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. IV. Of the Infancie of Pantagruel. (Book 4)

I Finde by the ancient Historiographers and Poets, that divers have been borne in this world, after very strange manners, which would be too long to repeat; reade therefore the seventh chapter of Pliny, if you have so much leisure: yet have you never heard of any so wonderful as that of Pantagruel; for it is a very difficult matter to beleeve, how in the little time he was in his mothers belly, he grew both in body and strength. That which Hercules did, was nothing, when in his Cradle he slew two serpents; for those serpents were but little and weak: but Pantagruel being yet in the Cradle, did farre more admirable things, and more to be amazed at. I passe by here the relation of how at every one of his meales he supped up the milk of foure thousand and six hundred Cowes: and how to make him a skellet to boil his milk in, there were set a work all the Brasiers of Somure in Anjou, of Villedieu in Normandy, and of Bra∣mont in Lorraine: and they served in this whitepot-meat to him in a huge great Bell, which is yet to be seen in the City of Bourge

in Berrie, near the Palace; but his teeth were already so well grown, and so strength∣ened in vigour, that of the said Bell he bit off a great morsel, as very plainly doth appeare till this houre.

One day in the morning, when they would have made him suck one of his Cows, (for he never had any other Nurse, as the History tells us) he got one of his armes loose from the swadling bands, wherewith he was kept fast in the Cradle, laid hold on the said Cow under the left fore hamme, and grasp∣ing her to him, ate up her udder and half of her paunch, with the liver and the kidneys, and had devoured all up, if she had not cried out most horribly, as if the wolves had held her by the legs, at which noise company came in, and took away the said Cow from Pantagruel; yet could they not so well do it, but that the quarter whereby he caught her was left in his hand, of which quarter he gulp't up the flesh in a trice, even with as much ease as you would eate a salcige; and that so greedily with desire of more, that when they would have taken away the bone from him, he swallowed it down whole, as a Cormorant would do a little fish; and after∣wards began fumblingly to say, Good, good, good, for he could not yet speak plaine; gi∣ving them to understand thereby, that he had found it very good, and that he did lack

but so much more; which when they saw that attended him, they bound him with great cable-ropes, like those that are made at Tain, for the carriage of salt to Lyons; or such as those are, whereby the great French ship rides at Anchor, in the Road of New∣haven in Normandie. But on a certain time, a great Beare which his father had bred, got loose, came towards him, began to lick his face, for his Nurses had not throughly wiped his chaps, at which unexpected approach be∣ing on a sudden offended, he as lightly rid himself of those great cables, as Samson did of the haulser ropes wherewith the Phili∣stines had tied him, and by your leave, takes me up my Lord the Beare, and teares him to you in pieces like a pullet, which served him for a gorge-ful or good warme bit for that meale.

Whereupon Gargantua fearing lest the childe should hurt himself, caused foure great chaines of iron to be made to binde him, and so many strong wooden arches unto his Cradle, most firmely stocked and mortaised in huge frames: of those chaines you have one at Rochel, which they draw up at night betwixt the two great towers of the Haven: Another is at Lyons: A third at Angiers: And the fourth was carried away by the de∣vils to binde Lucifer, who broke his chaines in those dayes, by reason of a cholick that

extraordinarily torment him, taken with eating a Serjeants soule fried for his break∣fast, and therfore you may beleeve that which Nicolas de Lyra saith upon that place of the Psalter, where it is written, Et Og regem Ba∣san, that the said Og being yet little, was so strong and robustious, that they were faine to binde him with chaines of iron in his Cradle; thus continued Pantagruel for a while very calme and quiet, for he was not able so easily to break those chaines, espe∣cially having no room in the Cradle to give a swing with his armes. But see what hap∣pened, once upon a great Holiday, that his father Gargantua made a sumptuous banquet to all the Princes of his Court: I am apt to beleeve, that the menial officers of the house were so imbusied in waiting each on his proper service at the feast, that no body took care of poor Pantagruel, who was left a re∣culorum, behinde-hand all alone, and as for∣saken. What did he? Heark what he did, good people: he strove and essayed to break the chaines of the Cradle with his armes but coold not, for they were too strong for him: then did he keep with his feet such a stamp∣ing stirre, and so long, that at last he beat out the lower end of his Cradle, which not∣withstanding was made of a great post five foot in square: and assoon as he had gotten out his feet, he slid down as well as he could,

till he had got his soales to the ground; and then with a mighty force he rose up, carry∣ing his Cradle upon his back, bound to him like a Tortoise that crawles up against a wall; and to have seen him, you would have thought it had been a great Carrick of five hundred tunne upon one end. In this man∣ner he entred into the great Hall, where they were banquetting, and that very boldly, which did much affright the companie; yet because his armes were tied in, he could not reach any thing to eate, but with great pain stooped now and then a little, to take with the whole flat of his tongue some lick, good bit or morsel.

Which when his father saw, he knew well enough that they had left him without giving him any thing to eate, and therefore com∣manded that he should be loosed from the said chains, by the counsel of the Princes and Lords▪ there present: besides that, also the Physicians of Gargantua said, that if they did thus keep him in the Cradle, he would be all his life-time subject to the stone. When he was unchained they made him to sit down, where after he had fed very well, he took his Cradle, and broke it into more then five hundred thousand pieces with one blow of his fist, that he struck in the midst of it, swearing that he would never come into it again.