The first [second] book of the works of Mr. Francis Rabelais, Doctor in Physick, containing five books of the lives, heroick deeds, and sayings of Gargantua, and his sonne Pantagruel. Together with the Pantagrueline prognostication, the oracle of the divine Bachus, and response of the bottle. Hereunto are annexed the navigations unto the sounding isle, and the isle of the Apedests: as likewise the philosophical cream with a Limosm epistle. / All done by Mr. Francis Rabelais, in the French tongue, and now faithfully translated into English.

CHAP. L. Gargantua's speech to the vanquished.

Our forefathers and Ancestors of all times, have been of this nature and disposition, that upon the winning of a battel, they have chosen rather for a signe and memorial of their triumphs and victo∣ries, to erect trophies and monuments in the hearts of the vanquished by clemencie, then by architecture in the lands which they had conquered; for they did hold in greater esti∣mation, the lively remembrance of men purchased by liberality, then the dumb in∣scription of arches, pillars and pyramides, subject to the injury of stormes and tem∣pests, and to the envie of every one. You may very well remember of the courtesie, which by them was used towards the Bre∣tons, in the battel of St. Aubin of Cormier,

and at the demolishing of Partenay. You have heard, and hearing admire their gentle comportment towards those at the barreers of Spaniola, who had plundered, wasted and ransacked the maritime borders of Olone and Talmondois. All this hemisphere of the world was filled with the praises and con∣gratulations, which your selves and your fa∣thers made, when Alpharbal King of Ca∣narre, not satisfied with his own fortunes, did most furiously invade the land of Onyx, and with cruel Piracies molest all the Armorick islands, and confine regions of Britanie; yet was he in a set naval fight justly taken and vanquished by my father, whom God preserve and protect. But what? whereas o∣ther Kings and Emperours, yea those who entitle themselves Catholiques, would have dealt roughly with him, kept him a close pri∣soner, and put him to an extream high ran∣som: he intreated him very courteously, lodged him kindly with himself in his own Palace, and out of his incredible mildnesse and gentle disposition sent him back with a safe conduct, loaden with gifts, loaden with favours, loaden with all offices of friendship: what fell out upon it? Being re∣turned into his countrey, he called a Parlia∣ment, where all the Princes and States of his Kingdom being assembled, he shewed them the humanity which he had found in

us, and therefore wished them to take such course by way of compensation therin, as that the whole world might be edified by the ex∣ample, as well of their honest graciousnesse to us, as of our gracious honesty towards them. The result hereof was, that it was voted and decreed by an unanimous con∣sent, that they should offer up entirely their Lands, Dominions and Kingdomes, to be disposed of by us according to our plea∣sure.

Alpharbal in his own person, presently re∣turned with nine thousand and thirty eight great ships of burden, bringing with him the treasures, not only of his house and royal linage, but almost of all the countrey be∣sides; for he imbarking himself, to set saile with a West-North-East winde, every one in heaps did cast into the ship gold, silver, rings, jewels, spices, drugs, and aromatical parfumes, parrets, pelicans, monkies, civet-cats, black-spotted weesils, porcupines, &c. He was ac∣counted no good Mothers son, that did not cast in all the rare and precious things he had.

Being safely arrived, he came to my said father, and would have kist his feet: that action was found too submissively low, and therefore was not permitted, but in ex∣change he was most cordially embraced: he offfered his presents, they were not received,

because they were too excessive: he yielded himself voluntarily a servant and vassal, and was content his whole posterity should be liable to the same bondage; this was not ac∣cepred of, because it seemed not equitable: he surrendered by vertue of the decree of his great Parliamentarie councel, his whole Countreys and Kingdomes to him, offering the Deed and Conveyance, signed, sealed and ratified by all those that were concerned in it; this was altogether refused, and the parchments cast into the fire. In end, this free good will, and simple meaning of the Canarriens, wrought such tendernesse in my fathers heart, that he could not abstain from shedding teares, and wept most profusely: then by choise words very congruously adapted, strove in what he could to dimi∣nish the estimation of the good offices which he had done them, saying, that any cour∣tesie he had conferred upon them, was not worth a rush, and what favour soever he had shewed them, he was bound to do it. But so much the more did Alpharbal augment the repute thereof. What was the issue? where∣as for his ransom in the greatest extremity of rigour, and most tyrannical dealing, could not have been exacted above twenty times a hundred thousand crownes, and his eldest sons detained as hostages, till that summe had been payed, they made themselves per∣petual

tributaries, and obliged to give us e∣very year twomillions of gold at foure and twenty carats fine: The first year we received the whole sum of two millions: the second yeare of their own accord they payed freely to us three and twenty hundred thousand crowns: the third year six and twenty hun∣dred thousand; the fourth year three milli∣ons, and do so increase it alwayes out of their own good will, that we shall be constrained to forbid them to bring us any more. This is the nature of gratitude and true thank∣fulnesse. For time which gnawes and dimi∣nisheth all things else, augments and increa∣seth benefits; because a noble action of li∣berality done to a man of reason, doth gnaw continually, by his generous thinking of it, and remembring it.

Being unwilling therefore any way to de∣generate from the hereditary mildnesse and clemency of my Parents; I do now forgive you, deliver you from all fines and impri∣sonments, fully release you, set you at liber∣ty, and every way make you as frank and free as ever you were before. Moreover, at your going out of the gate, you shall have every one of you three moneths pay to bring you home into your houses and fami∣lies, and shall have a safe convoy of six hun∣dred cuirasiers and eight thousand foot un∣der the conduct of Alexander, Esquire of

my body, that the Clubmen of the Coun∣trey may not do you any injury. God be with you. I am sorry from my heart that Picro∣chole is not here; for I would have given him to understand, that this warre was un∣dertaken against my will, and without any hope to increase either my goods or renown: but seeing he is lost, and that no man can tell where nor how he went away, it is my will that his Kingdom remain entire to his sonne; who because he is too young, (he not being yet full five yeares old) shall be brought up and instructed by the ancient Princes, and learned men of the Kingdom. And because a Realm thus desolate, may easily come to ruine; if the covetousnesse and avarice of those, who by their places are obliged to ad∣minister justice in it, be not curbed and re∣strained: I ordain and will have it so, that Pono∣crates be overseer & superintendent above all his governours, with whatever power and au∣thority is requisite thereto, & that he be con∣tinually with the childe, until he finde him a∣ble & capable to rule and govern by himself.

Now I must tell you, that you are to un∣derstand how a too feeble and dissolute faci∣lity in pardoning evil-doers, giveth them oc∣casion to commit wickednesse afterwards more readily, upon this pernicious confi∣dence of receiving favour; I consider, that Moses, the meekest man that was in his time

upon the earth, did severely punish the mu∣tinous and seditious people of Israel: I consider likewise, that Julius Caesar, who was so gracious an Emperour, that Cicero said of him, that his fortune had nothing more excellent then that he could; and his vertue nothing better, then that he would alwayes save and pardon every man: He notwithstanding all this, did in certain pla∣ces most rigorously punish the authors of rebellion; After the example of these good men, it is my will and pleasure, that you de∣liver over unto me before you depart hence, first, that fine fellow Marquet, who was the prime cause, origin and ground-work of this warre, by his vain presumption and o∣verweening: secondly, his fellow-cakeba∣kers, who were neglective in checking and reprehending his idle haire-brain'd humour in the instant time: and lastly, all the Coun∣cellors, Captains, Officers and Domesticks of Picrochole, who had been incendiaries or fomenters of the warre, by provoking, prai∣sing or counselling him to come out of his li∣mits thus to trouble us.