Frank- lin's reputation," says John Adams, "was more universal than that of Leibnitz or Newton, Frederick or Voltaire, and his character 7 more beloved and esteemed than any or all 8 of them. . . . His name was familiar to 9 government and people, 10 to kings, 11 courtiers, nobility, clergy, [and] philoso- phers, as well as plebeians, 12 to such a degree 13 that there was scarcely 14 a peasant or a citizen, a valet-de-chambre, coach- man or footman, a lady's chambermaid or a scullion in a kitchen, 15 who was not familiar 16 with it, and who 17 did not * France in the Revolutionary War, J. B. Perkins, p. 140. — Works of John Adams, p. 660; ditto, iii, 147. 132 IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION consider him as a friend to human kind. ... If a collection could 18 be made of all the Gazettes of Europe, for 19 the latter 20 half of the eighteenth century, a greater number of pane- gyrical [paragraphs] upon le grand Franklin would appear, 21 it is believed, 22 than upon any other man that 23 ever lived." It was as a man of science 2 * and by his discoveries in elec- tricity that Franklin was best 25 known in France. Scientific studies 26 then excited widespread interest, and this republican sage 21 had made valuable 28 researches. The zeal 29 for such studies was not confined 30 to scholars, 24 but extended 31 through the community. 32 Franklin had been elected [a] member of the Academy of Sciences, and he attended 33 its meetings 34 with great regularity. . . . In the year following 35 Franklin's arrival at Paris, Vol- taire reached 36 that city after twenty-eight years of absence. The enthusiastic Parisians could not be content 37 until the great American had met 38 the great Frenchman. In April, 1778, they were both at the Academy of Sciences, and the audience 39 cried out* that they should be presented to each other. They rose 41 and bowed, they grasped each other's hands, but it was not enough;* 2 the clamor continued until the two philosophers threw their arms about each other** and kissed 43 each other's ancient 44 cheeks. Then the French 45 [heart] was content: 37 Solon and Sophocles had embraced, and the requirements of the situation were satisfied.* 6 86. Franklin in France* Letter to his daughter A variety 2 of impressions 3 have been made 1 of different sizes ;* some 5 large enough to be set in the lids of snuff-boxes ; *J. B. Perkins, France in the Revolutionary War, p. 142. IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION 133 some 5 so small as to be worn in rings; 6 and the numbers sold 1 are incredible. These, 7 with the pictures, busts, and printing, of which copies, upon copies are spread everywhere* have made your father's face 9 as well known as that 10 of the moon. . . . . . . [There were] many 11 Frenchwomen who possessed 12 and liked to exercise an influence in politics, and there were few of these who 13 were [not] ready to say a good word for 14 the cause which their dear Dr. Franklin advocated. 15 Ma- dame Helvétius was one of those with whom the doctor was most intimate, 16 and if her appearance 17 shocked the New England 18 [mind of] Mrs. Adams, she was not a useless friend 19 to the American minister. Mrs. Adams has re- corded 20 her impressions, which certainly were less favorable than those of the doctor : — "Her 21 hair was frizzled; over it she had 22 a small straw hat, with 23 a dirty 25 gauze half -handkerchief round it, 24 and a bit 27 of dirtier 2 * gauze than ever my maids 29 [wore] 30 was bowed on behind. 26 She had a black gauze scarf 31 thrown over her shoulders. She ran 32 out of the room; when she returned, the doctor entered at 33 one door, she at the other; upon which she ran forward to him, 34 caught him by the hand, — Hélas! Franklin; then gave him a double kiss, one upon each cheek, 3S and [another] upon his forehead. . . . / should have been greatly astonished at this conduct, 36 if the good Doctor had 37 not told me that [in] this lady [I should see] 38 a genuine Frenchwoman, wholly free from 39 affectation or stiffness of behavior, and one of the best women of the world. [For this] / must take the Doctor's word, 40 but I should have set her down for 41 & very bad one, although sixty 42 years [of age], and [a] widow." The well-known 43 Comtesse d'Houdetot was one of Frank- 134 IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION lin's ardent 44 admirers, and long accounts* 6 are given** of the great fête which she gave in his honor at her château. When it was known 1 the doctor was approaching, the whole com- pany 47 set off 48 on foot and met him half a mile from the château. Then they walked by his carriage as an escort* 9 and 51 the countess handed 52 him from the carriage, when they had arrived. 50 "The venerable sage," says the French chronicler 53 of the fête, "with his gray hair flowing 54 down upon his should- ers, his staff in his hand, the spectacles of wisdom on his nose, was the perfect picture 55 of true philosophy and virtue." 87. Playful Jesting (Badinage) B. Franklin to M m e Helvétius Chagrined 1 at your 2 barbarous resolution, pronounced 4 so positively* yesterday evening, to remain single 5 during 6 life, in honor of your dear husband, I withdrew to my cham- ber, fell 7 upon my bed, believed myself dead, and found myself in the Elysian Fields. I was asked if I desired 8 to see any persons in particular. "Lead me," said I, "to 9 the philosophers." "There are two who reside 10 hereabout, 11 in this garden. They are very good neighbors, and much attached to each other '." I2 "Who are they?" "Socrates 13 and Helvétius." "J esteem them both prodigiously; 1 * but let me see 15 Helvétius first, as I know a little French, but not a word of Greek." — He received me very courteously, 16 hav- ing known 18 me, he 17 said, by reputation, some time. 19 He asked me a thousand things about 20 the war, and the present state of religion, liberty, and government, in France. "But you do not inquire," 21 said I, "[after] your dear Madame IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION 135 Helvétius ; [and] yet she loves you excessively, 22 and it is not an hour ago 23 [that] I was with her." "Ah!" said he, "you remind me of my former 24 felicity; but one must forget [it], if he would be happy here. For several years I could think only of her. At length I am consoled. I have taken another wife 25 — the most like her that I could find, 26 She is not, it is true, [altogether] so handsome ; but she has as much good sense, a large share of wit, and she loves me devotedly 21 Her constant study is to 2S please me, and she is gone out this moment to get 29 the choicest nectar and ambrosia to regale me with this evening; remain with me, and you will see her." "I perceive," 30 returned I, "that your ancient 31 com- panion is more faithful than you ; for she has had many excel- lent offers, 32 all of which she has refused. I confess 33 to you that I myself was in love with her to distraction; 34 but she was inexorable towards me, and rejected 35 me absolutely for love of you." "/ condole with you" 36 said he, "for your misfortune; 36 for, in truth, 37 she is a good and beautiful lady, 38 and amiable withal. 39 But the abbé de la R — , and the abbé M — , are they not at her house sometimes?" 40 "[They] cer- tainly [are] ; for not one of your friends has she dropped." 41 "If you had gained over 42 the abbé M — with some good coffee and 43 cream to speak 44 for you, you would perhaps have suc- ceeded ; for he is as subtle a reasoner as St. Thomas ; he puts his arguments in such strong order 45 that they become almost irresistible. 46 And if the abbé de la R — had been bribed 47 (by some fine edition of an old classic) to speak against you, that would have been 48 still better ; as I always observed, when he advised a thing, she had a strong inclination the other way." 49 As he uttered these words, came in the new Madame Helvétius with the nectar ; and at once I recognized in her my old American spouse, Mrs. Franklin ! I reclaimed 136 IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION her, 50 but she coldly said, "I was a good wife to you for 51 forty-nine years and four months — almost half a century ; be content 52 with that, I have here formed a new connection™ which shall last forever." Indignant at this refusal of my Eurydice, I forthwith 54 resolved to quit these ungrateful spirits, and to return to this good world 55 to see once more 56 the sun and you. Here I am ! Let us be revenged ! The Select Works of Benjamin Franklin, by Epes Sargent, p. 90-92. 88. Fragment de lettre de d'Alembert à Frédéric II Paris, le i er juillet, 1778. .... Au commencement de mars, M. de Voltaire, arrivé à Paris trois semaines auparavant, eut un crachement de sang considérable, accident qu'il éprouvait pour la première fois de sa vie. Quelques jours avant sa maladie, il m'avait demandé, dans une conversation de confiance, comment je lui conseillerais de se conduire si, pendant son séjour, il venait à tomber grièvement malade. Ma réponse fut celle que tout homme sage lui aurait faite à ma place : qu'il ferait bien de se conduire en cette circonstance comme tous les philosophes qui l'avaient précédé, entre autres comme Fon- tenelle et Montesquieu, qui avaient suivi l'usage. Il ap- prouva beaucoup ma réponse: Je pense de même, me dit-il, car il ne faut pas être jeté à la voierie, comme j'y ai vu jeter la pauvre Lecouvreur. Il avait, je ne sais pourquoi, beaucoup d'aversion pour cette manière d'être enterré. Je n'eus garde de combattre cette aversion, désirant qu'en cas de malheur tout se passât sans trouble et sans scandale. En consé- quence, se trouvant plus mal qu'à l'ordinaire un des jours de sa maladie, il prit bravement son parti de faire ce dont IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION 1 37 nous étions convenus, et dans une visite que je lui fis le matin, comme il me parlait avec assez d'action, et que je le priais de se taire pour ne pas fatiguer sa poitrine : Il faut bien que je parle bon gré mal gré, me dit-il en riant ; est-ce que vous ne vous souvenez pas qu'il faut que je me confesse? Voilà le moment de faire, comme disait Henri IV, le saut périlleux; aussi je viens d'envoyer chercher l'abbé Gaultier, et je l'at- tends. Cet abbé Gaultier, sire, est un pauvre diable de prêtre, qui de lui-même et par bonté d'âme, était venu se présenter à M. de Voltaire quelques jours avant sa maladie, et lui avait offert, en cas de besoin, ses services ecclésias- tiques, que M. de Voltaire avait acceptés, parce que cet homme lui avait paru plus modéré et plus raisonnable que trois ou quatre capelans, qui, sans mission comme l'abbé Gaultier, et sans connaître plus que lui M. de Voltaire, étaient venus chez lui le prêcher en fanatiques, lui annoncer l'enfer et les jugements de Dieu, et que le vieux patriarche, par bonté d'âme, n'avait pas fait jeter par la fenêtre. . . . Il donna à cet abbé Gaultier, qui la lui demanda, une pro- fession de foi écrite toute entière de sa propre main, et par laquelle il déclare qu'il veut mourir dans la religion catho- lique où il est né, espérant de la miséricorde divine qu'elle daignera lui pardonner toutes ses fautes; et ajoute que s'il a jamais scandalisé l'Eglise, il en demande pardon à Dieu et à elle. Il avait ajouté ce dernier article à la réquisition du prêtre, et, disait-il, pour avoir la paix. Il donna cette profession de foi à l'abbé Gaultier en présence de sa famille et de ceux de ses amis qui étaient dans sa chambre; deux d'entre eux signèrent comme témoins au bas de cette pro- fession. . . . . . . L'abbé Mignbt, son neveu, alla trouver le curé de Saint-Sulpice, qui lui déclara que si M. de Voltaire ne faisait I3§ IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION pas une réparation publique et solennelle, et dans le plus grand détail, du scandale qu'il avait causé, il ne pouvait en conscience l'enterrer en terre sainte. ... Il fut embaumé vingt-quatre heures après sa mort, mis dans une voiture en robe de chambre, et conduit par l'abbé Mignot et quelques autres parents, à l'abbaye de Scellières, à trente lieues de Paris, dont l'abbé Mignot est titulaire. Il y a été enterré le mardi, 2 juin, en très grande cérémonie, et avec un grand concours de tous les environs. Le prieur de l'abbaye, bon moine bénédictin, qui ne savait rien de tout ce qui s'était passé à Paris, ne fit aucune diffi- culté de faire cette cérémonie, sur le vu des pièces que l'abbé Mignot lui présenta. Vingt-quatre heures après, le mercredi 3, le prieur reçut une lettre de l'évêque de Troyes, dans le diocèse duquel l'abbaye de Scellières est située, et qui lui défendait de procéder à l'inhumation si elle n'était pas faite encore. ... On m'a assuré, ce qui pourrait bien être, que l'archevêque de Paris avait fait consulter un savant canoniste, pour lui demander si Voltaire n'était pas dans le cas de l'exhumation, et que le canoniste avait répondu qu'on s'en gardât bien, et que rien ne serait plus contraire aux règles. Ne croyez pas au reste, sire, pour l'honneur de la nation, que tous les dévots, et même tous les évêques, approuvent la conduite abominable qu'on a tenue à l'égard de ce grand homme. . . . Toutes les personnes vraiment religieuses, c'est-à-dire, qui ne font point de la dévotion une affaire de parti et un moyen de faire parler d'elles et de jouer un rôle important, blâment unanimement le fanatisme du curé et de l'archevêque. Correspondance, vol. 18, p. 165. IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION 1 39 89. Letter from d'Alembert to Frederick II I cannot 1 urge 3 your Majesty too strongly 2 to see 4 that the funeral service, 5 which the Vetches persist 6 in refusing 7 to Vol- taire's manes, be celebrated in the Catholic church of Berlin* I know that in every 8 country the clerical set 9 of all religions considers 10 him as an atheist, which he was not ; but I know too that in every country the clerical set is there" to obey princes like you, specially when they only ask for a reasonable thing which is in perfect conformity 12 with what the doctors call the church canons. All that is needed 1 * to set their conscience at 14 rest on this matter 15 [is] that your Majesty place 16 under their 17 eyes the papers which I am sending with 18 this letter. ... I have 10 to add that M. de Voltaire's nephews, who have handed them to me, 20 beg your Majesty not to permit that they be made public; the only thing they wish 21 [is] to enable your Majesty 22 to prove to the German catholics that they can, without tampering with 2 ' 6 their consciences, pray God for him 24 who has written so many beautiful books and done so many generous deecis. 25 I am waiting, Sire, and they too 26 are waiting impatiently [to know] what your Majesty will please 27 to order in regard 28 to this. 90. From Frederick to d'Alembert June 22, 1780. We were thinking 1 you might 2 arrive any time* when I received your letter; although 4 I enjoyed 5 it, it could not replace the joy 6 of seeing you in person ; yet the reasons which kept 7 you from taking 8 the trip are so decisive that I am obliged to accept 9 them. I40 IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION What 10 a fatality [that] gravel should settle" in the kidneys 12 of a philosopher! Couldn't it just as well have chosen its abode 13 in the body of a Sorbonnist, a fanatic, a Capuchin [monk], or the like? 14 This disease is one of the most pain- ful 15 which may 4 afflict poor human nature. I advise 17 you to use 18 Mrs. Stefens' remedy; here many people have been ^relieved by it, 19 and, although 4 the English are 4 at war with the French, I believe that a Frenchman may study mathe- matics 20 with Newton, think with Locke, and get cured by 21 Mrs. Stefens. Now, 22 my dear Anaxagoras, my fate is settled 23 I shall * not see you again 24 [unless it is] 25 in the valley of Jehoshaphat, if there is one 26 As for 21 Voltaire, I may assure you he is no longer in purgatory; after the public service for the rest of his soul celebrated in the Catholic church of Berlin, thç French Virgil must 28 be now resplendent in 29 glory; religious hatred could 30 not possibly keep him from walking 31 in the Elysean fields 32 in company with Socrates, Homer, Virgil, resting 33 on 34 one side on Bayle's shoulder on 34 the other on Montaigne, and glancing 35 in the distance^ he will see the popes, the cardinals, the persecutors, the fanatics suffering 37 in Tartarus the torments of Ixion, 38 of Tantalus, of Prome- theus, and of all the famous criminals of antiquity. Had the keys of purgatory been left 39 entirely 40 in the hands of your French bishops, all hope would have been lost for Voltaire; but by means 41 of the latch-key 42 which the masses for the repose of souls have procured, 43 the lock opened 44 and he came out in spite of Beaumont, 38 Pompignan, and the rest. 45 I was glad 46 to hear 47 of the new edition of Voltaire's works which is being prepared; 48 it would be desirable 49 if the editors could leave out his too frequent outbreaks 50 against IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION 141 people like Nonnotte, Patouillet, and other literary insects whose names do not deserve to appear 51 side by side with so many 52 passages 53 which are way above comparison 54 and, being worthy 55 to be handed down to posterity, will last as long and perhaps longer than the French monarchy. The writings 56 of Virgil, Horace, Cicero have outlived 57 the destruction of the Capitol and of Rome itself; they are living, they are translated in all 58 languages, and they will remain as long 59 as there will be in the world men who think, who read, and love to study. Voltaire's works will have the same fate. Every morn- ing I pray 60 to him; I say: Divine Voltaire, ora pro nobis! Let 61 Calliope, let Melpomene, let Urania give me light 62 and inspiration! My saint is certainly as good as 63 your Saint- Denis. My saint, instead of disturbing the universe, has given support to 64 downtrodden 65 innocence, as much as within him lay. 66 More than once did he make both 67 fanaticism and the judges blush over their iniquities; he would have corrected the world if the world could have 68 been corrected. This little sample of philosophical liberty will enable you to see, 69 my dear Anaxagoras, how very little I have improved 70 in Sorbonne under the guidance of my doctor; with me he is wasting his trouble and time. ... At 71 the present time, the French, the Spaniards, and the English are playing on Mars' tragic and bloody 73 stage; 72 from my orchestra seat 74 I see them having a trial of skill; 75 they joust against each other; the play they, are giving 76 is in the style 77 of Crébillon ; the plot 78 is so complicated that one cannot possibly 30 guess what the end 79 may be. The wind is the knot of all the plays which are given at sea, and I am afraid 80 a freak 81 of Eolus might spoil the chances of 82 142 IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION your worthy country people. Had 83 not the empress of Russia long ago made her reign signally great by her glorious triumphs, [the working of] this maritime code would be enough 84 to make her name immortal. She avenges Neptune by giving back 85 to him his trident which usurpators had taken away 86 from him. She might follow Louis XIV s example, and have* 7 in her palace a picture representing the legislator of the sea leading the pirates which, thanks to her wisdom, she succeeded in binding with chains** to her tri- umphal 89 car. But all I have been writing to you, my dear d'Alembert, does not compare with 90 Mrs. Stefens' remedy. Consult your physicians, and if they approve 91 [of] it, make use of it. After this, 93 etc. . . . P. S. I forgot to answer you about 94 Voltaire's bust. Let us not insult 95 his country by giving him a costume 96 which would give a wrong impression 91 oj "him ; Voltaire thought as 98 [a] Greek, but he was [a] Frenchman. Do not let us disfigure our contemporaries by giving them the liveries of a nation which is at the present [time] degraded and lowered under the tyranny of the Turks, their conquerors. 91. Les Mémoires et la Correspondance corroborent l'exactitude des romans réalistes Avant d'aborder l'étude du réalisme dans le roman, il est bon de relire certains passages des Mémoires et quelques lettres qui jettent sur les idées du temps un jour lumineux. Ainsi, le père de Beaumarchais, qui passait alors pour indul- gent, risquerait aujourd'hui d'être considéré comme une sorte d'autocrate; du reste, le père Caron* aimait tendre- ment ce fils, qu'il comparait au Grandisson de Richardson. *Caron était le père de Beaumarchais. IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION 143 Cela encore nous surprend si nous oublions le cas qu'on faisait de Richardson dans la France du XVIII me siècle. Qui songerait aujourd'hui à comparer un homme de ressort, d'entregent et de talent au fade Grandisson? A ce nom incolore on substituerait volontiers celui de Gil Bias. Il n'est pas impossible de faire des rapprochements entre la carrière de cet arriviste heureux et celle de Beaumarchais, homme de talent, qui trouve moyen de sortir de son humble milieu pour faire son chemin à la cour, et qui réussit égale- ment à briller dans la littérature et à devenir un des plus grands brasseurs d'affaires de son temps. Les Mémoires de M me de Staal Delaunay facilitent la com- préhension de certains passages de la «Vie de Marianne» qui, sans cela, resteraient pour nous lettre close. Ainsi, nous voyons qu'il suffit de peu de chose pour déclasser une femme de mérite. Cela explique pourquoi la protectrice de Marianne prend tant de précautions pour ne pas heurter de front les idées de sa famille : elle cache soigneusement que Marianne a été, pendant trois jours, apprentie chez une lin- gère; cela se découvre, et la personne qui avait invité Ma- rianne à passer la journée à la campagne la traite alors avec un tel dédain qu'elle ne veut pas même la souffrir à sa table et la fait servir dans sa chambre. C'est la même raison qui pousse une parente éloignée à réunir un conseil de famille dans le but d'empêcher ce qu'elle considère comme une mésalliance; c'est alors que le ministre, à l'insu de M rae de Miran, donne l'ordre de faire transférer Marianne dans un autre couvent; nous voyons ici l'autorité de la famille se substituant à celle des intéressés. Dans «Pamela», la sœur du ravisseur a beau lui faire des remontrances, il n'en a cure; il n'a aucun inconvénient à redouter; en Angleterre, on a «l'habeas corpus». 144 IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION Marivaux n'exagère pas. Pour comprendre à quel point le préjugé de la naissance était ancré dans les esprits, il faut lire un petit passage de la lettre où M me du Defïand pose à Mlle de Lespinasse ses conditions; passage qui a été en partie omis dans la traduction de Kate Wormeley: «Je n'aurai point l'air, dans aucun temps, de chercher à vous introduire; je prétends vous faire désirer et, si vous me connaissez bien, vous ne devez point avoir d'inquiétude sur la façon dont je traiterai votre amour-propre ; mais il faudra vous en rapporter à la connaissance que j'ai du monde. Si l'on croyait d'abord que vous fussiez établie auprès de moi on ne saurait {quand même je serais une bien plus grande dame) de quelle manière on devrait traiter avec vous. Marivaux, et dans ses romans et dans ses comédies, s'est toujours attaché à montrer que «le mérite vaut bien la nais- sance». 92a. Beaumarchais and his father Old M. Caron 1 , not being able to do anything with 2 his son, decided 3 one day to resort to strong measures; 4 he pretended to turn him out op the house, 6 but without throwing him on his own resources; 1 for young Caron was at once received by [certain] relations 8 and friends, who were in the secret of the father's plans. 9 He wrote letters [of the most] supplicatory 10 [kind] to his father, who, however, resisted 11 /tfr some time. 12 "I have read and re-read your last letter. M. Cotton has also shown me the one you sent to him. The letters appear reasonable; the sentiments to which you give utterance would meet with my unlimited admiration 1 * if I could only look upon them as durable 14 for I take it for granted 1 * that they are expressed with sincerity. IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION 145 "Understand, then, on what conditions you are to 16 return. 17 I must have lS a full and entire submission to my wishes, and marked respect in 19 words, actions, and behavior. Remem- ber that if you do not exert yourself as much 20 to please me as you have done 21 to gain [the good will of] my friends, you will have proved nothing, absolutely nothing, and will only have worked against yourself. I wish not only to be obeyed and respected, but I wish you to think beforehand of what 22 will be likely 2 * to please me. "As regards your mother, who has urged me twenty times during the last fortnight 2 * to take you back, I shall wait 25 for a private conversation with you to make you understand [how much] affection and solicitude you owe to her. These, then, [are to be] the conditions of my receiving you 26 "1. You shall make nothing, sell nothing, cause nothing to be made 21 or sold, directly or indirectly, except on my account; 28 and you must no longer give way to 29 the tempta- tion of appropriating to yourself anything which belongs to me ; you must have nothing, absolutely nothing, but what I give you; you must receive neither watches nor anything else to repair, under no matter what pretext, 30 for no matter what friend, without giving me notice of it; 31 you must never undertake anything without giving me due notice; 32 you must not even sell an old key without accounting 33 to me for it. "2. You must get up in [the] summer at six o'clock, and in [the] winter at seven; you must work until supper time without repugnance; at whatever task I give you to do you must employ the talents which Heaven has bestowed upon you, entirely with a view to becoming 3 * celebrated in your profession. Remember that it will be shameful and dis- honorable for you to occupy a low position in it, 35 and that if you do not occupy the highest 36 you will deserve no [sort 146 IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION of] respect ; the love of so fine [a] profession ought alone to penetrate your heart and occupy 37 your mind. "3. You must go to no more supper parties, z% nor go out at all [in] the evening; such amusements™ are dangerous for you; but I consent to your dining with your friends [on] Sundays and holidays, on condition that I always know 40 where you are going, and that you are 40 always at home 41 before nine. I recommend you, at the present moment, 42 never to ask permission to break through 4 * this article, and I should advise you not to do so of your own accord. 44 "4. You must give up your unhappy music altogether, 45 and, above all, must forsake the company 40 of young men, for I will not allow you to associate with one of them. 47 These two things have been your ruin. However, in consideration of 4 * your weakness, I will allow you a 49 violin and a 49 flute, but on the express condition that you only play them on working 50 days after supper, and never in the daytime, and that you do so 51 without disturbing the tranquillity of the neighbors and 52 my own. "5. I shall avoid sending you out 53 as much as possible; but in case I should be obliged to do so by 54 my business, remember that I shall never accept any insufficient 55 excuse for your delays; 56 you know beforehand how much they would annoy me. "6. I shall allow you your board 57 and eighteen francs a 58 month, which will give you pocket money, 59 and enable you, by degrees, to pay your debts. It would not suit your disposition, and it would be unbecoming on my part, to make you pay for your board, 60 and to credit you with the value of your work. If you devote yourself, as you ought to do, to the interests of my business, and if you obtain any orders 61 by means of your own talents, I will give you a quar- IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION 147 ter (share) in the profit 62 of whatever work you are instrumental in bringing,' 63 you know my disposition, 64 and you must be aware from your own experience that I do not like to yield to another person 6 * in generosity; entitle 66 yourself, then, to receive 40 more from me 67 than I have promised ; but remember that henceforth I set no value on words — I reckon 68 actions alone. "If my conditions suit you, if you consider yourself capable of executing them in 19 good faith, accept them and sign your acceptance at the foot 69 of this letter which you are to send back to me." Conformably to the paternal commands, young Caron writes on the same [piece of] paper the following declaration. "Monsieur and honored Father — I sign all your condi- tions in the full intention 70 of executing them, with the assist- ance of the Lord; but how 71 sadly all this recalls to me the time when these conditions and laws were far from being necessary to make 72 me do my duty. It is just that I should suffer 40 humiliation which I have really deserved, and if this and my good conduct can induce 66 you 73 to give me back your kindness and affection, I shall be only too happy. In faith of which, 74 I sign all that is contained in [the above 75 ] letter." 92b. Beaumarchais at Court Beaumarchais was invested with the functions 76 of con- troller by a royal patent, 77 dated November 9, 1755. The reader has not forgotten that, from 78 his youth, he had had a passion for 79 music ; he sang with taste, and was a good performer on 80 the flute and harp. This latter instru- ment, [which was] then [but] little known in France, was beginning to be much in vogue. Beaumarchais gave himself 148 IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION up to 81 the study of the harp ; he even introduced an improve- ment 82 in the arrangement of the pedals, as he had previously improved the mechanism of the watch. The 83 reputation which he had obtained 84 as 19 [a] harpist in several drawing- rooms at the court and in the city soon reached 85 the ears of "Mesdames de France", [the] daughters of Louis XV. These four sisters, whose retired [mode of] life and pious habits formed a happy contrast with the latter years of their father's reign, sought to relieve 86 the monotony of their exist- ence by devoting 87 themselves to a variety of 88 studies. We read in the Memoirs of Madame Campan that the study of languages, mathematics, and even watchmaking occupied their leisure [hours] in succession. 89 They were especially fond of music : Madame Adélaïde, for instance, played every instrument, from the horn to the Jew's-harp. 90 The reader will remember that Beaumarchais had already had occasion to make a clock of a new description 91 for Madame Victoire.* When 92 the princesses 95 heard 92 that the young watchmaker, who had become one of the controllers of the king's house- hold, 93 was remarkable 94 for his talent on the harp, they 95 desired to hear him. He continued to make 96 himself both agreeable and useful; they expressed a wish to take lessons from him, and soon he became the organizer of, and princi- pal performer 97 at, 19 a family concert which the princesses gave every week, and which was generally honored with the presence 98 (of) the king, the dauphin, and the Queen Maria Leczinska, and (to which) 99 only (a very few) 100 persons were admitted. Xomenie.* * Beaumarchais and his times, by L. de Loménie, translated by H. S. Edwards, pp. 49, 50, 63, 64. IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION 149 93. Beaumarchais et les fournitures d'Amérique "Malgré tous ces contre-temps, les trois premiers navires de Beau- marchais purent enfin partir; ils échappèrent heureusement aux croi- seurs anglais et arrivèrent au commencement de la campagne de 1777 dans la rade de Portsmouth." L. de Loménie {Beaumarchais et' son Temps). Having made his contract, Beaumarchais undertook its execution 1 with characteristic ardor. He rented 2 in the Fau- bourg du Temple an enormous 3 house known as the Hôtel de Hollande, in which the Dutch ambassadors had formerly dwelt ; there* a great force of clerks 5 and employees were installed, 4 and there the famous author was himself to be found early and late, 6 overseeing the operations of the house of Hortalez and Company with an energy that, to some extent, 7 compen- sated for deficiencies in business* methods and ignorance of [commercial] affairs. Undeterred 9 by opposition, Beaumar- chais proceeded 10 to fulfil his part of the agreement 11 with zeal, though not always 12 with discretion. He announced his pur- pose 13 to the Secret Committee of Congress in the extraor- dinary language which the imaginary Hortalez generally used in his business correspondence. . . . "The respectful esteem which I have toward that brave people who so well defend liberty under your guidance, has induced me to form a 14 plan of concurring in the great work by establish- ing an extensive commercial house solely for the purpose of serving you in Europe and supplying 15 you [with] neces- saries of every kind 16 . . . . Your deputies, gentlemen, can find in me a sure friend, an asylum in my house, money in my coffers, and every means of facilitating their operations. The King of France," he said, "and his ministers must manifest opposition to anything that carried the appear- 150 IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION ance of violating treaties with foreign powers. But," he added, "I promise you, gentlemen, that my indefatigable zeal shall never be wanting to clear up 11 difficulties, soften prohibitions, and facilitate the operations of a commerce which your advantage, more than my own, has made me undertake." It must (be) said 1 * that [his] performance 19 very nearly 20 equalled his promise. He ransacked 21 the government store- houses 22 in order to obtain arms; he purchased clothes and chartered 23 vessels. A fevered activity pervaded 24 the Hôtel de Hollande, where tranquil Dutch ambassadors had for- merly smoked and dozed. 25 Complications constantly arose 26 from the desire 27 [of] the French government to avoid any responsibility for what Beaumarchais was doing. There was an abundance of brass cannon in the armories, 28 but the arms of France were stamped on them; 29 if any of these were captured 30 by the English it would be apparent 31 that they had been furnished by the French King. In view of this 32 Vergennes said the arms must be erased, if it could be done without weakening the cannon too much, and if this was not possible, then new guns must be cast. 33 But Beaumarchais obtained, mostly from the French arsenals, over two hundred cannon, twenty-five thousand guns, two hundred thousand pounds of powder, twenty or thirty brass mortars, and clothing and tents for twenty-five thousand men, and these he loaded on boats which he himself pro- vided. 34 J. B. Perkins, France in the American Revolution, p. 91. IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION 151 94. Il suffit d'un rien pour déclasser une femme M lle Delaunay, à qui on avait promis auprès de M lle de Clermont la position d'institutrice qui convenait à ses goûts de lettrée et de femme du monde sans fortune, se voit, par une malechance inattendue, réduite à accepter la position de femme de chambre auprès de la duchesse du Maine. La voilà déclassée, et ceux qui, jusque-là, l'avaient traitée amicalement lui font froide mine; M me de la Ferté, sa ca- pricieuse protectrice d'antan, qui, dans un moment d'en- gouement, l'avait portée aux nues, la traite maintenant avec le dernier mépris. 95. Selection from the Memoirs of M me de Staal Delaunay I went 1 therefore 2 to Sceaux, at the request 3 of the duchess. She lead me as in triumph, and introduced 4 me to the prin- cess who hardly glanced 5 at me. She kept on 6 dragging me to her [triumphal] car 1 to call on s all the people to whom I was to be introduced. I followed in the attitude 9 of a con- quered prisoner. 10 This ceremonial over, she told me I no longer needed her, and that in the future 11 she did not wish to have any intercourse 12 with me. I felt worse over 13 the loss of her friendship than [over] the results 14 of her re- sentment. I spent that first day in a state of bewilderment 13 which has not left me any clear recollection; 16 I only know that I was strangely surprised on seeing my abiding-place. 17 It was an "entresol" so low and so dark that when walking I had to bend way down 19, and grope my way. 19 The lack of air 21 made it impossible to breathe, 20 the lack of a fireplace 22 made 20 it impossible to get w T arm. This lodging 152 IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION seemed to me so unbearable 23 that / tried to remonstrate; I made some complaint to M. de Malezieux about it. 24 He did not listen to me. The gracious attentions 25 the esteem he had shown me, had been replaced by 26 the scorn that one might have for a pack of men-servants , 27 I no longer exposed myself to such treatment. 2 * All the people 29 in the house who.. had been attentive* to me dropped 31 me when they saw that / was prized so low.* 2 I entered on my duties.™ The work which fell to my share* 4 was what is technically 36 called 35 the putting together of* 1 chemises. / was very much at a loss. 38 I never had done anything but fancy work 39 in 40 the convent, and just for fun; 41 I knew 42 nothing about the other [kind of work]. I spent the day 43 both in 44 taking measurements and in 44 carrying out 45 this great undertaking ; and when the duchess du Maine came to put on 46 her chemise, she found on the [upper] arm what should have been at the elbow. She asked who had made this fine [piece of] work ; they answered : / had. 47 She said calmly 48 that I did not know [how] to work and that another [woman] should take this task upon herself. 49 I for- got 50 the ill success of my undertaking when I considered its outcome. 51 And yet, it was true that I had in perfect good faith 52 done my best; but even with this willingness 53 / did not fulfill my task well. 54 A hundred times I 58 admired the patience with which this princess, though naturally hasty, 55 bore 56 my stupid mistakes. 57 The first time I gave her some- thing to drink, I spilled the water on her instead of pouring it into her glass. In addition to 61 deficiency in eyesight 59 — [I was] extremely short-sighted 60 — / was so upset 02 whenever I had to come near her, that I appeared as if I were 63 entirely deprived of 64 understanding and for the simplest things [too]. She asked me one day to bring her some rouge and a little IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION 1 53 cup with water [in it] which was on her dressing table; 65 I entered into her room where I remained 66 perfectly bewildered, not knowing which way 67 to turn. Princess de Guise chanced 69 to pass through the room; 68 and, surprised to find me in this state of bewilderment, 70 she said: "But 71 what are you doing?" "Well! 72 madam/' I said, "some rouge, a cup, a dressing table, I do not see any of these things." Touched by my helplessness, 73 she placed in my hands what without her help I would have looked for in vain. I shall tell you a few of my mistakes, 74 odder 75 even than those I have just told, and which seemed to be bordering on 76 imbecility. The duchess du Maine, being seated at her dressing table, asked me for some [face] powder; I took the box by the lid 77 [and] it fell, as might be expected 78 and 79 the powder was scattered 80 all over 81 the table and [all] over 81 the princess, who said to me very gently: "When you get hold of something, it must be from the bottom." 82 I remem- bered 83 this lesson so well, that a few days later when she asked me [for] her purse I took it by the bottom, 84 and I was greatly 85 surprised to see about a hundred 86 gold coins which were in it 87 scattered over 88 the floor; 89 I no longer knew which way I was to get hold of anything. 90 Another time 92 I foolishly dropped 91 a package of gems 93 which I had seized in the middle 9 * You may fancy 95 with what scorn my skilled and well-trained 96 companions looked [at] my blunders. 97 96. A rushed marriage Selection from the Memoirs of M me d'Epinay, the patroness of J. -J. Rousseau Yesterday morning, Wednesday, my mother called me to her apartment and said to me: "M. de Rinville, senior 1 154 IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION has just spoken 2 to M. de Bellegarde [about] a marriage for Mimi with one of his great grand cousins 3 who is said to be 4 a young man of very good characters " But," she added, "your father wishes above all, that his daughter [should be] pleased 1 [with] the young man, 6 and we are going to dine to-day at M me de Rinville's where [we] will meet 8 M. d'Houdetot, and where, nevertheless, the subject is not to be broached. 9 He did not even wish 10 to speak to his daughter about it, but as she never notices anyone 11 unless she is 7 specially concerned about hint, 12 it might very well happen, 13 if she were not warned, that she would not look at him. Therefore I made 14 M. de Bellegarde tell her something about it 15 Anyhow, nothing has been 16 settled yet, but we must have fuller details 17 although they told 7 us favorable things about the Count ; the next thing 1 * will be to come to an agreement about 19 the dowry." To make an incredible story short, 20 I will tell you that we all went to dine at M me de Rinville's. On entering, we saw the whole family [in] a circle; 21 M. and M me d'Houdetot, their son and all possible Rinvilles. Upon 22 our arrival the marquise d'Houdetot rose hastily 23 and came forward 24 [with] 25 open arms to kiss my father-in-law; my mother, Mimi and me, she had never seen. After all these greetings, 26 the elder Rinville took my father-in-law by the hand and introduced him ceremoniously to 27 M me d'Houdetot, who, in turn, 2 * introduced to him her son and her husband; and we were all introduced and kissed again. 29 The marquise is a middle-sized 30 woman; she seems 31 to be at least fifty years [old]. Her skin is 32 still remarkably beautiful, although she is 7 very thin and very pale. Her eyes are full of fire and wit. All her motions 33 are hasty 34 and violent ; and in spite of her liveliness one sees that she does not do anything with- out premeditation and without purpose. Her gestures play IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION 1 55 an important part in 3S her conversation, and her eyes wander around 36 quite as much out of curiosity as out op 1 vanity. Her husband may be 3S twenty years older 39 than she [is]. He is an old army officer who is not unlike* the king of spades 41 both in figure* 2 and in dress* 3 When he is seated, he likes to rest** his hands and his head on his cane, which attitude* 5 gives him an air of reflexion and meditation which, upon my word, is very much to his credit.* 6 He repeats the last words of whatever his wife has said,* 7 he sniggers, 48 showing his teeth which one would much rather* 9 he would hide. 7 M me d'Houdetot drew my sister to her side, 50 questioned her, interrupted her, complimented her, and in less than two minutes w T as delighted with 51 her grace and her wit. At [the] table, the young people were placed side by side. 52 M. de Rinville and the marquise d'Houdetot monopolized 53 my father-in-law, and my mother was placed between my sister-in-iaw, from whom she did not wish to be separated, 54 and the marquise d'Houdetot. At dessert the marriage was 4 already openly discussed, 55 in spite of the silence we had been asked to preserve 56 upon this matter. 57 After we had returned to* the drawing-room and had taken coffee, 59 the servants having withdrawn, 60 M. de Rinville said suddenly turning to my father-in-law: "Well, my friend, we are here among ourselves; between friends as sincere as we [are] it is not necessary to be mysterious; 61 let us discuss this matter openly. It is a mere question 62 of saying yes or no. Does my son suit you? yes or no; and your daughter! yes or no again? 63 that is the question. My friends, I consider your children as mine. I say then: your daughter, my dear brother, pleases the marquise very much; I see it," he said, turning towards her. "Our young count is already in love ; all your daughter has to do is xo be sure 6 * that he 65 is not distasteful to her ; let 156 IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION her speak ; speak out, godchild." 66 My sister blushed. They overwhelmed 67 her with 51 praise, they 4 flattered her father; well, they 4 did all they could 68 to turn our heads and keep us from having time to think. 69 My father-in-law said he was satisfied ; but that his desire 70 was to see his daughter happy. They interrupted him with praises 11 of the young count, and M. de Rinville vouched 72 for his godchild. Then M. de Bellegarde said that he would treat his daughter like his other children; he would give her three hundred thousand francs [as a] 51 dowry and a share in his inheritance™ "Well!" said M. de Rinville rising, "we all agree; 74 I ask now that we sign the contract to-night; we will have the bans published 1 * [on] Sunday, and we will have the wedding 76 [on] Monday." I pass [on] to the moment when 77 we were all gathered for the signature of the contract. Nothing was more comical than to see the surprised expression 18 on all the faces of these two families which were almost unknown to each other. They 4 had [about them] an air 79 of reserve, mistrust and anxiety which gave to every one an appearance of stupidity. Everybody signed; then they sat down to the table, and the date of the wedding was set 80 for the following Monday. M me Darty came to see me this morning ; she told me that the marquise d'Houdetot, as well as her son, is an habitual gambler; that their house is decidedly bohemian 81 Well, she said enough to make me fear my poor Mimi will be 7 unhappy. I had the courage to say as much 82 to my father- in-law, but I had to name my informant: 8 * "Women's gossip !" 84 he answered. IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION 1 57 97. Nature et art L'étude des sciences et la critique d'art aboutissent en littérature aux descriptions de la nature en prose poétique, faisant tableau. «Il faut apprendre à l'œil à regarder la nature et combien ne l'ont jamais vue et ne la verront jamais !» Diderot. Salon de 1765. Apprendre à bien voir, tel fut le but de l'éducation que se donnèrent les Français du XVIII me siècle. Lancés dans cette voie par Buffon et par Diderot, ils apprirent à saisir le point de vue du savant et celui de l'artiste; car ces deux grands écrivains réunissaient en eux des qualités qui trop souvent semblent incompatibles. Chez Buffon, le savant se doublait d'un artiste et sa brillante imagination savait revêtir les théories et les faits scientifiques de la forme la plus belle. Comme il exigeait de ses collaborateurs le travail d'après nature et qu'il recommandait de peindre les objets avec les couleurs de la vie, il donna théorique- ment une impulsion à laquelle lui-même, dans la pratique, ne pouvait qu'imparfaitement obéir; myope au point de pou- voir à peine distinguer les objets, il trouvait cependant moyen de saisir le rythme des mouvements et de le rendre avec un rare bonheur. Personne mieux que lui n'a décrit l'écureuil; aucun de ses mouvements ne nous échappe, le son de sa voix nous reste dans l'oreille; mais de quelle cou- leur est-il? .... C'est à Diderot que revient l'honneur d'avoir développé chez ses contemporains le sens de la couleur et celui de la forme. L'étude des sciences avait développé en lui le goût de l'observation exacte ; il était né artiste et une circonstance 158 IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION fortuite l'avait amené à se donner à lui-même, par l'observa- tion et par la réflexion, l'éducation artistique qui devait le mettre à même de parler en connaissance de cause des œuvres d'art qui, en l'espace de dix ans, furent successivement ex- posées au Salon. Grimm, le correspondant des princes alle- mands, lui avait demandé de se charger de cette partie de son travail. Diderot, dans la dédicace du Salon de 1765, explique comment il s'y prit pour s'improviser critique d'art. S'adressant à Grimm, il dit: «C'est la tâche que vous m'avez proposée qui a fixé mes yeux sur la toile et qui m'a fait tourner autour du marbre. J'ai donné le temps à l'impression d'arriver et d'entrer. J'ai ouvert mon âme aux effets. Je m'en suis laissé pénétrer. J'ai recueilli la sentence du vieil- lard et la pensée de l'enfant, le jugement de l'homme de lettres, le mot de l'homme du monde et les propos du peuple; et s'il m'arrive de blesser l'artiste, c'est souvent avec l'arme qu'il a lui-même aiguisée. Je l'ai interrogé et j'ai compris ce que c'était que finesse de dessin et vérité de nature. J f ? aï conçu la magie de la lumière et des ombres. J'ai connu la couleur; j'ai acquis le sentiment de la chair; seul, j'ai médité ce que j'ai vu et entendu; et ces termes de l'art, unité, variété, contraste, symétrie, ordonnance, composition, caractère, expression, si familiers dans ma bouche, si vagues dans mon esprit, se sont circonscrits et fixés.» Non seulement il apprit lui-même à se rendre compte de ses impressions, mais il développa les gens du monde à tel point que M me Necker disait, en parlant de la transformation qui s'était produite en elle : «Je* n'avais jamais vu dans les tableaux que des couleurs plates et inanimées; c'est presque un nouveau sens que je lui dois. » En négligeant l'ordre chronologique, on peut grouper * Pages Choisies des grands Ecrivains, p. xxi. G. Pellissier. IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION 1 59 quelques critiques de Diderot de façon à montrer comment il s'y prit pour éclairer le goût du public et remettre dans la bonne voie les artistes qui s'éloignaient du principe unique auquel son esthétique ramenait tout. Pour montrer la vé- rité de la nature dans toute sa force, il ne surfit pas à l'artiste de copier au hasard: il doit composer son tableau de façon à produire tout l'effet possible. L'artiste alors le plus en vogue, celui dont l'art brillant incarnait le mieux ce que le goût du XVIII me siècle avait de faux et d'artificiel, était certainement Boucher. Aussi est-ce contre lui que Diderot dirige ses plus sévères atta- ques; il le malmène, il le rudoie; n'importe, «il s'agit de faire sortir de l'ornière où il se complaît un peintre habile » et de montrer au public pourquoi ce peintre est indigne de son admiration, Si Diderot le condamne, c'est parce qu'il s'é- loigne de la nature. La Tour est le peintre ordinaire des membres de la famille royale, de la noblesse, des grands écrivains, des actrices; mais comme il ne sort pas de ces milieux, il finit par tomber dans la monotonie. A Michel Van Loo, qui avait fait son portrait, Diderot fait la leçon; le peintre ne doit pas se laisser fourvoyer par une expression fugitive, mais chercher à démêler et à faire ressortir les traits de caractère significatifs et profonds. Chez Greuze, il admire le côté littéraire de la composition, le ton moral, le sens caché qu'il faut découvrir et surtout le sentiment que le peintre introduit dans des scènes de la vie rustique idéalisées à la Rousseau; ainsi, «l'Accordée de Vil- lage» est une idylle dont «le sujet est pathétique et l'on se sent gagner d'une émotion douce en le regardant.» Plus le peintre se rapproche de la nature, plus il montre de sincérité dans sa manière de représenter les personnages IÔO IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION et les choses, plus Diderot Padmire. Une servante qui re- vient du marché, des enfants qui récitent le bénédicité, des natures mortes qui donnent à s'y tromper l'illusion de la réalité, tout cela le transporte et il ne marchande pas à Chardin les éloges. Cependant, il ne suffit pa& de dire simplement pourquoi ceci est bien, ou pourquoi cela est mal; le critique d'art a bien une autre mission: il peut montrer à l'artiste comment il aurait pu, en modifiant la composition de son tableau, rendre la scène plus vivante. Sous ce rapport rien n'est plus intéressant à lire que la correction d'un tableau faite par Diderot. S'agit-il d'un sujet mythologique, il cherche à ramener la scène à des proportions familières. C'est dans cet esprit qu'il corrige l'attitude de Psyché 1 venant sur- prendre l'Amour endormi. Malheureusement, la mytholo- gie ne l'inspire pas toujours aussi bien et il lui arrive parfois de faire fausse route, ou plutôt de s'arrêter à mi-chemin. Ainsi, dans «Le Jugement de Paris», il veut que la scène se passe dans un lieu écarté, une sorte de paradis terrestre où se manifestent de tous côtés les signes d'une vie exubérante et primitive, à l'heure mystérieuse du crépuscule ou au point du jour, que la lumière tamisée par le feuillage éclaire inégalement les trois figures et fasse ressortir la plus belle. Rien de mieux; mais, alors, après avoir insisté pour que le peintre représente les déesses sans leurs attributs, pourquoi laisse-t-il à Minerve . . . son casque? Cette faute de goût surprend chez lui. Diderot fait souvent des rapprochements entre la peinture et la poésie, et quoique certains sujets puissent être inter- prétés par l'une ou par l'autre, il montre cependant que le domaine de la poésie est moins limité; le peintre doit se refuser à représenter ce qui choque le goût. «Il* ne faut * Diderot, Beaux Arts, I, p. 176. IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION l6l pas prendre de la grimace pour de la passion ; c'est une chose à laquelle les peintres et les acteurs sont sujets à se méprendre. Pour en sentir la différence, je les renvoie au Laocoon an- tique, qui souffre et ne grimace point.» C'est déjà l'idée que Lessing développera plus tard dans son «Laocoon», lorsqu'il montre que la douleur dans son paroxysme ne saurait se représenter artistiquement. Diderot exerça en Allemagne une influence incontestable ; Goethe* s'en rendait bien compte lorsqu'il écrivait à Schiller, au sujet du Salon de 1765: «C'est un magnifique ouvrage qui parle plus utile- ment encore au poète qu'au peintre, quoique pour ce dernier il soit un puissant flambeau.» L'idée que la peinture a des limites que la poésie peut franchir avait aussi frappé Buffon ; mais, allant encore plus loin que Diderot, il montra l'avan- tage que peut avoir sur les vers la prose poétique. Quand il s'agit de noter les nuances délicates, le poète, entravé par la rime, rejette souvent les mots les plus expressifs. Pour saisir l'alliance intime qu'il y eut au XVIII me siècle entre la peinture et la prose poétique, il faut lire dans la «Nouvelle Héloïse», dans les «Confessions » les pages inoubli- ables où Rousseau, décrivant la nature en peintre, trouve le secret de rendre la prose plus poétique que les vers. Diderot donne à la critique d'art sa forme littéraire 98. Grimm to his foreign Correspondents Salon de 1759 November 10, 1759. After all the eulogies lavished 1 by our journalists without taste or judgment on 2 the pictures 3 exhibited 4 this year by the Royal Academy of painting and sculpture, you will be rather glad 5 to form a less vague and more correct view 6 of *Diderot, Beaux Arts, I, p. 459. IÔ2 IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION this exhibition. 