Erich Auerbach
THE WO.RLD IN PANTAGRUEL'S MOUTH*
In the thirty-second chapter of his Second Book (which,
however, was the first written and published) Rabelais tells how Pan–
tagruel's army, during the campaign against the people of the Almy–
rodes (the "Salties"), is surprised on the road by a downpour; how
Pantagruel orders them to press close together, he can see above the
clouds that it is only a brief shower; and meanwhile he will provide
them with shelter. Whereupon he puts out his tongue
(seulement a
demi),
and covers them as a hen cover her chicks. Only the writer
himself
(je, qui vous fais ces tant veritables contes)
,
who had already
taken cover elsewhere, and now emerges from it, finds no room left
under the tongue-roof:
**
Doncques, Ie mieulx que je peuz, montay par dessus, et cheminay
bien deux lieues sus sa langue tant que entray dedans sa bouche.
M ais, aDieux et Deesses, que veiz je la? Jupiter me confonde de sa
fouldre trisulque
si
j'en mens. Je y cheminoys comme l'on faict en
Sophie a Constantinoble, et y veiz de grans rochiers comme les monts
des Dannoys, je croys que c'estoient ses dentz, et de grands prez, de
grandes forestz, de fortes et grosses villes, non moins grandes que
Lyon ou Poictiers. Le premier que y trouvay, ce fut un homme qui
plantoit des choulx. Dont tout esbahy luy demanday: ((Mon amy,
que fais tu icy?
-
Je plante, dist'il, des choux.
-
Et
a
quoy
ny comment, dis-je?
-
Ra, Monsieur, dist'il, Chacun ne peut avoir des
couillons aussi pesant q'un mortier, et ne pouvons estre tous riches.
Je gaigne ainsi ma vie, et les porte vendre au marche en la cite qui
est icy derriere.-Jesus, dis-je, il y a icy un nouveau monde?- Certes,
dist-il, n'est mie nouveau, mais l'on dist bien que hors d'icy y a une
*
This is Chapter XI of
Mimesis,
the first chapter of which, "The Scar of
Ulysses," appeared in our issue of May-June, 1950.
**
A translation of the following passage appears at the end of the article.
