ANSELME. Oui, je m'y oblige: êtes-vous satisfait? HARPAGON. Oui, pourvu que pour les noces vous me fassiez faire un habit. ANSELME. D'accord. Allons jouir de l'allégresse que cet heu5 reux jour nous présente. LE COMMISSAIRE. Holà! Messieurs, holà! tout doucement, s'il vous plaît: qui me payera mes écritures? HARPAGON. Nous n'avons que faire de vos écritures. LE COMMISSAIRE. Oui! mais je ne prétends pas, moi, les avoir faites Io pour rien. HARPAGON. Pour votre payement, voilà un homme que je vous donne à pendre. MAÎTRE JACQUES. Hélas! comment faut-il donc faire? On me donne des coups de bâton pour dire vrai, et on me veut pendre 15 pour mentir. ANSELME. Seigneur Harpagon, il faut lui pardonner cette im posture. HARPAGON. Vous payerez donc le Commissaire? ANSELME. Soit. Allons vite faire part de notre joie à votre mère. HARPAGON. Et moi, voir ma chère cassette. NOTES Page 2.1. Acteurs. In the sixteenth and part of the seventeenth century the dramatis personae were called entre-parleurs. The word was then successively replaced by acteurs and personnages. Molière uses both of the latter terms. 2. Harpagon, from the Latin harpago, "grappling hook." The word is found in Plautus' Trinummus, II, 1. It is probable, however, that Molière borrowed it from the supplement to the same author's Aulularia by Codrus Urceus. 3. amant, amoureux. The former is an accepted lover, the latter is not. 4. Frosine, originally Euphrosyne. Women of the intriguing kind (femmes d'intrigue) like Frosine, are frequently found in French comedies of the sixteenth and the early part of the seventeenth century. 5. Maître, a title formerly applied to merchants, agents, principal servants, and the like. 6. La Flèche (arrow), Brindavoine (oatstalk), and La Merluche (stock-fish) significant names to designate respectively a limping valet and haggard servants. 7. Dame, a title then given to women of inferior rank. 8. Commissaire. Such officers bore the title of commissaires examinateurs. One of their duties was to capture and examine thieves and murderers. ACT I. SCENE 1. Page 3.— 1. foi = fidélité, amour. 2. Est-ce du regret, is it from regret, do you regret. The use of the article is due to the qualification of regret by de m'avoir fait heureux. 3. engagement. Not an oral but a written promise of marriage 143 signed by both parties (see page 128, line 5). A written engagement was binding before the law but could be annulled on fulfillment of certain conditions imposed by the ecclesiastic judge. 4. où auquel. Molière generally avoids lequel, laquelle etc. preceded by a preposition. 5. tout, anything. 6. fussent. The use of the imperfect subjunctive after a principal tense is justified by the sense of je n'ai pas la force de souhaiter=je ne souhaiterais pas. 7. à vous dire vrai. Cf. page 64, line 18 and page 81, line 13 where the article is used with vrat. 8. succès, issue, outcome. Often used in the seventeenth century in the sense of résultat bon or mauvais. 9. dans, i.e. from. Bontés. The plural has reference to the single instances or acts of kindness shown to Valère. Page 4.1. ceux de votre sexe. This use of ceux (de), when not referring to a preceding noun was formerly quite common and is occasionally met with even now, especially in familiar style. Cf. Haase, Syntaxe, § 25. 2. une... amour. Cf. page 5, line 2. Molière uses both un amour and une amour. 3. ce tort le tort. The use of ce instead of the definite article before a noun followed by de and an infinitive is rare now. 4. ce n'est... actions. Molière uses both c'est and ce sont. Cf. page 21, line 10. In written French ce sont is now generally used instead of c'est when the following noun is in the plural. C'est still survives chiefly in popular language. = 5. les seules actions les actions seules. In the seventeenth century a number of adjectives, as seul, même etc., were placed indifferently before or after their nouns. 6. attendez à juger. The preposition à was then commonly used before an infinitive where we now use pour to denote purpose. 7. me, against me. Page 5. borner. I. retrancher has here the unusual meaning of 2. dont for avec lesquels, or par lesquels. 3. aux choses, now dans les choses. |