Act I of Monsieur de Poursignac by Molière, translated by Charles Herron Wall. This is the LibriVox recording or LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox.org. Persons represented. Monsieur de Poursignac, read by Thomas Peter. Oront, father of Julia, read by Alan Mapstone. Erast, lover to Julia, read by Leanne Yau. Sprygani, a Neapolitan adventurer, read by Larry Wilson. First physician, read by Todd. Second physician, read by Eva Davis. An apothecary, read by Frédéric Surger. Countryman, a peasant, read by Campbell Shelp. Countrywoman, a female peasant, read by Phon. First Swiss, read by Nima. Second Swiss, read by Phon. A police officer, read by Campbell Shelp. Julia, daughter to Oront. Read by Elsie Selwyn. Niren, an intriguing woman, supposed to come from Picardy, read by Sonia. Lucette, supposed to come from Gascony, read by Eva Davis. First lawyer, read by Campbell Shelp. Second lawyer, played by Major Toast. First man singer, read by Nima. Second man singer, played by Major Toast. Lady singer, read by Devorah Allen. Child one, read by Devorah Allen. Child two, played by Major Toast. Stage directions, read by Sandra Schmidt. The scene is in Paris. Act one, scene one. Erast, a lady singer, two men singers, several others performing on instruments, dancers. Erast to the musicians and dancers. Carry out the orders I've given you for the serenade. As for myself, I will withdraw, for I do not wish to be seen here. Scene two, a lady singer, two men singers, several others performing on instruments, dancers. Spread charming night, spread over every brow, The subtle scent of thy narcotic flower, And let no wakeful hearts keep vigil now, Save those enthralled by love's resistless power, More beautiful than day's most beauteous light, Thy silent shades were made for love's delight. Love is sweet when none our wills oppose, Than peaceful tastes our gentle hearts dispose, But tyrants reign who gave us birth in life. Ah, love is sweet when love is free from strife. All who strive against love must fall. Perfect love will conquer all. Let us love with an eternal ardour, Let parents frown and try in vain to cure, Absence, hardship, or cruel fortunes break, We'll only strengthen love when true and pure. First entry of the ballet, Dance of the two dancing masters. Second entry of the ballet, Dance of the two pages. Third entry of the ballet, Four spectators who quarreled during the dance, now dance, Sort in hand, fighting all the while. Fourth entry of the ballet, Two soldiers separate the combatants and dance with them. Scene 3 Julia Erast Nerine Oh, dear Eraste, take care that we are not discovered. I am so afraid of being seen with you. I would be lost after the command I have received to the contrary. I see nobody about. Julia to Nerine Just keep watch, Nerine, and be careful that nobody comes. Nerine going to the further end of the stage. Trust me for that, and say all you have to say to each other.  And do you think that we shall succeed in breaking off that marriage which my father has taken into his head? We are at least doing all we can for it, And we have ready many schemes to bring such an absurd notion to naught. Nerine running towards Julia. I say, here is your father. Ah, let us separate quickly. No, no, don't go. I made a mistake.  Yes, dear Julia. We have plenty of stratagems ready for the purpose. And in accordance with the permission you have given me, we will not hesitate to make use of every means. Do not ask me what it is we are going to do. You will have the fun of seeing it. And, as at a comedy, it will be nice for you to have the pleasure of being surprised without my letting you know beforehand what is going to take place. This is telling you that we have many schemes in hand for the occasion, and that our clever Nerine and the dexterous Spragani have undertaken to bring the affair to a successful issue. Yes, we have indeed.   Besides, are you made for a limousin? If he has taken it into his head to marry, why does he not take one of his own countrywomen, and let Christians be at peace? The very name of poor Soniac puts me in a frightful rage. Oh, I have boiled over with must you the poor Soniac. If it were only because of the name, I would do anything to prevent the match. No, you shall not be madame de poor Soniac. Poor Soniac. Was ever such a name heard of? No, I could never put up with poor Soniac, and we will abuse the man to such an extent and play him so many tricks that he will have to return to Limoges, Monsieur de poor Soniac. Here is economy apolitin, who will give us news. Scene four, Julia Erast Sprigani Nerin. Our man has just come, sir. I saw him at a place three leagues away from here where the coach stops, and I studied him for more than half an hour in the kitchen, where he went down to breakfast, and I know him now perfectly. As to his appearance, I will say nothing about it. You will see for yourselves what nature has done for him, and if his dress is not the very thing to set that off. But as for his understanding, I can tell you beforehand that it is amongst the dullest I have met with for a long time. We shall find in him a fit subject to work upon as we like. He is just the man to fall into all the traps laid for him. Is all that possible? Perfectly true, and I am skilled in the knowledge of men. Nerin pointing to Sprigani. This is a famous man, madam, and your affair could not be trusted to better hands. He is the hero of the age for the wonders he has performed. A man who, twenty times in his life, has generously braved the galleys to serve his friends, who at the peril of his arms and shoulders knows how to bring to a successful issue the most difficult enterprises, and who is, in short, banished from his country for I don't know how many honorable actions he has generously engaged in. I am ashamed to hear the praises with which you honour me, and I could most justly extol the marvellous things you did in your life. I could particularly speak of the glory you acquired when you cheated at play that young nobleman we brought to your house and won twelve thousand crowns from him, when you handsomely made that false contract which ruined a whole family, when with such greatness of soul you denied all knowledge of the deposit which had been entrusted to you, and so generously gave evidence which hung two innocent people. Ah, these are trifles not worth mentioning, and your praises make me blush. Ah, then I will spare your modesty. Let us leave that aside and speak of our business. To begin with, I will quickly rejoin our countrymen, while you on your side will see that all the other actors in the comedy are kept in readiness.  If it only depends on that, things will be sure to succeed. But, dear Julia, if everything were to fail, I will declare my real inclinations to my father. And if he persists and has designed in spite of your inclinations? I will threaten to shut myself up in a convent. But if, notwithstanding all that, he wished to force you to this marriage? Why, what would you have me say? What do I want you to say? Yes. What is said when one loves truly? But what? That nothing shall force you. That in spite of all your father can do, you promise to be mine. Ah, mere raste, be satisfied with what I do now, and leave the future alone. Do not perplex me in my duty by speaking of sad expedience to which we may not be obliged to have recourse. Allow me to be led by the course of events. Well. Sir, here is our man. Be careful. Ah, what a guy. Scene 5. Monsieur de Poursognac, Sprigani. Monsieur de Poursognac, turning to the side he came from and speaking to the people who are following him. Well, what is it? What is the matter? What do you want?  Nobody can walk a step without meeting a lot of asses, staring and laughing like fools at one. You boobies, mind your business and let folk pass without grinning in their faces. Deuce, take me if I don't knock down the first man I see laughing. Sprigani, speaking to the same people. What are you about? What is the meaning of such conduct?  Is it right to make fun like that of strangers who come here? Here is a man of sense at last. What matters and what is there to laugh at? Quite right. Is there anything ridiculous in this gentleman? I ask you. Is he not like other people? Am I crooked or hunchbacked? Learn to distinguish people. This gentleman's qualities call for your respect. Perfectly true. He is a person of quality. Yes, a gentleman from Limoges. A man of intelligence. Who has studied the law. He does you too much honour in coming to this town. I indeed. This gentleman has nothing in him that can make you laugh. Certainly not. And the first two laughs at him I will call to account. Sir, I am extremely obliged to you. I am sorry, sir, to see a person like you received after such a fashion. Your servant, sir. I saw you breakfasting this morning, sir, with the other passengers. And the grace with which you ate created in me at once a great friendship for you.  And to assist you among these people, who do not always behave to strangers of quality as they should. You are really very kind. I have told you already, the moment I saw you, I felt an inclination for you. I am greatly obliged to you. Your countenance pleased me. You do me much honour. I read honesty in it. I am your servant. Something amiable. Ah, ah. Graceful. Ah, ah. Sweet. Ah, ah. Majestic. Ah, ah. Frank. Ah, ah. And cordial. Ah, ah. Believe that I am entirely yours. I am greatly obliged to you. I speak from the bottom of my heart. I believe you. If I had the honour of being known to you, you would find that I am altogether sincere. I do not doubt it. An enemy to deceit. I feel sure of it. And that I am incapable of disguising my thoughts. It is exactly what I think. You look at my dress, which is not like that of other people, but I came originally from Naples at your service. And I always like to keep up the way of dressing as well as the sincerity of my country. You are quite right. For my part I was desirous of appearing in the court dress for the country.  Exactly what my tailor told me. The coat is suitable and rich. It will tell here among these people. You will go to the Louvre, no doubt. Yes, I must go and pay my court. The king will be charmed to see you. I believe so. Have you fixed upon rooms? No, I was going to look for some. I shall be very glad to go with you. I know all this city well. Oh, who is this? Do I see? What a happy meeting. Monsieur de Poissonniac. How delighted I am to see you. What? Anyone would think that you find it difficult to remember me? Sir, I am your servant. Is it possible that five or six years can have made you forget me? Do you not remember the best friend of the de Poissonniacs? Yes, yes. Aside to Spragani. Do take me if I know who he is. And there is not one of the de Poissonniacs of Limbogs that I do not know, from the greatest to the smallest. I visited only them during my stay there, and I had the honour of seeing you every day. The honour was mine, sir. You do not remember my face? Yes, yes. To Spragani. I don't know him a bit. You do not remember that I had the pleasure of drinking with you? I don't know how many times. Excuse me. To Spragani. I don't know anything about it. What is the name of that pastry cook who cooks such capital dinners? The Dijon. Just so. We used often to go there together to enjoy ourselves. How do you call that place where people go for a walk? The Cemetery of the Iran. Exactly. It is there I enjoyed so many happy hours of your pleasant talk. Don't you remember it all now? Pardon me. Ah, yes, I remember. To Spragani. Just take me if I do. Spragani, say to Monsieur de Poursognac. There are a hundred things like that which one is apt to forget altogether. Let us embrace, I pray, and renew our former friendship. Spragani, to Monsieur de Poursognac. This man seems to have a great affection for you. Tell me some news of all the family. How is that gentleman your... He who is such an honest man. My brother the Sheriff. Yes. He is as well as can be. I am delighted to hear it. And that good tempered man. You know, you're... My cousin the Assessor. Exactly.  