3

4

Nature, by which everything hath a right to liberty; nay, it is even unchristian,2 for it is not doing what we would be done by. But if I had imagined Miss Sophia would have been so much concerned at it, I am sure I would never have done it; nay if I had known what would have happened to the bird itself, for when Master Jones, who climbed up that tree after it, fell into the water, the bird took a second flight, and presently a nasty hawk carried it away."

Poor Sophia, who now first heard of her little Tommy's fate, (for her concern for Jones had prevented her perceiving it when it1o happened,) shed a shower11 of tears. These Mr. Allworthy endeavoured to assuage, promising her a much finer bird; but she declared she would never have 12 another. Her father chid her for 13 crying so for a foolish bird, but 14 could not help telling young Blifil if he was a son of his his back should be well flayed. 15

Sophia now returned to her chamber, the two young gentlemen were sent home, 16 and the rest of the company returned 17 to their bottle, where a conversation ensued on the 18 subject of the bird.-(FIELDING.)

1

en vertu de.

2 bien plus, c'est anti-chrétien. 3 car ce n'est pas faire ce que nous voudrions qu'on nous fit (subj., after vouloir).

4I am sure,' certes, here; and put this part of the sentence first, (that is, after 'but.')

5 ou même seulement.

6 pour le prendre.-' fell;' translate, has fallen' (see page 116, note 11).

7 s'est envolé de nouveau.

8 et un vilain épervier vient de l'emporter.

9 now first;' translate, 'for the first time,' and after the verb. 10 de voir ce qui.

11 torrent.

14 See page 23, note 6.

15 que s'il était son père, il le fouetterait d'importance.-s'il était, literally, if he (Mr. A-); if

'he' was used in the sense of that gentleman,' we should rather say c'était instead of il était (see p. 72, note 13): same case as at p. 80, n 3.

16 renvoyés (page 28, note 4) chez eux (p. 78, n. 5).

17 According to some grammarians, and according to the French Academy itself, le reste must always be followed by the verb, pronoun, &c., in the singular. I beg to dissent from this, on no less an authority than that of Madame de Staël, of Racine, and of other writers, who have used the plural. It is true, that when there is a kind of unanimity, of inseparable unity, among the persons or things mentioned, the singular may be more properly used, as in

SCENE FROM "THE RIVALS."

Enter Sir Lucius O'Trigger and Bob Acres, with pistols.

Acres. By my valour! then, Sir Lucius, forty yards is a good distance. Odds levels and aims!-I say it is a good distance.1

4

Sir L. It is for 2 muskets, or small field-pieces ;3 upon my conscience, Mr. Acres, you must leave these things to me.5 Stay, now I'll show you. (Measures paces along the stage.) There now, that is a very pretty distance-a pretty gentleman's distance. 8

Acres. Zounds! we might as well fight9 in a sentry-box! I tell you, Sir Lucius, the farther he is off, 10 the cooler I shall take my aim.11

Sir L. Faith! then 12 I suppose you would aim at him best of all if he was out of sight!

13

Acres. No, Sir Lucius; but I should think 13 forty, or eight-and-thirty 14 yards—

Sir L. Pho! pho! nonsense !15 three or four feet between the mouths of your pistols is as good as a mile. 16

the example given by the Academy, "le reste des hommes est de mon avis," that is, they are all of one opinion, of one mind. But here, in our text, had the rest of the company only one bottle to divide among them all? or had they, if not a bottle each, at least more than one for them all? The use of the singular, here, (s'en revint à sa bouteille) might perhaps seem to imply the former, rather than the latter, of these suppositions; which would be absurd.

18 au.

1 Simply, Par ma valeur, sir Lucius, je vous le répète, quarante pas est une bonne distance.

2 Oui, pour. 3 pièces de campagne. Put a full stop here. 4 En conscience.

5 me laisser régler (or, arranger) ces choses-là.

6' now,' here, un peu.-'I'll show

Acres. Odds bullets,1 no! by my valour, there is no merit in killing him so near !2 Do, my dear Sir Lucius, let me bring him down at a long shot :3 a long shot, Sir Lucius, if you love me!

Sir L. Well, the gentleman's friend and I must 5 settle that. But tell me now, Mr. Acres, in case of an accident, is there any little will or commission I could execute for you?

Acres. I am much obliged to you, Sir Lucius; but I don't understand

Sir L. Why, you may think there's no being shot at without a little risk ;6 and, if an unlucky bullet should carry a quietus with it-I say it will be no time then to be bothering you about' family matters.

Acres. A quietus !

Sir L. For instance, now; if that should be the case, would you choose to be pickled, and sent home? or would it be the same to you to lie here in the Abbey? I'm told there is very snug lying 10 in the Abbey.

