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127.--13. Pie VII. Pius VII was imprisoned by Napoleon
(l'empereur, l. 16) at Fontainebleau from 1812 to 1814; the words
_comediante... tragediante_ were used by Napoleon to the Pope and by the
Pope to Napoleon.

UN REVEILLON DANS LE MARAIS

130.--23. vieux, vieux. The .repetition of an adjective
for emphasis is much more common in Italian than in French.

132.--3. une Diane... avec un croissant au front. A
conventional manner of representing the goddess.

4. triolets. In versification this name (_triolet_) is given to a
poem of eight lines, of which the first is repeated after the third, and
both the first and second after the sixth, it is a development of the
Old French _rondeau_; in music, as it is here used, the name is given
to a group of three notes which, in a measure of 3/4 time, produces the
effect of 6/8 time.

LA VISION DU JUGE DE COLMAR

134.--1. l'empereur Guillaume. William I, King of Prussia
in 1861 and Emperor of Germany from 1871 to 1888; it was during his
reign that the Franco-Prussian War occurred.

17. restez assis. In France the judges hold office for life
(_magistrature assise_), while prosecuting attorneys, etc., may be
removed from office by the Minister of Justice (_magistrature debout_);
there is thus a double meaning in _restez assis_ "rldquo;remain seated" or
"rldquo;remain a judge (for life)"; on condition, of course, that Dollinger
renounce his allegiance to France and take the oath of allegiance to
Germany.

26. le meme grand christ. Used in administering oaths, the person
who took the oath raised his right hand toward the crucifix.

136.--4. aussi n'avancent-ils. Notice that _aussi_ here
means "tldquo;therefore" and that it causes inversion (this occurs also with _a
peine, encore, peut-etre, ici, la_, etc.).

137.--5. des robes noires, des robes rouges. The former
are worn by the judges in the lower courts, the latter by the judges in
the courts of appeal.

6. president. The French Department of Justice is now constituted
as follows. The Department has at its head a Cabinet Minister (_Ministre
de la Justice_) and it comprises a civil and a criminal jurisdiction. In
each canton is a justice of the peace, in each department a civil court,
and in sixteen important cities a court of appeal. Criminals are tried
in each department in a court of assize, before a jury of citizens and
judges of whom the presiding judge is termed the _president_ and the
assistant judges _conseillers assesseurs_. Above all courts is the Court
of Appeal (_Cour de Cassation_, in the _Palais de Justice_ at Paris);
this court is charged with looking after the strict observance of the
Laws.

138.--24. monsieur le comte. Bismarck was given the higher
title of Prince in 1871.

ERCKMANN-CHATRIAN

Emile Erckmann, Phalsbourg, 1822--Luneville, 1899. Alexandre Chatrian,
Soldatenthal, 1826--Villemombles, 1890

Most of the literary work of these two men was done jointly, hence their
hyphenated signature. Erckmann did most of the writing, Chatrian most of
the editing and adapting for the stage. Their work consisted of short
stories, novels and plays, particularly with scenes laid along the
Franco-German (Alsatian) frontier, where they were both born. Their
stories usually deal with incidents of the French Revolution, the Empire
of Napoleon l and the Franco-Prussian War; they attacked war, and their
stories are generally of a fantastic or idyllic type.

Important works: _Madame Therese_ (1863), _Histoire d'un Conscrit de
1813_ (1864), _L'Ami Fritz_ (1864, their best known novel), _Le Juif
Polonais_ (1869, their best known play, known in English as _The
Bells_), _Les Rantzau_ (1882, a play), and several collections of
_Contes_. The _Montre du Doyen_ is from the _Contes Fantastiques_
(1860).

Edition: Most of their work has been published by Hetzel.

LA MONTRE DU DOYEN

141.--2. bourgmestre. This title is not applied to French
mayors, but to those of Belgium, Holland, Switzerland, Germany, etc.

142.--13. plus d'une demi-lieue. The use of _de_ instead
of _que_, "tldquo;than," occurs before numerals and is a survival of the Old
French construction, which employed _de_ (than) generally after a
comparative (cf. the more general use of _di_ in this sense in Italian).

