There’s a spot in the 3-4 minute range where it seems like Machen, or the editor, got a bit confused and misplaced a couple of sentences? In any event, I left it as it appears in the text, even if it is odd and confusing.
“Beer King”: This may be a reference to Gambrinus? Although I believe he’s more a Continental figure, German especially? But he is said to be particularly jovial, so that fits.
the famous “Three Kings”: There are indeed pubs in London by the name “Three Kings” or even “Famous Three Kings”, but they seem to be very modern, possibly inspired by whatever inspired Machen here. Although it does appear there is at least one, in Clerkenwell, that does date to at least the 1870s… Which three kings are being referenced here I have no idea. Although in looking up the Beer King, Gambrinus was suggested to have been inspired by any of the following three: Gambrivius (or Gampar, son of Mers), John the Fearless of Burgundy, and John I, Duke of Brabant. So perhaps the Three Kings are meant to reference all three of the possible Beer Kings? That would be entertaining. But probably not. I have no idea, really. If you do, please leave a comment below!
borage: a.k.a. starflower, an annual herb in the flowering plant family Boraginaceae native to the Mediterranean region
Panurge: The context here is clear enough this is a character from Rabelais’ “Gargantua and Pantagruel” series. He is said to be a crafty knave, a libertine, and a coward.
Huxley: This cannot be Aldous Huxley, as he isn’t even born until 1894, so it must be his father, Thomas Huxley, 1825-1895, a biologist and anthropologist and advocate of Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution.
Spencer: If we go with Thomas Huxley above, then this should be Herbert Spencer, an English scientist who coined the phrase “survival of the fittest”. He was also a fan of Charles Darwin, and also Jean-Baptiste Lamarck.
pilgarlic: a bald-headed man, or more likely in this case, a man looked upon with humorous contempt or mock pity
Eleusis: today this is a surburb of Athens; it is the birthplace of Aeschylus
St. Gatien: In Latin, Gatianus, a third century bishop who founded the see of Tours.
Archevêché: archbishopric
Coqcigrues: an invention of Rabelais, this is a mythical creature that nobody has ever seen
Étoiles: literally, a star
Anges-Gardiens: literally, guardian angels
Couronnes Immortelles: literally, immortal crowns
shove-ha’penny: a pub game in the shuffleboard family
stingo: strong ale or beer
Amboise: a commune in central France, about 200km southwest of Paris
Luynes: another commune about 35 km west of Amboise
Or, to use Tours as the reference point instead of Paris, Amboise is 24 km east of Tours, and Luynes is 12 km west of Tours
malelotte: google translate says ‘briefcase’, but if you force google to search on exactly and only this word, it brings up a bunch of recipe pages in French, so it is a food thing. Exactly what, I can’t quite determine. If you know your French cuisine better than me, please leave a comment below on what this really is.
friture: this just means ‘frying’, but seemingly can also refer specifically to fried fish. Which makes me wonder if malelotte could be some sort of potato thing, whereby friture and malelotte = fish and chips? Hmmm…
Vouvray: a French wine region in the Loire Valley located just east of Tours
elephant folio: a book of the largest size
sub signo Lucernæ cum permissu superiorum: under the sign of Lucerne with the permission of the superiors
Calix meus inebrians quam præclarus est: “My chalice which inebriateth me, how goodly it is!” From the Septuagint and Vulgate versions of Psalm 22(23) at verse 5b. Other versions are slightly different and translate instead to “My cup overfloweth”, but there’s some linguistic technicalities there beyond my abilities and the scope of this note
The picture used is a poster by Charles Lucien Léandre for the original production of Jules Massenet’s Panurge, based on Rabelais’ Pantagruel. Printed by Imp. J. Minot (Paris); 1913.