Acres. Pickled! Snug lying in the Abbey-Odds tremors 11 Sir Lucius, don't talk so!

Sir L. I suppose, Mr. Acres, you never were engaged 12 in an affair of this kind before.

Acres. No, Sir Lucius, never before?

Sir L. Ah! that's a pity;13 there's nothing like being used to a thing.14 Pray, now,15 how would you receive the gentleman's shot ?16

1 Balles de D- (vulgar).

2 de si près.

3 do see page 88, note 'bring him down,' &c., l'abattre à une longue portée.

4 second, in this sense; yet, there is no objection to using ami. 5 See page 65, note 12.

6 Vous devez bien penser qu'on n'essuie pas le feu d'un adversaire sans courir quelques petits risques.

et si par malheur une balle vient à (happen to,' 'should,') vous étendre (or, coucher—or, jeter-or, laisser) sur le carreau, ce ne sera

Acres. Odds files! I've practised that; there,2 Sir Lucius, there-(puts himself into an attitude)-a sidefront, hey? Odd! I'll make myself small enough:5 I'll stand edgeways.

6

Sir L. Now, you're quite out; for if you stand so when I take my aim-(Levelling at him.)s

Acres. Zounds, Sir Lucius! are you sure it is not cocked ?10

Sir L. Never fear.

Acres. But-but-you don't know; it may go off of its own head !11

Sir L. Pho! be easy.1 12 Well, now, 13 if I hit you in

the body, my bullet has a double chance; for if it misses a vital part of your right side, 'twill be very hard if it don't succeed 14 on the left.

Acres. A vital part!

16

Sir L. But there ; 15 fix yourself so-(Placing him)-let him see the broad-side of your full front; there -now a ball or two may pass clean through your body, and never do you any harm at all. 17

Acres. Clean through me! a ball or two clean through me!

4 hein?

5 Leave out 'Odd;' 'small enough,' here, le plus petit possible.

6 to stand edgeways,' se présenter de côté; or, se tenir de biais.

7 Non, vous n'y êtes pas.

8 (Il le vise avec son pistolet); or, (Il lui présente le bout de son pistolet). In speaking of muskets (not of pistols, as here), we also say coucher quelqu'un en joue, in this sense.

9 Diable (vulgar). 10 armé.

11 partir tout seul.

12

soyez sans crainte; or, rassurez-vous; or, tranquillisez-vous ; or, again, soyez tranquille.

13now,' here, donc.

14 il y a à parier (see page 68, note 11) qu'elle y réussira; 'to succeed, in the sense of 'to come to succession,' is succéder, and it is réussir in the sense of 'to have success.' We often say, familiarly, ce sera bien le diable si, as corresponding exactly to it will be very hard if,' but then generally when the thing mentioned is wished for.

15 Tenez.

Sir L. Ay, may they ;1 and it is much the genteelest attitude into the bargain.2

Acres. Lookye 3 Sir Lucius-I'd just as lieve1 be shot in an awkward posture, as a genteel one ;5 so, by my valour! I will stand edgeways.

Sir L. (Looking at his watch.)6 to disappoint us;7 ha! no, faith. coming.

Acres. Eh! what! coming!- 8

Sure, they don't mean
I think I see them

Sir L. Ay, who are those yonder, getting over the stile ? 9

Acres. There are two of them 10 indeed! well, let them come; hey, Sir Lucius! we-we-we-we-won't run.11 Sir L. Run!

Acres. No, I say, we won't run, by my valour!

Sir L. What the devil's the matter with you ? 12

Acres. Nothing, nothing, my dear friend; my dear Sir Lucius; but I-I-I don't feel 13 quite so bold, somehow, as I did. 14

Sir L. O fie! consider 15 your honour.

Acres. Ay, true; my honour; do, Sir Lucius, edge in 16 a word or two, every now and then, 17 about my honour. Sir L. Well, here they're coming. (Looking.)

Acres. Sir Lucius, if I wasn't with you I should almost think I was 18 afraid. If my valour should 19 leave me! Valour will come and go.20

Sir L. Then pray keep it fast, while you have it.

1 Eh, mais, sans doute; or, Oui, la chose est possible.

2 en outre; and at the beginning of the sentence.

3 Tenez.

4 j'aime autant.

5 Repeat both the preposition and the noun.

6 See page 38, note 10.

7 Est-ce que, par hasard, il nous manquerait de parole?

8 Comment!-Qui venir? 9 le pas, or, la barrière.

10 Translate, 'they are two.'

11 'to run,' here, se sauver.

12 Que diable avez-vous donc?

(We also say, in the same sense, Qu'est-ce qui vous prend?)

as

13 'to feel,' here, se sentir. 14 que tout à l'heure (lit., just now'); see page 48, note 9, and page 34, note 1.-'somehow render this by à vrai dire, and put it after mais (but).