27. grand concerto. Incorrect in Italian, where grande is usually
written _gran_ before a word beginning with a consonant (except _s_
followed by another consonant); before a vowel _grand'_ is used
(_grand'impero_, great empire).

29. theologiens... philosophes. A playful reference to the
students of Heidelberg University.

145.--10. jusque passe minuit. Note that _jusque_ and not
_jusqu'a_ is here used; besides a following preposition (_jusque
sur_, etc.), certain following adverbs may have the same construction
(_jusqu'ici, jusque-la, jusqu'aujourd'hui_, etc.).

20. ce disant. A survival of the Old French construction where
_ce_ could be used as object without a noun. In modern French _ce_ is
usually either an adjective pronoun or it is the impersonal subject of
a verb or it is the antecedent of a relative; the other uses have been
taken over by _ceci_ and _cela_. Another similar construction is _sur
ce_, used by sovereigns in closing letters.

148.--8. que. To avoid repetition of _comme_.

149.--14. soit. The tendency, although usage varies, is to
pronounce the _t_ in this exclamation.

23. comme tu voudras. Note the tense, a polite future, where in
English the present would be used; notice also, the tense on p. 148, l.
18.

153.--15. et toute la salle de rire. An example of the
historical infinitive, which expresses the sudden result of a preceding
action and is accompanied by a new subject.

28. plus qu'un. Notice the difference between this phrase and
_plus d'une_ (p. 142, l. 13).

161.--29. pas un d'entre eux. Note the insertion of
_entre_; when spoken, _un d'eux_ would not be clear; note also that
_entre_ suffers no elision (see note to p. 77, l. 11).

164.--14. apres boire. An example of the present
infinitive used after _apres_ (cf. _il est parti apres avoir bu un verre
d'eau_).

167.--6. a peine eus-je allume. Note that _a peine_ causes
inversion and that it is used with the past anterior (see notes to p.
136, l. 4 and p. 3, l. 25).

168.--29. et que mon histoire vous ait interesse. When que
is used to avoid the repetition of _si_, the subjunctive is employed.

FRANCOIS COPPEE

Paris, 1842--Paris, 1908

Coppee is known as a poet and writer of short stories. His work usually
deals with the pathetic side of humble life. He has been accused of
sentimentality and superficiality; he is, however one of the most
popular and accomplished of the modern French poets, a dramatist of some
merit and the author of a number of _Contes_ relating to the life of the
_peuple_, particularly in and about Paris.

Important works: _Poesies_ (several collections, 1864-1890), _Theatre_
(best plays: _Le Passant_, 1869; _Le Luthier de Cremone_, 1876; _Les
Jacobites_, 1885; _Pour la Couronne_, 1895), and several volumes of
_Contes_ (the two stories given in this collection are from his _Longues
et Breves_, published in 1893).

Edition: Lemerre.

LE LOUIS D'OR

169.--12. abat-jour. This compound noun is invariable in
the plural because the plural idea does not really belong to the second
element, which is the only part capable of inflection.

17. Zaatcha. This oasis was captured in 1849, during what may be
termed the second period of the French occupation of Algeria; the first
period extends from the landing of French troops in 1830 until the
capture of Constantine in 1837, the second period, from 1837 to 1849,
was a period of resistance, the third period extending to 1901 was one
of partial insurrections; Algeria is now the most important French
colony. France now possesses the colonies of St. Pierre and Miquelon,
near Newfoundland; Guadaloupe, Martinique and French Guiana in the West
Indies and South America; New Caledonia, New Hebrides and about 116
other islands in Oceania; Indo-China (comprising Cochin-China, Annam
and Tonkin, with about 18,000,000 inhabitants); Madagascar, Reunion and
other near-by islands; Djibouti, an African port on the Gulf of Aden;
French Congo, French Soudan, French Guinea, French Senegal, on the
western coast of Africa; Tunis, Algeria and Morocco (the latter since
1912) on the Mediterranean, with strong influence in the country lying
between this territory and the Soudan. In addition the French language
is spoken by the descendants of French colonists in Canada, New Orleans,
the Mexican mountains, etc.

