

E-text prepared by Charles Franks, Delphine Lettau, and the Project
Gutenberg Online Distributed Proofreading Team (http://www.pgdp.net)



THE IMAGINARY INVALID.

(LE MALADE IMAGINAIRE.)

by

MOLIERE,

Translated into English Prose.

With Short Introductions and Explanatory Notes.

by

CHARLES HERON WALL.







This is the last comedy written by Moliere. He was very ill, nearly
dying, at the time he wrote it. It was first acted at the Palais Royal
Theatre, on February 10, 1673.

Moliere acted the part of Argan.




PERSONS REPRESENTED.

ARGAN, _an imaginary invalid_.

BELINE, _second wife to_ ARGAN.

ANGELIQUE, _daughter to_ ARGAN, _in love with_ CLEANTE.

LOUISON, ARGAN'S _young daughter, sister to_ ANGELIQUE.

BERALDE, _brother to_ ARGAN.

CLEANTE, _lover to_ ANGELIQUE.

MR. DIAFOIRUS, _a physician_.

THOMAS DIAFOIRUS, _his son, in love with_ ANGELIQUE.

MR. PURGON, _physician to_ ARGAN.

MR. FLEURANT, _an apothecary_.

MR. DE BONNEFOI, _a notary_.

TOINETTE, _maid-servant to_ ARGAN.




ACT I.

SCENE I.--ARGAN (_sitting at a table, adding up his apothecary's
bill with counters_).


ARG. Three and two make five, and five make ten, and ten make twenty.
"Item, on the 24th, a small, insinuative clyster, preparative and
gentle, to soften, moisten, and refresh the bowels of Mr. Argan." What
I like about Mr. Fleurant, my apothecary, is that his bills are always
civil. "The bowels of Mr. Argan." All the same, Mr. Fleurant, it is
not enough to be civil, you must also be reasonable, and not plunder
sick people. Thirty sous for a clyster! I have already told you, with
all due respect to you, that elsewhere you have only charged me twenty
sous; and twenty sous, in the language of apothecaries, means only ten
sous. Here they are, these ten sous. "Item, on the said day, a good
detergent clyster, compounded of double catholicon rhubarb, honey of
roses, and other ingredients, according to the prescription, to scour,
work, and clear out the bowels of Mr. Argan, thirty sons." With your
leave, ten sous. "Item, on the said day, in the evening, a julep,
hepatic, soporiferous, and somniferous, intended to promote the sleep
of Mr. Argan, thirty-five sous." I do not complain of that, for it
made me sleep very well. Ten, fifteen, sixteen, and seventeen sous six
deniers. "Item, on the 25th, a good purgative and corroborative
mixture, composed of fresh cassia with Levantine senna and other
ingredients, according to the prescription of Mr. Purgon, to expel Mr.
Argan's bile, four francs." You are joking, Mr. Fleurant; you must
learn to be reasonable with patients; Mr. Purgon never ordered you to
put four francs. Tut! put three francs, if you please. Twenty; thirty
sous.[1] "Item, on the said day, a dose, anodyne and astringent, to
make Mr. Argan sleep, thirty sous." Ten sous, Mr. Fleurant. "Item, on
the 26th, a carminative clyster to cure the flatulence of Mr. Argan,
thirty sous." "Item, the clyster repeated in the evening, as above,
thirty sous." Ten sous, Mr. Fleurant. "Item, on the 27th, a good
mixture composed for the purpose of driving out the bad humours of Mr.
Argan, three francs." Good; twenty and thirty sous; I am glad that
you are reasonable. "Item, on the 28th, a dose of clarified and
edulcorated whey, to soften, lenify, temper, and refresh the blood of
Mr. Argan, twenty sous." Good; ten sous. "Item, a potion, cordial and
preservative, composed of twelve grains of bezoar, syrup of citrons
and pomegranates, and other ingredients, according to the prescription,
five francs." Ah! Mr. Fleurant, gently, if you please; if you go on
like that, no one will wish to be unwell. Be satisfied with four
francs. Twenty, forty sous. Three and two are five, and five are ten,
and ten are twenty. Sixty-three francs four sous six deniers. So that
during this month I have