Page Line 168, 15. Il suivit de loin la colonne des compagnies qui s'éloignaient à la suite du Roi, he followed at some distance the column of the companies which followed the king at a quicker pace [thus increasing his distance from them]. 21. A tout ce qu'il a d'amer, on all the bitterness of this phrase. 31. Fait sortir, deprived. 34. Que peut-il me vouloir ? what can be his intentions towards me? or what can he have to say to me? 169, I. Il faudra plaire, I shall have to please him. 15. Je recule, I draw back. 16. Auquel j'assistai, of which I have been a witness. 25. La foudre, the lightning or the thunderbolt. 26. Fasse le ciel, heaven grant. 28. Vous ferez naître, you will cause. 31. Enfante, produces. 170, 22. Garantissez-vous de gardez-vous de, beware of, be on your guard against (see note on p. 86, 1. 9). 26. L'Abbé Quillet, Claude Quillet, doctor of medicine and a distinguished Latin poet; born at Chinon in Touraine (Rabelais' birthplace); fled to Rome after the execution of Urbain Grandier; was ordained a priest, and became secretary to the Cardinal d'Estrées. He only returned to Paris after Richelieu's death. (1602-1661). 171, 10. Faisaient couler de nos yeux des larmes, drew tears from our eyes. 10. Socrate, the celebrated Greek philosopher (470-400 B.C.), deserved to be proclaimed by the Oracle at Delphi the wisest of men. The most famous of his numerous pupils were Plato and Xenophon. When falsely accused of corrupting youth, Socrates refused to defend himself, and, having been unjustly condemned to death, endured it with an admirable resignation. 172, 10. Semé de paillettes argentées, spangled with silver sparks or stars. 19. S'avertissaient, warned each other. 23. Fait éloigner, dismissed. 29. Tertre de gazon façonné en banc, raised ground made into a grassy seat. 173, 7. On ne fait pas attendre Sa Majesté, His Majesty must not be kept waiting. 16. Etait combattu, struggled, hesitated. 23. Brouillés qui voudraient, who after having quarrelled would like. 28. Je l'attends, I expect him. 174, 2. Empressement simulé, feigned eagerness. Page Line 174, 4. Se meurt, is dying. 18. Que, that (when). 20. Frappé de la foudre, thunderstruck. 30. Une poule mouillée, chicken-hearted. 34. Fait coucher un écolier, sends a boy to bed. CHAPTER XII. 175, 6. La Veillée, The Night-Watch. 17. L'anéantissement, utter exhaustion. 176, 12. Séides farouches. ferocious confidents. Séide is the name of a character in Voltaire's tragedy Mahomet, so entirely devoted to the Prophet as to commit a murder by his order. The name is given to fanatic partisans capable of committing crimes in the name of religion, etc. 13. Se défaire de, to get rid of. Défaire is used actively in this sense. Ex.: On le défit de son adversaire qui fut mis à la Bastille. In both cases the verb often means to murder. Ex.: Il ne faut pas s'étonner qu'il se soit trouvé des hommes qui crussent rendre service à Dieu en défaisant la Réforme d'un tel ennemi. (Bossuet.) 19. Le médecin en second, the second surgeon. 22. Dont le brelan a un peu dérangé les affaires, whose resources have suffered from gambling. Brelan is not only the name of a game at cards, it has become Je monde est un brelan où tout est confondu 177, 1. On peut je peux, I can, someone else can. 5. Une branche royale de Bourbon (see the following note). 8. Le comte de Soissons (see note on p. 105, 1. 3) was the only grandson of Louis I., Prince de Condé, by his younger son, Charles de Bourbon, Comte de Soissons, prince of the Royal blood, great uncle of the Great Condé (1556-1612). All the other branches of the House of Bourbon had died away before the branch of Bourbons-Soissons came to an end by the death of the Comte de Soissons after the battle of La Marfée Page Line (1641). (See note at the end of the second volume of Cinq-Mars, pp. 210-211, for a detailed account of that death.) 177, 24. Vos périls ont-ils été de vous prendre les doigts, have you run the danger of getting your fingers caught? 27. C'était bon pour, this was, I daresay, the only risk run by. 30. Effrénée, frantic (literally, unbridled). 178, 5. On a dépassé mes ordres, my orders have been exceeded. 5. Je ne voulais point de torture, I did not authorise the torture. (See note on vouloir, p. 151, 1. 30.) 12. Olivâtre, greenish (olive-coloured). 12. Que sillonnait un rire se vile, wrinkled by a servile smile. 17. Tirez-en parti pour moi, ou perdez-le, make use of him for my interests or ruin him. 20. Verbalement, orally. 20. Jamais d'écrits à l'avenir, no more writing in the future. 