4

3

placed erect,1 titled on the outside 2 in 3 red letters, or rubrics, and appeared like a number of 5 small pillars on the shelves.

8

6

Our present paper surpasses all former materials for ease and convenience of writing.7 The first paper-mill in England was erected at Dartford, by a German, in 1588, who was knighted by Elizabeth; but it was not before 1713 that one 10 Thomas Watkins, all stationer, brought the art of paper-making to any perfection,12 and to the industry of this individual we 13 owe the origin of our numerous paper-mills. France had hitherto supplied England and Holland. . .

15

The ink of the ancients had nothing in 14 common with ours, but the colour and gum; but we possess none equal in beauty and 16 colour to what 17 they used. Gallnuts, copperas, and gum make up 18 the composition of our ink, whereas soot or ivory black was the chief ingredient in that of the ancients.

19

Ink has been made of various colours; we find gold and silver ink, and red, green, yellow, and blue inks; but the black is considered as the best adapted to its purpose.

ISAAC DISRAELI, "Curiosities of Literature.”

1 Erect, debout-2 titled on the outside, avec le titre à l'extérieur -3 in, en-4 or rubrics, autrement dit rubrique-5 and appeared like a number of, et faisaient l'effet d'autant de— present, d'aujourd'hui- surpasses, etc.......writing, surpasse en commodité toutes les substances qui l'ont précédé-8 see, for the construction, note 6, p. 4-9 it was not before, "it was only in"-10 one, un nommé— α, to be left out-12 brought......to any perfection, améliora sensiblement.... -13 and to......we, "and it is to......that we"- 14 in, de 15"we of it have not " nous n'en avons pas (see note ", p. 11)— 16 and, nor in"-17 equal......to what, "which equals......that which"-18 make up, constituent-19 inks, sing.

11

66

GEORGE CANNING.

75

9

GEORGE CANNING.*

5

15

Canning was a man to1 dazzle popular audiences 2 and persons who only saw him at a distance; but his colleagues took the measure of him, and we are certainly not blind to 7 his extraordinary abilities when we express our opinion that they had not a little ground 8 for acting as they did.10 A restless manœuvrer,11 an able but self-sufficient minister, a lover of clap-traps,12 and one who13 jests too freely, must expect to meet with opposition. The baffled 14 career of a man at once SO strong and so weak, so ambitious and so balked,16 is a great lesson, the effect of which ought not to be lessened by the attempt to lay17 the blame on other people.18 At this distance of time,19 one cannot help 20 having a kindness 21 for Canning, and wishing that he had been successful;22 but if he was disappointed in his aims,23 we are compelled, in all justice, to admit that the fault lay with himself.24

The Times, Oct. 26, 1859.

1 A man to, fait pour-2 audiences, assemblées-3 persons, ceux4 saw, imperfect-5 only......at a, ne...... .qu'à 6 took the measure of him, l'appréciaient à sa juste valeur-7 to, sur-8 not a little ground, de bonnes raisons-9 for acting, pour en agir-10" as they did it (see note, p. 17)-11 a restless manœuvrer, un esprit remuant et intrigant-12 a lover of clap-traps, qui se plaît à jeter de la poudre aux yeux-13 and one who, et qui-14 baffled, désappointée-15 at once, à la fois-16 balked, contrarié dans sa marche-17 the attempt to lay, la tentative faite pour en rejeter-18 other people, d'autres19 literally: "at the distance where we are"-20 one cannot help, nous ne pouvons nous empêcher de 21 a kindness, de l'indulgence22 that he had been successful, qu'il eût réussi-23 aims, desseins24 the fault lay with himself, c'est à lui-même qu'en fut la faute.

* George Canning was born in London, in 1770, and died in 1827.

3

5

A LADY CURED OF POLITICAL AMBITION.

When Madame de Stäel's book, "Sur la Révolution Française," came out, it made an extraordinary impression upon me. I turned, in the first place, as everybody did, eagerly to 2 the chapter on England; but, though my national feelings were gratified, my female pride was dreadfully mortified by what she says of the ladies of England; in fact, she could not judge of them. They were afraid of her. They would not come out of their shells. What she called timidity, and what I am sure she longed to call 7 stupidity, was the silence of overawed admiration, or mixed curiosity and discretion.9 Those who did venture had not full possession of their powers, 10 or in a hurry showed them in a wrong direction.11 She saw none of them in their 12 natural state. She asserts that, though there may be 13 women distinguished as writers in England, there are 14 ladies who have any great conversational and political influence in society,15 of that kind which, during

no

8

1 Came out, parut-2 I turned, in the first place, as everybody did, eagerly to, je lus tout d'abord avec empressement comme tout le monde-3 my female pride, ma fierté de femme (or: comme femme) -4 in fact, "the fact is that"-5 she could not judge of them, elle n'avait pas été à même de les juger-6 "I am sure of it"-" she longed to call, elle aurait volontiers appelé 8 overawed admiration, "admiration mixed of fear"-9 or mixed curiosity and discretion, ou d'une curiosité mêlée de discrétion-10 had not full possession of their powers, n'étaient pas pleinement maîtresses de leurs facultés1 or in a hurry......in a wrong direction, ou dans leur précipitation .....sous un faux jour-12 none......in their, aucune...... dans son— 13 there may be, il puisse y avoir-14 there are no, il ne s'y trouve pas de (see note a, p. 33)—15 who have any great conversational and political influence in society, qui aient une grande influence sociale dans les salons politiques et autres.