7 What you are going to read is addressed 8 to me and will certainly please you better than what I might have written on this subject. Grimm. To my friend M. Grimm This is very nearly 9 what you have asked me [to prepare]. I wish 10 you may be able to make use 11 of it. A great 12 many pictures, 3 my friend, a great many poor pictures, I like 13 to praise. I am happy when I am admiring; I only wish I could 14 admire and be happy. Diderot. Concerning Boucher Boucher, whose dreams [of] rose and blue were the delight 1 * of his age, came away from Rome saying: "Raphael is a woman, Michael Angelo is a monster; one 17 is paradise, 17 the other is hell; 17 they are painters of another world; it is a dead language that nobody speaks in our day. lS We others are 19 the painters of our own age; 20 we have not com- mon sense, 17 but we are charming. " This account of them was not untrue. 21 They filled 22 [up] the space 23 between the grandiose 24 pomp of Le Brun and the sombre 25 pseudo- antique of David, jyst as 20 the incomparable grace and spar- kle 27 of Voltaire's lighter verse 26 filled [up] the space in litera- ture 28 between 20 Racine and Chénier. They have a 30 poetry [of their own]; they are cheerful, sportive, 31 full of fancy, and, like everything else of that day, 32 intensely 33 sociable. Diderot, by John Morley. 99a. Boucher's pastorals and landscapes What colors! What variety! What abundance of ob- jects and ideas! This man has everything except truth. IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION 1 63 There is not one 1 part 2 of his compositions which, taken singly y 3 would not suit 4 you; and even when taken as a whole 5 they are attractive. 6 One wonders: 7 But where did one ever see shepherds dress 8 with so much elegance and luxury? What reason 9 could ever have brought together 10 in one place, in the open country, 11 under the arches of a bridge, far from all habitations, women, men, children, oxen, cows, sheep, dogs, bundles 12 of straw 7 , water, fire, a lantern, hot-water lamps, 13 jars, 14 caldrons? 15 What could have brought here 16 this charming woman, so well dressed, 8 so neat, so volup- tuous, and these children who are playing or sleeping, do they belong to her? 11 and this man who is carrying on his head some live coals lS which he might very easily drop, 19 is he her husband? What does he want to do with these live coals? 20 Where did he get 21 them? What a clashing 22 of incongruous 23 objects! You 24 feel the very 25 absurdity of it; [but] with all that you 24 cannot 26 leave the picture. It attracts 27 you. You return to it. It is so pleasing a vice, [such an] 28 inimitable, such a rare extravagance ! There is in it so much imagination, effect, magic and easy grace Î 29 After you 24 have looked [a] long time [at] a landscape like the one we have just roughly sketched, 30 you 24 think 31 you have seen everything. You 24 are mistaken; 32 there are still an infinity of priceless things. 33 Nobody understands like Boucher the art of lights 34 and shadows. He is the kind of a man who could 35 turn the heads of two kinds of persons: society people 36 and artists. His elegance, his graceful mi- nuteness 31 his romantic turn, 38 his coquetry, his taste, his easy grace, 29 his variety, his brilliancy, 39 his made-up 40 com- plexions, his debauch, must attract coxcombs, 41 affected women, 42 society people, the mass 43 of those who do not understand 44 at all real taste, truth, correct 45 ideas and true 46 164 IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION art. How could they help being fascinated 47 by the flashy qualities** by the ornaments, 49 the nude figures, 50 the licen- tiousness, 51 the epigram of Boucher. The artists who see to what a degree 52 this man has overcome 53 the difficulties of painting, and for whom this 54 merit, which is only 55 [fully] understood by them, is everything, 54 bow down 56 before him; he is their god. People who have a taste for grand things, 57 for the severe beauty of the antique, do not appreciate him at all. Moreover, 58 in painting, this artist is very nearly what Ariosto 59 is in poetry. He who is delighted 60 with one of them is not consistent 61 if he is not carried away 62 [by] the other. It seems to me they have the same taste, the same style, the same colors. 63 Boucher has a technique 64 which is so much his own 65 that, should he be asked 67 to paint a face in any kind 66 of a picture, his work could be recognized 6 * at a glance. 69 When he paints children, he groups them well, but they must remain 70 on the clouds playing sportively 71 In this numberless family, you will not find one [child] who might be set to work 72 on tasks 73 belonging to real life : study a lesson, read, write, or strip hemp. 74 They have a romantic, 38 un- real 76 turn of mind; 75 little bastards of Bacchus, of Silenus, they are. Such children 77 might be used to advantage 79 [in] sculpture 78 on the sides 80 of an antique vase. They are fat, chubby, 81 plump. 82 If the artist knows how to handle 83 marble well, it 24 will be seen. In short, 84 take all the pictures of this man, and hardly 85 will you be able to find one to which you might not say, as Fontenelle [said] to the sonata: Sonata, what do you mean to me? 86 Picture, what do you mean to me? Wasn't there a time, too, when he was possessed with IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION 165 a mania 87 to paint virgins? Well, what were those virgins? Nice looking little fast women. 88. And his angels? Little libertine satyrs. And then, too, in his landscapes he uses 89 grayish tones so uniformly 90 and (to such an extent) that, [if you were] a few feet off, 92 you might take 91 his paintings for a plot 93 of grass or a square bed 9 * of parsley. And yet he is not a fool. He has the appearance of being a good artist, 95 just as some people 24 have the tinsel of wit. 96 99b. Boucher I don't know what to say about this man. The lower standard 97 of taste, coloring, composition, characters, expres- sion, drawing, has followed step by 98 step the depravation of customs. What can 99 this man draw on his canvas? 100 What he has in his imagination; and what can a man have in his imagination when he spends his life with the lowest 101 of women! The grace of his shepherdesses is the grace of Favart 102 in "Rose and Colas;" that of his goddesses is imi- tated from the Deschamps. 102 / dare say one would never 103 find, even in going over a large tract of land, 104 a blade 105 of grass like those of his landscapes. And then, too, there .is such a confusion of objects heaped one over the other, so out of placed so inharmonious, 23 that it is not so much 107 the paint- ing of a man in his senses 108 as the dream of a madman . . . in the multitude of faces of men and women, which he has painted, I dare 103 say one would not find four of a type 109 which could be used 110 in bas-relief, still less in statuary.- Too many airs, 111 coy ways, 112 mannerisms," 3 affectations, to suit 114 great 115 art. Even if 116 he shows 117 nude [figures], I see them with their rouge, their patches, 118 their ornaments,* 9 and all the baubles 119 of dress. 1 66 IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION 100. La Tour La Tour is always the same. If his portraits attract 1 less attention now, it is because we 2 know what to expect from him. 3 He has painted Prince 4 Clement of Saxony and Princess Christine of Saxony, the Dauphin and almost all his family. The portrait of the celebrated sculptor Le Moyne is wonder- ful; 5 [there is so much] life and truth in it. 6 This La Tour is an odd fellow; 7 he dabbles 8 in poetry, morals, theology, metaphysics and politics. He is a sincere and outspoken man. It is a fact that in 1756, while he was painting the king's portrait, His Majesty tried, 9 during the sittings, 11 to carry on 10 with him [a conversation] on his art and 12 La Tour's answer to every one of the king's remarks 13 was : " You are right, Sire, but we have no navy." 14 This un- suitable 15 freedom was not taken as an offense 16 and the por- trait was completed. 17 One day he said to the Dauphin who did not seem to be well posted on lS a matter 19 he had rec- ommended to his attention: 20 "This is how 21 you are always deceived by rogues, you people !" 22 He says 23 he goes to court only in order to tell them the plain truth, 2 * and at Versailles, they take him for 25 a madman whose comments 26 are not to be taken seriously, 27 and that is why he keeps his freedom of speech. 28 I was at Baron d'Holbach's when he 2 was shown two pastels by Mengs, who, I believe, is at present 29 painter to the King of Spain. La Tour looked at them [a] long time. It was before dinner. Dinner is 2 served, he sits down at the table, 30 eats without saying a word; then suddenly he rises, goes to look again at the two pastels, and he never returned. 31 These two pastels represent Innocence 4 under the appear- ance 32 of a girl who caresses a lamb, and Pleasure 4 as 32 a IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION IÔJ young boy bound by ropes of silk 53 with a wreath of flowers and a rainbow around his 4 head. 101. M. Diderot by Michel Van Loo I love Michel, but I love truth still better. Pretty good likeness. 1 To those who do not recognize him, he may say what 2 the gardner [said] [in a] 3 comic opera: "He does not know me because* he never saw me without [a] wig." Very lifelike, 5 [I recognize] his 6 gentleness and his vivacity; but too young, the head too small, pretty as a woman, ogling, 7 smiling, mincing, 8 pursing his mouth ; 9 nothing in this picture that reminds you [of] the sombre coloring 10 [so characteristic] of Cardinal ChoiseuFs [portrait]; and besides 11 [what] a display of wealth in his dress; 12 such a display would be a sufficient reason to send the unfortunate writer to the poor house 15 if the tax collector 14 should take it into his head 1 * to tax 16 him according to the value of 11 his dressing gown. The inkstand, the books, the accessories as good as they possibly can be w T hen the artist's aim has been brilliancy of coloring and harmony. Close by 10 [he seems to be] sparkling with wit; lS from a distance 21 he appears strong, 20 [the rendering of the flesh tints being] 23 specially good. 22 Nothing can be said against the 24 beautiful, well-shapen 25 hands except that the left [one] has not been drawn. He is facing you, he is bare- headed, [his gray front hair sticking up] 26 is so delicately rendered 27 as to make him look like 2S an old coquette who is still trying to be attractive; 29 [he seems to have] the means of a Secretary of State and not 30 of a philosopher. The wrong impression 31 given during the first sitting 52 was to be the keynote 53 of the whole work. [The fault lies with that madcap of a] 34 Madame Van Loo who kept coming into the room to chat- 1 68 IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION ter 35 with him, while the artist 36 was painting his portrait; [that is why he has] 37 this expression which was to spoil the whole picture. Had she gone to her piano and preluded or sung, Non ha ragione, ingrato, Un core abbandonato, or some other piece of a similar character, 3 * the sensitive 39 philosopher would have had a very different expression, [and this expression] would have changed the character of the picture* Or better still, [why] was not he left to himself, 41 and allowed to indulge in* 2 reverie? Then his mouth would have been slightly open, his absent-minded 43 eye would have gazed into far distance** the workings 45 of his active mind would have been pictured on his face, and Michel would have made a beautiful thing [of it]. But what will my grandchildren say, when they come to compare my poor 46 works with this smiling, dainty, 47 effeminate old fop? 48 I tell you, children, it is not I. In one day I used to have one hundred different expressions; [it] all depended on the impression which had a hold on me* 9 at the time. I was serene, sad, dreamy, tender, violent, passionate, or enthu- siastic; but I never was as 50 you see me here. 51 I had a large forehead, very bright eyes, rather large features, my head had the 52 character of an ancient orator, kindliness 53 which bordered closely 54 on stupidity (and recalled) countri- fied manner** of olden times. No good picture of me has ever been made except* 6 [the one which was painted] by a poor fellow 57 called Garaud, who [chanced to catch my likeness] 58 just as a bright saying? may drop from the lips of a fool.* 9 He who sees my portrait by Garaud sees me. M. Grimm had the picture engraved, but he does not show it. He is still waiting for an inscription which he will not have IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION 1 69 until I produce something which will immortalize my name. 61 . . . And when is he going to have it? When? perhaps to-morrow; and who knows what I can accomplish? I have a realizing sense 62 of having used but half my strength. Up to this time 63 1 have been idling. 6 * 102. Greuze Perhaps I am a little tedious, 1 but if you [only] knew what a good time I have 2 while I am 3 boring 4 you. You will tell me that this trait is the chief characteristic of bores; 5 they bore [you] without realizing 6 it. [And yet, in spite of this drawback,] 7 one hundred [and] ten pictures [have been] de- scribed 8 and thirty-one artists [have been] commented upon. 9 Here is my favorite artist and yours 10 the first one among us to whom it occurred 11 to give a moral tone 12 to art and to link together 1 * events which could easily be woven into 1 * a novel. Our artist 15 is rather vain, but he has the vanity of a child, the intoxication of talent. Take away 16 this simplicity which makes him say when he speaks of his own work : " Do 11 look [at] this! Here 18 is a beautiful [thing]!" [Take away this simplicity] and you take away 16 from him his spirit, 19 you quench 20 his fire, and his genius will undergo an eclipse. 21 I seriously fear that if he ever becomes modest he will have 22 good reason to be so. 23 Our qualities, at least some of them 2 * are closely connected with 25 our failings. Most honest women are cross ; 26 great artists are a little bit off their base. 21 Almost all fast women 28 are generous; devout people 29 even good 30 [people], are somewhat given to slander.* 1 It is hard for a great artist 32 who realizes that he is successful 33 not to be a little [bit] despotic. Whose failings 33 are to be forgiven 3 * if not those of 36 great men? We have three skilful, productive 37 I70 [IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION and studious artists; faithful students of nature, they never begin 38 [or] finish 38 anything without calling 39 [in] repeatedly a 40 model. I am speaking of La Grenée, Greuze, and Vernet. The second has a talent which finds subjects everywhere; among the crowds of the lower classes, 41 in the churches, in 42 the market, in the public garden, 43 in the houses, in the streets; constantly 44 he keeps noticing 45 actions, passions, characters, expressions. He and Chardin 46 speak very well about their art, — Chardin with sense 47 and without getting excited, 4 * Greuze with warmth and enthusiasm. In a small circle, 49 La Tour 46 is also interesting to listen to. 50 There are many pictures by Greuze: a few mediocre [ones], several good [ones], a large number of excellent [ones]; let us glance over them. The girl who is weeping [over] her dead bird. What a pretty elegy! What a charming poem! What a beautiful idyl Gessner would make of it! It is the illustration 52 of one of this poet's pieces. Charming 53 painting! the most pleasing and perhaps the most interesting in 5 the whole Salon. The poor little one is facing 54 us, her head is resting 55 on her left hand; the dead bird has been placed 56 on the upper 57 edge of the cage, his head 40 [is] hanging [down], his wings are drooping, 58 the claws are turned up. 59 What [a] pretty catafalco this 60 cage [is]! How 60 graceful 62 is the garland of verdure which winds 61 around it ! The poor little one ! oh ! how badly she feels ! 63 How natural is the position in which she is placed! How beautifully her hair is ar- ranged 64 ! How expressive 66 is her face ! 65 It is a deep grief; she has no thought except for her misfortune, 6 ' 1 she is entirely wrapped. in it. 6 * Oh! what a beautiful arm. Look [at] these fingers; see how true 69 all the details [are], and these dimples, 70 and this softness, 71 and the shade of red with which the près- IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION 171 sure 12 of the head has tinted 73 the tip of these delicate fingers, and the charm of it all. 74 You would like to bend over this hand and kiss it, if you did not have too much respect for this child and for her grief. Everything pleases in her, even to her dress. 75 This neckerchief is thrown in such a way! 70 It is so supple, so light! 77 When you notice 78 this painting you 78 say: " Delightful!" Soon you 78 will catch 79 yourself conversing with this child and comforting 80 her. It is so true that this is what I remember telling her on different occasions 81 . . . The subject of this little poem is so deli- cate 82 that many people failed to understand it 83 ; they thought 84 this girl was only weeping over her canary. Once before, Greuze painted the same subject ; he placed in front of a broken mirror 85 a tall girl, dressed in white satin, who is lost in profound 86 melancholy. Don't you think that it would be just as senseless 87 to think 88 the tears of the girl of this salon [are due] to the loss of her bird [as to think] that 89 the melancholy of the girl of the preceding salon [is due] to her broken 90 mirror? This child weeps [over] some- thing else, I tell you. 91 Such a grief at her age! and for a bird! . . . But, anyhow, 92 how old is she? What am I to tell? 93 and what a question you ask! 94 Her head indicates that she is 95 fifteen or sixteen years [old], and her arm and her hand would indicate 95 eighteen or nineteen. This is a failing 35 which in this composition is more noticeable, 96 be- cause 97 the head is resting on the hand. Place the hand differently, you will no longer notice that it is too strong and too much characterized. I tell you what it is 98 my friend, the head has been painted from one model, the hand from another. Besides, 99 this hand is very natural, very beauti- ful, beautifully painted 100 and drawn. If in this painting you overlook 34 this trifling fault, 101 as well as the general 172 IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION coloring, 102 [which is] too purplish, 103 it is a beautiful thing. The head is well lighted, the coloring is as pleasing as can be for a blonde, for she is a blonde, our little one ; possibly you would like the head to stand in stronger relief. 104 The striped 105 handkerchief is broad, light, wonderfully trans- parent; 106 the whole picture is strongly painted 107 without spoiling 108 the delicacy 109 of detail. This painter may have done as well, but he has not done better. 103. Chardin Here 1 is a painter, here- is a colorist. ' There are at the [Picture] Exhibition 2 several small paint- ings 3 by 4 Chardin; almost all [of them] represent fruits with the accessories of a meal. It is nature itself; the objects stand out from 5 the canvas and are so true 6 [to life] that one's 7 eyes might easily be deceived. The one you 8 see on going upstairs deserves [your] special 9 attention. The artist has placed on a table an old China porcelain vase 10 two ladies fingers, 11 a jar 12 filled with olives, a basket 13 of fruit, two glasses half filled with wine, a Seville orange, and a meat pie. In order 14 to look at other artists' pictures, it seems to me I need artificial eyes; 15 in order to see Chardin's I only have to keep those nature gave me and use them well. If my child were to become [an] artist, this is the picture I would buy. "Copy 16 this," I would say to him, "do copy 16 this over again." But perhaps nature is not harder to copy. This 17 porcelain vase is 18 [really] porcelain; these 17 olives are really separated from your eye by the water in which they are bathed, 19 these 17 ladies fingers 11 you might take 20 (them) and eat (them), this Seville orange you might open (it) and press IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION 1 73 (it), you might take this glass of wine and drink it, these fruits and peal them, this meat pie you might cut {it) with a knife. 21 This man understands the harmony of colors and of flitting lights. 22 O Chardin! it is not white, 23 red, and black that you are grinding 24 on your palette, it is the very substance of things, it is air and light that you take on the tip 25 of your paint brush 26 to incorporate it with 21 the canvas. After 28 my child had copied and recopied this paint- ing, I would keep him busy with 29 the stripped angel- fish 30 by 4 the same master. The thing 31 itself is disgusting, but it is the flesh 32 of the fish, his skin, his blood — the very sight 33 of the fish 34 would not make a (liferent impression. 35 Mr. Pierre, when you go to the Academy, look carefully 36 [at] this picture and learn if you can the art 37 of saving 38 some subjects from the disgust naturally attached to them. One 8 cannot understand 39 this magic. There 40 are layers over layers of color applied one over the other; the lower shining through the upper ones. 41 Sometimes, 42 one might think 43 it is a mist which has 8 been blown over the canvas, and again 44 it is a light foam 45 which has been thrown there. Rubens, Berghem, Greuze, Loutherbourg would explain to you this technique 46 much better than I can; all [of them] will convey the impression 47 to your eyes. Come nearer, 48 everything 49 is blurred, 50 it becomes flat- ter 51 and disappears ; step back 52 a little, everything is created anew 53 and reproduced. They 8 told me that Greuze, on going up to the Salon, no- ticed 54 this piece by 55 Chardin which I have just described, looked at it, and passed by uttering 56 a deep sigh. This praise 57 is better 58 and shorter than mine. Who will pay [for] Chardin's pictures when this re- markable man is gone? 59 You must know, too, that this 174 IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION artist has good judgment 60 and speaks wonderfully well 61 about 62 his art. Well ! 63 my friend, [you may] spit on Apelles' curtain and on Zeuxis' grapes. You 8 can easily enough deceive 64 an impatient artist, and in painting animals are poor judges. Didn't we see the birds of the king's zoological garden break their heads 65 against the poorest 66 [effect] of 67 perspec- tive? But it is you, it is I whom Chardin will (be able to) deceive whenever 68 he may wish [to do so]. 104a. Vien Psyche who comes with her lamp to take 1 Cupid 2 by surprise 1 and see him asleep. The two faces 3 are flesh 4 [itself], but they have neither the elegance, nor the grace, nor the delicacy which such a subject required. 5 [Tome] 6 Cupid seems [to be] grimacing. 7 Psyche is not the trembling 8 woman who comes on tip-toe ; 9 I do not discover on her face 10 the mixture of fear, surprise, admiration which should be there. It is not sufficient 11 to show on 12 Psyche['s face] the curiosity to see Cupid; I must see 13 there too the fear of awakening him. Her mouth should be slightly open, 14 as if she were afraid of breathing. It is her lover she sees, and she sees him for the first time, at the risk of losing him. What bliss 15 to see him and to see him so beautiful ! Oh, how stupid our artists are, how little they know human nature! Psyche's head should be bending over Cupid, the rest of her figure 16 held 17 backward, as it is when you 18 come 10 toward a place you dread to enter and from which you 18 are ready to make your escape; 20 she should be stepping on the floor with 21 one foot while 22 the other should hardly touch 23 the ground. And [about] the 24 IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION 175 lamp, should she let the light shine 25 into Cupid's eyes? Shouldn't she hold it aside 26 and place her hand in front of it 27 so as to soften 28 its brilliancy? And besides, 29 in this way 30 the painting might be lighted in a piquant way. 31 Those people do not know that the eyelids are slightly trans- parent; 32 they have never seen a mother who comes at 33 night to see her child in his 34 cradle ; [she is holding] a lamp in 34 her hand and 35 is afraid of awakening him. * * * Without the charm of landscape, whatever be the art 3(i [with which] the artist succeeds in drawing 37 the figures, he will succeed but incompletely; without good rendering of 39 faces 38 and characters; without the soul, whatever be the charm of the landscape, his success 40 will be small; both requirements 42 should be combined. 41 104b. Pierre Passage translated by John Morley The Flight into Egypt is treated in 31 a fresh 43 and piquant manner. But the painter has not known how to make the best 44 of his idea. The Virgin passes in the background 45 of the picture bearing the infant Jesus in her arms. She is followed by Joseph and the ass carrying 46 the baggage. In the foreground 47 are the shepherds prostrating 48 [themselves], their hands upturned towards her, 49 and wishing 50 her a happy journey. Ah, [what a] 51 fine painting, if the artist had known [how] to make mountains at the foot of which the Virgin had passed; 52 if he had known [how] to make the moun- tains very steep, 53 escarped, majestic; if he had given to the Virgin simplicity, 54 beauty, grandeur, nobleness, if the road that she follows had lead into the paths of some forest, lonely 176 IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION and remote ; 55 if he had taken his moment at the rise of day 56 or at its fall. 57 105a. John Morley on art criticism Who that 1 has read [them], can 5 ever forget the dialogues [that are] set 2 among 3 the landscapes of Vernet in 4 the Salons of 1767? The critic supposes [himself] unable 6 to visit the Salon of the year, 7 and 8 to be staying 9 in a gay 10 country house amid 11 some 12 fine landscapes on the sea coast. He describes his 13 walks among 14 these admirable scenes, 15 and the strange and varying 16 effects of light and color, and all the movements 17 of the sky and ocean ; and into the descrip- tions he weaves 18 a series of dialogues with an abbé, [a] tutor 19 of the children of the house, upon art and landscape and the processes 20 of the universe. Nothing 21 can be more excellent and 22 lifelike; it is not until 23 the end that he lets the 25 secret slip 24 that the whole fabric 26 has been a flight 27 of fancy, inspired by no 28 real landscape, but by the sea- pieces 29 sent to the exhibition by Vernet. John Morley. Diderot, vol. II, p. 72. 105b. Dialogue On my right in the far distance 30 a mountain lifted its summit into 31 the clouds. Just then, chance had brought 32 there a traveler who was standing still. 33 The foot of this mountain was hidden from us 34 by a mass of rock standing in between. 35 The foot of this rock, [as it] spread 36 out [first] dropping down then rising up again, 37 divided in two the depth of the scene. On the extreme right, 38 on the projecting 39 rock, I noticed two figures so effective 40 that art could not have placed [them] better. 40 They were fishermen; one was IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION 177 sitting on the rock [with] his legs hanging down, holding his line which he had cast 41 into the waters which in this place washed [against] the rock; 42 the other, his net 43 over his should- ers, was bending over the first and talking with him. On the kind of stony road 44 which the base of the rock formed as it spread, 45 in a place where the road was dropping dow T n 46 into the background, a covered wagon 47 driven by a peasant w T as heading 48 toward a village placed below the road. This again was an incident which art would have suggested; my glance, 49 passing over this narrow strip 50 of rock [after] meet- ing 51 the top of the village houses, wandered and lost itself 52 in the (open) country which merged 53 into the sky. "Which one of your artists," said my guide, "would have conceived the idea of breaking 54 the uniformity 55 of this rocky road by a clump of trees?" — Vernet, possibly. All right; 56 but would your Vernet have conceived 58 the elegance and the charm of it 51 [all] ? Would he have been able 59 to render the warm and piquant effect of the light which dances 60 along the trunk and branches? — Why not? 61 [Could he have] rendered 62 the wide 63 expanse that your glance discovers beyond it? 64 — He has done it occasionally. You don't know this artist; you don't know T how familiar the phenomena of nature are to him. I was answering absentmindedly ; for my attention was engrossed 65 by a mass of rocks overgrown 66 by wdld shrubs which nature had placed at the other end of the rocky ledge. 67 This mass was also hidden 68 by a rock which, stand- ing in front of it 69 and being separated 70 from the first [by a cleft], formed a canal through which 11 the waters 73 rushed down like a 12 torrent, forming finally a waterfall, which was splash- ing foam 74 on the detached stones. "Well," said I to my guide, 178 IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION " go to the Exhibit and you will see that a powerful imagina- tion, helped by conscientious study of nature, has enabled one of our artists to create 1 * exactly 76 these rocks, this water- fall, this little bit 17 of landscape." — And perhaps with this large block of unhewn granite?* and this fisherman sitting 79 [down], who is taking up his net and gathering bis fishing tackle 80 scattered around him, and his wife standing, and this woman with her back turned. 81 — You don't know, abbé, what a bad joker you are. The space comprised between the waterfall rocks, 82 the rocky road, and the mountains on 83 the left formed a lake on the shores of which we were walking; from there we were admiring this wonderful scene; however a cloud had risen in the region 84 of the sky that we could see between the clump of trees on the rocky ledge and the rocks with 82 the fishermen — a light cloud which was sailing 85 [through the sky] at the will 86 [of the wind] . . . Then turning towards the abbé: "In good faith/' said I, "do you think that an able 87 artist could have dispensed 70 with 83 placing this cloud pre- cisely where it is? Don't you see that it defines 88 to the eye the space both on this side 89 and beyond, that it places 90 the sky farther away, and brings all the objects forward? 91 Vernet would have realized 92 all that. The other artists, by overclouding 93 their skies, intend 94 only to break the monotony. Vernet wishes his skies to have the life 95 and the magic of that which we see." — You may repeat 96 Vernet, Vernet [as much as you please]; I have no intention of leaving nature to run after its image. Man may 97 be ever so wonderful ; he is not God. — / agree with you 98 but if you had had any intercourse 99 [with] the artist, perhaps he might have taught you to see in nature what you do not see in it. How many things with IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION 1 79 which you might find fault! 100 How many art leaves out because they spoil 101 the [general] effect and interfere 101 with it; how many he would bring together which would greatly add 102 [to] our delight! 103 — Why ! do you mean seriously that Vernet might have done better than copy this scene exactly? — I believe it. — Then tell me how he would go to work 104 to beautify this scene. — I cannot possibly tell, 105 and if I knew (it) I would be a greater poet and a greater painter than he is ; but had Vernet taught you to see nature better, nature in her turn 106 would have taught you how to appreciate Vernet. PART II 106. Influence orientale Au XVIII me siècle, le goût de l'Orient se répandit en France par la lecture des relations de voyages publiées dans la se- conde moitié du XVII me siècle. Ceux qui, à cette époque, visitaient l'Orient étaient le plus souvent des marchands de pierres précieuses qui voyageaient dans l'intérêt de leur commerce. Les ouvrages de Chardin et de Tavernier furent énormément lus. Ces récits, intéressants surtout par le fond, n'ont, sous le rapport de la forme artistique, qu'une valeur négligeable. De tour d'esprit, ces deux voyageurs ne se ressemblaient guère, Chardin, surtout critique et phi- losophe, cherchait à rectifier, par des observations faites sur place, les erreurs de la tradition ; volontiers il avançait des théories et Montesquieu lui en a emprunté deux: celle de l'influence du climat et celle du despotisme. Ce fut, dit M. Sorel, de Chardin «qu'il s'inspira dans l'espèce de roman qu'il mêla aux Lettres persanes et dans' la composition du décor où il plaça ses personnages. » Tavernier, lui, était un brave homme, sans malice, qui ra- contait les choses telles qu'il les voyait, et il faut bien avouer que, parfois, il regardait un peu en badaud; témoin le récit qu'il fait d'un fameux tour de passe-passe qu'il vit aux Indes. En lisant ce récit, on ne peut s'empêcher de pen- ser que le magicien eut beau jeu à faire couler, devant des yeux aussi peu prévenus, quelques gouttes de son sang dont il teignait ensuite le bâton qui, à vue d'œil, se transformait en arbuste fleuri. 180 IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION l8l Son livre qui, sous certains rapports, aurait pu servir de guide, contenait quantité de renseignements pratiques; il faisait aussi connaître les coutumes du pays, qu'il décrivait minutieusement, les objets caractéristiques, qu'il nommait par leur nom hindou et, comme son métier avait sans doute développé en lui le sens de la précision, il tâchait de donner à ses lecteurs des notions exactes. Il avait volontiers re- cours à des comparaisons familières ; ainsi : le Gange pouvait se comparer à la Seine, la silhouette d'un temple rappelait le Val de Grâce; puis, un peu d'imprévu, une note vive: le pagne de quelques Hindous qui passent est de couleur orange. Pour les lecteurs de ce temps-là, qui n'étaient pas blasés sur ce genre d'impressions, ce livre, avec sa couleur locale, avait déjà le charme de l'exotisme. (For oral translation) 107. Tavernier's Travels in India' Edited by T. Ball. From Surat to Baroche, 22 coss. All the country between these two towns is one of corn, rice, millet, and sugar canes. Before entering Broach, you cross, by ferry, a river which runs to Cambay and discharges itself afterwards into the gulf of the same name. Broach is a large town, containing an ancient fortress which they have neglected to maintain; but it has been widely renowned from all time on account of its river, which possesses a peculiar property for bleaching calicoes, and they bring them for this reason from all quarters of the em- pire of the Great Mogul, where there is not the same abund- ance of water. In this place there is made a quantity of baftas or pieces of long and narrow calico; these are very 1 82 IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION beautiful and closely woven cloths, and the price of them ranges from four to one hundred rupees. Custom dues have to be paid at Broach on all goods, whether imported or ex- ported. The English have a very fine dwelling there ; and I remember that, on arrival one day when returning from Agra to Surat with the President of the English, some jugglers im- mediately came to ask him if he desired that they should show him some examples of their art; these he was curious to see. The first thing they did was to kindle a large fire and heat iron chains to redness; these they wound round their bodies, making believe that they experienced some pain, but not really receiving any injury. Next, having taken a small piece of stick, and having planted it in the ground, they asked one of the company what fruit he wished to have. He replied that he desired mangoes, and then one of the conjurers, covering himself with a sheet, stooped to the ground five or six times. I had the curiosity to ascend to a room in order to see from above, through an opening of the sheet, what this man did, and I saw that he cut him- self under his armpits with a razor, and anointed the piece of wood with his blood. At each time that he raised him- self, the stick increased under the eye, and at the third time it put forth branches and buds. At the fourth time the tree was covered with leaves, and at the fifth we saw the flowers themselves. The President of the English had his clergyman with him, having taken him to Ahmadâbâd to baptize a child of the Dutch Commander, of whom he had been asked to be the godfather, for it should be remarked that the Dutch have no clergymen save in those places where they have both merchants and soldiers together. The English clergyman had at first protested that he was unable to consent that Christians should be present at such IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION 1 83 spectacles, and when he beheld that from a piece of dry wood these people, in less than half an hour, had caused a tree of four or five feet in height to appear, with leaves and flowers, as in springtime, he made it his duty to break it, and proclaimed loudly that he would never administer the communion to anyone of those who remained longer to wit- ness such things. This compelled the President to dismiss the jugglers, who travel from place to place with their wives and children, like those whom we in Europe commonly call Egyptians or Bohemians, and having given them the equiva- lent of ten or twelve ecus, they withdrew very well satisfied. (For oral translation) 108. The Travels of Sir John Chardin in Persia Through the Black Sea and the Country of Colchis Twelve leagues from Erivan to the East is to be seen the famous mountain where almost all men agree that the ark of Noah rested, though nobody can bring any solid proof to make out what they affirm. When the air is serene, this mountain is not to be seen at more than the distance of two leagues, as high and as great as it is ; therefore I am apt to believe I have seen far higher ; and, if I am not deceived, that part of Caucasus which I cross'd over, as I travelled from the Black Sea to Akalzike, is higher than this mountain. . . . The Armenians have a tradition that the ark is still upon the point, or highest top. They add, moreover, that never could anybody ascend to the place where it rested ; and this they firmly believe upon the faith of a miracle which, they say, happened to a certain monk of Echs-Miazin, whose name was James, afterwards Bishop of Nisibis. They re- 1 84 IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION port that this monk, possess'd with the common opinion that this was the mountain where the ark rested after the deluge, resolved to ascend to the top, or die in the attempt, that he got up half way, but could never go any farther, for that after he had clamber'd all the day long, he was in his sleep miraculously carry'd back to the place from whence he set forward in the morning. This continued a long time ; but that at length God, giving ear to the monk's prayers, was willing to satisfy his desires in some measure; to which purpose he sent an angel to him with a piece of the ark, with orders to bid him not toil himself any more in vain, for that he had debarr'd from mortals access to the top of that mountain. And this is the tale which they tell; upon which I shall observe two things. First, that it has no coherence with the relation of the ancient authors, as Josephus, Bero- sus, or Nicholas of Damascus, who assure us that the re- mainders of the ark were to be seen, and that the people took the pitch with which it was besmeared as an antidote against several distempers. The second, that whereas it is tak'n for a miracle that nobody can get up to the top, I should rather take it for a greater miracle that any man should climb up so high. For the mountain is altogether uninhabited and, from halfway to the top of all, perpetually cover'd with snow that never melts, so that all the seasons of the year it appears like a prodigious peak of nothing but snow. What I have reported concerning this mountain will doubt- less cause no small wonder in those who have read the Travels of Father Philip, a Barefoot Carmelite, that he should under- take to say that the Terrestrial Paradise lies there "in some plain which God preserves from heat and cold," for these are the words of his translator. The thought itself seems to me to be very pleasant; and I should have thought he IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION 185 had spoken it jocularly, did he not relate with an extraor- dinary seriousness several things in the same book which are altogether as improbable. 109. The First Translator of the 'Mille et une Nuits' Antoine Galland, professeur au collège Mazarin, attaché théolo- gique de l'ambassadeur de France à Constantinople It was on 1 a bright summer morning, August 21st, 1670. The Princess, one of the prettiest frigates of the Royal navy, was leaving her moorings in 2 the harbor of Marseilles; she had unfurled her great flag* in honor of the ambassador who was accompanied by a numerous and brilliant retinue. 4 It was in the quality of 5 [a] theological attaché that Antoine Galland belonged to 6 the embassy of Marquis de Nointel. [The idea of such a] post 7 originated in the brains op the Port- Royal gentlemen; le grand Arnauld and M. Nicole in par- ticular, 9 who were on intimate terms 10 with M. de Pomponne, then Secretary of State for 11 foreign affairs. These gentle- men, [having] entered 12 into a lively controversy with a pro- testant pastor, M. Claude, on the mystery of the Eucharist, [they] wished to know more about 1 * the doctrines of the relig- ious orders in the East on 14 the dogma of the real presence. As he was a scholar 1 * sufficiently versed in the knowledge of Hebrew, of modern Greek, and of ancient Asiatic languages such as Sanscrit and Pahlavi, 16 Antoine Galland was specially qualified to carry out successfully 11 the delicate mission 1 * with which his ecclesiastical professors had entrusted him. 19 As modest as [he was] learned, his dream was 20 to devote 21 his life to the cataloguing 22 of the Oriental manu- scripts of the Sorbonne. His interest being easily awakened 2 * he was eager 24 to see something new 2S [A] passionate and 1 86 IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION enthusiastic booklover, 26 he bought ancient books [in] Ara- bic 27 and enjoyed 28 the charm of the fantastic tales in which the narrative genius of the East displays 29 its delightful fantasy. And so it was that the theological attaché of the French embassy [happened] to become 30 the translator of the ' Thousand and one Nights.' His position with 31 the ambassador, his taste for studious leisure 32 and for watchful idleness, 33 his easily awakened and unflagging interest , 34 his perfect command 35 of the dif- ferent languages of the country, his innumerable connec- tions 36 in all the social classes of the Ottoman empire made it possible for him 37 to see a Turkey [which we do not dream of 38 ] — the real Turkey, which conceals 39 itself from the eyes of the hurried tourist or the over-busy 40 diplomat. Every night, after having watched 41 the Turkish cere- monies at the Old Serail, or the performance 42 of the howling 43 or dancing 43 dervishes, or seen the exchange of presents 44 and of politenesses in the embassies, he wrote down everything* 5 he had seen or heard. So that 46 his diary is a summing up 47 of direct observation which enables 37 us to see again, with the mind y s eyes, 48 the capital of the Ottoman empire, very nearly as 49 it was in the remote ages 50 when, 51 at a mere sign of the sultan, 52 the ambassadors of the great powers 54 could be imprisoned 53 at 55 the Seven Towers. The diversions 56 in which the 51 future author of the "Thou- sand and one Nights" [used to indulge] were mostly literary. . . . But the triumph of Antoine Galland was the presenta- tion of "Le Cid," given 58 by the ambassador [for the benefit of 59 ] a very large gathering 60 of Franks and Greeks and women both from Pera and from Galata. The young theo- logical attaché had been entrusted 61 [with] the part 62 of Elvire, Chimène's attendant. And the charming daughters of M. IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION 1 87 Roboly, [a] wealthy merchant, 63 had ransacked 64 their ward- robes to provide 65 for him a costume [which would be] sufficiently picturesque. He wore a "light brown caftan" 66 ornamented with filigree 67 buttons, a very rich belt made of rubies and diamonds ... a skirt of gold and silver brocade on a crimson background?*. . . . His heelless slippers 69 were white, his turban, so heavy "that he had to make an effort in order not to let his head droop ," 70 [was 71 ] ornamented with sparkling aigrettes ; muslin and gauze were wound up around it. 11 In his ears they 61 put 12 two rather large emerald drops 73 with two strings 74 of pearls tied at both ends. 75 Thus arrayed in rustling silks and satins, 76 the former 77 professor of College Mazarin, the beloved 78 pupil of M. Arnauld and M. Nicole, so far 79 forgot the austere 80 [training] of Port Royal that [he] looked at himself in 81 the glass without any feeling of mortification. 82 "They 61 tried to make me believe" 83 he says in his naive way, 84 " that I did not look badly 85 in this dress, 86 and that it was very becoming 87 to me." At all events, 88 there 61 never was a more Oriental [looking] Elvire, nor [one who looked] more like the picture 89 we 61 have in our mind 90 of the fair Scheherazade. Faithful 01 reader of "Clélie" and of the "Grand Cyrus," Galland regretted that he did not wield 92 Mlle de Scudéry's pen when he had to describe 93 the exotic and barbaric pomps of which he was a 94 surprised, amused, or frightened witness. 94 He describes what he sees in few words. 95 with a discreet 96 and yet characteristic gesture. Galland accompanied the ambassador on a 97 wonderful trip; with the marquis de Nointel, he visited Tenedos and the site of Troy 98 Then they went to (the island of) Chios, at that time 99 flourishing and prosperous. In high spirits, they landed in 100 Delos, Paros, Naxos, in all the Cyclades 1 88 IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION with 59 their sonorous names. . . . After stopping over 101 in Cyprus, they 61 explored the Syrian 102 coast, Tripoli, Jaffa, the Holy Land, the high valleys of Lebanon. 102 After he had returned to Paris in possession of several volumes of tales [in] Arabic which he had picked 103 up at random in the course of his studious investigations 10 * in the bazars of the East, Antoine Galland wished to see again in [his] imagination the fairy-like scenes of the strange and mysterious countries he had visited in his youth. It was then, after having become a sedentary student of the East, when he was librarian of the "Intendant de Normandie," and, thanks to the king, [a] member of the Academy of in- scriptions and belles-lettres that, for his pleasure and for our entertainment, 105 he undertook the translation of the " Thousand and one Nights". Translated from G. Deschamps. A Constantinople, pp. 314-316, 326-328, 331 (Calmann-Lévy). 