the good Gargantua

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having taken leave of the good Gargantua,

Original French:  auoir prins cõngié du bon Gargantua,

Modern French:  avoir prins congié du bon Gargantua,



Notes

Gargantua

Gargantua. Rabelais, Œuvres de Rabelais. Tome Premier [Gargantua, Pantagruel, Tiers Livre] (1873)
Gargantua by Gustav Doré

Rabelais, François (1483?–1553), Œuvres de Rabelais. Tome Premier [Gargantua, Pantagruel, Tiers Livre]. Gustav Doré (1832–1883), illustrator. Paris: Garnier Frères, 1873. p. 66. Bibliothèque nationale de France

Gargantua

Gargantua
Le grant roy de Gargantua

Plan, Pierre-Paul, Bibliographie Rabelaisienne. Les éditions de Rabelais de 1532 à 1711. Catalogue raisonné descriptif et figuré, illustré de cent soixante-six facsimilés (titres, variantes, pages de texte, portraits). Paris: Imprimerie nationale, 1904. Internet Archive

Gargantua

Gargantua
Title page from 1537 edition of Gargantua. Paris, Denis Janot?

Plan, Pierre-Paul, Bibliographie Rabelaisienne. Les éditions de Rabelais de 1532 à 1711. Catalogue raisonné descriptif et figuré, illustré de cent soixante-six facsimilés (titres, variantes, pages de texte, portraits). Paris: Imprimerie nationale, 1904. Internet Archive

De l’origine & antiquité du grand Pantagruel

Et le premier fut Chalbroth, qui engendra Sarabroth, qui engendra Faribroth, qui engendra Hurtaly, qui fut beau mangeur de souppes & regna au temps du deluge, qui engendra Nembroth, qui engendra Athlas qui avecques ses espaules guarda le ciel de tumber, qui engendra Goliath, qui engendra Eryx [lequel feut inventeur du ieu des gobeletz], qui engendra Titius, [qui engendra Eryon:] qui engendra Polyphemus, qui engendra Cacus [qui engendra Etion, lequel premier eut la verolle pour avoir dormi la gueule baye comme tesmoigne Bartachim], qui engendra Enceladus, qui engendra Ceus, qui engendra Typhoeus, qui engendra Aloeus, qui engendra Othus, qui engendra Aegeon, qui engendra Briareus qui avoit cent mains…

Rabelais, François (1483?–1553), Pantagruel. Les horribles et espouvantables faictz & prouesses du tresrenommé Pantagruel Roy des Dipsodes, filz du grand geant Gargantua, Composez nouvellement par maistre Alcofrybas Nasier. Lyon: Claude Nourry, 1532. Ch. 1. Athena

Gargantua

Chapitre. vi. Comment le nom fut imposé à Gargantua: et comment il humoyt le piot.

