Lick up the water, and the enterprise.
It resteth after those things to declare,
That those shall sit content who chosen are,
With all good things, and with celestial man (ne,)
And richly recompensed every man:
The others at the last all stripp’d shall be,
That after this great work all men may see,
How each shall have his due. This is their lot;
O he is worthy praise that shrinketh not!
No sooner was this enigmatical monument read over,
but Gargantua, fetching a very deep sigh, said unto
those that stood by, It is not now only, I perceive,
that people called to the faith of the gospel, and
convinced with the certainty of evangelical truths,
are persecuted. But happy is that man that shall
not be scandalized, but shall always continue to the
end in aiming at that mark which God by his dear Son
hath set before us, without being distracted or diverted
by his carnal affections and depraved nature.
The monk then said, What do you think in your conscience
is meant and signified by this riddle? What?
said Gargantua,—the progress and carrying
on of the divine truth. By St. Goderan, said
the monk, that is not my exposition. It is the
style of the prophet Merlin. Make upon it as
many grave allegories and glosses as you will, and
dote upon it you and the rest of the world as long
as you please; for my part, I can conceive no other
meaning in it but a description of a set at tennis
in dark and obscure terms. The suborners of
men are the makers of matches, which are commonly
friends. After the two chases are made, he that
was in the upper end of the tennis-court goeth out,
and the other cometh in. They believe the first
that saith the ball was over or under the line.
The waters are the heats that the players take till
they sweat again. The cords of the rackets are
made of the guts of sheep or goats. The globe
terrestrial is the tennis-ball. After playing,
when the game is done, they refresh themselves before
a clear fire, and change their shirts; and very willingly
they make all good cheer, but most merrily those that
have gained. And so, farewell!
End book 1
THE SECOND BOOK.
For the Reader.
The Reader here may be pleased to take notice that
the copy of verses by the title of ‘Rablophila’,
premised to the first book of this translation, being
but a kind of mock poem, in imitation of somewhat lately
published (as to any indifferent observer will easily
appear, by the false quantities in the Latin, the
abusive strain of the English, and extravagant subscription
to both), and as such, by a friend of the translator’s,
at the desire of some frolic gentlemen of his acquaintance,
more for a trial of skill than prejudicacy to any,
composed in his jollity to please their fancies, was
only ordained to be prefixed to a dozen of books, and
no more, thereby to save the labour of transcribing
