22. The Very Horrific Life of Great Gargantua, father of Pantagruel - Chapter XLVI: ‘How Grangousier did very kindly entertain Touchfaucet his prisoner’ (1534) by François Rabelais (c.1494-c.1553)

Portrait of François Rabelais by an unidentified painter. Image credit: Wikipedia

The French author François Rabelais gave us the word ‘gargantuan’, from Gargantua, the name of one of the giants whose adventures he describes in four books published between the 1530s and the 1550s. He also gave us the word ‘rabelaisian’, generally taken to describe coarse humour.

Illustration by the French artist Gustave Doré (1832-83) for the works of Rabelais (1854). Image credit:  www.gutenberg.org

But Rabelais has serious things to say about the big issues of his time, including war and peace. Sometimes they are disguised, but in this extract from one of the books the message is clear.

Illustration by the French artist Gustave Doré (1832-83) for the works of Rabelais (1854). Image credit:  www.gutenberg.org 

The book published in 1534 and translated into English by Sr Thomas Urquhart as The Very Horrific Life of Great Gargantua deals largely with the Picrocholine war. Gargantua’s father, King Grangousier, is forced into war when he finds his country invaded by a neighbour, King Picrochole. The often ridiculous causes of war are satirised by Rabelais in a chapter dealing with a quarrel between aggressive cake bakers from Picrochole’s kingdom and Grangousier’s shepherds. 

The quarrel escalates into a battle, and then into a full-scale invasion of Grangousier’s kingdom, thanks partly to Picrochole’s choleric temperament and partly to his flattering courtiers who encourage their master in his belligerent plans.

Captain Touchfaucet, one of Picrochole’s counsellors, is captured after a skirmish and brought to Grangousier’s court:

‘Touchfaucet was presented unto Grangousier, and by him examined upon the enterprise and attempt of Picrochole, what it was he could pretend to, or aim at, by the rustling stir and tumultuary coil of this his sudden invasion. Whereunto he answered, that his end and purpose was to conquer all the country, if he could, for the injury done to his cake-bakers. It is too great an undertaking, said Grangousier; and, as the proverb is, He that grips too much, holds fast but little. The time is not now as formerly, to conquer the kingdoms of our neighbour princes, and to build up our own greatness upon the loss of our nearest Christian Brother. This imitation of the ancient Herculeses, Alexanders, Hannibals, Scipios, Caesars, and other such heroes, is quite contrary to the profession of the gospel of Christ, by which we are commanded to preserve, keep, rule, and govern every man his own country and lands, and not in a hostile manner to invade others; and that which heretofore the Barbars and Saracens called prowess and valour, we do now call robbing, thievery, and wickedness. It would have been more commendable in him to have contained himself within the bounds of his own territories, royally governing them, than to insult and domineer in mine, pillaging and plundering everywhere like a most unmerciful enemy; for, by ruling his own with discretion, he might have increased his greatness, but by robbing me he cannot escape destruction. Go your ways in the name of God, prosecute good enterprises, show your king what is amiss, and never counsel him with regard unto your own particular profit, for the public loss will swallow up the private benefit.’