211 Book of Esther, iv. 14: "and who knoweth whether thou art not come to the kingdom for such a time as this?"
214 vain—"idle," "useless." Cf. "in vain."
216 ses saints = "his holy ones."
218 d'un enfant, and not d'une enfant, because the statement is general. The next line appeals to Esther directly, hence the fem. heureuse.
221 peuvent = "can avail."
226 Cf. Isaiah, xl. 17. "All the nations are as nothing before him; they are counted to him less than nothing."
227 trépas (from trans and low Latin passare) is the passing across the boundary of life. Cf. our two uses of "trespass."
230 que is here a survival from the very frequent construction which begins with c'est: c'est, sans doute, que. . .-Éprouver has either an active sense, "to put to the test," or a passive, "to experience."
232 The addition of bien to vouloir weakens the meaning from strong volition to condescension. Here: "has deigned." Cf. l. 357. Similarly aimer = "to love," but aimer bien = "to like."
234 en. See App. V, ii. C.