110. The History of the two Indies Sur "l'Histoire philosophique et politique des établissements et du commerce des Européens dans les Indes," par l'abbé Raynal _ Franklin and Silas Deane were one day talking [together] [about the many 2 ] blunders 1 in Raynal's book, when the author himself happened 3 to step 4 in. They told him of what they had been speaking.* "Nay," says Raynal, "I took the greatest care not to insert 6 a single fact for which / had not the most unquestionable authority"' 1 Deane then fell 8 on 9 the story of Polly Baker and declared of his own certain knowledge 10 that there had nevçr been a law against bastardy in Massachusetts. Raynal persisted 11 that he must have had the whole case 12 from [some source] 13 of indisputable trustworthiness, 14 until 15 Franklin broke in IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION 1 89 upon him with a loud laugh* 6 and explained that when 17 he was a printer of a newspaper , l8 they 19 were sometimes short 20 of news, and to amuse his customers 21 he invented fictions 22 that were as welcome* 3 to them as facts. One of these fictions was the legend of Raynal's heroine. The abbé was not in the least 24 disconcerted. "Very well, Doctor," he replied, "I would rather relate your stories than other 25 [men]'s truth. 26 " When [all] has 19 been said that 27 need 28 be said about the glaring 30 shortcomings 29 of the "History of the Indies," its popularity 32 still remains to be accounted for. 31 If we 19 ask for the causes of this striking 33 success, they 19 are perhaps not very far to seek. 34 [For one thing], 35 the book is remark- able both 36 for its variety and its animation. Horace Wal- pole wrote about it 37 to Lady Aylesbury in terms that do not at all overstate its liveliness : "It tells 39 [one] everything in 38 the world ; — how to make 40 conquests, invasions, blun- ders, settlements, bankruptcies, fortunes, etc. ; tells you the natural and historical history of all nations; talks 41 com- merce, navigation, tea, coffee, china, mines, salt, spices; of 42 the Portuguese, English, French, Dutch, Danes, Span- iards, Arabs, caravans, Persians, Indians; of Louis XIV and the King of Prussia, of La Bourdonnais, Dupleix, and Ad- miral Saunders; of rice, and women that dance naked; of camels, gingham, 43 and muslin; of millions of millions of lires, pounds, rupees, and cowries; of iron cables and Cir- cassian women; of Law and the Mississippi; and against 44 all governments and religions." All this is really not too highly colored. 43 And Raynal's cosmorama exactly hit the tastes of the hour 46 The readers of that day were full of a new curiosity 41 about the world outside 48 of France, and the less known families 49 of the I go IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION human stock. 49 It was no doubt more 50 [like the] curiosity of keen-witted children than [the] curiosity [of] science. 51 Montesquieu first 52 stirred 53 this interest in 54 the unfamiliar 56 (forms of) custom, institution, creed, motive, and daily manners. 55 But while Montesquieu treated such matters frag- mentary, and in connection with a more or less abstract dis- cussion 57 on polity, Raynal made them the objects of a vivid and concrete picture, and presented them in the easier shape of a systematic history. Diderot, II, p. 210 (Macmillan), by John Morley, Franklin read and admired the book in London. Black 58 Toussaint Louverture in his slave-cabin™ at Hayti labori- ously 60 spelled his way through its pages, 61 and found in their 58 story of the wrongs of 3 his race and their passionate appeal against slavery, the first [definite 62 ] expression of thoughts which had already 64 been dimly stirred 65 in his generous spirit [by 66 ] the brutalities that were every day enacted 67 under his eyes. Gibbon solemnly immortalized Raynal by describing him, in one of the great 68 chapters of the Decline and Fall, as a writer who, " with a just confidence^ had pre- fixed 70 to his own history 11 the honorable epithets of political and philosophical. " Robertson, [whose 72 ] excellent History of America, covering 73 part of Raynal's ground, 74 was 75 not published until 1777, complimented Raynal on his ingenuity and eloquence, and reproduced 76 some of Raynal's specula- tions. 77 Frederick the Great began to read it, and for some days spoke enthusiastically to his French satellites at dinner 1 * of its eloquence and reason. All at once he became silent, and he never spoke a word about the book again™ He had suddenly IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION ICI come across half a dozen pages of vigorous rhapsodizing, 80 delivered 81 for his [own] good. John Morley. Diderot, II, pp. 218, 219 (Macmillan). 111. L'art de critiquer sans avoir l'air d'y toucher Les Lettres persanes. Les Lettres anglaises. Les deux Persans que Montesquieu fait voyager en France rappellent, par leur tour d'esprit, Tavernier et Chardin, à cela près que Montesquieu leur prête, à tous les deux, son es- prit vif et piquant qui donne aux critiques le trait qui porte. Cette critique-là, cependant, est loin d'être la plus dange- reuse: Montesquieu avait, dans son carquois, bien d'autres flèches. Voltaire et lui ont porté à son point de perfection l'art de critiquer en ayant l'air de faire des compliments. Lorsqu'un Persan admire le gouvernement français parce qu'il ressemble à celui du sultan, cela donne à penser. Lors- que Voltaire, sans écrire une seule fois le mot de tolérance, donne au lecteur une leçon de choses en le faisant assister à son entrevue avec un quaker qui lui fait gentiment la leçon, il impose au lecteur une constante collaboration dans la critique: tout ce qu'il loue chez les Anglais fait défaut en France. De cette visite chez un quaker, le lecteur re- tire une leçon de tolérance: cette secte aux idées bizarres n'est pas persécutée; une leçon de sincérité et de simplicité dans les manières et dans les paroles; et puis, si le lecteur ne devient pas antimilitariste, ce n'est vraiment pas la faute de Voltaire, qui a bien voulu prêter à son bénin quaker, pour prêcher une doctrine si subversive, une étincelle de son esprit; car le piquant du dialogue fait mieux ressortir la force de sa sensibilité émue. 1 92 IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION La critique des mœurs, telle que Font comprise Montes- quieu et Voltaire, devait exercer une influence même en Angleterre. On la retrouve chez Goldsmith lorsque, se lais- sant gagner à l'idée de la fraternité des peuples mise à la mode par Montesquieu, il représente un philosophe chinois qui, par l'intérêt qu'il prend à la civilisation anglaise, mérite à juste titre d'être appelé «A Citizen of the World». 112. 'Persian Letters' by Montesquieu The inhabitants of Paris carry 1 inquisitiveness to extrava- gance. 2 When I arrived, I was looked at as if I had been sent from heaven; old men, men, women, children, all wished to see me. When 3 I went out, everybody looked out of the windows;* if I went to the Tuileries I immediately saw a circle gathering 5 around me; even the women made a rain- bow around me formed 6 of [a] thousand hues which sur- rounded me. If I happened to be at the theatre, a hundred opera glasses 7 were instantly directed 8 upon my face; well, no man has ever been seen as much as I have been. Yet I smiled sometimes to hear people, who had hardly been out of their rooms, say to each other: "we must acknowledge 9 that he has a [marked] Persian air." 10 The wonderful thing about it was that 11 I found portraits of mine 12 everywhere ; / saw my duplicates 1 * in all the shops, on all the mantelpieces; people were so afraid 1 * of not having seen me enough. So much 15 attention will finally become tedious; 16 I never thought 17 I was such a rare and odd man; and although I hold 18 [a] good opinion of myself, it would never have come into my head 19 that I might 20 disturb the peace of a large city where I was not known at all. This induced 21 me to IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION 1 93 leave the Persian costume and to put 23 on a European 24 one, 22 in order to see if there would still be in my physiog- nomy something worthy of admiration. , 25 This test 26 made me realize 27 what I really was worth; 28 [when I was] rid 29 of all foreign ornaments, I saw myself appreciated at my real valued I had good reasons 31 to complain about* 2 my tailor who. made me lose in one moment the attention and the esteem [of the] public, for I suddenly dropped into utter noth- ingness. 33 I remained 34 sometimes [for] a [whole] hour in 35 a company without having 36 been noticed and without having 36 been given a 37 chance 38 of opening my 37 mouth; but if perchance somebody informed the company that I was [a] Persian, I immediately heard around me a [sort of] buzzing : 39 " Well, 40 Well ! This gentleman is [a] Persian ! That is a very extraordinary thing. How is it possible 41 to be [a] Persian? " Lettre XXX. Rica à Ibben. 113. Selection from Voltaire's 'English Letters' I thought 1 that the doctrine and the history of a sect 2 as extraordinary as the Quakers would be of interest 3 to a sensi- ble 4 man. In order to find out something about them, 5 I called on 6 one of the most celebrated Quakers in 7 England, who, after having been for thirty years in business, 8 had known [how] to set a limit to his wealth 9 and to his wishes, and had retired 10 to a country place in the vicinity of London. I visited 11 him in his retreat ; it was a small 12 but well-built house, and its only ornament was its neatness. 13 The Quaker, an 14 old man [with a ruddy complexion 15 ], had 16 never been ill, because he had always been free from 17 passions and from 18 intemperance; never in 7 my life did I see more distinguished and more prepossessing manner 19 than his. He wore, 20 like 194 IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION all those of his religion, a coat without folds on the sides and without buttons [either] on the pockets or 18 on the sleeves; he wore 21 a large hat with the brim hanging down 22 like our priests. 23 He received me with his hat on his 24 head, and moved toward 2 * me without bending in the slightest degree 26 but there was more politeness in the open and kindly expression 21 of his face than there is in our custom 2 * of drawing one leg behind the other, and carrying in 29 our 24 hands what is made to cover our 24 heads. "Friend," he said, "I see that thou art [a] stranger; if I can be of any use 30 to thee, thou needst but 31 speak." " Sir," I said, bending low and slipping 32 one foot forward, 33 according to 34 our fashion, "I flatter myself that my natural curiosity will not displease you and that you will be kind enough 35 to do me the honor of instructing me in 7 your religion." "The people from thy country," he answered, "pay 36 too many compliments and bow too much, 37 but up to this time 38 I have not seen any of them who had 39 the same interest. Come in, and first let us dine together." Again I payed 36 a few bad compliments, because you cannot get rid 40 of your habits all at once; and, after a wholesome and frugal meal which began and ended by a prayer to God, I began to cross- question 41 him. I opened the conversation with 42 a question often asked by good Catholics to the Huguenots. "My dear Sir," said I, "were you ever baptized?" "No," answered the Quaker, "and my brethren have not been." "Good gra- cious ," 43 said I, "[is it possible] then 44 you are not Christians?" "Friend," said he gently, 45 "do not swear; we are Christians, but we do not think that Christianity consists in 29 having our 24 heads sprinkled 46 with a little salt and water." "Oh! dear me" 41 I went on, indignant 48 at 7 such impiety, "then you must have forgotten that Jesus Christ was baptized by John." IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION 1 95 "Friend/' no swearing, 49 / ask thee again" 50 said the benig- nant 51 Quaker. "Christ was baptized by John, but he never baptized any one; 52 we are not John's disciples, but Christ's." "Well," I exclaimed, "how the holy inquisition would burn you [at the stake]. ... In the name of God, dear man, let me 53 baptize you !" "If this were the only thing required, 54 we might condescend to your weakness," he answered gravely; "we do not condemn anybody for going through the formality 55 of baptism, but we believe that those who profess a thoroughly 56 spiritual and 56 holy religion should abstain 10 as much as they can from any judaic ceremony." You see how the saintly man was rather 58 speciously making the most 57 of three or four passages from the Holy Scripture which seemed to favor his sect; in perfect good faith 59 he was forgetting [all about] a hundred different passages which utterly con- demned 60 him. I carefully refrained 61 from entering upon a controversy with him; 62 you cannot, in any way, bring round 63 an enthusiast; you should not tell 64 a man [what] the faults of his mistress [are], neither [point out] to him who has a lawsuit 65 the weak [points] of his case, or reason with a fanatic; therefore I ventured 66 another question. "About 67 communion," I said, "how do you use 55 it?" "We do not use it," he said. "What! no communion?" "No, ex- cept the communion 6 * of hearts." Then he again quoted the Scriptures. He preached for my benefit a fine sermon 69 against communion and, as if divinely inspired, 10 he spoke to show that the holy sacraments were all of human invention, and that the word sacrament did not appear 71 a single time in the Bible. "Excuse my ignorance," he said, "I have not brought 72 [forward] one hundredth of the proofs in favour of my religion, but thou canst find them in the exposition of our faith by Robert Barclay: it is one of the best books 196 IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION which ever came 39 from the hand of man. Our enemies acknowledge 73 that it is very dangerous; it proves how reasonable it is." I promised him to read this book, and my Quaker thought I was already converted. Then, in a few words, he gave me a reason 74 for the oddities 75 which expose his sect to the scorn of the others. "Acknowledge," 76 he said, " that thou hadst some difficulty in refraining 77 from laughing when I answered all thy polite speeches 1 * with my hat on my 24 head, calling thee ' thou;' 79 yet thou seemest to me too [well] informed 80 to be ignorant 81 [of the fact] that in 7 the time of Christ no nation incurred 82 the ridicule of substituting the plural for the singular. They used to say to Caesar Augustus: ' I love thee, I pray thee, I thank thee;' he did not even allow 83 people 84 to call 39 him Sir, Lord. It was only much later that men took it into their heads 85 to have themselves called 86 you instead of thou, as if they were double, and to usurp the impertinent titles of greatness, eminence, holiness, and even Divinity which some earthworms give to other earthworms. Other men wear the badges 87 of their dignity, and we, those of Christian humility; we flee from worldly 88 assemblies, theaters, or places of gambling; 89 we would be very much to be pitied if we were 90 to fill with trifles a heart in which God is to dwell; 91 we never take an oath 92 not even in court, 93 we think that the name of the Almighty 94 should not be prostituted [by being used] in the wretched quarrels 95 of men. When we are summoned to appear in presence of 96 magistrates for other people's business (for we never have any lawsuits), we give our testimony 91 by [saying] Yes or No, and the judges take us at our mere word 98 while other Christians commit perjury 99 in swearing by the Bible. We never go to war; not that 100 we are 39 afraid of death, — on the contrary, we bless the time which makes us one with the IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION 1 97 Supreme Being, 101 but [our reason 102 is that] we are neither wolves, nor tigers, nor bulldogs, but men, but Christians. And, when, after battles which have been won, the whole city of London is illuminated, when 103 the sky is ablaze 103 with fireworks, when 103 the air resounds with prayers™* w 7 ith bell ringing, organ playing, and booming cannons, we bewail 105 in silence the murders which cause this public rejoicing." 106 PART III 114. Du Réalisme au Romantisme Du réalisme au romantisme une route conduit; partant d'Espagne, elle traverse la France, passe en Angleterre et, par un brusque retour, revient en France. Suivons-la; des romans marqueront les étapes. Une fois seulement, les Français et les Anglais se sont rencontrés à mi-chemin dans le domaine du goût. Ce fut au XVIII me siècle. A l'influence anglaise qui dirigea l'épa- nouissement de la pensée française, la France ne peut guère opposer la sienne que dans la correspondance et le roman; mais là, elle est certes intéressante, puisque, avec Lesage, le réalisme arriva à l'unité artistique et qu'avec Rousseau, le romantisme prit naissance. En comparant entre eux Lesage, Marivaux, Richardson et Rousseau, on peut suivre pas à pas l'évolution graduelle où chacun des deux pays fournit son apport. Au XVII me siècle, le réalisme français a une double ori- gine: nationale et étrangère. A côté des romans où Mlle de Scudéry déguisait si bien les grands personnages de son temps sous les oripeaux de l'histoire ancienne qu'ils en devenaient méconnaissables, il y avait, sous forme de por- traits et de caractères, une littérature qui porte l'empreinte de ce vigoureux réalisme qui trouva chez La Bruyère sa plus complète expression. Quoique La Bruyère s'attache surtout à peindre la cour et la ville, on ne peut oublier le tableau où il représente les paysans comme «des animaux farouches». On sent déjà que l'âpre originalité vient d'en bas. A côté de cela, des parodies, des bouffonneries, dans le goût 198 IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION 1 99 a espagnol, préparent le public à goûter le Roman bourgeois de Furetière. Mais au XVIII me siècle, sous l'influence de l'Espagne, le réalisme s'implanta définitivement en France. Dans Gil Bias, Lesage représenta la société dans son en- semble, comme formant un tableau où chaque partie a ses proportions normales. Dans le roman picaresque, les auteurs espagnols ne sortaient guère des bas-fonds de la société; comme eux, Lesage place d'abord son héros dans un entourage des plus modestes; puis, lui faisant traverser tous les mi- lieux, il finit par le placer dans l'intimité des grands: tour à tour valet, précepteur, secrétaire, Gil Bias est toujours bien placé pour voir le revers de la médaille. Cette idée primordiale, empruntée au roman picaresque, prend en France une bien autre étendue et une force redoublée : celle de l'actualité. Dans la réalité on rencontrait des types de ce genre-là; la société, en se désagrégeant, avait rendu la chose possible; un homme capable ou simplement entre- prenant pouvait, par la force du mérite ou des circonstances, se trouver porté au premier rang ; ou, en jouant des coudes, il pouvait se frayer un chemin au milieu de la foule de ceux qui n'avaient d'autre mérite que la naissance. «En Espagne, le roman picaresque retrace toujours l'histoire des fripon- neries d'un pauvre diable; fripon il est, fripon il reste; il n'y a pas de développement de caractère. » La grande origi- nalité de Lesage fut de donner au héros qu'il créa un ca- ractère ; puis, au front du personnage il imprima le sceau du réalisme français: la médiocrité. A force d'être dupe, Gil Bias apprend lui aussi à faire des dupes ; «la leçon du malheur lui montre qu'il y a un moment où il faut choisir sa voie, rouler dans les bas-fonds ou entrer dans la vie honnête ; il se corrige. » Lesage a adouci le réalisme espagnol ; rien chez lui ne rap- 200 IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION pelle Tâpreté du roman picaresque; en retranchant les dé- tails trop crus, en laissant tomber comme un poids mort tout le verbiage qu'il considérait «comme des moralités inutiles», il a allégé son œuvre et lui a donné un cachet artistique conforme au but qu'il se proposait, puisque le roman est un genre fait pour amuser. Longtemps les Espagnols refusèrent de croire que Gil Bias pût être l'œuvre d'un Français, préférant supposer qu'il y avait eu un original espagnol qui s'était perdu; sur cette question, qui a été définitivement tranchée au grand hon- neur de Lesage, M me Emilia Pardo Bazân a écrit dans «La Cuestiôn palpitante» un passage intéressant, où elle dit leur fait à ses compatriotes. La France du XVIII me siècle eut un réaliste qui fit un pas de plus. En représentant, sans l'aide d'aucun déguisement, la société de son temps: Marivaux fit une œuvre profondé- ment originale. En outre, il tirait parti d'une idée neuve: c'est une jeune fille qui est le personnage principal et qui plus est, une jeune fille honnête; le point de départ est donc entièrement différent. Le domaine de Marivaux sera na- turellement plus restreint; il nous fera surtout connaître le monde des couvents et celui des salons. Mais, dira-t-on, sous le rapport des mœurs, le monde des salons laissait beau- coup à désirer ! Pour en faire la protectrice de son héroïne, Marivaux prit pour modèle l'une des femmes les plus dis- tinguées de son temps: M me de Lambert, une précieuse de la vieille roche, une femme vraiment supérieure. On dit que c'est d'elle que Marivaux tenait l'idéal élevé qu'il a proposé pour modèle à son siècle. Il était alors de bon ton de prendre le mariage à la légère. Pour remédier au mal, M me de Lambert pensait que la première chose à faire serait de laisser aux intéressés la liberté du choix. Dans IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION 201 «La Vie de Marianne», Marivaux représente une mère qui laisse son fils libre de suivre son inclination ; elle l'encourage même à épouser l'orpheline sans fortune et sans nom. Ma- rivaux, en suivant de trop près le modèle qu'il avait choisi, a rendu exactement le ton subtil et quintessencié qu'on appelait alors «lambertinage» et qui, dans son œuvre, de- vient du «marivaudage». Si son roman est démodé au- jourd'hui, c'est là qu'il faut en chercher la cause. Vers le milieu du XVIII me siècle, on était fatigué du ton maniéré; les lettres du temps en font foi. Si on admire tant les An- glais, c'est qu'ils disent les choses sans ambages. C'est sans doute pour cette raison que Marivaux n'a pas fait école, tandis que le romancier anglais Richardson, traitant des sujets analogues, a exercé sur la littérature française une influence incontestable; mais lui, laissait courir sa plume au gré de sa fantaisie. Pour saisir les traits caractéristiques des deux romanciers, prenons deux scènes parallèles tirées de «La Vie de Marianne» et de l'histoire de «Pamela». Ces deux jeunes filles, élevées par charité, se trouvent, vers l'âge de seize ans, privées de leur protectrice. Il y a à re- marquer une différence initiale qui est de toute importance : Marianne, bien qu'elle ne sache rien de ses parents, croit fermement qu'elle est d'origine noble; sa distinction natu- relle, sa grâce, donnent à tous ceux qui l'approchent la même impression; Pamela, elle, est franchement plébéienne: on connaît ses parents, de pauvres gens qui n'ont pour tout bien que leur honnêteté. Toutes les deux ont subi les mêmes influences. Elles sortent d'un milieu modeste, où on leur a inculqué le respect de la vertu ; protégées par des femmes du monde, elles acquièrent ensuite les agréments qui les font valoir; exposées aux, tentations, elles en sortent triom- phantes; réduites à gagner leur vie, elles font de la couture. 202 IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION Mais, tandis que Pamela est une petite servante, Marianne se révolte à l'idée d'entrer en service et préfère travailler dans la boutique de M me Dutour. Il est une scène en par- ticulier qui fait bien ressortir le contraste entre Marianne et Pamela. Toutes les deux, et pour cause, ont décidé de renvoyer à leur protecteur l'argent et les vêtements qu'elles ont reçus: tandis que Marianne fait un paquet, Pamela en fait trois; tout le reste est à l'avenant. Marivaux réserve les détails pour l'analyse des sentiments, car il se pique d'en indiquer les nuances les plus fines. Marianne est vertueuse ... et coquette ; elle jouit de porter des vêtements bien faits et, tandis qu'il ne lui en coûte rien de rendre l'argent, elle ne peut s'empêcher de chercher des excuses pour porter aussi longtemps que possible la jolie robe qui lui va si bien. Marivaux ne nous en dit pas plus long. Richardson, au contraire, prend un véritable plaisir à décrire par le menu le trousseau que son humble héroïne a confectionné de ses propres mains: son petit bonnet à nœud vert, sa robe de bure, son manteau ouaté, son chapeau à brides bleues, son mouchoir de coton, et jusqu'aux mitaines de laine qu'elle a achetées au marchand ambulant. Puis, il nous montre Pamela serrant sur son cœur ce paquet qui représente tout son avoir et se réjouissant d'avoir conservé son innocence. Ces descriptions minutieuses des choses extérieures, c'était alors du nouveau en littérature; en outre, en France, un lointain idéal d'innocence et de simplicité commençait à se dessiner et Richardson répondait à cet idéal. Marianne avait beau avoir de la vertu, elle n'en parlait pas, gardant sur ce sujet la réserve d'une femme du monde. Pamela, aux yeux de Diderot et de ses amis, était l'incarna- tion de la vertu plébéienne et, ce qui ajoutait à son charme, elle se présentait sous un costume qui, dans sa simplicité, IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION 203 était le dernier cri de l'exotisme anglais. Et puis, et sur- tout, on se laissa gagner par le sentiment qui débordait de partout. Même lorsque le sentiment dégénérait en sensi- blerie, il répondait à un besoin du moment. Depuis un siècle et demi, les écrivains ne s'adressaient plus qu'à la raison; au milieu de cette aridité, le cœur finissait par se dessécher; on le sentit, et d'instinct on se laissa entraîner par le sentiment qui allait tout rafraîchir et tout vivifier. C'était toute une éducation à faire; l'expansion ne s'apprend pas en un jour, et il est beaucoup plus facile de passer la mesure que de trouver, dans le juste milieu, la perfection. Si le don des larmes eut parfois, dans son exagération, quel- que chose de comique, nous devons cependant savoir gré aux écrivains qui, en développant ce côté de notre nature, ont adouci les mœurs. On était bien dur au XVII me siècle, même ceux qui se piquaient de sentiment : Mme de Sévigné par exemple. Si nous le sommes moins aujourd'hui, c'est aux écrivains du XVIII me siècle que nous le devons. Si Diderot, si Rousseau furent profondément impression- nés par Richardson, c'est qu'en eux l'instinct naturel qui faisait écho, tout en répercutant la sensation, y ajoutait quelque chose. Chez Rousseau, ce fut la passion; il ne fai- sait que suivre son penchant, il l'a avoué lui-même: «Je sentis avant de penser, je n'avais aucune idée des choses que tous les sentiments m'étaient déjà connus. Je n'avais rien conçu, j'avais tout senti.» C'est parce qu'il sut parler la langue de la passion que Rousseau se fit écouter en maître ; sous ce rapport, il laissait Richardson bien loin derrière lui. Et pourtant, Richardson fut son maître. En écrivant la Nouvelle Héloïse, il le suit d'assez près dans la peinture des caractères; Pamela et Clarissa l'inspirent tour à tour, Julie et sa cousine, l'une douce et l'autre enjouée, rappellent 204 IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION Clarissa et Miss Howe; dans les deux romans, la mère, in- signifiante et faible, ne joue qu'un rôle effacé; le père, dur et violent, est entiché de noblesse; seulement, au triste Lovelace Rousseau se substitue lui-même sous les traits de Saint-Preux. Rousseau, en écrivant son roman, a toujours Richardson dans l'esprit; s'il ne le suit pas, il le réfute. Ne va-t-il pas jusqu'à écrire en note, au bas d'une page où il contredit l'auteur anglais au sujet de l'amour à première vue: «Que pensez- vous de cela, M. Richardson?» Pour dé- couvrir les défauts du maître, il n'est rien de tel que . . . l'élève. Rousseau savait par sa propre expérience que le sentiment de la nature, en s'alliant à la passion, était suscep- tible de lui donner une beauté inoubliable. C'est ce que Richardson n'avait pas compris. En France, avant Rousseau, on aimait la vie en plein air. Le cabinet de travail de Lesage était au fond d'un jardin; pour y arriver, on passait sous une sorte de «pergola» plafonnée de plantes grimpantes; cependant, on a beau feuilleter ses romans, nulle part on ne sent monter des pages le parfum du chèvrefeuille qui, dans son jardin, embaumait. Marivaux ne fait guère mieux. Marianne va passer une journée à la campagne; à peine arrivée, elle et son amie courent jusqu'à un petit bois tout proche de la maison et, comme Valville les poursuit, elles s'amusent à lui jeter au visage des poignées de feuilles: rapide et gracieuse vision! C'est dans un jardin que Marianne se trouve lorsqu'elle se rend compte de l'indifférence de Valville. Mais ce jardin, nous ne le voyons pas ; il était sans doute à la mode du temps, à la française, avec des allées droites et un jet d'eau au bout; dans ce cas, Marivaux est bien excusable de ne pas l'avoir décrit minutieusement. Dans la réalité, on commençait à se rendre compte qu'il y avait mieux à faire; on essayait, IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION 205 sans trop de succès; d'avoir des jardins anglais, ce qui a donné à Horace Walpole une belle occasion de faire des gorges chaudes. Mais aussi, les gens du monde étaient incapables de trouver par eux-mêmes ce qu'il fallait. Les Anglais, eux, qui avaient de véritables jardins, ne songeaient pas non plus à les décrire. Clarissa Harlowe en traverse un tous les jours; mais, tout ce que nous en savons, c'est qu'il était entouré d'un mur très haut. Ce que personne alors ne pouvait faire, Rousseau l'ac- complit. Il était admirablement préparé. Par la pratique d'abord : chez Mme de Warens, il travaillait au jardin ; mau- vais ouvrier, mais bon observateur, il sut tirer parti de ces connaissances pratiques, dont on ne saurait exagérer l'im- portance. L'étude de la botanique lui fut utile aussi; les physiocrates attirèrent sans doute son attention vers l'irriga- tion dont la nature lui avait déjà révélé le secret; en parcou- rant les Alpes ruisselantes, n'avait-il pas vu cette merveille : la terre se parant de fleurs jusque sous les neiges. En lisant Richardson, il avait compris qu'il y avait mieux à faire: il fallait compléter, par des descriptions de la nature, l'impres- sion causée par la lutte des passions. Il le fit. Quand Saint-Preux, en proie à une lutte intérieure, sent le besoin de s'isoler, c'est dans les Alpes qu'il va chercher l'apaise- ment. Pour peindre la grandeur sauvage des montagnes et leurs riants aspects, Rousseau sut trouver les accents d'une admirable poésie. Plus tard, voulant montrer la beauté des travaux champêtres qui remplissent une vie bien réglée, il nous montre son héroïne assagie découvrant la poésie des jardins. Tandis qu'on se représente Pamela sur- tout à la cuisine, la cuillère en main, remuant confitures, gelées, cordiaux, Rousseau nous montre Julie travaillant en plein air. Levée de bon matin, elle assiste à la gracieuse 20Ô IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION fête que chaque année ramène l'automne. Avec un art admirable, Rousseau nous fait sentir la valeur musicale de tous les joyeux bruits du travail ; en se confondant ils forment une sorte de symphonie: les coups de marteaux qui reten- tissent à intervalles réguliers, le pas lourd des travailleurs «qui portent la vendange au pressoir», voilà la basse continue sur laquelle se détache, gracieuse, la mélodie des chansons. Puis, une impression artistique d'un autre ordre: c'est une brume qui, en se levant comme un rideau, laisse voir le ciel radieux et les travailleurs groupés en un mouvant tableau. Active, Julie va de l'un à l'autre, choisissant pour le faire cueillir «avant le lever du soleil, le raisin rouge qu'on portera doucement sur le pressoir, encore couvert de sa fleur et de sa rosée, pour en exprimer le vin blanc.» Entre maîtres et ouvriers, la bienveillance règne ; il y a même une sorte de fraternité du travail qui donne à toute cette scène une cer- taine beauté morale. A la paix des champs vient s'harmo- niser la paix de l'âme. En faisant ressortir la beauté plas- tique et musicale des scènes qu'il décrit, Rousseau fait œuvre d'artiste et, par la profondeur du sentiment de la nature, il est véritablement un grand poète. C'est lui qui, presque au seuil du XIX me siècle, sut rouvrir les sources de la poésie lyrique taries depuis plus d'un siècle. 115. Origin of the romance of roguery Le roman picaresque La vie de Lazarille de Tormes. — Préface de Morel-Fatio. The conquest of Granada, the discovery of America, the expulsion of the Jews, the Italian 1 wars, all these events of prime 2 importance which marked the reign of the Catholic Kings, resulted 3 [in] thoroughly 4 modifying the ancient IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION 207 organization of the land. The hierarchy of classes and of individuals was disturbed, 5 men who, up to this time, had been strictly confined to their 6 [native] provinces and who had lived in a condition bordering on 1 slavery were suddenly called to independence, being led away from their native heath 9, by the propaganda of the discoverers 9 and of the conquerors. From the heights 10 of the Asturian mountains, from Castile and from Navarre, gangs which were not unlike 11 streams 12 of lava came down to 13 the Andalusian 1 seaports, where 14 the drums beating to arms called them to 15 Italy and to the Indies; at the seaports 16 [they] crowded 17 into the caravels and galleys on the point of sailing; 1 * these 19 [men were] plain people hard- ened by misery and by the climate of their native country, who 19 had been over-excited and carried away 21 beyond all belief 22 by wonderful tales and wild 20 promises. They were neither all 23 to return or 23 to become rich. The gold of the Indies or the spoils 24 brought back from Italy benefited 25 only a small minority; 26 but such was the enthusiasm 27 that the disappointments 28 and the hardships these men had en- dured 29 could not for 31 a long time allay the fever. 30 The great army of adventurers increased 32 from year to year, 33 and, during the first half of the sixteenth century, Spain was, so to speak, devoured by a spreading 3 * leprosy of outcasts, 35 [the] wrecks 36 of unsuccessful 37 wars, of distant 38 expeditions which had come to grief, 39 of disasters on land and 40 sea. And as, in reality, the temperament of the race had not been altered, 41 as 42 the ideas handed down* 3 from the middle ages had persisted — ideas which in the heroic age of monarchy had had their prestige and their usefulness, as 42 the depreca- tory attitude** towards 45 manual labor, business, 46 and money transactions* 1 was as formerly a fundamental belief** of the nation, as 42 Spain, moreover, 49 [being] deprived of her Jews 208 IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION and her Moors was becoming poorer 50 every day, 33 it came to pass 51 that these men, being out of their element, 52 instead of helping to form a sort of middle-class 53 half-way between the nobility and the serfs bound to the soil 5 * — which, in time 55 might have laid the foundation for 56 the prosperity of Spain — it came to pass that these men formed, in order to live on the Commons of 51 beggary 58 and theft, 59 a great association of roguery 60 and idleness. 61 From this associa- tion sprung the "picaro"; 62 and it is this new type, this in- digenous product which is by no means an anomaly in Spain, in the time we refer to, 63 which our novel faithfully 64 reflected. 116. The life of Lazarillo de Tormes Selection from the Preface History [of] literature 1 is fully justified 2 [in] considering our novel as the prototype of the romance of roguery; 3 literary history considers Lazarillo as the father of all tales of beggary* which, for nearly a century, swarmed 5 on Spanish soil and which have given us, through the medium of Gil Bias, our modern novel of manners. 7 Two methods have contributed to the formation of this literary form 8 in which [the Spaniards have excelled: the autobiographical story 9 and the satire upon contemporary manners. The hero speaks in his own name, relates himself the story of his life ; this [narration in the first person] is the chief characteristic ; 10 but what the hero tells is almost 11 prescribed to him in 12 advance, he moves in a limited 13 circle of ideas, sentiments, situations, he is not free 1 * like the heroes of romances of chivalry or of pastorals, to drift 15 into more or less extraordinary adventures entirely created by his imagination running riot; 16 he must belong 17 to his IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION 209 own country and to his own time, [remain] as close 18 to reality as possible, give a lifelike picture, 19 for, the aim of his work 20 being specially to satirize 21 contemporary follies and vices, it is necessary that the allusions strike home 22 and that the models selected by the narrator easily recognize themselves in his pictures. 23 And this aspect of the literature, this social satire, this picture of contemporary 24 customs [drawn from life 25 ] is so clearly 26 the essential 27 [feature] that, in read- ing any one 28 of the romances of roguery,* you very easily lose sight of the hero of the story, 20 in order to give your entire attention* to the background; 31 I mean the description of the different surroundings 32 through which the rogue 34 passes, 33 and the social types 35 he elbows 36 on the road while making his way through* 1 the world. Elsewhere, on the other hand,* 8 for example in English novels such as Robinson [Crusoe], and many others indirectly de- rived from ours, the hero is all [important] and, on account of* 9 the extraordinary interest he excites and the sympathy he inspires, monopolizes 39 the entire attention of the reader; here, he is almost of no account. Who cares 40 [about] the adventures of Lazarillo or Guzman, who cares 40 whether they act in 41 such and such a manner, 42 whether they die a little sooner or a little later? These rogues 34 do not have an individuality; they are means 43 used by the writer 44 to lead us into the different corners and hidden nooks 45 of a society which he wishes to search 46 in order to reveal 47 its corruption. 48 While the English writer gives his hero a character, a will, and passions, the gradual development of which he attempts 49 to show by means 50 of events, our rogues, 51 ruled 52 by some kind of fatality, are incapable of reasoned action 53 and of personal feeling. 2IO IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION The romance of roguery 21 is a novel of manners 7 rather than a novel of adventure ; besides it is, to a considerable 54 degree, a satirical novel. Spain has always had a 55 gift for criti- cism, satire, epigram ; witness Seneca 56 and Martial. . . . Taken by themselves independently, 57 the three first chapters of Lazarillo form a sort of little epic 58 of Spanish poverty 59 and hunger; specially of hunger which is the soul of the book, this sharp/ 10 persistent hunger which goes through 61 you and hurts 62 you, which you think you feel yourself, and which seems to grapple 63 you by 64 the throat. The impression produced by this crescendo of privations and by the exasperation of these starving 65 [people] is really very strong. From the French of Morel-Fatio. 117. How Lazarillo de Tormes became the servant * of a priest who lets him starve 2 Being then in this affliction, may God keep from it every faithful Christian* and finding 4 myself going from bad to worse, 5 without being able to remedy it, one day while my anxious, wicked, and miserly 6 master was out 7 of the village, there chanced 8 to come to my door a tinker 9 whom I took for 10 an angel by God sent under this garb. 11 He asked me if I had something to mend. 12 "In me you would find enough to mend and it would be no small task for you 13 to put me together," 14 said I so low that he did not hear me. But as I had no time to lose in palavering, 15 I said to him, as if enlightened 16 by the Holy Ghost: "Uncle, I have lost the key to this chest, and I am afraid my master will give me a whip- ping; 17 I beg of you, lS see if, among those you carry, you can- not find one 19 which will open it; I will pay you for it." The angelical tinker then began to try 20 several keys from the IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION 211 large bunch 21 he was carrying, while I was helping him with my feeble 22 prayers. And lo, 23 at the very moment 24 I was least expecting 25 it, I see the chest open, and, at the bottom [of it], in the shape of a loaf of bread, the face of God, as they say. "I have no money to give you for the key," said I, "but repay yourself with this." He took from the loaves 27 the one he liked 28 best, and, having given me the key, he went away 29 satisfied. As for me, I was still more 31 so, 30 but, at 32 that time, I did not tamper with 33 anything, so as not to attract attention to the trickery 34 and also because, feeling 35 that I had in my possession 3 * such a treasure, 36 I persuaded myself that hunger would not dare come near me. My wretched 37 master returned and God granted 38 that he did not notice 39 the offering the angel had taken away. The next day, 40 after he had gone out, I opened my paradise [of bread] and I took between my hands and teeth a loaf 27 which, in 32 [the time it would take to say] two creedes, I spirited away, 41 not forgetting to lock the chest again. Then I began to sweep the house, persuaded that with this remedy I would soon be able to better 42 my wretched condition. By this means, 43 1 kept up my spirits 44 through this day and the following; but it was not my fate 45 to enjoy this peace [a] long time, for [on] the third day the fever terce 46 was 47 on me at its appointed time, 48 in the shape 49 of him who was starving 2 me to death, whom I saw at an unwonted time so bending over our chest, turning over and over, 51 counting and recounting the loaves. I dissembled, 52 and in 53 my secret prayers, devotions, and supplications I said: "Saint John, seal 54 his eyes." After remaining a long while 55 [counting over 56 ] on his fingers the number of loaves 56 for every day, he said: "If 57 this chest were not in such a safe place, 58 I should say that 212 IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION some loaves have been taken, but from this day'" 9 [on] I wish to close my door to suspicion by keeping 60 an exact atcount. I still have 61 nine loaves and a piece." "Nine plagues 62 may God send you," I answered silently/ 3 And on hearing him say that, it seemed to me that he was piercing my heart with a hunter's spear f* and my stomach began to twinge, 65 feeling that it had returned to its former 66 diet. He went out, while I, to console myself, opened the chest, and, seeing the loaves, I began to worship them, without daring to interfere 33 with them. I counted them to see if perchance the miser 67 had not been mistaken, and I found the account more correct than I wished 60 it had been. 6 * All that I could do was to kiss them a thousand times 10 and to nibble 71 as subtly as possible the broken 72 bread at the very place 73 where it had been cut. 74 In 75 this way I spent that day [in] less cheerful [spirits] than the preceding one. But as my hunger was increasing, specially because during those two or three days my stomach had become accustomed to 76 more bread, I suffered the pangs of death, 77 and to such a degree that I did nothing 78 but open and close the chest to contemplate the face of God, as children 79 say. However, this God who helps the afflicted, seeing me in such a dis- tress, suggested to my mind a little remedy. / made this reflexion to myself:* "This chest is old, large, and broken on 81 many sides, and, although there are only small holes in it, one might think that rats, having entered 82 it, have spoilt 83 those loaves. // would not do* 5 to take one 84 right out, for he certainly 86 would discover the wrong doing,* 7 he who constrains 88 me to live in such great sin. But this is permissible," said I, crumbling 80 the bread on a not very magnificent cloth 00 which happened 91 to be there, taking from one loaf, leaving the next one 92 [untouched], so that IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION 213 out of three or four I got 93 three or four crumbs which I ate as one sucks a sugar plum, 94 and thus I somewhat strength- ened 95 myself. When my master came to dinner and opened the chest, he saw the damage, and thought, without doubt, that the rats had done it, for I had very exactly imitated what they generally do. He examined the chest from one end to the other, and he discovered some places 96 through which he suspected they had entered. He called me and said: "See, see, Lazarillo, [the 97 ] persecution [that] our bread suffered last 98 night." / pretended to be very much surprised," ask- ing him what it might be. 100 "What? 101 Rats, which devour everything." We began to eat and, thank God, I got some- thing out of it, 102 for this time a larger portion of bread fell to my share 103 than the wretched piece 104 which was usually set apart for me, the priest, having scraped 105 with a knife all the part 106 he thought had been gnawed, 107 gave it to me saying: "Eat this: a 108 rat is [a] clean beast." 109 From the French of Morel-Fatio. 118. The last word of Spanish criticism on 'Gil Bias' While we were gradually abandoning 1 the rich vein 2 which Cervantes had opened, the French, very much to their 2, satis- faction, had been working 4 it, getting 5 from it pure gold. Lesage, who is perhaps the greatest French novelist 6 of the XVIIIth century, made for himself a regal mantle using 7 patches from the capes of Espinel, Guevara, and Mateo Aleman. We would fain have claimed Gil Bias as our own; s his features, his figure 9 proclaimed his Castilian origin; but whose fault is it? 10 if we have been so prodigal, so careless. In vain do we allege 11 that Gil Bias should have been born on 12 our side of the Pyrenees; the French answer that 214 IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION the 13 cosiume, the externals 14 only are Spanish in Gil Bias; 13 the character of the protagonist, versatile and mediocre, is essentially Gallic. 15 And in this, by heavens, 16 they are right. Our heroes are greater heroes, our rogues 17 worse rogues than Gil Bias. La Cuestiôn palpitante, Emilia Pardo Bazân. 118b. Selection from "Lesage romancier" By Léo Claretie It was in the time lS of La Bruyère and Lesage that people began to realize 19 that the mere 20 description of external objects, a costume, a street corner, a shop may have its charm. But you 21 feel that something is yet lacking 22 in this youth- ful 23 art, and that is 24 the sentiment of nature as it is under- stood 2 * later [by] Jean- Jacques and Bernardin de Saint- Pierre. In the novel of that time there are no landscapes 26 and [by this we mean] not only descriptions [of the coun- try 27 ], but also what is 21 called picturesque views in cities. 2 * Montaigne expressed a regret 2 ** that the falls 30 of Schaffhausen were a hindrance to 31 navigation. Since his time, novelists have not improved very much. 32 Suppose 33 don Chérubin or des Grieux should go 34 to America; their diary on ship- board 36 will be incomplete enough in the line of impressions. 3S We have reached 31 an interesting 38 transition period. 39 The characters 40 become animated 41 while the background still pre- serves a grayish tint. 42 , See 43 Gil Bias. All these people are really 44 living: they walk, they sleep, they think, they eat, they travel on a 45 mule, or in- a 45 carriage, or on 46 foot, and they dress too. They eat "as if they had been starved" 47 and drink "in pro- portion''. [In] the morning, [wrapped] in [their] dressing IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION 21 5 gowns, 48 they drink 49 chocolate; these repasts detain 50 the writer who condescends 51 to describe them, and [such pages] are 52 not among the least interesting. 53 Is there anything more amusing than the gobbling 54 of gouty [old] Sedillo? The bill of fare 55 is not always so complete ; there are meals at all prices, 56 [and] even some which are very modest, 57 like those of the Cuença hermit: a few green onions with a piece of bread and a pitcher 58 of water and, [on] days of grand celebration, 59 a little cheese and two handfuls 60 of hazel- nuts. // *looks as if 61 Lesage were taking pleasure in making the most 62 of gastronomy, in order to introduce life into his novel 65 a life of plenty 64 and more than plenty, 65 [as is enjoyed by people 66 ] with 46 [a] good digestion 67 [and 46 ] pink com- plexion, who have 46 regular 68 teeth and a 46 wide 69 mouth, and who look as if they might say: "I eat, therefore 70 I am." Lesage not only gives to his characters 72 a 71 vegetative life, he gives to each one a 73 characteristic physiognomy, a 73 striking attitude, a 73 gait 74 [of his own]. Here is a sketch 75 in two strokes of [the] pencil. Gil Bias, having donned 16 his master's suit, 77 is in quest of a love affair. 78 He transacts some business 79 with an old woman who keeps a lodging house 80 [and] who takes him for a young nobleman. 81 "You are not mistaken, my dear," 82 said I, putting forward 85 my 71 right leg and bending over the left hip; "I may say without vanity that I belong to one of the greatest houses in 7 Spain." Lesage not only 84 feeds them, dresses them, shows them in a characteristic attitude, he also gives them lodgings 85 in keeping with their means. 86 Let us enter by the trap-door into the brigands' home; 87 here is the stable lighted by two large iron lamps (which) hang 88 from the vault. 2l6 IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION Do you want something better? Lirias Castle is, of course, 89 more comfortable. . . . If you wish a more original abiding place, 90 let us go to Fabrice's. Lesage romancier, par Léo Claretie (Librairie Armand Colin, Paris). Comme Molière Lesage nous montre des types plutôt que des portraits. 119. Qui est la marquise de Chaves? The précieux and précieuses had already been introduced 1 in Gil Bias, but they were quickly disposed of. 2 We are at the marquise de Chaves'. Being 3 master of ceremonies, Gil Bias opens wide 4 for us the doors of the parlor. The mis- tress of the house is introduced 5 to us: "she is a distinguished woman with an instinctive directness 6 in spite of her philoso- phy; [she is] reasonable, [and] without any taste for gam- bling 7 or love affairs"* caring 9 only for conversation [and] leading a life " which would seem very tiresome to most ladies." Gil Bias knows only one thing against her. 10 One morning, while she was in 11 her dressing room, 12 a small man came, very untidy 11 with a homely face. 14 He is introduced, [he] 15 remains [for] an hour tête à tête 16 with the marquise. On 17 successive days [afterward], he returned, and was introduced by a secret 18 stairway into the room of [the lady of the house 19 ]. The suspicions of the servants were alto- gether wrong; 20 they 5 thought 21 [their] mistress 19 (had) pecu- liar 21 taste in love; 22 there was no love ; 22 the little humpback dabbled 23 [in] magic, enabled you to see the future in a glass, 24 showed how to turn the sieve, 25 and the marquise, in spite of her learning, 26 allowed herself to take stock in the performance 27 of a quack. On the whole 2 * she was a woman of great merit 7 IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION 217 and many people 29 of quality and literary men 30 shared 31 in building up her reputation, 32 and her house, more than any other, 33 was "le bureau des ouvrages d'esprit". Gil Bias is at his post in the hall. 3 * In the parlor every- thing is ready for the reception, the chairs are in their places, 35 the footstools 36 for the women are ready. 