3. l'impuissance. The powerlessness of man to conquer his evil nature. See pensée 10 bis, page 107.

Page 107.- 1. les gens habiles.

Pascal uses the expression les

habiles quite frequently, meaning by it "intelligent," "educated people." Cf. page 91, line 4.

2. Elle.

Christianity, which is analyzed in the preceding part of the

pensée. See Art. XX, pensée 5 bis, page 110.

ART. XII. On the essence of a true religion.

ART. XIII.

Page 108.

On reason and religion.

1. ce qu'ils ignorent. Conversion.

ART. XIV. Nature being non-committal, Pascal seeks proofs of God in the Scriptures.

ART. XX. Proofs of Christianity and God's attitude toward man.

Page 110. - I. On n'entend, etc. Here we find the positive affirmation of the doctrine of grace such as was held by the Jansenists. It is like the Protestant doctrine of the elect.

ART. XXIV. The heart against the reason.

2. raisons. See Art. VIII, pensée 6, page 102.

3. Il est injuste, etc. The pensée represents Pascal's view of his family ties. Ilis sister, Mme Perier, in her life of Pascal, comments on this attitude, and adds that in order to keep this principle ever in mind he had written down this pensée on a piece of paper which he always carried about with him.

Page 111.-1. la comédie, the stage, in its broadest sense.

ART. XXV includes the pensées which remained in manuscript until 1844. They were then published by Prosper Faugère.

Page 112. 1. Memoria hospitis, etc. Quoted from the apochryphal Book of Wisdom v, 14.

2. Rien n'est si insupportable, etc. Pascal had said, in pensée 7 of this same Article: "Notre nature est dans le mouvement; le repos entier est la mort."

3. Il faut connaître soi-même. Pascal had ventured the opposite idea in Art. VI, pensée 23, page 95, lines 23-25.

4. suppôt, subject; a unity for the purposes of reasoning. A term of the schoolmen. Cf. Art. I, pensée 1, page 80.

Page 113.-1. La nature s'imite. Nature is constantly repeat

ing the same processes.

2. Les nombres imitent l'espace, in that they may be added or divided an infinite number of times, or that geometry can be expressed by numbers.

LA ROCHEFOUCAULD.

MAXIMES.

The Hachette edition, the fifth, and the last (1678) revised by La Rochefoucauld himself, is here followed. The title in full as given by him was "Réflexions ou Sentences et Maximes Morales." The subtitle, a maxim in itself, and expressing the thought of the collection, first appeared with the fourth edition (1675).

Compare the general idea of the Maximes with Pascal's Pensees, Art. II, pensée 8, page 85, and La Bruyère's Caractères, "De l'Homme," pages 238-244.

Page 114. I.

chastes. Cf. ms. 169 and 213, pages 121, 122,

and La Bruyère, "Des Grands," No. 41, page 235.

2. flatteurs. Cf. ms. 158 and 303, pages 120, 126.

3. opinions. In m. 390 we read: "On renonce plus aisément à son intérêt qu'à son goût."

4. tous les trois. Notice the masculine form after the feminine nouns. 5. fortune. Cf. m. 293, pages 125–126.

Page 115.

1. autres. Cf. ms. 267 and 397, pages 125, 128.

Page 116.-1. héros. Cf. ms. 153, 165 and 380, pages 120, 127. 2. fortune. Already expressed in ms. 45 and 47. M. 435 says: “La fortune et l'humeur gouvernent le monde.”

Page 117. -1. trompé. M. 86 says: "Notre défiance justifie la tromperie d'autrui.”

Page 118. - I. cœur. See Pascal: Pensées, Art. XXIV, pensée 5, page 110, and m. 108: "L'esprit ne saurait jouer longtemps le personnage du cœur."

2. visage. M. 210 says: "En vieillissant on devient plus fou et plus sage."

3. nous-mêmes. See Pascal: Pensées, Art. II, pensée 8, page 85.

Page 120.1. discernement. Cf. m. 146 and m. 356, page 127.

2. augmenter. Cf. m. 200, page 122. 3. avoir l'économie, make good use. 127, 129.

4. mérite. Cf. m. 166, page 121.

Page 121.

Page 122.

Cf. ms. 343 and 453, pages

1. sujet. Notice the play on words.

—1. vaudevilles, songs only, in the seventeenth century. M. 291 says: "Le mérite des hommes a sa saison aussi bien que les fruits."

2. vertu. Cf. m. 489, page 130.

3. penchant, decline.

Page 123.

1. prêtent. Cf. m. 298, page 126.

2. eux. See Pascal: Pensées, Art. VI, pensée 34, page 96.

In his first edition (1665) La Rochefoucauld had said: "Dans l'adversité de nos meilleurs amis, nous trouvons toujours quelque chose qui ne nous déplaît pas."

3. volonté. Cf. m. 479, page 130.

Page 124. I.

humilité. We find in Pascal: "Les discours d'humilité sont matière d'orgueil aux gens glorieux, et d'humilité aux humbles. Peu parlent de l'humilité humblement (Pensées, Art. VI, pensée 17). 2. mines. See Pascal: Pensées, Art. III, pensée 3, page 86, lines 18 etc.