23. Il ne m'a pas su comprendre, he has not understood me. Savoir used before comprendre throws the fault upon the one who did not understand; il ne m'a pas compris would leave it an open question whether the messenger or Richelieu were to be blamed for the former's not understanding him. 24. Nous voilà encore avec une disgrâce à combattre, here I am again having to fight with the king's ill-will towards me. 25. Vous avez manqué me perdre entièrement, you nearly ruined me altogether. Manquer faillir, and expresses here simply failure or escape, and it is important to note that it conveys no sense of regret or pleasure at either failing or escaping. Translate and compare: "Ton bras peut-il manquer ce que ton cœur résout?" (Rotrou). "Li gendarmerie a manqué les voleurs (=elle ne les a pas attrapés) le pied lui a manqué (=glissé), il a manqué de tomber." "M. JOURDAIN: Il suffit que si je lui ai prêté de l'argent, il me le rendra bien. "Mme. JOURDAIN: Oui. attendez-vous à cela. "M. JOURDAIN: Assurément, ne me l'a-t-il pas dit? "Mme. JOURDAIN: Oui, oui, il ne manquera pas d'y faillir." MOLIÈRE: Bourgeois Gentilhomme, iii. 3° 26. On ne tardera pas à y tramer, they will not be long before plotting; tramer and ourdir are synonymous in speaking of plots. Translate and compare: "Dans le cours du règne de cette grande reine " [Elizabeth] "cinq conspirations sont tramées contre sa vie." (Diderot.) "En voyant ourdir autour de moi mille Line Page trames, je ne savais me plaindre que de la tyrannie de ceux que j'appelais mes amis." J. J. Rousseau.) 179, 2. Ressorts impurs, foul instruments (literally, springs). 7. La baguette de Tarquin. An allusion to the story related of Tarquin II. (the Superb), the last King of Rome, who, when his son Sextus sent a messenger to him to ask his advice concerning the treatment of the town of Gabii contented himself with knocking off with a stick, in presence of the messenger, the heads of the tallest poppies in his garden. Sextus understood that answer, and put to death the principal citizens of Gabii. This same Sextus, by his outrage on Lucretia, caused the abolition of Monarchy in Rome, the proclamation of the Republic, and the banishment of his whole family (509 B.C.). 13. Je me dissous, mon sang s'écoule, my body is dissolving, my blood is wasting away. 21. Il ne put s'empêcher de se jeter en arrière jusqu'au fond du fauteuil, he could not help sinking back in his armchair. 28. Frisson, shudder. This word means also a shiver, the mental and physical state being similar, whether caused by cold, horror, terror, etc.; it is even said of a great pleasure. Translate and compare: "Rien que d'y penser j'en ai le frisson." "Au frisson d'une feuille il est prêt à s'enfuir." "Elle sentit un doux frisson." "Il est dans le frisson de la fièvre." 180, 3. Fallait-il moins qu'un énorme levier, was not (literally, was less than) an enormous lever necessary? 9. Qui fait périr, who sends to death. 10. Pour ses injures personnelles, for the wrongs done to himself. 14. Nombres, ciphers, figures. 15. L'entourage, the surroundings. 181, 5. En congé, on furlough. 5. Où il faisait chaud, very hot indeed. 6. Dont on ne parle pas, of which I had better not speak. Et de tout votre bien revêtir un nigaud, Pour six mots de latin qu'il leur fait sonner haut. --MOLIÈRE; Femmes Savantes, il. 9. Page Line 181, 11. Entends-tu cela? do you understand that? 13. Ni moi non plus, neither do I. This phrase is explained by a contraction from "ni toi ni moi ne le comprenons pas plus l'un que l'autre "; (non ne pas when the phrase contains no verb. Cf. Ce n'est pas que je veuille... non que je veuille). 20. Blanc-bec, "young 'un," greenhorn. = (An allusion to young unfledged birds whose bill is still white). This word is synonymous with niais. 23. Veux-tu que je le sache? can I know? 25. Au monde, born. 27. Bohémienne, Gipsy (Zingaris or Egyptiens are synonymous with Bohémiens in this sense). 182, 12. Et ça n'empêche pas que, nevertheless. 13. Avaient raison, were right. 16. Et moi aussi, and so was I (I was sorry too; see note on p. 181, 1. 13). 18. Innocent, simpleton. Translate: "We cannot help noting another involuntary testimony borne by human language to human sin, I mean this-that an idiot, or one otherwise deficient in intellect, is called an 'innocent,' or one who does not hurt; this use of 'innocent' assuming that to do hurt and harm is the chief employment to which men turn their intellectual powers, that where they are wise they are oftenest wise to do evil." (TRENCH, "On the Morality in Words.") 29. Les anciens soi-disant Princes de la Paix, those who used to call themselves the Princes of Peace [who fought against the King's troops at the battle of La Marfée (1641) ]. 30. Les Croquants (=serfs), name given to the peasants of Guyenne who revolted against Henry IV. (1592) and Louis XIII. The name is supposed to have been taken from the small town of Crocq, where the insurrection began. 30 Emérillons merlins (falcons). "Le Dictionnaire de l'Académie écrit émérillon; mais c'est une faute typographique, car l'abrégé porte correctement émerillon." (Littré.) Note the adjective émerillonné = very lively, frolicsome, and the cognate reflexive verb s'émerillonner. 183, 4. Tu m'en feras raison, you shall give me satisfaction for that (viz., we shall fight). 7. Spinola, Ambroise, Marquis de Spinola, a famous Genoese general (1571-1630), rendered important service to Philip III., King of Spain, after whose death he lost the favour of Philip IV., and died heartbroken. |