[186] All the “Keys” say that “the husband” of this paragraph and the following one was a certain Nicolas de Bauquemare, président de la deuxième chambre des requêtes au palais.
[187] Wives of a similar kind seem to have been Madame de Montespan, Madame de Sévigné, and Madame de la Fayette.
[188] This paragraph refers again to the président, mentioned on page 80, note 2, and to his wife, who was always called “DʼOns-en-Bray,” pronounced “DʼOsembray,” after a property belonging to her husband.
[189] Stupide had, in La Bruyères time, the meaning of “stupefied” as well as of “stupid.”
[190] It might have been expected that some of the “Keys” would have told us who Emira was, but this anecdote is either invented by La Bruyère or founded on a fact only known to him.
[191] La Rouchefoucauld, in the Maximes (1665), makes almost the same remarks, and so does Pascal in the Pensées (1670). It often happens that those two authors agree in their expressions and thoughts with La Bruyère, who carefully studied them before publishing his Caractères.
[192] Discordia fit carior concordia is a saying of the Latin poet Publius Syrus (104-41 B.C.)
[193] In the chapter “Of the Affections,” La Bruyère has borrowed a goodly number of ideas of Senecaʼs treatise De beneficiis; this is one of them.
[194] An imitation of another line of Publius Syrus: Ita amicum habeas, posse inimicum fieri ut putes.
[195] This paragraph was not very clear in the original. We have followed M. Destailleurʼs explanation.