37 He, standing by 38 the door, calls 39 [the names] and introduces the ladies and gentlemen : the noisy 40 Campanario, a handsome gentle- man 41 with a 11 Greek face, a tall thin 42 [man], Margarita de Montalvan, a featherbrained young man, 43 who is [the] son of a nobleman, 44 Angela de Pefïafiel, and some others beside. 45 At whose house 46 are we? Who is this marquise? Many names have been coupled 47 with that of Chaves 48 which is the name of a watering place 49 in 50 Portugal. The keys give the duchess of Bouillon, but without any proof. On the other hand, we have some proofs 51 to show that she is not the person. 52 The only reason for mentioning her name 53 is the anecdote told by Collé, [of] the pride shown [by] Lesage in her draw- ing-room where he refused to read"Turcaret," because he had not been treated with proper consideration . 54 [This shows] that 55 her guests are 54 interested in plays, for when Lesage leaves, servants are sent running after him to bring him back. On the contrary, at the marquise de Chaves', comedy is 54 consid- ered 56 as a weak production which does not deserve any praise. At that time there were a number of 58 salons, among them some of the most noted. 57 Marmontel, d'Argenson, President Hénault, Richelieu, Grimm, Laharpe draw our attention to a large number of them; 59 so that our 61 only difficulty is that of making a choice. 60 The part 62 of Gil Bias in which 63 the marquise is men- tioned 64 was published in 1715. Here is a date which limits the field of our investigation. 65 The marquise de Chaves can- 2l8 IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION W not possibly be Mlle de Lespinasse, 66 since she was born only in 1732, neither M me Geoff rin who was sixteen years old, neither M me du Deffand who was 67 eighteen. M me d'Epinay was not [yet] born." We have not yet named the two most prominent salons of the time, that of M me de Tencin and that of Marquise de Lambert. The marquise de Chaves is not M me de Tencin. Such an identification 70 would meet with 69 an insuperable 71 difficulty, [as] it would be impossible to recognize in this marquise, "who is extremely reasonable" and who has not even any passion, who is without any taste either for gam- bling 7 or for love affairs* the former 72 mistress of Cardinal Dubois, of Duke Richelieu, of Councilor La Fresnaye, she who had the impudence to raise 73 'galanterie' to the height of her ambition, which 74 was raising 75 it [to a] very high [plane]. Is the marquise then M me de Lambert? Many keys give her 76 as being the original of marquise de Chaves. As a matter of fact 77 they have (a good) many traits [in] common. Both are widows and marquises; Marquise de Chaves tall and beautiful, has a fine figure 7 * M me de Lambert could stand 79 the comparison. Marivaux in "The Life of Mari- anne", is supposed to have* drawn 81 her portrait under the name of M me de Miran, of whom he says: "You would not have noticed* 2 that she was a fine looking woman* 1 but only that she was the kindest woman in 50 the world." Both of them are wealthy; M me de Chaves u had an* 4 income of ten thousand ducats." The marquise, on her father's side,* 5 was heir to 50 [a] large property. 86 Her mansion on 11 the corner of the present 87 Colbert and Richelieu streets was luxurious. The reputation of her celebrated Tuesdays is in no way inferior to** the receptions of the other [lady]. She too is wise, reasonable, Marivaux praises her* 9 when IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION 2IÇ he speaks of the moral virtues of M me de Miran. Fontenelle assures us 90 that there was not 54 a gambling table [to be seen] in her house. She too "has not any taste 91 for gambling." Like M me de Chaves, she receives both literary people like Fontenelle and La Motte and members of the nobility, for instance, M. de Valincour. Well, then ! isn't it evident that Lesage intended to picture M me de Lambert? Are not the two characters 92 alike? Not so much [alike] as you might think. They even show 93 some marked 94 differences. First, Marquise de Chaves is thirty-five years [old] ; M me de Lam- bert, in 1715, is sixty-eight years [old]. But let us admit 95 that . Lesage, in neglecting to give the correct dates , wished 96 simply to mislead 97 those who would try to make compari- sons. Can M me de Chaves possibly be M me de Lambert, she of whom Lesage says: "She had no children?" The marquise, without her tw T o children, would be, to use the language in vogue in her salon, the elm tree robbed of its leafy branches. 9 * Those two beings whom she loved and coun- seled with so much tenderness and elevation [of feeling] seem to be part 99 of herself. Her gentle face has come down 100 to us framed [as it were] between the young and smiling faces of her son and her daughter for w T hom she was writing her precious "Counsels". 101 The people who used to gather in I02 her drawing room we know, but nowhere do we find 103 that Lesage even pene- trated 96 into this jealously guarded circle, or that he knew 96 it well enough to describe it so faithfully. The little hunch- back who came secretly to M me de Chaves' has not his coun- terpart 104 at M me de Lambert's; people 5 would have talked about [the affair] ; it would have been known if Lesage him- self had been informed of it 106 and thought he could interest his readers by alluding to this bit of gossip. 107 Was M me de 220 IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION Lambert superstitious? That is very possible, although Marivaux has 96 pictured M me de Miran as a person without much religious faith. 10 * It is more likely that Lesage wished to indicate 109 in 110 his "précieuse" a trait [which was] common to many women of the time. 111 They were very supersti- tious. When La Fosse showed the devil to whoever wished to see him, in the Montmartre quarries, the marquises de 1'Hospital and de la Force went. It is true they were sorry. In the dark, 112 they were relieved 113 of their jewels. The police had to interfere. 114 Princess Conti had promised abbe Leroux a coach and liveries, provided he would find 96 for her the philosopher's 11 * stone. Duchess de Ruffec had gone into some transaction 11 ^ with witches who were to make her young again. 117 Mlle de Lespinasse prevented M. de Guibert from renting an apartment [on] a Friday. M me de Pompadour went stealthily 11 * [at] night to look at coffee grounds 119 at the Bontemps. At M me de Séry's, at Princess Conti's per- formances were held 120 of which the attraction was witchcraft 121 and evocations [of spirits]; the miracles of deacon Paris were also commented 5 upon. The age 122 was getting ready for 11 Mesmer and Cagliostro. Translated from Lesage romancier, par Léo Claretie. — - Armand Colin, Paris. 120 Gil Bias devient gouverneur de don Henri Au dix-huitième siècle, il n'était pas impossible à un valet bien doué de jeter bas la livrée pour devenir secrétaire ou précepteur. Les valets de Voltaire ont plus d'une fois subi semblable métamorphose; l'exemple de Rousseau n'est pas une exception. Il semble donc que, lorsque Lesage nous montre Gil Bias remplissant successivement ces différents emplois, il ne fait que se conformer à la réalité. Dans le IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION 221 passage où Gil Bias, devenu gouverneur de don Henri, choisit pour son élève un maître de danse, il a, avec Martin Ligero, une conversation dont le relief rappelle Molière dans «Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme.» Le duc d'Olivarès reconnaît le fils de la Génoise par acte authen- tique — et le nomme don Henri Philippe de Guzman. "Don Henry," said my Lord, 1 addressing 2 him while point- ing 3 to me, "this gentleman 4 you see here is the guide I have chosen to lead you into society; 5 I have entire confidence in him, and I give him absolute control 6 over you. Yes, Santillane," he added addressing 2 , me, "I leave him entirely to your care, 1 and I have no doubt but you will account for him all right."* To this speech the minister added a few other remarks, exhorting 9 the young man to conform to my wishes. After this 10 I took 11 Don Henry to his private mansion. 12 As soon as we reached the place, 1 * I had him muster 1 * all his servants, and I told him the occupation held 15 by each one in his household. 16 He did not seem to be be- wildered 17 by his change of position, and, receiving graciously 1 * the respectful 19 and deferential 19 attentions 20 they showed 21 him, he seemed to have been all his life 22 what he had become by mere chance 2 * He was not lacking in 2 * wit, but his ignorance was crass; 25 he hardly could read and write. I gave him 26 a tutor 27 who was to teach him the rudiments 28 of Latin, and I engaged 29 a teacher of geography, a teacher of history, [and] 30 a teacher of fencing. 31 You 32 may fancy 33 that I took good care 3 * not to forget a dancing master; [the] only difficulty I encountered was that of choosing one; 35 at 36 that time there were a great many celebrated 38 [dancing masters] 37 in Madrid, and I did not know to which one I 222 IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION ought to give the preference. While I was in this quan- dary, 39 I saw entering the yard of our mansion a man richly dressed. They told me he wished 40 to speak to me. I went to meet 41 him, fancying 42 that he was at least a knight of Saint- James or of Alcantara. I asked him w T hat I could do for him. 43 "My Lord," said he, after having made several bows 44 which showed that he was a professional 45 "as they told me it is your Lordship 46 who chooses the masters of Don Henry, I came to offer my services; my name 47 is Martin Ligero, and, thank God, I have some reputation. I am not [in] the habit of going begging for pupils; that is suitable only for second-rate 48 dancing masters. I generally wait for people 32 to seek me out; 49 but, as I am the teacher of the Duke of Medina Sidonia, of Don Louis de Haro and a few other noblemen of the house of Guzman, a house to which I am, 50 so to speak, the born servant, / consider it my duty 51 to forestall 52 you." "I see from your speech," I answered, "that you are the man we want. 53 How much do you ask 54 a 55 month?" "Four doubloons," he answered, "it is the usual 56 price, and I give only two lessons a 55 week." "Four doubloons a 55 month," I exclaimed, "that is a good deal." "What do you mean by a good deal" 57 he replied with 58 an astonished look, "you would not hesitate to give a pistol a month to a master of philosophy!" There was no gainsaying such an amusing reply; 59 I laughed heartily 60 and I asked the Senor Ligero if he really thought that a man of his calling 61 was 62 preferable to a master of philosophy. "There is no 63 doubt [of it]," said he, "we are of greater use in the world than these gentlemen. What are men before they have passed through our hands? Bodies [who seem to be] all of one piece, unlicked cubs, 64 but our lessons develop them little by little, and gradually make 65 them take IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION 223 form; 66 in short, 67 we teach them to move about? 8, gracefully, we teach 69 them attitudes and also airs of nobility 70 and dignity." 70 I yielded to the reasoning 71 of this dancing master, and I engaged 72 him to teach Don Henry at [a rate of] four doubloons a month, since 73 it was a settled price™ among the masters of the art. 121. Comment Gil Bias fut fait noble malgré lui Au début de sa carrière, Gil Bias a honte de son humble origine; il dit volontiers, pour donner le change, que ses parents sont de petite bourgeoisie. Mais une fois arrivé, il a la fierté du parvenu qui n'hésite pas à dire franchement d'où il est parti ; il refuse d'abord les lettres de noblesse que lui offre le duc d'Olivarès et quand, finalement, il les accepte, c'est avec l'intention de ne pas s'en servir; il sent que ce serait se donner un ridicule. Il fait encore moins de cas de son titre de noblesse que Beaumarchais n'en faisait du sien, lorsqu'il répondait à un gentilhomme qui lui avait posé une question impertinente, que : «son titre en valait bien un autre, puisqu'il en avait la quittance dans sa poche.» A few days before the marriage of Don Henry, my Lord having sent for me 1 said, placing in my hands 2 some papers : "Here, 3 Gil Bias, is a new present I have for you. 4 I trust 5 it will not be [a] disagreeable 6 [one]; here are some letters patent 7 prepared for you, according to the orders I gave* [and conferring upon you nobility]." "My Lord," I answered, rather 9 surprised by these words, "your Excellency knows that I am the son of a duenna and of a squire; 10 it seems to me 12 it 11 would be [a] profanation 13 [of] nobility to include 224 IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION me in it; 14 and 15 of all the graces His Majesty may bestow 16 [upon] me, [it is] the one I least deserve and least yearn for." "Your birth," answered the minister, "is an obstacle [which can be] easily removed. 17 You have been at work upon 1 * state matters 19 under the ministry of Duke de Lerme and under mine; besides," he added with a smile, "didn't you render the Monarch some services which deserve a reward? In a word, Santillane, you are not unworthy of the honour I wish to bestow upon you; moreover, 20 and this reason is not to be contested, 21 the position 22 you hold 23 with 24 my son makes it necessary 25 that you should belong 26 to the nobility; I may just as well 2 * admit 27 that it is on this account that I have granted you letters patent." 7 "I have nothing to say, my Lord," I answered, "since 29 your Excellency demands 30 it." After saying these words I left, taking along with me 31 my letters patent which I put in my pocket. "Then 32 I am now a nobleman," said I to 33 myself when I reached 34 the street, "I am now a nobleman without being 26 indebted for it to 35 my parents; I may, whenever / feel like i/, 3<3 have myself called Don Gil Bias; and if any one of my acquaintances thinks he may 37 laugh in my face 3 * while giving me this title, I shall have my letters shown him. 39 But let us look [at] them," said I, while drawing them from my pocket, "let us see how 40 a plebeian can be turned into a nobleman;"* 1 therefore I ran over my letters patent which practically read as follows:* 2 The king, in order to recognize the zeal I had shown on 33 more than one occasion for his service and for the weal 43 of the state, had thought it was proper** to gratify me with letter patent. / make bold to say,* 5 to my credit, 46 that they did not inspire me with any pride. Having always [present] before my [mind's] eye the IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION 225 lowness of my origin, this honour humiliated me instead of making me proud ; therefore I resolved 47 to lock 48 up my letters patent in a drawer, without taking any pride in the ownerships of them. 122. A propos du "Neveu de Rameau" par Diderot C'est d'après nature que Diderot a dessiné ce portrait d'un pauvre hère qui ne parvient pas à sortir de la bourbe. Il a sa place ici : ne fait-il pas pendant à Gil Bias qui, lui, est l'arriviste heureux? Comme trop souvent Diderot, après avoir écrit un ouvrage, ne s'en inquiétait plus, il arriva que «Le Neveu de Rameau» fut publié d'abord en allemand. 123a. Schiller to Koerner April 25, 1805. Goethe has been quite ill 1 . . . however he has not remained idle 2 this winter ; he has translated a manuscript by Diderot which, by a stroke of good luck, 1 jell into 4 our hands, and he has written for it some 5 notes. 6 The book will be published at 7 Goeschen's, under the name 9, "Rameau's Nephew;" I shall send it to you as soon as it is published. 9 [The subject] is 10 an imaginary conversation between the musician's nephew and Diderot. This nephew is the ideal [type] of [a] 11 vagrant 12 parasite, but among people of this stamp 13 he is a hero, and while 14 he pictures himself, he satirizes 15 the society and the world [in which] 16 he lives. Diderot availed himself of this opportunity 11 for exposing 18 the enemies of the Ency- clopaedists, specially 19 Palissot, and he avenges 20 all the good writers of his time for the attacks directed at them 21 [by] the rabble 22 of critics from the gutter. 2 * Besides, he expresses his 2 2Ô IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION personal opinion 2 * on the great quarrel between musicians which divided the society of his time, and on this subject he says some excellent things. Schiller. 123b. Fragment from a letter from Goethe This remarkable book must be considered as one of Dide- rot's masterpieces. His contemporaries, his friends even took him to task because, 2 * although he was able to write 26 beauti- ful pages, he could not write 21 a beautiful book. Such com- ments 29, are repeated, 29 they leave a durable impression, and thus, the case not being more closely examined,* the reputa- tion 32 of an eminent iaan is impaired. 51 "Rameau's Nephew" is a new instance 33 of the art with which Diderot knew how to blend 34 into a harmonious whole 34 the most heterogeneous details taken from life. 35 Whatever 36 opinion 37 people held 35 of the writer, friends and enemies agreed 39 that in conversa- tion no one could surpass him, as far as 40 vivacity, energy, wit, variety, and grace [were concerned] ; now 41 "Rameau's Nephew" is a conversation; that is why the author, having chosen the form in which he excelled, has produced a master- piece which the reader admires more and more as 42 he comes to know it better. Goethe. Lettres citées dans Diderot. Belles Lettres, vol. II, p. 375. 124. Selection from the "Neveu de Rameau" Translated by John Morley He. — Let your daughter have 1 masters. /. — Not yet ; it is her mother who looks to 2 her education, for one must 5 have peace in one 9 s house.* He. — Peace in one's house? You 5 have only that, 6 when you are either master or servant, 1 * and it should be master. . . . How old is your child? /. — IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION 227 That has nothing to do with the matter} He. ■ — How old is your child, [I say]? /. — The devil take you, 9 leave my child and her age alone,™ and return to the master she is to have. 11 He. — / know nothing so pig-headed as 12 & philosopher. In all humility and supplication , 13 might one not know from his highness 14 the philosopher, about what age (her) ladyship, 15 his daughter, may be? /. — [I] suppose she is 16 eight. He. — Eight ! Then four years ago she ought to have had her fingers on the keys. 17 /. — But perhaps I have no fancy 18 for including, 19 in the scheme 20 of her education, a study that takes so much time and is good 21 [for] so little. He. — And what will you teach her, if you please? I. — To reason justly, if I can; [a] thing so uncommon 22 among 23 men, and more uncommon 24 still among 23 women. He. — Oh, 25 let her reason as ill as she chooses 26 if she is only pretty, amusing, and coquettish. I. — As nature has been unkind 27 enough to give her a delicate organization with a very sensitive soul 28, and to expose her to the same troubles 29 in life as if she had a strong organization and a heart of bronze, I will teach her, if I can, to bear them courageously. He. — Let her weep and give herself airs, 30 and have nerves all on edge 31 like the rest, if only she is pretty, amusing, and coquettish. What, is she to learn no dancing nor deportment? 32 I. — (Yes) just enough 33 to make a curtsey, 34 to have a good carriage, 35 to enter a room gracefully, 36 and to know [how] to walk. He. — No singing? /. — Just enough 33 to pronounce her words well. He. — No music? /. — If there were a good teacher of harmony, I would gladly entrust 37 her to him two hours a 38 day for 39 two or three years, not any more. 40 He. — And instead of the essential things that you [are going to] sup- press? ... /. — I place grammar, fables, history, geogra- phy, a little drawing, and a great deal of morality. 41 He. 2 28 IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION i — How easy it would be for me* 1 to prove to you the useless- ness of all such knowledge 43 in a world like ours! Useless- ness, do I say? Perhaps even the danger ! But / will for the moment ask you a single question:** will she not require 3 one or two masters? /. — No doubt. He, — And 45 you hope that these masters will know the grammar, the fables, the history, the geography, the morality, 41 in which they will give her lessons? Moonshine, 46 my dear mentor, [sheer] moonshine ! If they knew 47 these things [well] enough to teach them [to other people], they would never teach them. /. — And why? He. — Because they would have spent [all] their lives 48 in studying them. It is necessary 3 to be profound in art and science, to know 47 its 49 elements thoroughly. Classical books can only be well done by those who have grown grey in harness; 50 it is the middle and the end which light up 51 the darkness of the beginning. Ask your friend d'Alembert, the coryphaeus of mathematics, if he thinks himself too good to write about the elements. 52 It was not till 53 after thirty or forty years of practice, 54 that my uncle got a glimpse of the profundities and the first rays 55 [of light] in musical theory. /. — O madman, 56 arch mad- man, I cried, how comes 57 it that in thine evil head such just ideas go 58 pell-mell with [such a mass] 59 of extrava- gances? He. — Who [on earth] can find that out? 60 'Tis chance that flings 61 them to you, and they remain. If you 5 do not know the whole [of a thing], you 5 know none of it well; 62 you 5 [do not know] 63 whither one thing, leads 6 * nor whence another has come, where this and that should be 65 placed, which 66 ought to pass the first, and where the second would be best. Can you teach well without method? And method, whence comes that? ... In truth, one might [every whit] 67 as well be ignorant, as 67 know so little and IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION 229 know it so ill; and that was exactly my doctrine^ when I gave myself out for a music-master. What are you musing 69 over? /. — I am thinking that all you have told me is more specious than solid. But that is no matter. You taught, you say, accompaniment and composition. He. — Yes. /. — And you knew nothing about either. He. — No, i' faith; and that is why there were worse than I w T as, namely those who fancied they knew something. At any rate, I did not spoil either the child's taste or its hands. When they passed from me to a good master, if they had learnt nothing, at all events they had nothing to unlearn, and that was always so much time and so much money 70 saved. John Morley's Diderot, vol. II, p. 307-309. 125. Richardson est plus optimiste que Marivaux Marianne, à la mort de sa protectrice, se trouve à Paris sans ressources. Un religieux la recommande à un homme d'un certain âge assez connu par ses bonnes œuvres; mais cet homme de bien se trouve être un hypocrite qui, sous le manteau de la charité, en fait pis que pendre. C'est grâce à lui que Marianne est entrée, en qualité d'apprentie, . chez une lingère. Cependant, le bon apôtre ayant jeté le masque, Marianne se voit obligée de lui renvoyer ses pré- sents; lui, alors, refuse de payer l'apprentissage de la jeune fille. Le dimanche précédent, Marianne, au retour de l'é- glise, s'était foulé le pied et Valville, un jeune gentilhomme, croyant que ses chevaux avaient causé l'accident, avait fait monter la jeune fille chez sa mère pour qu'elle se remît un peu. Rentrée chez la lingère, Marianne avait reçu la visite de son bienfaiteur et, un peu plus tard, Valville étant 230 IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION venu prendre des nouvelles, était arrivé juste à point pour voir M. de Climal en train de faire la cour à la jeune fille, qui n'avait pas encore trouvé moyen de réconduire. Val- ville s'était retiré dédaigneusement avant que Marianne eût pu le désabuser. Ce jeune homme, dont la mère deviendra la protectrice de Marianne, se trouve être le neveu du vieil hypocrite. Dans le roman de Richardson, Pamela, dont les aventures ne sont pas sans analogie avec celles de Marianne, est d'abord en butte aux entreprises d'un grand seigneur mauvais sujet qui, plus tard, fait volte-face et devient un excellent mari. Marivaux, qui connaissait le monde dans lequel il vivait, n'a pas cru que le même personnage pût jouer deux rôles aussi opposés, ni qu'un jeune homme pût être parfait. Son hypocrite se convertit, mais à la onzième heure seulement, lorsqu'il n'a plus aucun espoir de guérison; et Valville, qui devient le fiancé de Marianne, est assez volage pour s'é- prendre, pendant une maladie de sa fiancée, d'une jeune Anglaise qu'il voit au couvent. Marianne, une fois remise, comprend ce qui se passe; elle veut rompre; mais, lors de l'entrevue qu'elle a avec Valville, elle le traite avec une si gracieuse indifférence qu'il en est tout étourdi et ne sait vraiment plus ce qu'il se veut. Cette scène-là est de M me Riccoboni; mais on sait que Marivaux l'approuvait. Dé- couragé, il n'avait pas terminé son livre ; il avait voulu mon- trer comment une jeune fille peut arriver au bonheur et il avait trouvé la tâche trop difficile. On ne sait si Marianne épouse le volage Valville qui l'a aimée à première vue pour l'oublier ensuite tout aussi facilement, ou bien cet homme d'âge mûr qui, sur ce qu'on lui a dit du caractère de Ma- rianne, se propose de l'épouser avant même de l'avoir vue. Ce que Marivaux semble vouloir faire entendre, c'est que, IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION 23 1 dans le monde où il vivait la coquetterie était une pré- cieuse ressource, le seul moyen peut-être de retenir les Val- villes. Quoi qu'il en soit, Marianne reste dans le monde puisque, lorsqu'elle écrit le récit de sa vie, elle est devenue comtesse. 126. Selection from "La Vie de Marianne" Par Marivaux Thereupon 1 I opened my box 2 to take out 3 first the re- cently 5 bought linen. 4 "Yes, M. de Valville, yes," I said to myself, while taking out 7 [the clothes], "you will see what kind of [a] girl I am s and what an opinion of me 9 you should hold," 10 and this made me hasten; so that, without mean- ing it, I thought more about him than about his uncle to whom I was returning 11 everything, 12 and I was more inclined to think about him because 12, the returning 14 of the linen, the dress, and the money, [and] along with them a little note 15 which I intended to write, would not fail to make the matter clear to 16 Valville and make him feel sorry for 17 my loss. It seemed to me he had lS a 19 generous soul, and, in 21 advance I was gloating 20 over the grief he would feel 22 at the idea of having offended so respectable a girl : for / had a dim idea of the many reasons 23 [I had] to be respected. First, I had my misfortune, 24 which was unique; in addi- tion to 25 this misfortune I had some virtue, and they went so well together! and then [besides] I was young, and then I was beautiful ; what else could you wish? 26 If / could have made myself touching on purpose 21 in order to make a generous lover sigh for 21 having ill-treated me, I could not have succeeded better; and, provided I made 232 IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION Valville feel grieved, 28 I was satisfied ; after that 29 I cared not if I never heard any more about 30 him. My little scheme 31 was never in my life to set my eyes on 32 him; and that 33 too I found grand and generous on my part™ for I loved him and I was glad to love him because he had noticed 35 my love, and 36 if he saw that in spite of that / was bound to break 31 with him, he would understand better what kind of a girl 38 he had to deal with. 39 Meanwhile / was getting on with my packing; 40 and what will amuse 41 you is that, while I was entertaining such lofty and courageous ideas, 42 I did not refrain, 43 while working, 44 to look 43 [at] the linen, while folding it, and I said to my- self, but so low that I could hardly hear it: "And yet, it had been well-chosen" which meant: "It is a pity 45 to leave it." [A] small regret, which slightly lowered my proud feeling of spite, 46 but how could I help it? 26 I would have adorned 47 myself with the linen I was returning, 11 and grand deeds are difficult; whatever be the pleasure you 48 take 28 in them, you 48 would willingly dispense with doing 49 them: it would be pleasanter 50 to leave them undone, 51 let this be said jokingly 52 in regard to myself; 53 but, in general, we have to brace our- selves 54 to be great ; we only have to 55 remain as we 48 are to be small. Let us return 56 to the subject. There remained only 57 my cap 58 to fold, and, as when 59 I entered 60 my room I had placed it on a chair by the door, I was forgetting it; a girl of my age who is on the point of losing her fine clothes 61 may [well] have [a moment] of absent-mindedness. 62 I was thinking 63 only about my dress, which had to be packed 64 too; I mean the one M. de Climal had given me; and as / was wearing it, 65 and was evidently postponing 66 taking it off: "Is there anything left to be packed?" 61 said I, "Is that all? No, there is still another thing, the money/' IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION 233 and this money I took out 6 * without any difficulty. I was not [a] miser, I was only vain; and this is why my 19 courage failed 69 only in 70 respect to the dress. At last, however, the dress was the only thing lefty 11 "how shall I pack it? Now, 72 before taking off this dress, / must first take down 73 the other [one]/' I added, probably to gain time, 74 and when I said the other, it was the old [one] I meant, 75 and I could see it hanging from 76 the tapestry. I therefore 77 went to take it [down] and, while I was walk- ing towards it, and it was only 7 * two steps [I had to take], this proud 79 heart softened, 80 my eyes swam, 81 I don't know how it happened, but I sighed 82 deeply, either over** myself, or over Valville, or over the beautiful dress ; I don't know which of the three. What I did was* 4 to take the old dress from its peg* 5 and, sighing again, I dropped sadly on a chair saying: "How unhappy I am! Of Lord* 6 why did you take away from me* 7 my father and my mother!" Perhaps that was not** exactly what I meant, 89 and I only mentioned 90 my parents in order to give to my affliction a more worthy subject; for sometimes you 48 are proud 91 with yourself, you 48 do cowardly things, 92 which you 48 are not will- ing to admit, and which you 48 disguise 93 [under other names] ; thus perhaps I was only weeping on account of my clothes. However this may be, 94 after this short monologue which, in spite of myself, 95 would have driven me to undress, 96 I chanced to glance at 97 my cap which was beside of me. "Well!" 98 said I then, "I thought I had put everything in the bundle and now here is the cap again; 99 I do not even think 63 of taking 7 one out of my box 2 to cover my head, 100 and I am bare-headed; 101 what a bother 102 all this [is] !" And then, going 103 gradually 104 from one idea to another, [I] was 234 IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION reminded of 106 my friar. 105 "Alas! poor man!" I said to myself, "he will be very much surprised on hearing 107 all that." And right away I remembered that I ought to call on him ; that no time was to 10 $ be lost ; that it was the first thing 109 [to do] on account of my position; 110 that I could [perfectly] well send the package to-morrow\ "Indeed! I am foolish enough 111 to be bothering 112 so much about these old 113 clothes, (I said old to make me believe I did not like them). The best thing is 114 to send them to-morrow morn- ing; then Valville will be at home; 115 it is not at all likely that he will 28 be in now ; I must leave 117 the package for the pres- ent; I shall finish it later, after 118 1 return from 119 the friar's; my foot hardly hurts 120 at all [now T ]; [I dare say] by going slowly / shall be able to reach 121 his convent. Yes, but which cap am I going to wear?" 122 Which cap; well! the one I had taken 87 off and which was beside me. Why should I take the trouble of 123 rummaging 124 in my box in order to find another, since this one was all ready? And besides, as it was much more expensive 125 than mine, it was just the thing 126 to wear, 6 in order to show it to the friar, 105 who might infer 127 on seeing it that he 128 who had given it to me had a malicious design 129 and it could not be out of 130 charity that he 48 had given me such beautiful things; for my purpose was 131 to tell the whole adventure to this kind monk, who had impressed me as being 132 such a right- eous man; 133 new 134 this cap would be a tangible 135 proof of what I was going to say. 136 And the dress I had on, 65 [why!] no indeed, I should not take it off either ; he must see 28 it ; it will be another proof and a still stronger one. I kept 77 it [on] and without scruple ; reason itself authorized my wearing it, the imperceptible art of my little reasonings IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION 235 had led me to this pointy and I regained 138 courage for the present. 1 * 9 "Well, / must put on my cap again; 11100 it was quickly done and I went down intending 140 to go out. M me Dutour was downstairs 141 with her neighbor. "Where are you going, Marianne?" she said. "To church," I answered, and it was hardly a lie: 142 a church and a convent are very nearly the same thing. "All right, 143 my dear," 144 she said, "all right, place yourself under the protection of God's holy will. We were talking about you, my neighbor and myself, I was telling her that to- morrow I would have a mass said 145 for your benefit." 146 And, while she was thus speaking to me, this neighbor, who had already seen me two or three times and who up to this time had scarcely looked at me, opened her eyes wide, 1 * 1 showing this kind of curiosity characteristic of the lower classes, 1 ** the restât being 1 * 9 that she would from time to time shrug her shoulders 1 * and say: "The poor child, it is a pity 151 just from looking at her 152 no one would take her for anything but a girl of noble family ," 153 127. Richardson's Eulogy By Diderot This author does not besplash 1 the wainscoting 2 [with] blood - 1 he does not carry 3 you to distant countries ; he does not make you run the risk of 4 being devoured by savages; he never loses himself in regions [belonging] to 5 fairyland. 5 The world [in which 6 ] we live is the stage-setting; 7 the main idea 8 of his drama is true ; his characters 9 are as real as they can be. 10 Richardson sows 11 in the heart germs of virtue which at 236 IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION first remain [there] idle 12 and quiet; there they remain hidden until an occasion arises 13 which starts 14 them and makes them break open. 15 He 16 knows how to make passions speak, sometimes 17 with the violence they have when they can no longer con- trol 18 themselves ; sometimes with this artful 19 and moderate tone they assume 20 on 21 other occasions. He has left in me a (feeling of) melancholy which pleases me and which is lasting; sometimes people 22 notice it and ask me: "What is the matter with you? You are not in your normal condition; 23 what has happened 24 to you?" They 22 inquire 25 about my health, my property, 26 my rela- tives, 27 my friends. O my friends! Pamela, Clarissa, and Grandisson are three great dramas. O Richardson, Richard- son, unique among men 2 * in 29 my eyes, thou shalt be my favourite 30 all my life long! 31 Driven 32 by pressing need, if my friend were to fall into poverty, 33 if my mediocre means™ were not sufficient to meet the expenses of my children's edu- cation^ I will sell my books ; but thou shalt remain to me, thou shalt remain on the same shelf 36 with Moses, Euripides, and Sophocles, and I shall read you [all] in turn. 37 Richardson's details displease and must displease a frivo- lous and dissipated man ; but it is not for that man that he was writing ; it is for the quiet and solitary sage 38 who has known the vanity of the world's rush 39 and amusements; [a man] who likes to live in the seclusion of a retreat* [in order] to silently* 2 give way to his emotions and profit by them.* 1 You accuse Richardson of being long. 43 Then 44 you must have forgotten how 45 much trouble, care, exertions 46 it costs to carry out successfully* 7 the smallest undertaking, to end a lawsuit, to settle 48 a marriage, to bring about 49 a reconcilia- tion. Think of these details what you please, 50 but for me IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION *37 they will be interesting if they are true, if they bring out passions, if they display character. "They are common/' you say; "it is what we see every day!" You are mistaken; 51 it is what is going 52 on every day under your eyes and what you never see. Look out; 53 under cover of Richardson's name 55 you criticize 54 the greatest poets. You have seen [a] hundred times the setting 56 of the sun, the rising of the stars, you have heard the fields resound with 57 the brilliant 58 song of the birds; but who among 5 * you felt that is was the rumours 60 of the day which made the silence of the night more touching? Well, so it is with you both 65 in the realm 61 of external 62 and moral phenomena; outbreaks 64 of passions have often struck your ears ; but you are far from fathom- ing 65 all the secret meanings of 66 their accents and of their expressions. There is not one passion who has 67 not a 68 physiognomy [of its own]; all the physiognomies succeed each other on a face 60 and still 70 it remains the same; the art of the great poet and of the great artist consists in mak- ing you see a flitting 71 circumstance which had escaped you. Know that illusion 74 depends 73 on this multitude 12 of small things; there is considerable difficulty in imagining them, and besides, there is also some difficulty in 29 rendering them. . . . Pamela is a novel which is simpler, less extensive, 75 and with a less intricate plot; 16 but, is there less genius [in it]? Now, 77 these three books, any one of which would be enough to make a man famous 1 * have been written 19 [by] one man alone. Since I know them, they have been my touchstone; those w T ho do not like them are condemned in my eyes} I was with a friend, when they 22 handed 81 to me [the tale of] the burial and of the will 82 of Clarissa, two passages which the French translator has omitted, we donH* 5 know 67 exactly 84 238 IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION why. This friend is one of the most emotional 85 men I know, 67 and one of the most ardent [and] fanatic 86 [admirers] of Richardson; he admires him almost as much as I do. He immediately took possession of 87 the books, withdrew into a secluded place 88 and began to read. I was watching 89 him; at first I noticed 90 his tears, he interrupted his read- ing, he sobbed, suddenly he rose, he began to walk without knowing whither he was going, he shrieked 91 like a man in grief, 92 and he reproached 93 most bitterly all [the members] of the Harlowe family. Richardson's genius has destroyed 94 whatever genius I had. 95 His phantoms haunt 96 my imagination; if I wish to write, I hear the moans of Clementine, Clarissa's shadow appears before me, 97 I see Grandisson walking in front of me, Love- lace disturbs, me, and my pen slips from 9 * my fingers. And you sweeter shades, 99 Emily, Charlotte, Pamela, dear Miss Howe, while I am conversing with you, the years [devoted to] work and to the gathering of laurels 100 pass by, 101 and I am advancing towards the last goal, 102 without attempting anything which might 67 speak for me in the ages to come. 10 * 128. Selection from "Pamela" By Richardson I took all my clothes and all my linen, and I divided 1 them into three parcels, as I had [before] told 2 Mrs. Jervis I intended 3 to do; and I said, "it is now 4 Monday, Mrs. Jer- vis, and I am to go away 5 [on] Thursday morning betimes; 6 so, 7 though I know 8 you don't doubt my honesty, / beg you will 7 look over 9 my poor matters, 10 and let 11 every one have 8 what belongs 12 to them ; for," said I, "you know I am resolved 1 * to take with me only what I can properly call 14 my own" 1 * IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION 239 Said she, 16 — I did not know her drift 17 then ; to be sure 1 * she meant well, 19 but I did not thank her for it, 20 when I did know 21 it — "Let your things be brought down 22 in. the green room and I will do anything yon will have me do." 23 "With 24 all my heart, " said I, "green room or anywhere 2 * but I think 26 you might step tip 21 [and] see 'em as they lie." 2 * However, I fetched 'em down, 29 and laid 30 them in three parcels, as before; 31 and [when] / had done 32 I went down to call her up to look at them 31 Now, it seems, 34 she had prepared 36 my master for this scene, unknown to me; 35 and in this green room was a closet with a sash door 37 and a curtain before it 3 * — for there she puts her sweetmeats 39 and such 40 things — and she did it, it seems** to turn his heart, 42 [as] knowing what I intended, 3 / suppose that he should make* me take the things; 43 for, if he had, I should have made 44 money of them to help us 45 when we get together; 46 for, to be sure, I could never have appeared 47 [in] them. Well, as I was saying, 4 * he had got, 49 unknown to me, 35 into this closet, — I suppose while I went to call Mrs. Jervis — and she since owned to me, it was at his desire 50 when she told him something of 51 what I intended, 3 [or] else 52 she would not have done it. So I said, when she came up, "Here, 53 Mrs. Jervis, is the first parcel; I will spread it all abroad. 54 These are the things my good lady 55 gave me. — In the first place" 56 said I — and so I went on describing 51 the clothes and linen my lady 55 had given me, mingling 58 blessings, as I proceeded, for her goodness 59 to me; and when I had turned over 60 that parcel, I said, "Well, so much for the first parcel 61 Mrs. Jervis ; that 62 was my lady's gifts. Now / come to 63 the presents of my dear, 64 virtuous master ; hey, 65 you know closet for that" 66 Mrs. Jervis. She laughed, 240 IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION and said, "I never 67 saw such a comical girl in my life ! But go on." 68 "/ willy 69 Mrs. Jervis," said I, "as soon as I have opened the bundle;" for I was as brisk and as pert 10 as could be 71 little thinking 72 who 73 heard me. "Now here, 74 Mrs. Jervis," said I, "are my ever worthy™ master's presents;" and then I particularised 16 all those in the second bundle. After which 77 / turned to my own 78 and said, "Now, Mrs. Jervis, comes 79 poor Pamela's bundle; and a little one it is to the others} First, here is a calico nightgown that I used to wear 81 o 7 * 2 mornings. 'Twill be rather too good 83 for me when I get home, 84 but I must 85 have 8 something. 86 Then there is a quilted calamanco coat, 87 and a pair of stock- ings I bought of the pedlar, 88 and my straw hat with 89 blue strings, and a remnant of [Scots] cloth, which will make 90 two shirts 91 and two shifts, 92 the same I have on? 1 for my poor father and mother 9 * And here are four other shifts, one the fellow 94 to that I have on, another pretty good one, and the other two old fine ones 95 that will serve me 96 to turn and wind with at home? 7 for they are not worth leaving 98 [behind me]; and here are two pair of shoes; I have taken the lace off, which I will burn, and maybe will fetch 44 me some little matter 99 at a pinch? 00 with 101 an old silver buckle or two. What do you laugh for, Mrs. Jervis?" said I. — "Why you are like 102 an April day; you cry and laugh in a breath. 10 * Well, let me see; 10 * ay, here is a cotton handkerchief I bought of the pedlar; there should be 10S another somewhere. Oh, 106 here it is! and here, too, are my new-bought 107 knit mittens; and this is my new flannel coat, 108 the fellow 109 to that I have on; 47 and in this parcel, pinned 110 together, are several pieces of printed calico/ 11 remnants of silks, and such like, IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION 24 1 that, [if] good luck should happen y 112 and} 11 I should get work, would serve for facings 114 and such like uses. 115 And here, too, are a pair of pockets; they are too fine for me, but I have no worse. Bless me" 116 said I, "I did not think [I] had so many good things. 111 Well, Mrs. Jervis," said I, "y° u nave seen au * m Y store, 118 and I will 119 now sit down, and tell you a piece of my mind." 120 "Be brief then," 121 said she, u my good girl:" 122 for she was afraid, 124 she said 123 afterwards, that I should say 8 too much. 125 "Why then, the case is this : 126 / am to enter upon 121 a point of equity 12 * and conscience 129 Mrs. Jervis, and I must beg, if you love me, 130 you'd let me have my own way. 131 Those things there of my lady's 1 * 2 I can have no claim to, so as to take them away, 133 for she gave them to me, supposing I was to wear them in 89 her service, and to do credit to her bountiful heart. 134 But, since 135 1 am 73 to be turned away, 136 [you know], I cannot wear them at my poor father's, for I should bring all the little village upon my back; 131 and so I resolve 138 not to have them. Then, Mrs. Jervis," said I, "I have far less right to these of my worthy master's, for you see 139 what was his intention in giving them to me. 140 So they were to be the price of my shame, and if / could make use of them, 141 I should think / should never prosper 142 [with them]. So, in 82 conscience, in 82 honour, [in] everything, / have nothing to say 143 to thee, thou second wicked bundle. 144 But," said I, "come to my arms, my dear third parcel, [the] companion of my poverty, [and the] witness of my honesty; and may I 145 never deserve the least rag 146 that is contained 147 [in thee], when I forfeit a title to 14 * that innocence that I hope will ever be the pride of my life! 149 and then I am sure it will be my highest comfort 150 at my death, 151 when all the riches and pomps of the world 242 IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION will be worse than the vilest rags 152 that can be worn by beggars!" And so 153 I hugged 154 my third bundle. "But/' said I, "Mrs. Jervis," and she wept to hear me, 155 "one thing more I have to trouble you with, 156 and that's 157 all. [There are] four 158 guineas, you know, that came out of my good lady's 159 [pocket] when she died; 101 that, 160 with some silver, my master gave me. Now these same four guineas I sent to my poor father and mother, ° 3 and they have broken them, 162 but would make them up 163 if I would, and, if you think it should be so, 164 it shall. But pray tell me honestly your mind: 105 as to the three years 166 [before] my lady's death, 167 do you think, [as] I had no wages, I may 8 be supposed to be quits?" 16 * 129. The art of writing By Buffon In order 1 to write well, one must 2 unite 3 to the light of the intellect 4 warmth of heart. The soul which receives 5 both impressions at once 6 cannot fail to be pleasantly moved 1 towards the object which has been presented; it reaches it, grasps it, embraces it, and it is only after having fully en- joyed it, that it is in a condition* to make others participate in its enjoyment 9 by the expression of its thoughts. The [willing] hand will retrace them 10 and every 11 attentive reader will be partaking 12 of the writer's intellectual treat; 13 if the objects are simple, all he needs is 14 the art of painting; but if they are complicated, he must besides 14 [have at his com- mand] the art of planning, 15 that is the art of thinking methodically, 16 of patiently reflecting, and of comparing cor- rectly 17 in bringing together scattered 18 ideas, in order 1 to form the continuous chain which will gradually 20 present 10 to the mind all sides 21 of the object. The manner of writing IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION 243 must, therefore, 2 * vary considerably according to the nature of the subject, 22 and even when 2 * the simplest [subjects are treated], the style, while preserving 26 a character of simplicity, should not be the same. A great writer should not have a [stamp of his own 2 ?]; the same mark 28 appearing on differ- ent 2 ' productions betrays* a lack of genius; but what be- tokens* 1 even more* 2 [plainly] a second rate** genius is this: borrowed 34 wit, which has nothing to do with* the subject which alone should supply* 6 it. To put wit everywhere is a mania with our young writers; they do not see that, unless this wit" is the natural outgrowth* of their subject, it only spoils the presentation of it; strew- ing" flowers out of place* is no better than scattering* 1 thorns. With more genius, they would find in the subject itself all the wit they should employ. Were their taste formed* 2 on good models, they would not only reject this wit which has no connection with* the subject, but it would not even occur to them** to seek after** it. This same taste would inducer them to avoid all kinds of obscurity in expression,* 6 to leave out every sentence which might be out of places in subjects which, in order 1 to be well presented, need simply to be pictured.** The subject in this case* is nothing but an object, the image of which has to be rendered* by an accurate* 1 drawing, [by] well matched colours.