Page 159, line 20.—"Adopt" is rather too strong a word. "Take an interest in them" is all the original requires.
Page 164, line 4.—We use the phrase "within four walls" as synonymous with "in a room"; and in this case there would be three rooms or twelve walls (one of J. P.'s trivial niceties).
Page 168, line 21.—The fat-eye (exophthalmy it was wrongly rendered in the first editions) means such little globules of fat as show themselves, for instance, on the surface of bouilli, or marrow boiled down.
Page 169, line 7.—As army-cloth shrinks when wet, so Malt grows thin and falls away under the soaking of his tears.
Page 176, line 2. "It is a sin," &c.—There is a degree of obscurity in this sentence arising from the elliptical and allusive style Jean Paul employs; but the "innocent conditions" seems to mean the extent to which one may safely go in certain pleasures. Surgeons attend at the rack to tell how far torture may be carried without producing death;[[216]] but no physician is at hand to tell the poor prince how much he may enjoy without killing himself.
Page 177, line 11.—"Scholar-like"; more properly, tyro-like. The Germans hardly have a word corresponding to our scholar as meaning a scholarly man. Their Schüler means a learner, not one who is learned.
Page 178, line 7.—"Sprinkled him with rose-vinegar"; i. e. gently rebuked his moral indifference.
Page 178, line 9.—Luigi's father was lying on the coffin-board (or bier); and L. himself was in that state of stupidity, thick-headedness, and brazen-facedness which the proverb describes: "Er hat ein Bret vor dem Kopf."
Page 181, line 28.—"Fire-mounds," or, more exactly, fire-moles; described in the German works as feuer-rothe Muttermäler (fiery-red marks inherited from a mother).
Page 184, line 7.—"Leading-hounds,"—or pointers, which gives rather more effect to the surprise produced by saying, after the dash, instead of noses,—ears.—The allusion to le Cain of course has a double meaning, referring not only to the actor, but to the wicked and murderous brother.