*Mme. de Staël was born at Paris in 1766, and died in 1817.

A LADY CURED OF POLITICAL AMBITION.

77

the ancien régime, was obtained in France by1 what they would call their femmes marquantes. ・ ・ ・

8

Between ourselves,' I suspect she was a little mistaken in some of these assertions; but be that as it may,5 I determined to prove that she was mistaken; I was conscious that I had more within me than I had yet brought out; I did not doubt that I had eloquence, if I had but courage to produce 10 it. It is really astonishing what all mischievous 12 effect those few 13 passages produced on my mind. In 14 London, one book drives out another15-one impression, however deep,16 is effaced by the next shaking of the sand; 17 but I was then in 18 the country; for, unluckily for me, Lord Davenant had been sent away on some special embassy.1 Left alone with my nonsense, I set about, as soon as I was able,20 to 21 assemble an audience around me, to exhibit myself in the character of a female politician; 22 and I believe I had a notion at the same time of being 23 the English Corinne. Rochefoucault,24* the dexterous anatomist of self-love, says that we confess our small

11

10

19

1 Of that kind which......was obtained in France by, comme celle dont jouissaient, en France......-2 what they... their, ce qu'on y ......les-3" between us"- she was...... ....mistaken, elle se trompait... -5 but be that as it may, quoi qu'il en soit—6 I was conscious, je sentais-7 I had more within me, que j'avais plus de talent-8 than I had yet brought out, que je n'en avais jusqu'à présent fait paraître — that I had, que je n'eusse (mark the idiomatic n')—1o produce, montrer- what a, quel-12 mischievous, pernicieux-13 few, "some" -14 in, "at"-15 see note ", p. 11-16 however deep, si profonde qu'elle soit-17 by the next shaking of the sand, aussitôt que le sable se trouve remué-18 in, à-19 on some special embassy, en mission spéciale-20 as I was able, que je le pus (or: que possible)—21 I set about......to, je m'occupai......de-22 of a female politician, de femme politique-23 I had a notion at the same time of being, l'idée me vint aussi d'être (or: je me mis aussi en tête d'être)—24 R., la R.

* See Biographical notice, No. 11, in Appendix.

faults to persuade the world that we have no larger

1

3

ones. But, for my part, I feel that there are some 2 small faults more difficult to me to large ones.

6

confess than any Affectation, for instance; it is something more than a crime; it is a make7 myself completely 8 Davenant was not by 9—it Our dear good 11 friend see it; 12 his regard 13 for

so little, so paltry; it is ridicule. I believe I did ridiculous; I am glad Lord lasted but a short time.10

Dumont could not bear to Lord Davenant urged him the more to 14 disenchant me, and bring me back, before his return, to my natural form. The disenchantment was rather rude.15

One evening after I had been snuffing up 16 incense till I was quite intoxicated,17 when my votaries had departed, and 18 we were alone together, I said to him, "Allow 19 that this is 20 what would be called 21 at Paris un grand succès." Dumont made no reply, but stood opposite to me playing in his peculiar 22 manner with

166 That we have not any of them larger," que nous n'en avons pas de plus grands (see note a, p. 11)-2 some, certaines-3 to, pour4 to, à-5 any large ones, n'importe quels grands,-literally : "matters not which large"-" so, "of so (see note, p. 56)— 7 make, see note 6, p. 2-8 completely, fort-or: on ne peut plus (so as to avoid: vraiment complètement)-9 by, présent (or: là)10"my folly, however, did not last long" (see note %, p. 16)-11" dear and good"-12 could not bear to see it, n'en put souffrir la vue— 13 his regard, "the esteem which he had" 16 urged him the more to, l'en porta d'autant plus à-15 rude, “hard”—16 after I had been snuffing up, que j'avais aspiré—17 till, etc., “to such an extent as to be quite intoxicated by it," au point d'en être, etc. (see note a, p. 35)—18 and, (see note a, p. 72)—19“ admit”—20 this is, see note, p. 13-21" what they (on) would call”—” in his peculiar, à sa.

a A "fault" committed against duty, an offence against any given rule, is une faute.-A "fault" in our disposition, an imperfection, a defect, is un défaut.

b I did make, etc., to be rendered "I truly made, etc." There is no form of verb in French answering to that use of do or did as a prefix to the verb by way of affirmation or emphasis. Its meaning must be conveyed by some such expression as vraiment, réellement, etc.