The second book of the works of Mr. Francis Rabelais, Doctor in Physick treating of the heroick deeds and sayings of the good Pantagruel. Written originally in the French tongue, and now faithfully translated into English. By S.T.U.C.

CHAP. VI. How Pantagruel met with a Limousin, who too affestedly did counterfeit the French Language. (Book 6)

VPon a certain day, I know not when, Pantagruel walking after supper with some of his fellow-Students, without that gate of the City, through which we enter on the rode to Paris, encountered with a young spruce-like Scholar that was coming upon the same very way; and after they had sa∣luted one another, asked him thus; My friend, from whence comest thou now? the Scholar answered him: From the alme, in∣clyte and celebrate Academie, which is voci∣tated Lutetia. What is the meaning of this (said Pantagruel) to one of his men? It is (answer∣ed he) from Paris. Thou comest from Paris then (said Pantagruel,) and how do you spend your time there, you my Masters the Stu∣dents of Paris? the Scholar answered, We transfretate the Sequan at the dilucul and cre∣puscul,

we deambulate by the compites and quadrives of the Urb: we despumate the La∣tial verbocination: and like verisimilarie a∣morabons, we captat the benevolence of the omnijugal, omniform, and omnigenal foemi∣nine sexe: upon certain diecules we invisat the Lupanares, and in a venerian extase in∣culcate our veretres, into the penitissime re∣cesses of the pudends of these amicabili∣ssim meretricules: then do we cauponisate in the meritory taberns of the pineapple, the castle, the magdalene, and the mule, goodly vervecine spatules perforaminated with pe∣trocile; and if by fortune there be rarity, or penury of pecune in our marsupies; and that they be exhausted of ferruginean met∣tal, for the shot we dimit our codices, and oppugnerat our vestiments, whilest we pre∣stolate the coming of the Tabellaries from the Penates and patriotick Lares: to which Pantagruel answered, What devillish language is this? by the Lord, I think thou art some kind of Heretick: My Lord, no, said the Scholar; for libentissimally assoon as it illucesceth any minutle slice of the day; I demigrate into one of these so well architected minsters; and there irrorating my self with faire lustral water; I mumble off little parcels of some mis∣sick precation of our sacrificuls: and submur∣murating my horarie precules, I elevate and absterge my anime from its nocturnal inqui∣nations:

I revere the Olympicols: I latrially venere the supernal Astripotent: I dilige and redame my proxims: I observe the de∣calogical precepts; and according to the facul∣tatule of my vires, I do not discede from them one late unguicule; neverthelesse it is veriforme, that because Mammona doth not supergurgitate any thing in my locu••s, that I am somewhat rare and lent to superero∣gate the elemosynes to those egents, that ho∣stially queritate their stipe.

Prut, tut, (said Pantagruel,) what doth this foole mean to say? I think he is upon the forging of some diabolical tongue, and that inchanter-like he would charme us; to whom one of his men said, Without doubt (Sir) this fellow would counterfeit the Language of the Parisians, but he doth only flay the La∣tine, imagining by so doing that he doth high∣ly Pindarize it in most eloquent termes, and strongly conceiteth himself to be therefore a great Oratour in the French, because he dis∣daineth the common manner of speaking; to which Pantagruel said, Is it true? the Scho∣lar answered, My worshipful Lord, my genie is not apt nate to that which this flagitious Nebulon saith, to excoriate the cutule of our vernacular Gallick, but viceversally I gnave opere, and by vele and rames enite to locu∣pletate it, with the Latinicome redundance. By G—(said Pantagruel) I will teach you to

speak: but first come hither, and tell me whence thou art? To this the Scholar an∣swered: The primeval origin of my aves and ataves, was indigenarie of the Lemonick regi∣ons, where requiesceth the corpor of the ha∣giotat St. Martial; I understand thee very well (said Pantagruel,) when all comes to all, thou art a Limousin, and thou wilt here by the affected speech counterfeit the Parisiens: well now, come hither, I must shew thee a new trick, and handsomely give thee the combfeat: with this he took him by the throat, saying to him, Thou flayest the Latine; by St. Iohn I will make thee flay the foxe; for I will now flay thee alive: then began the poor Limousin to cry; Haw, gwid Maaster, haw, Laord, my halp, and St. Marshaw, haw, I'm worried: haw, my thropple, the bean of my cragg is bruck: haw, for gauads se••k, lawt my lean, Mawster; waw, waw, waw: Now (said Pantagruel) thou speakest naturally, and so let him go, for the poor Limousin had to∣tally berayed, and throughly conshit his breeches, which were not deep and large e∣nough, but round streat caniond gregs, ha∣ving in the seat a piece like a keelings taile; and therefore in French called de chausses, à queūe de merlus. Then (said Pantagruel) St. Alipantiu, what civette? si to the devil with this Turnepeater, as he stinks, and so let him go: but this hug of Pantagruels was such a

terrour to him all the dayes of his life, and took such deep impression in his fancie, that very often distracted with sudden affright∣ments, he would startle and say that Panta∣gruel held him by the neck; besides that it procured him a continual drought and desire to drink▪ so that after some few years he died of the death Roland in plain English called thirst▪ •• work of divine vengeance, shewing us that which sa••th the Philosopher and Aulus Gellius, that it becometh us to speak accord∣ing to the common language: and that we should (as said Octavian Augustus) strive to shun all strange and unknown termes with as much heedfulnesse and circumspection, as Pilots of ships use to avoid the rocks and banks in the sea.