3 mathematical computation,1 that twice round the thumb is once round the 2 wrist, and so on to the neck and the waist; and by the help of my old shirt, which I displayed on the ground before them for a pattern, they fitted me exactly.4 Three hundred tailors were employed in the same manner to make me clothes; but they had another contrivance 5 for taking my measure. I kneeled down, and they raised a ladder from the ground to my neck; upon this ladder one of them mounted, and let fall a plumb-line from my collar to the floor, which 8 just answered the length of my coat, but my waist and arms I measured myself. When my clothes were finished, which was done in my house, (for the largest of theirs would not have been able to hold them,) they looked like the patch-work 10 made by the ladies in England, only that mine were all of a 11 colour. 7 6 I had three hundred cooks to dress 12 my victuals, in little convenient huts built about my house, where they and their families lived,13 and prepared 14 me two dishes a-piece.15 I took up twenty waiters in my hand, and placed them on the table: a hundred more 16 attended below on the ground, some with dishes of meat, and some with barrels of wine, and other liquors, slung on their shoulders; all which the waiters above drew up as I wanted, in a very 1 stop after coat,' and leave out 'but.' " parce qu'elles avaient calculé par une opération mathématique. 2 que deux fois la circonférence de mon pouce formait celle de mon. 3 qu'en doublant celle-ci, on avait le tour de mon cou, et qu'en doublant ce dernier, on avait la grosseur de ma taille. Put a full stop here. 4 Je déployai ensuite sur le plancher une de mes vieilles chemises, et elles l'imitèrent fort ex actement. 5 et s'avisèrent d'un autre moyen. We might translate this very well by et s'y prirent autrement (or, d'une autre manière), were it not that the verb prendre inevitably comes just after. 6 un plomb. 7 de mon collet (in this sense only) à terre. See page 8, note 6. Put a full 9 Je pris moi-même la mesure du corps et des bras. 10 ils ressemblaient à ces couvertures composées de petits morceaux carrés cousus ensemble. 11 seulement ils étaient tous de la même. 12 To dress,' in this sense, is préparer, or, accommoder. 13 où ils logeaient eux et leurs familles. This instance of two pronouns, the one conjunctive (ils) and the other disjunctive (eux), used together with one verb only, has some similitude with that of page 23, note 15. 14 See page 23, note 6. 16 une centaine de leurs camarades; or, simply, cent autres. ingenious manner, by certain cords,1 as we draw the bucket up a well in Europe. A dish of their meat was a good mouthful, and a barrel of their liquor a reasonable draught.2 Their mutton yields to ours,3 but their beef is excellent. I have had a sirloin so large, that I have been forced to make three bites of it, but this is rare. My servants were astonished to see me eat it, bones and all,5 as in our country we do the leg of a lark. Their geese and turkeys I usually ate at a mouthful, and I confess they far exceed ours. Of their smaller fowl, I could take up twenty or thirty at the end of my knife. 6 SWIFT. 5 os et viande. 6 nous croquons la cuisse. The verb croquer (to craunch) is nearly synonymous with manger (to eat). We might also say, as in English, nous faisons la cuisse. The verb faire is used, in French, as 'to do' is in English, to avoid the repetition of a preceding verb. Some grammarians, however, have put a restriction on this usage, and attempted to fetter it by a rule of theirs they say, without giving any good reason for it, and while even quoting no less an au thority than Bossuet against themselves, that, in such a case, faire should not be followed by a régime direct (objective case). The best authors have nevertheless done so. The quotation above alluded to is, "Il fallait cacher la pénitence avec le même soin qu'on eût fait les crimes."-BOSSUET. I shall complete the case against these gentlemen, which they themselves have opened, by two more quotations, which, I think, will be deemed at least sufficient :-" On regarde une femme savante comme on fait une belle arme." — LA BRUYERE. "Mais tout fat me déplaît et me Je le poursuis partout, comme BOILEAU, Sat. vii. A TRAVELLING INCIDENT.1 4 THE tendency of mankind when it falls asleep in coaches, is 2 to wake up cross; to find its legs in its way; and its corns an aggravation.3 Mr. Pecksniff not being exempt from the common lot of humanity, found himself, at the end of his nap, so decidedly the victim of these infirmities, that he had an irresistible inclination 5 to visit them upon his daughters; which he had already begun to do in 6 the shape of divers random kicks, and other unexpected motions of his shoes, when the coach stopped, and, after a short delay, the door was opened.9 "Now mind," ,"10 said a thin sharp voice 11 in the dark. "I and my son go inside,1 12 because the roof is full,13 but you agree to charge us outside prices.14 It's quite understood that we won't pay more. Is it?" 15 "All right,16 Sir," replied the guard. 1 Incident de voyage. 2 Il est ordinaire à nous autres humains, lorsque nous nous sommes endormis en diligence. The adjective autre is often thus used, in the plural, with nous or vous, for the sake of emphasis or contradistinction: for a fuller note on this point, see the LA FONTAINE, page 131, note 7. et de nous trouver embarrassés (or, empêchés) de nos jambes et agacés (or, irrités) par nos cors; or, de trouver nos jambes un embarras, et dans nos cors un sujet d'agacement d'irritation. positivement; and leave out 'the.' 5 envie. 6 de s'en venger sur ses filles. Il avait déjà commencé à satisfaire cette envie sous. 7 'random kicks,' coups de pied donnés au hasard. 8 mouvements. 