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Gargantua
Rabelais, François(Translator: Thomas Urquhart and Peter Antony Motteux)
Published:
1534
Type(s):
Novels
Source:
http://en.wikisource.org
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About Rabelais:
François Rabelais (c. 1494 - April 9, 1553) was a major French Renais-sance writer.
Also available on Feedbooks for Rabelais:
•
Pantagruel
(1532)•
The Third Book 
(1546)
Note:
This book is brought to you by Feedbooks.http://www.feedbooks.comStrictly for personal use, do not use this file for commercial purposes.
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The Author's Prologue to the First Book
Most noble and illustrious drinkers, and you thrice precious pockified blades (for to you, and none else, do I dedicate my writings), Alcibiades,in that dialogue of Plato's, which is entitled The Banquet, whilst he wassetting forth the praises of his schoolmaster Socrates (without all ques-tion the prince of philosophers), amongst other discourses to that pur-pose, said that he resembled the Silenes. Silenes of old were little boxes,like those we now may see in the shops of apothecaries, painted on theoutside with wanton toyish figures, as harpies, satyrs, bridled geese,horned hares, saddled ducks, flying goats, thiller harts, and other such-like counterfeited pictures at discretion, to excite people unto laughter,as Silenus himself, who was the foster-father of good Bacchus, was wontto do; but within those capricious caskets were carefully preserved andkept many rich jewels and fine drugs, such as balm, ambergris, amomon,musk, civet, with several kinds of precious stones, and other things of great price. Just such another thing was Socrates. For to have eyed hisoutside, and esteemed of him by his exterior appearance, you would nothave given the peel of an onion for him, so deformed he was in body,and ridiculous in his gesture. He had a sharp pointed nose, with the lookof a bull, and countenance of a fool: he was in his carriage simple, boor-ish in his apparel, in fortune poor, unhappy in his wives, unfit for all of-fices in the commonwealth, always laughing, tippling, and merrily ca-rousing to everyone, with continual gibes and jeers, the better by thosemeans to conceal his divine knowledge. Now, opening this box youwould have found within it a heavenly and inestimable drug, a morethan human understanding, an admirable virtue, matchless learning, in-vincible courage, unimitable sobriety, certain contentment of mind, per-fect assurance, and an incredible misregard of all that for which mencommonly do so much watch, run, sail, fight, travel, toil and turmoilthemselves.Whereunto (in your opinion) doth this little flourish of a preambletend? For so much as you, my good disciples, and some other jolly foolsof ease and leisure, reading the pleasant titles of some books of our in-vention, as Gargantua, Pantagruel, Whippot (Fessepinte.), the Dignity of Codpieces, of Pease and Bacon with a Commentary, &c., are too ready to judge that there is nothing in them but jests, mockeries, lascivious dis-course, and recreative lies; because the outside (which is the title) is usu-ally, without any farther inquiry, entertained with scoffing and derision.But truly it is very unbeseeming to make so slight account of the works
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