How women ordinarily have the greatest longing1 after things prohibited.
When I was, quoth Carpalin, a whoremaster at Orleans, the whole art of rhetoric2, in all its tropes and figures, was not able to afford unto me a colour or flourish of greater force and value, nor could I by any other form or manner of elocution pitch upon a more persuasive3 argument for bringing young beautiful married ladies into the snares4 of adultery, through alluring5 and enticing6 them to taste with me of amorous7 delights, than with a lively sprightfulness to tell them in downright terms, and to remonstrate8 to them with a great show of detestation of a crime so horrid9, how their husbands were jealous. This was none of my invention. It is written, and we have laws, examples, reasons, and daily experiences confirmative of the same. If this belief once enter into their noddles, their husbands will infallibly be cuckolds; yea, by God, will they, without swearing, although they should do like Semiramis, Pasiphae, Egesta, the women of the Isle10 Mandez in Egypt, and other such-like queanish flirting11 harlots mentioned in the writings of Herodotus, Strabo, and such-like puppies.
Truly, quoth Ponocrates, I have heard it related, and it hath been told me for a verity12, that Pope John XXII., passing on a day through the Abbey of Toucherome, was in all humility13 required and besought14 by the abbess and other discreet15 mothers of the said convent to grant them an indulgence by means whereof they might confess themselves to one another, alleging16 that religious women were subject to some petty secret slips and imperfections which would be a foul17 and burning shame for them to discover and to reveal to men, how sacerdotal soever their functions were; but that they would freelier, more familiarly, and with greater cheerfulness, open to each other their offences, faults, and escapes under the seal of confession18. There is not anything, answered the pope, fitting for you to impetrate of me which I would not most willingly condescend19 unto; but I find one inconvenience. You know confession should be kept secret, and women are not able to do so. Exceeding well, quoth they, most holy father, and much more closely than the best of men.
The said pope on the very same day gave them in keeping a pretty box, wherein he purposely caused a little linnet to be put, willing them very gently and courteously20 to lock it up in some sure and hidden place, and promising21 them, by the faith of a pope, that he should yield to their request if they would keep secret what was enclosed within that deposited box, enjoining22 them withal not to presume one way nor other, directly or indirectly23, to go about the opening thereof, under pain of the highest ecclesiastical censure24, eternal excommunication. The prohibition25 was no sooner made but that they did all of them boil with a most ardent26 desire to know and see what kind of thing it was that was within it. They thought long already that the pope was not gone, to the end they might jointly27, with the more leisure and ease, apply themselves to the box-opening curiosity.
The holy father, after he had given them his benediction28, retired29 and withdrew himself to the pontifical30 lodgings31 of his own palace. But he was hardly gone three steps from without the gates of their cloister32 when the good ladies throngingly, and as in a huddled33 crowd, pressing hard on the backs of one another, ran thrusting and shoving who should be first at the setting open of the forbidden box and descrying34 of the quod latitat within.
On the very next day thereafter the pope made them another visit, of a full design, purpose, and intention, as they imagined, to despatch35 the grant of their sought and wished-for indulgence. But before he would enter into any chat or communing with them, he commanded the casket to be brought unto him. It was done so accordingly; but, by your leave, the bird was no more there. Then was it that the pope did represent to their maternities36 how hard a matter and difficult it was for them to keep secrets revealed to them in confession unmanifested to the ears of others, seeing for the space of four-and-twenty hours they were not able to lay up in secret a box which he had highly recommended to their discretion37, charge, and custody38.
