Free Republic
Browse · Search
General/Chat
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

[VANITY]: Now that we are approaching the end of the Toilet Paper era, perhaps we should consider other options, such as those described in Chapter 13 of Rabelais' famous book: "Gargantua and Pentagruel"
Wikisource ^ | 1532-1564 | François Rabelais

Posted on 03/16/2020 10:09:43 AM PDT by Maceman

How Gargantua's wonderful understanding became known to his father Grangousier, by the invention of a torchecul or wipebreech.

=========================

About the end of the fifth year, Grangousier returning from the conquest of the Canarians, went by the way to see his son Gargantua. There was he filled with joy, as such a father might be at the sight of such a child of his: and whilst he kissed and embraced him, he asked many childish questions of him about divers matters, and drank very freely with him and with his governesses, of whom in great earnest he asked, amongst other things, whether they had been careful to keep him clean and sweet. I have, answered Gargantua, by a long and curious experience, found out a means to wipe my bum, the most lordly, the most excellent, and the most convenient that ever was seen. What is that? said Grangousier, how is it? I will tell you by-and-by, said Gargantua. Once I did wipe me with a gentle-woman's velvet mask, and found it to be good; for the softness of the silk was very voluptuous and pleasant to my fundament. Another time with one of their hoods, and in like manner that was comfortable.

At another time with a lady's neckerchief, and after that I wiped me with some ear-pieces of hers made of crimson satin, but there was such a number of golden spangles in them (turdy round things, a pox take them) that they fetched away all the skin of my tail with a vengeance.

Now I wish St. Antony's fire burn the bum-gut of the goldsmith that made them, and of her that wore them! This hurt I cured by wiping myself with a page's cap, garnished with a feather after the Switzers' fashion.

Afterwards, in dunging behind a bush, I found a March-cat, and with it I wiped my breech, but her claws were so sharp that they scratched and exulcerated all my perinee. Of this I recovered the next morning thereafter, by wiping myself with my mother's gloves, of a most excellent perfume and scent of the Arabian Benin.

After that I wiped me with sage, with fennel, with anet, with marjoram, with roses, with gourd-leaves, with beets, with colewort, with leaves of the vine-tree, with mallows, wool-blade, which is a tail-scarlet, with lettuce, and with spinach leaves. All this did very great good to my leg. Then with mercury, with parsley, with nettles, with comfrey, but that gave me the bloody flux of Lombardy, which I healed by wiping me with my braguette.

Then I wiped my tail in the sheets, in the coverlet, in the curtains, with a cushion, with arras hangings, with a green carpet, with a table-cloth, with a napkin, with a handkerchief, with a combing-cloth; in all which I found more pleasure than do the mangy dogs when you rub them.

Yea, but, said Grangousier, which torchecul did you find to be the best? I was coming to it, said Gargantua, and by-and-by shall you hear the tu autem, and know the whole mystery and knot of the matter. I wiped myself with hay, with straw, with thatch-rushes, with flax, with wool, with paper, but,

Who his foul tail with paper wipes,
Shall at his ballocks leave some chips.

What, said Grangousier, my little rogue, hast thou been at the pot, that thou dost rhyme already? Yes, yes, my lord the king, answered Gargantua, I can rhyme gallantly, and rhyme till I become hoarse with rheum. Hark, what our privy says to the skiters:

Shittard,
Squirtard,
Crackard,
Turdous,
Thy bung
Hath flung
Some dung

On us:
Filthard,
Cackard,
Stinkard,
St. Antony's fire seize on thy toane (bone?),
If thy
Dirty
Dounby
Thou do not wipe, ere thou be gone.

Will you have any more of it? Yes, yes, answered Grangousier. Then, said Gargantua,

A Roundelay.
In shitting yes'day I did know
The sess I to my arse did owe:
The smell was such came from that slunk,
That I was with it all bestunk:
O had but then some brave Signor
Brought her to me I waited for,
In shitting!


I would have cleft her watergap,
And join'd it close to my flipflap,
Whilst she had with her fingers guarded
My foul nockandrow, all bemerded
In shitting.

Now say that I can do nothing! By the Merdi, they are not of my making, but I heard them of this good old grandam, that you see here, and ever since have retained them in the budget of my memory.

Let us return to our purpose, said Grangousier. What, said Gargantua, to skite? No, said Grangousier, but to wipe our tail. But, said Gargantua, will not you be content to pay a puncheon of Breton wine, if I do not blank and gravel you in this matter, and put you to a non-plus? Yes, truly, said Grangousier.

There is no need of wiping one's tail, said Gargantua, but when it is foul; foul it cannot be, unless one have been a-skiting; skite then we must before we wipe our tails. O my pretty little waggish boy, said Grangousier, what an excellent wit thou hast? I will make thee very shortly proceed doctor in the jovial quirks of gay learning, and that, by God, for thou hast more wit than age. Now, I prithee, go on in this torcheculative, or wipe-bummatory discourse, and by my beard I swear, for one puncheon, thou shalt have threescore pipes, I mean of the good Breton wine, not that which grows in Britain, but in the good country of Verron.

