BENJ.  W. Wells.

FOOTNOTES: 

[Footnote A:  Criticism of Scribe may be found in Brunetiere’s “Epoques du theatre francais;” Weiss, “Le Theatre et les moeurs;” Matthews, “French Dramatists,” p.78; Wells, “Modern French Literature,” p. 353.  Lanson, “Litterature francaise,” p.966, is perhaps unduly harsh.  For contemporary criticism of Scribe see Sainte-Beuve, “Portraits contemporains,” ii., 91 and 589.]

[Footnote B:  It originated in Italy as a pantomime with songs, which in seventeenth-century France became what we now call “topical.”  It is of this that Boileau says, “Le francais, ne malin, forma le vaudeville.” Later the pantomime yielded gradually to dialogue, and the vaudeville was tending to farcical opera when Scribe gave it a new direction.]

[Footnote C:  “Valerie” (1822) and “Le Mariage d’argent” (1827), both at the Theatre Francais.]

[Footnote D:  For the serial publication of one of these, “Piquillo Alliago,” he received from Le Siecle $12,000.]

[Footnote E:  Among them “La Juive,” “Fra diavolo,” “Robert le diable,” “Les Huguenots,” “Le Prophete.”]

[Footnote F:  Manifested most clearly in his “Histoire morale des femmes.”]

BATAILLE DE DAMES

Un duel en amour.

COMEDIE EN TROIS ACTES

PAR

Scribe et Legouve.

First represented at the Theatre Francais in 1851.

PERSONNAGES.

La comtesse D’AUTREVAL, nee Kermadio.

Leonie de la Villegontier, sa niece.

Henri de Flavigneul.

Gustave de Grignon.

Le baron de Montrichard.

Un sous-officier de dragons.

Un domestique.

La scene se passe au chateau d’Autreval pres de Lyon, en octobre, 1817.

BATAILLE DE DAMES.

ACTE PREMIER

Le theatre represente un salon d’ete[1] elegant.—­Deux portes laterales sur le premier plan.[2]—­Cheminee au plan de gauche.—­Une porte au fond.—­Gueridon a gauche.—­Petite table et canape a droite.

SCENE I

Au lever du rideau, CHARLES, en livree elegante et tenant a la main des lettres et des journaux, est debout devant un chevalet place a gauche du public.  LEONIE, entre par la porte du fond.

CHARLES, regardant le tableau pose sur le chevalet.  C’est charmant!... charmant!... une finesse! une grace!...