170.--3. mettant... ses souliers dans la cheminee. The
French children have this custom instead of hanging up their stockings.

171.--28. quelque espoir. The final vowel of _quelque_ is
elided only in _quelqu'un_ and _quelqu'une_.

172.--5. le dix-sept n'est pas sorti. The game of roulette
is played on a rectangular table with a revolving wheel in the center.
A ball is placed on the wheel which sends it into compartments; these
compartments (of which there are two series, one on each side of the
table) are numbered consecutively up to thirty-six and are arranged in
three parallel lines or columns. The players or punters stake their
money in various ways: on a single number or numero, which means
that if the ball rests on that number the player receives thirty-five
times the amount risked; on a colonne or row of numbers, in that case if
the ball remains on any number of the column the player receives three
times the amount risked; on a couleur (the numbers are half red,
half black), in this case he receives, if he is successful, the amount
he has risked; on the douzaine, that is, on the first, second or
third series of twelve numbers, in case he wins the player then receives
three times the amount he has risked; other combinations may also be
used and there are two compartments, and 00, which enable the bank to
maintain a constant advantage.

L'ENFANT PERDU

176.--11. sous le nom de Louis XIV. Louis XIV was also
known as le _Roi-Soleil_.

15. Conseil general de l'Eure. The old French provinces were
abolished during the Revolution, and the territory was redivided into
_departements_, of which there are at present 86 (if the territory
around Belfort be not counted); each department is governed by a
_prefet_, or prefect. These departments are subdivided into 362
arrondissements, with a sous-prefet at the head of each; these into
2899 _cantons_, governed by a council; and these in turn into 36,170
_communes_, governed by mayors. The chief magistrate of the modern
Republic (declared in 1870) is the President, elected for seven years by
the Senate and the Chamber of Deputies. These latter legislative bodies
are composed respectively of 300 members elected for nine years (one
third every three years), and of 597 members elected for four years.
The President appoints a cabinet of ten ministers to aid him in his
executive duties. When a cabinet receives only a minority of votes of
confidence in the Chamber of Deputies, it resigns in a body and a new
cabinet is formed. The executive power is represented throughout France
by the prefets, sous-prefets and mayors. Each commune, canton and
arrondissement possesses a council which cannot treat of political
questions. There is also a conseil general which considers
departmental affairs. A deliberative body and a representative of
the executive are thus found side by side throughout the strongly
centralized Republic.

20. nous sommes donc autorise. The author is speaking for himself
alone, hence the participle is in the singular.

178.--7. zero. The French use the Centigrade thermometer
with zero at 32 deg. Fahrenheit; 1 4/5 deg. F. = 1 deg. C.

179.--28. un air de famille avec les Auvergnats. An
allusion to the custom in Auvergne of wearing the beard in this fashion.

180.--32. chaussons de lisiere et de la brosserie.
List-shoes and brushes are manufactured in French prisons.

181.--13. qui s'en faisait deux fois autant par la vertu de
l'anse du panier. Compare the phrase, faire danser l'anse du
panier, said of a cook who makes a profit on the supplies of the
Household.

24. son Allemande. Gouvernante is to be understood.

182.--7. joueur comme les cartes. Compare the phrase in
another of Coppee's stories (les Vices du Capitaine), joueur
comme feu Besigue, where the game (bezique) is spoken of as though
it were a person.

11. trop heureux de devenir. Notice the difference between this
phrase and _trop heureux pour devenir_.

31. Dauphin. When the province of Dauphine was added to French
territory, the last ruler of Dauphine, Humbert III, ceded the province
on condition that the title of Dauphin be given to the eldest son of the
French king; the province became a part of French territory in 1349.

183.--10. le trois pour cent. The reference is to
government bonds.

16. quatre bureaux de tabac. Tobacco is a government monopoly in
France, hence the management of the shops is sometimes turned over to
friends of politicians.

18. Deux Decembre. The date (December 2, 1851) on which Louis
Napoleon executed his _coup d'etat_, by which he was elected President
for ten years. There was a Parisian uprising against this act, but he
put this down and in the following year he became Emperor with the title
of Napoleon III (1808-1873).

