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crites. We were all hypocrites, t'other day. I am sure I felt that to be1 agreed upon among us, or I shouldn't have called you one.2 We should not have been there at all, if we had not been hypocrites. The only difference between you and the rest was-shall I tell you the difference between you and the rest now,4 Pecksniff?"

"If you please, my good sir; if you please." 5

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"Why, the annoying quality in you, is," said the old inan, "that you never have a confederate or partner in your juggling; you would deceive everybody, even those who practise the same art; and have a way with you, as if you-he, he, he !—as if you really believed yourself.10 I'd lay a handsome wager 11 now," said the old man, "if I laid wagers, which I don't, and never did, that you keep up appearances by a tacit understanding, even before your own daughters here.13 Now I, when I have a business

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1 Et en vérité (or, Et je puis le dire en conscience-or, en bonne conscience), je sentais bien; 'that to be,' see page 7, note 2.

2 appelé ainsi; or, traité d'hypocrite.

3 qu'il y ait entre; see page 39, note 5.

4 'now,' voyons.-'shall I,' &c., faut-il vous dire (or, voulez-vous que je vous dise, or, simply, vous dirai-je) quelle est la différence entre, &c.

5 Dites, mon cher monsieur, dites. 'If you please,' is, literally, as is well known, s'il vous plaît, in French; but, in a case of this particular kind, it is not the phrase ased.

6 Eh bien, ce qu'il y a d'ennuyeux chez vous en particulier, c'est (see page 50, note 8) que; or, vous avez, vous en particulier, cela d'ennuyeux que.

ni compère ni compagnon dans vos tours d'adresse, à vous.

8 vous feriez volontiers prendre (or, vous donneriez volontiers) le change:-vous ne vous feriez pas faute de faire prendre (or, de don

ner) le change-à n'importe qui (or, à qui que ce soit).-The use of the verb tromper ('to deceive'), even here, would be somewhat too uncivil.

9 et vous (page 30, note 15) avez je ne saisun je ne sais-quel

air.

10 comme si vous preniez dans le sérieux ce que vous dites ou ce que vous faites. "Prendre une chose dans le sérieux," is, to take a thing in earnest, to believe it to be true, although it was said in joke; whilst "prendre une chose au sérieux," is to take offence at a thing, though it was said in joke, and without any intention of offending.

11 Je parierais cent contre un. We also say, in a similar way, parier double contre simple, and Il y a gros à parier; also, by exaggeration, Je parierais ma tête (or, ma tête à couper), Je mettrais ma tête à couper, and, implying no doubt whatever, Je mettrais ma main au feu.

12 gardez; or, sauvez.
13 ici présentes; or, que voici.

scheme1 in hand, tell 2 Jonas what it is, and we discuss it openly. You're not offended, Pecksniff?"

"Offended, my good sir!” cried that gentleman, as if he had received the highest compliments that language could convey."

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"Are you travelling 6 to London, Mr. Pecksniff?" asked the son.

"Yes, Mr. Jonas, we are travelling to London. We shall have the pleasure of your company all the way, I trust?" "Oh! ecod you had better ask father that,” said Jonas. "I am not a going to commit myself." 9

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Mr. Pecksniff was, as a matter of course, 10 greatly entertained by this retort. His mirth having subsided, Mr. Jonas gave him to understand that himself and parent were in fact travelling to their home 12 in the metropolis; 13 and that, since the memorable day of the great family gathering, 14 they had been tarrying in that part of the

1 'Now I;' Moi, voyez-vous.— 'a business scheme;' le plan de quelque affaire.-'in hand;' see page 22, note 1.

2 See page 43, note 12.

3 de quoi il s'agit; or, ce qu'il en est,-not ce que c'est, here: ce que c'est would correspond to 'what it -or that-is,' in another sense, the sense of what that thing (in a vague way) is'-namely a scheme; whereas ce qu'il en est means, 'what that scheme (mentioned above) is about'. We might also translate by j'en fais part à Jonas. 4 les plus grands; or, les plus beaux; or, again, les plus flatteurs, after the noun. In general, no adjectives, in French, can precede a noun, when in the superlative degree, except those which are allowed to precede it when in the positive degree.