* 2 To describe and to picture are two different things; for the former** eyes only are needed, 54 [while] the latter** de- mands** genius. Although both have 10 the same end in view,* 6 they cannot keep step with each other." A* 8 description presents coldly and in succession* all the parts of an object; the more minute 60 it is, the less effective 61 painting,* 8 on the contrary, grasping at first the most striking 62 features, only keeps the stamp 6 * of the object and gives life to it. 244 IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION In order to describe well, it is sufficient to look at a thing in cold blood; 64 - but, [when it comes] to painting, all the senses have to come into play. 65 To see, to hear, to touch, to smell are so many character- istic impressions which the writer must feel and render with 66 forceful 67 traits. He must combine 68 to the delicacy of colour- ing 69 the vigourous handling of the brush, 70 shade 71 the colours, 72 deepen 73 or blend them, 73 in short, he must form 74 a living ensemble, while the description [of it] can only present lifeless 75 and detached parts. Is it possible, it will be said, to draw 50 a picture with sen- tences and to reproduce colours with words? Yes, and even, if the writer has genius, [good] judgment and taste, his style, his sentences, his words will be more effective 61 than the brush and the colours of the artist. What is the im- pression [of] 76 an amateur when he looks [at] a beautiful picture? The longer he looks at it 7 * the stronger grows his admiration; 77 he perceives all its beauties, all the lights, all the colours. The writer who wishes to paint must take the standpoint 79 of the amateur, receive 80 the same impres- sions, and communicate* 1 them to his reader in the very same order the amateur received them while 26 he was looking at his picture. All the objects nature* 2 presents us, and in particular all living beings, are so many** subjects of which the writer must be able* 4 to make not only the portrait in repose but the picture in motion* 5 in which all the forms will develop [in full], all the features of the portrait will seem alive, 86 presenting at once* 7 all the external characteristics of the object. Genius being equal** the writer has over the artist 80 the great advantage of having time at his command; 90 [he] may IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION 245 let one 92 scene follow 91 another, 92 while the painter can only present an action which takes place in one montent; 9 * there- fore 23 he can only produce a sudden 94 surprise, an instan- taneous admiration, which vanishes as soon as the object disappears. Not only 95 can the great writer produce this first effect, 96 but he can besides warm 97 and even fire 97 his readers by the presentation of several actions, all of which 9 * will have warmth and which, by their union and the light they shed, will leave on their memory an indelible picture 99 which will have a life of its own, entirely 100 independent of the object. From time immemorial, 102 poetry and painting have been compared, 101 but it never occurred to any one to think that prose could picture better than poetry. Thé rhyme and the meter 103 hinder 104 the freedom of the brush ; on account of one syllable more or less, picturesque words 105 have to be unwillingly 106 set aside 107 by the poet, while they can be used to advantage by the prose writer. Style, which is [after all] nothing but order and motion given 101 to our thoughts, is necessarily constrained by an arbitrary rule or interrupted by pauses which, while they diminish 108 its 58 rapidity, mar 109 its 58 regular beauty. 110 Publié comme morceau inédit dans les notes de la Correspondance de Bujfon par Nadault de Buffon. 130. Enumeration Selection from ''Pamela" by Richardson He said, "You are very 1 good, my dearest girl, 2 But how will you bestow 3 your time, when you will have no visits to receive 5 or pay, 4 no parties of pleasure [to join in?" 6 ] "Oh sir," said I, "you are all goodness. 7 How shall I bear it!* — But do you think, sir, in such a family 9 as yours, a 10 246 IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION person whom you shall honour with the name of 11 mistress of it will not find useful 13 employments for her time, 12 with- out looking abroad for any others? 14 In the first place, sir, if you will give 15 me leave, 16 I will myself look into 17 such parts 18 of the family 19 economy as may not be beneath the rank to 20 which I shall have the honour of being exalted, 21 if any such there can be; 22 and this 23 I hope, without incurring the ill will 24 of any honest servant. Then, 25 sir, I will ease 27 you of as much of your family accounts 28 as I possibly can 26 when 29 I have convinced you that I am to be trusted 30 [with] them ; and you know, sir, my late good lady 31 made me 32 her treasurer, her almoner, and everything. 33 Then, sir, if I must needs 34 be visiting 4 or visited, 30 and the ladies won't honour me so much y 35 or even if they would now and then, 36 I will visit, if your goodness 15 will allow me so to do, 37 the [sick] poor in 38 the neighborhood 39 [around you], and administer to their wants and necessities 40 in such matters as may not be hurtful to your estate, 41 but comforta- ble 42 to them, and entail 43 upon you their blessings, and 44 their prayers for your 45 [dear] health and welfare. 46 Then 47 I will assist your housekeeper, 48 as I used to do, 47 in the making jellies, comfits, 49 sweetmeats, marmalades, cordials, and to pot, and candy, and preserve 50 for the uses of the family, and to make, myself, all the fine linen [of it] for yourself and me. 131a. Les paysages alpestres [Rousseau est passé maître dans l'art de peindre avec les mots; il introduit dans la littérature le paysage.] I wanted to dream and I was constantly prevented 1 from doing it by some unexpected sight. 2 Sometimes huge 3 shat- IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION 247 tered 4 rocks hung over my head. Sometimes some high and noisy cascades drenched 5 me with their thick mist. Some- times an eternal torrent opened by my side 6 an abyss, the depth 7 of which my eyes dared not fathom. 7 Occasionally 8 I would lose myself in the darkness 9 of a leafy 10 wood. Some- times, 8 [after] emerging from an abyss, a pleasing meadow would suddenly rejoice my eyes. An astonishing combina- tion 11 of wild and of cultivated nature showed everywhere the hand of man, where you might have thought he never had penetrated; close by a cave 12 you found houses; you saw dried vine leaves 13 where you might have expected to find nothing 1 * but brambles, 15 vineyards on landslides , l6 excellent fruits [growing] on rocks, and fields in abysses. 17 Nouvelle Hêloïse. 131b. Le jardin de Julie This place, 18 although close by 19 the house, is so well hidden by the arching trees of the avenue 20 that it cannot be seen 21 from any one spot 22 The thick foliage which surrounds 23 it makes it impossible for any one 2 * to penetrate it, and it is always carefully locked. 25 Hardly had I entered it 26 when, 27 on turning round, 30 the entrance being screened 2 * by hazel trees and alders which leave only two narrow passages, one on each side 29 I could not see which way 31 I had entered ; and not discovering 32 any door, it seemed to me I had dropped there from the sky. 33 On entering this so-called orchard, 3 * I was struck by a pleasing sensation of coolness; the dusky shade of the foliage, 3 * a bright and lusty 36 verdure, flowers scattered 37 on 38 all sides, the babbling 39 of running water, and the song of [a] thousand birds worked on* my imagina- tion at least as much as on my senses ; but, at the same time, 248 IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION I thought I saw the wildest, the most secluded 41 place 18 in 38 the universe, and it seemed to me as if I were 42 the first mortal who had ever forced his way 43 into this wilderness. 44 Surprised, dumb with astonishment, carried away 45 by such an unforeseen 46 spectacle, I remained [for] a moment per- fectly still 47 and I exclaimed with 48 involuntary enthusiasm: "O Tinian! O Juan Fernandez! Julie, the end of the uni- verse is at your door!" "Like you, many people have dis- covered it here, she said with a smile, "but [by walking] twenty steps farther, 49 they easily reach 50 Clarens; let us see if you will be longer under the spell. 51 This is 52 the very same orchard where you once used to walk and where my cousin and you pelted each other with 51 peaches. You re- member the grass was rather scant, 54 the trees far and wide apart 54 gave very little shade, and there was no water. Now you see it 55 cool, green, adorned, 56 blossoming, watered. 57 How much do you think it has cost me 5S to put it into condi- tion? 59 for, you have to know 60 that I am the superintend- ent 61 of it, and that my husband leaves to me the entire care 62 of it." "Well," 63 said I, u all you have done is 58 to let things take care of themselves; 64 1 do not see any human work at all. You have closed the door; the water came, I don't know how; nature alone did all the rest; and you would never have been able to do 65 as well." "it is true," she said, "that nature has done everything, but under my guidance, and there is nothing here that I have not ordered. Try again, guess." "First," I said, "I do not see how, by taking trouble and by spending money, you could make up for 66 time." "The trees ... as for that," said M. de Wolmar, "you will notice there are not many large [ones], and those were already there. Besides, Julie began this long before her marriage, shortly 61 after her mother's death, [when] she came here with her IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION 249 father to seek solitude." "Well," I said, "since you insist on the fact 68 that these masses of green, 69 [these arching trees 70 ], these mantling vines, 71 these shady groves, 72 grew 73 in seven or eight years with skilled help, 74 1 dare say 75 that if you have done it on such extensive grounds 76 for two thousand dollars you have done it very reasonably. 1 ' 77 "You overstate the price 7S only by two thousand dollars," she said ; "it has not cost 58 me anything." "Not anything, what do you mean?" 79 "No, not anything ; unless you count a dozen days of work 80 a 81 year given by 38 my gardner, as much given by 38 two or three of my servants, 82 and a few by M. de Wolmar himself, who did not consider it below his dignity 83 [to take] occasionally [the place of] assistant gardner." 84 I could not understand the mystery 85 but Julie who, up to this time, had held me back, said while letting me go : "Go on 86 and you will under- stand. Farewell 87 Tinian, farewell, Juan Fernandez, the spell is broken, 88 In a few minutes 89 you will have returned 90 from the end of the world." In a sort of ecstacy I began to wander through 91 this trans- formed orchard ; and if I did not find exotic plants and prod- ucts from the Indies, I found those of the land 92 which had been brought together 93 [in this place] and arranged 93 so as to make the most pleasing and smiling 95 effect. 94 Along with 97 the verdant grass, 96 short and thick (grew) thyme, balsam, sweet marjoram 98 and many other fragrant 99 plants. Wild flowers 101 [by the] thousand were shining there, 100 and your eye discovered 103 with surprise a few garden flowers among them 102 which seemed to grow naturally with the others. Every now and then 105 I came across 104 dark thickets 106 [so] dense that the light 107 of the sun [could not shine through], [any more than it could through] 108 the thickest forest; those clusters 106 had been formed with 38 trees of the most 250 IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION flexible wood; the branches had been made to bend down 109 and take root, by a process similar 110 to the one which is natu- ral to the 111 American 113 mango tree, 112 In the more open" 4 grounds, 18 1 saw here and there, without order and without symmetry, tangles 115 of rose bushes, of raspberry, of currant, of lilacs, of hazelnut, of elder, of syringa, of broom, of tre- foil which, (while) adorning 56 the ground, 116 seemed to pre- serve 111 (its) uncultivated appearance. 119, I was following wind- ing 119 and irregular paths, edged 120 by [wild] flowering groves, 121 mantled with a 122 thousand garlands of Virginia creeper, 123 hop, 124 morning glory 125 briony, 126 clematis, and other plants of the kind, and here and there 121 honeysuckle 128 and jasmine condescended to mix with them. 129 These gar- lands seemed to be carelessly 130 thrown from tree to tree as I had sometimes seen it in our forests, and they formed over us a sort of drapery which protected us from the sun, while we were walking on something soft, convenient, and dry, a fine moss, without sand, without grass, and without shoots. 131 Then only did I discover, and not without surprise, that the heavy green foliage 1 & which from afar had made such an impression on me 111 was entirely made up of vines and creep- ers 134 which, being trained 135 along the trees, surrounded 136 their tops with the thickest foliage and their feet with cool- ness and shade. Following the paths 111 or crossing them there were clear and limpid streams 1 ^ now running 1 * 9 among the flowers and the grass in almost invisible streamlets, 140 now in larger brooks over a clear bed of spotted gravel 1 * 1 which made 142 the water seem 142 more sparkling. 143 You could see springs bubbling from 1 ** the ground, and here and there in deeper canals all the objects were reflected in the calm surface of the still waters. Nouvelle Héloise. IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION 251 132. Rousseau pédagogue Parlant de l'étude de l'arithmétique, Rousseau dit dans les Confessions: «Je l'appris bien, car je l'appris seul»; d'autre part il dit aussi: «S'il y a de l'avantage à étudier seul, il y a aussi de grands inconvénients, et surtout une peine incroyable.» Pamela, lorsqu'il s'agit d'élever sa fa- mille, a souvent l'occasion de citer M. Locke; Rousseau, lui aussi, s'en est inspiré quand il a voulu faire comprendre à ses contemporains ce que l'éducation devait être. Les pré- cepteurs d'alors étaient des ignorants, à peu d'exceptions près. Rousseau eut l'idée de créer un précepteur modèle qui sait tout et qui possède, en outre, l'art de s'effacer; sa méthode consiste à tout préparer pour que son élève soit à même de tout découvrir par lui-même ; à la routine Rous- seau substituait le travail original et individuel, qui devait être aussi intéressant et agréable que possible. 133a. Selections from Rousseau's "Emile" You* will be surprised [to hear] that I consider 2 the study of languages as among 3 the useless things* in 5 education, but you 1 will [have to] remember that here 6 1 am only speak- ing of the studies suitable for young children; 1 and, whatever may 1 be said, 8 I do not believe that up to the age of twelve or fifteen any 9 child, except for prodigies™ has 8 ever really learned two languages. I admit that if the study of languages were only the study of words, that is to say of signs or sounds which express them, this study might be suitable 11 for children; but the languages, while 12 changing the signs, modify also the ideas 252 IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION which they represent. The minds 13 [are] formed 14 on the languages, the thoughts take the coloring 15 of the speech. 16 Reason alone is [a] common [property]; the mind in 12 each language has its characteristic 17 form, [a] difference which might be partly .the cause or the effect of national character- istics, and what seems to confirm this conjecture is that, among 18 all the nations of the world, the language follows the vicissitudes of custom 19 and [either keeps its integrity] 20 or changes for the worse 21 as they [do]. Of these different forms, usage gives one to the child and it is the only one he keeps until he reaches 8 the age of reason. In order 22 to have two languages, 23 he would have 24 to be able 25 to compare ideas; and how could he compare them, when he is hardly capable of grasping 26 them. Every object may have for him a thousand different signs, but each idea can have but one form ; therefore he can learn how to speak only one lan- guage. Yet people 1 tell me he learns several; 21 I deny it. I have seen those little prodigies who thought they could speak 2 * five or six languages. I heard them speak German while they were using, 30 in turn 29 Latin words, 30 French [words], Italian [words] ; it is true 32 they used 31 the vocabu- lary of five or six dictionaries, yet they were speaking Ger- man all the time. 33 In short, 3 * give a child as many synonyms as you please ; you will change the words, not 35 the language ; they will know but one. 133b. Manual toft You trust 36 to the present order 31 of society without think- ing that this order is liable to undergo** unavoidable revolu- tions and that it 39 is impossible for you 39 to foresee or to ward 40 off the one which may concern 41 your children. The IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION 253 great [man] becomes small, the rich becomes poor, the monarch becomes [a] subject; are the strokes of fortune* 2 so rare that you may 8 rely 2 [on] being free from 43 them? We are nearing a period of crisis, an age of revolutions. Who can [tell you beforehand 44 ] what will become of you then? All that has been made by men, men can destroy; the only indelible stamps is the one nature gives, 46 and nature makes neither princes, nor rich [men], nor lords. 47 Then, 48 in [a low station] 49 what will this satrap do, whom you have brought up for greatness only? In poverty what will this money-maker 50 do, who lives only on gold? . . . Happy then the man 51 who can leave the position w T hich leaves him, and remain a man in spite of fate! [Any one who wishes to, may praise 52 ] as much as he pleases the vanquished king who, like a madman,** wishes to bury himself under his crum- bling 54 throne; I despise him; I see that he exists only be- cause of 55 his crown, and that he is nothing at all if he is not [a] king; but the one who loses it and does without it 56 is then above it. From the rank of king, which a coward, a wicked [man], a madman 57 may occupy as well as anybody , 5% he rises to the position 59 of man which so few men know how to fill. Then he triumphs over 5 fate, he can defy 60 it; all he owes he owes to himself; 61 and if nothing is left him but him- self, he is not absolutely null, he is somebody. . . . The man 62 who eats in idleness 63 the bread he has not earned himself steals it; and a man who owns government bonds 64 [and] who is paid so that he 22 may live without work- ing is not very different 65 in my opinion 66 from the highway- man w T ho lives at the expense of the passers by. ... I am bound 67 to have Emile learn 8 a trade. A respectable 68 trade at least, you will say! What does this word mean? Is not every trade which is useful to the public a respectable 254 IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION trade? I do not wish him to be 8 [an] embroiderer, or [a] gilder, or [a] varnisher, like Locke's gentleman. I do not wish him to be 8 either [a] musician, or [a] comedian, or [a] writer 69 of books. [With these exceptions 70 ] and other simi- lar ones, 71 he may 8 take any occupation 72 he may wish. I had rather he would 8 be [a] shoemaker than [a] poet, I had rather he would pave the highways 73 than make porcelain flowers. But, you will say, the archers, the spies, the hang- men, are useful people. It depends on 74 government to make them useless 75 But let us leave them aside; 76 I was wrong ; it is not enough to choose a useful trade, it is also necessary that this occupation should not require 77 from the people who practice 78 it characteristics 79 which are 8 hateful 80 and incompatible with humanity. . . . Everything being considered* 1 the trade I would like best to suit* my pupil 1 s taste* 2 would be that of joiner. 83 It is clean, it is useful, it can be practiced 78 at home, it keeps 84 the body sufficiently active, 84 it requires from the workman skill and application, and, although* 5 the shape of the objects [is] 86 determined [by] utility, elegance and taste are not excluded. . . . When Emile learns his trade, I mean 87 to learn it with him, for I am convinced that he will only learn well what we learn together. 134a. Fragment de lettre de Pabbé Galiani à M me d'Epinay My Treatise on Education 1 is all done. I prove that education for man and for animals is the same 2 The whole thing in a nutshell is this: 3 learn how to bear injustice, and become used to being bored. 4 What do they teach 5 the horses in a riding school? 6 The horse without any training can 7 IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION 255 pace, 8 trot, gallop, or walk. 9 But he does it whenever he feels like it™ and with him it is entirely a matter of will. 11 They teach him to take these different gaits 12 in spite of himself, against his best judgment 12, (that is injustice) and he has to keep doing 1 * the same thing 13 [for] two hours; that is boredom. Now 16 if you 17 make 18 a child study (either] Latin, Greek, or French, the main 20 thing is not the usefulness 19 of the sub- ject; the point is 21 that he must become used to submit himself to somebody else's will (and be bored), and be flogged 22 by some one 21 [who is] born his equal (and suffer). When he is used to this, he is trained, he is sociable, he goes into society, he shows proper respect 2 * [to] magistrates, minis- ters, kings (and 'does not complain about it). He fulfils the duties of his position, 2 * and he is in 26 his office, or in court, or in the barracks, 27 or in the king's bedchamber, 28 and [he] yawns, and remains there earning his living. If he does not do that, he is not good for anything 29 in a well-ordered society. Therefore 30 education is the lopping 31 of all natural talents which are to give place to social duties. If educa- tion does not accomplish [this end 15 ], you have poets, im- provisators, bravi, painters, the funny man, 32 the man with an eccentric turn 33 who amuses but dies of hunger, [since] he cannot 34 fit 35 into any of the niches which society pro- vides. 36 The English, the nation which is least trained 37 in 38 the world, and therefore the greatest, the most embar- rassing (one) and soon the unhappiest of all. . . . Besides, 39 the rule holds good 40 in general: all the pleasing methods of imparting knowledge 41 to children are false and absurd, for the point is 42 not to learn geography, or geometry, the thing is 42 to get used to work, that is to say to boredom, to fix the mind on one object, etc, A child who has mas- tered 43 the names of all the capitals of Europe will not have 256 IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION taken the habit of concentrating his attention on his account book, and our geographer will be robbed by his steward and he will become bankrupt in the very midst 44 of his capitals. Start from these theories, develop them, you will have a book entirely different from* 5 the "Emilius," and all the better for that reason. 46 But you have forbidden me ever to be- come [the] mother of [a] family, and for the last hour 41 1 have been jabbering 48 [on] education. Let us talk about some- thing else. I am writing to-night two short letters to Suard and to Madame Necker. I let you know about it 49 since you are so fond of them, but it is hardly worth while to look them up. 50 Farewell my fair lady, I kiss the prophet,* the philosopher,! and every kissable person. If you wish to see me again in Paris, do what you can to make 51 my return [possible]. L'éducation du sentiment 134b. Lord Chesterfield to Madame du Boccage I am in favor of 52 the influence 53 of education, while admitting 54 that our natural bent 55 has some share 56 in our make-up. 51 Of course, education does not give a good mind 5 * to those to whom nature has refused common sense, but education gives 59 our mind its 61 particular turn 60 and even if our 62 heart does not owe everything to 6 * education, it is largely 64 modelled 65 by it. It is for that reason, very likely, that butchers, hangmen, and inquisitors are less kindly 66 and more bloodthirsty 67 than other men. As for 68 those fine feelings of natural affection which shine in novels, in trage- dies, and even at present in "your comédies larmoyantes/' [I cannot think of] anything 69 more absurd: a father, a *Grimm. fDiderot. IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION 257 mother, a husband, a wife, children which have never seen each other, are mutually 71 conscious of their kinship because of 10 a sudden emotion, 12 a thrill, 73 or anything you wish to call it, 7 * this emotion being caused 75 at first sight by a 76 natural feeling. If such a sentiment existed, what discoveries and consequently what disorder would be the result of it, 77 both in Paris and in London. Here you have my opinion on the library w r ith w r hich you have supplied 78 me and which has greatly entertained 79 me. I wish I could send you something from here to amuse you, but of late nothing interesting has been published. The Muses are so busy in your country that they have not time to call on us. J. -J. Rousseau fait appel à tous les sens 135. Selections from the "Confessions' 1 Une nuit à la belle étoile I had absolutely 1 no care about the future, spending the night in the open air 2 and sleeping on the ground* or on a bench as comfortably 4 as on a bed of roses. I even remem- ber having spent a delightful night outside 5 the city walls, in a path which kept close to the bank 6 of the Rhône or the Saône, for I do not remember which of the two it was. Gardens raised in terraces bordered the path on 7 the oppo- site side. It had been very warm that day, the evening 8 was delightful ; the dew sprinkled 9 the faded grass ; no wind, a still night; the air was cool without being cold; the sun after going down 10 had left in the sky red vapors, and their reflexion 11 gave a rosy hue to the water; 12 the trees of the ter- races were full 13 of nightingales which answered each other 258 IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION from tree 14 to tree. I was walking 15 in a sort of ecstasy, abandoning my senses and my heart to the enjoyment of it all, and sighing a little because I felt sorry I had to enjoy it alone. Lost in my sweet reverie, I prolonged my walk way into 16 the night, without noticing 17 that I was tired; 18 I noticed it at last. I lay down luxuriously 19 on the ledge 20 of a sort of niche or sham door 21 cut 22 into the wall of a ter- race; the canopy 23 of my bed was formed by the tops of the trees; a nightingale was just above me; his song lulled me to sleep; 2 * my sleep was sweet, my awakening was still sweeter. , 25 It was broad daylight; 26 my eyes, on opening, saw the water, the foliage, a wonderful landscape. I rose, I shook myself, and, beginning to feel hungry, 27 I set cheerfully on my way, 2S having resolved to spend in getting 29 a good breakfast, two silver coins I still had ; I was in 30 such good humor that I kept singing* 1 all 32 the way, and I even remem- ber I was singing a cantata by Batistin, called 33 "Les Bains de Thomery," which I knew by heart. Bernardin de Saint-Pierre, peintre de la nature 136a. Tableau Who could recognize in a dry rose the queen of flowers? // it 1 is to be an object of love and philosophy, you must 2 see it when it springs* from a cleft 4 in a damp rock and shines among its green leaves, 5 when 6 zephyr makes its thorny 8 stem wave to and fro, 7 when 6 the dawn 9 has bathed it with 10 tears, 11 and when 6 by its brilliancy and its fragrance it tempts 12 the hands of lovers. Sometime a rosebug, 13 hidden in its corolla, heightens 14 by its emerald green 16 the crimson 15 [hue] of the rose; 15 then this flower seems to tell us that [it stands as the] symbol of pleasure, because of 17 its charm and IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION 259 of 17 its short duration, and like pleasure 1 * it is surrounded by danger, 19 and repentance abides within it. 20 Etude I. 136b. L'Exotisme dans le Roman Rousseau avait décrit la nature des pays tempérés. Dans «Paul et Virginie», Bernardin de Saint-Pierre, le prenant pour modèle, sut voir en peintre et rendre avec une merveil- leuse richesse de coloris les paysages des tropiques, intro- duisant ainsi dans la littérature un élément nouveau: l'exo- tisme. Du même coup il entrouvrait aussi à l'inexactitude la porte que Chateaubriand allait ouvrir toute grande. 136c. Virginia's Garden But of all [the things] that were to be found in 21 this enclo- sure, 22 nothing was more delightful than the place they 23 called Virginia's resting place 2 * At the foot of the rock, Discovery of Friendship, [there] is a deep recess 25 whence springs a fountain which forms, at its very outset 20 a little pool 27 of water, in the midst of a meadow 28 of the finest grass. When Marguerite gave birth 29 to Paul, I presented 30 her with 31 a cocoanut 32 from the Indies which had 23 been given me. She planted this fruit on the edge of this little pool of water, so that 33 the tree which was to grow from it 3 * could serve 35 sometime 36 to mark 31 the birth of her son. Following 38 her example, M me de La Tour, with 39 a similar intention, planted 40 another. From these two fruits sprang up* 1 two cocoanut trees 42 w T hich were all the archives of the two families; one was called Paul's tree, and the other Virginia's tree. They both 43 grew in proportion with** their young owners, being* 5 a little [bit] unequal in size, 45 and 2ÔO IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION yet 46 at the end of twelve years, they overtopped 46 their cabins. 47 They already interlaced their palms, and hung 48 their young clusters 49 of cocoanuts over the basin of the foun- tain. With the exception of 50 this plantation, they 23 had left this little rocky 51 recess 25 as 52 nature had adorned it. On its brown and damp sides 53 large star-like 54 black and green maidenhair 55 ferns were expanding 54 and waving at the will of the winds; 5 ** clusters 57 of scolopendras were drooping 58 like long ribbons of purplish 59 green. Close by 60 grew bor- ders 61 of periwinkles with their flowers so 62 similar to those of the red gilliflower, 63 and pimentos with 62 their blood- colored 65 pods 64 brighter 66 than corals. Near by, balsam plants with 62 their heart-shaped 67 leaves, and sweet basil 68 with its clovelike fragrance 69 were sending forth 10 the most delicious perfume. From the steep side 11 of the mountain, vines 72 drooped like floating draperies, which formed on the side of the rocks large curtains 73 of verdure. The sea birds, attracted to these peaceful retreats, came there to spend the night. At sunset you could see flying along the seashore the great snipe 14 and the sea lark, and from high above 15 the black frigate [bird], with the white bird from the tropics who, along with 16 the sun, 77 left the solitudes of the Indian Ocean. Virginia liked to rest on the edge of this fountain decorated with a wild and magnificent pomp. Often she came there to wash the family linen [under 38 ] the shade of the cocoanut trees. Sometimes she would bring her goats there to pasture 1 * While she was preparing cheese from their milk, she enjoyed 79 looking at them, while they were browsing 80 the maidenhair ferns on the steep sides of the rocks, or standing way up* 1 on [top of] one of the ledges 82 as on a pedestal. Paul, seeing that Virginia loved this place, brought there from the neighboring 83 forest the nests IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION 26 1 of all kinds of birds. The fathers and mothers of these birds followed their young 84 and came to settle in this new colony. Virginia used from time to time to scatter 85 for them rice, Indian corn, 86 and millet. As soon as she ap- peared, the blackbirds, the finches 87 whose song is so sw r eet, the cardinal [birds] with 62 their fiery 88 plumage, left their bushes; parrots [as] green as emeralds came down from the surrounding palm trees; partridges were hastening 89 [from] under the grass; all came pell-mell to her feet as if they had been hens. 136d. Error of Judgment As soon as 90 Necker came into prominence, 91 M me Necker opened her salon to the scattered 92 members of M me Geof- frin's circle. 93 Once a week she gathered around her table men prominent 94 in literature 9S and with them some women sought after on account of 96 their beauty and of their wit. At M me Necker's evening receptions points of literature and criticism were discussed. 97 New books were read aloud, 98 and on their tnerits" this select company w T ere afterwards called upon to give an opinion. 100 One evening when 6 all the company had gathered, 101 an unknow r n [man] was an- nounced. It was [the name of] a young author recently returned from a long journey, who came to give a reading of his first novel. The reading began; Buffon was in the audience. 102 At first, they listened in silence: a few signs of boredom soon followed, then they did not listen any more. Buffon seemed to be absent-minded ; 103 he looked [at] his watch, asked [for] his carriage and went; Thomas was asleep. The reading over, they 23 advised the author of the manuscript, who seemed to be a little disconcerted 104 2Ô2 IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION by the cold reception 105 given 106 to his work, to retouch it and to wait, then they 23 spoke about something else and the newcomer was forgotten. And yet, the book which had thus been scorned was "Paul and Virginia," and this book alone was to make 101 Bernardin de Saint-Pierre's reputation, and designate him to Louis XVI as a worthy successor of Bufïon. Nadault de Buffon. 137. Influence grecque Il est difficile aujourd'hui de se rendre compte de l'in- fluence prépondérante qu'exerçait sur la France d'autrefois la littérature grecque. Nourris des classiques, qu'ils lisaient dans l'original, les Français cultivés avaient en outre pour livre de chevet l'admirable «Plutarque» d'Amyot; œuvre unique en son genre, où le traducteur, par le seul mérite du style, a fait une œuvre profondément originale. Tout en donnant libre cours à son imagination égale- ment éprise de voyages en terres étrangères et de réformes politiques, Fénelon, dans les «Aventures de Télémaque», avait su populariser la mythologie grecque. Au XVIII me siècle, Barthélémy, dans son «Voyage du jeune Anacharsis en Grèce», avait ravivé les souvenirs qui se rattachaient à cette patrie intellectuelle des Français, aimée et révérée à l'égal de la vraie patrie. Ce fut encore vers la Grèce que se tournèrent les esprits pour chercher, dans l'histoire de ce peuple libre, des modèles de gouvernement républicain. Cependant, tandis que l'histoire et la philosophie grecques gagnent du terrain , la mythologie se voit réléguée au second plan ; pied à pied elle se voit forcée hors de ses retranche- ments; bannie irrévocablement du domaine des sciences par Bufïon, tolérée dans l'art par Diderot, à condition seule- IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION 263 ment qu'elle se fasse bien simple et familiale, elle va se réfu- gier dans la poésie, où, avec André Chénier, elle fait une apparition fugitive et charmante. D'instinct, ce fils de la Grèce comprit que la mythologie devait se confondre avec la vie. Après avoir touché la terre, les nymphes, les Né- réides s'en trouvèrent comme rajeunies. Pour comprendre comment Chénier put opérer ce miracle, il faut lire les lettres écrites par sa mère sur les danses et les enterrements grecs. Grecque de race, Française par son mariage, M me Chénier savait, avec un enthousiasme vibrant, parler de son pays d'origine et en représenter les mœurs en tableaux colorés. C'est d'elle, sans doute, qu'André Chénier tenait l'imagi- nation gracieuse qui devait donner à sa poésie cette fraî- cheur d'inspiration qu'on chercherait en vain chez ceux qu'au XVIII rae siècle, on prenait pour des poètes. Français du XVffl me siècle, Chénier l'était aussi par son goût pour les sciences. Au moment où la mort vint si cruellement le faucher, il songeait, moderne Lucrèce, à célé- brer, en un poème de la nature, l'œuvre de Buffon. S'il n'eut pas le temps d'achever cet «Hermès», qui donnait de si belles promesses, il sut cependant montrer, indirectement, dans ses «Idylles», qu'il avait subi l'influence scientifique de son époque; la précision avec laquelle il note les détails nous en est une preuve. Dans «La jeune Tarentine», décri- vant les préparatifs de la fête qui va se célébrer, il indique nettement tout ce qui a été «dans le cèdre enfermé». Dans «Le jeune Malade», le choix des présents nous montre, à n'en pas douter, que c'est un Grec qui parle : "Tiens, prends cette corbeille et nos fruits les plus beaux; Prends notre Amour d'ivoire, honneur de ces hameaux; Prends la coupe d'onyx à Corinthe ravie; [ Prends mes jeunes chevreaux, prends mon cœur, prends ma vie;" 264 IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION Du temps de Racine, ce n'était pas ainsi qu'on imitait la Grèce. Dans «La jeune Tarentine», voici encore un souvenir des coutumes grecques. Répondant à l'appel désolé des Né- réides : "Et les nymphes des bois, des sources, des montagnes, Toutes frappant leur sein et traînant un long deuil, Répétèrent, hélas! autour de son cercueil" . . . Ce tableau ne fait-il pas pendant à celui où M me Chénier décrit la coutume qu'on nomme «le dernier adieu»? De même, dans «Le jeune Malade», la gracieuse vision des danses en plein air rappelle aussi la Grèce telle que M me Chénier la connaissait. L'art charmant avec lequel les dé- tails, qui doivent former le fond de la scène, sont entrelacés à la peinture du mouvant tableau, nous fait songer à l'idéal que Buffon proposait à l'écrivain; il nous rappelle aussi l'importance que Diderot attachait, dans la critique d'art, au fond du tableau; enfin, comme chez Rousseau, on trouve notée la valeur musicale des bruits champêtres ou forestiers: "O vent sonore et frais qui troublais le feuillage." Jusque dans sa prison, Chénier sut conserver cette mer- veilleuse fraîcheur d'imagination; c'est elle qui donne à «La jeune Captive» son plus grand charme; le poète avait le droit de dire avec son héroïne: "L'illusion féconde habite dans mon sein. D'une prison sur moi les murs pèsent en vain, J'ai les ailes de l'espérance:" Avec lui, l'inspiration poétique, franchissant tous les ob- stacles, préludait au grand réveil de la poésie lyrique que devait inaugurer le romantisme. IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION 265 138a. Letter on Greek dances By Madame Chénier It seems to me that the French, who have accepted all the great and durable things which Antiquity has offered 1 [them], who have improved 2 [on] all that was pleasing, have many points in common* w T ith the Athenians. They pre- serve 4 in Europe the superiority which this celebrated re- public had acquired over the Greek States. They have 5 the wit, the knowledge, the talents, the brilliant courage, 6 and the politeness of the Athenians, they have 7 also their 8 cheer- fulness, and the same taste for fashions, for love affairs, 9 and for the theatre. 10 But far from resembling them as far as dancing is concerned, 11 they ridicule 12 those who, after they have reached the age of thirty, 1 * should dare to dance. It is surprising that the fair 14 sex, which has so much power over this amiable and susceptible 15 nation, has 16 not appealed 17 from such a stern 18 decision. Have the ladies forgotten that dancing is part 19 of the attraction 20 of their sex? Why then 21 give it up? Why should it be 22 the attribute of youth alone? 23 Dancing goes with 24 the Graces; now 25 the Graces belong to 26 all ages; so 27 the master of the gods has willed it. They 28 say that when Jupiter was assigning to each Divinity its attributes and its power, the Graces came too late, and, as they were unable 29 to obtain any special wor- ship, 30 Jupiter, to make up 31 for it, granted them the power of appearing 32 everywhere. Since then, 33 the Graces are found 28 in all countries, they belong 26 to all ages and to both 34 sexes. If, according to this arrangement, the Graces belong to 35 all ages of man, dancing and singing, which are used to bring them out, 36 might also belong 26 to all ages. 266 IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION 138b. Letter on Greek burials A Greek lady whom you know, Sir, as distinguished by her position as by the beauty of her soul, and who added 37 to the charms 20 of her sex those of a fine 38 education, lived with a younger 39 brother, who, out of excessive* virtue, had given up the honors and positions to which his rank and his connections 41 entitled him.* 2 He had for his sister the 43 tenderness of a brother and the 43 friendship of a virtuous friend. This beloved 44 brother, having caught a malignant fever, died after a four-day illness, 45 in spite of the care which wealth and friendship bestowed 46 upon him. His sister, according to the custom 47 of the country, accompanied the funeral procession** preceded by part 49 of the Greek nobility. Everything showed 50 the depression 51 of this sensitive 15 soul; the disorder of her veil and of her clothes, the carelessness with which her hair had been put up, 52 added new character- istics 53 to all the other marks of her grief. The body was received at the door of the church by the Patriarch of Con- stantinople. After the customary 54 prayers, he performed 55 the ceremony which the Greeks have preserved and which is 28 called the last farewell After the patriarch had em- braced the body, the parents and those who formed the procession did the same. 56 This scene, which the idea of an eternal farewell makes 57 only too touching, 58 became even more so when this sister in tears, 59 listening only to the im- pulse 60 of her grief, tore her clothes and her hair 61 to place these tokens of her grief on 62 the coffin 63 of a brother she was soon to see no more. Efforts were 28 made to shorten 64 this lugubrious scene and to bring back to her home the bereaved 65 sister. She had calmed down and her grief was somewhat subdued. 66 As the details 67 connected 69 with the site 70 of this IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION 267 house [are of great importance in connection with the picture] / am going to draw for you, 68 I leave your sentiment in sus- pense, in order to give you an idea of it. This house, situated on the bank of the Narrows 71 of the Black Sea, opens 72 upon a garden from whence you 28 can have the most beautiful and magnificent view of the Narrows. 73 This garden was adorned by beautiful flowers and a few fruit trees ; on 74 one side was an aviary 75 full of birds of all kinds, and on 74 the other [side], a reservoir, supplied 76 with fresh sea water, 77 contained 78 all kinds of fish; this garden, these flowers, and the fish were the amusements of the Sage whom death had just snatched 79 from his sister and his friends. You already feel, Sir, how much this background 67 adds to the scene; "Where is my brother," said the disconsolate 80 sister, her eyes wandering all over the garden, 81 "he has passed away 82 ... he has passed like a shadow. . . You, Flowers, which he used to culti- vate with so much pleasure, you already have lost the freshness which you owed to his care . . . perish with him . . . bend down, dry up even to 83 the root. You, fish, since you no longer have a master and a friend who watches 16 over 8 * your life 85 . . . return to the deep waters ... to seek a precarious life 86 . . . and you, little birds, if you survive your sorrow ... let it be 16 only to accompany my sighs with your mournful 87 songs. . . . Peaceful 88 sea, at present your waves are rising 89 . . . could it be possible that you too have 16 a share in my grief ' Q0 . . . Judge, Sir, of the impres- sions 91 produced on the spectators by this touching apos- trophe made w r ith the tranquillity which grief gives only to great souls. This lady then turning toward her slaves, said to them: "Weep, children, you no longer have a father . . . my brother has passed away 82 . . . cruel death has be- reaved 92 us. . . . He has disappeared as the shadow . . . 268 IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION and we shall no longer see him; these places 93 which his presence made 57 delightful must be for us only an abode 94 of grief and sorrow. ' ' It is not possible, Sir, to give to nature more expression, more strength, more genuine simplicity. 95 I thought you would be pleased to see 96 this little sample of Greek eloquence, when, in its ravings, 97 a rich 98 imagination so vividly pictures all the feelings of the soul. A traduire en anglais 139. Le jeune Malade Fragment d'Idylle O coteaux d'Erymanthe! ô vallons! ô bocage! O vent sonore et frais qui troublais le feuillage. Et faisais frémir l'onde, et sur leur jeune sein Agitais les replis de leur robe de lin! De légères beautés troupe agile et dansante . . . Tu sais, tu sais, ma mère? aux bords de TErymanthe. Là, ni loups ravisseurs, ni serpent, ni poisons . . . O visage divin! ô fêtes! ô chansons! Des pas entrelacés, des fleurs, une onde pure, Aucun lieu n 'est si beau dans toute la nature. Dieux! ces bras et ces fleurs, ces cheveux, ces pieds nus Si blancs, si délicats! je ne les verrai plus! Oh! portez, portez-moi sur les bords d'Erymanthe; Que je la voie encor, cette vierge charmante! Oh! que je voie au loin la fumée à longs flots S 'élever de ce toit au bord de cet enclos. André Chénièr. IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION ] 269 140. La jeune Tarentine Pleurez, doux alcyons ! ô vous, oiseaux sacrés, Oiseaux chers à Thétis, doux alcyons, pleurez ! Elle a vécu, Myrto, la jeune Tarentine ! Un vaisseau la portait aux bords de Camarine: Là, l'hymen, les chansons, les flûtes, lentement Devaient la reconduire au seuil de son amant. Une clef vigilante a, pour cette journée, Dans le cèdre enfermé sa robe d'hyménée, Et Tor dont au festin ses bras seront parés, Et pour ses blonds cheveux les parfums préparés. Mais, seule sur la proue, invoquant les étoiles, Le vent impétueux, qui soufflait dans les voiles L'enveloppe : étonnée et loin des matelots, Elle crie, elle tombe, elle est au sein des flots. Elle est au sein des flots, la jeune Tarentine ! Son beau corps a roulé sous la vague marine Thétis, les yeux, en pleurs, dans le creux d'un rocher, Aux monstres dévorants eut soin de le cacher. Par son ordre bientôt les belles Néréides S'élèvent au-dessus des demeures humides, Le poussent au rivage, et dans ce monument L'ont au cap du Zéphyr déposé mollement ; Et de loin, à grand cris appelant leurs compagnes, Et les nymphes des bois, des sources, des montagnes, Toutes, frappant leur sein et traînant un long deuil, Répétèrent, hélas ! autour de son cercueil : «Hélas ! chez ton amant tu n'es point ramenée, Tu n'as point revêtu ta robe d'hyménée, 270 IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION L'or autour de ton bras n'a point serré de nœuds, Et le bandeau d'hymen n'orna point tes cheveux.» André Chénier. 141. Mirabeau Tous les grands écrivains qui, par leurs idées avancées et libérales, ont préparé la révolution, meurent avant le moment où elle éclate. Cependant, ils ont eu un représen- tant: Mirabeau, le grand tribun, est le seul homme politique qui, par son savoir encyclopédique, puisse représenter, au commencement de la tourmente révolutionnaire, l'esprit du XVIII me siècle. Lui seul est véritablement un grand ora- teur ; lui seul a la profondeur de vues qui caractérisait Mon- tesquieu et lui permettait de voir d'avance l'enchaînement des événements. L'idée de Mirabeau était de réconcilier la royauté avec le nouveau pouvoir que représentait l'As- semblée Constituante; c'est à cette œuvre qu'il consacra des efforts qui malheureusement ne furent pas désintéressés ; on l'accusa de pactiser avec la cour quand lui croyait pouvoir légitimement accepter le prix des services qu'il rendait. Ce fait révèle chez Mirabeau ce manque de sens moral si caractéristique de l'époque où il a vécu. Il est difficile de dire si ce grand orateur était aussi grand écrivain; presque toujours il se servait du travail des autres, se contentant de le retoucher et d'y mettre sa griffe. Tout jeune, il avait montré cette tendance, et son père, qui s'en indignait, l'ap- pelait «le geai des carrefours». Au moment où il était arrivé au faîte de la popularité, il mourut, et sa mort fut un deuil national. Quelles qu'aient été ses fautes, sa carrière tragique, ses emprisonnements, ses malheurs suivis d'une popularité inouïe, sa mort inat- IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION 27 1 tendue, tout concourt à donner à sa figure énigmatique un sombre éclat. Séjour de Mirabeau en Angleterre, 1785. Lettres citées dans " Les Mirabeau" ', par L. de Loménie 142a. Letter from Mirabeau to M me de Nehra Gilbert is kindness itself? he is making plans of all kinds 2 for my future prospects, 3 with a view of 4 bringing us more closely together. For instance, on his trip 5 to Scotland, he will give orders to have a little house on his estate 7 pre- pared 6 for us, because he wishes we should spend the whole summer with 8 him, [an arrangement which will be 9 ] [both] pleasing and economical. 142b. Letter from Sir Gilbert Elliott Translated from the French I have found 10 Mirabeau, our former persecuted school- mate, as ardent a friend as I had left him, and as little changed as he possibly could be 11 in 12 twenty years, six of which have been spent in prison, and the remainder in per- sonal and in domestic quarrels. His talents, which are really wonderful, have considerably matured, 13 and he has acquired a considerable fund of knowledge 1 *. . . . Mirabeau is just as peremptory 13 in his conversation, just as awkward 16 in his manner, his face is just as plain 11 his figure just as awkward 1 * he is just as untidy in his dress as he ever was, and, in addition to that 19 just as conceited 20 as [we remem- ber him] at school twenty years ago. And yet, I loved him then, and you loved him too, although he admits that some- times you used to quarrel with him, because you did not 272 IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION always meet 22 his excessive demands 23 with as much patience 21 His courage, his energy, his wit, his talents, his application, and, above all, his misfortunes and his sufferings should rather increase 24 than weaken our affection for him, and I have been sincerely glad to welcome him 25 and perhaps serve him. 142c. Gilbert Elliott to his brother Hugh The other day I brought 26 Mirabeau with me here at Bath. He courted Henrietta in such a hasty manner 21 being fully convinced 2 * that he could within a week subjugate her, he so absolutely bewildered 29 my John Bull of a wife who does not understand a Frenchman any better than Molly the maid, 30 he so frightened 31 my little boy while caressing him, he so completely monopolized 32 me from breakfast to supper- time, he so surprised all our friends, that I found it hard 33 to stand up for him, 34 and if he had not been unexpectedly 36 called 35 into town this morning, I am [not] sure that my wife's patience, I cannot say her politeness, would have held out. 37 Among the Englishmen of note 3 * with whom Mirabeau came into contact when 39 in London, besides Sir Gilbert Elliott "we must mention 40 Samuel Romilly, well known then, both as a 41 jurist and as a judicious orator, [he was the] friend of a few refugees belonging to the Genevese democratic party, and it was through his medium 42 that Mirabeau became acquainted with Lord Shelburne, since Marquis of Landsowne, former prime minister, who had just entrusted to his young col- league, Pitt, the leadership of the Whig party; Burke, the powerful orator of the House of Commons and the future adversary of that Revolution in which 43 Mirabeau was going to come into prominence. 44 Lord Shelburne and Burke were friends of 4S Sir Gilbert Elliott. Mirabeau tried also to IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION 273 make friends with 46 Dr. Price, the philosopher and political writer, friend of Franklin. His intention was to utilize 47 the work and advice of Price in connection with the essaya he was then preparing on the Order of Cincinnatus,. recently established in America ; he had previously, and before leav- ing France, submitted this work to Franklin. 