19. P'pa, et le p'tit Noel... y mettra-ti' tet' chose. For _Papa,
etc. ...y mettra-t-il quelque chose_. See also note to p. 77, l. 32.

184.--1. blond albinos. Modified adjectives of color are
usually invariable.

185.--20. conquetes de 89. The French Revolution began in
1789.

27. l'air d'un marie du samedi. The working people are often
married on Saturday.

29. Republique parlementaire. A Republic has been proclaimed
three times in France: the first lasted from 1792 until Napoleon I
became Emperor in 1804; the second extended from the fall of King Louis
Philippe in 1848 until the _coup d'etat_ of 1851; the third and present
Republic was proclaimed on September 4, 1870 (the allusion in the text
is to the last).

186.--14. au chateau. That is, _au chateau du Louvre_, the
former residence of the French kings.

23. Port' siou p'ait. (_Ouvrez la_) _porte s'il vous plait_.

187.--12. sur les fortifications. The reference is to the
walls around Paris, formerly used as fortifications; the type of the
quarter is described in the text.

191.--19. ayez pas peur. The popular omission of _ne_ has
already been noted (note to p. 64, l. 19), as well as the other popular
phrases which follow.

192.--14. j'ai ete faire. The use of _etre_ for _aller_
when followed by an infinitive is inelegant, though the construction is
sometimes used by good writers.

195.--24. medaille. The reference is to the military
medal, conferred for meritorious military service (instituted in 1852).

THEOPHILE GAUTIER Tarbes, 1811--Paris, 1872

Born in Gascony, Gautier was educated, partly in his native town, partly
at the Lycee Charlemagne in Paris. Here he became a friend of Gerard de
Nerval, who was of such influence on the later decadent school. He was
a friend of the Romanticist, Victor Hugo, and the typical red waistcoat
which he wore at the first presentation of Hernani has become almost
historic. In 1830 he published a volume of verse, and two years later
_Albertus_ in the extreme Romantic style. A novelist and poet, he
traveled extensively and embodied his experiences and impressions in
many works on travel and art criticism. His work is characterized by a
remarkable esthetic appreciation, an almost flawless, ornate style, and
a strong tendency toward the fantastic. Faguet says of him: "Hldquo;He knew all
the resources of the French language and style." He stands above all for
form (cf. his poem, _L'Art_).

Important works: _Poesies_ (1830), _Albertus_ (1832), _Mademoiselle de
Maupin_ (1835), _Fortunio_ (1838), _Les Grotesques_ (1844), _Avatar and
Jettatura_ (1857), _Emaux et Camees_ (1858), _Le Roman de la Momie_
(1858), _Le Capitaine Fracasse_ (1863), besides descriptions of his
travels.

Edition: Charpentier, in 34 vols.

LA MILLE ET DEUXIEME NUIT

The title is borrowed from the _Mille et Une Nuits_, translated into
French by Galland (1704).

201.--1. favorite. This peculiar feminine form is due to
analogy with _petite_ (in the masculine _petit_ and _favori_ end with
the same sound, hence by analogy they have the same sound in the
feminine).

13. ne sachant que faire. _Pas_ may be omitted: (1) in certain
fixed phrases (_n'importe_, etc.); (2) after _qui_ or _que_ expressing
a regret or a desire (_qui de nous n'a ses defauts?_); (3) before the
interrogative pronouns _que, quel, quoi_ (_je n'ai que faire de vos
dons, ne sachant que faire_, etc.); (4) with _ni_ (_il ne boit ni ne
mange_); (5) with _ne... que_, meaning "oldquo;only," or when another negative
follows (_point, rien_, etc.); (6) with certain verbs followed by an
infinitive (_pouvoir, savoir_, etc.); (7) with _si_ when expressing a
reservation in the sense of _a moins que_; (8) in certain subordinate
clauses (_je n'y vais jamais qu'il ne m'arrive quelque accident; c'est
vrai qu'il ne s'est jamais marie, mais ce n'est pas qu'il ne l'ait
voulu_, etc.). This list does not embrace the pleonastic uses of _ne_.
Notice further in regard to this phrase (ne sachant que faire)
that, although the indirect question usually becomes in French a
relative clause (_il ne sait pas ce qu'il fait_), with the infinitive
the old Latin construction is preserved (with _avoir, pouvoir_ and
_savoir_, when negative). _Ne_ (alone) to express negation is a survival
of the usage in Old French where _ne_ (without pas) could be used
generally.

