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such horrible self-abasement in it,1 that I do hope," that every youth, who shall read this, will hold in detestation3 the reptiles who make use of it. In all other countries, the lowest individual can put a petition into the hands of the chief magistrate, be he 5 king or emperor: let us hope, that the time will yet come when Englishmen will be able to do the same. In the meantime I beg you to despise these worse than pagan parasites.

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Perseverance is a prime quality in every pursuit. Yours is, too, the time of life to acquire 10 this inestimable habit. Men fail much oftener from want 11 of perseverance than from want of talent and of good disposition: as 12 the race was not to the hare but to the tortoise; so the meed of success in study is not to 13 him 14 who is in haste,15 but to him who proceeds with a steady and even 16 step. It is

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page 6, note 3. Aussi bien, thus
used, without que, serves to ac-
count in several ways for a pre-
ceding proposition. It corresponds,
according to the case, to 'as,' 'for
indeed,' the more so as,' 'after all,'
'besides,' 'too,' as used here in
the text, &c. It here accounts,
though somewhat indirectly, for
'perseverance' being thus parti-
cularly recommended to young
people. It may also be observed
that this expression often takes
elegantly after it the interrogative
form, as well as those mentioned
page 32, note 1.

Simply, faute.

'so,'

12as, de même que; • de même, or, ainsi.--the race was not to,' le prix de la course fut remporté, non par

When the

13 revient, non d. 14 him,' here, celui. personal pronouns 'he,' 'she,' &c., are the antecedents of a relative pronoun, they are expressed, not by il, elle, &c., but by celui, celle, &c. 15 se presse. 16 ferme (or, sûr) et égal (or, uniforme-régulier),

not to a want1 of taste or of desire or of disposition to learn 2 that we have to ascribe the rareness of good scholars, so much as to the want of patient perseverance.1 WILLIAM COBBETT.

POPE TO WYCHERLEY.

6

WHEN I write to you, I foresee a long letter, and ought5 to beg your patience beforehand; for if it prove the longest, it will be of course the worst 7 I have troubled you with. Yet to express my gratitude at large for your obliging letter is not more my duty than my interest; 9 as some people will 10 abundantly thank you 11 for one piece of

1 un manque; or, un défaut. 2 du désir d'apprendre ou de dispositions. The definite article is here used before désir, because this noun is taken in a particular definite sense. Observe, besides, that, were the word-for-word translation of this English phrase strictly good French, yet it would require some change in the construction supposing this could be managed instead of having to use another turn altogether, as désir requires the preposition de after it, and disposition the preposition d. This case is connected with the one commented upon at page 12, note 3; and the rule given there is applicable to substantives, and also to adjectives, as well as to verbs. 3 qu'il nous faut.

4 6

patient perseverance; see page 25, note 16-Construct this sentence so, in French (page 22, note 7): It is not so much to a want of taste. . &c., as to the want of &c., that we have . . . scholars.'-On this subject, the French have a proverb which runs thus, "La trop grande hâte est cause du retardement." See also those already mentioned, page 6,

note 7, and in the LA FONTAINE, page 93, note 8.

5

See page 30, note 15.

6 car si cette lettre-ci (or, la présente lettre-or, substantively, la présente) se trouve être.

7 'the worst,'-'letter' understood; see page 72, note 13.

8 See page 1, note 8.-'to trouble,' here, importuner. See, besides, page 13, note 5: but we may use here the compound of the future, as well.

9 Toutefois, il n'est pas moins de mon intérêt que de mon devoir de vous exprimer au long (or, tout au long) ma reconnaissance de votre lettre obligeante (or, de votre bonne lettre).

10 some people,' certaines gens; see page 87, note 16. The substantive gens requires adjectives, &c., preceding it to be feminine, and those following masculine. This rule has somewhat complicated exceptions. See the LA FONTAINE, p. 52, note 6, and p. 133, note will;' see p. 45, note 4.

11

nous, here, will not be ambiguous; vous would be so.-'to thank abundantly,' remercier tant et plus: or, faire mille remerciments.

kindness,1 to put you in mind of bestowing another. The more favourable you are to me, the more distinctly I see my faults. Spots and blemishes, you know, are never so plainly discovered as in the brightest sunshine.4 Thus I am fortified by those 5 commendations which were designed to encourage me for praise to a young wit is like rain to a tender flower; if it be moderately bestowed, it cheers and revives; but if too lavishly, overcharges and depresses him. Most men in years, as they are general discouragers of youth,10 are like old trees, that, being past bearing themselves,11 will suffer no young plants to flourish beneath them,12 but, as if it were not enough to have outdone all your coevals in wit,13 you will excel them in goodnature too. As for my green essays,14 if you find any pleasure in them,15 it must be such as a man naturally takes in observing the first shoots and 17 buddings of a tree which he has raised himself; and it is impossible they should be

1 'for,' de, here, as at note 9 of the preceding page.-'a piece of kindness; simply, une bonté (or, une faveur), just as we say une imprudence (an act of imprudence), &c. &c.

2 pour nous faire songer d.

3 No article is used, in French, with plus, or, moins, repeated. Besides, in such a case, the following is the order usually observed in the words:-1st plus, or moins; 2nd, the nominative of the verb; 3rd, the verb; 4th, the regimen of the verb (whether an adjective or a substantive); the rest as in English (see p. 49, note 5, and p. 87, note 15). Bear in mind, too, that 'to me' must, according to another rule, precede the verb, in French; and, as to the proper place of the adverb, when any, as here, see page 19, note 5.-my faults;' par où je pèche, so as to avoid a repetition, for there is only one word, in French, for fault' and 'blemish,' in this sense.

