NOTES.

PERSONNAGES.

LE COMTE ALMAVIVA... enveloppé d'un grand manteau brun... chapeau noir rabattu... grande fraise au cou, I wrapped in the traditional dark Spanish mantle,' couleur de muraille, of all stage conspirators and lovers... black hat turned down, in opposition to the three-cornered hats of the time, the brims of which were turned up. a large ruff round his neck.

BARTHOLO, tuteur, ‘guardian.'

ROSINE, pupille, 'ward.'

...

FIGARO .. la tête couverte d'une résille, ou filet ... attaché fort lâche... gilet et haut-de-chausse veste de couleur tranchante, head covered with a net... fastened very loosely. waistcoat and breeches... a glaring coloured jacket.' Gilet, from Gille, favourite personage of the théâtre de la foire,' theatre founded in 1595, in the St. Germain market (foire) in Paris. In that theatre originated the French opéra-comique. Pantalon was a personage of

the Italian comedy.

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ACTE PREMIER.

1- Le théâtre représente une rue de Séville où toutes les croisées sont grillées. In most houses in Sevilla, the first-floor windows have balconies enabling several persons to stand or sit together protected against the gaze of passers-by, by a kind of cage, the sides of which can be made to act like so many venetian blinds, independent of each other. The whole system can be locked from within. The key of that cage, called jalousie by Beaumarchais, plays an important part in the comedy.

SCÈNE I.

Le Comte, en grand manteau. The French place the preposition en before the part of the dress they wish to call attention to. They say être en gants blancs, en cravate noire, en habit noir. They go as far as to say être en cheveux, 'to have no hat on.'

Si un aimable de la cour. The word aimable is never used as a noun at present. The French would say un galant.

Un Espagnol du temps d'Įsabelle. Isabel of Castile, queen of Spain, born in 1450, married Ferdinand of Arragon in 1469, died in 1504.

2- Convenance, 'suitableness.' The plural convenances means 'decorum, propriety.'

Au diable l'importun! 'plague on the intruder!'

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SCÈNE II.

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Attachée en bandoulière, slung over the shoulder.' Bandoulière, shoulder belt,' from the Spanish bandolera, because it was first worn by brigands in the Pyrenees, called in French bandouliers, from the Spanish bandolero.

Jusque-là ceci ne va pas mal, so far it is not bad.'

Dit-on "se partagent"? is it correct French to say 66 se partagent"?'

N'y regardent pas de si près, are not so particular as that.' Y regarder à deux fois (avant de faire quelque chose), to be very careful.' Ne pas regarder à la dépense, to do things well, no matter what it costs."

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On le chante. It would be more strictly grammatical, but less expressive to say se chante.

3-Fi donc c'est plat, 'fie! that is insipid.'

J'y suis, 'I have got it,' (Eureka). Monsieur n'y est pas, master is not at home.' Nous y sommes, we are ready.' Le pauvre bonhomme n'y est plus, 'the good old man's wits are on the wane. (De Brosses., Le compte y est, 'the account is exact.'

Messieurs de la cabale.

Beaumarchais cannot forget the cabals that were got up against him, and Figaro will very often in the play, especially in the first act, speak for Beaumarchais himself.

J'ai vu cet abbé-là quelquepart, 'I have seen that priest somewhere.' Abbé, from Latin abbas (Syr. abba; Heb. ab, 'father'). It has the Hebrew meaning in the expression bon abbé Jésus, to be found in old French poets. Abbé, abbot, chief of a monastery.' Proverbs: Le moine répond comme l'abbé chante, 'in

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feriors are of the opinion of their superiors.' Abbé de Ste. Espérance, or Abbé de Ste. Elpide (¿λπìs), ‘Abbot without an abbey.' Abbé de cour, 'courtier abbé.' Priests in France are called monsieur l'abbé; when they are cure of a church (vicar, parish priest'), monsieur le curé. Abbé, 'theological student.'

4- Maraud, ' rascal,' favourite word of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. (Etym. unknown, perhaps from μαρός.)

Que voulez-vous, Monseigneur! c'est la misère, well, my lord, I can't help it, it is owing to poverty.'

Dans les bureaux, 'in the government offices.'

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Haras, studs, places for breeding horses.' Haras, h aspirate, from the Arabic faras, ‘horse.'

Ayant le district des pansements et des drogues, 'the dressing and drugs being in my department."

5- Médecines de cheval, horse medicines.' Fig. 'violent medicines, only fit for horses.'

Des Galiciens, des Auvergnats. The Galicians and the Auvergnats are strong men who undertake the heavy work in large towns. They are, for instance, water carriers. In Spain the Galicians carry casks of water on their shoulders. In France, especially in Paris, the Auvergnats carry two pails of water, after the fashion of English milkmen; they have to go up to the fourth, fifth, and sixth floors of Parisian houses.

On m'a desservi auprès des puissances, 'I have not been served well to the powers.'

Grâce! grâce! 'oh! pray, enough of that.'

Des bouquets à Chloris. Light pieces of poetry, in which compliment was paid to the beauty of a lady, ared in it to some flower.' (Chloris, from which lore, comes, according to Ovid.) Des bouquets à nply des bouquets,' birthday pieces of poetry.'