ons of wild fire, as slender
and thin as cow's hair strengthened with quicksilver, enter into
you,... and, like those of Sodom and Gomorrha, may you fall into
sulphur, fire, and bottomless pits, in case you do not firmly
believe all that I shall relate unto you in this present Chronicle.

So much for Rabelais's prologues. Our readers must now see something of
what, under pains and penalties denounced so dire, they are bound to
believe. We condense and defecate for this purpose the thirty-eighth
chapter of the first book, which is staggeringly entitled, "How
Gargantua did eat up Six Pilgrims in a Sallad":--

The story requireth that we relate that which happened unto six
pilgrims, who came from Sebastian near to Nantes; and who, for
shelter that night, being afraid of the enemy, had hid themselves
in the garden upon the chickling peas, among the cabbages and
lettuces. Gargantua, finding himself somewhat dry, asked whether
they could get any lettuce to make him a salad; and, hearing that
there were the greatest and fairest in the country,--for they were
as great as plum trees, or as walnut trees,--he would go thither
himself, and brought thence in his hand what he thought good, and
withal carried away the six pilgrims, who were in so great fear
that they did not dare to speak nor cough. Washing them, therefore,
first at the fountain, the pilgrims said one to another, softly,
"What shall we do? We are almost drowned here amongst these
lettuce: shall we speak? But, if we speak, he will kill us for
spies." And, as they were thus deliberating what to do, Gargantua
put them, with the lettuce, into a platter of the house, as large
as the huge tun of the White Friars of the Cistertian order; which
done, with oil, vinegar, and salt, he ate them up, to refresh
himself a little before supper, and had already swallowed up five
of the pilgrims, the sixth being in the platter, totally hid under
a lettuce, except his bourbon, or staff, that appeared, and nothing
else. Which Grangousier [Gargantua's father] seeing, said to
Gargantua, "I think that is the horn of a shell snail: do not eat
it."--"Why not?" said Gargantua; "they are good all this month:"
which he no sooner said, but, drawing up the staff, and therewith
taking up the pilgrim, he ate him very well, then drank a terrible
d