Kabanata Kabanata 50 · Gargantua’s speech to the va

Chapter 1.L.

Gargantua’s speech to the vanquished.

Our forefathers and ancestors of all times have been of this nature and

disposition, that, upon the winning of a battle, they have chosen rather,

for a sign and memorial of their triumphs and victories, to erect trophies

and monuments in the hearts of the vanquished by clemency than by

architecture in the lands which they had conquered. For they did hold in

greater estimation the lively remembrance of men purchased by liberality

than the dumb inscription of arches, pillars, and pyramids, subject to the

injury of storms and tempests, and to the envy of everyone. You may very

well remember of the courtesy which by them was used towards the Bretons in

the battle of St. Aubin of Cormier and at the demolishing of Partenay. You

have heard, and hearing admire, their gentle comportment towards those at

the barriers (the barbarians) of Spaniola, who had plundered, wasted, and

ransacked the maritime borders of Olone and Thalmondois. All this

hemisphere of the world was filled with the praises and congratulations

which yourselves and your fathers made, when Alpharbal, King of Canarre,

not satisfied with his own fortunes, did most furiously invade the land of

Onyx, and with cruel piracies molest all the Armoric Islands and confine

regions of Britany. Yet was he in a set naval fight justly taken and

vanquished by my father, whom God preserve and protect. But what? Whereas

other kings and emperors, yea, those who entitle themselves Catholics,

would have dealt roughly with him, kept him a close prisoner, and put him

to an extreme high ransom, he entreated him very courteously, lodged him

kindly with himself in his own palace, and out of his incredible mildness

and gentle disposition sent him back with a safe conduct, laden with gifts,

laden with favours, laden with all offices of friendship. What fell out

upon it? Being returned into his country, he called a parliament, where

all the princes and states of his kingdom being assembled, he showed them

the humanity which he had found in us, and therefore wished them to take

such course by way of compensation therein as that the whole world might be

edified by the example, as well of their honest graciousness to us as of

our gracious honesty towards them. The result hereof was, that it was

voted and decreed by an unanimous consent, that they should offer up

entirely their lands, dominions, and kingdoms, to be disposed of by us

according to our pleasure.

Alpharbal in his own person presently returned with nine thousand and

thirty-eight great ships of burden, bringing with him the treasures, not

only of his house and royal lineage, but almost of all the country besides.

For he embarking himself, to set sail with a west-north-east wind, everyone

in heaps did cast into the ship gold, silver, rings, jewels, spices, drugs,

and aromatical perfumes, parrots, pelicans, monkeys, civet-cats,

black-spotted weasels, porcupines, &c. He was accounted no good mother’s

son that did not cast in all the rare and precious things he had.

Being safely arrived, he came to my said father, and would have kissed his

feet. That action was found too submissively low, and therefore was not

permitted, but in exchange he was most cordially embraced. He offered his

presents; they were not received, because they were too excessive: he

yielded himself voluntarily a servant and vassal, and was content his whole

posterity should be liable to the same bondage; this was not accepted of,

because it seemed not equitable: he surrendered, by virtue of the decree

of his great parliamentary council, his whole countries and kingdoms to

him, offering the deed and conveyance, signed, sealed, and ratified by all

those that were concerned in it; this was altogether refused, and the

parchments cast into the fire. In end, this free goodwill and simple

meaning of the Canarians wrought such tenderness in my father’s heart that

he could not abstain from shedding tears, and wept most profusely; then, by

choice words very congruously adapted, strove in what he could to diminish

the estimation of the good offices which he had done them, saying, that any

courtesy he had conferred upon them was not worth a rush, and what favour

soever he had showed them he was bound to do it. But so much the more did

Alpharbal augment the repute thereof. What was the issue? Whereas for his

ransom, in the greatest extremity of rigour and most tyrannical dealing,

could not have been exacted above twenty times a hundred thousand crowns,

and his eldest sons detained as hostages till that sum had been paid, they

made themselves perpetual tributaries, and obliged to give us every year

two millions of gold at four-and-twenty carats fine. The first year we

received the whole sum of two millions; the second year of their own accord

they paid freely to us three-and-twenty hundred thousand crowns; the third

year, six-and-twenty hundred thousand; the fourth year, three millions, and

do so increase it always out of their own goodwill that we shall be

constrained to forbid them to bring us any more. This is the nature of

gratitude and true thankfulness. For time, which gnaws and diminisheth all

things else, augments and increaseth benefits; because a noble action of

liberality, done to a man of reason, doth grow continually by his generous

thinking of it and remembering it.

Being unwilling therefore any way to degenerate from the hereditary

mildness and clemency of my parents, I do now forgive you, deliver you from

all fines and imprisonments, fully release you, set you at liberty, and

every way make you as frank and free as ever you were before. Moreover, at

your going out of the gate, you shall have every one of you three months’

pay to bring you home into your houses and families, and shall have a safe

convoy of six hundred cuirassiers and eight thousand foot under the conduct

of Alexander, esquire of my body, that the clubmen of the country may not

do you any injury. God be with you! I am sorry from my heart that

Picrochole is not here; for I would have given him to understand that this

war was undertaken against my will and without any hope to increase either

my goods or renown. But seeing he is lost, and that no man can tell where

nor how he went away, it is my will that his kingdom remain entire to his

son; who, because he is too young, he not being yet full five years old,

shall be brought up and instructed by the ancient princes and learned men

of the kingdom. And because a realm thus desolate may easily come to ruin,

if the covetousness and avarice of those who by their places are obliged to

administer justice in it be not curbed and restrained, I ordain and will

have it so, that Ponocrates be overseer and superintendent above all his

governors, with whatever power and authority is requisite thereto, and that

he be continually with the child until he find him able and capable to rule

and govern by himself.

Now I must tell you, that you are to understand how a too feeble and

dissolute facility in pardoning evildoers giveth them occasion to commit

wickedness afterwards more readily, upon this pernicious confidence of

receiving favour. I consider that Moses, the meekest man that was in his

time upon the earth, did severely punish the mutinous and seditious people

of Israel. I consider likewise that Julius Caesar, who was so gracious an

emperor that Cicero said of him that his fortune had nothing more excellent

than that he could, and his virtue nothing better than that he would always

save and pardon every man--he, notwithstanding all this, did in certain

places most rigorously punish the authors of rebellion. After the example

of these good men, it is my will and pleasure that you deliver over unto me

before you depart hence, first, that fine fellow Marquet, who was the prime

cause, origin, and groundwork of this war by his vain presumption and

overweening; secondly, his fellow cake-bakers, who were neglective in

checking and reprehending his idle hairbrained humour in the instant time;

and lastly, all the councillors, captains, officers, and domestics of

Picrochole, who had been incendiaries or fomenters of the war by provoking,

praising, or counselling him to come out of his limits thus to trouble us.