5 Simply, qu'on eût (p. 13, note 5, p. 22, note 12, and p. 38, note 3) pu lui faire; or, les compliments possibles :-susceptibles d'être exprimés par (or, au moyen de) la parole, would be awkward.

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ma foi; or, parbleu (familiar). vous feriez mieux de.

9 Ce n'est pas moi qui irai me compromettre; or, elliptically and familiarly, Pas si bête que d'aller me.... &c.-[The vulgar phrase would be, Le plus souvent que j'irai &c.].

...

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comme de raison-cela va sans dire-bien entendu―naturellement.

11 lui et son père. The French word parents means all relatives, and is also said of the father and mother; but it is never used in the singular, in this latter sense, as in English, to signify only one of the two.

12 s'en retournaient en effet chez eux. See page 65, note 12.

13 capitale.-Métropole was said formerly, in French, of the capital town of a province; it only means now a town which has an archiepiscopal see, as Paris, Rouen, Bordeaux, &c. 14 réunion.

country, watching 1 the sale of certain eligible investments,2 which they had had in their copartnership eye when they came down; for it was their custom, Mr. Jonas said,1 whenever such a thing was practicable, to kill two birds with one stone,5 and never to throw away sprats, but as bait for whales. 6-DICKENS, Martin Chuzzlewit.

THE LITERARY SNOBS."

BUT the fact is, that in the literary profession,8 THERE ARE NO SNOBS. Look round at the whole body of British men of letters, and I defy you to point out among them a single instance of vulgarity, or envy, or assumption.10 Men and women, as far as I have known them, they are all 11 modest in their demeanour, elegant in their manners,

1 ils étaient restés (see page 66, note 12, and page 57, note 3) dans cet endroit (or, dans ce comté) afin de surveiller.

2 propriétés qui offraient un placement avantageux.

3 et que ces deux associés, Chuzzlewit et fils, (or, et que ces deux associés en nom collectif) avaient en vue lors de leur départ de Londres.There is no French expression, as concise as the English, corresponding to 'up,' and 'down,' in this sense: we say, e.g., trains allant à Paris (up trains'), and trains partant de Paris ('down trains'); see the French railway time-tables. 4 au dire de M. J

5 de faire d'une pierre deux coups (PROVERBIAL).

6 et de ne jamais donner (or, se dessaisir de) un petit poisson que pour en avoir un gros (PROVERBIAL); or, . . . un œuf.. pour avoir un bauf - un pois... pour avoir une fève (PROVERBIAL). 7 A distinguished French writer, M. Taine, in a very judicious dis

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sertation on the "Book of Snobs," and other works of Mr. Thackeray, thus defines the word snob :'"mot d'argot intraduisible, désignant un homme qui admire bassement des choses basses" " ; and he adds, "Nous n'avons pas le mot, parce que nous n'avons pas la chose. Enfant des sociétés aristocratiques, le snob, perché sur son barreau dans la grande échelle, respecte l'homme du barreau supérieur et méprise l'homme du barreau inférieur, sans s'informer de ce qu'ils valent, uniquement en raison de leur place; du fond du cœur il trouve naturel de baiser les bottes du premier et de donner des coups de pied au second."

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profession de littérateur. Regardez de tous côtés dans tout nombre des écrivains anglais.— 'among them;' simply y.

le

10 arrogance; or, présomption; or, again, suffisance.

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tous, autant que j'en connais (or, autant que j'ai pu en juger par moi-même), sont.