It gives me much pleasure to hear it. And your uncle the... I have no uncle. But you had one in those days. No, only an aunt. Ah, it's what I meant. Your aunt. Madame... How is she? She died six months ago. Alas, poor women. She was so good too. We have also my nephew the Canon who almost died of the smallpox. What a pity if it had happened. Do you know him also? Indeed I do. A tall, handsome fellow. Not so very tall. No, but well shaped. Yes, yes. He's your nephew, isn't he? Yes. Son of your brother or your sister? True. A Canon of the Church of... How do you call it? St. Stephen. Just so. I don't know any other. Monsieur de Poursognac, tout sprigani. He knows all my relations. He knows you better than you think. You must have lived a long time in our town, I see. Two whole years. You were there then when our governor was Godfather to my cousin the Assessor's Child. To be sure, I was one of the first invited. The thing was well done. Very. The dinner was well got up. Yes, indeed. Then you must remember the quarrel I had with that gentleman from Perigot. Yes. He met with his match, eh? Ah! He slapped my face, but I played him back handsomely. Very handsomely. By the by, I shall not allow you to go to any other house but mine. I would not. Nonsense! I will not allow one of my best friends to go anywhere but to my house. It would be disturbed. No. Do you take it all? You shall stay with me. Sprigani, tout Monsieur de Poursognac. Since he will have it so, I advise you to accept. Where is your luggage? With my servant, where we stopped. Send some boys you to fetch it. No. I forbade him to let it go out of his sight for fear of swindlers. You did quite right. It is good to be cautious in this place. We always know a man of sense. I will accompany this gentleman and bring him back where you wish. Do so. I have a few orders to give, but you only need come to that house yonder. We will come back presently. Erast, tout Monsieur de Poursognac. I shall expect you with great impatience. Monsieur de Poursognac, tout Sprigani. I find an acquaintance when I little expect it to meet with one. He looks like an honest man. Exalant. Erast, alone. Ah. Monsieur de Poursognac, you will get it hot. Everything is ready, and I have only to give the word. So how? In there. Scene 7. Erast, an apothecary. I think so. That you are the doctor to whom somebody went to speak in my name. No, sir. I am not a doctor. Such an honour does not belong to me. I am only an unworthy apothecary at your service. Is the doctor at home then? Yes, he is in there. Trying to get rid quickly of some patience. I will tell him that you are here. No, you may not disturb him. I will wait till he is done. I have to entrust to his care a certain relation of mine he was told about today. He is attacked with a sort of madness that we should like to see cured before we marry him to anyone. I know. I know all about it. I was there when he was told of this affair. Upon my word, sir. Upon my word. You could not apply to a more skillful doctor. He is a man who understands medicine thoroughly as well as I do my ABC. And who, where you to die for it, would not abate one yotah of the rules of the ancients. Yes, he always follows the high road. The high road, sir. And doesn't spend his time finding up marriness. For all the gold in the world he would not cure anybody with other medicines than those prescribed by the faculty. He is quite right. A patient should not wish to be cured unless the faculty consents to it. It is not because we are great friends that I speak so of him. But it is a pleasure to be his patient. And I had rather die by his medicines than be cured with those of another. For whatever may happen, we know for certain that things are always in due order.  A great comfort to a dead man. Certainly. It is pleasant to have died according to rules.  He is an expeditious man, expeditious. Sir, who likes to clear off his patience? And when there to die, the things is done in no time. There is, to be sure, nothing like going through the business quickly. Indeed, what is the use of handling of the matter and beating so long about the bush? One should know, offhand, the long and short of an illness. You are quite right. Why? It did me the honour of taking care of three of my children. They died in less than four days, whereas with another they would have lingered for more than three months. It is a blessing to have friends like these. Decidedly, I have still two children left, of whom he takes care as if they were his own. He attends them and physics them, has pleasant, without my interfering in the least. And very frequently, on my return from the city, I am quite surprised to find that they have been bled or purged by his direction. This is kind care indeed. Here it is! Here it is! Here it is coming! Scene 8. Erast, first physician, apothecary, countryman, countrywoman. Sir, he can hold out no longer. He says he feels the greatest pains imaginable in his head.  For in the disease by which he is attacked it is not his head, according to Galen, but the spleen which must give pain. However this may be, sir, he has had for the last six months a laxity with it. Well, that's right. It is a sign that his body is clearing. I will go and see him in two or three days. But if he dies before, mind you to not forget to give me notice, for it is not proper that a doctor should go to visit a dead man. Countrywoman to physician. My father, sir, is getting worse and worse. It is no fault of mine. I sent him remedies. Why does he not get better? How many times has he been bled? Fifteen times, sir, in twenty days. Fifteen times? Yes. And he does not get better? No, sir. It is a sign that the seed of the malady is not in the blood. He must be purged as many times, to see if it is in the humours. And if this does not succeed, we will send him to the bath. This is the Buidiao of physics. Scene nine. Erast first physician, apothecary. Erast to the physician. It was I, sir, who sent to you a few days ago about a relation of mine, who is not quite right in his mind. And I want him to live in your house, as it would be more convenient for you to attend to him, and to prevent him from being seen by too many people. Yes, sir. I have got everything ready, and I will take the utmost care of him. Here he is. That is most fortunate, for I have with me just now an old physician, a friend of mine, with whom I should be glad to consult concerning this disorder. Scene ten. M. Deporsognac. Erast first physician, apothecary. Erast to M. Deporsognac. I am obliged to leave you a moment for a little affair which requires my presence. Showing the physician.  I am bound by my profession to do so, and it is enough that you should lay this duty upon me. M. Deporsognac, aside. It is a steward, no doubt. He must be a man of quality. First physician to Erast. Yes, sir. I assure you that I shall treat this gentleman methodically, and in strict accordance with the rules of our art. Indeed, I do not ask for so much ceremony, and I have not come here to trouble you so. Such a duty is a pleasure to me. Erast to first physician. Nevertheless, here are ten persolas beforehand, as an earnest of what I have promised you. No, if you please. I won't hear of your spending anything on my account, nor do I wish you to send for anything particular for me. Oh, pray, do not trouble yourself. It is not for that you imagine. I beg of you to treat me only as a friend. It is exactly what I mean to do. Aside to the physician. I particularly recommend you not to let him slip out of your hands. For at times he tries to escape. You need not fear. Erast to Monsieur de Poursognac. Pray, excuse the incivility I commit. A tone to mention it. You are really too kind. Scene 11. Monsieur de Poursognac, first physician, second physician, apothecary. It is a great honour to me to be chosen to do you a service. I am no servant. Here is a clever man, one of my brethren, with whom I will consult concerning the manner of our treating you. There is no need of so much ceremony, I tell you, I am easily satisfied. Bring some seats. Servants come in and place chairs. Monsieur de Poursognac, aside. These servants are rather dismal for a young man. Now, sir, take a seat, sir. The two physicians make Monsieur de Poursognac sit between them. Monsieur de Poursognac seated.  Each physician takes one of his hands and fills his pulse. What are you about? Do you eat well, sir? Yes, and drink still better. So much the worse. That great craving for cold and wet is a sign of the heat and aridity that is within. Do you sleep well? Yes, when I have made a hearty supper. Do you dream much? Now and then. Of what nature are your dreams? Of the nature of dreams. What the deuce is the meaning of this conversation? Have a little patience. We will reason upon your affair in your presence, and we will do it in the vulgar tongue so that you may understand better. What great reasoning is there wanted to eat a mouthful? Since it is a fact that we cannot cure any disease without first knowing it perfectly, and that we cannot know it perfectly without first establishing its exact nature and its true species by its diagnosis and prognosis, you will give me leave, you, my senior, to enter upon the consideration of the disease that is in question before we think of the therapeutics and the remedies that we must decide upon in order to affect a perfect cure. I say then, sir, if you will allow me, that our patient here present is unhappily attacked, affected, possessed, and disordered by that kind of madness which we properly name hypochondriac melancholy, a very trying kind of madness, and which requires no less than an escholopolis deeply versed in our art like you. You, I say, who have become gray and harness, as the saying hath it, and through whose hands so much business of all sorts has passed. I call it hypochondriac melancholy to distinguish it from the other two, for the celebrated Galen establishes and decides in a most learned manner, as is usual with him, that there are three species of the disease