E-text prepared by Delphine Lettau
'La Comtesse d'Escarbagnas' was acted before the Court at Saint-Germain-en-Laye,on December 2, 1671, and in the theatre of the PalaisRoyal on July 8, 1672. It was never printed during Molière's lifetime,but for the first time only in 1682. It gives us a good picture of theprovincial thoughts, manners, and habits of those days.
The Count, son to theCountess. |
| The scene is at Angoulême. |
Visc. What! you are here already?
Ju.Yes, and you ought to be ashamed of yourself, Cléante; it is notright for a lover to be the last to come to the rendezvous.
Visc.I should have been here long ago if there were no importunatepeople 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 tome the most absurd things that can well be imagined about it. You knowthat those great newsmongers are the curse of provincial towns, andthat they have no greater anxiety than to spread, everywhere abroadall 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 greatestimaginable amount of rubbish, which, he says, comes from the safestquarters. Then, as if it were a wonderful thing, he read full lengthand with great mystery all the stupid jokes in the Dutch Gazette,which he takes for gospel.1He thinks that France is being brought to ruin by the pen ofthat writer, whose fine wit, according to him, is sufficient to defeatarmies. After that he raved about the ministry, spoke of all itsfaults, and I thought he would never have done. If one is to believehim, he knows the secrets of the cabinet better than those who composeit. The policy of the state is an open book to him, and no step istaken without his seeing through it. He shows you the secretmachinations of all that takes place, whither the wisdo