4

en plein soleil.

5 les mêmes.

13

16

talent (or, un jeune auteur qui promet-or, un bel-esprit en herbeor, simply, un jeune homme d'intelligence) ce qu'est. The word belesprit, however, is now generally taken in a bad sense.

7 A personal pronoun, governed by several verbs, must not only be placed before the first, in French, but be repeated before each of them.

8 See page 29, note 9.
9 See page 23, note 9.

10 La plupart des hommes d'âge (or, des gens âgés), décourageant (or, rebutant) la jeunesse, comme ils le font généralement.

11 ayant eux-mêmes cessé de porter des fruits; or, ne portant plus de fruits eux-mêmes.

12 See page 24, note 19.
13 See page 22, notes 1 and 7.
premiers essais; or, essais de

14

novice.

15 in them;' y, here, before the verb.

16 ce (see p. 72, note 13) doit être un plaisir du genre de celui qu'on. 17 Repeat the article and nu

6 est à un jeune écrivain de meral.

esteemed any otherwise than as we value fruits for being early, which 2 nevertheless are the most insipid, and the worst of the year. In a word, I hate compliment, which is, at best, but the smoke of friendship. I neither write nor converse with you to gain your praise, but your affection. Be so much 4 my friend as to appear my enemy, and to tell me my faults, if not as at least as an inexperienced writer.

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a young man,

THE DEATH OF BAYARD. (A.D. 1524.)

At the beginning of the charge, Bonnivet, while exerting himself with much valour, was wounded so dangerously, as obliged him to quit the field; and the conduct of the rear was committed to the Chevalier Bayard, who, though so much a stranger to the arts of a court that he never rose to the chief command, was always called, in times of real danger, to the posts of greatest difficulty and importance. He put himself at the head of the men at arms,9 and animating them by his presence and example to sustain the whole shock of the enemy's troops, 10 he gained time for the rest of his countrymen to make good their retreat.11 But in this service 12 he received a wound which he immediately perceived to be mortal, 13 and being unable

1 Simply, autrement.

2 à cause de leur précocité, des fruits qui; see p. 14, note 5.'nevertheless,' &c. ; see p. 34, n. 9. 3 tout au plus.

4 'so much'... 'as,' assez. . . pour, the same turn as the one mentioned at page 86, note 3). 5 voyant en moi sinon.

6 qui se comporta avec la plus grande.

7 champ de bataille. See page 24, note 19, and leave out 'and.' 8 'so much. . . &c.;' simply, si peu courtisan.

9 gendarmes, or, hommes d'armes. 10 Simply, des ennemis.

11 pour couvrir la retraite du reste de l'armée.

12 cette action.

13 perceived,' sentit.-See page 7, note 2.-The student is particularly cautioned against using a construction which he will occasionally find even in good authors, but which is contrary to the logical principles of language, and to the established rules of general grammar. (See, among others, Messrs. Noël and Chapsal's Grammar, rule 428.) We find in Fénelon's Télémaque:-.. "l'étranger que le roi faisait chercher, et qu'on disait qui était venu avec Narbal" (page 54, edition Bell and Daldy, with notes by C.-J. Delille). Fénelon should have said,.... qu'on disait être

venu,

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to continue any longer on horseback,1 he ordered one of his attendants to place him under 2 a tree, with his 3 face towards the enemy; then fixing his eyes on the guard of his sword, which he held up instead of a cross,1 he addressed his prayers to God, and in this posture, which became his character both as a soldier and as a Christian," he calmly waited the approach of death. Bourbon, who led the foremost of the enemy's troops,8 found him in this situation, and expressed regret and pity at the sight.9 "Pity not me," cried the high-spirited 10 chevalier, "I die as a man of honour ought,11 in the discharge of 12 my duty: they indeed are objects of pity, who fight against their king, their country, and their oath."13 The Marquis de Pescara, passing soon after, manifested his admiration of Bayard's virtues, as well as his sorrow for his fate, with the generosity of a gallant enemy; and finding that he could not be removed with safety from that spot, ordered a tent to be pitched 14 there, and appointed proper persons to

1 et n'ayant plus la force de se soutenir sur son cheval.

2 de l'appuyer contre.-'attendants;' simply, gens, here.

3 Leave out with;' and see page 26, note 12.

4 qu'il tint élevée (or, qu'il tint en l'air) en guise de crucifix. 5 See page 21, note 4.

6 Simply, la mort. 7 la tête.

8 troupes ennemies (adjective). 9 le trouvant..., lui témoigna; leave out at the sight:' situation,' just above, is enough for the sense, after our change of con

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they must be joined in French, and the second part of the sentence is expressed the first. Construct, therefore, here, they who fight against.. are indeed objects of pity,'-ceux qui (page 88, note 14)

&c., sont... ... &c. Yet, these pronouns can be separated, as in English, by adding the particle là to celui, celle, &c. We might therefore also say, with the English construction, ceux-là sont. &c., qui..., &c. But, after all, the translation here will gain in elegance by our saying, simply, il faut plaindre ceux qui. Observe, however, that sometimes we use il, elle, &c., together with celui, celle, &c., for the sake of emphasis, and with the following construction :"Il est homme do lettres aussi, celui que le feu de son imagination porte sans cesse vers des sujets SAINTE-BEUVE. 'country,' that is, here, 'native country,' patrie.

nouveaux.

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14 to pitch,' dresser. See page 9, note 6.

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