Welcome, in good faith, my dear master, welcome! It did me good to hear you talk, the Lord be praised for all! I do not remember to have seen you before now, since the last time that you acted at Montpellier with our ancient friends, Anthony Saporra, Guy Bourguyer, Balthasar Noyer, Tolet, John Quentin, Francis Robinet, John Perdrier, and Francis Rabelais, the moral comedy of him who had espoused39 and married a dumb wife. I was there, quoth Epistemon. The good honest man her husband was very earnestly urgent to have the fillet of her tongue untied40, and would needs have her speak by any means. At his desire some pains were taken on her, and partly by the industry of the physician, other part by the expertness of the surgeon, the encyliglotte which she had under her tongue being cut, she spoke41 and spoke again; yea, within a few hours she spoke so loud, so much, so fiercely, and so long, that her poor husband returned to the same physician for a recipe to make her hold her peace. There are, quoth the physician, many proper remedies in our art to make dumb women speak, but there are none that ever I could learn therein to make them silent. The only cure which I have found out is their husband’s deafness. The wretch42 became within few weeks thereafter, by virtue43 of some drugs, charms, or enchantments44 which the physician had prescribed unto him, so deaf that he could not have heard the thundering of nineteen hundred cannons45 at a salvo. His wife perceiving that indeed he was as deaf as a door-nail, and that her scolding was but in vain, sith that he heard her not, she grew stark46 mad.
Some time after the doctor asked for his fee of the husband, who answered that truly he was deaf, and so was not able to understand what the tenour of his demand might be. Whereupon the leech47 bedusted him with a little, I know not what, sort of powder, which rendered him a fool immediately, so great was the stultificating virtue of that strange kind of pulverized48 dose. Then did this fool of a husband and his mad wife join together, and, falling on the doctor and the surgeon, did so scratch, bethwack, and bang them that they were left half dead upon the place, so furious were the blows which they received. I never in my lifetime laughed so much as at the acting49 of that buffoonery.
Let us come to where we left off, quoth Panurge. Your words, being translated from the clapper-dudgeons to plain English, do signify that it is not very inexpedient that I marry, and that I should not care for being a cuckold. You have there hit the nail on the head. I believe, master doctor, that on the day of my marriage you will be so much taken up with your patients, or otherwise so seriously employed, that we shall not enjoy your company. Sir, I will heartily50 excuse your absence.
Stercus et urina medici sunt prandia prima.
Ex aliis paleas, ex istis collige grana.
You are mistaken, quoth Rondibilis, in the second verse of our distich, for it ought to run thus —
Nobis sunt signa, vobis sunt prandia digna.
If my wife at any time prove to be unwell and ill at ease, I will look upon the water which she shall have made in an urinal glass, quoth Rondibilis, grope her pulse, and see the disposition51 of her hypogaster, together with her umbilicary parts — according to the prescript rule of Hippocrates, 2. Aph. 35 — before I proceed any further in the cure of her distemper. No, no, quoth Panurge, that will be but to little purpose. Such a feat52 is for the practice of us that are lawyers, who have the rubric, De ventre inspiciendo. Do not therefore trouble yourself about it, master doctor; I will provide for her a plaster of warm guts53. Do not neglect your more urgent occasions otherwhere for coming to my wedding. I will send you some supply of victuals54 to your own house, without putting you to the trouble of coming abroad, and you shall always be my special friend. With this, approaching somewhat nearer to him, he clapped into his hand, without the speaking of so much as one word, four rose nobles. Rondibilis did shut his fist upon them right kindly55; yet, as if it had displeased56 him to make acceptance of such golden presents, he in a start, as if he had been wroth, said, He he, he, he, he! there was no need of anything; I thank you nevertheless. From wicked folks I never get enough, and I from honest people refuse nothing. I shall be always, sir, at your command. Provided that I pay you well, quoth Panurge. That, quoth Rondibilis, is understood.