...

3. donne. M. 262 reads: "Il n'y a point de passion où l'amour de soi-même règne si puissamment que dans l'amour, et on est toujours plus disposé à sacrifier le repos de ce qu'on aime qu'à perdre le sien." Cf. also m. 500.

Page 125. -1. voyons. Cf. m. 337, page 127. M. 375 says: "Les esprits médiocres condamnent d'ordinaire tout ce qui passe leur portée."

2. établis. We find in m. 198: "Nous élevons la gloire des uns pour abaisser celle des autres, et quelquefois on louerait moins Monsieur le Prince [Condé] et M. de Turenne si on ne les voulait point blâmer tous deux."

Page 126.

1. actions. M. 253 reads: "L'intérêt met en œuvre toutes sortes de vertus et de vices."

2. défauts. Cf. La Bruyère, "De la Société et de la Conversation," No. 62, page 215.

Page 127.1. langage. For a more recent application of this idea see Taine's Introduction to his History of English Literature.

2. découvrir. See m. 345, and m. 380.

3. La fortune.

m. 392.

Page 128.

Used in the widest sense of worldly prosperity. Cf.

1. quelques. The adjective spelling of quelque used Pascal as an adverb was quite frequent in the seventeenth century. had said: "Les impressions anciennes ne sont pas seules capables de nous abuser: les charmes de la nouveauté ont le même pouvoir" (Pensées,. Art. III, pensée 3). Cf. La Bruyère, “Des Jugements," No. 4, page 245.

Page 129.- 1. devons. For a different opinion see ms. 223 and 298, pages 123, 126.

Page 130. -I. l'amour. La Bruyère says: "Les passions tyrannisent l'homme; et l'ambition suspend en lui les autres passions " ("Des Biens de Fortune," No. 50; vol. i, page 262, of the Servois edition).

BOSSUET.

ORAISON FUNÈBRE DE HENRIETTE-ANNE D'ANGLETERRE.

Much of the plan and some of the principal ideas of this oration can be traced back to Bossuet's “Sermon on Death,” preached before the court at the Louvre, probably on March 22, 1662. Certain of the passages also in the two discourses show strong resemblances. Compare the Oration with the last part of Mme de La Fayette's Histoire de Madame Henriette.

Page 131. 1. Henriette-Anne (1644-1670), youngest child of Charles of England and Henrietta of France; married in 1661 to her cousin, the Duke of Orleans, called Monsieur, younger brother of Louis XIV. Her sudden death in 1670 was laid at her husband's door by some, though the physicians decided that it was due to natural causes. Bossuet had been hastily summoned the night of her illness, and was present during her last hours. She had been a great favorite with every one, and had exercised considerable influence over the literature of her day.

2. Saint-Denis. Town just outside the walls of Paris. Its cathedral contains the tombs of the kings of France.

3. Vanitas, etc. The Scripture quoted by Bossuet is always the Vulgate version of St. Jerome (346–420).

4. Monseigneur. Here, the Prince of Condé, the representative of the royal family, in his capacity as the first prince of the blood.

5. à très haute, etc. Notice the omission of the definite article before the titles, as though unnecessary. The enumeration of titles was obligatory in such eulogies, but it generally came at the end of the division. See the Funeral Oration of the Prince of Condé, page 162, lines 26-27.

6. à la reine sa mère. Henrietta of France (1609-1669), widow of Charles I. The oration referred to was prepared at the request of Henrietta of England, and was pronounced in the Chaillot convent at Paris on November 16, 1669. Notice this personal beginning.

7. il y a dix mois ? At the funeral service of Henrietta of France. 8. Messieurs. Notice that the formal recognition applies only to the male portion of the audience, partly because it was more ceremonious. 9. en ce lieu. François Faure (1612–1687), bishop of Amiens, had also pronounced a funeral oration on the English queen, at St. Denis, on November 20 of the preceding year.

10. voyage fameux. In June, 1670, Henrietta had gone to England on a diplomatic mission, which resulted in a secret treaty between her brother, Charles II, and Louis XIV.

11. Vanité des vanités, etc. Notice how constantly Bossuet brings together in sharp contrast worldly pomp and earthly vanity.

12. permet. The indicative after a superlative to emphasize the positiveness of this conviction.

Page 132.-1. Je veux, etc. Bossuet states clearly the plan of

his discourse.

2. découvertes, revealed, uncovered.

3. Non. The negation is evidently suggested by the negative clauses which follow. We should expect Qui.

4. la santé n'est qu'un nom, etc. In this estimate of human life Bossuet and Pascal agree.

Page 133.-1. Crains Dieu, etc. 2. le néant de l'homme

Eccles. xii, 13-14.

sa grandeur.

Art. I, pensée 1, page 81; pensée 3, page 83.

true.

Cf. Pascal: Pensées,

3. la plus illustre assemblée de l'univers. This boast was quite The French court of 1670 contained more talent and culture than any other of that day.