334- 
of Caricature 
and 
Grotefgue 
all hypocrites and bigots were to be excluded, and the rule of which 
was comprifed in the four fimple words, " Do as you like." 
Such is the hiltory of Gargantua, which was afterwards formed by 
Rabelais into the firfc book of his great comic romance. It was pub- 
lilhed anonymouily, the author merely defcribing himfelf as " l'abItra6teur 
de quinte e1Tence;" but he afterwards adopted the pfeudonyme of 
Alcofribas Naner, which is merely an anagram of his own name, Frangois 
Rabelais. A very improbable Gory has been handed down to us relating 
to this book. It is pretended that, having publilhed a book of medical 
fcience which had no fale, and the publifher complaining that he had 
loft money by it, Rabelais promifed to make amends for his lofs, and 
immediately wrote the hifiory of Gargantua, by which the fame book- 
feller made his fortune. There can be no doubt that this remarkable 
fatire had a deeper origin than any cafual accident like this; but it was 
exactly fuited to the tafte and temper of the age. It was quite original 
in its form and ftyle, and it met with immediate and great fuccefs. 
Numerous editions followed each other rapidly, and its author, encouraged 
by its popularity, very foon afterwards produced a fecond romance, in 
continuation, to which he gave the title of Pantagruel. The caricature 
in this fecond romance is bolder even than in the tirfi, the humour 
broader, and the fatire more pungent. Grandgoufier has difappeared 
from the fcene, and his fon, Gargantua, is king, and has a fon named 
Pantagruel, whofe kingdom is that of the Dipfodes. The firft part 
of this new romance is occupied chieiiy with Pantagruel's youth and 
education, and is a fatire on the univerfity and on the lawyers, in which 
the parodies on their ttyle of pleading as then practifed is admirable. In 
the latter part, Pantagruel, like his father Gargantua, is engaged in great 
wars. It was perhaps the continued fuccels of this new production of his 
pen which led Rabelais to go on with it, and form the defign of making 
theft: two books part only of a more extenfive romance. During his 
{indies in Paris, Pantagruel has made the acquaintance of a fiugular 
individual named Panurge, who becomes his attached friend and conitant 
companion, holding fomewhat the pofition of brother Jean in the firtt 
book, but far more crafty and verfatile. The Whole fnbject of the third 
book