which we call melancholy, so called not only by the Latins, but also by the Greeks, which in this case is worthy of remark, the first which arises from a direct disease of the brain, the second which proceeds from the whole of the blood made and rendered atribilious, and the third termed hypochondriac, which is our case here, and which proceeds from some lower part of the abdomen and from the inferior regions, but particularly the spleen, the heat and inflammation whereof, sends up to the brain of our patients abundance of thick and foul full agonosities, of which the black and gross vapors cause deterioration to the functions of the principal faculty, and cause the disease by which he is manifestly accused and convicted. In proof of what I say, and as an incontestable diagnostic of it, you need only consider that great seriousness, that sadness, accompanied by signs of fearfulness and suspicion, pathognominic and particular symptoms of this disease, so well defined by the divine ancient hypocrites, that countenance, those red and staring eyes, that long beard, that habit of body, thin, amitiated, black, and hairy, signs denoting him greatly affected by the disease proceeding from a defect in the hypochondria, which disease by lapse of time, being naturalized, chronic, habitual, ingrained, and established within him, might well degenerate either into monomania, or into fethysis, or into apoplexy, or even into downright frenzy and raving. All this being taken for granted, since a disease well known is a disease half cured, or ignatinula escoratiomorobis, it will not be difficult for you to conclude what are the remedies needed by our patient. First of all, to remedy this obdurate plethora, and this luxuriant cacophony through the body, I opine that he should be freely pulmonomized, by which I mean that there should be frequent and abundant bleeding, first in the balsylic vein, and then in the cephalitic vein, and if the disease be obstinate, that even the vein of the forehead should be opened, and that the orifice be large, so that the thick blood may issue out, and at the same time, that he should be purged, de-obstructed, and evacuated by fit and suitable purgatives, that is, mycologous, and melancholous. And as the real source of all this mischief is either a foul and vectual humor, or a black and gross vapor, which obscures and poisons and contaminates the animal's spirits, it is proper afterwards that he should have a bath of pure and clean water, with abundance of way, to purify, by the water, the feckolency of the foul humor, and by the way to clarify the blackness of the vapor. But before all things, I think it desirable to enliven him by pleasant conversations, by vocal and instrumental music to which it will not be amiss to add dancers, that their movements, figures, and agility may stir up and awaken the sluggishness of his spirits, which occasions the thickness of his blood from whence the disease proceeds. These are the remedies I propose, to which may be added many better ones by you, sir, my master and senior, according to the experience, judgment, knowledge, and sufficiency that you have acquired in our art, and Dixie. Heaven forbid, sir, that it should enter my thoughts to add anything to what you have just been saying. You have discussed too well. I'm all the signs, symptoms, and causes of this gentleman's disease. The arguments you have used are so learned, and so delicate that it is impossible for him not to be mad and hypochondriacly and collic, or will he not, that he ought to become so, because of the beauty of the things you have spoken, and of the justness of your reasoning. Yes, sir. You have graphically depicted graphy stepping zeasty, everything that pertains to this disease. Nothing can be more learnedly, judiciously, and ingeniously conceived. Thought imagined than what you have delivered on the subject of this disease. Either as regards the diagnostic, the prognostic, or the therapeutic. And nothing remains for me to do, but to congratulate this gentleman upon falling into your hands, and to tell him that he is but too fortunate to be mad, in order to experience the gentle efficacy of the remedies you have so judiciously proposed. I approve them in total. Manibusse, pedibusse, descendo intum sententium. All I should like to add is to let all his bleedings and purgings be of an odd number, a numerodeus and party-golded, to take the way before the bath, and to make him a forehead-plaster, in the composition of which there should be salt. Salt is a symbol of wisdom, to whitewash the walls of his room, to dissipate the gloominess of his mind, albumess discrecitivum visis, and to give him a little injunction immediately to serve as a prelude and introduction to those judicious remedies, from which, if he is curable, he must receive relief. Heaven grant that these remedies, which are yours, sir, may succeed with the patient according to our wish. Gentlemen, I have been listening to you for the last hour. Are we acting a comedy here? No, sir. We are not acting a comedy. What does it all mean? What are you about with this gibberish and nonsense of yours? Insulting language. A diagnostic which was wanting for the conformation of his disease. This may turn to mania. Monsieur de Poursagnac, aside. With what kind of people have they left me here? He spits two or three times. Another diagnostic. Frequent expectation. Let us cease all this and go away. Another. Anxiety to move about. What is the meaning of all this business? What do you want with me? To cure you, according to the order we have received. Cure me? Yes. Sir Jeff, I am not ill. It is a bad sign when a patient does not feel his illness. I tell you that I am quite well. We know better than you how you are. We are physicians who see plainly into your constitution. If you are physicians, I have nothing to do with you. And I snub my fingers at all your physique. This man is madder than we thought. My father and mother would never have anything to do with the remedies. And they both died without the help of doctors. I do not wonder if they have begotten the son who is mad. To the second physician. Come, let us begin the cure. And through the exhilarating sweetness of harmony let us dulcify, lenify and pacify the acrimony of his spirits which, I see, are ready to be inflamed. Exhaunt. Scene 12. Monsieur de Poursagnac alone.  Ah, the people of this place crazy. I never saw anything like it. And I don't understand it a bit. Scene 13. Monsieur de Poursagnac, two physicians in grotesque clothes. They all three at first sit down. The physicians rise up at different times to bow to Monsieur de Poursagnac who rises up as often to bow to them in return. Good day, good day, good day. Do not let yourself be killed. From the other side of the melancholy we will make you laugh with our harmonious singing. We are here for you. Good day, good day, good day. Good day, good day, good day. You'll not yourself a prey to Melancholy's way.  Unto us your cure is dear. For that alone we're here. Good day, good day, good day. Altro non elapazia. Che malenconia. Il malato non e desperato. Si vuo piliar un poco d'alegria. Altro non elapazia. Che malenconia. Not else is madness true, save melancholy blue. Nor lost is he, though sick he be, who sips of mirth the dew. Not else is madness true, save melancholy blue. Su cantate ballate ridete. E si familio volete. Quando sentite il deliro vecino. Piliate di alvino. E qualche volta un poco di tabac. Allegremmente mor su por sognac. Up then sing loud and dance in play. Better still I do, you say. Delirium's nigh. If you must pine, take first some wine. And sometimes you take your tabac. Write joyfully mor su por sognac. Scene 14. Ballet. Scene 15. Monsieur de por sognac, an apothecary. Sir, here is a little remedy, a little remedy which you must take if you please, if you please. How? I have no occasion for anything of the kind. It was ordered, sir, it was ordered. What noise and bother. Take it, sir, take it. It's what do you no harm, it's what do you no harm. Monsieur de por sognac runs away. The apothecary, etc., after him. Scene 16. Monsieur de por sognac, an apothecary. Two physicians in grotesque clothes. Pilialo su, signor mon su. Pilialo, pilialo, pilialo su. Che non ti farra male. Take it, take it, sir. It will do you no harm. Che non ti farra male. Che non ti farra male. Che non ti farra male. Che non ti farra male. Take it, take it, sir. It will do you no harm. End of Act 1. Act 2 of Monsieur de por sognac by Molière. Translated by Charles Herron Wall. This is a LibriVox recording, or LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox.org. Act 2. Scene 1. First Physician, Sprigani. He has forced through every obstacle I had placed to hinder him, and has fled from the remedies I was beginning to prepare for him. To avoid remedies, sole saliateria is yours, is to be a great enemy to oneself. It is the mark of a disturbed brain, and of a depraved reason to be unwilling to be cured. You would have cured him for certain in no time. Certainly, though there had been the complication of a dozen diseases. With all that he makes you lose those fifty well-earned pistolets. I have no intention of losing them, and I am determined to cure him in spite of himself. He is bound and engaged to take my remedies, and I will have him seized, where I can find him, as a deserter from physics and an infringer of my prescriptions. You are right. Your medicines were sure of their effect, and it is so much money he takes from you. Where could I find him? No doubt at the house of that good man, Orante, whose doctor he comes to marry, and who knowing nothing of the infirmity of his future son-in-law will perhaps be in a hurry to conclude the marriage. I will go and speak to him at once. You should, injustice to yourself. He is in need of my consultations, and a patient must not make a fool of his doctor. That is well said, and if I were you I would not suffer him to marry till you have visit him to your heart's content. Leave that to me. Sprygani, aside and going. For my part I will bring another battery into play, for the father-in-law is as much of a dupe as the son-in-law. Seen to, Orante, first physician. A certain gentleman, sir, a monstier du postagnac, is to marry your daughter, is he not? Yes, I expect him from Limoge, and he ought to have been here before now. And he has come, he has run away from my house, after having been placed under my care. But I forbid you, in the name of the faculty, to proceed with the marriage you have decided upon, before I have duly prepared him for it, and put him in a state to have children well conditioned, both in mind and body. What is it you mean? Your intended son-in-law was entered as my patient. His disease, which was given me to cure, is a chattel which belongs to me, in which I reckon among my possessions. I therefore declare to you that I will not allow him to marry before he has rendered due satisfaction to the faculty, and submitted to the remedies which I have ordered for him. He is suffering from some disease? Yes. And