The Infant's Skull; Or, The End of the World. A Tale of the Millennium — John Stuart Mill — John Shaqi
The Infant's Skull; Or, The End of the World. A Tale of the Millennium
John Stuart Mill · en
Like his wife Louis the Do-nothing was barely twenty years of age.
Justly nicknamed the "Do-nothing," he looked as nonchalant as he seemed
bored. After having scolded through the window at the serfs, whose noise
annoyed him, he stretched himself out again upon his lounge. Several of
his familiar attendants stood around him. Yawning fit to dislocate his
jaws, he said to them: "What a notion that was of the Queen's to go at
sunrise with only one lady of the chamber to pray at the hermitage of
St. Eusebius! Once awakened, I could not fall asleep again. So I rose!
Oh, this day will be endless!"
"Seigneur King, would you like to hunt?" suggested one of the
attendants. "The day is fine. We would certainly kill some game."
"The hunt fatigues me. It is a rude sport."
"Seigneur King, would you prefer fishing?"
"Fishing tires me; it is a stupid pastime."
"Seigneur King, if you call your flute and lute-players, you might enjoy
a dance."
"Music racks my head, and I cannot bear dancing. Let's try something
else."
"Seigneur King, shall your chaplain read to you out of some fine work?"
"I hate reading. I think I could amuse myself with the idiot. Where is
he?"
"Seigneur King, one of your attendants has gone out to find him.... I
hear steps.... It is surely he coming."
The door opened and a servitor bent the knee and let in Yvon. From the
moment of his entrance Yvon started to walk on all fours, barking like a
dog; after a little while he grew livelier, jumped and cavorted about
clapping his hands and shouting with such grotesque contortions that the
King and the attendants began to laugh merrily. Encouraged by these
signs of approbation and ever cavorting about, Yvon mimicked alternately
the crowing of a rooster, the mewing of a cat, the grunting of a hog and
the braying of an ass, interspersing his sounds with clownish gestures
and ridiculous leaps, that redoubled the hilarity of the King and his
courtiers. The merriment was at its height when the door was again
thrown open, and one of the chamberlains announced in a loud voice from
the threshold where he remained: "Seigneur King, the Queen approaches!"
At these words the attendants of Louis, some of whom had dropped upon
stools convulsing with laughter, rose hastily and crowded to the door to
salute the Queen at her entrance. Louis, however, who lay stretched on
his lounge, continued laughing and cried out to the idiot: "Keep on
dancing, Calf! Dance on! You are worth your weight in gold! I never
amused myself better!"