6 their return from hunting, they saw a couple of owls1 upon a tree that grew near an old wall out of a heap of rubbish. “I would fain know," says the sultan, "what those two owls are saying to one another; listen to their discourse, and give me an account of it."3 The vizier approached the tree, pretending to be very attentive to the two owls. Upon his return to the sultan: "Sir," says he, "I have heard part of their conversation, but dare not tell you what it is." The sultan would not be satisfied with 5 such an answer, but forced him to repeat, word for word, everything the owls had said. "You must know then," said the vizier, "that one of these owls has a son and the other a daughter, between whom they are now upon a treaty of marriage.7 The father of the son said to the father of the daughter, in my hearing,s 'Brother, I consent to this marriage, provided you will settle upon your daughter fifty ruined villages for her portion. To which the father of the daughter replied, Instead of fifty, I will give her five hundred, if you please. God grant a long life to Sultan Mahmoud; whilst he reigns over us we shall never want 10 ruined villages."" The story says,11 the sultan was so touched with the fable that he rebuilt the towns and villages which had been destroyed, and from that time forward consulted the good of his people.-(Spectator.) The 1 un couple de hiboux. French substantive couple is feminine when it simply means two of the same species, or kind, and near in place, or considered together; but it is masculine when it refers either to two individuals, male and female, or to any two beings united by a common will or sentiment, or any other cause which fits thein to act in concert. Thus, une couple de pommes, d'œufs, ('a couple of apples, of eggs;') and un couple de fripons, (a couple of rogues.') 2 Je voudrais bien savoir. 4 8 3 rends-m'en compte. 5 ne voulut pas 7 et il s'agit des conditions d'un mariage entre ces derniers; or, et ils sont en pourparler sur les conditions &c. 8 assez haut pour que je l'entendisse. 9 pourvu que vous constituiez (or, assigniez) pour dot à votre fille cinquante &c. 10 nous ne manquerons jamais de. 11 See page 1, note 5. TIT FOR TAT.1 5 A FRIEND of Dean2 Swift one day sent him a turbot, as a present,3 by a servant who had frequently been on similar errands, but who had never received the most trifling mark of the dean's generosity. Having gained admission, he opened the door of the study, and abruptly putting down1 the fish, cried very rudely, "Master has sent you a turbot." "Young man," said the dean, rising from his easy chair, "is that the way you deliver? your message ? Let me teach you better manners ; sit down in my chair, we will change situations, and I will show you how to behave in future." The boy sat down; and the dean, going to the door, came up to 10 the table with a respectful pace, and making a low bow,11 said, "Sir, my master presents his kind compliments, 12 hopes you are well,13 and requests your acceptance of 14 a small present." "Does he ?" 15 replied the boy; "return him my best thanks,16 and there's halfa-crown for yourself." The dean, thus drawn into an act of generosity, laughed heartily, and gave the boy a crown for his wit.- *) "17 ** RABELAIS A TRAITOR.1 3 THIS celebrated wit2 was once at a great distance from Paris, and without money to bear his expenses thither. The ingenious author being thus sharp set, got together1 a convenient quantity of brickdust, and having disposed of it into several papers, wrote upon one, Poison for Monsieur;5 upon a second, Poison for the Dauphin ;6 and on a third, Poison for the King. Having made this provision for the royal family of France, he laid his papers so that the landlord, who was an inquisitive man and a good subject, might get a sight of them. The plot succeeded as he desired; the host gave immediate intelligence to the secretary of state. The secretary presently sent downl a special messenger, who brought up the traitor to court, and provided him, at the king's expense, with proper accommodations on the road. As soon as he appeared, he was known to bell the celebrated Rabelais, and his powder, upon examination, being found very innocent, the jest was only laughed at ;12 for which a less eminent droll would have been sent to the galleys.-(Spectator.) 10 THE HARE AND THE TORTOISE. 3 A HARE jeered at a tortoise for1 the slowness of his pace. But he laughed and said that he would run against her and beat her any day she should name.2 "Come on," said the hare, "you shall soon see what my feet are made of." So it was agreed that they should start at once. The tortoise went off jogging along, without a moment's stopping, at his usual steady pace. The hare, treating the whole matter very lightly, said she would first take a little nap, and that she should soon overtake the tortoise. Meanwhile the tortoise plodded on,5 and the hare oversleeping herself, arrived at the goal only to see that the tortoise had got in before her. 4 Slow and steady wins the race.7 (JAMES's Fables of Esop). MULY MOLUC. WHEN Don Sebastian, king of Portugal, invaded the territories of Muly Moluc, emperor of Morocco, in order 1 raillait une tortue sur. 2 qu'elle le vaincrait à la course quand il voudrait.-A la course, (running;') in the same way we say, passer une rivière à la nage, ('swimming;') tuer un oiseau au vol, ('flying,') &c. 3 ce que peuvent mes jambes. In subordinate sentences, like the present, it is more elegant to put the nominative (mes jambes) after the verb (peuvent). 4 se mit en route, tout doucement, de son pas ordinaire et régulier, et ne s'arrêta pas un instant. 5 continua à s'évertuer. When translating into French, English expressions, like the present, formed with a verb and a preposition, we are compelled to render to dethrone him, and set his crown upon the head of his nephew, Moluc was wearing away with1 a distemper which he himself knew was2 incurable. However, he prepared for the reception of3 so formidable an enemy. He was, indeed, so far spent with his sickness that he did not expect to live out the whole day;5 but, knowing the fatal consequences that would happen to him and his people, in case he should die before he put an end to that war, he commanded his principal officers, that, if he died during the engagement, they should conceal his death from his army, and that they should ride up10 to the litter in which his corpse was11 carried, under pretence of receiving orders as usual. Before the battle began, he was carried through all the ranks of his army in an open litter, as they stood drawn up in array,12 encouraging them to fight valiantly in 13 defence of their religion and country. Finding 14 afterwards the battle to go15 against him, though he was very near his last agonies, 16 he threw himself out of his litter, rallied his army, and led them on to the charge, which17 afterwards ended in a complete victory on the side of the Moors. He had no sooner brought his men to the engagement, but 18 finding himself utterly spent, 16 son agonie. 17 ce qui. Whenever 'which' does not relate to a particular word, as its antecedent, in the preceding sentence, but rather to the whole sentence, or to a fact enumerated therein; in short, whenever it can be turned by 'a thing which,' or 'a fact which;' the French for it is ce qui, instead of qui (nominative), and ce que instead of que (accusative). It corresponds to the Latin id quod, similarly used. 18 que. |