9 et peu après la portière s'ouvrit. The use of the passive, instead of the reflective form, in French, in such a case as this, would convey a very different meaning; it would express a state, not an act. To Faites bien attention; or, Ah çà, attention! 11 voix grêle et aiguë. 12 moi et mon fils-mon fils et moi-nous allons dans l'intérieur. When we have, in a sentence, two or more personal pronouns, or a noun or nouns and a pronoun, used as subjects (nominatives) of a verb, what grammarians call a resuming pronoun (either nous or vous) is used before the verb, unless the subjects are all in the third person, in which latter case no resuming pronoun is used. 13 parce qu'il n'y a pas de place sur le dessus; or, parce que le dessus est plein complet. 14 mais vous vous engagez à ne nous demander (or, prendre-faire payer) que le prix de l'impériale. n'est-ce pas ?' more;' see page 9, note 3 15 16 Très-bien (in this one sense). F "Is there anybody inside now?" inquired the voice. "My boy, "Then I ask the three passengers to witness this bargain, if they will be so good," said the voice. I think we may safely get in."2 In pursuance of which 3 opinion, two people took their seats in the vehicle,5 which was solemnly licensed by Act of Parliament to carry any six persons who could be got in at the door.6 9 "That was lucky!"7 whispered the old man, when they moved on again.8 "And a great stroke of policy in you to observe it. He, he, he ! 10 We couldn't have gone side. I should have died 12 of the rheumatism! 11 out Whether it occurred 13 to the dutiful son that he had in some degree overreached himself,14 by contributing to the prolongation of his father's days; or whether 15 the cold had affected 16 his temper; is doubtful.17 But he gave 18 his father such a nudge in reply, that that good old gentleman was taken with a cough which lasted for full five 19 1 voyageurs; passager is said generally of a traveller on the sea, but is beginning to be also applied to a railway traveller. 2 entrer (or, monter) en toute sûreté. 3 Conformément à cette. 4 deux individus prirent place. 5 véhicule (only used, in this sense, in familiar and jocose style, for voiture). 6 qui était solennellement autorisé, par patente, en vertu d'un Acte du Parlement, à porter, dans l'intérieur, toute personne, jusqu'au nombre de six, qu'on y pourrait faire entrer. Observe the following difference, not always heeded by English people: patente, 'a licence;' brevet, a patent.' 7 Nous avons eu de la chance. 8 quand la voiture se fut remise en route (or, fut repartie). 9 Et c'a été très adroit de ta part de; or, Et c'a été de ta part un grand coup de l'art de (or, more forcibly, que de). 10 Hi, hi, hi! 11 See page 38, note 5, and page 44, note 3 12 Remember that mourir, as well as some other neuter verbs, in French, is conjugated, in its compound tenses, with the auxiliary verb être, not with avoir. 13 S'il vint (or, Soit qu'il vint.subj.) dans l'idée. 14 qu'il s'était jusqu'à un certain point fait tort à lui-même (or, trahi lui-même). See p. 38, n. 13. 15 ou si (or, soit que,-or, ou que with the subj.). It is optional either to repeat soit, or to use ou, before the second member of the sentence. 16 influé (or, agi) sur. 17 c'est ce qu'il y a de douteux ; or, c'est que nous ne savons pas; or, ne saurions le dire; or, again, c'est là ce qui fait question. 18 See page 1, note 3, and various other references on this important point, which can hardly be too much insisted upon. 19 que le bonhomme. In this sense, bonhomme is spelt in one word. minutes, without intermission, and goaded Mr. Pecksniff to that pitch of irritation, that he said at last—and very suddenly 2 "There is no room! 3 there is really no room in this coach for any gentleman with a cold in his head! 66 Mine," "5 said the old man, after a moment's pause, "is upon my chest," Pecksniff." The voice and manner, together, now that he spoke out; the composure of the speaker; 10 the presence of his son; and his knowledge of 11 Mr. Pecksniff; afforded a clue to 12 his identity which 13 it was impossible to mistake. "Hem! I thought," said Mr. Pecksniff, returning to his usual mildness, "that I addressed 14 a stranger. I find that I address a relative. Mr. Anthony Chuzzlewit and his son Mr. Jonas-for they, my dear children, are our 15 travelling companions—will excuse me for an apparently harsh remark. It is not my desire to wound the feelings of any person with whom I am connected in family bonds.16 I may be a Hypocrite," said Mr. Pecksniff, cuttingly,17 "but I am not a Brute." Pooh, pooh!" 18 said the old man. "What signifies that word, Pecksniff? Hypocrite! why,19 we are all hypo 1 qui dura bien cinq minutes; or, qui dura cinq grandes minutes -cinq minutes bien comptées. 13 sur lesquels (page 9, note 6). 14 je croyais m'adresser (or, adresser la parole-page 7, note 2 et qui agaça les nerfs de M. 7) à. P15 — au point de lui faire dire à la fin, et très brusquement. 3 place. 4 pour les voyageurs enrhumés du cerveau. 5 Mon rhume. car ce sont eux-mêmes, mes chers (or, chères) enfants, que nous avons pour (no article is to follow). -The substantive enfant is of both genders; yet, in the plural, the feminine is seldom used. No 6 un moment d'intervalle (or, de tice that Mr. P. had only his silence). 7 est un rhume de poitrine. 8 manière de parler; or, ton. 9 tout ensemble, alors qu'il (see page 57, note 2) articulait (or, s'exprimait) distinctement-clairement -net-nettement. 10 le sang-froid de l'interlocu teur. 11 et le fait qu'il connaissait. 12 toutes ces circonstances étaient autant d'indices de. daughters, and no son, with him in the coach; else, of course, the feminine could by no means be used. 16 Je ne voudrais pas, moi, blesser une personne, quelle qu'elle soit, à qui m'unissent des liens de famille (or, les liens du sang). 17 d'un ton caustique. 18 Bah, bah! or, Allons donc, allons donc! 19 mais. |