登陆注册
5256400000113

第113章 CHAPTER IV(5)

"Pierre l'Assommeur and Baptiste Croque-Oison*."* Peter the Slaughterer; and Baptist Crack-Gosling.

"Hum," said the archdeacon; "those are names as fit for a good work as a catapult for the chief altar."It is certain that Jehan had made a very bad choice of names for his two friends. He realized it too late.

"And then," pursued the sagacious Claude, "what sort of an infant's outfit is it that is to cost three forms, and that for the child of a Haudriette? Since when have the Haudriette widows taken to having babes in swaddling-clothes?"Jehan broke the ice once more.

"Eh, well! yes! I need money in order to go and see Isabeau la Thierrye to-night; in the Val-d' Amour!""Impure wretch!" exclaimed the priest.

"~Avayveia~!" said Jehan.

This quotation, which the scholar borrowed with malice, perchance, from the wall of the cell, produced a singular effect on the archdeacon. He bit his lips and his wrath was drowned in a crimson flush.

"Begone," he said to Jehan. "I am expecting some one."The scholar made one more effort.

"Brother Claude, give me at least one little parisis to buy something to eat.""How far have you gone in the Decretals of Gratian?"demanded Dom Claude.

"I have lost my copy books.

"Where are you in your Latin humanities?"

"My copy of Horace has been stolen."

"Where are you in Aristotle?"

"I' faith! brother what father of the church is it, who says that the errors of heretics have always had for their lurking place the thickets of Aristotle's metaphysics? A plague on Aristotle! I care not to tear my religion on his metaphysics.""Young man," resumed the archdeacon, "at the king's last entry, there was a young gentleman, named Philippe de Comines, who wore embroidered on the housings of his horse this device, upon which I counsel you to meditate: ~Qui non laborat, non manducet~."The scholar remained silent for a moment, with his finger in his ear, his eyes on the ground, and a discomfited mien.

All at once he turned round to Claude with the agile quickness of a wagtail.

"So, my good brother, you refuse me a sou parisis, wherewith to buy a crust at a baker's shop?""~Qui non laborat, non manducet~."

At this response of the inflexible archdeacon, Jehan hid his head in his hands, like a woman sobbing, and exclaimed with an expression of despair: "~Orororororoi~.""What is the meaning of this, sir?" demanded Claude, surprised at this freak.

"What indeed!" said the scholar; and he lifted to Claude his impudent eyes into which he had just thrust his fists in order to communicate to them the redness of tears; "'tis Greek! 'tis an anapaest of AEschylus which expresses grief perfectly."And here he burst into a laugh so droll and violent that it made the archdeacon smile. It was Claude's fault, in fact: why had he so spoiled that child?

"Oh! good Brother Claude," resumed Jehan, emboldened by this smile, "look at my worn out boots. Is there a cothurnus in the world more tragic than these boots, whose soles are hanging out their tongues?"The archdeacon promptly returned to his original severity.

"I will send you some new boots, but no money.""Only a poor little parisis, brother," continued the suppliant Jehan. "I will learn Gratian by heart, I will believe firmly in God, I will be a regular Pythagoras of science and virtue. But one little parisis, in mercy! Would you have famine bite me with its jaws which are gaping in front of me, blacker, deeper, and more noisome than a Tartarus or the nose of a monk?"Dom Claude shook his wrinkled head: "~Qui non laborat~--"Jehan did not allow him to finish.

"Well," he exclaimed, "to the devil then! Long live joy! Iwill live in the tavern, I will fight, I will break pots and I will go and see the wenches." And thereupon, he hurled his cap at the wall, and snapped his fingers like castanets.

The archdeacon surveyed him with a gloomy air.

"Jehan, you have no soul."

"In that case, according to Epicurius, I lack a something made of another something which has no name.""Jehan, you must think seriously of amending your ways.""Oh, come now," cried the student, gazing in turn at his brother and the alembics on the furnace, "everything is preposterous here, both ideas and bottles!""Jehan, you are on a very slippery downward road. Do you know whither you are going?""To the wine-shop," said Jehan.

"The wine-shop leads to the pillory."

"'Tis as good a lantern as any other, and perchance with that one, Diogenes would have found his man.""The pillory leads to the gallows."

"The gallows is a balance which has a man at one end and the whole earth at the other. 'Tis fine to be the man.""The gallows leads to hell."

"'Tis a big fire.".

"Jehan, Jehan, the end will be bad."

"The beginning will have been good."

At that moment, the sound of a footstep was heard on the staircase.

"Silence!" said the archdeacon, laying his finger on his mouth, "here is Master Jacques. Listen, Jehan," he added, in a low voice; "have a care never to speak of what you shall have seen or heard here. Hide yourself quickly under the furnace, and do not breathe."The scholar concealed himself; just then a happy idea occurred to him.

"By the way, Brother Claude, a form for not breathing.""Silence! I promise."