143a. Influence du Moi Au dix-septième siècle Pascal avait pu dire sans courir le risque d'être contredit: "Le moi est haïssable". Ce fut Rousseau qui en- seigna à ses contemporains comment on peut placer son moi sur un piédestal. Dans cet étrange passage des "Confessions" où "il convo- que l'Etre Suprême à un colloque solennel que devra écouter la foule des humains," on voit clairement que, dans le dérangement de son esprit, l'orgueil a pris un développement anormal; on voit aussi qu' il revendique au nom de la sincérité le droit de tout dire. Sous ce rapport, Rousseau a fait école; les "Mémoires" de M m e Roland le prouvent déjà. C'est aussi de Rousseau que les romantiques tien- dront ce je ne sais quoi de morbide qui les caractérise tous. I am forming an enterprise which never had any precedent, 1 and which when carried out 2 will not find 3 any imitators. I intend to show my fellow men 4 a man as nature made him. 5 and I 6 shall be the man. I alone. I know 7 my own heart and I know men. I dare say s I am unlike 9 any other living men.. If I am not better, at least I am different. If nature has done wrong or not 10 ^ in breaking the mould in which I have been cast, 11 is a thing which 12 you can only decide 13 after having read me. Let the trumpet of the last judgment resound at any time, 14 I shall appear 16 [with] this book in my 15 hand in presence 16 of the sovereign judge. I shall say without hesi- tation: "This is what I have done, what I have thought, what I have been. I have said the good and the bad with 274 IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION the same sincerity. I have not concealed anything bad, I have not added anything good; and if perchance I have used 11 some indifferent ornament, I have done it in order to fill up a gap 18 occasioned by my lack of memory. I may have supposed a thing to be true when 19 I thought it might have been, 20 never what I knew was false. I have shown myself such as I was: despicable and mean when I have been so; 20 kind, generous, sublime when I have been so; 20 I have revealed 21 my inmost heart 22 such as thou hast seen it Thyself, Eternal Being. Let 23 the innumerable crowd of my fellow men gather around me, let them listen [to] my confessions, bemoan 24 my un worthiness, 25 blush over my meannesses. 26 Let each one in his turn, [and] with the same spirit of truth, 2 * lay bare 21 his heart at the foot of thy throne ; and then let any one 29 say, if he dares, I was better than that man. 143b. Madame Roland Les femmes célèbres, au XVIII me siècle, représentent toutes les classes et il est à remarquer que, plus on descend dans l'ordre social, plus le niveau moral s'élève; ainsi, M me Roland, qui appartenait à la petite bourgeoisie, est une des figures les plus pures de ce temps- là. Femme du ministre girondin, elle joua un certain rôle en poli- tique et mérita d'être surnommée "l'âme de la Gironde". L'étude de la philosophie et de l'histoire grecques avait formé son âme au stoïcisme. [I, the] daughter of [an] artist, [the] wife of a scholar [who] became 30 [a] minister and remained 30 [a] righteous man, [I am] now 31 [a] prisoner, perhaps destined to a sud- den 32 and violent death ; I have known happiness and adver- sity, I have seen glory near by 33 and I have suffered from 34 injustice. Born in a very modest position, 35 but of honest IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION 275 parents, I have spent my youth in artistic surroundings, sG [being] bred 37 [to enjoy] the delights of study, knowing no other** superiority than that of merit, no other 38 greatness than that of virtue. At the age when 39 one chooses a posi- tion, 35 I lost the prospects 40 of wealth which might have secured for me a standing 41 in keeping with 42 the education I had received. It seemed 45 that my marriage with a 43 worthy 44 man was to make up 45 for the hardships 46 [I had suffered] ; it was the beginning 41 of new ones. A gentle disposition, 48 a brave 49 soul, a good mind, 50 a very affectionate heart, an external [appearance] which be- tokened all these qualities, 51 have endeared 52 me to all those who knew me. [Owing to] the position in which I w 7 as placed, / had 53 enemies, personally I had none; the people who say the worst things about 54 me have never seen me. It is so true that things are rarely as they appear to be, that the periods 55 of my life in which I have enjoyed 56 the greatest happiness or suffered 57 the deepest grief are often very different from 58 what other [people] might think, 59 for the very reason that happiness depends more on 60 feeling than on events. In my captivity I am planning 61 to devote 62 my leisure 63 [hours] to the story of my life from my earliest 64 childhood to this time; to retrace step by step 66 one's career is to live 65 one's life over again. To fancy 68 yourself elsewhere through 69 [the medium of] a happy fiction or through interesting rec- ollections, isn't ù the best thing to do when you are in prison?^ If experience is to be acquired not so much 10 by action as by reflection on what you see and on w T hat you have done, mine may increase considerably, by [carrying out] the under- taking I am just beginning. Public affairs, my personal feelings during the tw T o months 276 IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION I have spent in prison, 11 have given me sufficient food for thought, 12 it was not necessary to go back 73 to a far distant past, that is why the five first weeks had been devoted 74 to the writing of 15 "Historical Notes," a work which 16 was not perhaps without merit. They have just been destroyed, I have felt the bitterness of a loss which I shall not try to repair, but I should feel indignant with myself if I allowed myself to be depressed 11 by anything. In every trouble I have experienced 1 * the first impression of grief 79 was almost immediately followed by 80 the ambition to oppose with 81 all my strength 82 the trouble 83 which had come upon me, 84 and to overcome 85 it either by doing good to others, or by increasing my own courage. Thus, mis- fortune may follow me without overwhelming 86 me, tyrants may persecute me but they will never lower me 81 never, never. My "Historical Notes" are lost, I am going to write Mem- oirs, and, prudently adapting myself 88 to my own strength in a time when 89 I am so painfully impressed, 90 I am going to talk about myself, 91 because I shall thus all the better get out of myself. 92 I shall feel equally free to show myself in a bad or in a favorable light; 93 he who dares not give 94 himself a good testimony is almost always a coward who knows the bad things which might be said against him and who is afraid of them; 95 and he who hesitates in admitting his wrong doings 96 has not the strength to face 91 them or to atone 98 for them. // / show so much frankness with regard to myself, 99 I shall not hesitate to be just as sincere with regard to others; 100 father, mother, friends, husband, I shall paint them all as they are 101 or as 102 I have seen them. As long as I remained in a peaceful condition and entirely wrapped within myself 103 my natural sensibility was so blended 104 [with] all my other qualities that it was the only IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION 277 thing to be noticed™ 1 in me, or the most marked characteristic. 10 ^ My strongest impulse was to please and do good. I deserved what Sainte-Lette said about me: although I was witty enough to whet 107 a delicate epigram, / never dropped 10 * one. Since circumstances, political storms and others have ■ developed the energy of my character, my first wish is to be sincere 109 and / do not care whether or not I slightly hurt people's feelings 110 I still refrain 111 from epigrams, for it naturally follows 112 [that when indulging in epigrams, you take pleasure in] hurting by 113 your criticism, and I cannot find pleasure in 114 killing flies ; but I like [by my sincere effort] to drive home a piece of truth; 115 when exposmg 116 the most awful [things] to the very face of the people who are con- cerned 117 I do it without showing surprise, without being moved, and without getting angry, whatever may be llB the effect [of my revelations] upon others. Mémoires de Madame Roland. 144. Conclusion M. de Talleyrand disait: «Qui n'a pas vécu avant 1789 ne connaît pas la douceur de vivre.» Qui peut retenir un mouvement de surprise en lisant pour la première fois ces lignes? On songe au brillant tableau des idées que fait ressortir, par le contraste, un sombre cadre de prisons; et Ton évoque successivement l'image de ceux dont le nom s'y rattache; à la Bastille: Voltaire, Marmontel, l'abbé Morellet, Mlle Delaunay, le marquis de Mirabeau; à Vin- cennes, Diderot et Mirabeau; au For-1'Evêque, Beaumar- chais; à Sainte-Pélagie, M me Roland; à Saint-Lazare, André 278 IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION Chénier. Et il île s'agit encore que de Paris. Mirabeau savait par expérience qu'on pouvait être enfermé au Châ- teau d'If sur un îlot de la Méditerranée et au fort de Joux enseveli sous les neiges. L'emprisonnement, l'exil pour les hommes de lettres, les persécutions de l'Eglise, les crimes judiciaires, la guerre en permanence, les famines, la misère profonde des pauvres, tout cela semble devoir noyer le tableau d'ombres intenses. Et pourtant, voilà la grand'mère de George Sand, M me Dupin, qui vient corroborer le dire de Talleyrand et l'expli- quer en une certaine mesure; d'après son témoignage, nous comprenons qu'alors les caractères étaient autrement trem- pés. Voici comment elle décrit son mari, ce Francueil qui fut l'ami de M me d'Epinay: «Je l'appelais mon vieux mari et mon papa. Il le voulait ainsi et ne m'appelait jamais que sa fille, même en public. Et puis, est-ce qu'on était jamais vieux dans ce temps-là! C'est la révolution qui a amené la vieillesse dans le monde. Votre grand-père, ma fille, a été beau, élégant, soigné, gracieux, parfumé, enjoué, aimable, affectueux et d'une humeur égale jusqu'à l'heure de sa mort. ... Il avait le don de savoir toujours s'occuper d'une manière agréable pour les autres autant que pour lui- même. Le jour, il faisait de la musique avec moi; il était excellent violon, et faisait ses violons lui-même, car il était luthier, outre qu'il était horloger, architecte, tourneur, pein- tre, serrurier, décorateur, cuisinier, poète, compositeur de musique, menuisier, et qu'il brodait à merveille. Je ne sais pas ce qu'il n'était pas. Le malheur, c'est qu'il man- gea sa fortune à satisfaire tous ces instincts divers, et à expérimenter toutes choses; mais je n'y vis que du feu, et nous nous ruinâmes le plus aimablement du monde. C'est qu'on savait vivre et mourir dans ce temps-là, on IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION 279 n'avait pas d'infirmités importunes. Si on avait la goutte, on marchait quand même et sans faire la grimace; on se cachait de souffrir par bonne éducation. ... On se serait fait porter demi-mort à une partie de chasse. On trouvait qu'il valait mieux mourir au bal ou à la comédie que dans son lit, entre quatre cierges et de vilains hommes noirs. On était philosophe, on ne jouait pas l'austérité, on l'avait parfois sans en faire montre.» Ce qui ressort surtout de ce passage, c 'est la soif d 'activité intellectuelle et physique. Et à quelle époque a-t-on jamais eu plus belle occasion de l 'étancher? C 'était, d'abord, le merveilleux développement des études scientifiques, la passion de faire des collections et des expériences, attisée par les découvertes des savants; puis, l'éducation artistique qui se faisait par les salons de peinture, par la critique d'art, par les rapports plus intimes entre hommes de lettres et artistes; l'éducation philoso- phique, qui se répandait par l 'Encyclopédie et par les salons où le charme de la conversation surpassait tout ce qu'on peut imaginer; le goût des voyages, qui amenait un double résultat scientifique et sentimental: l'intétêt qu'on prenait aux peuples étrangers se manifestait par l'histoire de la civilisation, l'étude comparée des lois; enfin, on aimait les étrangers et on sentait naître en soi les sentiments nouveaux de fraternité et d'humanité. Puis, la liberté qu'on avait découverte chez les autres, on voulait l 'introduire en France, et les esprits inventifs découvraient mille manières de l'ac- climater. On sympathisait avec les malheureux et on savourait les larmes versées; on donnait libéralement et avec joie; on se passionnait pour la vertu et des écrivains, tel Marivaux, entreprenaient d'élever le niveau moral de leurs contemporains et réussissaient dans cette difficile entre- prise. On faisait des plans de réformes et on découvrait 280 IDIOMATIC FRENCH COMPOSITION Part de l'agriculture, le travail manuel, le charme de la vie simple et, avec la beauté et la poésie de la nature, une reli- gion nouvelle. Cette fièvre intellectuelle, qui montait au cerveau, empêchait de voir la réalité trop sombre ; elle rem- plissait l'imagination de rêves d'une douceur extraordinaire. Enfin, c'est de toutes ces aspirations que devait se dégager la devise révolutionnaire : liberté, égalité, fraternité. NOTES PART I 1 employez le passé défini dans la narration historique quand îl s'agit de /dits importants et le présent en parlant des détails amusants, pour donner plus de vivacité au récit. 2 passer la nuit à tout disposer. 3 emploi de l'infinitif passé après après. 4 se lever, faire ses paquets. 5 se rendre chez. 6 exempt, m. 7 emploi d'aller pour indiquer un fu- tur ou un cond. prochain. 8 emploi du subjonctif après vouloir; vouloir est à l'imparfait. 9 se refuser à. 10 quand la terminaison des verbes en ger commence par a.ouo il faut inter- caler un e entre le radical et la terminai- son. 11 introducteur, m. 12 diférence entre V emploi d'y et de la; employez les deux. 13 s'apercevoir. 14 le participe passé des verbes em- ployés avec avoir s'accorde avec le régime direct, quand celui-ci précède le verbe. 15 à. 16 'ivith me' {he would only leave the prison) . 17 on ne répète pas le même pronom, à moins qu'il ne s'agisse d'une citation: 'Je crois pouvoir le faire' ; 'j'ai dit que je le ferais'. 18 on (faire semblant). 19 'search' = visiter; faire visite = Ho call' 20 faire monter. 21 pour. 22 emploi de faire, en parlant de la température. 23 faire bon feu. 24 en abondance (se place après du bois). 25 emploi de l'article partitif; on ne l'omet que dans une enumeration géné- rale. 26 rendre compte de. 27 se mettre à. 28 'the mattresses of it,' 29 dans la minute. 30 faire demander. 31 remercier. 32 mon compte. 33 de mon côté. 34 de quoi me sauver de l'ennui. 35 gens de lettres. 36 répétez que avant le verbe. 37 'decently;' on forme les adverbes en ajoutant ment au féminin de l'adjec- tif; les adjectifs en ent font exception: le. t tombe et on change n en m + ment. 38 emploi de l'infinitif après les pré- positions, à l'exception de en. 39 se trouver. 40 me voilà donc. 41 au coin d'un bon feu. 42 voilà. 43 s'amuser à (participe présent) faire. 281 282 NOTES 44 jour, m. 4 45 fortes grilles. 46 enlever la vue. 1 omettez l'article; il s'agit d'un titre 47 tirer de. étranger. 48 faïence, /. 2 aussi . . . que. 49 déployer; change y en i devant e. 3 l'être. 50 celle. 4 ainsi que. 51 se servir de. 5 'they have been.' 52 mettre le couvert. 6 éclipser par; le participe passé em- 53 fourchette d'étain. ployé avec être s'accorde avec le sujet. 54 pain de ménage. 7 répétez aussi. 55 se mettre à table. 8 savoureux. 56 en maigre. 9 sous le rapport de. 57 au. 10 mordante. 58 pointe d'ail. 59 flatter. 5 60 l'ordinaire. 1 tranchées. 61 se lever de. 2 la plus haute et la plus parfaite. 62 que. 3 se fondre en; on emploie Vimpar- 63 avoir à dîner. ait dans les descriptions. 64 voilà. 4 tons dégradés. 65 à l'appareil de ce service en beau 5 frappant. linge, en faience fine. 6 toute caractéristique. 66 ne faire semblant de rien. 7 écrire en grande partie. 67 venir de. 8 ouvrage {m.) de philosophie. 68 trouver bon. 9 l'esprit. 69 deux infinitifs. 10 ardente imagination qui aspirait 70 c'était un dîner gras. à dépasser les bornes de ce monde. 71 pilon, m. 11 afin de. 72 ruisseler de. 12 l'au-delà. 73 fondant. 13 insondable. 74 en marinade. 14 domaine qui . . .; 75 vouloir bien. 15 horizons illimités aux envolées. 76 faire penser. 16 suppléer à. 77 entremêler de. 17 manque, m. 78 peu de moments d'ennui. 18 faits tangibles. 79 caractère, m. 19 en (suivi du verbe) ... le nom. 80 obséder. 20 être bien de sa personne. 81 errants et gémissants. 21 il avait un je ne sais quoi qui 82 environner. plaisait. 22 si peu de gens ont réellement, au moins en ce pays-ci. 23 se dire. NOTES 283 24 croire à; mais 'croire en Dieu,' et 'croire cela.' 25 mettre en doute sans pourtant rejeter le moins du monde. ■ 26 l'idée de. 27 une autre vie, ou une vie à venir. 28 une pénible maladie. 29 à + l'article défini. 30 huit jours. 31 prendre congé de suivi d'un ad- verbe . . . pour la dernière fois. 32 faire ses adieux. 33 faire ce qu'il voudra de. 34 c'est lui qui sait le mieux. 35 ce qu'il faut. 36 que dire somme toute de; répétez que dire avant sinon. 37 se coudoyer. 1 avoir besoin. 2 être présenté. 3 faire le reste. 4 comme homme du monde, per- sonne ne; ou son commerce était des plus agréables. 5 surpasser. 6 vouloir bien. 7 ce qui. 8 se trouver avec des gens. 9 être des plus réservés. 10 s'animer dans la conversation. 11 maigre précède le nom. 12 s'embellir peu à peu. 13 avoir de l'expression. 14 être de ses amis. 15 beaux esprits. 16 venir à tomber. 17 quandV adjectif se rapporte à deux noms de genres différents, on met le nom masculin en dernier lieu car l'adjectif est au masculin pluriel. 18 en être, ou être présent. 19 se mêler de critiquer. 20 se mettre à en dire pis que pendre. 21 ce qui était fort déplacé. 22 être plus ou moins au courant. 23 mérite littéraire. 24 tant bien que mal. 25 prendre la défense de. 26 savoir, m. 27 avoir vite fait de voir. 28 avoir le dessus. 29 garder le silence. 30 la soirée. 31 d'autant plus. 32 rouler. 33 minuit, m. 34 alors» 35 finir par sortir de. 36 être, m. 37 il la poursuivit avec force. 38 de temps en temps. 39 du matin. 40 commencez par peut-être, et faites Vinversion; mettez à la fin: je dois avouer que je n'ai jamais été sous le charme à ce point-là; ou bien employez soit que ... ou que. 41 traiter un sujet d'une manière incomparable. 42 complète. 43 commencez par la première des choses; emploi du subjonctif après le premier quand il y a doute; ici il s'agit d'un fait certain. 44 assez d'anglais pour. 45 prendre part à. 46 étonnantes. 47 apprécier à sa juste valeur. 43 parler d'une manière assez favo- rable. 49 révéler des beautés nouvelles. 50 commencez par si notre langue; 284 NOTES répétez si, parce que les deux proposi- tions sont indépendantes, et mettez en dernier lieu "it is to him we owe it." 51 cultivés. 1 sous. 2 rapport, m. 3 'his: 4 répétez: Hn respect of.* 5 tolérance,/. 6 aimer autant. 7 s'approprier. 8 biens, m. pi. 9 métaphysique. 10 tout aussi porté à s'attendre à; emploi du subjonctif après s'attendre et désirer. 11 taille,/. 12 ajoutez Ht. 1 13 au sujet de la loi de. 14 'which passed: 15 on n'emploie pas le trait d'union avant ou après ioo et iooo; on V emploie entre tous les autres nombres. 16 rapporter. 17 année,/. Quand un nombre pré- cède, on emploie an, m. 18 réclamation, /. 19 peu fondé. 20 qui s'élevèrent. 21 à cause de. 22 réclamations (/.) en faveur de. 23 un enseignement moderne. 24 employez V adjectif (scolaire). 25 ajoutez l it is.' 26 gouverneur de; on emploie V ar- ticle devant les noms de pays. 27 se distinguer. 28 les adjectifs doivent précéder. 29 classe (/.) de gens. 30 'He was.* 31 peu porté à. 32 favoritisme, m. 33 emploi du subj. après craindre. 34 se soulever, quand il s'agit d'une révolution, autrement se lever. 35 grand temps qu'ils (se lever). 36 particularité des verbes en ger. 37 -f assurer. 38 après 'and' il faut répéter que. 39 feu. 40 lui aussi, récemment. 41 gouverneur, m. 42 être d'un accès facile. 43 être exempt de. 44 accusation, /. 45 'without danger.' 46 s'intéresser à. 47 prospérité,/. 48 reposer. 49 employer ces fonds dans l'inté- rêt du public. 50 le développement et le perfec- tionnement de l'industrie. 51 'Let the inhabitants of C . . . know' (subj.). 52 pour l'heure. 63 n'avoir cure de. 54 attacher. 55 lien, m. 56 foncier. 57 avoir de la peine à; ou avoir du mal à. 58 voici comment il exprime. 59 au sujet de. 60 où. 61 avoir pitié de (au commencement). 62 sur un pied d'intimité. 63 donner le ton. 64 être très connu. 65 à l'étranger. 66 un des chefs reconnus. 67 politique (/.) s'emploie au sing. 68 rôle, m. 69 en habile diplomate. NOTES 285 1 être animé du désir de plaire. 2 Ht is now that you must.* 3 mettre tout en œuvre. 4 arriver à. 5 tout. 6 imaginer. 7 'saw it." 8 nation, /. (au singulier). 9 que dis-je. 10 là. 11 le dit. 12 venir de. 13 relire. 14 emploi du subj. 15 plus de. 16 commencez par ce qui et em- ployez pousser à le faire, c'est. 17 encore. 18 sans doute. 19 commencez par l'admiration que . . . jusque là. 20 se changer en. 21 emploi du subjonctif après pas un genre.. 22 où. 23 se demander. 24 faute de. 25 voulu; les participes employés comme adjectifs se placent après le nom. 26 machines qui. 27 selon toute apparence. 28 indispensables à la composi- tion. 29 que (suivi du subjonctif) ... ou non = 30 avouer. 4 31 tant s'en faut (à la fin de la phrase) . 32 se faire vieux. 33 il se peut (suivi du subjonctif). 34 en tout cas chez les autres. 35 accompagner de. 36 il me faut du raisonnable. 37 commencez par: 'jive lines can- not.' 38 omission de pas. 39 millier, quand il s'agit d'un nombre approximatif. 40 commencez par: jugez si dans cet état. 41 admirer les beautés de. 42 à vous dire vrai. 43 parfaitement sensé. 44 force prises de tabac. 45 faire profession d'être l'allié. 46 commettre. 47 sous prétexte de. 48 avouer franchement. 49 d'un bout à l'autre. 50 admettre. 51 il y a dans son œuvre. 52 avoir l'honneur de connaître. 53 personnages, m. 54 passer ma compréhension et. 55 n'amuser guère. 56 garder le secret à. 57 employez on (et venir à savoir). 58 avoir affaire à. 59 ennuyeux pasteurs; à tous les cuistres. 60 de. 61 tout . . . bien pu dire de (suivi de V adjectif) . .62 sur. 63 Hs still truer 1 (de) . 64 et (faire place à). 65 idées fausses. 66 par exemple. 67 si ce n'est. 68 par conséquent. 69 pas du tout. 70 c'est pourquoi. 71 ne rien dire de. 72 d'un bout à l'autre. 286 NOTES 73 orner de, il faut répéter de (à, de, en se répèlent toujours). 74 sans parler de. 75 sur ce point (sous ce rapport), V. à n'en pas douter, l'emporte sur. 76 Si; on emploie le présent de Vin- dicatif dans la subordonnée commen- çant par si quand le verbe de la princi- pale est au futur. 77 faire exception {au subj.). 78 de mon côté. 79 maintenir. 80 'he is at least his equal.' 81 exciter l'intérêt à un plus haut point. 82 accomplir. 83 finir par mener à bien une entre- prise. 84 surpasser en horreur. 85 selon moi. 86 somme toute. 87 en dépit de. 88 sévérité, /. 89 vouloir bien. 90 employez non pas quand il y a une forte opposition entre les idées ex- primées dans la même phrase. 91 en songe. 92 suivant les lois. 93 à mon point de vue. 94 telle qu'elle est. 10 1 commencez par voici, suivi de {what L. says). 2 commencez par ce fut surtout. 3 que V. se faire une idée de. 4 son séjour, m. 5 représenter. 6 commencez par celles qu'on jouait alors; placez après 'two or three only.' 7 abominablement. 8 toute mutilées {suivi du subj ) . 9 genre, m. 10 entendre parler de. 11 'had been written.' 12 époque,/. 13 parler en connaissance de cause de. 14 donner des détails sur. 15 Jules César. 16 celle-ci toute excellente {suivi du subj.). 17 considérer. 18 une raison qu'il est difficile de démêler; ou, difficile à démêler. 19 des plus vives. 20 peut-être {inversion) . . . remar- quablement bien. 21 il n'y a pas. 22 'one knows he hated love in trag- edy.' 23 ne pouvoir souffrir. 24 répétez peut-être, et employez faire oublier. 25 ajoutez certaine. 26 mépris, m. 27 comme étant de première im- portance. 28 quelque, suivi d'être, s'écrit en deux mots {emploi du subj.). 29 prendre intérêt à. 30 en tant qu'il s'est inspiré de Shakespeare. 31 somme toute. 32 jouer le rôle. 33 et . . . et. 34 œuvres d'imagination. 35 qu'il blâme ou qu'il loue. 36 citer. 37 fournir l'idée. 38 intrigue, /. 39 caractère, m. 40 à lui. 41 entre. NOTES 287 42 rapide coup d'oeil sur; place des adjectifs qui ont un sens figure. 43 ouvrage (/».) de ce genre. 44 représenter. 45 en ce qui concerne. 46 'one may consider it. 1 47 jusqu'à un certain point. 48 le point de vue. 49 lettrés, m. 50 gens du monde. 51 sous. 52 écrivain quelconque. 53 homme instruit. 54 jouir d'une certaine réputation dans le monde des lettres. 55 avoir la réputation. 58 sous les traits. 57 demander à juste titre. 58 qui a bien pu poser pour. 59 de {'in Shakespeare's time') doit être placé avant a bien pu. 60 'his time* 61 de haute naissance. 62 être l'original de celles qui oc- cupent un rang élevé. 63 tragi-comédie, /. 64 pas déraisonnable le moins du monde. 65 commencez par un aveugle. 66 ne pas faire de différence entre les couleurs. 67 le bruit des cris. 68 tocsin, m. 69 qui retentit tout le long. 70 pouvoir bien. 71 narcotique, m. 72 puissant. 15 1 faire son chemin. 2 troupe,/. 3 faire un séjour. 4 vers le même temps. 5 Mme. V. (se trouver retenue). 6 ce fut à qui les aurait et à tel point. 7 arriver à en avoir. 8 rôle, m.; omission de V article quand un nom est en apposition. 9 'more remarkable by.' 10 l'élégance de la forme. 11 arriver du premier coup à donner l'impression. 12 l'étoffe. 13 'although her talent was' {employez le subj. et ne). 14 dans sa fleur. . 15 subj. 16 faire peu de cas de. 17 à peine {inversion) 18 m'amener à répéter. 19 où elle jouait. 20 sans trop s'inquiéter. 21 On (taxer de négligence). 22 puisque. 23 sembler croire. 24 l'aide; assistance publique = 'pub- lic chanty.' 25 conditionnel. 26 faire peu ou point de différence. 27 elle, de son côté. 28 répéter son rôle d'une voix blanche. 29 '{feeling) that I had.' 30 mauvais. 31 venir à jouer. 32 triompher de. 33 la surprise que; dans les proposi- tions relatives le verbe se place avant le régime direct. 34 son jeu; entrer ainsi de prime saut. 35 donner du prix; commencez la phrase par ce qui. 36 interprétation.. /. 288 NOTES 37 tirer de soi-même, et répétez que. 38 en savoir plus long qu'elle {em- ploi du cond. passé) . 39 je ne ferais pas mal; si peut-être est en premier lieu, faites l'inversion. 40 donner des détails sur. 41 genre {m.) de talent. • 42 de si grand renom. 43 de si peu d'importance. "44 une fois connue. 45 abandonner à des actrices de se- cond ordre. 46 me faire changer d'avis sur son compte. 47 se confirmer dans l'idée. . 48 on reconnut. 49 'Having had.' 50 brusque révélation; mouvement brusque. Pourquoi? 51 talent et caractère d'une actrice. 52 '/ did not expect to discover.' 53 accord du participe passé conju- gué avec avoir quand le régime direct le précède. 54 précédent. 55 mettre de côté {à côté = side by side'). 56 participe présent suivi de trouver parmi. 57 quelqu'un {suivi du subjonctif -f- pouvoir). 58 bien rendre. 59 donner des preuves. 60 être dans l'embarras. 61 bonne raison. 62 Ht was thus.' 63 paraître sur la scène. 64 avoir du succès auprès du public; emploi du subjonctif. 65 en attribuer une large part à. 66 inusité. 67 jeu, m. 68 si personnelle {en dentier lieu). 69 traits qui lui appartiennent en propre. 70 un peu plus arrangés. 71 échapper à. 72 brillante verve. 73 la naissance {suivi du subj.). 74 représenter à merveille. 75 se rendre compte. 76 charme, m. 77 commencez par l I often said to myself on seeing her.'' 78 dans le monde. 79 prendre pour modèle. 80 sans rien perdre de. 81 l not later than this morning.'' 82 à Bath où. 83 dans les dates on n'emploie pas la préposition; emploi de l'adjectif nu- méral cardinal, le premier seul fait ex- ception. 84 entendre faire une remarque. 17 Accord du participe passé conjugué avec être dans les verbes réfléchis; il s'accorde avec le régime direct quand celui-ci précède le verbe. Emploi de l'article au lieu de l'adjectif possessif en parlant des parties du corps. 1 depuis. 2 vouloir. 3 curieux. 4 enfin et surtout. 5 ordonnance, /. 6 en. 7 aujourd'hui précède très. 8 avoir pour titre {m.). 9 éprouvé. 10 se servir de. 11 pour vivre près de. 12 falloir; emploi du subj. après les verbes impersonnels. NOTES 289 13 inspirer à; placez le régime direct en dernier lieu. 14 elle seule. 15 garantir (à). 16 voilà. 17 devoir. 18 la discussion. 19 malade, m. 20 ni. 21 il n'y a pas longtemps que. 22 par. 23 il. 24 jusques à. 25 saignée,/. 26 froidement. 27 remarquez l'emploi de était, au lieu de serait. 28 si {suivi du subj.). 29 saigner. 30 demi est invariable quand il pré- cède le nom; quand il le suit, il s'accorde en genre. 31 tourner le dos à quelqu'un. 32 animal, m. 33 en {après le page). 34 devoir à l'imparfait, suivi de l'in- finitif (mourir). [direct. 35 approuver fort; emploi du régime 36 de si haut. 37 se séparer de, se quitter; les verbes réfléchis se conjuguent avec être; emploi du passé indéfini dans le pre- mier cas. 38 employez à en parlant d'une ville; en, quand il s'agit d'une province. 39 paroles, /. pi. 40 certes. 41 dire. 42 être enfoncé dans son opinion {!■)■ 43 se brouiller avec {passé indéfini). 44 émettre {imparfait). 45 autre que. 46 exiger; emploi de e entre le radi- cal et la terminaison {suivi du subj.). 47 faire des excuses, /. 48 avant que de {suivi de V infinitif) . 49 vouloir {suivi du subj.). 50 croire {suivi de V infinitif). 51 faire appel de. 52 autres matières que. 53 emploi de V article devant les noms de sciences. 54 entendre. 55 être assuré de. 56 qui est là. 57 aujourd'hui. 58 décrier. 59 c'est. 60 les noms de religions sont précé- dés de V article; isme est une terminaison masculine. 61 devoir. 62 en. 63 danger {m.) extrême. 64 que {emploi du subj.). 65 les participes employés comme ad- jectifs se placent après le nom. 66 lait, m. 67 que; le verbe précède des anges {m.). _ 68 imposer silence à. 69 jeter dans le dernier respect. 70 voici le moment de. 71 se rendre chez. 72 collier de futaine. 73 hausse-col. 74 absolument. 75 porter. 76 extraordinaire. 77 ravages, m. 78 falloir {suivi de V infinitif). 79 lieu, m. 80 emploi de l'imparfait pour expri- mer l'habitude; emploi du subj. après recommander. 290 NOTES 81 omission de l'article partitif quand r adjectif précède le nom. 82 répétition de que. 83 veilles,/. 84 souci, m. 85 visiter. 86 s'habiller de. 87 avoir du bien. 88 joindre l'exemple au conseil. 89 se faire faire. 90 ne plus quitter. 91 prendre l'habitude de. 92 emploi de l'article. 93 ail, m. 94 sur les yeux. 95 détourner. 96 aller voir. 97 embarras (m.) gastrique. 98 base, /. 99 falloir. 100 purgatifs. 101 grimace, /. 102 ce que voyant. 103 se hasarder à. 104 religieuse infirmière. 105 administrer. 106 celle-ci (être sur le point). 107 s'inquiéter; emploi de V accent grave quand la syllabe suivante est muette. 108 vertige, m. 109 faire craindre. 110 bien improbable. 111 attaque, /. 112 coiffer de {au subj.). 19 1 point du tout. 2 prétendre. 3 divertir. 4 d'une manière. 5 égayée. 6 solidement. 7 pour. 8 matière, /. 9 il ne faut pas répéter le même pro- nom; employez V infinitif. 10 tout ensemble (à la fin). 11 les premiers, et les seconds. 12 aller contre mon intention. 13 de l'utilité; de l'agrément. 14 mettre. 15 Ion. 16 ouï parler; aujourd'hui on dirait 1 entendu parler '; on conserve V ancienne forme dans ouï-dire ('hearsay'). 17 choses-là. 18 rendre. 19 susceptible d'agrément. 20 dame,/. 21 teinte (/.); en général on emploie teinture précédé de moindre. 22 ne laisse pas de. 23 placez l in her mind' immédiate- ment après le verbe. 24 tourbillons, m. 25 pour. 26 application, /. 27 falloir. 28 vouloir. 29 employez en. 30 l'intrigue. 31 quant à. 32 se servir de. 33 ménagement. 34 offrir à. 35 prendre dans. 36 remarquez la diférence entre même sujet et sujet même {'itself'). 37 assez proche de. 38 au XVIIIme siècle on emploie philosophie dans le sens de science. 39 fonder. 40 sur ce que. NOTES 291 41 les yeux mauvais; meilleurs; em- ployez ne avant le verbe. 42 bien. 43 éclairer. 44 'or whether they are not' '; employez en. 45 d'un autre côté. 46 se soucier de. 47 revenir au même. 48 difficulté,/. 49 encore si. 50 autant de précède le participe. 51 ainsi. 52 employez croire négativement (point). 53 ce me semble. 54 trop. 55 sur cela je. 56 se figurer. 57 spectacle, m. 58 du lieu où vous êtes. 59 on a. 60 faire les mouvements. 61 ne s'embarrasser guère. 62 jouer. 63 quelque machiniste. 64 au parterre, m. 65 s'inquiéter de. 66 paraître {futur antérieur). 67 vouloir absolument. 68 démêler. 69 être fait comme. 70 à l'égard de. 71 être longtemps à. 72 ce. 73 attacher à. 74 ne . . . que. 75 mouvements inégaux. 76 se regarder diversement. 77 figurer ensemble. 78 chariot, m. {'the wain). 79 être formé de. 80 tantôt. 81 il en va de même de. 82 dont. 83 produire. 84 fondement, m. 85 est née. 86 confondre. 87 être cause. 88 chacun. 89 reconnaître. 90 les noms de sciences et les noms abstraits prennent V article. 91 apparemment. 92 s'en tenir à. 93 selon. 94 intéressée. • 95 tendre. 96 encore. 97 quasi. 21 1 de la vie de Voltaire. 2 liaison, /.; répétez liaison avant qui. 3 avoir une influence sur. 4 sous. 5 une. 6 être de mode de. 7 se moquer de. 8 les raisons que voici, qui ne sont pas. 9 des meilleures. 10 quoique. 11 Voltaire, un homme à qui. 12 on. 13 ne songer guère à attribuer des sentiments de cette nature. 14 ajoutez de ces. 15 pitoyable. 16 puérile. 17 tendre à prouver. 18 être doué de. 19 forte. 20 commencez par Dans le monde. 292 NOTES 21 courir le risque. 22 pousser une qualité à l'excès. 23 savoir (au cond.). 24 Ho her. 1 25 rien (en premier lieu). 26 amener. 27 sensible. 28 'which would have.' 29 l'intelligence qu'il faut. 30 étudier à fond. 31 article défini. 32 donner droit à l'éloge, peu com- mun, d'avoir su. 33 apprécier. 34 ce qu'il y a. 35 travail sans relâche. 36 déesse d'Homère; mais on dit: rire homérique. 37 envelopper de. 38 toute maison. 39 ambiance, /. 40 quelque chose de. 41 hôtes, m. 42 maîtrise de soi. 43 relâcher les muscles. 44 détendre la volonté. 45 se croire obligé (subj. après quoi- que). 46 de temps en temps. 47 donner pour excuse 'that it is: 48 perdre. 49 en conversation. 50 d'habitude (au commencement de la phrase). 51 table de travail. 52 expérience de (suivi du nom de la science). 53 'which people had to see each other'; emploi du subj. après la seule. 54 du soir. 55 montrer; emploi de V imparfait pour exprimer V habitude. 56 avec des propos amusants. 57 comme à la foire. 58 rire aux larmes . . . aux dépens de. 59 terminer (participe passe). 60 le matin venu, quelques heures 61 séparer. 62 journée, /. 63 malgré (au commencement de la phrase) . 64 digne. 65 mauvaises langues, /. 66 hormis la médisance. 67 tourner en ridicule. 68 ne vouloir absolument pas. 69 rendre justice à. 70 tenir à. 22 1 dans. 2 amené à. 3 écrire ... au point de vue philo- sophique. 4 être ouvert à. 5 avoir des aptitudes pour. 6 (employez Varticle) prendre l'his- toire en aversion. 7 Qu'est-ce que cela me fait. 8 mes terres. 9 présenter . . . tableau, m. 10 ne voir guère. 11 infinité (/.) de. 12 rapport (m.), suite,/. 13 décider. 14 renoncer à. 15 sincère aveu (m.), que pour- raient faire de grand cœur. 16 millier, m. 17 temps, m. 18 faire remarquer. 19 perte, /. 20 retrancher. NOTES 2 93 21 peu digne de confiance. 22 inutiles tromperies. 23 mœurs, /. 24 bien ordonné. 23 1 emploi du passé indéfini pour ex- primer un passé récent. 2 juste à point. 3 venir de. 4 doit être; ou, il faut. 5 se rendre compte. 6 avoir. 7 il faut bien. 8 se trouve. 9 percer à jour. 10 tout au plus. 11 on . . . certes assez souvent. 12 obéir à. 13 esprit, m. 14 de talent. 15 médiocres. 16 quand bien même {suivi du cond.). 17 les sots. 18 réclamer. 19 peu intéressants. 20 plein de. 21 tout ce que. 22 on emploie de après rien, et quel- que chose. 23 employez et entre les adjectifs: en faire naître chez. 24 emploi du subjonctif après plus qu'aucun. 25 tout. 26 que le lui permettent certains égards qu'il faut. 27 jusqu'à un certain point. 28 bien. 29 en dire moins long. 30 emploi de ne après moins; ou mieux; ce qui suit voudrait est sous- entendu. 31 faire connaître le siècle. 32 il m'a suggéré. 33 l'idée (venir à) . 34 Ce qui lui fit encourager tout le monde; et mettez à la fin: ce ne fut pas son savoir, mais. 35 bien plutôt. 36 pour ainsi dire. 37 intelligence (/.), ou esprit {m.). 38 porter à son point de perfection. 39 siècle, m. 40 sous tous les rapports. 41 en bien des choses. . 42 le siècle d'Auguste, ou celui d'Au- guste. 43 ce développement. 44 rien là d'étonnant. 45 ne suffisait-il pas de. 46 ce qui est . . . c'est qu'il (arrêter le travail). Il faut répéter que avant sembler. 47 ce bigot jaloux de son pouvoir ne permit pas que. * 48 sous. 49 des opinions raisonnées . . . pou- voir entrer; emploi du subj. après aucun, après le superlatif. 50 la tête d'un Français. 51 avoir des doutes sur. 52 droit divin. 53 adorer. 54 l'emporter sur. 55 muette. 56 commencez par: On dirait que c'est. 57 tout le contraire. 58 se développer. 59 s'affaiblir. 60 exemplaire, m. 61 car selon toute probabilité on ... ni la publication ni la vente. 2Q4 NOTES 62 je vous prie de. 63 récits succincts de. 64 quantité de. 65 dont tout le monde parle. 66 même à peu près (à la fin). 67 j'aimerais voir ce livre débarrassé de. 68 renversement complet. 69 d'un bout à l'autre du volume il n'emploie pas . . . majuscule. 70 si ce n'est. 71 ce qui me choque c'est. 72 minuscules, /. [usage. 73 consacrée qu'elle est par un long 74 indigne de Voltaire que j'admire comme auteur et qui. 75 faire mes délices. 76 aussi bien comme prosateur. 24 1 être en dispute courtoise avec . . . au sujet. 2 avoir le dessous. 3 faire accepter. 4 de l'inauthenticité de cet écrit. 5 ce que l'on. 6 remarquer (au présent). 7 se présenter au public. 8 dans. 9 fâcheux. 10 poser la règle. 11 rendre un compte rigoureux. 12 l this rule surprised.'' 13 érudit, m. 14 on emploie V article quand le nom propre est précédé d'un adjectif. 15 avoir raison de. 16 satisfaire à. 17 changer dé. 18 de sa main. 19 en somme. 20 amena la question ... à prendre. 25 1 vouloir bien. 2 l'un et l'autre. 3 procès, m. 4 envoyer à décider. 5 pour parler en termes du palais. 6 devoir en juger. 7 appeler de ma sentence. 8 avec raison. 9 capable. 10 décisif. 11 arrêt, m. 12 faire biffer. 13 sans balancer. 14 emploi de V article devant les titres. 15 et que. 16 plaidoyer, m. 17 marquer au coin du. 18 avoir de la difficulté à. 19 pendant. 20 ainsi que. 21 prononcer. 22 être pour. 23 vue, /.; quand un adjectif se rap- porte à deux noms de genres différents il se met au masculin pluriel. 24 genre {m.) humain. 25 en vouloir à. 26 corps, m. 27 bien, m. pi. 28 tout. 29 prétendre à la domination sur. 30 d'autant plus . . . qu'étant. 31 entraîner. 32 ne . . . plus. 33 guenille, /. 34 salut, m. 35 que. 36 règne (m.) ... et de. 37 démontrer. 38 i u: 39 affaire, /. NOTES 295 40 céder la place à. 41 Etats de Bretagne. 42 ce n'est pas peu. 43 sentir bien. 44 serviteur, m. 45 se taire. 46 être récusé comme juge partial. 47 autrefois. 48 monter. 49 en rester le maître. 50 ignorer. 51 qu'il y aurait de cavaliers désar- çonnés et de rois détrônés. 52 un reste. 26 1 beau. 2 faire. 3 exiger; particularité des verbes en ger. 4 de. 5 qualités-là. 6 commencez par le nom de la ville. 7 du monde. 8 devoir. 9 être au courant de ce qu'il y a de nouveau. 10 et pouvoir parler philosophie ou chiffons. 11 gentilles. 12 se laisser prendre. 13 simple pantomime. 14 'a hand which one presses* .... une œillade ne font pas l'affaire. 15 il faut. 16 {le régime indirect en premier lieu) conférences de chimie. 17 que celui qui ornait. 18 le fait est. 19 semble. 20 falloir ajouter que {en premier lieu). 21 être d'un usage courant. 22 gens cultivés. 23 perspective, /. 24 là où on ne peut pas tirer parti de la langue du pays on a. 25 et que quelques-uns. 26 ouvrage, m. 27 venir ajouter à. 28 la France d'aujourd'hui. 27 1 entendre parler de. 2 entretiens, m. 3 être bien aise de. 4 certaine. 5 conversation des gens cultivés. 6 rouler. 7 question (/.) de goût. 8 convenir à. 9 faire la remarque. 10 {'which I think') fondée. 29 1 aujourd'hui. 2 société,/, {au sing.). 3 être frappé du changement pro- duit. 4 chez. 5 cultivé. 6 on; croire à; {négativement) plus. 7 non seulement on {au commence- ment). 8 prendre la chose au sérieux. 9 croyance, /. 10 sortir de la tête. 11 voir reparaître. 12 dans la cosmogonie indienne. 13 sous forme de. 14 caractéristique,/. 15 inversion après peut-être. 16 faire son apparition. 17 chez les nègres. 18 bribes, /. . . . restes de 'folk-lore. 9 296 NOTES 19 attribuer à. 20 falloir. 21 pas mal. 22 se rendre compte que. 23 on; retrouver partout (à la fin). 24 comment expliquer. 25 manière d'envisager. 26 certes. 27 les preuves qui jadis; (venir à l'appui). 28 ajoutez des gens. 29 valoir la peine d'être réfutée. 30 rendre. 31 au sing. 32 réfractaire. 33 cet ordre-là {en dernier lieu). 34 au pluriel; il faut ajouter 'have taken,' et faire V inversion. 35 siècle {m.) au sing.; et celui de Descartes. 36 s'accoutumer à. 37 idée,/. 38 au pluriel. 39 tout simplement . . .; comme le trèfle. 40 envahir. 41 mauvaises herbes. 42 dépendre surtout de. 43 {'the fact that one') être porté à. 44 ajouter foi à. 45 l'une et l'autre. 46 Par conséquent. 47 être facile de. 48 ajoutez 'why.' 49 'has been so universal.' 50 époque comparativement mo- derne. 51 tour d'esprit. 52 porter à croire. 53 le jugement qui permet de peser. 54 lorsqu'il s'agit de. 55 conquête, /. 56 péniblement acquise. 32 1 commencez par le président. 2 se rencontrer. 3 faire le voyage d'Italie {participe présent) . 4 être faits pour se lier. 5 aussi {suivi de l'inversion). 6 faire connaissance. 7 aller disputant sur. 8 prérogative,/. 9 accorder à. 10 avoir de l'esprit. 11 en revanche.. 12 'ne pas avoir le sens commun' 13 convenir de. 14 il n'y a pas de comparaison à faire entre. 15 commencez par il y avait plu- sieurs jours que. 16 se répandre. 17 interroger {particularité de ce verbe). 18 tenir registre de. 19 faire des observations. 20 il y avait une heure qu'il ... et qu'il. 21 se faire annoncer. 22 mal. 23 il y a vingt ans que {verbe au présent) . 24 garder de l'amitié pour. 25 se croire heureux. 26 à la fin de la phrase. 27 on. 28 excepté. 29 se mêler de. 30 coûter la tête. 31 tenir. 32 commencez par: les Inquisiteurs (avoir les yeux ouverts sur). 33 épier; suivre vos pas; tenir note de. NOTES 297 34 employez ne après douter; em- 72 d'où sait-il. ployé négativement. 73 ma foi. 35 savoir de science certaine. 74 d'eux-mêmes. 36 faire chez vous une visite. 75 outre que. 37 commencez par voir. 76 emploi du subj. après les super- 38 songer. latifs. 39 employez V article. 77 à. 40 voilà. 78 être fait pour en approcher. 41 de vous saluer. 79 l lhey employ.' 42 demander pour toute récom- 80 A d'autres. pense de. 81 prendre pour espion (future). 43 au lieu de répéter si, employez et 82 gueux, m. que. 83 profession, /. 44 dénoncer. 84 vil. 45 cela dit. 85 ( for you.' 46 mon. 86 Chansons que tout cela. 47 la plus grande. 87 malin. 48 mouvement, m. 88 scélérat, m. 49 aller à. 89 jouer un tour à. 50 à peine cela (inversion)* 90 que j'ai. 51 que. 52 ne pas avoir de peine à voir. 33 53 trouble, m. 54 s'informer de ce qui pouvait lui 1 ce qui . . . c'est. être arrivé. 2 retenir. 55 rendre compte de. 3 permettre d'observer (subj.). 56 et de l'ordre qu'il avait donné. 4 genre, m. 57 de. 5 ainsi. 58 séjour, m. 6 politique,/. 59 un moment de plus ou de moins. 7 dégager. 60 Voilà qui est bien. 8 ne que. 61 se remettre. 9 autant que. 62 instant, m. 10 rassembler. 63 à tête reposée. 11 enchaîner. 64 que ma tête se repose où elle ne 12 en déterminer les conditions tient qu'à un fil. d'enchaînement. 65 garantir. 13 dans. 66 Français, tant qu'il vous plaira. 14 produire. 67 faire faire une démarche. 15 la recherche de. 68 inconnu. 16 fondamental. 69 très mal. 17 commencez par: il avait eu. 70 un petit écu. 18 Polybe, Tacite, Machiavel, Tite 71 obole,/. Live. 2Ç8 NOTES 19 de près. 20 s'inspirer de. 21 au point de. 22 par instants. 23 ses délices. 24 suite,/. 25 discours, m. 26 rester. 27 au. 28 plénitude,/. 29 répondre à. 30 faire tenir à. 31 faire bien voir. 32 se dérouler. 33 tordre. 34 dévider. 35 avoir son point de départ et son mouvement. 36 le mot le plus important se place à la fin. 37 Ht cornes' {en premier lieu); em- ployez en et y. 38 se piquer de théologie. 39 ne rien entendre aux causes finales. 40 faire la part large. 41 l'action des individus. 42 exécution, /. 43 les choses vont comme. 44 l'emporter. 45 à la longue. 46 estimer que le jeu. 47 avoir des règles. 48 se faire. 49 s'exercer. 50 cela. 51 être l'effet de. 52 enchevêtrement, m. 53 trame,/. 54 ce n'est pas ... la fortune. 55 suite, /. 56 sur. 57 non interrompue. 58 revers, m. 59 se conduire sur. 60 soit. 61 agir. 62 élever, maintenir, précipiter. 63 le hasard d'une bataille. 64 faire que cet état. 65 devoir périr. 66 en un mot. 67 l'allure principale. 68 entraîner avec elle. 69 particulier. 70 par. 71 compter parmi. 72 commencez par la perfection. 73 de lui. 74 un des classiques de notre litté- rature. 34 1 faire la connaissance de. 2 expliquer. 3 qu'il faut. 4 chacun. 5 qu'il convient d'avoir. 6 m'a paru valoir la peine d'être . . . je. 7 remarquer. 8 avoir en vue. 9 puisque. 10 biens, m. 11 convenir aussi bien à. 12 avoir une différence marquée. 13 ne . . . guère. 14 à l'être. 15 ajoutez un pronom. 16 faire son possible. 17 de là. 18 on encourage. 19 plonger. 20 'here as at Paris the court is what is called.' NOTES 2 99 21 'when one says.' 22 connaître, quand il s'agit de per- sonnes; savoir une leçon. 23 cela signifie simplement. 24 s'attendre à {an commencement). 25 trouver. 26 relations, /. 27 partout on sacrifie la réalité à. 28 si bien déguisés. 29 qui ne les connaîtrait que théo- riquement. 30 venir à rencontrer. 31 reconnaître. 32 faire bien de. 33 carte, /. 34 voyager en sûreté. 35 quand viendra le moment. 35 1 avoir à soutenir. 2 rendre esclave. 3 mettre en esclavage. 4 se servir de. 5 défricher les terres. 6 tant de. 7 ceux. 8 il s'agit de. 9 au pluriel, et en premier lieu. 10 le. 11 écrasé. 12 ne pouvoir se mettre dans l'esprit. 13 subj. 14 commencez par: on peut juger de. 15 chez. 16 de. 17 faire mourir. 18 roux. 19 'ne pas avoir le sens commun. 9 20 faire cas de. 21 collier de verre. 22 de petits esprits. 23 on fait à. 24 venir dans la tête. 25 miséricorde, /. 38 1 commencez par: depuis quinze jours {emploi du présent). 2 il s'agit de. 3 d'Afrique. 4 parlement, m. 5 rempart, m. 6 protestantisme, m. 7 chercher les moyens. 8 efficace. 9 traite des nègres. 10 apprendre. 11 rien que pour nos plantations. 12 misérable, m. 13 glacer le sang dans les veines. 14 vouloir pour un empire. 15 voter pour. 16 comparée à ces ravages conti- nuels qui désolent l'Afrique {au corn- mencemeni). 17 indigène, m. 18 momentané. 19 accuser. 20 songer à donner pour excuse. 21 massacre, m. 22 malheureux. 23 'that we do it for 9 24 au sing. 40 1 mont Piérie. 2 courir une carrière. 3 être accablé de tristesse. 4 sentir autrefois. 5 loin de. 6 adoucir la rigueur. 7 faites {suivi du subj.); employez on. 8 acquérir. 3°° NOTES 9 en faire part à; répétez que avant chaque verbe. 10 réfléchir. 11 paraître. 12 sortir de. 13 les airs. 14 prairie, /. 15 commencez par: l'artiste est. 16 exigeant. 17 inquiéter tout autant. 18 recherche,/. 19 vouloir. 20 s'insinuer. 21 s'imposer. 22 incessant. 23 tour, m. 24 délasser de. 25 pesanteur, /. 26 tenir à; employez moins à; afin que (penser) vienne en dernier lieu. 27 une façon de. 28 associer à son œuvre. 42 1 'It is from his roots that.' 2 tirer. 3 suc, m. 4 nourricier. 5 jeter. 6 chevelu, m. 7 qui toutes. 8 devenir {au present). 9 sève,/. 10 se renforcer. 11 qui (prospérer en proportion de). 12 sembler {au cond.), suivi de deux infinitifs. 13 se passer de. 14 dont l'opération et le travail. 15 employez en seulement. 16 alimentaire. 17 coup, m. 18 au sing. 19 suffire pour. 20 vigueur, /. 21 désordre, m. 22 de toutes parts. 23 et remplacer (au présent). 24 influence, /. 25 dessécher. 26 ennemi, m. 27 entrailles, /. pi. 28 vainement (suivi de V inversion). 29 employez on. 30 vivifier (ausubj). 31 c'est aux racines. 32 falloir porter remède. 33 donner le moyen de. 34 s'étendre et se rétablir. 35 sinon. 43 1 commencez par: II se trouva que. 2 chaleureux précède le nom. 3 ce fut. 4 employez on. 5 ajoutez aujourd'hui. 6 économie politique. 7 du fatras que torme. 8 interminable. 9 par. 10 grands seigneurs. 11 il y a. 12 V infinitif passé s'emploie après après. 13 voici ce que dit. 14 pour. 15 se former (employé impersonnelle- ment) . 16 composer de. 17 physiocrate, m. 18 ajoutez aussi. 19 sous le nom de. 20 titre de l'un. NOTES 3OI 21 fonder. 22 à ce que dit. 23 se mettre au travail. 24 abattre, creuser, drainer. 25 se place après le verbe. 26 pouce, m. 27 ajoutez intact. 28 tous. 29 se quitter. 30 rendre {infinitif passe). 31 Ephémérides du citoyen. 32 durer. 33 système, m. 34 développé dans la Physiocratie. 35 dans la société le cultivateur. 36 exaspérer contre. 37 aimer bien (à la première per- sonne). 38 enlever. 39 et. 40 avec. 41 pioche,/.; pic, m.; tombereau, m. 42 transporter. 43 sur tel autre sol ingrat. 44 pratiquer. 45 ajoutez encore. 46 ouvrier, m. 47 terminer. 48 compte rendu, m. 49 tant soit peu. 50 intelligiblement. 51 de quoi. 52 commencez par: Franklin se lia. 45 1 avoir droit d'attendre. 2 celui. 3 fournir. 4 ajoutez et. 5 une foule d'erreurs. 6 injurieux. 7 particulier, m. 8 s'il m'appartenait de. 9 il me paraît. 10 'useful.' 11 chacune d'elles. 12 tableau, m: 13 compter pour beaucoup (à la première personne). 14 rime (/.) surmontée. 15 vers {m.) blancs. 16 à peine {inversion). 17 genre, m. 18 langueur prosaïque. 19 employer. 20 gigantesque. 21 suppléer à. 22 'the harmony he lacks.' 23 manquer à. 24 siècle, m. 25 recommander {suivi du subj.). 26 employez on. 27 exécuter. 28 précepte, m. 29 justesse, /. 30 laboureur, m. 31 auprès de. 32 comme. 33 relever. 34 champêtre. 35 oisiveté, /. 36 'of the.' 37 commencez par Thomson. 38 d'ailleurs. 39 rien de comparable. [que. 40 je ne sais même s'il est possible 41 subj. 42 climat, m. 43 manquer. 44 vendange,/. 45 spectacle, m. 46 cueillir tristement. 47 'some wretched apples: 48 cent précède chacun des noms. 49 charger de. 302 NOTES 50 aussi (inversion). 51 un grand avantage. 52 c'est de parler. 53 cultivateurs, m. 54 propriétaire, m. 55 dans. . 56 domaine, m. 57 enrichir. 58 vassal, m. 59 rapacité, /. 60 s'élever. 61 respectable. 62 parler de. 63 réflexion, /. 64 sur les chaumières. 65 cabane, /. 66 asile, m. 67 dire avec raison. 68 habitation, /. 69 agriculteur (m.) considérable. 70 écurie, /. 71 étable,/. 72 faites avec soin. 73 voûté. 74 personne (se place après et) ; 'bet- ter than y on entered.'' 75 entrer dans le détail de. 76 exploitation (/.) rurale. 77 faire sentir. 78 dire du bien de. 79 il s'agit de. 80 hôtel, m. 81 fermiers généraux. 82 convenable. 83 plus gros laboureur. 84 toit (m.) de chaume. 85 à mon gré. 86 maison (/.) rustique. u La Mai- son rustique"- titre d'un livre de Liê- bault. [tique). 