To follow along: https://www.gutenberg.org/files/35637/35637-h/35637-h.htm#IV
The way this story is coming to a close is really losing me. Hopefully at least some of you out there are enjoying it. I kind of lost the plot myself with this chapter…
chapter
4 the phrases kept recurring to his mind
after they had gone out and as they
wandered through the lighted streets
with all their strange and variegated
shows with glittering windows and
glittering lamps with the EB and flow of
faces the voices and the laughter the
surging crowds about the theater doors
the flashing handsom and the omnibuses
lumbering heavily along to strange
regions such as turnam green and castlow
and cricklewood and Stoke Newington why
they were as unknown as cities in
cath it was a dim hot night all the
great City smoked as with the mist and a
tny moon Rose through films of cloud far
in the Vista of the East Ambrose thought
with a sudden recollection that the Moon
that world of Splendor was shining in a
farther land on the coast of the wild
rocks on the heaving Sea on the fairy
Apple gths in Avalon where though the
apples are always golden yet the
blossoms of Enchantment Never Fade but
hang forever against the
sky they were passing a half-lit street
and these dreams were broken by the
sudden clanging rattling music of a
piano organ for a moment they saw the
shadowy figures of the children as they
flitted to and fro dancing odd measures
in the rhythm of the T tune then they
came into a long narrow way with a
church Spire in the distance and near
the church they passed the church shop
Roman evidently from the subjects and
the treatment of the works of art on
view but it was strange in the middle of
the window was a crude glaring statue of
some Saint he was in bright red robes
sprinkled with golden stars the blood
rained down from a wound in his forehead
and with one hand he drew the Scarlet
vestment aside and pointed to the
Dreadful gash above his heart and from
this again the bloody drops fell thick
the colors stared and shrieked and yet
through the bad cheap art there seemed
to shine a Rapture that was very near to
Beauty the thing expressed was so great
that it had to a certain extent overcome
the villainy of the
expression they wandered vaguely after
their custom and amb Rose was silent he
was thinking of Avalon and red martyrdom
and the Frenchman’s parting salutation
of the vision in one of the old books
the man clothed in a robe redder and
more shining than burning fire and his
feet and his hands and his face were of
a likee flame and five angels in fiery
vesture stood about him and at the feet
of the man the ground was covered with a
ruddy
Dew they passed under an old church
tower that Rose white in the Moonlight
above them the air had cleared the Mist
had floated away and now the sky glowed
Violet and the white stones of the
classic Spirit Shone on high from it
there came suddenly a tumult of glad
sound exultant bells in everchanging
order peeling out as if to honor some
great Victory so that the mirth of the
street below became but a trivial
Restless noise he thought of some
Passage that he had read but could not
distinctly remember a ship was coming
back to its Haven after a wary and
tempestuous Voyage over many Dreadful
seas and those on board saw the tumult
in the city as their saes were sighted
heard afar the shouts of gladness from
the rejoicing people Heard the Bells
from all the spires and Towers break
suddenly into triumphant chorus sounding
high above the washing of the
Waves Ambrose roused himself from his
dreams they had been walking in a circle
and had returned almost to the street of
the Chateau though their knowledge of
the district being of an unscientific
character they were under the impression
that they were a mile or so away from
that particular Point as it happened
they had not entered this street before
and they were Charmed at the sudden
appearance of stained glass lighted up
from within the color was rich and good
there were flourished Scrolls and
grotesques in the Renaissance Manor many
emblazened Shields and Ruby and gold and
Azure in the centerpiece showed the
court of the beer King a jovial and
venerable figure attended by a host of
dwarfs and Cobalts all Holding On High
enormous mugs of beer they went in
boldly and were glad it was the famous
three kings and its golden and
unreformed days but this they knew not
the room was of a moderate size very low
with great dark beams in the white
ceiling white were the walls on the
plaster black letter texts with Fillion
initials praised the drinker’s art and
more Cobalts in black and red loomed
oddly in unsuspected Corners the
lighting presumably was gas but all that
was visible were great antique lanterns
depending from Iron Hooks and through
their dull Green Glass only a dim
Radiance fell upon the heavy oak table
and the drinkers from the middle beam an
enormous bouquet of fresh hops hung on
high there was a subdued murmur of talk
and now and then the clatter of the lid
of a mug as fresh beer was ordered in
one corner there was a kind of bar
behind it a couple of grim women the
Cobalts apparently performed their
