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. VI. How Gargantua was borne in a strange manner.

WHilest they were on this discourse, & pleasant tattle of drinking, Garga∣melle began to be a little unweil in her low∣er parts, whereupon Grangousier arose from off the grasse, and fell to comfort her very honestly and kindly, suspecting that she was in travel, and told her that it was best for her to sit down upon the grasse under the wil∣lows, because she was like very shortly to see young feet, and that therefore it was conve∣nient she should pluck up her spirits, and take a good heart of new at the fresh arrival of her baby, saying to her withal, that although the paine was somewhat grievous to her, it would be but of short continuance, and that the succeeding joy would quickly remove that sorrow, in such sort that she should not so much as remember it. On with a sheeps courage (quoth he) dispatch this boy, and we will speedily fall to work for the making of another. Ha (said she) so well as you speak at your own ease, you that are men; well then, in the name of God i'le do my best,

seeing you will have it so, but would to God that it were cut off from you: what? (said Grangousier) ha (said she) you are a good man indeed, you understand it well enough; what my member? (said he) by the goats blood, if it please you that shall be done instantly, cause bring hither a knife; a las, (said she) the Lord forbid, I pray Jesus to forgive me, I did not say it from my heart, therefore let it alone, and do not do it neither more nor lesse any kinde of harme for my speaking so to you; but I am like to have work enough to do to day; and all for your member, yet God blesse you and it.

Courage, courage, (said he) take you no care of the matter, let the four formost oxen do the work. I will yet go drink one whiffe more, and if in the meane time any thing befall you that may require my presence, I will be so near to you, that at the first whist∣ling in your fist, I shall be with you forth∣with: a little while after she began to groane, lament and cry; then suddenly came the mid∣wives from all quarters; who groping her be∣low, found some peloderies, which was a cer∣taine filthy stuffe, and of a taste truly bad e∣nough, this they thought had been the childe, but it was her fundament, that was slipt out with the molification of her streight intrall, which you call the bum-gut, and that meerly by eating of too many tripes, as we have

shewed you before: whereupon an old ugly trot in the company, who had the repute of an expert she-Physician, and was come from Brispaille near to Saint Gnou threescore yeers before, made her so horrible a restrictive, and binding medicine, and whereby all her Lar∣ris, arse-pipes and conduits were so opilated, stopped, obstructed, and contracted, that you could hardly have opened and enlarged them with your teeth, which is a terrible thing to think upon; seeing the Devill at the Masse at Saint Martins was puzled with the like task, when with his teeth he had lengthened out the parchment whereon he wrote the tittle tattle of two young mangy whoores; by this inconvenient the cotyle∣dons of her matrix, were presently loosed, through which the childe sprung up and leapt, and so entering into the hollow veine, did climbe by the diaphragm even above her shoulders, where that veine divides it self into two, and from thence taking his way towards the left side, issued forth at her left eare; as soone as he was borne, he cried not as other babes use to do, miez, miez, miez, miez, but with a high, sturdy and big voice shouted a loud, some drink, some drink, some drink, as inviting all the world to drink with him; the noise hereof was so extreamly great, that it was heard in both the Countreys at once, of Beauce and Bibarois. I doubt me that you

do not throughly beleeve the truth of this strange nativity, though you beleeve it not I care not much: but an honest man, and of good judgement beleeveth still what is told him, and that which he findes written.

Is this beyond our Law, or our faith? a∣gainst reason or the holy Scripture? for my part, I finde nothing in the sacred Bible that is against it; but tell me, if it had been the will of God, would you say that he could not do it? ha for favour sake (I beseech you) never emberlucock or inpulregafize your spirits with these vaine thoughts and idle conceits; for I tell you, it is not impossible with God, and if he pleased all women henceforth should bring forth their children at the eare; was not Bacchus engendred out of the very thigh of Jupiter? did not Ro∣quetaillade come out at his mothers heele? and Crocmoush from the slipper of his nurse? was not Minerva born of the braine, even through the eare of Jove? Adonis of the bark of a Myrre-tree; and Castor and Pollux of the doupe of that Egge which was laid and hatched by Leda? But you would won∣der more, and with farre greater amazement, if I should now present you with that chapter of Plinius, wherein he treateth of strange births, and contrary to nature, and yet am not I so impudent a lier as he was. Reade the seventh book of his Natural Hi∣story,

chapt. 4. and trouble not my head any more about this.