216.--27. Ibnn-Ben-Omaz. There seems to have been no
celebrated poet of this name. Gautier's knowledge of Arabic was
apparently limited (a number of his errors have been indicated under
the proper words in the vocabulary). Omar Khayyam (eleventh and twelfth
centuries) is naturally suggested; Ibn al-Khattab Omar, the second
Caliph, who succeeded Abu-Bekr in 634 and who took part in writing the
Koran, is also suggested. Omaz is not an Arabic name.

218.--22. l'escarboucle magique, ou l'aigrette de plume de
heron. That is, she was neither a fairy nor of royal blood; the
carbuncle was formerly a magic stone and was credited with the power to
emit light; in regard to the heron, possibly Gautier had in mind the
ibis, the sacred bird of Egypt.

219.--29. la princesse... n'enverrait... que je
refuserais. For _si la princesse envoyait... je refuserais_.

220.--23. vous l'a fait preferer. Notice that in this
construction the object of the infinitive precedes _faire_.

221.--1. c'est tout au plus si je pourrais. In conditional
clauses the conditional is not allowed after _si_; this clause is
declarative, the meaning is: "aldquo;at the utmost I could do no more than."

HONORE DE BALZAC

Tours, 1799--Paris, 1850

Because of his father's circumstances Balzac was at an early age placed
in a law office; this work was especially irksome to him, and he soon
went over to literature. For a long time he suffered hardships from want
of money, which seems to have strongly colored much of his work. In 1850
he married a wealthy Polish lady, Madame Hanska, but he never was able
to enjoy the life of ease to which he had been looking forward for many
years; his death occurred a few months after his marriage. Balzac's
chief work is to be found in his _Comedie Humaine_, a collection of
stones filling some forty volumes. It is divided into: _(1) Scenes de
la Vie Privee, (2) Scenes de la Vie de Province, (3) Scenes de la
Vie Parisienne, (4) Scenes de la Vie Politique, (5) Scenes de la Vie
Militaire, (6) Scenes de la Vie de Campagne, (7) Etudes Philosophiques,
(8) Etudes Analytiques_. These novels are often connected by the
reappearance of certain characters, and especially by the analysis of
character which is always intimately connected with Balzac's name. Of
a robust, exuberant and vulgar nature, his style is poor; he lacked an
artistic sense and he was without poetic genius. He was unable to depict
a gentleman or a lady; but he excelled in the analysis of character,
especially among the middle and lower classes, and in the descriptions
of their surroundings; it is thus that he stands at the head of the
Realists.

Important works: To the _Comedie Humaine_ (1829-1850) above mentioned
should be added the _Contes Drolatiques_ (in which he imitates the
style and the language of the sixteenth century) and several volumes
of _Contes_. In the _Comedie Humaine_ the following volumes should be
especially mentioned: _Le Pere Goriot_, _Le Colonel Chabert_, _Le Lys
dans la Vallee_, _Ursule Mirouet_, _Eugenie Grandet_, _Le Cure de Tours,
Illusions Perdues, Cesar Birotteau, Les Paysans, Le Cure de Village_.
_Un Drame au Bord de la Mer_ (written in 1834) is taken from the _Etudes
Philosophiques_ (published in 1835)

Edltlon: Calmann Levy, in 24 vols. and in 45 vols. (his works have been
published in several other editions).

UN DRAME AU BORD DE LA MER

222.--7. conceptions premieres. Numerals precede their
nouns; when _premier_ follows its noun, as here, the idea conveyed is
"cldquo;conceptions which form the basis of other conceptions."

12. durant. According to Littre, this preposition differs from
_pendant_ in that it means "dldquo;during the entire time," whereas pendant
may mean "aldquo;at a certain point during the time": _durant la campagne les
ennemis se sont enfermes dans leurs places_, and _c'est pendant la
campagne que s'est livree la bataille dont vous parlez_.

