

E-text prepared by Delphine Lettau



THE COUNTESS OF ESCARBAGNAS.
(LA COMTESSE D'ESCARBAGNAS.)

by

MOLIERE

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 Moliere'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.
ANDREE, _maid to the_ COUNTESS.

_The scene is at Angouleme._




SCENE I.--JULIA, THE VISCOUNT.

VISC. What! you are here already?

JU. Yes, and you ought to be ashamed of yourself, Cleante; 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.

VISC. I assure you, dear Julia, that this is the real reason of my
being late. But if I wanted to say anything gallant, I could tell you
that the rendezvous to which you bring me here might well excuse the
sluggishness of which you complain. To compel me to pay my addresses
to the lady of this house is certainly reason enough for me to fear
being here the