92 17 mettre au jour : to give birth to, beget.

92 28 pourpre here probably used for rich stuffs in general.

92 29 refuge aux lois: protection in or through the laws. — leur ministère: their administration; that is, of the laws.

93 6 par écrit . . . demanda ce que: asked for a written copy of what. FABLE 93. La Fontaine, livre i, fable 22. Æsop, 179; Haudent, 180; Avianus, 16. This is one of La Fontaine's best fables, and is said to have been his favorite.

93 17 cependant que: in modern French, pendant que.

93 20 vous: to you; plural because it means all reeds.

93 26 sur ... vent: the sense of this line may be expressed by the words, by the waterside (where the wind blows hardest).

93 29 part: springs (from partir).

94 11 voisine au ciel: in modern French, voisine du ciel. These lines are an imitation of Virgil, Æneid, iv, 445, 446:

quantum vertice ad auras

Aetherias, tantum radice in Tartara tendit.

FABLE 94. La Fontaine, xii, 17. Æsop, 334, is somewhat similar, but it is probable that this fable was inspired by a passage in Régnier's third satire.

94 20 étudiant: scholar; only a scholar could do the subject justice. 94 26 assez peu curieux de: not very eager for; an old use of curieux. 94 27 enfiler la venelle: to run away; lit. "to thread the alley." Venelle is used only in this expression.

95 3 sur son peu de savoir: on account of his little knowledge.

95 6 gros messieurs: "big people," persons of importance.

95 10 haut le pied: away he goes; lit. "up with the foot."

95 11 mal en point: in a sorry plight.

FABLE 95. La Fontaine, livre x, fable 2. Bidpai, Livre des lumières. 95 16 Une tortue était: for il était une tortue, or il y avait une tortue. – à la tête légère: giddy-headed.

95 17 pays: monde.

95 28 Ulysse: Ulysses, the hero of the Odyssey, noted for his wanderings. La Fontaine is here evidently quoting in an expanded form Horace, De Arte Poetica, 142.

95 29 de modern usage would require à.

96 4 Serrez bien: press hard, hold tight.-gardez: for gardez-vous; see 4 13.

969 oison: incorrect here, since it means gosling.

FABLE 96. La Fontaine, viii, 8. Abstemius, 118.

96 23 cet art, etc.: that art (of jesting) demands, above all others, special ability.

97 2 financier: see 727.

975 à la pareille : = pareillement, likewise.

97 9 un sien ami: see 36 2.

97 10 les grandes Indes: = l'Amérique.

97 12 il s'en . . . fretin: so he was asking those small fry for news of him.

97 16 un gros interroger : = interroger un gros. The former order was common in old French, but rare in La Fontaine's time and is not now permissible.

...

97 17, 19 De dire j'en doute: I should hesitate to say. J'en doute is literally "I am doubtful about it.”

97 24 les anciens: the old inhabitants.

FABLE 97. La Fontaine, livre iii, fable 18. Æsop, 28; Phædrus, iv,2. 97 26 Rodilard: see 23 1. —l'Alexandre des chats: an allusion to Alexander the Great.

97 27 Attila: king of the Huns, called le Fléau de Dieu on account of the slaughter and destruction he caused.

98 1 Cerbère: Cerberus, the three-headed dog that guarded the entrance to Hades.

98 3 Les planches . . . appui: this refers to a kind of trap or deadfall. 989 fait le mort: see 42 11.

98 19 nids à rats: mouse-nests. A rats is superfluous here. See Fable 40.

98 21 se mettent en quête: begin the search (evidently for food). 98 25 plus d'un: supply tour; see page 99, line 4.

98 26 tour de vieille guerre: that is, such a trick as one would learn by long experience in war. Note the omission of un before tour.

98 29 Mitis: Latin mitis, “soft, mild"; applied to the cat on account of its fur rather than of its disposition; compare chattemite, 67 26. 98 32 de la sorte: see 72 19.

99 1 Ce... avisé : that was very shrewd on his part; it might also read Il fut bien avisé.

