The works of F. Rabelais, M.D., or, The lives, heroic deeds and sayings of Gargantua and Pantagruel with a large account of the life and works of the author, particularly an explanation of the most difficult passages in them never before publish'd in any language / done out of French by Sir Tho. Urchard, Kt., and others.

CHAP. VII. After what manner Gargantua had his Name given him; and how he tippled, bibbed and curried the Can.

THE good Man Grangousier drinking and making merry with the rest, heard the horrible noise which his Son had made as he entered into the Light of this World, when he cried out, Some drink, some drink, some drink; whereupon he said in French, Que grand tuas & souple le gousier, that is to say, How great and nimble a throat thou hast; which the Company hearing, said, that verily the Child ought to be cal∣led Gargantua; because it was the first word that after his birth his Father had spoke in imitation, and at the Example of the an∣cient Hebrews; whereunto he condescended, and his Mother was very well pleased there∣with; in the mean while, to quiet the Child, they gave him to drink a tirelarigot, that is, till his throat was like to crack with it; then was he carried to the Font, and there bap∣tized, according to the manner of good Christians.

Immediately thereafter were appointed for him Seventeen thousand nine hundred and

thirteen Cows of the Towns of Pautille and Breemond to furnish him with milk in ordi∣nary; for it was impossible to find a Nurse sufficient for him in all the Country, con∣sidering the great quantity of milk that was requisite for his nourishment: although there were not wanting some Doctors of the Opinion of Scotus; who affirmed that his own Mother gave him suck, and that she could draw out of her Breasts one Thousand four hundred two Pipes and nine Pails of milk at every time.

Which indeed is not probable, and this point hath been found duggishly scandalous and offensive to tender Ears, for that it fa∣voured a little of Heresie: Thus was he hand∣led for one Year and ten Months, after which time, by the Advice of Physicians, they began to carry him Abroad, and then was made for him a fine little Cart drawn with Oxen, of the Invention of Ian Denio; wherein they led him hither and thither with great joy, and he was worth the seeing; for he was a fine Boy, had a burly Physi∣ognomy, and almost ten Chins; he cried very little, but beshit himself every hour: For to speak truly of him, he was wonder∣fully flegmatic in his Posteriors, both by reason of his natural Complexion, and the accidental disposition which had befallen him by his too much quaffing of the Septembral

Juice. Yet without a cause did not he sip one drop; for if he happened to be vexed, angry, displeased or sorry; if he did fret, if he did weep, if he did cry, and what grievous quarter soever he kept, bring him some drink, he would be instantly pacified, come to his own Temper, be in a good humour again, and as still and quiet as e∣ver. One of his Governesses told me (swearing by her Fig) how he was so accu∣stomed to this kind of way, that, at the sound of Pints and Flaggons, he would on a sudden fall into an Ecstacy, as if he had then tasted of the Joys of Paradise; so that they upon consideration of this his divine Com∣plexion, would every Morning to chear him up, play with a Knife upon the Glasses, on the Bottles with their stopples, and on the Pottle-pots with their lids and covers, at the sound whereof he became gay, did leap for joy, would loll and rock himself in the Cradle, then nod with his head, mono∣cordising his Fingers, and barytonising with his Tail.