office and above on a sort of rack hung
mugs and tankards of all sizes and of
all fantasies there were plain mugs of
creamy Earth and wear mugs gily and
oddly painted with garlanded goats with
hunting scenes with towering castles
with flaming posies of
flowers then some friend of the drunken
some Sage who had Pride curiously into
the secrets of thirst had made a series
of Wonders in glass so shining and
crystalline that to behold them was as
if one looked into a well for every
glitter of the facets gave promise of
satisf
action there were the mugs capacious and
very deep crowned for the most part not
with mere plain Lids of common use and
make but with tall spires imp putor
richly ornamented evident survivals from
the Middle Ages Ambrose’s eyes glistened
the place was Al together as he would
have designed it Nelly too was glad to
sit down for they had walked longer than
usual she was refreshed by a glass of
some cool drink with a borage flour and
a cherry floating in it and Ambrose
ordered a mug of
beer it is not known how many of these
kugs he emptied it was as has been noted
a sultry night and the streets were
Dusty and that glass of Benedictine
after dinner rather evokes than
dismisses the demon of thirst still
Munich Beer is no hot and rebellious
drink so the causes of what followed
must probably be be sought for in other
Springs Ambrose took a deep draft gazed
upward to the ceiling and ordered
another mug of beer for himself and some
more of the cool and delicate and
Flowery beverage for Nelly when the
drink was set upon the board he thus
began without title or
preface you must know dear Nelly he said
that the marriage of pan Which fell out
in due time according to the Oracle and
advice of the Holy bottle while was by
no means a fortunate one for against all
the Council of pental and of frier John
and indeed of all his friends paner
married in a fit of spleen and obstinacy
the crooked and squinting daughter of
The Little Old Man Who Sold green sauce
in the ru quink at tour you will see the
very place in a few days and then you
will understand
everything you do not understand that my
child that is imp piety since it accuses
the Zeitgeist who is certainly the only
God that ever existed as you will see
more fully demonstrated in Huxley and
Spencer and all the leading articles in
all the leading newspapers quote aat
demonstrandum to be still more precise
you must know that when I am dead and a
very great man indeed many thousands of
people will come from all the quarters
of the globe not forgetting the United
States to Lupton they will come and
stare very hard at the old Grange which
will have an inscription about me on the
wall they will spend hours in high
school they will walk all around playing
fields they will cut little bits off
Brooks and quaries then they will view
the sulfuric acid Works the chemical
manure Factory and the free library and
whatever other stink pots and cesspools
lton town may contain they will finally
enjoy the view of the Midland Railway
Goods station then they will say now we
understand him now one sees how he got
all his inspiration in that lovely old
school and the wonderful English
Countryside so you see that when I show
you the ru quink Kong you will perfectly
understand this history let us drink the
world shall never be drowned again so
have no
fear well the fact remains that panurge
having married this hideous wench a
fores said was except massively
unhappy it was in vain that he argued
with his wife in all known languages and
in some that are unknown for as she said
she only knew two languages the one of
Turin and the other of the stick and
this second she taught pan perod
pasionis that is by beating him and this
so thoroughly that poor pilgarlic was
sore from head to foot he was a worthy
little fellow but the greatest coward
that that ever breathed believe me
illustrious Drinkers and most precious
Nelly never was man so wretched as this
peners since Paradise fell from Adam
this is the true Doctrine I heard it
when I was at El usus you inquire what
was the matter why in the first place
this vile wretch whom they all called so
much did they hate her laort or deadly
life this vile wretch I say what do you
think that she did when the last note of
the fiddles had sounded and the wedding
guests had gone off to the three lamp
preise to kill a certain worm the witch
worm is most certainly Immortal since it
is not dead yet well then what did
Madame P nothing but this she robbed her
excellent and devoted husband of all
that he had doubtless you remember how
in the old days panurge had played ducks
and Drakes with the money that pentag
Gru had given him so that he borrowed on
his horn while it was still in the ear
and before it was sown if we inquire a
little more closely in truth the good
little man never had a penny to bless
himself with all for the which cause
pentu loved him all the more dearly so
that when the div ble gave its Oracle
and panurge chose his spouse pentag
showed how preciously he esteemed a
hearty spender by giving him such a
treasure that the goldsmiths who live
under the bell of St Katan still talk of
it before they da mind because by doing