227.--27. sans mot dire. Note the position of _mot_ in
this phrase; cf. _sans rien dire_.

229.--4. faquir. The fakirs or ascetic Mohammedan monks
comprise various classes and orders; Balzac apparently has in mind
those known as yogis, who assume and maintain for a long time various
unnatural postures, their belief being that this will effect a union of
the human soul with the Supreme Being, whereby further migration will be
avoided (this is known as the yoga system of philosophy).

6. si le voulait la mer. Notice the inversion.

230.--24. mon cher oncle. A detailed account of Balzac's
family can be found in E. Bire, _Honore de Balzac_.

232.--28. bestiaux. This word is now used as the plural of
_betail_; it is, however, etymologically not the plural of betail, but
of the adjective _bestial_; the latter singular form is not now used as
a substantive in the literary language, although it occurs in works of
the seventeenth century and is still used in Normandy, meaning "aldquo;all the
cattle" (cf. Nyrop, _Grammaire historique de la langue francaise_, vol.
II, sec. 292, 2, remark).

235.--22. anachoretes. Anchorites differ from hermits in
that they live in the most absolute solitude and subject themselves to
the greatest privations.

237.--4. il ne se serait pas sacre comme ca, que la
frayeur ...That is, _quand meme il ne se serait pas sacre comme ca,
la frayeur..._ (the principal clause expresses a concession, and the
_que_ clause the conclusion).

11. qu'est. A popular error already noted (see note to p. 92, l.
29).

18. que qui te dit. For _qu'est-ce qu'il te dit_; qu'elle
repond (l. 19), an example of the superfluous que used by the
uneducated; qu'a dit (l. 21) _= qu'elle dit = dit-elle_.

31. defunt ma mere. _Defunt_, as also the adjective _feu_, does
not agree with its noun when the latter follows.

238.--5. qu'a ecoute. For _qu'elle a ecoute_. 22. plus
du temps. For _plus que le temps_.

239.--20. fallait des especes. Popular omission of il.

26. mette. The dialects often other examples of the survival of
Old French words; _metal_ is the modern word for "mldquo;metal," it is
sometimes used in slang for "mldquo;money."

240.--27. des cent ecus, des cent francs. For _des
centaines d'ecus, des centaines de francs_.

241.--3. la fille au cadet. Popular for la _fille du
cadet_, another example of the survival of an Old French construction
among the common people.

10. qu'avait. For _qui avait_.

27. pour. Incorrect use of _pour_ without an object; the other
popular phrases have already been noted.

243.--18. malin. The feminine of this adjective, maligne,
is only apparently irregular; the Latin etyma are _malignum_ and
_malignam_ (French words, except those used in address, are derived
from the Latin accusative), these give regularly _malin_ and _maligne_,
because final Latin vowels fall except _a_ which becomes _e_ and final
_gn_ is reduced to _n_, whereas _gn_ between vowels gives the modern
French sound.

30. il pleurait du sang. Compare the English phrase "tldquo;to sweat
blood."

244.--18. il savait plus. Popular omission of _ne_.

ALFRED DE MUSSET Paris, 1810--Paris, 1857

De Musset at an early age became a member of the cenacle or inner circle
of the Romantic writers, with whom he is intimately connected. In 1829
he published a volume of verse of great merit; this and the _Spectacle
dans un Fauteuil_ made him famous at once. He had an extremely
excitable, poetic temperament and a weak will, which rendered him
incapable of entering any useful employment, such as a position in the
French Embassy at Madrid, or writing regularly for periodicals, both of
these positions having been offered him. He was elected to the French
Academy in 1852 and did little work thereafter. His best work was done
in verse and in the drama, but his short stories are of extraordinary
merit. His poems (especially the _Nuits_) possess preeminently the
lyric quality, genuineness, originality and passion; his dramas, having
usually some proverb as a title, show great delicacy, grace, ingenuity
and wit; his short stories are exquisite. His style, in contrast to that
of Gautier, shows little care for form, and in many respects he may be
compared with the English poet Byron.

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