87 dans laquelle (se place après rus- 88 par quatre portes cochères (se place après les verbes). 89 soutenir. 90 charpente, /. 91 régner. 92 proprement tenues. 93 génisse, /. 94 pâture, /. 95 crèche, /. 96 du haut de. 97 battre le grain. 98 au milieu. 99 logés chacun à. 100 fourrage, m. 101 appartenir de droit. 102 basse-cour, /. 103 bergerie,/. 104 pressoir, m. 105 cellier, m. 106 laiterie, /. 107 régisseur, m. 108 prairie ; /. 109 charger de. 110 fruits à noyaux et à pépins. 111 ruche, /. 112 sont établies. 113 récolte,/. 114 mûrier, m. 115 nourrir. 116 enceinte,/. 117 fermer. 118 rempart (m.) impénétrable. 119 proprement taillé. 120 réjouir l'odorat et la vue. 121 assez haute muraille. 122 telle. 123 devoir. 124 métairie,/. 125 ressembler en quelque chose à celle. 47 1 venir habiter. 2 de bonne heure. 3 charge de conseiller au parlement. NOTES 3°3 4 faire ses études. 5 collège, m. 6 se passionner pour. 7 jeu (m.) de paume. 8 faire la connaissance de. 9 que sa famille faisait voyager. 10 gouverneur, m. 11 projet, m. 12 sa route vers. 13 un jeune fou. 14 donner dans les travers de. 15 se jeter dans. 16 maison (/.) amie. 17 être reçu. 18 avoir peu à. 19 relation, /. 20 précepteur, m. 21 amasser. 22 précieux. 23 parcourir. 24 le jour où on parla de départ. 25 convenir. 26 traverser. 27 faire des séjours. 28 se trouver. 29 origine, /. 30 sérieux. 31 communicatif. 32 la passion du travail. 33 enlever. 34 son possible. 35 s'embarquer dans. 36 se réfugier. 37 avoir peine à croire. 38 devenir chapelain; remplir les fonctions de. 39 venir rejoindre. 40 demeurer. 41 au milieu de ... où. 42 prendre. 43 dignité dans sa démarche. 44 exactitude (/.) dans sa tenue. 45 maintien, m. 46 faire dire à. 47 répondre à l'idée. 48 homme de lettres. 48 1 premier. 2 aimer beaucoup. 3 il m'enlevait. 4 être d'un grand secours. 5 vaincre. 6 funeste. 7 faire venir. 8 lendemain, m. 9 venir éveiller. 10 convenue. 11 injures, /. 12 venir servir. 13 perdre. 14 savoir s'y prendre. 15 ne penser qu'à. 16 récompense, /. 17 désormais. 18 se préoccuper de. 19 heure dite. 20 engager à. 21 supplier. 22 chasser. 23 se laisser. 24 employer. 25 contraindre à. 26 en être de même. 27 dédommager de. 28 humeur irascible. 50a 1 passer à. 2 quantité, /. 3 connaissance, /. 4 singularité,/. 5 faits, m. 6 de sûrs garants de. 7 ne rouler que sur de petits sujets. 8 périr. 3°4 NOTES 9 gagner à. 10 mettre en œuvre. 11 hors de. 12 donc se place après le verbe. 13 s'altérer; les deux verbes qui pré- cèdent sont réfléchis. 50b 14 Ce que Bujjon dit de V écureuil s'applique à VEurope; les habitudes de cet animal sont bien différentes en Amé- rique. 15 par. 16 même (se place après le nom). 17 mœurs,/. 18 épargner. 19 nuisible. 20 saisir (au subj. après quoique). 21 ordinaire. 22 sont des fruits. 23 de la faîne. 24 gland, m. 25 leste. 26 f avoir les yeux. 9 27 nerveux, dispos. 28 'his pretty face. y 29 rehausser. 30 en forme de panache. 31 relever. 32 se mettre à l'ombre. 33 pour ainsi dire. 34 debout. 35 pieds de devant. 36 comme de. 37 en. 38 approcher de. 39 par. 40 demeurer. 41 cime,/. 42 'from one to another. 9 43 retrouver. 44 lieux découverts. 45 pays de plaine. 46 rester. 47 taillis, m. 48 futaies, /. 49 craindre. 50 écorce, /. 51 s'engourdir. 52 loir, m. 53 pour peu qu'on. 54 bauge, /. 55 à l'abri de. 56 ramasser. 57 fente,/. 58 avoir recours à. 59 détourner. 60 éclatant. 61 perçant. 62 fouine, /. 63 de plus. 64 avoir un murmure à bouche fer- mée. 65 faire entendre. 66 aller par sauts. 67 hêtre, m.; Hhe bark of which is. y 68 fort. 69 lisse. 51a 1 accorder son suffrage. 2 refuser. 3 attribuer à. 4 peine,/. 5 globe, m. 6 sous. 7 douter de. 8 tout ce que je (avancer). 9 sur. 51b 10 par la. 11 nouvellement. 12 paraître (impersonnel). NOTES SOS 13 de. 14 devoir entendre. 15 employez le nom (dépression, /.). 16 voisinage, m. 17 situation par rapport à. 18 en un mot. 19 concourir à. 20 genre humain. 52 1 commencez par parmi. 2 nombreux. 3 distinguer. 4 falloir. 5 employez V article. 6 notice,/. 7 consacrer à. 8 faire observer. 9 avec finesse. 10 besoin, m. 11 difficilement. 12 fournir. ..--.. 13 obligatoire. 14 à regret. ' * •-. 15 d'avance. 16 rendre service. ) 17 déterminer. 18 cesser de. 19 s'occuper de. 20 avec ardeur. 21 d'horloge. 22 en faire autant. 23 'my departure.' 53 1 prétendu. 2 employez V article. 3 ressembler à. 4 en perfection. 5 devoir bien. 6 s'égarer. 7 commencez par: nous avons eu. 8 pendant. 9 à mon goût se place après char- mante. 10 être du vôtre. 11 le mieux. 12 de suite. 13 s'entretenir assez pour parler af- faires. 14 où en sont. 15 espèce,/. 16 par. 17 planche (/.) enluminée. 54a 1 satisfait. 2 on. 3 vouloir. 4 en. 5 on voie. 6 redoubler de science. 7 assez inutiles à. 8 retrancher. 9 cahier, m. 10 de. 11 servir d'exemple. 12 suite,/. 13 attaquer. 14 suivre. 15 marais, m. (oiseaux de). 16 en avoir pour du temps. 17 en faire beaucoup. 18 pour. 19 employer à. 20 d'après les oiseaux mêmes; ou, d'après nature. 21 savoir bon gré à. 22 donner les facilités. 54b 23 faire. 24 M. l'abbé. 3o6 NOTES 25 d'autant plus de.» 26 fauvette,/. 55a 1 commencez par: l I shall only.'* 2 mettre sous presse. 3 ne ... que, et répétez que avant d'ailleurs. 4 dans. 5 demander. 6 faire imprimer. 7 reculer. 8 travailler à. 9 uniquement. 10 moment, m. 55b 11 manquer à {Ho him'). 12 pour mener à bien 13 'Bujj 'on finds them.'' 14 chez. 15 associer à. 16 au pluriel. 17 se plaire à. 18 vaste. 19 découvrir {inversion après que). 20 pensée,/. 21 le génie de. 22 science,/. 23 tous deux. 24 voie,/ 25 au reste. 26 supposer. 27 paraître {'which seem'). 28 vue,/. 29 laborieux. 30 s'attacher à. 31 le jeune. 32 prendre. 33 soit. 34 fournir à. 35 surveillance,/. 36 exécution,/. 37 planche,/. 38 facilité,/. 39 attention (/.) éclairée. 40 au sing.; immense. 41 entraîner. 42 continuel. 43 subj. après quoique. 44 exemplaire, m. 45 multiplier davantage. 56 1 faire connaissance de. 2 fort connu de. 3 faire imprimer. 4 habile précède le nom. 5 si recommandable {'by his merit'). 6 se lier d'amitié. 7 croire. 8 communiquer à. 9 expérience, / 57a 1 volume, m. 2 'which Bujjon.' 3 venir de donner. 4 placez le mot le plus important en dernier lieu. 5 commencez par une ignorante, et rétrogradez. 6 cela est bien hardi. 7 dire tout bas; tout bas. 8 à l'oreille. 9 subj. 10 à en croire. 11 'it is the first.' 12 mourir d'envie de. 13 sinon. 14 tout à côté de. 15 vous souvient-il que. NOTES 307 16 de lui avoir mis en main. 17 à présent. 18 à l'aide de (suivi de l'article). 19 vue, /. 20 odorat, m. 21 les uns et les autres. 22 faire des combinaisons, /. 23 Voilà donc. 24 vol, m. 25 puissance, /. 26 ceux de la course. 27 rester {impersonnel). 28 être, m. 29 rechercher. 30 sujet à l'erreur. SI que ne l'est; remarquez V inversion dans les propositions relatives et rem- ploi de ne après moins. 32 espèce,/. 33 infinitif. 34 donc (après le verbe). 35 vouloir. 36 se donner la peine de. 37 conclure. 38 sur. 39 plus juste que. 40 faire l'injure de. 41 prendre au mot. 42 sentir. 43 fort bien. 44 au reste. 45 vouloir dire. 46 mettre. 47 falloir. 48 exposé, m. 49 se faire. 50 parler de. 51 on est. 62 devoir. 53 réfléchi. 54 caverne, /.; cave, f. = 'cellar.' 55 porter. [qu'à. 56 parcourir tous les animaux jus- 57 indiquer. 58 empiéter. 59 de ce que. 60 faire entendre. 61 'without daring. f 62 prononcer. 63 vision, /. 64 Ce n'en est pas moins. 65 enchanteresse. 66 commencez par puisque. 67 juger de mes sentiments ( ( my dear 1 ). 68 par. 69 ne tenir qu'à (impersonnel). 70 sur celle-ci. 71 longueur à part. 72 ne pas se tromper de beaucoup. 73 faculté (/.) de théologie, /. 74 de. 75 accorder. 76 sur la manière dont doivent être entendues les choses dites pour. 57b 77 malice, /. 78 nul. 79 employez ne avant le verbe. 80 s'attacher à. 81 faire ressortir. 82 nier. 83 procédé, m. 84 de. 85 parti pris (m.) de. 86 par comparaison. 87 instituer une sorte de. 88 à la manière de. 89 de là ces allures de plaidoyers que prennent. 90 certaines de ... . 91 à. 92 noter en revanche. 93 réquisitoire, m. 3 o8 NOTES 94 composer. 95 opposé à. 60a 35 c'est-à-dire. 36 indicatif présent. 37 ce soir. 1 très riche précède le nom. 2 avoir la bonté de. 3 mouvement, m. 4 saisissement, m. 5 employez V article. 6 on emploie le passé indéfini quand il s'agit d'un passé récent. 7 image,/. 8 personne,/. 9 de (après un superlatif). 10 en lui . . . 11 'of my: 12 don, m. 13 bien au-dessous. 14 digne de. 15 entier {après le nom). 16 selon. 17 berceau, m. 18 tout ce que la nature ... de plus grand (à la fin). 19 première. 20 mes vœux seraient. 21 midi, m.; (il veut dire Constanti- nople) . 22 travailler à. 23 à. 24 vif. 25 ne pouvoir que. 26 refroidir encore. 27 demander la permission de. 28 faire accompagner de. 29 unique. 30 à. 31 porter à. 60b 32 Monsieur le comte. 33 s'empresser de. 34 célèbre. 60d 38 faire allusion à. 39 ' French scientist' (savant). 40 II lui rend fort généreusement témoignage. 41 devoir à . . . quelque chose. 42 'since you have been.' 43 foudre,/. 44 pour en faire le sujet de. 45 c'est avec la même courtoisie que Da. 46 de son côté. 47 obtenir les résultats les plus sa- tisfaisants. 48 suivre la voie. 49 inversion après que. 50 indiquer à. 62 1 parler de. 2 patrie,/. 3 gouvernement, m. 4 accréditer. 5 siècle éclairé. 6 se désabuser de. 7 chimère,/. 8 ces sortes de. 9 devoir. 10 bien, m. 11 société,/. 12 se justifier. 13 on. 14 mettre sur le compte de. 15 songe-creux, m. 16 parler à. 17 donc. 18 avoir assez bonne opinion de. 19 confondre. NOTES 3°9 20 soi-disant. 8 avoir. 21 être la honte de. 9 séjour, m. 10 autre. 63a 11 solliciter. 12 vivement. 1 Vest une chose rare que d'appré- 13 'son mérite met à l'abri des refus.' cier.' 14 être porté à. 2 au pluriel. 15 profiter de. 3 mettre en fuite. 16 rappeler. 4 avoir peur. 17 'which is precious to me. } 5 peser les voix. 18 penchant, m. 6 jugés supérieurs. 19 triompher de. 7 militaire, m. 20 discrétion,/. 8 envisager les choses. 21 satisfaire à. 9 côté, m. 22 céder aux instances. 10 détaillé. 23 remettre. 11 se conserver. 24 affaire,/. 12 reculé. 25 employez à laquelle. 13 succès, m. 26 se flatter. 14 verbe réfléchi. 27 juste et délicat. 15 aussitôt que. 28 usage, m. 16 voilà pour. 29 acquérir. 30 tout ce qu'il a d'honnêtes gens. 63b Au XVI lime, siècle honnête signifiait 'cultivé'; ce mot a changé de sens. 17 être tenu de se rendre compte de. 31 être rassuré sur (Hhe liberty I 18 être loin de s'y attendre. take'). 19 on. , 32 persuader. 20 des plus raisonnables. 33 savoir mauvais gré à. 21 c'est à dire. 34 faire un mauvais retour (que de). 22 le nécessaire. 35 endosser. 23 rien d'autre, si ce n'est. 36 peu faits pour. 24 pour six sous. 37 répandre. 38 déplacer. 64a 39 employez celle. 40 soutien, m. 1 combattu par. 41 pousser l'indiscrétion à ce point. 2 mouvement, m. 42 de. 3 balancer à. 43 ce. 4 toute l'indiscrétion. 44 par hasard. 5 démarche,/. 45 son introducteur. 6 à quel point. 46 à. 7 c'était abuser . . . que de. 47 se faire valoir. 3io NOTES 48 liaison,/ 86 s'emparer de. 49 combler de. 87 grâces, /.; gentillesses, /. 50 faux étalage. 88 plaintes,/. 51 pousser l'effronterie. 89 durer. 52 se donner pour. 90 convenir des torts. 53 enfant de la maison. 91 s'aviser de. 54 prendre au mot. 92 les agréments de votre commerce. 55 n'ambitionner rien tant. 93 nous lui passerons d'avoir plus 56 être si bien. d'esprit. 57 cas embarrassant. 58 blesser. 65 59 aveu, m. 60 être réduit à. 1 intimité,/. 61 se donner le démenti sur. 2 accord plus long. 62 article, m.; être sensible à. 3 de même trempe. 63 franchir. 4 si également. 64 vouloir bien profiter de l'occa- 5 sur pied. sion. 6 de. 65 témoigner des bontés. 7 en son particulier. 66 distinguer de. 8 hôtes, m. 67 cela. 9 accaparer. 68 être au-dessus des forces de; me- 10 primeurs, /. ner au-delà des bornes. 11 léser. 69 souhaiter (aucond.). 12 cher. 70 vouloir bien (au subj.). 13 jeter les hauts cris. 71 se charger de. 14 comme s'il s'agissait d'un vol. 72 penser de même. 15 se terminer par. 73 seules convenables à. 16 se cotiser. 74 destitué de. 17 faire une pension. 75 avantages de l'esprit. 18 pour qu'elle ait. 76 sentiments de mon cœur. 19 bref. 77 attachement respectueux. 20 ce temps-là. 21 à partir de. 64b 22 fort aise {suivi du subj.). 23 prendre le parti de. 78 être témoin de la réception. 24 faire expliquer nettement. 79 société,/. 25 assurer. 80 ce que vous dites de flatteur. 26 se déterminer à. 81 trouver son compte à. 27 se faire jeter la pierre. 82 se moquer de. 28 en user autrement. 83 être suivi de. 29 en cas que. 84 se contenter de. 30 gagner la liberté de. 85 ne pas venir encore. 31 faire ses volontés. NOTES 3" 32 et alors je souhaite. 33 penser de même. 34 effrayer. 35 l'ennui. 36 et que. 37 il vous deviendrait. 38 retraite,/. 39 insupportable. 40 repentir, m. 41 c'étaient. 42 c'est apparemment cette faute. 43 prier de. 44 point. 45 dire sa pensée. 46 dans. 47 qu'on doit. 48 prétendre. 49 devoir. 50 inquiétude (/.) sur. 51 la façon dont. 52 s'en rapporter à. 53 article, m. 54 moindre. 55 défiante. 56 voir de la finesse. 57 suspect. 58 agrément, m. 59 la plus grande. 60 user de. 61 naïveté, /. 62 tant que. 63 se laisser aller à. 64 et que vous serez. 65 entortillage, m. 66 1 son tour d'esprit. 2 tout. 3 commencez par pour lui. 4 rien, m. 5 même. 6 entacher de. 7 subj. 8 on prendrait tel morceau de sa composition . . . pour. 9 parfois une page. 10 entier. 11 mauvais. 12 on. 13 instant, m. 14 petite vérole. 15 Varticle ... 'he had. 1 16 d'un genre tout particulier. 17 langue, /. 18 nullités élégantes. 19 c'était. 20 quant à l'usage .... 'which could be made of tl? 21 n'en avoir cure. 22 interprète, m. 23 rester sans écho. 24 faute de. 25 exprimer. 26 entre les deux nations. 27 appartenir. 28 c'est à peine si. 29 une autre . . . que. 30 tenir de. 31 répandre. 32 de. 33 activité,/. 34 battre son plein. 35 parmi les. 36 c'était à qui -f imparfait. 37 tolérance,/. 38 dépôt, m. which is to be. 39 ajoutez: tous ces principes anglais. 40 rien de plus intéressant. 41 bouillonnement, m. 42 au pluriel. 43 en. 44 commencez par: les opinions re- çues sont .... 45 antique . . . sont déracinées. 46 que ce fut. 312 NOTES 47 être évident. 48 agent, m. 49 ordre (m.) se préparer. 50 empire, m. 51 fraternité,/. {V adjectif suit). 52 répétez: sans chaque fois. 53 rien d'autre . . . que. 54 s'attacher plus que jamais. 55 temps (m.) où. 56 écraser. 67 naissante. 58 tomber. 59 rendre. 60 en train de se former. 61 tout en. 62 régime, m. 63 apparaître. 64 sous. 65 répugner à. 66 et (faire frissonner). 67 les lois. 68 toutes les excuses possibles pour vouloir. 69 ignorer l'art autrement difficile. 70 prévoir. 71 qui s'étendrait au loin. 72 ne pas désespérer de. 73 avoir bon espoir. 74 ne s'inquiéter guère de. 75 présage (m.) sinistre. 76 avec enthousiasme, avec délices. 77 commérage, m. 78 vieux de cent ans. 79 avoir lieu. 80 l under his eyes.' 67 1 faire mention de; subj. après char- mer. 2 faire promettre. 3 faire des compliments de sa part. 4 savoir (au cond.; omission de pas). 5 trouver. 6 l'entrain. 7 ajoutez ans. 8 rien ne. 9 à moins que + être (subj. et ne). 10 perte,/. 11 empêcher de faire. 12 Hf she could see;' emploi de l'im- parfait dans la subordonnée commençant par si, quand le verbe de la principale est au cond. 13 venir faire visite. 14 l'un et l'autre. 15 celui-ci et celui-là. 16 trouver en faute. 17 rabattre. 18 redresser. 19 ce qu'il faut. 20 bien que (suivi d'avoir au subj.). 2 1 avoir assez de ressort pour mener. 22 devoir rester. 23 rentrer à. 24 faire une promenade en voiture. 25 commencez la phrase par quoique suivi du subj. 26 toutes les peines du monde. 27 veiller. 28 heures du matin. 29 ajoutez voir. 30 'having.' 31 faire dire. 32 'thinking.' 33 bref. 34 avoir honte. 35 se produire. 36 tout desséché que je sois. 37 une quantité d'endroits où l'on s'amuse. 38 renoncer aux amusements. 39 dans mon pays. 40 ne pas dire ce qu'on pense. 41 soupirer après. 42 mon toit paisible. NOTES 313 43 ce n'est pas sans regret que. 44 songer. 45 à quoi bon songer à l'avenir. 46 pouvoir bien. 47 Hn its flight.'' 48 subj. après avant que. 49 arriver au bout. 68 1 ne vivre que pour faire le bien. 2 vouloir (suivi du subj.). 3 bienfaisance,/. 4 raconter. 5 situation, /. 6 secours, m. 7 enfoncer la porte. 8 se placer tout près. 9 vouloir bien {subj.). 10 en user autrement (subj.), 11 célèbre. 12 rechercher. 13 agréments, m. 14 sans défauts. 15 n'avoir aussi que. 16 molles. 17 peu actives. 18 s'exercer. 19 avertir. 20 n'avoir besoin que de l'être. 21 chez. 22 état, m. 23 être bien à plaindre. 24 et il ajoutait. 25 malheur, m. 26 puis il. 27 louis, m. 28 aller (imparfait) chercher. 29 Ht: 30 tout prêt à. 31 recommencer. 32 avertir subj. 33 + que n'importe qui. 34 mais somme toute.' 35 ce qu'il en dit. 36 vieille sorcière. 71 1 voix,/. 2 assurer. 3 courroucée. 4 subj. (passer). 5 voilà. 6 'who is. 1 7 guère. 8 employez un pronom. 9 Poétique. 10 avoir la rage de. 11 toujours. 12 irriter. 13 ne pas s'en cacher. 14 le. 15 hautement. 16 de. 17 estropier. 18 elle avait. 19 couplet, m. 20 retrancher. 21 'which repeated. 1 22 vraiment. 23 c'est de quoi. 24 que vous avez voulu. 25 ni à la vie ni à la mort. 26 pour. 27 futur. 28 disgrâce,/. 29 et le bon président (en premier lieu). 30 savoir. 31 'she knew it: 32 falloir. 33 'tell me what she knew: 34 comique. 35 quel est mon tort. 36 vouloir bien. 37 quel est. 314 NOTES 38 avoir la bonté de. 39 à quoi bon. 40 l it is useless.'' 41 ne pas être fait pour. 42 essuyer les plaintes. 43 quel en est l'objet. 44 il ne veut le savoir que pour. 45 en. 46 toujours {en premier lieu). 47 fureur de citer. 48 ne l'ai-je point là votre livre. 49 à propos de. 50 De qui la tenez-vous. 51 eh bien. 52 telle qu'elle est. 53 Eh! oui. 54 un vers qui dit. 55 justement. 56 c'est là qu'est la faute. 57 sens, m. 58 on. 59 fidèlement. 60 chacun est jaloux de voir citer. 61 ce qu'il a fait. 62 prier. 63 '/ have quoted it.'' 64 il y avait mis. 65 ajoutez bien. 66 rendre justice à {subj.). 67 mourir d'envie de rire. 68 se retenir. 69 assez confuse. 70 avoir tort. 71 il n'y avait point à badiner. 72 1 aujourd'hui comme par le passé. 2 tout désireux. 3 {subj.) être. 4 faire atteindre. 5 autant que {suivi de V inversion). 6 ajoutez un pronom. 7 épuiser. 8 à. 9 plus ou moins décousu. 10 par raccroc. 11 le moment {'has come'). 12 en. 13 pour y conformer. 14 ce qui ne vous empêchera pas. 15 se perfectionner. 16 à mesure que. 17 connaître mieux. 18 but, m. 19 article. 20 théorie,/. 21 en + {participe présent). 22 base,/. 23 'must complete it. 1 24 et elles seules le (pouvoir). 25 indiquer. 26 travail, m. 27 sous ce rapport. 28 Ht is a preparation. 7 29 inutile. 30 induire en erreur. 31 carte de géographie. 32 s'aviser de se former une idée. 33 d'après ses. 34 ne profiter guère de. 35 sans sortir de son cabinet, il ... . 36 après. 37 parler de. 38 pouvoir mieux mettre à profit. 39 si vous le lisez et que. 40 qui connaissait bien. 41 et qui (fréquenter). . 42 tenir à ce que. 43 faire son chemin. 44 personne. 45 savoir en indiquer. 46 mettre moins de temps à le lire. 47 qu'il ne vous en faudra pour. 48 à ce que vous aurez lu. 49 avoir de l'avancement. NOTES 315 50 falloir. 61 donc. 62 plus loin. 53 peut-être encore plus. 54 joindre. 55 avec le temps. 56 je vous jure que. 57 même en ayant deux fois plus de. 58 arriver tout au plus. 59 inutile de vous le répéter. 60 doit vous avoir éclairé là-dessus. 61 de quelle infinité de. 62 se composer. 63 art (m.) de plaire. 64 si le moindre vient à manquer. 65 tout s'en ressent. 66 le meilleur moyen de l'acquérir c'est. 67 à demeure. 68 l'occasion se présentera. 69 chez vos supérieurs. 70 de tous les jours (en dernier lieu). 71 c'est à la cour qu'on trouve. 72 au sing. 73 être en jeu. 74 trouver à s'exercer. 75 toujours en éveil. 76 révéler. 77 métier, m. 78 assistant, m. 79 mettre en pratique. 80 indispensable avant-coureur, m. 81 tout grands qu'ils. 82 autrement pas moyen de faire un pas. 83 venir de. 84 on. 85 où l'on ne trouve. 86 sous un toit de chaume. 87 laideur native. 88 usage, m. 89 et les émoussent. 90 comme on se l'imagine. 91 ornement (m.) inutile. 92 ce sont des qualités utiles. 93 prévenir des maux. 94 contenir la haine dans certaines limites. 95 encourager. 96 faciliter les bons rapports. 97 éducation. 98 cause (/.) première. 99 de toute. 73 1 pacte, m. 2 commencez par sans doute. 3 compter. 4 tenir sa promesse. 5 il me semble que; il ne faut pas répéter un pronom de la même personne. 6 'any doubts' 7 quant à. 8 A propos de traité, hier on . . . 'il is ours.' 9 en porter la nouvelle. 10 après avoir passé la nuit et être restés. 11 du. 12 décider de. 13 sous bien des rapports. 14 répondre à mon attente. 15 'some acquaintances' (suivi de V adjectif) dont le nombre. 16 faire connaissance de. 17 d'en manquer. 18 songer à. 19 tantôt on. 20 avoir ses entrées. 21 quelqu'un. 22 présenter. 23 relations,/. 24 il s'agit surtout d'invitations à. 25 à passer la soirée. 26 quant aux soupers. 3i6 NOTES 27 ne pas en être. 28 imaginer. 29 classes de gens. 30 n'avoir guère de rapports. 31 compter parmi ses relations. 32 se composer de gens qui dînent. 33 chez eux ( l most of the time'). 34 mondain. 35 compagnie, /. 36 il nous est loisible de dire ce qu'il nous plaît de. 37 depuis quinze jours que (être); on emploie le présent après depuis. 38 qui valent la peine d'être (re- tenir). 39 monde, m. 40 en voir. 41 compter en premier lieu. 42 au dîner de. 43 entourer d'attentions. 44 suivant. 45 non seulement avec politesse. 46 d'une manière. 47 il est sensé. 48 d'un commerce agréable. 49 et en outre. 50 He meilleur homme du monde.'' 51 de rentes. 52 de (après un superlatif). 53 Je ne puis m'empêcher de remar- quer le contraste qu'il y a entre. 54 n'être tenu en rien de. 55 s'occuper de. 56 ne que. 57 dernier se place après le nom quand on veut dire 'very last. 1 58 remettre. 69 exprimer le désir. 60 avoir recours à (subj.). 61 au cas où. 62 prendre congé de. 63 depuis, pas de nouvelles. 64 vraiment. 65 s'apercevoir. 66 grands airs. 67 faire de lui la risée. 63 table ouverte. 69 l'ambassadeur d'Espagne. 70 surpasser. 74a 1 employez de après rien. 2 seulement. 3 pas une seule. [quoique. 4 s'imposer la règle; subj. après 5 se faire inscrire à sa porte. 6 de temps en temps. 7 recevoir. 8 employez on. 9 desservir auprès de lui. 10 ce n'est pas que. 11 avoir à se reprocher. 12 le moindre. 13 tort, m.; imprudence, /. 14 entendre critiquer ... au sujet de. 15 qui (prêter à rire). 16 croire devoir. 17 quand (avoir une autre opinion dans). 18 for intérieur. 19 faire triste figure (subj.). 20 de naguère. 21 répétez nos. 22 éternels. 23 consolation,/. 24 tenir en haute estime. 25 se réaliser. 26 à la lettre. 27 se faire une haute idée du nom. 28 Annibal. 29 aller trop loin. 30 après (infinitif passé). 31 traiter de bande de ... . 32 aimer (cond.) que cette opinion. 33 faire prendre à cœur (subj.). NOTES 317 34 réputation,/. 35 avoir trait à. 36 politique, /. s. 37 ne pouvoir guère. 38 valoir mieux. 39 à votre toilette. 40 en dire trop long. 74b 41 avoir tant d'attraits. 42 décousu. 43 ex abrupto. 44 c'est que. 45 exempt. 46 lieux communs. 47 chez. 48 être à l'abri de ce reproche. 49 se ressentir. 50 penser. 51 pensée,/. 52 s'exercer par. 77 1 une missive . . . mais d'une lettre. 2 à votre adresse. 3 ce me semble. 4 pouvoir bien partir. 5 cependant. 6 '/ do not really suppose it. 1 7 subj. 8 exact dans tous les détails. 9 faire un récit enthousiaste. 10 expression,/. 11 ne pas douter un instant (emploi de ne). 12 suivante. 13 pour que. 14 se croire obligé. 15 mettre la théorie en pratique. 16 ou je me trompe fort ou Ma- dame. . . . 17 s'imaginer avoir. 18 répétez que. 19 comme ... et que. 20 s'éloigner de plus de. 21 aller toujours d'un hôtel. 22 bon. 23 être à bout de forces parce que. 24 on la promène d'un endroit à l'autre. 25 Ho show her what is interesting' 26 effort, m. 27 veille,/. 28 à supposer qu'elle en eût le désir. 29 quoi que ce soit. 30 donner en son honneur. 31 avoir les yeux enfoncés d'un pied, 32 employez V article. 33 ballant. 34 l scarce was she.' 35 réticule, m. 36 aller en bateau. 37 bâtie à la hollandaise. 38 à l'épreuve de. 39 dissident. 40 j'imagine. 41 tour à tour. 42 imprimerie,/. 43 mener voir. 44 faire oublier. 45 'le style gothique.' 46 style qui. 47 revenir de. 48 faire visite à. 49 avoir des yeux pour voir. 50 impressionner. 51 Hj you remember it.' 52 construire sur le modèle. 53 se découvrir. 78 1 venir pour la première fois. 2 exprimer le désir. 3i8 NOTES 3 conduire chez lui. 4 au. 5 jouir de. 6 terminer. 7 'we.' 8 'we already were. 9 9 ruelle, /. 10 comme un bruit de. 11 réflexion faite. 12 s'aviser de {imparfait) faire. 13 étrangère,/. 14 désireux de. 15 faire preuve de. 16 dégringoler. 17 rejoindre. 18 subj. 19 se jeter entre. 20 porter un vêtement du matin. 21 fané. 22 en guise de. 23 planter au sommet. 24 le bas. 25 déboutonner. 26 quantité de gens (which had stopped). 27 de le voir ainsi fait. 79 1 Ce fut à la prière de . . . que. 2 promettre en outre de. 3 à. 4 ne pas parler de. 5 ce à quoi. 6 graduellement. 7 au sens figuré les adj. précèdent le nom. 8 envahir. 9 II avait paru dans. 10 à son adresse; cette lettre aussi méchante que .... 11 était censée avoir été écrite par. 12 'was the author of it" 13 après lui avoir offert. 14 asile, m. 15 finir {à Vimparfait) en disant. 16 ne pas être étranger à cette. 17 morose. 18 accuser d'être de connivence avec Mr. D. 19 ajoutez qui. 20 par bonté d'âme. 21 tâcher de diminuer les frais. 22 'his. 1 23 avoir beau. 24 là- dessus. 25 de fort mauvaise humeur. 26 ce fut en vain que. 27 effort, m. 28 ranimer. 29 changer de {'the subject of it'). 30 Au bout d'environ. 31 faire quelques pas par la cham- bre. 32 mes genoux. 33 jeter; emploi de l'article en par- lant des parties du corps. 34 extrême. 35 baigner de. 36 visage, m. 37 subj. 38 C'est par cet accès de. 39 remercier de. 40 avoir des bontés pour. 41 en dépit de. 42 'my heart. 1 43 généralement. 44 II ne sait pas ce qu'il dit. 46 s'animer. 46 à tel point. 47 sembler être inspiré. 48 être payé de retour. 49 vouloir bien. 60 sujet, m. 61 jour, m. 52 être à même de. NOTES 3 T 9 53 assurer. 54 extrême. 55 emploi de l'imparfait après si. 56 une certaine vivacité. 57 porter à dire. 58 ennuyer. 59 dans ses rapports avec les gens. 60 par trop susceptible. 61 sans l'ombre de raisons. 62 être porté à soupçonner. 63 se forger des chimères. 64 avoir occasion de vérifier par soi- même. 65 omission de pas. 66 expliquer. 67 autrefois. 68 être sur un pied d'intimité. 69 des gens. 70 conserver. 71 quant à moi. 72 il me semble. 73 avec lui. 74 il y a. 75 des hommes. 76 sensible à. 77 mettez affectation à la fin. 78 En compagnie il est souvent. 79 avoir. 80 celui. 81 trouver. 82 de ce genre. 80a 1 commencez par: comme j'avais. 2 dire {suivi de V infinitif passé). 3 quelque. 4 solitude,/. 5 et que. 6 citer. 7 une. 8 de. 9 passer de bons moments. 10 dire sur un ton (suivi de V adjec- tif). 11 commencez par Wilkes et Rous- seau. 12 il me semble . . . être en bonne compagnie. 13 suffire (impersonnel). 14 c one of them.' 15 à la fois. 16 passer sous silence. 17 compagnon, m. 18 commencez par: l to be with Rous- seau,' ce n'est pas être en ... . 19 songer à (négativement). 20 tenir pour. 21 le prendre sur ce ton. 22 brisons-là. 23 vouloir parler sérieusement. 24 considérer comme. 25 le dernier. 26 drôle, m. (que). 27 que la société (suivi de: devoir re- jeter). 28 ce pronom remplace société. 29 employez faire. 30 expulser. 31 c'est une honte (suivi du subj.). 32 que. 33 faire du mal (au stibj.) ; emploi de ne. 34 ne pouvoir croire (omission de pas). 35 avoir mauvaise intention (subj.). 36 c'est un argument qui n'en est pas un. 37 envoyer une balle dans la tête de. 38 manquer. 39 faire pendre. 40 commencez par: quand il s'agit d'un crime, on. 41 avoir beau alléguer qu'il. 42 involontaire. 43 jamais la cour. 3 2 o NOTES 44 accepter des raisons de cet ordre- là. 45 aimer mieux. 46 sa. 47 de déportation. 48 tout autre criminel (suivi du subj.). 49 depuis des années. 50 aimer voir travailler à. 51 croire (suivi du subj.). 52 tenez, Monsieur, dès qu'il s'agit de déterminer l'exacte proportion d'ini- quité chez ces deux écrivains, on se trouve fort embarrassé; comment dire de quel côté penche la balance! 53 ne laissa pas que de me sur- prendre. 54 'I had read. 1 55 intéressants. 56 jouir de. 57 venir de. [est. 58 commencez par: à l'heure qu'il 59 admettre. 60 critique,/. (V adjectif précède). 61 de Johnson. 62 Le fait qu'il pousse l'absurdité jusqu'à préférer. 63 ajoutez: du même genre. 64 prouver (au cond.). 65 erreur de jugement. 66 dépravation,/. 67 en dépit de. 68 nombre de gens bien pensants. 69 ne pouvoir s'empêcher de. 70 ajoutez étant. 71 œuvre, /. 72 qui bien qu'assailli de doutes troublants est cependant animé d'un sentiment. 73 respectueux. 74 en présence de. 75 devoir (au cond.) inspirer la pitié. 76 l'inégalité parmi les hommes. 77 il est si faux que (suivi du subj.). 78 personne,/. 79 'cannot. 1 80 sans que (suivi du sujet et de ne). 81 l'emporter sur l'autre. 82 et de beaucoup. 80b 83 lecture,/. 84 de bonne heure. 85 dévorer. 86 ouvrages, m. (de). 87 ne faire qu'une bouchée de. 88 'more than once. 1 89 se délecter de. 90 promenade,/. 91 amour (féminin pluriel) sens poé- tique (Vadj. précède). 92 récit, m. 93 tous ces passages. 94 relire. 95 avec un étonnement inexpri- mable, avec. 96 impossible de donner une idée de. 97 trouver. 98 étalage (m.) d'un bouquiniste. 99 ajoutez: 'they were bound. 1 100 en gros cuir. 101 autre part. 102 ajoutez 'here. 1 103 ajoutez 'already. 1 104 Que la rosée de leur souvenir est douce et que le baume en est péné- trant. 105 éparpiller au hasard. 106 surgir à chaque page, merveil- leusement rares. 107 suivi de Vinfinitif passé. 108 foi moins implicite. 81 1 retrouver. 2 faire un récit ; commencez par voici. NOTES 321 3 voyage, m. 4 ce qu'on peut voir. 5 faire des connaissances. 6 falloir. 7 en avoir. 8 classe moyenne. 9 manquer de délicatesse. 10 cracher partout. 11 qualité,/. 12 mettre. 13 mettre de côté. 14 faire exprès. 15 falloir bien goûter. 16 vouloir encore. 17 goulot, m. 18 couler bien. 19 commencez par: à l'exception du climat. 20 la description qu'il fit. 21 séjour, m. 22 des plus ridicules. 23 sa tournure causait de la surprise aux Français, ainsi que. 24 s'obstiner à porter le même cos- tume qu'à Londres. 25 sans jabot, m. 26 considérer comme. 27 bête,/. 28 monter sur des tréteaux. 29 faire rire par leurs grimaces. 30 chien savant. 31 admettre bien. 32 s'obstiner à. 33 avoir pour maxime que. 34 s'abaisser à. 35 ne savoir qu'à moitié. 84 1 être de. 2 société,/. 3 de. 4 constamment. 5 de celle de. 6 en être le doyen. 7 circonstance assez singulière. 8 bal bourgeois. 9 d'une fraîcheur éclatante. 10 de tout son cœur. 11 l'air naïf de la joie. 12 désir, m. 13 faire une si heureuse rencontre. 14 article défini. 15 passagère. 16 se joindre à. 17 pour. 18 être civil dans son invitation. 19 hôtel, m. 20 s'établir. 21 choisir et composer la sienne. 22 étrangère à. 23 agrément, m. 24 former à. 25 parure,/. 26 aisance,/. 27 maintien, m. 28 son esprit comme sa contenance. 29 être trop ajusté. 30 décence,/. 31 candeur,/. 32 solitaire. 33 naturel, m. 34 en elle. 35 mais dans sa tête. 36 'the thought.' 37 au lieu d'éclaircir ses. 38 la méditation. 39 'made them obscure' (troubler). 40 en. 41 agrandir. 42 pour étendre. 43 s'enfler à tel point. 44 si l'emphase n'en avait été. 45 ingénue. 46 moins . . . que. 47 transcrire. 48 d'après qui et sur quoi. 3 22 NOTES 49 dans. 50 n'estimer que. 51 pompe, /. - 52 par ouï-dire. 53 être peu sensible à. 54 grâces,/. 55 facilité,/. 56 abandon, m. 57 la familiarité. 58 déplaire à. 59 s'amuser à. 60 voir Jusqu'où. 61 délicatesse, /. 62 à voir clair. 63 prendre son parti. 64 pour bien faire. 65 non voyez-vous. 66'faire mieux. 67 indignes de. 68 difficile. 69 établie. 70 invariable. 71 on eût dit que. 72 réserver. 73 rectitude, /. 74 là. 75 compassé. 76 tout occupée à. 77 se rendre. 78 empressée à. 79 prémédité. 80 couler de source. 81 faire. 82 'for us? 83 se donner du mal. 84 faire parler de lui. 85 mot (m.) fin. 86 personnage muet. 87 entretenir. 88 propos de table. 89 trait, m. 90 réveiller les esprits. 91 soucieuse. 92 languir. 93 en chercher la cause ('in our eyes'). 94 naïveté,/. 95, que voulez vous. 96 quand on veut. 97 amusant. 85 1 journaux quotidiens. 2 pouvoir rendre compte de (subj.). 3 faits et gestes. 4 commencez par: à Paris everybody knew who Franklin was, they knew him by sight; they knew what his opin- ions were (différence entre savoir et connaître) . 5 habitudes, /. 6 Répétez de devant chaque nom et n'employez ou que la seconde fois. 7 on l'estimait. 8 même autant qu'eux tous à la fois. 9 était constamment dans la bouche de ceux qui s'occupaient de. 10 ceux qui formaient la masse de la nation. 11 Dans les longues enumerations on omet V article; mais il faut à la fin un mot qui résume. 12 et même les plébéiens ('all knew him'). 13 au point que. 14 à peine (suivi d'une inversion). 15 marmiton, m. 16 qui suivi de connaître au subj. ('who did not know it'). 17 'and all considered him* (on évite le subjonctif quand on peut) . 18 employez on. 19 pendant. 20 dernier. 21 employez on (trouver). NOTES 323 22 à ce que je crois. 23 ajoutez avoir au subj. 24 savant, m. 25 surtout. . 26 l'étude des sciences; l was very widespread,' répandre. 27 philosophe, m. 28 important. 29 goût, m. 30 se rencontrer chez. 31 répandre. 32 dans tous les rangs de la société. 33 assister à. 34 séances,/. 35 'which followed.' 36 rentrer dans {imparfait). 37 satisfaire. 38 faire la connaissance de. 39 public, m. 40 demander à grands cris {suivi du subj.). [main. 41 se lever, s'incliner, se serrer la 42 cela {suivi de) faire l'affaire {em- ployé négativement) . 43 s'embrasser {subj.). . . baiser. 44 parcheminé. 45 au pluriel. 46 on avait fait ce qu'il fallait. 86 1 employez on. 2 grand nombre, m. 3 gravure,/. 4 grandeur,/. 5 les unes ... les autres. 6 sertir dans le chaton d'une bague. 7 grâce à cela, et grâce à. 8 innombrable quantité, /. 9 visage, m. 10 ajoutez: 'that one sees' 11 nombre de. 12 avoir de l'influence en politique. 13 à peu près toutes. 14 recommander. 15 plaider en faveur de. 16 connaître le mieux. 17 son air et ses manières. 18 puritain. 19 l her friendship was none the less' 20 noter. 21 employez V article. 22 porter. 23 recouvrir de. 24 petit voile. 25 pas trop propre. 26 par derrière pendait. 27 bout, m. 28 encore moins propre et tel que. 29 femme, /. 30 n'en auraient pas voulu. 31 écharpe, /. 32 se précipiter hors. 33 par. 34 courir à sa rencontre. 35 embrasser sur les deux joues. 36 commencez par: cette conduite n'aurait pas laissé de me surprendre. 37 subj. 38 'was.' 39 sans l'ombre de. 40 croire sur parole. 41 prendre pour. 42 avoir {au subj.) suivi du nombre et qu'elle (être au subj.). 43 fameux. 44 grand. 45 il y a. 46 récit détaillé. 47 invité, m. 48 se mettre en route. 49 faire escorte à. 50 une fois arrivé. 51 ajoutez: ( it was' 52 donner la main pour l'aider à descendre. 3 2 4 NOTES 53 Hhe Frenchman' qui fait le récit. 54 tomber sur les épaules. 55 image même. 87 1 désolé de. 2 employez V article. 3 irrévocable {précède le nom). 4 communiquer {passé indéfini). 5 veuve. 6 votre vie durant. 7 se jeter {participe présent). 8 tenir à. 9 auprès de. 10 habiter. 11 tout près d'ici. 12 être très lié. 13 Socrate. 14 tenir en haute estime. 15 que je voie. 16 avec la plus grande courtoisie. 17 ajoutez car. 18 connaître {imparfait) de réputa- tion. 19 depuis assez longtemps. 20 poser un nombre infini de ques- tions sur. 21 demander des nouvelles de. 22 passionnément. 23 tout à l'heure {à la fin). 24 passé. 25 reprendre femme. 26 celle que j'ai choisie me la rap- pelle beaucoup. 27 elle m'est entièrement dévouée. 28 elle (ne songer qu'à). 29 aller chercher. 30 se rendre compte. 31 première compagne. 32 avoir nombre de partis. 33 avouer. 34 être éperdument épris. 35 refuser. 36 je sympathise à votre malheur. 37 il n'y a pas à dire. 38 femme,/. 39 qui plus est, aimable. 40 fréquenter son salon. 41 oublier. 42 gagner à votre cause. 43 à. 44 et qu'il eût parlé. 45 il a une logique si serrée. 46 ne savoir {au cond.) y résister. 47 corrompre. 48 valoir mieux. 49 être tenté de faire le contraire. 50 revendiquer mes droits. 51 j'ai été pour vous une femme dé- vouée. 52 se contenter de. 53 de nouveaux liens. 54 sur-le-champ. 65 sur cette bonne terre. 56 encore. 89 1 omettez pas. 2 trop. 3 conjurer. 4 faire rendre est suivi de: Ho Vol- taire's manes in the Catholic church? 5 les honneurs. 6 s'obstiner à. 7 ajoutez Ho him? 8 partout. 9 séquelle sacerdotale. {Cette ex- pression a un sens péjoratif.) 10 regarder. 11 est faite pour. 12 conforme. 13 il suffira. 14 en. 15 là-dessus. NOTES 3 2 5 16 emploi du subj. après les verbes impersonnels. 17 employez Particle. 18 joindre à. 19 devoir. 20 de qui je les (tenir). 21 ne vouloir que. 22 mettre en état. 23 blesser. 24 celui. 25 action, /. 26 comme moi. 27 vouloir bien. 28 à ce sujet. 90 1 croire {à l'imparfait). 2 vous voir {suivi de V infinitif). 3 d'un moment à l'autre. 4 subjonctif {après quoique). 5 faire plaisir. 6 satisfaction, /. 7 empêcher. 8 faire. 9 souscrire à. 10 Par quelle. 11 aller se fourrer. 12 rein, m. 13 aller se loger. 14 gens de cette espèce. 15 douloureux. 16 subj. après un superlatif. 17 conseiller de. 18 se servir de. 19 se trouver soulagé par {passé in- défini) . 20 calculer. 21 se guérir par. 22 voilà donc. 23 prononcer une sentence. 24 revoir {employé avec ne plus). 25 que. 26 la vallée de Josaphat, s'il en est une. 27 pour. 28 devoir. 29 de. 30 savoir {au cond.; omission de pas) . 31 se promener. 32 champs Elysées. 33 appuyer. 34 de. 25 ; : 3ter un coup d'œil. 36 au loin. 37 infinitif. 38 Emploi de Varticle au pluriel, quoique le nom soit au singulier. 39 être {au subj.). 40 uniquement. 41 moyen, m. s. 42 passe-partout, m. 43 fournir. 44 s'ouvrir {passé indéfini). 45 séquelle,/. 46 faire plaisir; commencez par: 'You please me. 1 47 informer de. 48 employez on. 49 être à souhaiter que. 50 sortie, /. 51 se trouver. 52 tant de. 53 morceau, m. 54 inimitable. 55 digne de. 56 écrit, m. 57 voir. 58 tout précède Varticle. 59 tant que. 60 faire sa prière à. 61 Que. 62 éclairer, inspirer. 63 valoir bien. 64 soutenir. 65 opprimée. 326 NOTES 66 être en lui {impersonnel). 67 et . . . et. 68 emploi du subj. après si. 69 faire juger de. 70 faire peu de progrès. 71 commencez par: ce sont. 72 théâtre, m. 73 les adjectifs formés de participes se placent après le nom. 74 du parterre. 75 s'escrimer. 76 jouer. 77 goût, m. 78 intrigue,/. 79 dénouement, m, 80 craindre. 81 boutade,/. 82 nuire à. 83 commencez par Si. 84 suffire à {impersonnel). 85 rendre à. 86 arracher. 87 à l'imitation de Louis XIV; 'She might place.'' 88 savoir enchaîner. 89 de triomphe. 90 valoir. 91 approuver {régime direct). 92 se servir de; à l'impératif affirma- tif les pronoms se placent après le verbe. 93 Sur ce ... . 94 touchant. 95 insulter à. 96 habillement, m. 97 faire méconnaître. 98 en. 92a 1 le père Caron. 2 ne pouvoir venir à bout de. 3 verbe réfléchi. 4 user des grands moyens. 5 feindre de chasser de. 6 logis, m. 7 l'abandonner à lui-même. 8 parents, m. 9 entrer dans les vues du père. 10 suppliantes. 11 tenir bon. 12 pendant quelque temps. 13 être de mon goût. 14 les croire durables. 15 supposer. 16 les conditions que je mets à. 17 'your return.'' 18 vouloir {indicatif présent). 19 de. 20 employer autant d'art. 21 mettre. 22 être prévenu en tout et que vous pensiez à. 23 vous imaginerez pouvoir. 24 depuis quinze" jours. 25 remettre à. 26 votre rentrée. 27 faire faire. 28 pour mon compte. 29 succomber à. 30 quelque prétexte que ce soit. 31 m'en avertir. 32 sans ma permission expresse. 33 rendre compte de. 34 à devenir. 35 d'y ramper. 36 'become the first' 37 occuper uniquement. 38 ne pas souper en ville. . 39 les soupers et les sorties. 40 aller dîner chez {subj.). 41 rentré. 42 dès à présent. 43 contraire à. 44 de la prendre de vous-même. 45 abandonner totalement. 46 fréquentation, /. NOTES 327 47 n'en souffrir aucun. 48 par égard à. 49 article défini. 50 ouvrable. 51 et que ce sera. 62 ni. 53 sortie,/. 54 pour. 55 mauvaise. 56 retard, m. 57 donner la table. 58 par. 59 servir à votre entretien. - 60 faire payer pension. 61 en procurer quelques-unes. 62 du bénéfice, m. 63 tout ce qui viendra par votre canal. 64 façon de penser. 65 se laisser vaincre. 66 mériter. 67 faire plus de bien. 68 ne connaître plus que. 69 bas, m. 70 ferme volonté, /. 71 que tout cela. 72 s'engager à. 73 'for me.' 74 quoi. 75 l this: 92b 76 charge,/. 77 brevet, m. 78 dès. 79 aimer de passion. 80 jouer de; avec talent. 81 s'attacher à. 82 perfectionnement, m. 83 sa réputation {'as a harpist 1 ). 84 conquise. 85 parvenir à. 86 se distraire de. 87 se livrer à. 88 les plus variées 89 successivement 90 guimbarde, /. 91 d'un genre nouveau. 92 en apprenant. 93 maison, /. 94 se faire remarquer par. 95 Mesdames. 96 se rendre. 97 virtuose, m. 98 auquel assistaient. 99 où. 100 un petit nombre. 93 1 en entreprit l'exécution. 2 louer. 3 immense. 4 y installer une armée de. 5 commis, m. 6 matin et soir. 7 en quelque mesure. 8 suppléer au manque de. 9 sans se laisser arrêter. 10 se mettre à. 11 sa promesse. 12 sinon. 13 intention,/. 14 article défini. 15 fournir. 16 tout ce dont vous aurez besoin. 17 aplanir. 18 infinitif. 19 résultat, m. 20 fut près de. 21 vider. 22 magasin, m. 23 fréter. 24 envahir. 25 faire la sieste. 26 survenir à chaque instant. 3 28 NOTES 27 elles étaient causées par . . . qui 32 être mise à si bas prix. désirait. 33 en fonctions. 28 arsenal, m. 34 tomber en partage à 29 y étaient gravées. 35 s'appeler. 30 venir à être pris. 36 en termes de l'art. 31 évident. 37 à bâtir {suit le nom). 32 c'est pourquoi. 38 se trouver fort embarrassée. 33 fondre. 39 petits ouvrages. 34 fournir. 40 à. 41 pour s'amuser. 95 42 n'entendre rien à. 1 se rendre. 43 journée, /. 2 donc. 44 tant à . . . qu'à. 3 ordre, m. 45 exécuter. 4 présenter à. 46 eut mis. 5 jeter un regard sur. 47 Ht was i: 6 continuer de. 48 sans s'émouvoir. 7 attachée à son char. 49 falloir laisser ce soin à une autre 8 chez. 60 se consoler de. 9 avec la contenance. 51 par ses suites. 10 captif, m. 52 de la meilleure foi du monde. 11 à l'avenir. 53 bonne volonté, /. 12 relation,/. 54 mal remplir son ministère. 13 ressentir encore plus. 55 peu endurante. 14 effet, m. 56 supporter. 15 égarement (m.) d'esprit. 57 balourdise, /. 16 souvenir (m.) distinct. 58 l I have' se place au commence- 17 demeure, /. ment. 18 j'y marchais pliée. 59 le défaut de ma vue. 19 et à tâtons. 60 basse. 20 l one could not breathe there. y 61 jointe à. 21 faute d'air. 62 trouble {m.) où j'étais. 22 faute de cheminée. 63 faire paraître. 23 insoutenable. 64 dépourvue de toute. 24 en vouloir faire quelque repré- 65 toilette,/. sentation à. 66 demeurer. 25 à toutes les prévenances. 67 sans savoir de quel côté. 26 succéder {passé défini). 68 y. 27 la valetaille. 69 par hasard. 28 Ho it: 70 égarement, m. 29 ceux qui. 71 donc là {en dernier lieu). 30 rechercher. 72 eh. 31 abandonner. 73 désolation,/. NOTES 3 2 9 74 bévue,/. 75 singulier. 76 tenir de. 77 couvercle, m. 78 comme de raison. 79 et toute. 80 se répandre. 81 sur. 82 il faut que ce soit par en bas. 83 retenir. 84 fond, m. 85 fort. 86 centaine, /. 87 dedans. 88 couvrir. 89 parquet, m. 90 par où rien prendre. 91 jeter. 92 encore. 93 pierreries,/. 94 prendre au beau milieu. 95 juger. 96 adroite et stylée. 97 ineptie,/. 96 1 le père. 2 proposer à. 3 arrière-petit-cousin, m. 4 dit-on. 5 très bon sujet. 6 commencez par le jeune homme. 7 plaire à (subj.). 8 se trouvera se place après le sujet. 8 il ne doit être question de rien. 10 vouloir. 11 ne faire attention à personne. 12 y avoir intérêt. 13 elle (pouvoir bien). 14 décider à. 15 en dire un mot. 16 il n'y a d'ailleurs rien de. 17 falloir plus ample information. 18 ensuite falloir. 19 s'expliquer au sujet de. 20 pour abréger. 21 un cercle de toute. 22 à. 23 avec précipitation. 24 à nous. 25 Vartïcle. 26 cette embrassade. 27 présenter en cérémonie à. 28 à son tour. 29 de nouveau se place après tous. 30 de taille moyenne. 31 paraître. 32 elle a la peau. 33 mouvement, m. 34 précipité. 35 avoir la plus grande part à. 36 se promener. 37 autant par . . . que par. 38 peut être. 39 de vingt ans plus âgé. 40 qui ne ressemble pas mal à. 41 pique. 42 par sa taille. 43 son ajustement. 44 appuyer volontiers. 45 ce qui. 46 faire honneur à. 47 de ce que dit. 48 ricaner. 49 aimer autant. 50 prendre à côté d'elle. 51 de. 52 mettre l'un près de l'autre. 53 s'emparer de. 54 s'éloigner. 55 parler hautement de. 56 imposer. 57 article, m. 58 être de retour dans. 59 le café pris. 60. sortir. 33° NOTES 61 il ne faut pas tant de mystère. 62 il ne s'agit que. 63 de même. 64 n'avoir qu'à voir. 65 s'il. 66 filleule,/. 67 accabler. 68 faire ce qu'il fallait. 69 ôter le temps de la réflexion. 70 but, m. 71 pour faire l'éloge de. 72 répondre corps pour corps. 73 dans la succession. 74 être d'accord. 75 faire publier. 76 faire la noce. 77 où. 78 l'air d'étonnement. 79 ton, m. 80 fixer à. 81 une maison de bohème. 82 le dire. 83 citer mon auteur. 84 commérage, m. 98 1 prodiguer. 2 à. 3 tableau, m. 4 exposer. 5 ne pas être fâché de. 6 idée,/. 7 exposition,/. 8 s'adresse à. 9 voici à peu près. 10 souhaiter {suivi du subj.). 11 tirer parti de. 12 beaucoup de. 13 aimer à. 14 ne pas demander mieux que de. 15 faire les délices. 16 dire à son retour. 17 employez V article. 18 de nos jours. 19 nous sommes. 20 époque,/. 21 II y a du vrai dans cequ'il dit là. 22 remplir. 23 intervalle, m. 24 grandiose. 25 ajoutez peinture, /. 26 comme la poésie légère. 27 avec son pétillement et . . . 28 en littérature se place après le verbe. 29 qui sépare Racine de. 30 leur. 31 enjoué. 32 tout ce qui est de leur temps. 33 éminemment 99a 1 aucun. 2 partie,/. 3 séparer des autres. 4 plaire {au subj.); emploi de ne. 5 l'ensemble même. 6 séduire {'attracts you'). 7 se demander. 8 vêtir. 9 sujet, m. 10 rassembler. 11 pleine campagne. 12 botte,/ 13 réchaud, m. 14 cruche,/. 15 chaudron, m. 16 que fait là. 17 sont-ce les siens. 18 du feu. 19 renverser. 20 charbons allumés. 21 prendre. 22 tapage, m. 23 disparate. 24 on. NOTES 331 25 toute l'absurdité. 26 savoir (au cond.). 27 attacher. 28 si. 29 facilité,/. 30 ébaucher. 31 croire. 32 se tromper. 33 choses d'un prix! 34 lumière, /. s. 35 être fait pour. 36 les gens du monde. 37 mignardise, /. 38 galanterie (/.) "romanesque; 'ro- mantique' se dit du paysage. 39 éclat, m. 40 farder. 41 petit-maître, m. 42 petite femme est pris sans doute ici dans le sens de petite-maîtresse. 43 foule,/. 44 être étranger à. 45 juste. 46 sévérité,/. 47 résister. 48 saillant, m. s. 49 pompon, m. 50 nudité,/. 61 libertinage, m. 52 à quel point. 53 surmonter. 54 c'est tout que ce. 55 ne . . . guère. 56 fléchir le genou. 57 les gens d'un grand goût; et répé- tez d'un goût. 58 au reste. 59 PArioste. 60 être enchanté de. 61 être inconséquent. 62 être fou de. 63 coloris, m. 64 faire, m. 65 à lui. 66 dans quelque peinture; employez on. 67 subj. 68 Ht: 69 sur-le-champ. 70 qu'ils restent à. 71 folâtrer. 72 à employer à; il faut répéter à avant chaque verbe. 73 action, /. 74 tiller le chanvre. 75 nature,/. 76 idéal. 77 ces enfants-là. 78 la sculpture est le sujet. 79 s'en accommoder. 80 tour, m. s. 81 joufflu. 82 potelé. 83 pétrir. 84 en un mot. 85 V inversion après à peine. 86 que me veux- tu. 87 être pris de la fureur de. 88 caillette,/. 89 l he is in his landscapes; 1 d'un gris. 90 d'une uniformité de ton. 91 faire prendre sa toile. 92 de distance. 93 morceau, m. 94 carré, m. 95 c'est un faux bon peintre. 96 être faux bel esprit. 99b 97 dégradation,/. 98 à. 99 Que voulez vous que. 100 jeter sur la toile. 101 du plus bas étage. 102 emploi de V article. $7,2 NOTES 103 je vous défie de. 104 toute une campagne. 105 brin, m. 106 déplacé. 107 moins. 108 sensé. 109 caractère, m. 110 propre à. 111 mine, /. 112 petite mine, /. 113 manière,/. 114 pour. 115 l'art sévère. 116 avoir beau (il). 117 'show them to me.' 118 mouche, /. 119 fanfioles de la toilette. 100 1 frapper. 2 employez on. 3 attendre ce qu'il fait. 4 employez V article. 5 surprenant pour. 6 qui y sont. 7 drôle de corps, m. 8 se mêler de; tous les noms au sing. 9 chercher à. 10 s'entretenir avec. 11 séance,/. 12 et que. 13 observation,/. 14 marine, /. 15 déplacée. (Le roi est censé avoir ré- pondu: "Nous avons celles de Vernet''). 16 ne pas offenser. 17 s'achever. 18 paraître mal instruit de. 19 affaire,/. 20 Ho him.'' 21 voilà comme. 22 vous autres. 23 prétendre. 24 dire ses vérités à quelqu'un. 25 passer pour. 26 propos, m. 27 ne pas tirer à conséquence. 28 conserver son franc parler. 29 aujourd'hui. 30 se mettre à table. 31 ne plus reparaître {au présent) 32 sous la figure. 33 enlacer de soie 101 1 assez ressemblant. 2 comme. 3 de l'opéra. 4 c'est qu'il. 5 vivant. 6 ajoutez c'est. 7 lorgner. 8 mignard. 9 la bouche en cœur. 10 sagesse de couleur. 11 puis. 12 luxe de vêtement. 13 à ruiner ('the writer'). 14 receveur de la capitation. 15 venir à. 16 l'imposer. 17 sur. 18 pétillant. 19 de près. 20 vigoureux. 21 de loin. 22 surtout. 23 les chairs. 24 du reste des mains. 25 bien modelées. 26 toupet gris. 27 avec sa mignardise. 28 lui donne l'air de. 29 faire l'aimable. 30 non. NOTES 333 31 fausseté,/. 32 du preruier moment. 33 influer sur. 34 c'est cette folle de. 35 venir jaser. 36 on. 37 'which gave him.'' 38 de ce genre, m. 39 sensible. 40 et le portrait (se ressentir de). 41 falloir; laisser seul (ajfirmatij) . 42 l'abandonner à. 43 distrait. 44 se porter au loin. 45 travail, m. s. 46 triste précède le nom. 47 mignon. 48 coquet-là. 49 la chose dont j'étais affecté. 50 tel que. 51 là. 52 du. 53 bonhomie, /. 54 toucher de près à. 55 rusticité, /. 56 'I have never been well made'; que. 57 pauvre diable. 58 m'attraper. 59 il arrive à un sot de dire. 60 bon mot, m. 61 m'immortalise. 62 ne pas avoir la conscience de. 63 jusqu'à présent. 64 ne faire que baguenauder. 102 1 être un peu long. 2 comme (s'amuser). 3 en. 4 ennuyer. 5 c'est comme ( l all the bores in the world'); 'in 1 se traduit par de. 6 s'apercevoir de* 7 et puis, voilà pourtant. 8 de précède le participe. 9 juger (participe passé). 10 traduisez 'your painter and mine.' 11 s'aviser (au subj.). 12 donner des mœurs. 13 enchaîner. 14 d'après lesquels (Ht would be easy to make'). 15 commencez par: il est; notre ar- tiste se place après V adjectif 16 ôter. 17 moi (après le verbe). 18 c'est cela qui. 19 verve, /. 20 éteindre le feu. 21 s'éclipser. 22 employez le subj. et ne. 23 1' précède le verbe. 24 certaines du moins. 25 tenir de près à. 26 avoir de l'humeur. 27 avoir un coup de marteau; 'are cracked.' 28 femmes galantes. 29 dévote,/. 30 employez: 'the good.' 31 ne pas être ennemie de la médi- sance. 32 à un maître. 33 sentir qu'on fait bien. 34 à qui passera-t-on. 35 défaut, m. 36 si ce n'est à. 37 fécond. 38 participe présent; rien s'emploie seulement après le second verbe. 39 injinitif passé. 40 article dêjïni. 41 cohue populaire. 42 à. 334 NOTES 43 promenade,/. 84 croire. 44 sans cesse. 85 glace fêlée. 45 il va recueillant. 86 pénétrer de. 46 commencez par le nom propre. 87 il y aurait autant de bêtise à. 47 jugement, m. 88. attribuer. 48 de sang-froid. 89 que. 49 en petit comité. 90 cassé. 50 être bon à entendre. 91 inversion. 51 parcourir. 92 donc {à la fin). 52 vignette, /. 93 répondre {au futur). 53 délicieux. 94 faire. 54 être de face. 95 est de. 55 appuyer. 