from what disease, if you please? Don't trouble yourself about that. Is it some disease? Doctors are bound to keep things secret. Let it suffice you that I enjoin both you and your daughter not to celebrate the wedding without my consent, upon pain of incurring the displeasure of the faculty, and of undergrowing all the diseases which we choose to lay upon you. If that is the case, I shall take good care to put a stop to the marriage. He wasn't trusted to me, and he is bound to be my patient. Very well. It is in vain for him to run away. I will have him sentenced to be cured by me. I am very willing? Yes. He must either die or be cured by me. I consent to it. And if I cannot find him, I will make you answerable and cure you instead of him. I am in very good health. No matter. I must have a patient, and I will take anyone I can. Take whom you will, but it shall not be me. Alone. Did you ever hear of such a thing? Scene 3 Laurent Sprigani as a Flemish merchant By your leave, I pay one of Oran merchant, and would like to ask you one little news. What, sir? Put your hat on the head, sir, if you please. Tell me, sir, what you want. I tell nothing, sir, if you not put the hat on the head. Very well, then. What is it, sir? You not know in this town one Mr. Orante? Yes, I know him. And that for one man is he, sir, if you please. He is like any other man. I ask you, sir, if he one man of money is. Yes. But very much rich, sir. Yes. It does me much pleasure, sir. But why should it? It is, sir, for one little greater reason for us. But why? It is, sir, that this Mr. Orante is such a remarriage to a certain Mr. Ponyak gifts. Well. And this Mr. Ponyak, sir, is one man that owes which gold in ten or twelve Flemish merchants that come here. This Mr. Deporsanak owes a great deal to ten or twelve merchants. Yes, sir, for the last eight months we have obtained one little judgment against him, and he put off all the creditors till this marriage that Mr. Orante gives to his daughter. Ho, ho! So he puts off paying his creditors till then? Yes, sir, and with great devotion we all wait for this marriage. The idea is not bad. Allowed. I wish you good day. I thank the gentleman for the favor great. You're very humble servant. I pay, sir, more great obliged than all by the good news that Mr. Giffney. Alone after having taken off his beard and taken off the Flemish dress which he has put over his. Ah, things don't go badly. All is going swimmingly. I must throw off this disguise and think of something else. We will put so much suspicion between the father-in-law and his son-in-law that the intended marriage must come to nothing. They are both equally fit to swallow the baits that are laid for them, and it is mere child's play for us great sharpers when we find such easy goals. Scene 4 Monsieur de Poursonniac, Sprigani Monsieur de Poursonniac, thinking himself alone Pili aloussous, Pili aloussous, Monsieur de Poursonniac, what the deuce does it all mean? Scene, Sprigani. Ah, what is the matter, sir? What hails you? Everything I see seems injection. How is that? You can't think what has happened to me in that house where you took me. No, what has happened? I thought I should be well feasted there. Well, I leave you in this gentleman's hands. Doctors dressed in black, in a chair, feel the pulse and proof of what I say. He is mad, two big fat-faced fellows with large brimmed hats. One dee, one dee, six pantalooms. Ta-ra, ta-toy, ta-ra, ta-ta-toy. Alligrimendi, Monsieur Poursonniac. Take, sir, take, take, it is gentle, gentle, gentle. Pili aloussous, Pili aloussous, Pili aloussous, I never was so surfeted with absurdities in all my life. What does it all mean?  Is it possible? It is indeed. There were a dozen devils at my heels, and I had all the difficulty in the world to escape out of their clutches. Just fancy how deceitful people's looks are. I should have taken him for the most affectionate friend you have. It is a wonder to me how there can exist such rascals in the world. My imagination is full of it all, and it seems to me that I see everywhere a dozen injections threatening me. Ah, this is really too bad. How treacherous and wicked people are. Pray, tell me where Mr. Orante lives. I should be glad to go there at once. Ah. Ah, you are of a loving disposition, I see. And you have heard that Mr. Orante has a daughter? Yes. I am come to marry her. To marry her? Yes. In wedlock? How could it be otherwise? Oh, it is another thing, and I beg your pardon. What is it you mean? Oh, nothing. About pray? Nothing I tell you. I spoke rather hastily. I beg of you to tell me what it is. No, it is not necessary. Pray do. Oh no, I beg you to excuse me. What? Are you not one of my friends? Yes, certainly. Nobody more so. Then you ought not to hide anything from me. It is a thing in which a neighbour's honour is concerned. That I may oblige you to treat me like a friend. Here is a small ring I beg of you to keep for my sake. Let me consider a little, if I can, in conscience do it. Go the way a small distance from Mr. de Poursognac. He is a man who looks after his own interests. Who tries to provide for his daughter as advantageously as possible. And what should injure nobody? It is true that these things are no secret. But I shall be telling them to a man who knows nothing about it, and is forbidden to talk scandal of one's neighbour. All this is true. On the other hand, however, here is a stranger they want to impose upon, who comes in all good faith to marry a girl he knows nothing about, and whom he has never seen. A gentleman all open-heartedness for whom I feel some inclination, who does me the honour of reckoning me his friend, puts his confidence in me, and gives me a ring to keep for his sake. To Mr. de Poursognac. Yes, I think I can tell you how things are without wounding my conscience. But I must try to tell it all to you in the mildest way possible, and to spare people as much as I can. If I were to tell you that this girl leads a bad life, it would be going too far. I must find some milder term to explain myself. The word coquette does not come up to the mark. That of downright flirt seems to me to answer the purpose pretty well. And I can make use of it to tell you honestly what she is. They want to make a fool of me, then. But it may not be so bad as people think. After all, there are men who set themselves above such things, and who do not think that their honour depends upon— I am your servant.  Ah, here is the father. Who? This old man? Yes, allow me to withdraw. Scene five, Oronde, Monsieur de Poursognac. Good morning, sir. Good morning. Your servant, sir. Your servant. You are Monsieur Oronde, are you not? Yes. And I, Monsieur de Poursognac. Ah, indeed. Do you think, Monsieur Oronde, that the people of Limoges are fools? Do you think, Monsieur de Poursognac, that the people of Paris are arses? Do you imagine, Monsieur Oronde, that a man like me can be dying for a wife? Do you imagine, Monsieur de Poursognac, that a daughter like mine can be dying for a husband? Scene six, Monsieur de Poursognac, Julia Oronde. I have just been told, Father, that Monsieur de Poursognac has come. Ah, there he is. No doubt my heart tells me so. How handsome he is, how splendidly he holds himself, how pleased I am to have such a husband. Give me leave to kiss him and to show him. Softly, daughter, softly. Monsieur de Poursognac, aside. Hey there, at what a pace she goes, and how she takes fire. I should very much like to know, Monsieur de Poursognac, for what reason you... Julia approaches Monsieur de Poursognac, looks at him with a languishing look and tries to take his hand. How pleased I am to see you, and how impatient I am to... Hey, daughter, go away, will you? Monsieur de Poursognac, aside. What a free and easy young damsel. I should like to know what made you have the boldness to... Julia continues as above. Monsieur de Poursognac, aside. Bye, Jove. Oronde to Julia. Again? What do you mean? May I not kiss the husband you have chosen for me? No, go in. Allow me to look at him.  I should like to stop here, if you please. I will not suffer it. If you do not go in immediately, I... Very well then, I will go in. My daughter is a foolish girl who does not understand things. Monsieur de Poursognac, aside. How taken she is with me. Oronde to Julia, who has stopped. You won't go? When will you marry me to this gentleman? Never. You are not intended for him. I will have him. I will have him. You promised him to me. If I promised him to you, I take my promise back again. Monsieur de Poursognac, aside. She would feign eat me. Do what you will. We will be married in spite of everybody. I shall know how to prevent it. I forewarn you. What madness has taken hold of her? Scene 7. Oronde, Monsieur de Poursognac I say our intended father-in-law, don't give yourself so much trouble. I have no intention of running away with your daughter, and your pretence won't take it all. And yours will in no way succeed. Did you think that Leonardo de Poursognac is a man to buy a pig in a poke, and that she has not the sense to find out what goes on in the world, and to see if in marrying his honour is safe? I do not know what you mean. But did you take it into your head that a man of sixty-three years old has so little common sense, and so little consideration for his daughter, as to marry her to a man who has you know what, and who was put with a doctor to be cured? This is a trick that was practised upon me, and there is nothing the matter with me. The doctor told us so himself. The doctor told a lie. I am a gentleman. I will meet him a sword in hand. I know what I ought to believe, and you can no more impose upon me in this matter than about the debts that you are bound to pay on your marriage day. What debts? It is of no use to affect ignorance. I have seen the Flemish merchant who, with other creditors, obtained a decision against you eight months ago. What Flemish merchant? What creditors? What decision obtained against me? You know perfectly well what I mean. Scene eight. Monsieur de Poursognac, Oronde, Lucette. Lucette, pretending to be a woman from Languedoc.  