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1
longing
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| n.（for）渴望 | |
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rhetoric
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| n.修辞学，浮夸之言语 | |
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persuasive
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| adj.有说服力的，能说得使人相信的 | |
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snares
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| n.陷阱( snare的名词复数 )；圈套；诱人遭受失败（丢脸、损失等）的东西；诱惑物v.用罗网捕捉，诱陷，陷害( snare的第三人称单数 ) | |
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alluring
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| adj.吸引人的，迷人的 | |
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enticing
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| adj.迷人的；诱人的 | |
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amorous
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| adj.多情的；有关爱情的 | |
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remonstrate
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| v.抗议，规劝 | |
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horrid
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| adj.可怕的；令人惊恐的；恐怖的；极讨厌的 | |
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isle
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| n.小岛，岛 | |
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flirting
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| v.调情，打情骂俏( flirt的现在分词 ) | |
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verity
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| n.真实性 | |
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humility
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| n.谦逊，谦恭 | |
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besought
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| v.恳求，乞求（某事物）( beseech的过去式和过去分词 )；(beseech的过去式与过去分词) | |
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discreet
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| adj.(言行)谨慎的；慎重的；有判断力的 | |
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alleging
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| 断言，宣称，辩解( allege的现在分词 ) | |
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foul
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| adj.污秽的；邪恶的；v.弄脏；妨害；犯规；n.犯规 | |
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confession
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| n.自白，供认，承认 | |
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condescend
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| v.俯就，屈尊；堕落，丢丑 | |
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courteously
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| adv.有礼貌地，亲切地 | |
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promising
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| adj.有希望的，有前途的 | |
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enjoining
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| v.命令( enjoin的现在分词 ) | |
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indirectly
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| adv.间接地，不直接了当地 | |
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censure
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| v./n.责备；非难；责难 | |
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prohibition
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| n.禁止；禁令，禁律 | |
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ardent
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| adj.热情的，热烈的，强烈的，烈性的 | |
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jointly
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| ad.联合地，共同地 | |
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benediction
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| n.祝福；恩赐 | |
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retired
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| adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的 | |
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pontifical
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| adj.自以为是的，武断的 | |
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lodgings
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| n. 出租的房舍, 寄宿舍 | |
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cloister
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| n.修道院；v.隐退，使与世隔绝 | |
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huddled
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| 挤在一起（huddle的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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descrying
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| v.被看到的，被发现的，被注意到的( descried的过去分词 ) | |
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despatch
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| n./v.(dispatch)派遣；发送；n.急件；新闻报道 | |
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maternities
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| 母性，为母之道（maternity的复数形式） | |
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discretion
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| n.谨慎；随意处理 | |
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custody
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| n.监护，照看，羁押，拘留 | |
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espoused
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| v.（决定）支持，拥护（目标、主张等）( espouse的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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untied
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| 松开，解开( untie的过去式和过去分词 )； 解除，使自由； 解决 | |
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spoke
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| n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说 | |
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wretch
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| n.可怜的人，不幸的人；卑鄙的人 | |
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virtue
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| n.德行，美德；贞操；优点；功效，效力 | |
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enchantments
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| n.魅力( enchantment的名词复数 )；迷人之处；施魔法；着魔 | |
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cannons
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| n.加农炮，大炮，火炮( cannon的名词复数 ) | |
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stark
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| adj.荒凉的；严酷的；完全的；adv.完全地 | |
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leech
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| n.水蛭，吸血鬼，榨取他人利益的人；vt.以水蛭吸血；vi.依附于别人 | |
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48
pulverized
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| adj.[医]雾化的，粉末状的v.将…弄碎( pulverize的过去式和过去分词 )；将…弄成粉末或尘埃；摧毁；粉碎 | |
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acting
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| n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的 | |
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heartily
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| adv.衷心地，诚恳地，十分，很 | |
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51
disposition
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| n.性情，性格；意向，倾向；排列，部署 | |
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52
feat
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| n.功绩；武艺，技艺；adj.灵巧的，漂亮的，合适的 | |
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53
guts
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| v.狼吞虎咽，贪婪地吃，飞碟游戏（比赛双方每组5人，相距15码，互相掷接飞碟）；毁坏（建筑物等）的内部( gut的第三人称单数 )；取出…的内脏n.勇气( gut的名词复数 )；内脏；消化道的下段；肠 | |
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victuals
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| n.食物；食品 | |
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kindly
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| adj.和蔼的，温和的，爽快的；adv.温和地，亲切地 | |
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displeased
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| a.不快的 | |
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