"You must give it to me."

"Take it, then!" said the archdeacon angrily, flinging his purse at him.

Jehan darted under the furnace again, and the door opened.

同类推荐
  • The House of Life

    The House of Life

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 孙真人备急千金要方

    孙真人备急千金要方

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 佛说善生子经

    佛说善生子经

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • Coriolanus

    Coriolanus

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 警富新书

    警富新书

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
热门推荐
  • 鬼斧神工的世界建筑

    鬼斧神工的世界建筑

    埃及的金字塔、中国的长城、中国的兵马俑、中国的悬空寺、北京故宫等等这些世界的古代经典奇迹,是我们世界人们中的经典,全书中介绍了不同时期的建筑,有“上古建筑”、“中古建筑”等等。
  • 公子,借个火

    公子,借个火

    穿越过来砸中皇帝的不一定都是女人,比如我这倒霉的男主;皇帝的狗与后花园不是人人都爱,比如我这痴汉的女主。不是皇亲不是国戚,他只是一介小小低调的侍卫长;不爱皇帝不爱国师,她只舔屏皇帝身边的毒舌美男。外表痴憨智障实则腹黑狠毒的女主,遇到一个低调帅气又毒舌,撩妹技能满满的21世纪来客,会碰出什么样的火花?一个是心野天下的操棋女子,一个是不挂天下的闲散路人。当伪装撕破,狩猎易主,他和他还能否一如初见?--情节虚构,请勿模仿
  • 绑嫁

    绑嫁

    一夜之间,她拼命想要逃离的那个男人,竟然成为了自己唯一可以依靠的人。
  • 出劫纪略

    出劫纪略

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 世界经典智慧故事全集:明情识体的故事

    世界经典智慧故事全集:明情识体的故事

    本套丛书图文并茂,格调高雅,具有很强的系统性、代表性、趣味性和可读性,是中小学生培养阅读与写作能力的配套系列读物,非常适合广大中小学生学习和收藏,也是各级图书馆收藏的最佳版本。
  • 闪婚老婆有点萌

    闪婚老婆有点萌

    “你想结婚?”“嗯,我想快点结婚。”“刚好,我也想早点结婚,那我们结婚吧!”……经历了无数次相亲失败后夏伊恩没想到眼前这个优质男竟然同意和她结婚,然后她糊里糊涂的被张致承拉着立马就把证领了。看着手里的小红本本,她成功的变成了一个已婚妇女……张致承看着正发呆的夏伊恩,他的新婚老婆,很萌很可爱呢!
  • 2013年短篇小说排行榜

    2013年短篇小说排行榜

    包括《大雨如注》、《人群里有没有王元木》、《某年的枪声》、《喷泉》、《透明》、《酒疯子》、《蹲下时看到了什么》、《瑜伽》、《哭河》、《夜空晴朗》、《典当奇闻》等文章。本书贴近现实,题材丰富,风格多样,构思灵巧,代表着中国当代短篇小说创作的重要收获。
  • 每个女孩都是女神

    每个女孩都是女神

    一本小书,改变了西方成千上万少女的命运,让她们在阳光下令人大吃一惊:“上帝!这是原来的爱伦吗?真不敢相信,她是我见到的最可爱的女孩子!”这是吹牛吧?要不,就是迷信?哼哼,你可不要以为,攀比、虚荣才是女孩子获得自信的好办法;你更不要以为,心灵暗示和巧妙的呼吸就是巫术。这种最早在美国校园中流行的灵修方法,由著名心理大师梅姬·阿贝蒂专为女生定制,如今正以不可思议的速度风靡全世界。“从来没有见过这样好玩又这样神奇的修炼方法!我们的生活有了新的动力!我们好像征服了全世界!我们幸福极了!”这是全世界的快乐回音。
  • 石嘴山之最

    石嘴山之最

    石嘴山是一座古老的城市,不仅有着悠久的历史,更有着灿烂的文化。本书是《美丽石嘴山丛书》之一,是众多史志学专家智慧和心血的凝结,具有非常重要的存史、资政、教化价值的文献。
  • 魔妃傲天下:绝色轻狂

    魔妃傲天下:绝色轻狂

    【玄幻,女强,至尊,爽文】她是21世纪雇佣兵霸主,生杀予夺,我行我素。他,是帝国的铁血王爷,威震天下,暗夜修罗,谈笑风生中杀人于无形。一朝穿越带着前世的记忆再次醒来,樱家四小姐,当她再次睁开那双清冷的眼眸,早已不是那个任人宰割的废材小姐。风云汇聚,当绝色王爷,对上铁血霸主。当烈火卯上烈火!谁终能降服谁?乱世沉浮,谁又能傲视群雄!风云更迭,且看今生谁与争锋!腥风血雨,掌天下之沉浮!魔妃傲天下:绝色轻狂【本文纯属虚构,如有雷同纯属巧合。】