Cance now ye rascals, cance look me in the face. What is it this woman wants? What do I want of thee, ye villain? These make wise need to know me, Dyson, and me Dyson turn to read another, impotent horse berth of the odd. Watch the wind and colour ver to look me in the face. To Oronde? I bear scythe, myster, and if it is you that they doze a wish ver to marry with the daughter, I shall mother I swear to you, I be the wife of an, and as there been be a gone when he was a travelling drooper's anus, he made out with falseness that ye north no will ver act ver to come over my heart, and so by one way or the other ver to get me ver to the army and ver to marry on. Oh, oh. The rascals left me drear afterwards, pretending that he'd got some business ver to do in his own country, and ever since I ain't a young ornus at all, but when I wouldn't think in nothing tol about ye, I would say as how he was a commoner into this your town ver to be a married again, we are another young omen, that her father and mother had a promise too, and thou know nothing how that he was a married of vore, do I start to ruckly and I become your to this your place, as in ze very possible good, ver to stop this wicked marriage, and ver to show up above all the world, the very wisest man that ever was. What wonderful impudence! Impurence! Bantu, ashamed of yourself, ver to make sport to me, stood to be unbroke down with inward feelings at the wicked art of ver to give thee. Do you mean to say that I am your husband? Thelin, just dare to say tinsel. Oh, these know well enough with luck to me, that is old Zoutou's gospel, and I wish to have into one's own, and that these are let me so innocent, and so quiet like in's I used to be, of all thy charms, and my trumpery bad luck made me ver to seek it all. I never shouldn't have been a brothel, ver to be the poor weesh thing that I'd be now, ver to see my man cool like, make a laugh in sport of all the love that I'd have borne, and laugh me about one beat a pity, ver the mortal pain of a bed, but the she-aimful waver soared me. Really, I feel quite ready to weep. Go, you are a wicked man. Scene 9 Monsieur de Poursognac, Dérin, Lucette, Oronde Dérin pretending to be from Piccadilly Oh, I can't stand not more. I'm rate-winded. Oh, good for a nod. Thou's made me run well for it. Thou'll not Skype me now. Justice! Justice! Ah, forbid the wedding. Tourne, he's my aim, man, master, and I should just like to have him strong up, the precious hangdog there. Another. What a devil of a man. And what be you, Tolenaux?  You're right, mrs. And I'm just his wife. That's a lie, then. It is me that's the real wife of him. And if he ought to vert behind, why, it is me that ought vert avid it, dude. Me? How can make not that sort of talk? I do tell ye that I pee his wife. His wife? It's fine. I tell ye once more that it's me that's just that. And I there was in the class as thou tears me my own soul. Two or four years gone at he wed me. Ah, mate, has there been no sense he took me thus wife? I can't prove all that I say. All my neighbours know it. Our town can well witness to it. I'll put thee in a seat as I'm married. I'll see in Quinton how about our wedding. Thou can't be more safe, huh? Thou can't be more certain. Lucette, to mrs. de Porsognac. This he dare to say, oh, can it not reveal him? Nérin, to mrs. de Porsognac. Can't thou deny me wicked man? One is as true as the other. What a haemperance! What a rogue!   They'd be the outcomans of our marriage. Just look this cheek. What? Thou'st forgot your poor chill? Our little Maggie. Thou'st left me for pleasure dath faith. What impudent jades! You're Frankie. You're Cheney. Come both of thee. Come both of thee. Make a bad rascal of a father own to our weasels. Sword all of us. Come here, the Maggie, my sheil. Come here quick. And shame your father of the impudence of the scotten. Cinten, mrs. de Porsognac, Oronde, Lucette, Nérin, several children. Father, father, father! Do take the little brats. What she veer, then? Artany fit to drab her, to talk to your children auto-disparsing. And to keep these eyes vast, fear the mid-show, a leg of father to one. These she can get away from me, the scaliest oars-bird. Or polly thee every place, and cry out thee wickedness, Genniver saw of thee out. And Genniver made thee swing. Rascal I should like ver to make thee swing for it. And that I should. We'll not blush to spake ye on words. And to take no thought of the kissing on yon poor sheil. Thou not get clear my claws, I can tell thee. And spite of thy showing thy teeth, I'll make thee know at arm thou wife. And I'll make thee hang for it. Father, father, father! Father, help, help, where shall I run? Go! You will do right to have him punished. And he richly deserves to be hanged. Scene 11. Sprygani alone. Ah, everything has been done according to my wish, and is succeeding admirably. We will so weary out our provincial, that he will only be too thankful to leave the place. Scene 12. Monsieur de Poursognac. Sprygani. Ah, I murdered what vexation! What a cursed town! Assassinated everywhere! What is it, sir, as anything you happened? Yes. It rains doctors and women in this country. How is that? Two jabbering jades have just been accusing me of being married to both of them, and have threatened me with justice. Ah, this is bad business for, in this country, justice is terribly rigorous against that sort of crime. Yes. But even if there should be information, reputation, decree, and verdict obtained by surprise, default and controversy, I have still the alternative of a conflict of jurisdiction to gain time, and a resort to the means of nullity that will be found in the court case. The very terms. And it is easy to see that you are in the profession, sir. I? Certainly not. I am a gentleman. But to speak as you do, you must have studied the law. Not at all. It is only a common sense which tells me that I shall always be admitted to be justified by facts, that I could not be condemned upon a simple accusation without witnesses, evidence, and confrontation with my adverse party. Oh, this is more clever still. These words come into my head without my knowledge. It seems to me that the common sense of a gentleman may go so far as to understand what belongs to right and the order of justice, but not to know the very terms as chicane. There are a few words I remember from reading novels. Ah, I see. To show you that I understand nothing of chicane, I beg of you to take me to a lawyer to have advice upon this affair. Willingly. I will take you to two very clever men. But first I must tell you not to be surprised at their manner of speaking. They have contracted at the bar a certain habit of performing, which looks like singing, and you would think all they tell you is nothing but music. It does not matter how they speak, as long as they tell me what I wish to know. Scene 13 Monsieur de Poursognac, Sprygani, two lawyers, two attorneys, two sergeants. Polygamy is a case you find, a case of hanging. Your deed is plain and clear, and all the gear of wigs and law upon this floor is clear. Consult your authors, legislators and glossators, Justinian, Papinian, Opinian, Trebonian, Fernand Reboef, Jean-Namal, Paul Castro, Julian Bartol, Jason, Oliad and Kujas, that mighty mind. Polygamy is a case you'll find, a case of hanging. Belay, while the second lawyer sings as before. All nations civilized, French, Dutch and English, Portuguese, German, Slemish, Italians and Spanish, by wisdom sceptre suede, for this the self-same law and the deed, the affair allows no doubt. Polygamy is a case, a case of hanging. Monsieur de Poursognac, irritated, drives them all away. End of Act 2 Act 3 of Monsieur de Poursognac, by Molière, translated by Charles Harren Wall. This is a LibriVox recording, or LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox.org. Act 3, Scene 1 Erast Sprigani Erast Sprigani Wispos Nothing could be better. Ah, here is our young lady. Go quickly, she must not see us together. Scene 2 Monsieur de Poursognac, as a lady, Sprigani. For my part, I don't think anyone can know you, and you look exactly like a lady of birth. I'm so astonished that in this province the forms of justice should not be observed. Yes, as I have already told you, they begin by hanging a man and try him afterwards. What unjust justice! It is definitely severe, particularly on this kind of crime. Still, when one is innocent. Ah, me, they care little for that. And besides, they have here a most intolerable hatred for the people of your province, and nothing gives them more pleasure than to hang a man from Limoges. What have the people from Limoges done to them? How do I know? They are downright brutes, enemies to all the gentility and merit of other cities. For my part, I am in the greatest fear on your account, and I should never comfort myself if you were hanged. It is not so much the fear of death that urges me to fly as the fact of being hanged, for it is the most grading thing for a gentleman and would ruin one's title of nobility. You are right. After such a thing they would contest your right of bearing a title of nobility. But be careful, when I lead you by the hand to walk like a woman, and to assume the manners and language of a lady of quality. Leave that to me. I have seen people of high standing in the world. The only thing that troubles me is that I have somewhat of a beard. Oh, it's not worth mentioning. There are many women who have as much. Now let us just see how you will behave yourself. Monsieur de Poursagnac mimics a lady of rank. Ah, good. Why, my carriage is not here. Where is my carriage? Gracious me! How wretched I have such attendants! Shall I have to wait all day in the street? Will not someone call my carriage for me? Very good.  Little page boy, little page boy, where in the world is that page boy? Will that little page never be found? Will nobody call that little page for me? Is my little page nowhere to be found? Marvelous! But there is one thing that I see does not do. This hood is a little too thin. I must go and fetch you a thicker one to hide your face better in case of any accident. What shall I do in the meantime? Wait for me here. I will be back in a moment. You have only to walk about. Monsieur de Poursagnac walks forward and backward on the stage, mimicking the lady of rank. Scene three. Monsieur de Poursagnac, to Swiss. First Swiss, without seeing Monsieur de Poursagnac.  Second Swiss, without seeing Monsieur de Poursagnac. We must hire un vindo to see this justice. Man says that say already a great new gallo plant half to hang this poor schnacket to it. It will be, yes, a great pleasure to see this limousine hung. Yeah, to see him voggle the feet up there before all the peoples. He pee one funny man, he pee. Man says that he married three times half. The room fellow. He vant three wives all to himself. One very much pee quiet enough for him. Second Swiss, perceiving Monsieur de Poursagnac. Ah, good day, Missy. What do you sell by self? I am waiting for my servants, gentlemen. You'll be pretty, Missy. Gently, sirs. Missy, will you come and amuse you on the marketplace?  I am much obliged, do you? It is a limousine, gentlemen, for feel whom be very puttily at the great gallo. I am not desirous to see it. You have one much funny press. Ah, this is too much. Show these things are not said to a woman of my position. You go away. Me will let not you. But I feel, I tell you. Both lay hold of Monsieur de Poursagnac, roughly. I will not let you. You have told one very much lie. You have told one lie yourself. Help, help, police. Monsieur de Poursagnac, three police officers, two Swiss. What is it? What is the meaning of this violence? And what are you doing to this lady? Be off at once, unless you wish to be put in prison. Good. You gone. You will not have her. Good. You gone, too. You will not have her, also. Scene five, Monsieur de Poursagnac, three police officers. Oh, I much obliged you, sir, for saving me from these insolent fellows. Oh, oh. This is a face which is ducidly like that which was described to me. It is not I, I assure you. Oh, oh. What does this mean? I don't know. What is it, then, that makes you say that? Nothing. This manner of speaking is somewhat ambiguous, and you are my prisoner. Oh, sir, I pray. No, no. To judge by your appearance and your manner of speaking, you must be that Monsieur de Poursagnac we are looking for, although you are disguised in this manner, and you must come to prison at once. Alas! Scene six, Monsieur de Poursagnac, Sprigani, three police officers. Sprigani to Monsieur de Poursagnac. Heavens! What does this mean? They have discovered who I am. Yes, yes. I am delighted about it. Sprigani to the officer. Ah, sir, for my sake. Do not take him to prison. You know that we have been friends for a long while. I cannot help it.  