so their mouths water and these salivary
secretions are of high benefit to the
digestion read on this gallon if you
would know how great and glorious this
treasure was you must go to the library
of the arvet at tours where they will
show you a vast volume Bound in pig skin
the name of which I’ve forgotten but
this book is nothing else than the list
of all the Wonders and glories of pantag
gr’s wedding present to pan it contains
surprising things I can tell you for in
good coin of the realm alone never was
gift that might compare with it and
besides the common money there were
ancient pieces the very names of which
are now
incomprehensible and incomprehensible
they will remain till the coming of the
coxy grw there was for instance a great
gold soul a world in itself as some said
truly and I know not how many Myriad
Myriad of TW all of the finest silver
that was ever minted and an gardan which
the Learned think must have been first
coined at honi though others will have
it that they were the same as our angels
and as for the Roses de Paradis and and
coron immortel I believe he had as many
of them as ever he would Beauties and
joys he was to keep for pocket money
Small Change is sometimes great gain and
as a I say no sooner had pan urge
married that accursed daughter of the ru
qu K than she robbed him of everything
down to the last brass Farthing the fact
is that the woman was a witch she was
also something else which I leave out
for the present but if you will believe
me she cast such a spell upon paner that
he thought himself an absolute beggar
thus he would look at his soor and say
what is the use of that it is only a
great bright lump I can see it every day
then when they said but how about those
H gardian he would reply what are they
have you seen them I never see them show
them to me and so with all else and all
the while that villain of a woman beat
thumped and belabored him so that the
tears were always in his eyes and they
say you could hear him howling all over
the world everybody said that he made a
pretty mess of it and would come to a
bad end luckily for him this Witch of a
wife of his would sometimes doze off for
a few minutes and then he had a little
piece and he would wonder what had
become of all the gay girls and gracious
ladies that he had known in old times
for he had played the Devil with the
women in his day and could have taught
ID lessons in
Aram now of course it was as much as his
life was worth to mention the very name
of one of these ladies and as for any
little Sly visits stolen endearments
hidden Embraces or any small matters of
that kind it was goodbye I shall see you
next never miss nor was this all but
worse remains behind and it is my belief
that it is the thought of what I’m going
to tell you that makes the wind whail
and cry of winter nights and the clouds
weep and the sky look black for in truth
it is the greatest sorrow that ever was
since the beginning of the world I must
out with it quick or I shall never have
done in plain English and as true as I
sit here drinking good ale not one drop
or minim or dram or pennyweight of drink
had panurge tasted since the day of his
wedding he had implored Mercy he had
told her how he had served Gargantua and
pantr and had got into the habit of
drinking in his sleep and his wife had
merely advised him to go to the devil
she was not going to let him so much as
look at the nasty stuff
touch not taste not smell not is my
motto said she she gave him a blue
ribbon which she said would make up for
it what do you want with drink said she
go and do business instead it’s much
better for you sad then and sorry enough
was the estate of poor peners at last so
wretched did he become that he took
advantage of one of his wife’s dozes and
stole away to the good pentag Gru and
told him the whole story and a very bad
one it was so that the tears rolled down
pentag Gru’s Cheeks from sheer grief and
each teardrop contained exactly 118 Gall
of aquous fluid according to the
calculations of the best
geometers the man saw that the case was
a desperate one and Heaven knew he said
whether it could be mended or not but
certain it was that a business such as
this could not be settled in a hurry
since it was not like a game at of a
penny to be gotten over between two
gallons of wine he therefore counseled
penard to have patience and bear with
his wife for a few thousand years and in
the meantime they would see what could
be done but lest his patience should
wear out he gave him an odd drug or
medicine prepared by the great artist of
the mountains of Cath and this he was to
drop into his wife’s glass for though he
might have no drink she was drunk three
times a day and she would sleep all the
longer and leave him a while in peace
this panurge very Faithfully performed
and got a little rest now and again and
they say that while that devil of a
woman snored and snorted he was able by
odd chances once or twice to get a hold
of a drop of the right stuff good old
stingo from the Big Barrel which he
lapped up as eagerly as a kitten laps
cream others there be who declare that
once or twice he got about his sad old
tricks while his ugly wife was sleeping
