Here is what you get from the Dictionary of the French Academy, 1694 : Mouche : Certain petit morceau de taffetas noir que les Dames se mettent sur le visage, ou pour cacher quelques eleveures, ou pour faire paroistre leur teint plus blanc. a "mouche" was a tiny spot of black taffeta that Ladies put (glue) on their face, to hide some small defects, or to make their complexion appear whiter...
Jean-Marie -------------- >Its getting a bit OT, but I think in the context 'mouche' on the ladies' >dressing tables refers to something other than 'flies'. I've found another >possible meaning: patch or ornament related to taffeta. > >Miles Dempster > > > >On Feb 25, 2014, at 12:44 PM, Jean-Marie Poirier <[email protected]> wrote: > >> Thank you Howard but Google is not completely up to point. Here is my >> translation, not very far from Google's but... >> >> There was at court (of Charles II of England) a certain Italianwho was >> famous for the guitar. He had genius for music, and he wa the only one who >> could do something with the guitar; but his composition was so gracious and >> so tender that he would have given harmony to the most ungrateful of all >> instruments. The truth is that nothing was more difficult than playing after >> his manner. The taste of the king for his compositions had made this >> instrument so fashionable that everybody would play it, good or bad, and on >> the ladies' dressing tables you would find a guitar as certainly as rouge >> and flies. >> >> The Duke of York could play it fairly well, and the count of Arran as well >> as Francisco himself. This Francisque had just composed a Saraband which >> charmed or afflicted everybody : because all guitar rakers at Court had >> started to learn it and God knows what a universal scraping that was ! >> >> At first sight but a bit more accurate than Google I hope ;-) ! >> >> Best, >> >> Jean-Marie >> Ps : Thank you for the precisions you gave me Ralf ! I feel reassured ;-) >> >> >> -------------- >> >>> >>> On Feb 25, 2014, at 8:44 AM, Jean-Marie Poirier <[email protected]> >>> wrote: >>> >>>> Here is the passage in question (I am confident that you can read French) : >>> >>> For those who can’t, I will helpfully offer a translation from Google >>> Language Tools. I think it speaks for itself. >>> >>> "He had some Italian in the Court, famous for the guitar. He had a genius >>> for music, and this is the only guitar could do something;., But its >>> composition was so gracious and so tender that it would have given the >>> harmony most ungrateful of all instruments. the truth is that nothing was >>> more difficult than playing his way. taste the king for his compositions >>> had made ​​the instrument so fashionable that all played upon the world >>> good or bad, and the toilet was beautiful also sure to see a guitar to find >>> the red and flies. >>> >>> The Duke of York played upon fairly, and the Earl of Arran as Francisco >>> itself. This Frantz had just made a sarabande or désoloit that charmed >>> everyone: for all guitarerie Court began to learn, and God knows the >>> Universal raclerie it was! " >>> -- >>> >>> To get on or off this list see list information at >>> http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html >> >> > > >--
