E-text prepared by Delphine Lettau THE COUNTESS OF ESCARBAGNAS. (LA COMTESSE D'ESCARBAGNAS.) by MOLIÈRE Translated into English Prose. With Short Introductions and Explanatory Notes. by Charles Heron Wall 'La Comtesse d'Escarbagnas' was acted before the Court at Saint-Germain-en-Laye, on December 2, 1671, and in the theatre of the Palais Royal on July 8, 1672. It was never printed during Molière's lifetime, but for the first time only in 1682. It gives us a good picture of the provincial thoughts, manners, and habits of those days. PERSONS REPRESENTED THE COUNT, _son to the_ COUNTESS. THE VISCOUNT, _in love with_ JULIA. MR. THIBAUDIER, _councillor, in love with the_ COUNTESS. MR. HARPIN, _receiver of taxes, also in love with the_ COUNTESS. MR. BOBINET, _tutor to the_ COUNT. JEANNOT, _servant to_ MR. THIBAUDIER. CRIQUET, _servant to the_ COUNTESS. THE COUNTESS OF ESCARBAGNAS. JULIA, _in love with the_ VISCOUNT. ANDRÉE, _maid to the_ COUNTESS. _The scene is at Angoulême._ SCENE I.--JULIA, THE VISCOUNT. VISC. What! you are here already? JU. Yes, and you ought to be ashamed of yourself, Cléante; it is not right for a lover to be the last to come to the rendezvous. VISC. I should have been here long ago if there were no importunate people in the world. I was stopped on my way by an old bore of rank, who asked me news of the court, merely to be able himself to detail to me the most absurd things that can well be imagined about it. You know that those great newsmongers are the curse of provincial towns, and that they have no greater anxiety than to spread, everywhere abroad all the tittle-tattle they pick up. This one showed me, to begin with, two large sheets of paper full to the very brim with the greatest imaginable amount of rubbish, which, he says, comes from the safest quarters. Then, as if it were a wonderful thing, he read full length and with great mystery all the stupid jokes in the Dutch Gazette, which he takes for gospel.[1] He thinks that France is being brought to ruin by the pen of that writer, whose fine wit, according to him, is sufficient to defeat armies. After that he raved about the ministry, spoke of all its faults, and I thought he would never have done. If one is to believe him, he knows the secrets of the cabinet better than those who compose it. The policy of the state is an open book to him, and no step is taken without his seeing through it. He shows you the secret machinations of all that takes place, whither the wisdom of our neighbours tends, and controls at his will and pleasure all the affairs of Europe. His knowledge of what goes on extends as far as Africa and Asia, and he is informed of all that; is discussed in the privy council of Prester John[2] and the Great Mogul. JU. You make the best excuse you can, and so arrange it that it may pass off well and be easily received.