第 四 章 · How Gargamelle, being great

Chapter 1.IV.

How Gargamelle, being great with Gargantua, did eat a huge deal of tripes.

The occasion and manner how Gargamelle was brought to bed, and delivered of

her child, was thus: and, if you do not believe it, I wish your bum-gut

fall out and make an escapade. Her bum-gut, indeed, or fundament escaped

her in an afternoon, on the third day of February, with having eaten at

dinner too many godebillios. Godebillios are the fat tripes of coiros.

Coiros are beeves fattened at the cratch in ox-stalls, or in the fresh

guimo meadows. Guimo meadows are those that for their fruitfulness may be

mowed twice a year. Of those fat beeves they had killed three hundred

sixty-seven thousand and fourteen, to be salted at Shrovetide, that in the

entering of the spring they might have plenty of powdered beef, wherewith

to season their mouths at the beginning of their meals, and to taste their

wine the better.

They had abundance of tripes, as you have heard, and they were so

delicious, that everyone licked his fingers. But the mischief was this,

that, for all men could do, there was no possibility to keep them long in

that relish; for in a very short while they would have stunk, which had

been an undecent thing. It was therefore concluded, that they should be

all of them gulched up, without losing anything. To this effect they

invited all the burghers of Sainais, of Suille, of the Roche-Clermaud, of

Vaugaudry, without omitting the Coudray, Monpensier, the Gue de Vede, and

other their neighbours, all stiff drinkers, brave fellows, and good players

at the kyles. The good man Grangousier took great pleasure in their

company, and commanded there should be no want nor pinching for anything.

Nevertheless he bade his wife eat sparingly, because she was near her time,

and that these tripes were no very commendable meat. They would fain, said

he, be at the chewing of ordure, that would eat the case wherein it was.

Notwithstanding these admonitions, she did eat sixteen quarters, two

bushels, three pecks and a pipkin full. O the fair fecality wherewith she

swelled, by the ingrediency of such shitten stuff!

After dinner they all went out in a hurl to the grove of the willows,

where, on the green grass, to the sound of the merry flutes and pleasant

bagpipes, they danced so gallantly, that it was a sweet and heavenly sport

to see them so frolic.