4

when a cannon ball took off his head : 1 his body fell under his enemy, whom he was carrying off.2 Unnion immediately forgot his wound, rose up, tearing his hair,3 and then threw himself on the bleeding carcase, crying: "Ah, Valentine! was it 5 for me, who have so barbarously used thee, that thou hast died? I will not live after thee!" 6 He was not by any means to be forced from the body, but was removed with it bleeding in his arms, and attended with tears by all their comrades who knew their enmity. When he was brought to a tent, his wounds were dressed by force; 10 but the next day, still calling upon Valentine, and lamenting his cruelties to 11 him, he died in the pangs of remorse.—(Tatler.)

THE FOX WITHOUT A TAIL.12

A Fox being caught in a trap, was glad to compound for his neck by leaving his tail behind him ; 13 but, upon coming abroad into the world,14 he began to be so sensible of 15 the disgrace such 16 a defect would bring upon him,17 that he almost wished he had died rather than come away without it.18 However, resolving to make the best of a bad matter,19 he called a meeting of 20 the rest of the foxes, and proposed that all should follow his example. "You 1 lui emporta la tête; literally, tout sanglant. 'took off the head to him.' Notice this use of a personal pronoun and of the definite article, where the English use a possessive pronoun.

2 tomba, entraînant son ennemi dans sa chute; to avoid an awkward repetition of the verb emporter.

s'arrachant les cheveux; literally, 'tearing the hair to himself:' same remark as above.

4 cadavre sanglant: carcasse, in French, is said almost exclusively of the bones.

5

est-ce.-hast died; see p. 66, note 12.

6 Je ne veux pas te survivre. 7 Il n'y eut pas moyen de l'arracher du cadavre.

8 mais on l'enleva qui le tenait

9 Après qu'il eut été (p. 28, n. 5.) 10 malgré lui.-'to dress,' here, panser.

11 envers (see p. 36, n. 11).

12 sans queue.

13 fut fort aise d'y laisser sa queue pour sauver sa tête.

14 mais comme il allait entrer (or, était pour entrer) dans le monde. 15 il sentit si vivement. 16 See page 1, note -2. 17 See page 3, note 3.

18

qu'il en vint presque à souhaiter d'être mort plutôt que d'avoir échappé du piège ainsi écourté.

19 de tirer le meilleur parti de sa mésaventure; or, de faire bonne mine à mauvais jeu.

20 il assembla.

2

have no notion," said he, " of the ease and comfort with which I now move about: 1 I could never have believed it if I had not tried it myself; but really, when one comes to reason upon it, a tail is such an ugly, inconvenient, unnecessary appendage, that the only wonder is that, as foxes, we could have put up with it 3 so long. I propose, therefore, my worthy brethren, that you all profit by the experience that I am most willing to afford you, and that all foxes from this day forward cut off their tails."4 Upon this one of the oldest stepped forward, and said, "I rather think,5 my friend, that you would not have advised us to part with our tails, if there were any chance of recovering your own." 7-(JAMES's Fables of Esop.)

9

ON MODESTY.

MODESTY is a very good quality, and which generally accompanies true merit: it engages and captivates the minds of people; as, on the other hand, nothing is more shocking and disgustful than presumption and impudence. We cannot like a man who is always commending and speaking well of himself,10 and who is the hero of his own story. On the contrary, a man who endeavours to conceal his own merit, who sets that of other people in its true light,11 who speaks but little of himself, and with modesty, such a man makes a favourable impression upon the 1 de la facilité avec laquelle (p. 9, n. 6) je puis maintenant aller et venir.

2 que la seule chose dont on s'étonne, c'est que.

3 nous ayons pu l'endurer. 4 et que dorénavant tous renards se coupent la queue. page 11, notes 1 and 3.

les

See

M'est avis; or, J'ai idée. 6 de nous défaire de nos queues. The word queues is here in the plural, on account of its individual sense, whereas it has above (n. 4) a general signification.

la tienne.

8 Leave out 'and.'
9 Simply, les esprits.

10 qui veut toujours se faire valoir qui parle avantageusement de lui même. Notice that this turn, 'com mending and speaking of himself, is not allowed by the French gram mar, as commending' requires régime direct (accusative or objec tive case), and 'speaking' a régime indirect. Thus, e. g., we should say. Il attaqua la ville et s'en empara,not Il attaqua et s'empara de la ville (He attacked and took possession of the town.')

11 qui relève celui des autres

understanding of his hearers, and acquires their love and esteem.1

4

3

There is, however, a great difference between modesty and an awkward bashfulness,2 which is as ridiculous as true modesty is commendable. It is as absurd to be a simpleton as to be an impudent fellow; and one ought to know how to come into a room, speak to people, and answer them, without being out of countenance, or without embarrassment.5 The English are generally apt to be bashful, and have not those easy, free, and at the same time polite, manners which the French have.” ”— (CHESTERFIELD, Letters to his Son.)

THE ART OF PLEASING.