Is there no way of adjusting this matter with the help of a few pistoles? Officer to his subordinates. Go farther back. Scene seven, Monsieur de Poursagnac, Sprigani, a police officer. Sprigani to Monsieur de Poursagnac. You must give him some money for him to let you go. Be quick. Monsieur de Poursagnac giving some money to Sprigani. Ah, cursed place. Here, sir. How much is there? One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten. No, I have express orders. Sprigani to the officer who is going. Pray, wait. To Monsieur de Poursagnac. Be quick. Give him as much again. But be quick, I tell you. Don't waste time. You would be happy with you not if you were hanged. Ah. Gives no money to Sprigani. Sprigani to the officer. Here, sir. Officer to Sprigani. I must go off with him, for I should not be in safety here after this. Leave him to me, and don't stir from this place. I beg of you to take the utmost care of him. I promise you not to leave him one moment till I see him safe. Monsieur de Poursagnac to Sprigani. Farewell. This is the first honest man I have found in this town. Scene eight. Oronde, Sprigani. Sprigani affecting not to see Oronde. Ah, what strange adventure. What terrible news for a father.  What will you say? How will you ever be able to bear with such a misfortune? What is it? Of what misfortune do you speak? Ah, sir. This wretch of a limousine has run away with your daughter. Run away with my daughter? Yes. She became so infatuated with him that she has left you to follow him. It is said that he has a charm to make all women fall in love with him. Quick! Justice! Let the police be set after them. Scene nine. Oronde, Erast, Julia, Sprigani. Erast to Julia. Come along. You shall come and splinter yourself. I will put you in your father's hands. Sir, here is your daughter, whom I had to take by force from the man with whom she was running away. It is not for her sake that I did it, but entirely for yours. For after such conduct I ought to despise her.  Ah, infamous girl that you are. Erast to Julia. How could you treat me in that way after all the proofs of affection I have given you? I do not blame you for being obedient to your father's will. He is wise and judicious in all he does, and I do not complain of him for having preferred another to me. They told him that that other man was richer than I by four or five thousand crowns, and four or five thousand crowns are a good round sum, and are enough to make a gentleman break his word. But that you should forget in a moment all the love I had for you. Suffer yourself to fall madly in love with the first newcomer, and shamefully follow him, without the consent of your father, after all the crimes that were charged upon him. It is what all the world will condemn, and what my heart can never cease to reproach you with. Well, yes, I fell in love with him, and I wanted to follow him, since my father had chosen him to be my husband. Whatever you may say, he is a very honest man, and all the crimes they accuse him of are so many detestable falsehoods. Be silent!  There are some tricks they have played him, and... Showing, Erast? It is he himself, no doubt, who managed it all to disgust you with him. What? I should be capable of such a thing. Yes, you. Be silent, I tell you.  You need not think that I have any wish to prevent the match, and that it is because I love you that I hasten to rescue you. I have already told you that it is only because of the regard I have for your father. I could not bear to see an honourable man exposed to the shame of all the gossip that would be occasioned by such an action. I am truly and sincerely obliged to you, sir. Farewell, sir. I had the greatest desire to enter into your family. I did everything to deserve such an honour, but I have been unfortunate, and you did not judge me worthy of that honour. It will not prevent me from retaining towards you all those feelings of esteem and regard which your person demands, and, although I cannot be your son-in-law, I shall always be at your service. Stay. Your behaviour touches my heart, and I give you my daughter in marriage. I won't have any other husband, then, Monshore de Porto-Noac. And I will have you marry Erast at once. No, I will not. I shall give it you about the years. No, no, sir. Don't use violence towards her. I pray you. I will have her obey me, and I will show her that I am the master. Do you not see how fast in love she is with that man? And would you have me possess the body while another has the heart? He has thrown some charm upon her. You may be sure that she will change before long. Give me your hand. Come. No! Ah! What rebellion!   It is your father only that I am in love with, and it is him whom I marry. I am truly obliged to you, and I add ten thousand crowns to my daughter's portion. Quick, a notary to draw up the contract. In meanwhile, let us enjoy the pleasures of the season, and fetch in those masks who in the report of Monsieur de Poissonniac's wedding has attracted hither. Scene Ten A Ballet End of Act Three End of Monsieur de Poissonniac by Molière Translated by Charles Herron Wall


food business idea. So if you've always wanted to start a restaurant of your favorite cuisine, you may want to consider starting a food truck business. A food truck is basically a restaurant on the go. With a mobile food business, you serve customers all over the city by reaching them instead of waiting for the customers to find you, as is the case with sitting restaurants. So this is how you can start. For most, you need to buy a vehicle and the size of the vehicle will depend on the kind of cuisine you're looking to serve. For instance, a regular fast food truck serving burgers, sandwiches, shakes, etc may not require heavy infrastructure. So a medium-sized tempo will suffice. Whereas if you're looking to open something like a pizza parlor that may require extensive infrastructure like an awan, you will have to buy a vehicle as big as a traveler or a mini truck. Another food truck model is to set up a base kitchen in the city where all the food is prepared and the truck is used to sell the food on the go. To give you an example, in the case of South Indian cuisine, summer and Japanese have to be prepared in advance and not with eat serving. Or say if you want to open an ice cream parlor, you will need a heavier machinery to prepare all the flavors of the ice cream. So for such a model, you can set up a base kitchen in the city for bulk cooking and buy a smaller vehicle with basic fittings like a stove and a sink to heat and sell the food. Now that the vehicle is decided, let's move on to understand the license of permissions you will need to set up your food truck. Like any food business, you have to register with Food Safety and Standard Authority of India. You won't need a license yet as it is only required after your annual revenue crosses Rs. 12 lakh. Next, you will require a state permit for your vehicle if you want to operate within the same state. However, if you want to operate interstate, then you may even want to get a national permit. For instance, in the case of Delhi NCR, Noida falls under UP whereas Gurgam is in Haryana. So to be able to roam around in Delhi NCR, you will have to get a national permit. You might also have to get a health trade license from MCD if you have a base kitchen and a fire NOC if the space of your kitchen is over 90 square meters. Now the next and the most important step is to choose the right locations for your truck and how to market it. The target audience of trucks is families and residential here neighborhoods so choose gated colonies, societies, lanes around hostels as your primary areas. For marketing, you can distribute pamphlets and run campaigns on social media. Most importantly, your truck will market your business. So make sure that you design it nicely with an attractive logo and park it in areas where it is clearly visible. The expense in starting a food truck business is a fully equipped vehicle whose price will depend on its size. A smaller tempo kind of vehicle will cost you 3-4 lakh whereas a bigger vehicle like a traveler will be upwards of 8 lakh. A used vehicle will obviously cost you half of the new vehicle or maybe even less. Equipment fittings will be another rupees 4-5 lakh that includes both base kitchen and fittings in the truck. Next, you need to buy a POS terminal for billing, inventory keeping, CRM, analytics etc which is another 16-18,000 per terminal. You may even have to buy a laptop or computer along with a printer for POS which can cost you up to 35,000. Now apart from these defined expenses, add another rupees 50,000 that you will have to shell out initially on licensing, marketing and other miscellaneous costs. So that's about one-time expenses. Now to talk about recurring costs, the bulk of your costs will go into stopping. One head chef along with an assistant to handle operational tasks can put you down by 50-60,000 rupees per month.  Other smaller repeat expenses will include fuel of the vehicle, its annual insurance renewal, electricity bill, groceries and other utility deals and all this will not be more than 25% of your revenue. One thing we would like to add here is the rent of the base kitchen if you plan to open one. A medium-sized shop in an inexpensive location can come for a rent of around 18-20,000 per month. Food truck will also take 3-6 months to start getting sizable customers but you must ensure that you start serving a minimum of 50 orders per day within the first three months to build a sustainable business. An effective way to achieve this would be to visit fixed residential areas on specific days to establish a base of repeated customers. Another way to generate good revenue would be to tie up with offices and take bulk orders for parties. Now let us give you an estimate of what you can earn from a food truck business. Once you have a sizable customer base of 80-100 orders per day, you can easily book a profit of 35-40% on the total revenue. This is after removing traffic costs of 30-35% and groceries and utilities that amount to another 30% of the total revenue. We hope that you soon take the plunge to start your own food truck business. Meanwhile, stay tuned and log on to www.entrepreneur.com for more business ideas.


