The Jealousy of le Barbouillé: (La Jalousie du Barbouillé)Molière
General
The Jealousy of le Barbouillé: (La Jalousie du Barbouillé)
Molière
French drama -- 17th century -- Translations into English; Molière, 1622-1673 -- Translations into English
DOC. Let me tell you first that I am not only a doctor, but that I am
one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, and ten times
doctor. Firstly, number one is the base, the foundation, and the first
of all numbers; so am I the first of all doctors, the most learned of
the learned. Secondly, there are two faculties essential for a perfect
knowledge of things: the sense and the understanding; I am all sense,
all understanding: ergo, I am twice doctor.
BAR. Agreed. What I want ...
DOC. Thirdly, according to Aristotle, the number three is that of
perfection; I am perfect; and every thing I do is perfect: ergo, I am
three times doctor.
BAR. Very well then, doctor....
DOC. Fourthly, philosophy is divided into four parts, logic, morals,
physics, and metaphysics; I possess all four, and know them perfectly:
ergo, I am four times doctor.
BAR. Deuce take it, I don't doubt it. Listen to me then.
DOC. Fifthly, there are five universals: the genus, the species, the
differentia, the property, and the accident, without knowing which it
is impossible to arrive at any satisfactory conclusions; I make great
use of them, and know how important they are; ergo, I am five times
doctor.
BAR. I must have patience.
DOC. Sixthly, number six is the number of work; I work incessantly for
my own glory; ergo, I am six times doctor.
BAR. Well, well, speak as long as you like.
DOC. Seventhly, the number seven is the number of bliss; I possess a
perfect knowledge of all that can produce happiness, and by my talents
am happy myself. I am therefore forced to say of myself: _O ter
quaterque beatum!_ Eighthly, the number eight is the number of
justice, on account of the equality which is found in it; the justice
and prudence with which I measure and weigh all my actions make me
eight times doctor. Ninthly, there are nine Muses, and I am equally
the favourite of them all. Tenthly, one cannot pass number ten without
repeating all the other numbers, and it is the universal number.
Similarly, when people have found me, they have found the universal
doctor; and I am in myself all the other doctors together. Thus, with
the help of these plausible, true, demonstrative, and convincing
reasons, you see that I am one, two, three, four, five, six, seven,
eight, nine, ten times doctor.
BAR. What the deuce does he mean by all this? I thought I had found a
clever man who would give me good advice, and I find a chimney-sweep,
who, instead of speaking to me, plays at mora.[1] One, two, three,
four--ha! ha!--ha! ha! Come, come, that's not it; you must listen to
me, and remember that I am not a man to make you lose your time; I
shall make it worth your while, and if you can satisfy me in what I
want of you, I will give you what you wish--money, if you like.
DOC. Ha! money?
BAR. Yes, money; and whatever you may ask besides.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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