The Wise and Ingenious Companion, French and English;: or, A Collection of the Wit of the Illustrious Persons, Both Ancient and ModernBoyer, Abel
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The Wise and Ingenious Companion, French and English;: or, A Collection of the Wit of the Illustrious Persons, Both Ancient and Modern
Boyer, Abel
Anecdotes; Wit and humor
_Tho’ Maids be tied to Modesty,
Yet youth allows some Liberty._
And thus resum’d her Discourse.
_Larisse_ par ce conte, avoit attiré l’attention de toute la
compagnie, mais sur tout de deux jeunes Filles qui faisoient
semblant de dormir de peur que la Bienseance ne les obligeat de se
retirer si elles paroissoient entendre ce qu’elle disoit; l’une
d’elles ayant ouvert les yeux pour regarder _Larisse_, comme si
c’eut été sans dessein, les referma aussi-tôt. Pour l’autre,
faisant semblant de se reveiller: Est-il déja jour? dit elle, &
rougit en le disant. La compagnie connût leurs finesses, & s’en
réjouit fort. Cependant _Larisse_ avoit cessé de parler, disant
qu’elle ne vouloit pas achever le recit de cette avanture, de
peur de faire de la peine à ces jeunes Filles & elle menaçoit la
compagnie de quelques vieilles Histoires serieuses; Mais _Eugene_
impatient de scavoir le reste du conte: Hé _Larisse_ lui dit-il,
ces jeunes Filles n’ont fait semblant de dormir, que pour vous
écouter avec plus de liberté: je vous assure qu’elles ont plus
d’envie que pas un de nous de scavoir la fin de vôtre histoire.
Continuez, je vous en conjure, lui dit-il en l’embrassant. Elle y
consentit, promit d’achever le conte le plus modestement qu’elle
pourroit; & faisant approcher d’elle les jeunes filles leur dit,
_Il est permis aux jeunes gens
De n’ètre pas toûjours si Sages._
Et recommenca ainsi à parler:
One while I complained of Love, and another while I pray’d to
him: Great God, said I often to him, either cure me or make me
belov’d of him I love. All this while I could neither eat nor
sleep. _Gison_, (for that was the name of my Dear) recover’d his
Beauty every Day; for Time, which conquers all, had alleviated his
Sorrows. For my part, I was no more the same Woman, and the more
_Glison_’s charms encreas’d, the more my secret Passion alter’d my
Mind, my Face and Humour. I had not the assurance of disclosing
my Passion, and yet was mad to conceal it: As for _Glison_ he was
unacquainted with my Disease; he was sorry for me, and only repaid
with thankfulness the Obligations he had to me, and contented
himself to ease me in my Business of a Slave, as I had done him
in his. But at last being no longer Mistress of my Passion, I saw
my self forc’d to discover it; therefore upon a Friday, Oh! happy
Day, which I shall never forget, having found _Glison_ upon my Bed,
where he used sometimes to take his Repose after Dinner, I desired
him, melting into Tears, to take pity on me. He granted my request,
and seem’d very well pleas’d to have sav’d my Life.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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