Welcome back Mechanical AI. Out of all the energy that goes into a system, only available energy or exergy is the one that does the actual work. This makes us wonder, what is availability? Before we jump in, check out the previous part of this series to learn about what expansivity and compressibility is. Now, the availability or the exergy of the system is the maximum work that can be extracted from it until it reaches the state of thermodynamic equilibrium with its surroundings. This equilibrium state where all the spontaneous processes end is called the dead state of the system. The minimum energy that has to be rejected by the second law is called the unavailability of the system. Exergy depends both on the system and its surroundings. It is discussed under two groups. First is the exergy of heat input in a cycle. From energy balance, we can understand that the net input in a cycle is a sum of available energy and unavailable energy. With eta being the efficiency of the cycle, we get available energy to be equal to the product of efficiency eta and the heat input Q. Second is the concept of availability in a steady flow process, which is given by the difference between the energy steady state function psi and dead steady state function psi naught of the system. The exergy function is given as a sum of Keenan function denoted by B, kinetic energy denoted by mv squared upon 2 and potential energy denoted by mgz. Hence we saw what available energy is, then applied it to a cycle and then to a steady state process. So like, subscribe and comment with your feedback to help us make better videos. Thanks for watching. Also thanks a lot for those constructive comments. You help the channel grow. So here are the top mechanical EIs of our last videos. In the next episode of Mechanical EI, find out what irreversibility is.


Hi and welcome to the session. My name is Shashi and I am going to help you with the following question. Question says, examine the continuity of the function fx is equal to 2x square minus 1 and x is equal to 3. First recall, let us understand that function is continuous at x is equal to a if function is defined at x is equal to a, we can say f a exists and then limit of x tending to a fx is equal to f a that is the value of the function equals the limit of the function and x is equal to a. This is the key idea to solve the dual question. Let us now start the solution. We are given fx is equal to 2x square minus 1. We can see this is a polynomial function. So, fx exists at x is equal to 3. So, now we will find limit of the function at x is equal to 3. So, we can write limit of x tending to 3 fx is equal to limit of x tending to 3 2x square minus 1. This is equal to 2 multiplied by 3 square minus 1 which is further equal to 18 minus 1 which is equal to 17. Therefore, we get limit of the function at x is equal to 3 as 17. Let us now find out the value of the function at x is equal to 3 that is f3 f3 is equal to 2 multiplied by 3 square minus 1 below fx is equal to 2x square minus 1. So, to find f3 we will substitute 3 for x. Now we get 2 multiplied by 9 minus 1 which is equal to 17. So, therefore f3 is equal to 17. Clearly we can see limit of the function is equal to 17 and value of the function is equal to 17 at x is equal to 3. So, we can write this implies limit of x tending to 3 fx is equal to f3 is equal to 17. So, we can write therefore function f is continuous at x is equal to 3. So, this is our required answer this completes our session hope you understood the solution goodbye.


Hello world. Yes. I'm Alyssa Nordmo. I was an actor until country music unexpectedly took over my life about seven years ago. More recently I also became a developer, graduating from a boot camp during COVID shortly before arriving in Asheville, North Carolina, where I had the extremely good fortune of beginning my career with crunchy bananas. I did, of course, also form a honky tonk band called Nordmo and the Rodeo in case you're wondering. You can find me on any of these platforms. So I realize the connection between Ember and the Nashville recording scene in the 1960s might not be immediately obvious, but the philosophy of convention over configuration plays an important role in both. And in particular, what I want to share with you today is a parable of distillation. The act of taking something complex and boiling it down to its clearest essence, leaving you with something at once accessible and very, very powerful. There's a song I really love called Nashville Cats. John Sebastian of Love and Spoonful wrote it in 1966, and it's an ode to the prowess of the session musicians in the Nashville scene at the time, a core group of whom came to be known as the A-Team. That's just a few of them there. You might wonder why a rock band would go to the trouble of writing a song raving about country musicians, even going so far as to say any one of them are twice as good as he is. And yeah, good question. So what was the deal with these Nashville Cats? Where did this reputation come from? Sebastian says they play clean as country water. They're precise. They're intentional. There's no clutter, and they hit the nail on the head every time. He says they play wild as Mountain Dew. And that's moonshine for Yankees. Make no mistake, these guys were shredding, playing innovative intricate parts with gleeful abandon. Now, before I go any further, disclaimer, I'm not making the claim that country musicians hold the monopoly on skill, or that they are privy to some secret knowledge that somehow jazz or classical musicians are unaware of. That's simply not true. Don't at me. This is not about one genre of musicians having more talent than another. This is about how a particular scene was able to make incredible use of the talents around them without having to funnel their options through the filter of a specific training background, resulting in a steady stream of a very powerful brew. So first, let's talk about that clarity, clean as country water. I'd like to tell you about how a better model of notation arose in this scene that both accelerated collaboration and helped streamline the recording process. You might not have heard of the Jordanaires, but I would bet you've heard them. A gospel vocal quartet from Mississippi, Elvis, was fond of using them as his backup chorus, and you can hear them ooing and eyeing in many of the biggest hits of the 1960s. And like a lot of Southern musicians, their music education came from the church, where they learned to sing using shape notes. Notes with unique head shapes indicating where they fell within the space of the current key, rather than relying solely on their place in the staff. So, Do Re Mi, not C-D-E. And this practice enabled congregations to more easily read and sing a melody together without necessarily needing to read music in the traditional sense. Now, the Jordanaires were frequently used in Nashville recording sessions, and the thing about recording in Nashville is this. You do not have a lot of time. You've got to cut your songs before the next group comes in to record theirs, and the line is long and that money better keep flowing. So, as an informal shorthand for their own convenience, they took down their arrangements as a movable template, much like shape notes, only this time with numbers, not Do Re Mi or C-D-E, but 1, 2, 3. Works like this. Notes are named by letters in alphabetical order, and you just replace those letters with numbers, counting from the note of whatever key you're in. And as this evolved, the use of Roman numerals became more common, which allows upper or lower case to indicate a major or minor chord. And it's not always the case, but 2, 3, and 6 are usually minor. So, let's say we have a song in the key of C, and our first few chords are C, F, and G. But the singer isn't hitting the low notes. So, we need to bump it up to D or E. Well, so now your first few chords are D, G, and A, or maybe they're E, A, and B. But the song is still the same. The only thing that's changed is our starting point. And when you write out a chord progression numerically, rather than writing each fixed pitch by its letter name, it never changes. The shape is always the same. So now, you've got very little time to record a song you've never played before. And when the singer needs to change the key and time is short, do you want to sit around writing new charts for everyone or hope everyone can think very quickly on their feet and transpose the old chart as they read it? How about the guy whose instrument is pitched differently and he's already thinking in a different key from everyone else? So, when you're using the Nashville number system, none of that is going to slow down your session. So writing charts numerically saves time, yes. It's very efficient, not to mention silently holding up fingers if you need to communicate mid-session. It's a hell of a lot clearer than trying to mouth one of seven letters, five of which rhyme. But the real magic of this isn't just that it saves time. The thing is, you don't need to know what two notes are called to be able to hear the distance between them. Listen to this walk-up from the one to the five and read the mech entire's Little Rock. Here's what's really fascinating to me. The notion of a key's root as it's one and the rest of the scale numbered in relation to it has been around for centuries and any trained musician learns how these intervals work together to achieve different effects. But somehow, at least in my experience, this is rarely where music education begins. Certainly in mine, it was sort of treated as the bones you would find if you chose to dissect the frog. Like if you want to get smart about it and dig in, you'll find this structure buried underneath. But this approach turns the whole thing inside out and says, no, you start with the bones. And then you dress them however you like.  