THE art of pleasing is a very necessary one to possess, but a very difficult one to acquire. It can hardly be reduced to rules;9 and your own good sense and observation will teach you more of it than I can. 10 Do as you would be done by,11 is the surest method that I know 12 of pleasing: observe carefully what pleases you in others, and probably the same things in you will please others. If you are pleased with 13 the complaisance and attention of others to your humours,14 your tastes, or your weaknesses, depend upon it,15 the same complaisance and attention 10 on your part to theirs will equally please them.17 Take the tone of the company that you are in,18 and do not pretend to give it; be serious, gay, or even trifling,19 as 20 you find 1 'such a man,' &c.; simply, de le soumettre) à des règles. gagne les esprits et se fait estimer et aimer.

2 et la mauvaise honte. 3 Simply, un effronté.

4 savoir se présenter; see p. 224, note 13

5 sans être décontenancé ou embarrassé.

sujets à la mauvaise honte. 7 Translate, which are natural to the French.'

8 est d'un grand secours à qui le possède; mais il n'est pas aisé de l'arquérir.

9 Il est difficile de l'assujettir (or,

10

que je ne (p. 30, note 11) pourrais vous en dire.

11 Agissez envers les autres comme vous voudriez que les autres agissent envers vous.- method;' moyen.

12 The subjunctive is generally used, in French, after a superlative. 13 sensible d.

24 Use the singular.
15 comptez que.

16 Translate, and the same attention.'

17 See page 31, note 7.

18 See p. 1, n. 12. 19 folâtre.
20 as, for according as,' aus

the present humour of the company: this is an attention due from every individual to1 the majority. Do not tell stories in company; there is nothing 2 more tedious and disagreeable if by chance you know a very short story, and exceedingly applicable to the present subject of conversation, tell it in as few words as possible; and even then throw out that you do not love to tell stories, but that the shortness of it 5 tempted you. Of all things, banish egotism out of your conversation, and never think of entertaining people with your personal concerns, or private affairs; though they are interesting to you, they are tedious and impertinent to everybody else,8 besides that one cannot keep one's own private affairs too secret.9 Whatever you think your own excellences may be,10 do not affectedly display them 11 in company; nor labour, as many people do,12 to give that turn to the conversation which 13 may supply you with an opportunity of exhibiting them.14 If they are real, they will infallibly be discovered,15 without your pointing them out yourself, 16 and with much more advantage. Never maintain an argument with heat and clamour, though you think or know yourself to be in the right,17 but give your opinion modestly and coolly, which is 18 the only way to convince; and, if that does not do,19 try to change the conversation by saying with 20 good humour: "We shall hardly con11 n'en faites point parade.

vant (or selon) que; or, more concisely, as well as more elegantly, as you find,' simply selon (according to).

Translate, which every individual must have for.'

2 See page 9, note 12.

12 See p. 3, n. 3.-nor labour;' ne cherchez point.

13 See page 10, note 3.
14 de les faire briller.
15 See page 8, note 15.

16 This turn is not French; we

3 qui puisse fort à propos s'ap- use sans que with the personal pro

pliquer.

4 donnez à entendre.

5 de celle-ci.

noun (vous, here), and the subjunctive. to point out,' here, prendre la peine de faire valoir.

quand même vous seriez (p. 252, n.) persuadé que vous avez raison. 18 c'est; or, but less elegantly here, in the way pointed out at page 8, note 6.

19 si cela (or, s'il-'if it') ne réussit pas.

20 en disant d'un ton de.

vince one another,1 nor is it necessary that we should ;2 so let us talk of something else." 3

At last, remember that there is a local propriety to be observed in all companies, and that what is extremely proper in one company may be, and often is, highly improper in another.

These are some 5 of the arcana necessary for your initiation in the great society of the world. I wish I had known them better at your age; I have paid the price of three and fifty years for them, and shall not grudge it if you reap the advantage. Adieu.-(CHESTERFIELD, Letters to his Son.)

THE LAZY MIND.

THE lazy mind will not take the trouble of going to the bottom of anything; 10 but, discouraged by the first difficulties (and everything worth knowing or having is attended with some),11 stops short, contents itself with easy and, consequently, superficial knowledge, and prefers a great degree of ignorance to a small 12 degree of trouble. These people either think or represent most things 14 as impossible, whereas few things are so to industry and activity.15 But difficulties seem to them impossibilities, or at least they pretend to think them so,16 by way of excuse

1 See page 38, note 13.

13

2 Translate as if the English were, besides, that is not necessary,' or, and that is not necessary. The conjunct. ni, in French, is only used to connect together two negative propositions, not a negative with an affirmative, as 'nor' does in English, and nec in Latin.

9 Use vouloir in the pres. indicat. 10 des choses.

11 (et tout ce qui mérite d'être su ou possédé a les siennes); or, (... mérite-vaut la peine-vaut-est digne d'être su ou possédé, or, qu'on le sache ou qu'on le possède, a... &c.).

12 'great,' haut; 'small,' faible. 13 Les paresseux considèrent. 14 la plupart des choses; or, presque toutes choses.

15 are so; see p. 5, n. 14. Yet here, we shall render the whole phrase more elegantly by, au lien. qu'il y en a très peu dont le travail et l'activité ne viennent à bout.

16 ils feignent de les croire telles.