Le bonhomme Grantgousier beuvant, et se rigollant avecques les aultres entendit le cris horrible que son filz avoit faict entrant en lumière de ce monde, quand il brasmoit demandant à boyre/ à boyre/ à boyre/ dont il dist, que grant tu as, supple le gousier. Ce que oyans les assistans, dirent que vrayment il debvoit avoir par ce le nom Gargantua, puis que telle avoyt esté la première parole de son père à sa nativité, à l’imitation et exemple des anciens Hebreux. A quoy fut condescendu par icelluy, & pleut tresbien à sa mère. Et pour l’appaiser, luy donnèrent à boyre à tirelarigot, et feut porté sus les fonts, et là baptisé, comme est la coustume des bons christians. Et luy feurent ordonnées dix et sept mille neuf cens vaches de Pautille, et de Brehemond: pour l’alaicter ordinairement, car de trouver une nourrice convenente n’estoit possible en tout le pais, consideré la grande quantité, de laict requis pour icelluy alimenter. Combien qu’aulcuns docteurs Scotistes ayent affermé que sa mère l’alaicta, et qu’elle pouvoit trayre de ses mammelles quatorze cens pippes de laict pour chascune fois. Ce que n’est vraysemblable. Et a esté la proposition declarée par Sorbone scandaleuse, et des pitoyables aureilles offensive, et sentant de loing heresie. En cest estat passa iusques à un an et dix moys, en quel temps par le conseil des medicins on commencza le porter, & fut faicte une belle charrette à boeufz par l’invention de Iean Denyau, et là dedans on le pourmenoit par cy/ par là, ioyeusement & le faisoyt bon veoir car il portoit bonne troigne, et avoyt presque dix et huyt mentons: & ne cryoit que bien peu, mais il se couchioyt à toutes heures, car il estoit merveilleusement phlegmaticque des fesses, tant de sa complexion naturelle, que de la disposition accidentale qui luy estoit advenue par trop humer de purée Septembrale. Et n’en humoyt poinct sans cause. Car s’il advenoyt qu’il feut despit, courroussé, faché, ou marry, s’il trepignoyt/ s’il pleuroyt, s’il cryoit, luy aportant à boyre, l’on le remettoyt en nature, & soubdain demouroyt quoy et ioyeux. Une de ses gouvernantes m’a dict, que de ce fayre il estoyt tant coustumier, qu’au seul son des pinthes & flaccons, il entroyt en ecstase, comme s’il goustoyt les ioyes de paradis. En sorte qu’elles considerant ceste complexion divine pour le resiouyr au matin faisoyent davant luy donner des verres avecques un cousteau, ou des flaccons avecques leur toupon, ou des pinthes avecques leur couvercle. Auquel son il s’esguayoit, il tressailoit, & luy mesmes se bressoit en dodelinant de la teste, monichordisant des doigtz, & baritonant du cul.

Rabelais, François (1483?–1553), La Vie Inestimable du Grand Gargantua, Pere de Pantagruel, iadis composée par l’abstracteur de quinte essence. Lyon: François Juste, 1534. Ch. 6. Athena

Gargantua

Chapter VII. After what manner Gargantua had his name given him, and how he tippled, bibbed, and curried the can.

The good man Grangousier, drinking and making merry with the rest, heard the horrible noise which his son had made as he entered into the light of this world, when he cried out, Some drink, some drink, some drink; whereupon he said in French, Que grand tu as et souple le gousier! that is to say, How great and nimble a throat thou hast. Which the company hearing, said that verily the child ought to be called Gargantua; because it was the first word that after his birth his father had spoke, in imitation, and at the example of the ancient Hebrews; whereunto he condescended, and his mother was very well pleased therewith. In the meanwhile, to quiet the child, they gave him to drink a tirelaregot, that is, till his throat was like to crack with it; then was he carried to the font, and there baptized, according to the manner of good Christians.

Immediately thereafter were appointed for him seventeen thousand, nine hundred, and thirteen cows of the towns of Pautille and Brehemond, to furnish him with milk in ordinary, for it was impossible to find a nurse sufficient for him in all the country, considering the great quantity of milk that was requisite for his nourishment; although there were not wanting some doctors of the opinion of Scotus, who affirmed that his own mother gave him suck, and that she could draw out of her breasts one thousand, four hundred, two pipes, and nine pails of milk at every time.

Which indeed is not probable, and this point hath been found duggishly scandalous and offensive to tender ears, for that it savoured a little of heresy. Thus was he handled for one year and ten months; after which time, by the advice of physicians, they began to carry him, and then was made for him a fine little cart drawn with oxen, of the invention of Jan Denio, wherein they led him hither and thither with great joy; and he was worth the seeing, for he was a fine boy, had a burly physiognomy, and almost ten chins. He cried very little, but beshit himself every hour: for, to speak truly of him, he was wonderfully phlegmatic in his posteriors, both by reason of his natural complexion and the accidental disposition which had befallen him by his too much quaffing of the Septembral juice. Yet without a cause did not he sup one drop; for if he happened to be vexed, angry, displeased, or sorry, if he did fret, if he did weep, if he did cry, and what grievous quarter soever he kept, in bringing him some drink, he would be instantly pacified, reseated in his own temper, in a good humour again, and as still and quiet as ever. One of his governesses told me (swearing by her fig), how he was so accustomed to this kind of way, that, at the sound of pints and flagons, he would on a sudden fall into an ecstasy, as if he had then tasted of the joys of paradise; so that they, upon consideration of this, his divine complexion, would every morning, to cheer him up, play with a knife upon the glasses, on the bottles with their stopples, and on the pottle-pots with their lids and covers, at the sound whereof he became gay, did leap for joy, would loll and rock himself in the cradle, then nod with his head, monochordizing with his fingers, and barytonizing with his tail.