It was session musician Charlie McCoy who spread this gospel from the Jordanaires to the rest of the recording scene. He said, quote, I copied it from the Jordanaires, but I knew what it was when I first saw it because I'd been to music school. I recognized what it was, and once I saw what he was doing, I thought, this is better. This is better than what I was learning. And I still wasn't thinking much about it until another musician asked me to explain it to him. Now, other musicians particularly began to take notice when they saw how quickly this method enabled Charlie to learn one new instrument after another. And the rest is history. So now we have our musical Rosetta Stone. Let's add some more assumptions and sensible defaults to our framework. Some building blocks, as Yehuda might say. A song typically will have an intro that's often the same as the last line of a chorus, and then a verse and a chorus, another verse and a chorus, an instrumental break, sometimes a bridge, which is a new chord progression. Before your final verse and chorus, which often ends with a tag or a repeat of the last line sort of lets you know the song is over. You can add, subtract, alter any of these building blocks whoever you want, but when everyone is familiar with this framework, it's easy to note any of these choices. The chorus on this one doesn't come until after the second verse, or there's a break after every chorus on this one. And add this to common shorthands for different rhythm fields, a shuffle, a waltz, a train beat, et cetera. And the end result of this is something like a magic trick to behold. A group of musicians who've never played together before who can have a brief huddle, jot some notes for themselves, and then make a flawless recording of a song none of them knew five minutes ago in very few takes without any rehearsal. It's pretty amazing to watch. And again, it's not that this toolbox is inherently a better musician, although it absolutely did that for me. It's that with this practice, you'll never have to choose the musician who happens to have the desired training over the musician who is actually the better player. And that's how you get your steady stream of that powerfully concentrated brew. Now I know some of you, maybe a lot of you, might be thinking, okay, what's so great about repeating the same format and churning out a bunch of stuff that all sounds the same. And yeah, I will be the first to admit these powers can definitely be used for evil, as well as for good. But I want to talk about the freedoms of constraint, how, as in Ember, convention over configuration in country music enables complex creative expression. Allow me to introduce you to the pedal steel guitar. The result of a long evolution from a Hawaiian style of playing a guitar flat on your lap by sliding a smooth steel bar against the strings. They come in all shapes and sizes, but typically there are at least three foot pedals and four levers coming down from the undercarriage that you can manipulate by moving your knees side to side. And these pedals and levers each bend the pitch of whatever string they're attached to, creating a buttery smooth sliding transition and an evocative, often mournful sound. I mean, this is activating my fight-or-flight response right now. I got one of these in January and it's been taunting me like the furnace in home alone ever since. Most musicians I know, myself included, regard the prospect of learning the pedal steel with about as much confidence as they'd have taking the bar exam or performing an operation. But while it takes a lot of practice to dedicate all these moving parts to muscle memory and a background in music theory certainly helps, all you really need to understand before approaching this is your intervals. If you're one, starts on the third fret, how far away is your four? If you want to change the composition of a chord using pedals or levers, which notes need to go up or down? JD Manus, a legendary steel player, one of the greats, said he never learned to read music. But I bet you one thing he can do is count to seven. Now, more to the point. Remember those frog bones I was talking about, how you can dress them however you like? Check this out. Just what a numbered chart of that chord progression looks like. That's an extremely well-dressed frog, if you ask me. And this is the freedom of constraint right here. The simple structure of this old Western swing tune clearly didn't stand in the way of Barbara Mandrell absolutely burning the house down, making it her own, showing flair, skill, originality, and complexity. And if this were an explicitly configured arrangement, it would still be impressive, but it wouldn't really make a difference who was playing it so long as they were competent. But the simpler the frame, the more room for expression and the broader the possibilities. There's an expression in country music that all a great song really needs is three chords and the truth. But there's nothing simple about the truth. Songwriters like John Prine, Tom T. Hall, and Lucinda Williams are masters at telling rich, nuanced stories in a straightforward language that anyone can understand. My favorite example of this is Tom T. Hall's song Homecoming, a road-weary musician's sanitized account of how life is going on a visit to his father. It's told in as plain languages can be, but the layers are many and the story is devastating. I believe everyone has their own unique and complex truth and that you don't have to sacrifice any of that complexity to express it with economy. As my grandfather always said, never use two words where one will do. He would have made a great programmer. Now in any field, when you're learning a new skill set or joining a new team, it can be frustrating to have exciting ideas before you've gained the language to communicate them in a meaningful way. And it's a shame when a collaborative effort misses out on the contributions or perspectives of talented people on their unique truth because of the unnecessary gatekeeping that comes from bad notation. And this Bowen's first approach, including on the 20th floor if you will, along with clear established conventions helps the beginner and the expert alike. The beginner by making something complex or intimidating feel more accessible and the expert by removing constraint and allowing them to shine. And the team is a whole by eliminating what is essentially a simple language barrier. There's a science to music and an art to programming. The two are not as different as they might seem and there's no surprise that the same philosophies would apply and that Ember's approach is effective no matter where you happen to find it. Thank you.


I think we're live. I think we're live, everyone. Here we go. Congratulations, everybody. Way we go. Okay, so you all know, if you've been watching a long time for these big peak races, I write reminders on my hand with a permanent marker before the race when the going gets tough in a race. And you know it'll get tough, especially in a marathon. I like to offer that pain, that sacrifice to others. I wrote on my hand today. Henry, of course. Good little baby Henry. My first race with Henry in the world. COVID-19, for all the COVID-19 victims around the world. People who are suffering. People who have lost their jobs. People who are locked in their houses and apartments. There's folks who watch this channel who can't leave their home right now. So COVID-19 and then DGR, the D'Amour Global Running Family. So that's what's on my hand today. When the going gets tough late in this marathon, I'm going, or in the middle of the marathon, I'm going to remember those people. So, all right. Here we go. Off to the starting line. And I just said goodbye to True Love. Didn't film it.  So it is beautiful out there. Beautiful. D'Amour got to say goodbye. We'll see you out on the course. All right, 26.2 miles. Let's do this. Congrats again to everyone that raced today. And this entire weekend, amazing. So 26.2. I'm coming for you. From Germany, seat beauty. Work hard. I love each other. My bread is officially, officially buttered. Oh, man. No, that was hard, everybody. That was hard. All right, everyone. We're in the car.  Thanks, mom, for the ride. You're welcome. And she brought me popcorn. Delicious. Shout out to everyone out on the Platte River Trail today that said DGR Strong and Butter My Bread. There was, I think there was at least five people that gave a, excuse me, gave a shout out. So it was awesome. Amazing. We're off to my car now. And then I'm going to go get a beverage for the shooty-o, if you know what I mean. So DGR Strong Butter My Bread. All right. Oh, man, this popcorn. Delicious. Ready? We're going live, everybody, in the shooty-o. We got the family here. We got the family. Okay, here we go. Going live. Click to go live. I think we're live. I think we're live, everyone. Congratulations, everybody. What's up? What's up, family? DGR Strong, thank you all for being here. We got the family here. We got the boys. You guys buttered the bread. We got it. We got it. We got cowbell, cowbell. So everyone, Joseph, Seth, and Mama. Okay, you persevered through this craziness and you didn't give up on your training block. Congrats. Celebrate. All right, that's really important for runners. Like, we work hard. Just think of all the miles or kilometers you put into this training block. Not to mention the speed work. Not to mention the stretching. Not to mention the foam rolling. Not to mention eating healthier. Not to mention waking up early to go run before work. Don't forget that. Do not forget that, okay? And then what does that mean? You should relax and celebrate, okay? So that's what I'm going to do with true love inside. Amazing work, everybody. You did it. Now we're in upward. My bread is buttered. My bread is buttered. Okay, everyone, here we go. Seek beauty, work hard, and love each other. See you tomorrow. See you tomorrow. The vlog will publish normal time, 5 a.m. You know the drill. Okay, how do I stop this thing? Boom. You got margaritas? Margaritas. 26 miles on a margarita. That's right, 26 miles on a margarita. Thank you, Texas Roadhouse. Buttered my bread. Michael's spreading butter, too. Oh, hon, thank you. Michael's just eating the butter. It's that good. All right, everyone. Like I said in the studio, I've got to celebrate. Runners work hard, right? So, time to celebrate. Oh, yeah. Went with burgers over PF Chang. I didn't glue it. Thumbs up. Oh, butter. Beats the salad. Beats the salad. I will finish this burger. I will finish this burger. Ooh, hit the wall. Hit the wall, everybody. Kind of like today, around mile 6. Around mile 6. I don't even think I've told them the time yet. Oh, yeah. Oh, no, I haven't. I'll get that to you here in a minute. Livestream. It was amazing. Absolutely delicious. Oh, nothing like a good burger. Maybe not as good as PF Chang's was going to be, but that is okay. All right, everyone. Question of the day. How was your race today? Same question as yesterday. But if you raced today on Sunday, how was your race? Tell us a good story. What distance did you run? And of course, if you ran a PR, ring that bell. Let us know down in the comments. And here, so I explained in a lot more detail in the livestream what happened to me. If I remember, I'll try and link to it, operating corner, but I will just say it was a hard day for me for a lot of different reasons. But it didn't go off as planned, and that is okay. That is okay. Why? Because you don't tip of the day. You don't want to run a 50-miler in your taper. Just putting that out there. If you're traded for a bit, don't go out and run a 50-miler, but I'm so glad that I did because, okay, we're still checking another big check arrived today for the fundraising, for the gifting out.  We're going to tally up Monday when you're watching this Monday, and then we're going to put it into the vlog on Tuesday. So I will tweet it out, but you probably won't hear until Wednesday.  So I started off pretty well, but at mile 6, my leg said, uh-uh. This is not happening today. No way. And so my breathing was pretty good, but at mile 6, my legs were done, and I had 20 miles to go. Okay? So I came through, I think, the half marathon at about 122. I'll have to go check. Around there, roughly, roughly. Around 122. And then it kind of got ugly after that. So I finished in 258. So not the day I wanted, but that's okay. You live to fight another day. You know what I mean? You live to fight another day. So we will rise again. I'll get you more details in tomorrow's vlog. We're also going to talk about recovery tomorrow. Sound good, everyone? All right, everyone. That's it for today. Thanks for watching. Thanks for being here. Onward and upward. The bread is buttered. Congrats again to everyone around the world. Racing, absolutely unbelievable. Unbelievable. All right, we're going to toss it back to yesterday's vlog. Yesterday's vlog. Getting ready for the race and giving some shoutouts to people getting PRs. Absolutely amazing. So if you didn't see yesterday's vlog, make sure you go check it out. All right, everyone. Rest up. Rest up. See beauty. Work hard and love each other. See you tomorrow.