L. 57. _à_, by. See note to p. 7, l. 211. Here is a thirteenth-century
instance of _à_ in the sense of _by_: 'Me gardez que ne soie prise
_à_ beste cuiverte,' _Berte_ (in LITTRÉ). Also this: '_à_ tous se fit
aimer,' _Berte_, where we find _à_ constructed with a passive infinitive
connected with _se laisser_ or _se faire_, a feature still extant in
the seventeenth century: 'Je _me laissai conduire à_ cet aimable guide,'
Racine, _Iphig_. II. i. 501. See Haase, § 125, Rem. ii. _à_ = _par_ has
lived on in such phrases as: faire faire un habit _à_ un tailleur, voir
dire, voir faire, entendre dire _à_ quelqu'un.
L. 71. _lecteur._ It was, in fact, with difficulty that Chénier was
prevailed upon to read out his poems. See below, l. 80, and p. 85, ll.
64-74.
L. 73. _Abel._ Abel-Louis-François de Malartic, Chevalier de Fondat,
1760-1804.