96 devenir de plus en plus sensible 66 est posé. 97 que. 57 supérieur {après le nom). ' 98 c'est que. 58 traîner. 99 du reste. 59 en l'air. 100 coloriée. 60 que cette. 101 tache légère. 61 serpenter autour. 102 ton de couleur. 62 a de grâces. 103 violâtre. 63 être affligée. 104 faire le rond de bosse. 64 être bien coiffée. 105 rayé. 65 visage, m. 106 du plus beau transparent. 66 avoir de l'expression. 107 toucher. 67 être à son malheur. 108 nuire à. 68 y être entièrement. 109 finesse,/. 69 'the truth oj. J 70 fossettes,/. 103 71 mollesse,/. 72 teinte de rougeur dont la près 1 C'est celui-ci qui. sion. 2 salon, m. 73 colorer. 3 tableaux, m. 74 tout cela. 4 de. 75 jusqu'à son ajustement. 5 être hors de. 76 d'une manière. 6 d'une vérité à {suivi de VinfinitiJ) 77 être d'une souplesse, d'une légè- 7 les. reté. 8 on. 78 apercevoir; employez on. 9 surtout. 79 se surprendre. 10 vase de porcelaine de la Chine. 80 consoler. 11 biscuit, m. 81 à différentes reprises. 12 bocal, m. 82 fin. 13 corbeille,/. 83 ne pas l'entendre {passé indéfini). 14 pour. NOTES 335 15 se faire des yeux. 16 ajoutez moi après le verbe. 17 C'est que ce; employez de entre le nom et son complément. 18 être de la porcelaine. 19 nager. 20 il n'y a qu'à prendre. 21 y mettre le couteau. 22 reflet, m. 23 du blanc; répétez du devant cha- que nom. 24 broyer. 25 à la pointe. 26 pinceau, m. 27 attacher sur. 28 après que. 29 occuper sur. 30 la raie dépouillée. 31 objet, m. 32 ajoutez même. 33 aspect, m. I 34 chose, /. 35 affecter autrement. 38 bien. 37 secret, m. 38 sauver par le talent. 39 ne rien entendre à. 40 ce sont. 41 dont l'effet transpire de dessous en dessus. 42 d'autres fois. 43 on dirait que. 44 ailleurs. 45 écume,/. 46 faire, m. 47 faire sentir l'effet 48 s'approcher. 49 tout. 50 se brouiller. 51 s'aplatir. 52 s'éloigner. 53 recréer {réfléchi). 54 apercevoir. 65 le morceau de. 56 pousser. 57 éloge, m. 58 valoir mieux que. 59 ne sera plus. 60 avoir le sens droit. 61 à merveille. 62 de. 63 ah! 64 tromper. 65 aller se casser la tête. 66 mauvais. 67 des. 68 quand suivi de vouloir {au futur). 104a 1 surprendre. 2 l'Amour. 3 figure, /. 4 de chair. 5 exiger {inversion après que). 6 commencez par l'Amour. 7 infinitif. 8 en tremblant se place après 'who comes.' 9 la pointe du pied. 10 visage, m. 11 être assez. 12 dans. 13 apercevoir (subj.). 14 entr'ouverte. 15 joie,/. 16 corps, m. 17 porté en arrière. 18 on. 19 s'avancer vers. 20 s'enfuir de. 21 posé se place après pied. 22 et. 23 effleurer {au participe présent). 24 cette. 25 laisser tomber. 33 6 NOTES 26 écarter. 27 interposer. 28 amortir. 29 d'ailleurs; Ht would be a way 9 (suivi de V infinitif). 30 moyen, m. 31 d'une manière. 32 avoir une espèce de transparence. 33 V article. 34 à (et l'article). 35 et qui. 36 avec quelque succès que. 37 se tirer de. 38 V article s'emploie devant les deux noms. 39 bien pris. 40 avoir un succès (employez on). 41 réunir. 42 condition,/. 104b 43 neuve. 44 tirer parti de. 45 sur le fond. 46 qui porte. 47 sur le devant. 48 prosterner (participe passé). 49 tourner de son côté. 50 souhaiter. 51 le. 52 eût passé (employez le même temps tout du long). 53 bien droites. 54 de la simplicité. 55 détournée. 56 au point du jour. 57 chute,/. 105a 1 qui, de ceux qui ('have read the dia- logues'). 2 enchâssés. 3 parmi. 4 de. 5 a jamais pu ('forget them 1 ). 6 il lui est impossible de. 7 cette année-là. 8 et que. 9 faire un séjour. 10 en joyeuse compagnie, dans une maison. 11 située au milieu. 12 de. 13 l'article. 14 qui l'amènent au milieu de. 15 site, m. 16 variés à l'infini se place après couleur. 17 magie, /.; mouvement, m, 18 entrelacer à. 19 précepteur, m. 20 secret, m. 21 rien de comparable à cela. 22 rien de plus naturel. 23 ce n'est qu'à. 24 échapper. 25 l his. y 26 tout cela ce n'est que. 27 envolée,/. 28 non pas par. 29 marine,/. 105b 30 lointain, m. 31 vers. 32 arrêter. 33 debout et immobile. 34 nous était dérobé. 35 la masse interposée ( ( of a rock 9 ). 36 s'étendre (à l'imparfait). 37 en s'abaissant et en se relevant. 38 tout à fait vers la droite. 39 une saillie (' of this rock'). NOTES 337 40 placées pour l'effet... faire mieux. 41 jeter. 42 Ht: 43 filet, m. 44 chaussée (/•) rocailleuse. 45 se prolonger. 46 s'incliner. 47 voiture, /. 48 descendre vers. 49 mes regards. 50 raser la crête de cette langue. 51 à V imparfait. 52 et allaient s'enfoncer et se perdre. 53 confiner avec. 54 eût imaginé de rompre. 55 continuité, /. 56 à la bonne heure. 57 en. 58 imaginer. 59 pouvoir. 60 jouer entre. 61 non. 62 à Vinfinitif. 63 immense. 64 au-delà. 65 arrêter. 66 couverte de. 67 tertre, m. 68 masquer. 69 rocher antérieur qui. 70 verbe réfléchi (participe présent) 'formed a canal.'' 71 d'où {suivi de V inversion). 72 en. 73 des eaux qui. 74 veniT se briser en écumant. 75 inspirer à un artiste. 76 précisément. 77 coin, m. 78 quartier de roche brute. 79 participe passé. 80 instruments {m.) de son métier. 81 vue de dos. 82 cascade (/.) aux rochers. 83 de. 84 partie, / 85 que le vent promenait {'at his wilV) . 86 gré, m. 87 intelligent. 88 établir un nouveau plan, to our eyes. 89 there is a space en deçà et au delà. 90 reculer. 91 faire avancer. 92 sentir. 93 obscurcir. 94 songer à. 95 mouvement, m. 96 avoir beau dire. 97 Quelque sublime que {subj.). 98 d'accord. 99 fréquenter. 100 trouver à reprendre à. 101 gâter et nuire à. 102 doubler. 103 enchantement, m. 104 s'y prendre. 105 ignorer. 106 de son côté. PART II 109 1 par. 2 démarrer de. 3 hisser son grand pavois. 4 suite,/. 5 à titre de. 6 figurer dans. 7 cette fonction, /. 8 avait été imaginée par. 9 notamment {avant les noms). 338 NOTES de. 10 être lié. 52 un geste du sultan suffisait à. 11 des. 53 faire emprisonner. 12 engagés. 54 puissance,/. 13 avoir des éclaircissements sur. 55 au château des. 14 touchant. 56 divertissement, m. 15 déjà orientaliste, m. 57 du. 16 pehlvi, m. 58 offrir. 17 mener à bonne fin. 59 à. 18 enquête,/. 60 assemblée,/. 19 où il fut engagé par la confiance 61 employez on (confier à). 62 rôle, m. 20 rêver de. 63 négociant, m. 21 consacrer. 64 mettre au pillage. 22 au catalogue. 65 composer. 23 très curieux. 66 feuille morte. 24 être tenté par le désir de. 67 travaillés à jour. 25 du nouveau. 68 à fond cramoisi. 26 bibliophile, m. 69 babouches,/ 27 arabe. 70 laisser succomber sa tête. 28 céder au charme. 71 et tout enguirlandé de. 29 où se joue avec . . . l'imagination. 72 mettre aux oreilles. 30 passé défini. 73 pendant (m.) en poire. 31 auprès. 74 fil, m. 32 flânerie,/. 75 par les deux bouts. 33 désœuvrement, m. 76 bruissant de satin et de soie. 34 curiosité (/.) en éveil. 77 ancien. 35 connaissance, /. 78 chéri. 36 relations,/. 79 quelque peu. 37 permettre de (voir). 80 austérités,/. 38 invraisemblable. 81 et (se regarder à). 39 se dérober à. 82 déplaisir, m. 40 affairé. 83 vouloir faire croire. 41 assister à. 84 ingénument. 42 mômeries, /. 85 ne pas avoir mauvaise grâce. 43 tourneurs ou hurleurs, m. 86 dans cet habillement. 44 cadeau, m. 87 aller bien. 45 tenir registre de. 88 en tout cas. 46 de sorte que. 89 proche de l'image. 47 résamé. 90 se faire. 48 en imagination. 91 assidu. 49 telle qu'elle. 92 avoir. 50 aux siècles lointains. 93 pour faire la description. 51 où. 94 dont il fut le témoin. NOTES 339 95 sobrement. 96 d'un geste discret. 97 au cours de. 98 les champs où fut Troie. 99 alors. 100 débarquer joyeusement à. 101 une halte. 102 de Syrie, du Liban, m. 103 recueillir. 104 au hasard de ses recherches. 105 divertissement, m. 110 Polly Baker "was brought before the authorities, for the offence of having given birth to a child out of wedlock. It was her fifth transgression." (John Morley.) The story was true. 1 erreur,/. 2 qui foisonnent. 3 venir à. 4 entrer. 5 être en train de parler. 6 citer. 7 tenir de bonne source; emploi de ne (subj.). 8 lui tomba dessus. 9 au sujet de. 10 être parfaitement sûr. 11 persister à dire {imparfait). 12 devoir (tenir ce récit de). 13 'some one. 1 14 mettre la sincérité en doute (né- gativement). 15 lorsque. 16 interrompre par un éclat de rire. 17 du temps où. 18 imprimeur journaliste. 19 on. 20 être à court de. 21 lecteur, m. 22 conte à dormir debout. 23 plaire autant. 24 le moins du monde. 25 celles des autres. 26 fussent-elles vraies. 27 ce que. 28 il y a à dire. 29 erreur (/.) qui .... 30 sauter aux yeux. 31 il reste à expliquer. 32 succès, m. 33 éclatant. 34 ne pas avoir besoin d'aller bien loin. 35 d'abord. 36 et . . . et. •37 sur ce sujet. 38 à; 'One finds in it everything in the world.' 39 raconter {'it tells 1 ). 40 se font. 41 il traite tous les sujets {omission de V article). 42 parler des Portugais (de se ré- pète). 43 indienne, /. 44 il attaque. 45 exagéré. 46 flatter le goût du jour. 47 éprouver une vive curiosité. 48 hors. 49 race . . . espèce. 50 plutôt. 51 V adjectif. 52 le premier. 53 exciter. 54 concernant. 55 mœurs, /. 56 des peuples les moins connus. 57 chez Montesquieu ces sujets dé- tachés étaient introduits dans une sorte de discussion. 58 V article. 59 case,/. 34o NOTES 60 péniblement. 19 s'imaginer. 61 d'un bout à l'autre. 20 pouvoir (subj.). s 62 il y trouva sous une forme concrète. 21 faire résoudre à. 63 l'injustice faite à. 22 'one of them.' 64 jusque-là. 23 endosser. 65 s'agiter confusément. 24 à l'européenne 66 à la vue de. 25 admirable. 67 s'accomplir. 26 essai, m. 68 célèbre. 27 faire connaître. 69 qui avait à juste titre. 28 valoir. 70 faire précéder de. 29 libre. 71 le nom de son histoire (en dernier 30 au plus juste. lieu). 31 avoir sujet de. 72 'in his.' 32 se plaindre de. 73 qui traite en partie. 33 entrer dans un néant affreux 74 le même sujet. 34 demeurer. 75 et qui. 35 dans. 76 citer. 36 employez on {subj.). 77 théorie, /. 37 article défini. 78 commensal, m. " 38 occasion, /. 79 ne plus en souffler mot. 29 bourdonnement, m. 80 apostrophe, /. 40 Ah. 81 à son adresse et. 41 peut-on. 112 1 être d'une curiosité. 2 aller jusqu'à l'extravagance. 3 si. 4 se mettre à la fenêtre. 5 se former. 6 nuancé de. 7 lorgnette, f. 8 dresser contre. 9 il faut avouer. 10 avoir l'air bien persan. 11 chose admirable. 12 de mes portraits. 13 se voir multiplié. 14 tant les gens avaient peur. 15 tant de. 16 être à charge. 17 se croire un homme curieux. 18 avoir {subj.). 113 1 croire (passé indéfini). 2 peuple, m. 3 mériter la curiosité de. 4 raisonnable. 5 s'en instruire. 6 aller trouver. 7 de. 8 commerce, m. 9 mettre des bornes à sa fortune» 10 verbe réfléchi. 11 aller le chercher. 12 V adjectif suit le nom. 13 ornée de sa seule propreté. 14 était un. 15 frais. 16 'who had.' 17 ne jamais connaître. 18 ni. 19 d'air plus engageant. NOTES 341 20 être vêtu de. 21 porter. 22 à bords rabattus. 23 ecclésiastique, m. 24 V article, au singulier. 25 s'avancer vers. 26 la moindre inclination de corps. 27 air (m.) humain. 23 l'usage. 29 à. 30 être de quelque utilité. 31 n'avoir qu'à. 32 glisser. 33 vers lui. 34 selon. 35 vouloir bien. 36 faire. 37 trop de révérences. 38 encore se place après avoir. 39 subj. 40 se défaire de. 41 se mettre à interroger. 42 débuter par. 43 comment, morbleu. 44 donc précède pas. 45 d'un ton doux. 46 nous faire jeter de l'eau sur. 47 eh! bon Dieu. 48 outré. 49 jurement, m. 50 encore un coup. 61 bénin. 52 personne. 53 que je (subj.). 54 ne falloir que cela (impersonnel) . 55 user de (la cérémonie). 56 toute. 57 abuser de. 58 assez. 59 de la meilleure foi du monde (après le verbe). 60 écraser. 61 se garder bien de. 62 rien contester. 63 il n'y a rien à gagner avec. 64 ne pas falloir s'aviser de dire à. 65 à un plaideur. 68 passer à. 67 à l'égard de. 68 point d'autre que celle. 69 me faire un sermon. 70 d'un ton inspiré (après le verbe). 71 se trouver. 72 apporter. 73 convenir. 74 rendre raison de. 75 singularité,/. 76 avouer. 77 s'empêcher de. 78 civilité,/. 79 en te tutoyant. 80 instruit. 81 pour ignorer. 82 tomber dans. 83 souffrir. 84 on. 85 se mettre dans la tête. 86 se faire appeler. 87 marque, /. 88 de plaisir (après le nom). 89 jeu, m. 90 être à plaindre de. 91 devoir habiter. 92 faire des serments. 93 en justice. 94 Très-Haut, m. 95 débats, m. 96 falloir comparaître devant. 97 affirmer la vérité par. 98 nous en croient. 99 se parjurer. 100 ce n'est pas que. 101 Etre des êtres. 102 c'est que. 103 que. . .enflammé de (répétez que) . 104 retentir du bruit des actions de 105 gémir sur. [grâce. 106 allégresse,/. 342 NOTES PART III 115 1 d'Italie; les adjectifs de nationalité s'emploient moins fréquemment en fran- çais qu'en anglais. 2 capitale,/, {suit le nom). 3 avoir pour résultat de. 4 profondément. 5 'disturbed by î£ (troubler). ~ 6 cantonnés jusqu'alors au fond de 7 état voisin de. 8 entraînés hors de leur terroir. 9 découvreur, m. 10 du haut de. 11 des bandes pareilles à. 12 coulée,/. 13 vers. 14 inversion après où. 15 battre le rappel pour. 16 là. 17 s'entasser {imparfait). 18 en partance. 19 ces gens simples . . . que des ré- cits . . . avaient. 20 folle. 21 fanatiser. 22 au delà du possible. 23 ni tous {'came back'). 24 dépouille,/. 25 profiter à. 26 petit nombre. 27 effervescence,/. 28 déception,/. 29 fatigues endurées. 30 ' allay it' (calmer). 31 de. 32 s'accroître. 33 d'année en année. 34 comme envahie et rongée par. 35 déclassé, m. 36 épave, /. 37 malheureux. 38 lointain {précède le nom). 39 manqué. 40 l and on? 41 varier. 42 que. 43 léguer. 44 mépris, m. 45 de; il faut répéter de. 46 trafic, m 47 échange, m. 48 rester comme par avant le pre- mier dogme. 49 enfin. 50 s'appauvrir. 51 arriver {impersonnel). 52 désorienter. 53 intermédiaire {suit le nom). 54 serf attaché à la glèbe. 55 avec le temps. 56 créer. 57 fondèrent pour vivre sur le com- mun de. 58 mendicité,/. 59 friponnerie,/. 60 gueuserie, /. 61 fainéantise, /. 62 le picaro est sorti de. 63 à l'époque dont il s'agit. 64 exactement. 116 1 littéraire. 2 à juste titie se place après le verbe qui s'emploie au présent. NOTES 343 3 nouvelle (/.) picaresque. 43 instrument, m. 4 gueuseries, /. 44 écrivain moraliste. 5 pulluler. 45 coins et recoins, m. 6 par. 46 fouiller. 7 roman de mœurs. 47 déceler. 8 genre, m. 48 tare,/. 9 récit, m. 49 s'efforcer de. 10 trait, m. 50 au contact de 11 pour ainsi dire. 51 picaro, m. 12 de. 52 dominer. 13 déterminé. 53 action réfléchie. 14 il ne lui est pas loisible 54 eminent. 15 s'égarer. 55 le. 16 s'en donner à cœur joie. 56 témoin Sénèque. 17 rester de. 57 ensemble et isolés. 18 le plus près possible. 58 épopée,/. 19 faire ressemblant. 59 misère,/. 20 œuvre, m. 60 âpre. 21 la satire. 61 pénétrer. 22 porter; emploi du subj. après les 62 navrer. verbes impersonnels. 63 saisir. 23 copie,/. 64 à. 24 mœurs actuelles. 65 famélique (m.) s'emploie quand il 25 et vivantes. s'agit d'un état habituel. 26 bien. 27 changez V adjectif en nom. 117 28 quelconque suit roman picares- que. 1 se mettre au service. 29 fable, /. 2 mourir de faim. 30 s'attacher à. 3 vouloir {au subj.), en préserver. 31 cadre, m. 4 'seeing.' 32 milieu, m. 5 de mal en pis. 33 traverser {inversion après que). 6 ladre de; on emploie de après cer- 34 gueux, m. tains adjectifs dont le sens est péjoratif; 35 espèces (/.) sociales. par ex: 'une drôle de personne.' 36 coudoyer; on change y en i devant 7 hors de. un e muet. 8 par aventure. 37 se pousser dans. 9 chaudronnier, m. 38 tandis qu'ailleurs. 10 croire être. 39 accaparer par vient après et. 11 habit, m. 40 commencez par qu'importent. 12 rapetasser. 41 de. 13 ne faire pas peu. 42 façon,/. 14 raccoutrer. 344 NOTES 15 gentillesses,/. 16 illuminer. 17 fouetter (au subj.); emploi de ne après avoir peur. 18 par votre vie. 19 quelqu'une. 20 éprouver. 21 trousseau, m. 22 débile. 23 voici. 24 au moment où. 25 penser à; ' think about 1 ; penser de, 'hold an opinion.' 26 se payer de. 27 pain, m. 28 plaire à. 29 il s'en fut. 30 le+ (être). 31 davantage. 32 en. 33 'toucher à'; toucher sans préposi- tion signifie 'to feel.' 34 fraude,/. 35 se sentir maître de. 36 bien, m. 37 misérable. 38 vouloir. 39 prendre garde à. 40 lendemain, m. 41 rendre invisible. 42 'remédier' à; emploi (/'aller pour exprimer un futur prochain. 43 avec cela. 44 se tenir en joie. 45 être destiné à. 46 fièvre (/.), tierce. 47 venir à. 48 à point nommé. 49 en la personne. 50 heure indue. 51 tourner et retourner. 52 dissimuler. 53 en. 54 fermer les yeux à. 55 moment, m. 56 supputer le compte; mettez en dernier lieu le détail le plus caractéris- ai emploi de l'imparfait après si quand le verbe de la principale est au conditionnel. 58 être en lieu sûr; omission de pas. 59 à partir de. 60 'tenir bon compte de/ 61 rester (impersonnel). 62 mauvais sort, m. 63 à part moi. 64 épieu, m. 65 tirailler. 66 passé. 67 ladre, m. 68 employez ne -f- le avec le verbe qui suit plus. 69 vouloir (conditionnel passé pre- mière forme) . 70 donner mille baisers à. 71 rogner. 72 entamer. 73 endroit, m. 74 entame,/. 75 de. 76 à manger. 77 mourir malemort. 78 ne faire autre chose que de. 79 inversion. 80 pensant à part moi. 81 de. 82 'entrer dans.* 83 endommager. 84 en prendre un tout entier. 85 être chpse convenable. 86 certes. 87 faute,/. 88 faire. 89 émietter. 90 nappe,/. NOTES 345 91 se trouver. 92 l'autre. 93 tirer. 94 dragée, /. 95 se réconforter. 96 endroit, m. 97 quelle. 98 cette nuit. 99 faire l'étonné. 100 pouvoir. 101 ajoutez 'it is.' 102 tirer bon profit. 103 échoir (impersonnel). 104 misère, /. 105 racler. 106 partie, /.; part = 'share.' 107 ronger. 108 le. 109 quand propre précède le nom, il signifie 'own 1 ; quand il suit, 'clean. 1 118a 1 abandonner (à V imparfait). 2 filon {m.), 'opened by C. 3 à leur grande. 4 exploiter {imparfait). 5 retirer. 6 romancier, m. 7 de. 8 disputer à la France. 9 tournure, /. 10 à qui la faute. 11 avoir beau alléguer. 12 de ce côté des Pyrénées. 13 ce qu'il y a d'espagnol . . . c'est. 14 l'extérieur. 15 gaulois. 16 vive Dieu. 17 fripon, m. 118b 18 c'est à l'époque. 19 se douter. 20 simple précède le nom au sens figuré; mais, 'une fleur simple.'' 21 employez on. 22 manquer à {impersonnel). 23 encore jeune. 24 'it is.' 25 le comprendront. 26 le paysage fait défaut. 27 champêtre. 28 se place après aussi. 29 regretter (à V imparfait). 30 chute, /. 31 gêner (subj.). 32 faire grand progrès. 33 que (le verbe est sous-entendu). 34 subj. 35 bien léger d'impressions. 36 journal (m.) de bord. 37 être à. 38 curieux. 39 époque (/.) de. 40 figure,/. 41 s'animer (ind. présent). 42 sur un fond encore gris. 43 ajoutez dans. 44 bien. 45 en. 46 à. 47 des affamés. 48 robe de chambre, /. 49 prendre le chocolat, 50 arrêter. 51 daigne. 52 ce ne sont . 53 ses moindres pages. 54 bâfrerie, /. 55 carte, /. 56 à tout prix. 57 de bien modestes même. 58 cruche, /. 59 d'excès. 60 poignée, /. 346 NOTES 61 on dirait que. 11 à. 62 étendre à plaisir la part de. 12 toilette,/. 63 se place après gastronomie. 13 crasseux. 64 large. \ 14 désagréable de sa figure. 65 plantureuse. 15 et. 66 des gens. 16 en tête à tête. 67 estomac, m. 17 Varticle. 68 bien plantées. 18 dérobé {suit le nom). 69 bien fendue. 19 Madame; c'est le domestique qui 70 donc. parle. 71 article défini. 20 s'égarer. 72 personnage, m. 21 trouver bizarre. 73 'his'. 22 inclinations (/.) de. 74 allure, m. 23 se mêler de. 75 croquis, m. 24 faire voir dans le verre. 76 vêtir de {participe passe). 25 montrer à tourner le sas. 11 habit, m. pi. 26 savoir, m. 78 bonne fortune. 27 se prêter aux prestiges. 79 négocier une affaire. 28 au demeurant. 80 logeuse, /. 29 nombre de personnes. 81 quelque seigneur. 30 gens de lettres. 82 mie,/. 31 contribuer à. 83 étendre. 32 donner une réputation à. 84 ne pas se contenter de. 33 par excellence. 85 loger avec plus ou moins de luxe. 34 à l'antichambre. 86 à proportion de leurs moyens. 35 rangées. 87 intérieur, m. 36 carreau, m. 88 pendue à. 37 disposé. 89 évidemment. 38 contre. 90 habitation,/. 39 annoncer. 40 bruyant. 119 41 cavalier, m. 42 sec. 1 commencez par il était question de. 43 étourneau, m. 2 leur procès n'est pas long. 44 grand, m. 3 en sa qualité de. 45 encore d'autres. 4 ouvrir à deux battants. 46 chez qui. 5 employez on (présenter). 47 se présenter. 6 esprit assez uni. 48 sous ce pseudonyme de Chaves. 7 jeu, m. 49 ville (/.) d'eau. 8 galanterie,/. 50 de. 9 n'aimer que. 51 il y en a au contraire. 10 ne lui connaît qu'une faiblesse. 52 pour que ce ne soit pas elle. NOTES 347 53 qui la fait nommer. 54 on (manquer de respect à). 55 donc {après le verbe). 56 regarder. 57 les salons et les plus célèbres. 58 ne pas manquer. 59 en signaler assez. 60 l'embarras du choix. 61 être {au subj.) notre unique. 62 partie,/. '63 où. 64 il est question de. 65 restreindre nos recherches. 66 il ne s'agit donc pas de. 67 qui en a. 68 en vue. 69 il y aurait contre. 70 une semblable assimilation. 71 gros. 72 ancien. 73 savoir élever. 74 ce qui. 75 infinitif. 76 indiquer. 77 de fait. 78 être bien faite. 79 soutenir. 80 passer pour avoir. 81 faire. 82 prendre garde. 83 être belle femme signifie 'grande et forte. 1 84 jouir de. 85 du côté paternel. 86 biens considérables. 87 rues actuelles. 88 ne céder en rien à. 89 faire son éloge. 90 nous est garant. 91 être sans goût. 92 figure, /. 93 présenter. 94 notable. 95 accorder. 96 vouloir se soustraire à l'exacti- tude {subj.).' 97 dérouter. 98 dépouiller de ses pampres. 99 faire comme partie intégrante. 100 parvenir. 101 avis, m, 102 les habitués de. 103 voir. 104 pendant, m. 105 en. 106 avoir connaissance de. 107 cet on-dit. 108 peu croyante. 109 marquer. 110 chez. 111 d'alors. 112 l'ombre. ^ 113 débarrasser.^ 114 s'en mêler. 115 philosophale. 116 traiter. 117 rajeunir. 118 se cacher. 119 marc, m. 120 faire des séances. 121 de magie. 122 siècle, m. 120 f 1 monseigneur, m. 2 s'adresser à ou adresser la parole à. 5 montrer au doigt. 4 cavalier, m. 6 monde, m. 6 pouvoir, m. 7 abandonner à. 8 rendre bon compte (ne -+- subj.). 9 pour exhorter. 10 quoi. 11 emmener. 348 NOTES 12 hôtel, m. 13 y arriver. - 14 faire passer en revue. 15 avoir un emploi. 16 maison,/. 17 étourdi de. 18 se prêter volontiers à. 19 employez le nom. 20 l 'adjectif. 21 avoir (pour lui). 22 'always been. 1 23 par hasard. 24 manquer de. 25 il était d'une ignorance crasse. 26 mettre auprès de lui. 27 précepteur, m. 28 élément, m. 29 arrêter. 30 avec. 31 d'escrime. 32 on. 33 juger. 34 avoir garde de. 35 être embarrassé sur le choix.; 36 dans. 37 en. 38 un grand nombre de fameux. 39 embarras, m. 40 demander à. 41 aller au devant de. 42 s'imaginer. 43 ce qu'il y avait pour son service. 44 révérence,/. 45 sentir bien son métier. 46 seigneurie, /. 47 s'appeler. 48 petit. 49 venir (subj.) chercher. 50 dont je suis. 51 se faire un devoir. 52 prévenir. 53 falloir (impersonnel),, 54 prendre. 55 par. 56 courant. 57 comment, beaucoup! 58 de. 59 rien à répondre à cela. 60 de bon cœur. 61 métier, m. 62 subj. 63 sans. 64 ours mal léché. 65 insensiblement. 66 une forme. 67 en un mot. 68 se mouvoir. 69 donner. 70 airs de noblesse et de gravité, 71 se rendre aux raisons de. 72 retenir. 73 puisque. 74 prix fait. 121 \ 1 envoyer chercher, v 2 mettre entre les mains.^ 3 tiens ou tenez. 4 avoir à faire. 5 croire. ... 6 ajoutez Ho you 1 - 7 lettres de noblesse. 8 faire expédier pour. ' 9 assez. 10 écuyer, m. 11 ce. 12 ce me semble. 13 injinitif. * 14 que de m'y agréger. 15 ajoutez Ht is. 1 16 faire. 17 facile à lever. 18 s'occuper de. 19 affaires,/. 20 de plus. NOTES 349 21 être sans réplique. 22 rang, m. 23 occuper. 24 auprès. 25 demander. 26 subj. 27 avouer. 28 même. 29 puisque. 30 vouloir absolument. 31 avec. 32 donc. 33 en. 34 être. 35 avoir de l'obligation à. 36 plaire à {impersonnel). 37 s'aviser de. 38 au nez. 39 faire signifier mes lettres. 40 de quelle façon. 41 décrasser un vilain (on). 42 porter en substance. 43 bien, m. 44 juger à propos. 45 oser dire. 46 louange,/. 47 se promettre de. 48 renfermer. 49 se vanter d'être pourvu de. , 123a , 1 très souffrant. 2 inactif. 3 qu'un heureux hasard. 4 mettre dans les mains. 5 accompagner de. 6 annotation,/. 7 chez. 8 ce titre. 9 paraître. 10 c'est. 11 article défini. 12 vagabond. 13 espèce, /. 14 en même temps. 15 faire la satire de. 16 où. 17 profiter de l'occasion. 18 percer de part en part. 19 particulièrement. 20 pour venger . . . des attaques. 21 que leur lançait. 22 canaille,/. 23 critique de carrefour. 24 manifester des sentiments in- times. 123b 25 reprocher de. 26 savoir écrire. 27 sans savoir écrire. 28 les phrases de ce genre. 29 verbe réfléchi. 30 sans plus d'examen. 31 se trouver affaiblie. 32 gloire, /. 33 exemple, m. 34 réunir en un tout. 35 réalité, /. 36 quel que fût du reste. 37 jugement, m. 38 porter (subj.). 39 convenir. 40 pour. 41 or. 42 à mesure que. 124 1 donner. 2 se mêler de. 3 il faut. 4 chez soi. 5 on. 6 ( u: 3SO NOTES 7 serviteur, m. 8 cela ne fait rien à l'affaire. 9 que diable. 10 laissez là. 11 avoir (au futur). 12 je ne sache rien de si obstiné que. 13 en vous suppliant. 14 monseigneur. 15 mademoiselle . . . peut bien avoir. 16 subj. 17 touche, /. 18 se soucier de (inversion). 19 faire entrer. 20 plan, m. 21 servir. 22 peu commune. 23 chez. 24 plus rare. 25 eh. 26 déraisonner tant qu'elle voudra. 27 ingrate envers elle. 28 âme (/.) sensible. 29 peine,/. 30 minauder. 31 nerfs agacés. 32 point de danse, de maintien. 33 pas plus qu'il n'en faut. 34 révérence, /. 35 maintien (m.) décent. 36 se bien présenter. 37 confier. 38 par. 39 pendant. 40 pas davantage. 41 morale,/. 42 combien il me serait facile. 43 ces connaissances-là. 44 s'en tenir à une seule question. 45 ah! nous y revoilà et. 46 chansons. 47 posséder. 48 au singulier. 49 article défini; ( the elements ofit. } 50 blanchir sous le harnais. 51 éclaircir. 52 en faire des éléments. 53 ce n'est que. 54 exercice. 55 entrevoir les lueurs. 56 fou, m. 57 se fait-il. 58 il se trouve. 59 tant. 60 savoir cela. 61 jeter. 62 rien de bien. 63 ignorer. 64 où une chose va. 65 veulent être. 66 laquelle doit passer. 67 tout . . . que de savoir. 68 ce que je pensais. 69 songer à. 70 autant d'argent de gagné. 126 1 là-dessus. 2 cassette,/. 3 pour y prendre. 4 linge, m. 5 nouvellement. 6 employez le pronom. 7 tirer de. 8 apprendre à connaître. 9 à penser de moi comme. 10 devoir (ajoutez le). 11 rendre. 12 le tout. 13 d'autant plus que. 14 renvoi, m. 15 joint à un billet. 16 désabuser. 17 lui faire regretter. 18 il m'avait paru avoir. 19 article défini. NOTES 351 20 s'applaudir. 21 de. 22 avoir de la douleur. 23 se voir confusément des titres à. 24 infortune, / 25 avec. 26 que voulez-vous de plus. 27 se faire exprès pour être. 28 affliger (subj.). 29 quoi. 30 ne vouloir plus entendre parler de. 31 plan (m.) être de. 32 ne plus voir de sa vie. 33 ce que. 34 à moi. 35 s'apercevoir de. 36 et que. 37 me voir {participe présent) rompre. 38 à quel cœur. 39 avoir affaire à. 40 le paquet (s'avancer). 41 réjouir. 42 au milieu de ces idées. 43 ne laisser pas que de considérer. 44 chemin faisant. 45 c'est dommage de. 46 la fierté de mon dédain. 47 se parer de. 48 employez on. 49 se passer de faire (bien). 50 avoir de la douceur à (imperson- nel). 51 laisser là. 52 soit dit en badinant. 53 à mon égard. 54 falloir se redresser. 55 il n'y a qu'à. 56 revenir (impératif). 57 il n'y avait plus que. 58 cornette,/. 59 comme en. €0 entrer dans. 61 parure, /. 62 des distractions. 63 songer à. 64 falloir empaqueter. 65 avoir sur soi. 66 reculer à. 67 n'y a-t-il plus rien à mettre. 68 tirer. 69 manquer à. 70 sur. 71 il ne restait plus qu'elle. 72 allons. 73 commencer par détacher. 74 du temps. 75 parler le. 76 accrocher à. 77 donc (suit le verbe). 78 dans le trajet qui n'était que de. 79 si fier. 80 s'amollir. 81 se mouiller de larmes. 82 faire un grand soupir. 83 ou pour. 84 ce qui est certain c'est que. 85 décrocher l'ancienne. 86 Eh, mon Dieu. 87 ôter. 88 n'était-ce pas là. 89 vouloir dire. 90 parler de. 91 glorieux. 92 lâcheté, /. 93 se dissimule. 94 quoi qu'il en soit. 95 malgré que j'en eusse. 96 finir par me déshabiller. 97 jeter les yeux sur (par hasard). 98 bon. 99 la voilà encore. 100 recoiffer. 101 nu-tête. 102 quel ennui que. 352 NOTES 103 passer d'une idée à une autre. 104 insensiblement. 105 religieux, m. 106 revenir dans l'esprit à. 107 quand il saura. 108 qu'il n'y avait point de temps à. 109 c'était le plus pressé. 110 situation,/. 111 bien sotte. 112 s'inquiéter de. 113 vilain. 114 il vaut mieux. 115 chez lui. 116 y être. 117 impératif -f- là. 118 quand. 119 de chez. 120 faire mal. 121 aller (au futur) bien jusqu'à. 122 mettre. 123 c'était bien la peine de. 124 aller fouiller. 125 valoir plus. 126 être à propos de (impersonnel). 127 juger. 128 celui. 129 y entendre finesse. 130 par. 131 avoir dessein de. 132 qui m'avait paru être. 133 un vrai homme de bien. 134 or, 135 sensible. 136 au conditionnel. 137 jusque-là. 138 reprendre courage. 139 jusqu'à nouvel ordre. 140 pour. 141 en bas. 142 je ne mentais presque pas. 143 tant mieux. 144 ma fille. 145 faire dire. 146 à votre intention. 147 ouvrait les yeux sur moi. 148 populaire. 149 dont le résultat était de lui. 150 faire lever les épaules. 151 cela fait pitié. 152 à la voir on la prendrait. 153 fille de condition. 127 1 faire couler le sang. 2 le long des lambris. 3 transporter dans. 4 exposer à. 6 de la féerie. 6 où. 7 lieu (m.) de la scène. 8 fond, m. 9 personnage, m. 10 avoir toute la réalité possible. 11 semer. 12 oisif. 13 inversion (se présenter). 14 remuer. 15 faire éclore. 16 c'est lui qui. 17 tantôt. 18 se contraindre/ 19 artificieux. 20 affecter. 21 en. 22 on. 23 état, m. 24 arriver à (impersonnel). 25 interroger sur. 26 fortune,/. 27 parents, m. 28 homme unique. 29 à. 30 lecture,/. 31 dans tous les temps. 32 forcé par. NOTES 353 33 indigence,/. 34 médiocrité (/.) de ma fortune. 35 donner les soins nécessaires à l'éducation. 36 rayon, m. 37 tour à tour. 38 homme, m. 39 bruit, m. 40 l'ombre d'une retraite et à. \ 41 s'attendrir utilement. 42 dans le silence. 43 longueurs, /. 44 donc {après V auxiliaire) . 45 combien il en coûte de. 46 mouvement, m. 47 faire réussir. 48 conclure. 49 amener, 50 ce qu'il vous plaira. 51 se tromper. 52 se passer. 53 prendre garde à. 54 faire le procès à. 55 sous le nom de. 56 coucher, m. 57 entendre la campagne retentir de. 58 éclatant. 59 de. 60 bruit, m. 61 il en est pour vous des phéno- mènes. 62 physique. 63 ainsi que. 64 éclat, m. 65 connaître. 66 tout ce qu'il y a de secret dans. 67 subjonctif. 68 sa. 69 visage, m. 70 cependant. 71 fugitive. 72 c'est à cette multitude de. 73 que tient. - \ 74 en demie* 1 lieu. 75 étendu. 76 moins intrigué. 77 or. 78 immortaliser. 79 les a faits {en dernier lieu). 80 sont jugés pour moi. 81 remettre. | 82 testament, m. 83 sans qu'on. 84 trop. 85 sensible. 86 fanatique, m. 87 le voilà qui s'empare de» 88 coin, m. 89 examiner. 90 voir couler. 91 pousser des cris. 92 désolé. 93 adresser des reproches à. 94 étouffer. 95 ce que j'en avais. 96 errer dans. 97 m'apparaît. 98 la plume s'échappe de. 99 spectres (m.) plus doux. 100 du travail et de la moisson. 101 se passer. 102 terme, m. 103 me recommander au temps à venir. 128 1 répartir. 2 prévenir. 3 avoir l'intention de. 4 aujourd'hui. 5 devoir partir. 6 de bonne heure. 7 prier {au futur suivi de donc). 8 subj. suivi de bien. 9 vouloir bien jeter un coup d'œil sur. 354 NOTES 10 effets, m. 11 afin que. 12 revenir à. 13 bien décidée à. 14 réellement considérer. 15 comme étant à moi. 16 elle me dit. 17 ce qu'elle avait en tête. 18 sans doute. 19 avoir de bonnes intentions. 20 ne pas savoir gré. 21 découvrir. 22 descendre {à V impératif )-{- donc. 23 ce qu'il vous plaira. 24 de. 25 dans la chambre ou autre part. 20 il me semble que. 27 pouvoir bien monter. 28 où ils sont étalés. 29 descendre. 30 disposer. 31 auparavant. 32 cela fait. 33 lui demander de monter les voir. 34 il faut que je dise. 35 à mon insu. 36 préparer à. 37 la dépense dont la porte vitrée était cachée. 38 par un rideau. 39 sucreries,/. 40 du même genre. 41 à ce qu'il paraît. 42 l'apitoyer. 43 pour que (faire garder). 44 en retirer. 45 et ça nous aurait aidés. 46 réunir. 47 porter. 48 mais, pour en revenir à. 49 pénétrer.. 50 parce qu'il en avait exprimé le désir. 51 lui toucher un mot de. 52 autrement. 53 voici (se place après 'Mrs. J.'). [ 54 en étaler le contenu. 55 maîtresse,/. 56 d'abord. 57 se mettre à énumèrer. 58 tout en murmurant 59 en souvenir de. 60 entièrement défait. 61 en voilà un d'expédié. 62 ça, c'était. 63 passons à. 64 cher et. 65 hé, hé. 66 dans quelle armoire il faut serrer ça. 67 jamais de la vie. 68 allez toujours. 69 certainement. 70 aussi délurée et impertinente. 71 que possible. 72 ne songer guère que l'on m'écou- tait. 73 on. 74 nous y voici ... ce sont. 75 très digne. 76 se mettre à énumèrer. 77 quoi. 78 en venir au mien. 79 voici. 80 comparé aux autres il est bien petit. 81 porter (à V imparfait). 82 V article défini au sing. 83 elle est presque trop belle. 84 être chez nous. 85 il faut bien que. 86 ajoutez à mettre. 87 manteau de calemande ouaté. 88 marchand ambulant. 89 à. 90 dont je pourrai faire. NOTES 355 91 chemises comme celle que je porte. 92 chemise d'homme. 93 parents, m. 94 la pareille de. 95 de bonne qualité. 96 pouvoir faire l'affaire. 97 pour trimer dans la maison. 98 ne pas valoir la peine qu'on les laisse. 99 quelque chose. 100 le cas échéant. 101 et. 102 on dirait. 103 en même temps. 104 mais, voyons un peu. 105 il doit y en avoir un. 106 ah, le voici. 107 que j'ai achetées tout récem- ment. 108 jaquette,/. 109 pareille à celle. 110 épingler. 111 indienne, /. 112 la chance aidant. 113 si (trouver du travail). 114 doublure,/. 115 autres choses du même genre. 116 ma foi. 117 avoir tant de richesses. 118 tout ce qui m'appartient. 119 aller. 120 dire franchement ce que je pense. 121 commencez par alors. 122 mon enfant. 123 car, à ce qu'elle m'a dit. 124 craindre. 125 en dire trop long. 126 voici ce qu'il en est. . 127 il s'agit de. 128 trancher une question délicate. . 129 c'est une affaire de conscience. 130 avoir de l'affection pour. 131 me laisser faire à ma guise. 132 qui me viennent de Madame. 133 avoir le droit d'emporter. 134 par pure générosité. 135 du moment que. 136 donner son congé à. 137 les gens du village (tomber des- sus à). 138 décider. 139 savoir bien que. 140 y entendre malice. 141 avoir le cœur de s'en servir. 142 porter malheur à. 143 empêcher d'avoir rien à voir à ce. 144 paquet de malheur. 145 puissé-je. 146 chiffon, m. 147 qui s'y trouve. 148 si ce devait être au prix de. 149 mon juste orgueil. 150 ce sera (plus grand réconfort). 151 à l'heure de la mort. 152 misérables guenilles, /. 153 et ce disant. 154 serrer contre soi. 155 cela la fit pleurer de m'entendre. 156 à vous demander. 157 ce sera. 158 ces quatre {après le verbe). 159 me venir de Madame. 160 celles que. 161 à sa mort. 162 en dépenser une partie. 163 rendre la somme. 164 juger que ce soit nécessaire. 165 la main sur la conscience, ce que vous en pensez. 166 comme pendant les trois der- nières années. 167 de la vie. 168 me considérer comme étant quitte. 356 NOTES 129 1 pour. 2 falloir. 3 verbe réfléchi {au subj.). 4 lumière de l'esprit {à la fin). 5 participe présent. 6 à la fois. 7 se mouvoir avec plaisir. 8 être en état de. 9 faire jouir. 10 lui obéira pour les tracer. 11 tout. 12 partagera. 13 jouissances, /. 14 il lui faut (de plus). 15 combiner. 16 par ordre. 17 avec justesse. 18 épars. 19 subj. 20 successivement. 21 face, /. 22 selon les sujets {en premier lieu) . 23 donc. 24 être différente. 25 pour ceux même qui paraissent. 26 en (conserver). 27 cachet, m. 28 sceau, m. 29 divers. 30 déceler. 31 annoncer. 32 encore plus. 33 pauvreté, /. 34 emprunt, m. 35 étranger à. 36 fournir. 37 employez le pronom. 38 être tiré du fond. 39 que semer. 40 mal à propos précède fleurs. 41 c'est planter. 42 s'ils eussent formé. 43 avoir l'idée de. 44 rechercher. 45 porter à. 46 toute expression obscure. 47 déplacée. 48 qu'il suffit de peindre pour. 49 se place après le verbe. 50 tracer. 51 fidèle. 52 assorti. 53 l'une ... l'autre. 54 ne supposer que. 55 exiger. 56 tendre au but. 67 aller ensemble. 58 Varticle défini. 69 V adverbe. 60 détaillé. 61 faire de l'effet. 62 saillant. 63 empreinte,/. 64 voir froidement. 65 il faut l'emploi de. 66 par. 67 énergique. 68 joindre à. 69 finesse (/.) des couleurs. 70 à la vigueur du pinceau. 71 nuancer. 72 employez le pronom. 73 condenser, fondre. 74 former enfin. 75 morte. 76 que reçoit. 77 admirer d'autant plus. 78 qu'il regarde. 79 se mettre à la place. 80 recueillir. 81 faire passer à. 82 que la nature. 83 autant de. 84 devoir. 85 mouvant. NOTES 357 86 animé. 87 ensemble. 88 à génie égal. 89 peintre, m. 90 de disposer du temps. 91 et de faire succéder les scènes. 92 l'une à l'autre {pluriel). 93 l'action du moment. 94 subit. 95 je place après: 'the great writer can\ 96 effet d'admiration. 97 échauffer, embraser. 98 qui toutes. 99 se graver dans la mémoire. 100 et (subsister). 101 employez on. 102 de tout temps. 103 mesure, /. {en premier lieu). 104 gêner. 105 les mots qui (faire image). 106 à regret. 107 rejeter. 108 en diminuent. 109 et en (altérer). 110 l'uniformité. 130 1 bien. 2 chérie,/. 3 employer. 4 ni à faire des visites ni . . . rece- voir. . 5 en précède. 6 en perspective. 7 la bonté même. 8 c'en est trop. 9 maison,/. 10 V article défini. 11 qui en sera la maîtresse, grâce à vous. 12 de quoi s'occuper. 13 l'adverbe. 14 avoir besoin de chercher ailleurs. 15 vouloir bien. 16 ajoutez un pronom. 17 se charger de surveiller. 18 tous les travaux. 19 domestique. 20 où. 21 élevée. 22 s'il y en (avoir) de tels. 23 et cela dit. 24 exciter le mauvais vouloir. 25 et puis. 26 en tant que faire se pourra. 27 décharger. 28 comptes de ménage. 29 dès que. 30 employez on (confier). 31 feu ma maîtresse. 32 faire de moi. 33 tout au monde. 34 falloir absolument {suivi du subj.). 35 faire cet honneur. 36 de temps en temps. 37 le. 38 de. 39 + quand ils seront malades. 40 veiller à ce qu'ils ne manquent de rien. 41 en tant que cela ne sera pas à votre détriment. 42 pour soulager. 43 vous assurer. 44 et pour qu'ils vous recom- mandent dans. 45 afin que vous ayez. 46 bonheur, m. 47 enfin, comme par le passé. 48 gouvernante, /. 49 dragée,/. 50 préparer des confitures et des fruits confits. 358 NOTES 131a 37 épars. 38 de. 1 détourner. 39 gazouillement, m. 2 spectacle, m. 40 porter à. 3 immense. 41 solitaire. 4 en mines suit le verbe. 42 être. 5 inonder de. 43 pénétrer. 6 au pluriel. 44 désert, m. 7 sonder la profondeur. 45 saisir, transporter de. 8 quelquefois. 46 si peu prévu. 9 obscurité,/. 47 immobile. 10 touffu. 48 dans. 11 mélange, m. 49 de plus. 12 caverne,/. 50 l bring them back' = ramener à 13 pampres, m. 51 si le charme tiendra. 14 où l'on n'eût cherché que. 52 c'est ici. 15 ronce,/. 53 se battre à coup de. 16 terres éboulées. 64 rare, clairsemés. 17 précipice, m. 65 le voilà. 56 parer. 131b 67 arrosé. 58 m'en coûter (impersonnel). 18 lieu, m. 59 l'état où il est. 19 tout proche de. 60 il est bon de vous dire. 20 l'allée couverte qui l'en sépare. 61 surintendante,/. 21 employez on (apercevoir). 62 disposition,/. 22 nulle part. 63 ma foi. 23 environner. 64 de la négligence. 24 ne pas permettre à l'homme. 65 savoir faire. 25 fermer à clef. 66 suppléer à. 26 être au dedans. 67 dès le moment où. 27 que. 68 vous voulez. 28 la porte (être masquée). 69 massif, m. 29 sur les côtés. 70 berceau, m. 30 en (se retourner) se place après 71 touffes pendantes. voir. 72 bosquet ombragé. 31 par où. 73 venir (subj., temps composé). 32 apercevoir. 74 et que l'art (s'en mêler — subj.) 33 se trouver là comme tombé du 75 estimer. ciel. 76 dans une enceinte aussi vaste. 34 prétendu verger. 77 bien économisé. 35 que d'obscurs ombrages. 78 surfaire de. 36 animée et vive. 79 comment, rien? NOTES 359 80 journée,/. 81 par. 82 gens, m. 83 dédaigner être. 84 mon garçon jardinier. 85 ne rien comprendre à l'énigme. 86 avancer. 87 adieu. 88 adieu tout l'enchantement. 89 dans un moment. 90 être de retour. 91 se mettre à parcourir. 92 pays, m. 93 réunir, disposer. 94 produire un effet. 95 riant. 96 commencez par: le gazon. 97 être mêlé de. 98 marjolaine,/. 99 odorante. 100 employez on (y voir briller). 101 fleurs des champs. 102 parmi lesquelles. 103 en démêler ... de jardin. 104 rencontrer. 105 de temps en temps. 106 touffe (/.) obscure. 107 impénétrable aux rayons. 108 comme dans. 109 faire recourber . . . pour. 110 art {m.) semblable. 111 à ce que font. 112 mangle, m. '113 'in America. 1 114 découvert. 115 broussailles,/. 116 terre,/. 117 en lui (donner l'air de). 118 être en friche. 119 tortueux. 120 border de. 121 bocages, m. 122 couverts de. 123 vigne vierge, /. 124 houblon, m. 125 liseron, m. 126 couleuvrée, /. 127 parmi lesquelles. 128 chèvrefeuille, m. 129 daigner se confondre. 130 négligemment. 131 rejeton, m. 132 ces ombrages verts et touffus. 133 en imposer à. 134 plantes grimpantes. 135 guider. 136 environner de. 137 toutes ces petites routes étaient bordées de. 138 une eau limpide. 139 circuler. 140 filet, m. 141 gravier pur et marqueté. 142 rendre. 143 brillant. 144 bouillonner et sortir de. 133a 1 on. 2 compter. 3 au nombre de. 4 inutilité,/. 5 de. 6 ici se place après le verbe, 7 du premier âge. 8 subj. 9 nul. 10 les prodiges à part. 11 convenir à. 12 en. 13 tête,/. 14 verbe réfléchi. 15 teinte,/. 16 idiome, m. 17 particulier. 18 chez. 3 6 ° NOTES 19 mœurs, /. 20 se conserver. 21 s'altérer. 22 pour. 23 employez un pronom. 24 falloir. 25 savoir {au subj.). 26 concevoir. 27 se place après 'yet.' 28 employez Vinfinitif. 29 successivement. 30 en termes latins. 31 se servir de. 32 à la vérité. 33 toujours {après le verbe). 34 en un mot. 35 non. 133b 36 se fier à. 37 l'ordre actuel. 38 être sujet à. 39 il vous est. 40 prévenir. 41 regarder. 42 coup {m.) du sort. 43 être exempt de. 44 répondre de. 45 caractère ineffaçable. 46 inversion (imprimer). 47 grand seigneur. 48 que fera donc. 49 la bassesse. 50 publicain, m. 51 celui. 52 qu'on loue. 53 en furieux se place après le deuxième verbe. 54 débris, m. {'of his throne'). 55 par. 56 se passer de. 57 fou, m. 58 comme un autre. 59 monter à l'état. 60 braver. 61 ne devoir rien qu'à soi. 62 celui qui. 63 oisiveté,/. 64 rentier, m. 65 ne différer guère de. 66 à mes yeux. 67 vouloir absolument. 68 honnête. 69 faiseur, m. 70 à ces professions près. 71 qui leur ressemblent. 72 celle. 73 grands chemins. 74 ne tenir qu'à. 75 qu'ils ne le soient point. 76 passons. 77 exiger de. 78 exercer. 79 qualité (/.) d'âme. 80 odieux. 81 tout bien considéré. 82 être du goût de. 83 menuisier, m. 84 tenir en haleine. 85 dans. 86 que {inversion). 87 vouloir. 134a 1 traité d'éducation. 2 se place après éducation. 3 elle se réduit à ces deux points. 4 souffrir l'ennui. 5 que fait-on faire à. 6 manège, m. 7 faire naturellement. 8 amble, m. 9 pas, m. 10 quand bon lui semble. 11 selon son plaisir. NOTES 361 12 allure, /. 13 contre sa raison. 14 continuer. 15 employez un pronom. 16 ainsi. 17 on {précédé de que). 18 subj. 19 ce n'est pas l'utilité de. 20 qui intéresse. 21 c'est. 22 battu. 23 un être. 24 respecter. 25 exercer les fonctions de sa charge. 26 à. 27 corps (m.) de garde. 28 l'Œil-de-Bœuf. 29 bon à rien. 30 donc. 31 élagage, m. 32 plaisant, m. 33 original, m. 34 participe présent. 35 se placer. 36 exister (qui). 37 éduquée. 38 de. 39 au reste. 40 'is true? 41 apprendre. 42 il est question. 43 qui saura. 44 faire banqueroute au beau milieu. 45 tout contraire à. 46 n'en valoir que mieux. 47 voilà une heure que. 48 bavarder. 49 indiquer. 50 rechercher. 51 travailler à. 134b 52 être pour. 53 force,/. 54 convenir. 55 V article. 56 entrer pour quelque chose. 57 what we are. 58 de l'esprit. 59 décider de. 60 tournure, /. 61 cette portion d'esprit qu'on a. 62 du cœur qui s'il. 63 être fait par. 64 en grande partie. 65 façonner. 66 compatissant. 67 sanguinaire. 68 pour ce qui est de. 69 rien n'est plus. .70 se connaître par. 71 réciproquement. 72 saisissement, m. 73 frisson, m. 74 tout ce qu'il vous plaira. 75 que leur cause. 76 this. 77 ne causerait-il pas. 78 fournir. 79 amuser. 135 1 pas le moindre. 2 coucher à la belle étoile. 3 étendu par terre. 4 tranquillement. 5 hors de. 6 côtoyer le bord. 7 de. 8 soirée,/. 9 humecter. 10 son coucher. 11 dont la réflexion. 12 rendre l'eau couleur de rose. 13 charger de. 362 NOTES 14 de l'un à l'autre. 15 se promener. 16 fort avant dans. 17 s'apercevoir. 18 las. 19 voluptueusement. 20 tablette,/. 21 fausse porte. 22 enfoncée. 23 le ciel de mon lit. 24 s'endormir à son chant. 25 le fut davantage. 26 grand jour. 27 la faim me prit. 28 s'acheminer vers la ville. 29 de mettre à. 30 de. 31 aller chantant. 32 tout le long de. 33 intitulée. 136a 1 pour qu'elle {suivi d'être au subj.). 2 falloir. 3 sortir (participe présent). 4 fente, /. pi. 5 sur sa propre verdure. 6 que. 7 balancer sur. 8 hérisser d'épines. 9 aurore, /. 10 couvrir de. 11 pleurs, m. 12 qu'elle appelle. 13 cantharide, /. 14 relever. 15 carmin, m. ( l ofit J ). 16 vert d'émeraude. 17 par. 18 elle porte comme lui. 19 le danger autour d'elle. 20 dans son sein. 136c 21 ce que (renfermer). 22 enceinte,/. 23 on. 24 repos, m. 25 enfoncement, m. 26 dès sa source. 27 flaque, /. 28 pré, m. 29 mettre au monde. 30 faire présent à. 31 de. 32 coco, m. 33 afin que. 34 'it would produce.' 35 subj. 36 un jour. 37 d'époque à. 38 à. 39 dans. 40 ajoutez en. 41 commencez par il naquit. 42 cocotier, m. 43 tous deux. 44 dans la même proportion que. 45 d'une grandeur. 46 mais qui (surpasser). 47 cabane,/. 48 laisser pendre. 49 grappe,/. 50 excepté. 51 du rocher. 52 tel que. 53 flanc, m. 54 rayonner en étoiles. 55 capillaire, /. 56 flotter au gré du vent. 57 touffe,/. 58 suspendre. 59 pourpré. 60 près de là. 61 lisière,/. NOTES 3(>3 62 dont (les fleurs sont presque). 63 giroflée,/. 64 gousse,/. 65 couleur de sang. 66 éclatant. 67 sont en cœur. 68 basilic, m. 69 à odeur de girofle. 70 exhaler. 71 du haut de l'escarpement. 72 liane, /. 73 courtine, /. 74 corbigeau, m. 75 au haut des airs. 76 ainsi que. 77 astre (m.) du jour. 78 mener paître. 79 se plaire à. 80 brouter. 81 se tenir en l'air. 82 corniche, /. 83 voisine. 84 petit, m. (en réalité les oiseaux ne mivent pas leurs petits). 85 distribuer. 86 maïs, m. 87 bengali, m. 88 couleur de feu. 89 accourir. 136d 90 dès les premiers temps. 91 l'arrivée aux aiïaires de N. 92 épars. 93 société, /. 94 eminent. 95 dans les lettres. 96 rechercher pour. 97 s'agitaient des questions. 98 faire à haute voix des lectures. 99 sur le mérite desquels. 100 se prononcer. 101 être au complet. 102 au nombre des auditeurs. 103 distrait. 104 troublé. 105 accueil, m. 106 fait à. 107 et devait faire à lui seul. 138a 1 tout ce que ... a produit de grand. 2 perfectionner. 3 une grande conformité. 4 conserver. 5 avec. 6 bravoure,/. 7 ils en ont. 8 employez V article. 9 galanterie,/. 10 les spectacles. 11 par le goût pour. 12 répandre du ridicule sur. 13 passé trente ans. 14 beau. 15 sensible. 16 subj. 17 réclamer contre. 18 rigoureuse. 19 faire partie de. 20 agréments, m. 21 pourquoi donc. 22 en faire. 23 le seul attribut de. 24 être inséparable de. 25 or. 26 être de. 27 ainsi (inversion). 28 on. 29 ne pouvoir. 30 culte (m.) particulier. 31 dédommager de. 32 se trouver. 33 that time. 3 6 4 NOTES 34 tout. 35 être le partage de. 36 servir à faire briller. 138b 37 joindre à. 38 belle. 39 cadet. 40 par excès de. 41 alliance,/. 42 lui donnaient droit d'aspirer. 43 toute la. 44 chéri. 45 quatre jours de maladie. 46 prodiguer à. 47 suivant l'usage. 48 convoi, m. 49 partie,/. 50 annoncer. 51 l'abattement. 52 négligence (/.) de sa coiffure. 53 trait, m. 54 d'usage. 55 faire. 56 faire de même. 57 rendre. 58 attendrissante. 59 éplorée. 60 mouvement, m. 61 arracher ses cheveux. 62 pour en couvrir. 63 cercueil, m. 64 abréger. 65 affligé. 66 quelque chose d'un peu plus calme. 67 ajoutez du tableau. 68 faire. 69 dépendre beaucoup de. 70 disposition, /. 71 bord (m.) du canal. 72 avoir son entrée par. 73 découvrir tout ce que le canal a de plus beau. 74 de. 75 volière, /. 76 rafraîchir par. 77 au pluriel. 78 renfermer. 79 ravir à. 80 accablé. 81 parcourir des yeux. 82 il n'est plus. 83 jusqu'à. 84 veiller à. 85 conservation,/. 86 vie (/.) incertaine. 87 lugubre. 88 tranquille. 89 vos flots sont agités. 90 être sensible à ma peine. 91 juger de l'effet. 92 enlever. 93 lieu, m. 94 séjour, m. 95 naïveté,/. 96 voir avec plaisir. . 97 dans ces moments de délire où, 98 féconde. 142a 1 la bonté même. 2 faire toutes sortes de projets. 3 fortune,/. 4 et pour. 5 voyage, m. 6 accommoder. 7 parc, m. 8 chez. 9 ce qui sera. 142b 10 retrouver. 11 que possible. 12 par. 13 se mûrir. NOTES 365 de. 14 un grand fonds de connaissances. 2 dont l'exécution. 15 aussi tranchant. 3 avoir. 16 gauche. 4 semblable, m. 17 être laid de visage. 5 dans toute la vérité de. 18 mal tourné de sa personne. 6 moi (en dernier lieu). 19 avec tout cela. 7 sentir. 20 aussi suffisant qu'il l'était. 8 oser croire. 21 avoir autant de patience. 9 je ne suis fait comme. 22 pour accepter. 10 bien ou mal. 23 prétentions,/. 11 jeter. 24 accroître. 12 c'est ce dont. 25 faire bon accueil. 13 juger de. 14 quand elle voudra. 142c 15 article défini. 16 venir se présenter devant. 26 amener. 17 il m'est arrivé d'employer. 27 faire une cour précipitée à 18 vide, m. 28 ne pas douter. 19 supposer vrai ce que. 29 abasourdi. 20 avoir pu l'être. 30 femme de chambre. 21 dévoiler. 31 épouvanter. 22 intérieur, m. 32 disposer de. 23 rassembler [impératif). 33 avoir grand peine à. 24 gémir de. 34 avoir la paix à son- endroit 25 indignité, /. 35 rappeler. 26 misère,/. 36 à l'improviste. 27 découvrir à son tour. 37 n'y aurait pas tenu 28 sincérité, /. {en dernier lieu), 38 de distinction. 29 un seul. 39 fréquenter. 40 falloir noter. 143b 41 en possession d'un grand renom 30 participe passé. 42 par son entremise. 31 aujourd'hui. 43 où. 32 inopiné. 44 s'illustrer. 33 de près. 45 être lié avec. 34 subir. 46 chercher à se rapprocher de. 35 état (m.) obscur. 47 mettre à profit. 36 au sein des beaux-arts. 48 pour l'ouvrage. 37 nourrir de. 38 sans connaître de ... ni de. 143a 39 où. 40 espérance, /. 1 ne jamais avoir d'exemple. 41 m'en assurer une. 3 66 NOTES 42 conforme à. 43 commencez par: l'alliance d'un. 44 respectable. 45 paraître réparer. 46 ces revers. 47 elle m' (en préparer). 48 caractère, m. 49 fort. 50 esprit {m.) solide. 51 annoncer tout cela. 52 rendre chère à. 53 m'a fait. 54 dire du mal de. 55 époque, /. 56 goûter. 57 éprouver. 58 toutes contraires à. 59 en juger. 60 tenir à. 61 se proposer de. 62 employer. 63 the leisure [hours] of my cap- tivity. 64 tendre. 65 c'est vivre . . . que de. 66 revenir sur tous les pas. 67 qu'a-t-on de mieux à faire . . que de. 68 transporter ailleurs son existence. 69 par. 70 s'acquérir moins à force de. 71 de détention. 72 fournir de quoi penser. 73 se rejeter sur. 74 consacrer. 75 'some.' 76 dont le recueil. 77 se laisser abattre. 78 essuyer des peines. 79 douleur,/. 80 accompagner de. , 81 de. 82 au pluriel ... à. 83 mal, m. 84 être l'objet de. 85 surmonter. 86 et non m'accabler. 87 m'avilir. 88 s'accommoder. 89 dans un moment où. 90 affecter. 91 s'entretenir de soi. 92 pour mieux m'en distraire. 93 je ferai mes honneurs en bien ou en mal. 94 se rendre témoignage. 95 qui sait et craint le mal qu'on. 96 à avouer ses torts. 97 soutenir. 98 racheter. 99 avec cette franchise pour mon propre compte. 100 ne pas se gêner sur celui d'au- trui. 101 tels qu'ils sont, ou tels. 102 que. 103 concentré. 104 envelopper tellement de. 105 se montrer seule. 106 les dominer toutes. 107 avec l'esprit d'aiguiser. 108 laisser échapper. 109 je suis franche avant tout. 110 sans regarder aux égratignures. 111 ne faire pas plus. 112 elles supposent le plaisir de. 113 piquer par. 114 s'amuser à. 115 faire justice à force de vérités. 116 et j'énonce. 117 des intéressés. 118 quel qu'en soit. 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