in the Sun the women on the mail make no
secret of their opinion that his old
mistress Madame Sophia who has seen
stealing in and out of the house as
slightly as you please and God knows
what goes on when the door is shut but
the Tans were always sad gossips and one
must not believe all that one hears I
leave out the flat scandalmongers who
are bold enough to declare that he kept
one mistress at Jerusalem another at
Lucius another in Egypt and about as
many as are contained in the Calio of
the Grand Turk scattered up and down in
the towns and Villages of Asia but I do
believe there was some kissing in dark
corners and a curtain hung across one
room in the house could tell odd Tales
nevertheless lav moral a pest on her was
more often awake than asleep and when
she was awake Panera’s case was worse
than ever
for you see the woman was no piece of a
fool and she saw sure enough that
something was going on the stingo in the
barrel was lower than of Rights and more
than once she had caught her husband
looking almost happy at which she beat
the house about his ears then another
time Madame Sophia dropped her ring and
again this sweet lady came one morning
so strongly perfumed that she scented
the whole place and when Lai woke up it
smelt like a church there was fine work
then I promise you the people heard the
bangs and curses and shrieks and groans
as far as Amis on the one side and Huen
on the other in that year the lir rose
10 ft higher than the banks on account
of Pan’s tears as a punishment she made
him go and be industrial and he built
10,000 stinkpot factories with 20,000
chimneys and all the leaves and trees
and green grass had flowers in the world
were blackened and died and all the
waters were poisoned so that there were
no perch in the lir and salmon fetched
40 Souls the pound at shinon Market as
for the men and women they became yellow
apes and listened to a coder named
Calvin who told them they would all be
damned eternally except himself and his
friends and they found his Doctrine very
comforting and probable too since they
had the sense to know that they were
more than half damned already I don’t
know whether Pan’s fate was worse on
this occasion or on another when his
wife found a book in his writing full
from end to end of poetry some of it
about the wonderful treasure that pentag
had given him which he was supposed to
have forgotten some of it verses to
those old Lial loves of his with a whole
epic Him Praise of his mistress in Chief
Sophia then indeed there was was the
very dece to pay it was bread and water
stripes and torment all day long and Lai
swore a great oath that if he ever did
it again he should be sent to spend the
rest of his life in Manchester whereupon
he fell into a swoon from Horrid fright
anday like a log so that everybody
thought he was
dead all this while the great pentag Gru
was not Idol perceiving how desperate
the matter was he summoned the Thousand
and1st great economical Council of all
the sages of the wide world and when the
fathers had come and had heard high mass
at St Gan the session was opened in a
Pavilion in The Meadows by the lir just
under the lantern of R carbon whence
this council is always styled the great
and holy Council of the lantern if you
want to know where the place is you can
do so very easily for there is a choice
Tavern on the spot where the Pavilion
stood and there you may have mot and
fror and Amber wine of V better than in
any Tavern in tan as for the history of
the acts of this great Council it is
still a writing and so far only 2,000
volumes in elephant folio have been
printed
sub
superium however as it is necessary to
be brief it may be said that the holy
fathers of the lantern after having
heard the whole case as it was exposed
to them by the great Clerks of pantr
having digested all the arguments looked
into the Precedence applied themselves
to the doctrine explored the hidden
wisdom consulted the Cannons searched
the scriptures divided the Dogma
distinguished the distinctions and
answered the questions resolved with one
voice that there was no help in the
world for peners Save only this he must
forth with a achiev the most high Noble
and glorious quest of the sanral for no
other way was there under Heaven by
which he might rid himself of that
pestilent wife of his lav moral and on
some other occasion said Ambrose you may
hear of the last Voyage of pen to the
glassy aisle of the Holy Growl of the
incredible Adventures that he achieved
of the dread perils through which he
passed of the great wonders and Marvels
and compassions of the w
of the manner in which he received the
title plon itono which signifies child
of the water floods and how at last he
gloriously attained the vision of the
sangral and was most happily translated
out of the power of lav
mortal and where is he now said Nelly
who had found the tale interesting but
obscure it is not precisely known
opinions vary but there are two odd
things one is that he is exactly like
that man in the red dress whose statue
we saw in the shop window tonight and
the other is that from that day to this
he has never been sober for a single
minute calx mayos in ibrian CL
EST