Rabelais, François (1483?–1553), The Works of Francis Rabelas. Translated from the French by Sir Thomas Urquhart and Motteux; with explanatory notes, by Duchat, Ozell, and Others. Volume I [books 1, 2, and 3 to chapter 13]. Thomas Urquhart and Peter Motteux, translator. London: H. G. Bohn, 1851. Chapter 7. Internet Archive

Gargantua

Clef des allégories du Roman de Rabelais. Donnée au XVIIe siècle. Cette clef ne mérite pas d’etre prise au sérieux. Elle peut cependant donner une idée des interprétations arbitraires dont le Roman de Rabelais a été l’object, et nous n’avons pas jugé inutile de la reproduire.

Gargantua = François Ier

Rabelais, François (1483?–1553), François Rabelais. Tout ce qui existe de ses oeuvres. Louis Moland (1824–1899), editor. Paris: Garnier Frêres, 1884. xliii. Bibliothèque nationale de France

Gargantua

Gargantua. A giant.

1571 Golding Calvin on Psalms lxxiii. 8 Gyantes, or one-eyed Gargantuas.

1579 Fulke Heskins’ Parl. 164 Now riseth vp this Gargantua, and will proue..that one bodie may be in another.

1598 B. Jonson Ev. Man in Hum. ii. i, I’ll go near to fill that huge tumbrel-slop of yours with somewhat, an I have good luck: your Garagantua breech cannot carry it away so.

1600 Shakespeare As You Like It. iii. ii. 238 You must borrow me Gargantuas mouth first.

1651 Randolph, etc. Hey for Honesty ii. v, Mine are all diminutives, Tom Thumbs; not one Colossus, not one Gargantua among them.

1593 Harvey Pierce’s Supererog. Wks. II. 224 Pore I… that am matched with such a Gargantuist, as can deuoure me quicke in a sallat.

1596 Nashe Haue with you Wks. (Grosart) III. 49 This Gargantuan bag-pudding.

1619 Purchas Microcosmus xxvii. 267 His Gargantuan bellyed-Doublet with huge huge sleeves.

1630 Randolph Panegyr. to Shirley’s Gratef. Serv. A iij, My ninth lasse affords No lycophronian buskins nor can straine Garagantuan lines to Gigantize thy veine.

1866 Carlyle Remin. (1881) I. 146 While his wild home-grown Gargantuisms went on.

1893 Curwen Hist. Booksellers 276 Bogue’s small venture stood a poor chance against enterprise of this gargantuan scale.

Hence gargantuan, enormous, monstrous; also as gargantuan-bellied.

1593 Harvey Pierce’s Supererog. Wks. II. 224 Pore I… that am matched with such a Gargantuist, as can deuoure me quicke in a sallat.

1596 Nashe Haue with you Wks. (Grosart) III. 49 This Gargantuan bag-pudding.

1619 Purchas Microcosmus xxvii. 267 His Gargantuan bellyed-Doublet with huge huge sleeves.

1630 Randolph Panegyr. to Shirley’s Gratef. Serv. A iij, My ninth lasse affords No lycophronian buskins nor can straine Garagantuan lines to Gigantize thy veine.

1866 Carlyle Remin. (1881) I. 146 While his wild home-grown Gargantuisms went on.

1893 Curwen Hist. Booksellers 276 Bogue’s small venture stood a poor chance against enterprise of this gargantuan scale.


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Posted 9 February 2013. Modified 13 April 2020.

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