Les Bijoux Indiscrets, or, The Indiscreet ToysDiderot, Denis
General
Les Bijoux Indiscrets, or, The Indiscreet Toys
Diderot, Denis
Erotic fiction; Louis XV, King of France, 1710-1774 -- Fiction
Mangogul followed Mirzoza's advice, and visited Manilla about seven.
Her women were going to put her to bed. He judged by the sadness
predominant in her countenance, that she had play'd with bad luck. She
walk'd to and fro, stopp'd, lifted her eyes to heaven, stamp'd with her
foot, cover'd her eyes with her hands, and muttered somewhat, which
the Sultan could not understand. Her women, who were undressing her,
followed all these motions in panicks; and if they at length compassed
getting her into bed, it was not done without receiving harsh language
and something worse. Now Manilla is in bed, having made no other night
prayer, but some curses against a damned ace, which came seven times
successively to her loss. Scarcely had she closed her eyes, when
Mangogul levell'd his ring at her. Instantly her Toy exclaimed in a
sorrowful tone: "Now I am repiqued and capotted." The Sultan smiled to
hear that every thing about Manilla, even to her Toy, spoke gaming.
"No," continued the Toy, "I will never play against Abidul: he knows
nothing but tricking. Speak to me no more of Dares: with him one runs
the risq of some unlucky hits. Ismal is a pretty fair player, but every
body has him not that would. Mazulim was a treasure, before he fell
into the hands of Crissa. I don't know a more whimsical player than
Zulmis. Rica is less so; but the poor lad is run dry. What can one do
with Lazuli? The prettiest woman of Banza could not make him play high.
What a piddling player Mollius is! In truth, desolation has spread
among the gamesters: and e'er long we shall not know with whom to make
a party."
After this Jeremiad, the Toy fell to relating uncommon strokes, of
which it had been a witness; and excessively extoll'd the constancy and
resources of its mistress in bad luck. "Were it not for me," it said,
"Manilla would have ruin'd herself twenty times over. All the Sultan's
treasures would not have discharged the debts that I have paid. In one
match at breland she lost to a farmer of the revenue and an _abbé_,
above ten thousand ducats. She had nothing left but her jewels: but
her husband had so lately redeem'd them, that she dared not to venture
them. Nevertheless she took the cards, and had one of those seducing
hands, which fortune sends, when she is on the point of cutting your
throat. They urged her to speak. Manilla look'd at her cards, put her
hand into her purse, whence she was sure to pull nothing, return'd to
her cards, examined them again, but without determining. 'Does madam
stand it at last?' said the farmer. 'Yes; I stake,' said she,--'I
stake--I stake my Toy.' 'For what value?' replied Turcares. 'For a
hundred ducats,' said Manilla. The _abbé_ withdrew, esteeming the Toy
too high rated. Turcares declared at it: Manilla lost and paid.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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