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spotless in their lives, and honourable in their conduct to the world and to each other.2 You may, occasionally, it is true, hear one literary man abusing his brother; but why? Not in the least out of malice; not at all from envy;5 merely from a sense of truth and public duty. Suppose, for instance, I good-naturedly s point out a blemish in my friend Mr. Punch's person, and say Mr. P. has a hump-back, and 10 his nose and chin are more crooked than those features 11 in the APOLLO or ANTINOUS,12 which we are accustomed to consider as our standards 13 of beauty; does this argue malice on my part towards 14 Mr. Punch? Not in the least.15 It is the critic's duty to point out defects as well as merits, and he invariably does his duty with the utmost gentleness and candour.16

That sense of equality and fraternity amongst authors has always struck me as one of the most amiable characteristics 17 of the class. It is because we know 18 and respect each other, that the world respects us so much; that we

1 Use the singular here, on account of the general, the collective meaning of the word.

2 soit entre eux, soit à l'égard du monde.

3 Il n'est pas impossible peut-être que (par hasard) vous; with the subjunctive.

4 dire du mal de. 5 Par malice? Point du tout. Par envie? En aucune façon.There are, in French, three degrees of negation, viz., ne by itself (when it can be so used-before a few verbs only), which is the weakest negative expression; then ne with pas, which is the middle negative expression; and, finally, ne with point, which is the strongest. In some cases, like the above, ne is suppressed.

6 par amour de.

7et par; see page 49, note 8. Par must be repeated here, both on account of the two things mentioned being considered distinctly from each other, and, for the sake of elegance, by reason of the length

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9 défaut.

10 est bossu, que.

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que le nez et le menton. 12 de l'Apollon et de l'Antinous. 13 les types.

14 ceci prouve-t-il que je veuille du mal à.

15 Pas le moins du monde.

16 avec la plus entière sincérité et la (page 49, note 8) plus parfaite douceur;-plus parfait (as in English, more perfect') is a kind of emphasis sanctioned by custom, and so much used, that it were vain to refuse our assent to it: of course we all know this is not a strictly logical association of words.

17 qualités distinctives.

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nous nous apprécions; repeat these pronouns before the second verb, and see page 38, note 11, and page 48, note 13. Here the meaning of the phrase would be decidedly ambiguous without the use

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hold such a good position1 in society, and demean ourselves so irreproachably when there.2 Literature is held in such 3 honour in England, that there is a sum of near twelve hundred pounds per annum set apart to pension deserving persons following that profession. And a great compliment this is, too, to the professors, and a proof of their generally prosperous and flourishing condition. They are generally so rich and thrifty, that scarcely any money is wanted to help them.-THACKERAY, The Book of Snobs.

SCENE FROM "THE SCHOOL FOR SCANDAL.”

Lady Sneerwell; Mrs. Candour; Joseph Surface; Maria; Crabtree; Sir Benjamin Backbite.

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Sir

Crab. Lady Sneerwell, I kiss your hand. Mrs. Candour, I don't believe you are acquainted with my nephew, Benjamin Backbite? Egad,11 ma'am,12 he has a pretty wit, and is a pretty poet too. 13 Isn't he,14 Lady Sneerwell? Sir Ben. Oh, fie, uncle!

of the pronouns recommended in note 11, of page 38.

1 rang. 2 and

gated negatively. See page 35, note 14, for another example of this. We might also very well when there,' &c., et translate the English phrase by, permettez-moi de vous présenter. 11 Parbleu (familiar).

que nous nous y, &c.

3 est si fort en.

4 livres sterling.

5 Simply, les personnes (or, les membres) de.

6 C'est un grand honneur pour elles-eux,-et aussi.

7 qu'il n'y a presque pas besoin d'argent.

8 de,-with the article, of course. 9 See page 10, note 10 ; use, besides, the plural ('hands') here, in French.

10 to be acquainted with,' connaître; see page 1, note 5, and use the subjunctive, here, as penser ('to think,' 'to believe') is conju

12 madame. The abbreviation of this word, in French, belongs to very vulgar language.

13 c'est un garçon d'esprit, et, qui plus est, un poète.-c'est, instead of il est: the demonstrative pronoun ce is generally used, instead of il, elle, ils, elles, as the subject of a proposition whose attribute is not an adjective; the attribute is here the substantive garçon. See the LA FONTAINE, page 10, note 5.

14 n'est-ce-pas; literally, 'is it not (understood, true,' vrai.) This is the usual French phrase

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