99 2 trotte-menu: running with short or light steps; lit. "smallstepping"; another word of La Fontaine's coinage.

99 3 sans plus: that is, alone.

996 rien que vaille: nothing good; see 42 9.

999 d'être : here, pretend to be.

99 10 quand: see 67 13.

99 11 à lui: see line 1, above.

99 14 mère: the article is often omitted in proverbs or condensed expressions.

FABLE 98. La Fontaine, livre iv, fable 22. Aulus Gellius, Noctes Atticae, ii, 28; Babrius, 88; Avianus, 21.

99 15 Ne... seul: depend only on yourself.

used in this sense.

S'attendre is not now

99 16 Ésope: this fable is known only in the translation of Aulus Gellius. — mit en crédit : gave it authority, put it in circulation.

99 19 en herbe: green; lit. "in the blade." 100 1 mûrs: supply étant before mûrs.

100 8 comme il viendra: for he WILL come.

100 12 fils: doubtless pronounced fi to rhyme with amis, a pronunciation often heard at the present time; see Littré and SachsVillatte.

100 19 l'on fît venir: they should send for.

100 24 Eux repus: they (being) fed; see 4 21.

100 26 à l'essor: (being) on the wing.

101 12 notre plus court: our shortest (way).

101 14 Dès lors que := aussitôt que.

101 15 C'est ce coup: = c'est pour ce coup (time).

101 17 voletants, culebutants: see note on mendiants, 11 24. The form culebutant (with e) is now obsolete.

101 18 sans trompette: see 67 7.

FABLE 99. La Fontaine, livre ix, fable 10. Æsop, 231.

101 19-21 Autrefois . . . frire: refers to Fable 46.

1022 Jà: verily; now found only in the compound déjà.- Le plaise : see 2 14.

102 6 de noce: at the wedding.

102 16 en forme: in (proper) style; usually, en bonne forme.

102 17 s'en douta: was suspicious of him.—Serviteur: that is, je suis serviteur au portier, or dites au portier que je suis son serviteur. The meaning is, "I don't want to have anything to do with the doorkeeper." Compare Le Misanthrope, 1151: "Mais pour louer ses vers, je suis son

serviteur."

102 18 de courir: see 9 19.

FABLE 100. La Fontaine, livre ix, fable 2. Bidpai, Livre des lumières. This fable is one of the poet's best.

102 21 Deux pigeons: they are represented as two brothers, but the latter part of the fable is addressed to lovers.

102 28 Au moins, que: at least, let.

102 30 courage: here nearly = cœur, mind, disposition.

1031 Encor: besides, implying that later in the season would be a better time for the journey.

103 2 les zéphyrs: warm weather; compare bise, 1 20.-qui: see 20 7. corbeau: see 16 20.

103 4 Je... que: henceforth I shall dream of nothing but.

103 23 tel encor que : yet such a one that. It was such a poor kind of a tree that it did n't afford much shelter.

103 28 pigeon: evidently a decoy.

103 29 lacs (pronounced la): translate after appâts. 103 30 menteurs et traîtres: deceitful and treacherous. 104 5 s'en allait: here = allait.

104 18 que bien, que mal: in modern French, tant bien que mal; as best he could.

104 24 vous: here reciprocal pronoun, to each other.—l'un à l'autre : might be omitted; it explains and emphasizes vous.

104 26 tenez-vous lieu de tout: be to each other all in all; lit. "take to each other (the) place of all.”

104 27 quelquefois: once; obsolete in this sense.

104 28 le Louvre : at that time a royal palace, now an art gallery. 104 33 le fils de Cythère: Cupid. - Cythère: Cytherea, Venus.

105 3-4 Faut-il, etc.: can it be that so many faces, so sweet and enchanting, permit me to live with undisturbed mind? that is, make no impression on me?— objets: here, objects of love, things worthy of being loved, especially persons.

105 7 Ai-je passé, etc.: La Fontaine was at this time fifty-eight years old.