Afterwards I wiped my bum, said Gargantua, with a kerchief, with a pillow, with a pantoufle, with a pouch, with a pannier, but that was a wicked and unpleasant torchecul; then with a hat. Of hats, note that some are shorn, and others shaggy, some velveted, others covered with taffeties, and others with satin. The best of all these is the shaggy hat, for it makes a very neat abstersion of the fecal matter.

Afterwards I wiped my tail with a hen, with a cock, with a pullet, with a calf's skin, with a hare, with a pigeon, with a cormorant, with an attorney's bag, with a montero, with a coif, with a falconer's lure. But, to conclude, I say and maintain, that of all torcheculs, arsewisps, bumfodders, tail-napkins, bunghole cleansers, and wipe-breeches, there is none in the world comparable to the neck of a goose, that is well downed, if you hold her head betwixt your legs.

And believe me therein upon mine honour, for you will thereby feel in your nockhole a most wonderful pleasure, both in regard of the softness of the said down and of the temporate heat of the goose, which is easily communicated to the bum-gut and the rest of the inwards, in so far as to come even to the regions of the heart and brains.

And think not that the felicity of the heroes and demigods in the Elysian fields consisteth either in their asphodel, ambrosia, or nectar, as our old women here used to say; but in this, according to my judgment, that they wipe their tails with the neck of a goose, holding her head betwixt their legs, and such is the opinion of Master John of Scotland, alias Scotus.


TOPICS: Chit/Chat; Education; Humor
KEYWORDS:
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-36 last
To: Zathras

I was going to print up some t-shirts that say:

“I Survived Coronavirus and All I Got Was 100 Rolls of Toilet Paper”


21 posted on 03/16/2020 10:44:04 AM PDT by Boogieman
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 7 | View Replies]

To: Maceman

“ ...one of the most famous writers of the 14th century, to which I was first introduced in a college literature class.”

I was about to say I didn’t think you were that old, then you clarified by saying it was actually the 16th century. That makes more sense.


22 posted on 03/16/2020 10:50:18 AM PDT by bk1000 (Banned from Breitbart)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Uncle Sham
If you have a washing machine you don’t need toilet paper.

Alternately you can just hop into the shower and get clean.

23 posted on 03/16/2020 10:53:40 AM PDT by PapaBear3625 ("Those who can make you believe absurdities, can make you commit atrocities." -- Voltaire)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 8 | View Replies]

To: PapaBear3625

Careful, you’ll spark a run on shower head hose attachments at Lowes and Home Despot.


24 posted on 03/16/2020 10:56:28 AM PDT by nascarnation
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 23 | View Replies]

To: lastchance

You dont say?

25 posted on 03/16/2020 10:57:40 AM PDT by LesbianThespianGymnasticMidget (Our parents/grandparents were called to war. We have been called to sit on the couch. We got this!!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 20 | View Replies]

To: Bratch

The original hemorrhoid cure.


26 posted on 03/16/2020 10:57:55 AM PDT by CTyank
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 5 | View Replies]

To: Maceman

The Muslims have their own unique way of dealing with the problem.


27 posted on 03/16/2020 10:58:54 AM PDT by Fresh Wind (The Electoral College is the firewall protecting us from massive blue state vote fraud.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Maceman

This is the time the New York Times and Washington Post can finally be put to good use.

“Democracy Dies In The Outhouse”

“All the News That’s Fit to ****”


28 posted on 03/16/2020 11:02:22 AM PDT by kaehurowing
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Maceman

No TP? Subscribe to the NY Times. It comes with the crap already in it. Watch your buttski though. Mohmmedans have BEST PRACTICES...maybe not...SF road warriors are giving them a run.

HOW DARE YOU, PGalt. STFU, dog-faced, pig-tailed, pony-soldier...or I’ll have Joementia sniff you.


29 posted on 03/16/2020 11:06:26 AM PDT by PGalt (Past Peak Civilization?)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Maceman

One word. Bidet.


30 posted on 03/16/2020 11:28:15 AM PDT by Freedom_Is_Not_Free (What profits a man if he gains the world but loses his soul?)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: LesbianThespianGymnasticMidget

The patent office awaits.


31 posted on 03/16/2020 11:41:10 AM PDT by lastchance (Credo.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 25 | View Replies]

To: Bratch
Where are the white cobs?



...for "Quality Control", of course...

32 posted on 03/16/2020 12:02:06 PM PDT by TXnMA (Anagram: "PANDEMIC --> DEM PANIC")
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 5 | View Replies]

To: Maceman

Big TP has been Wiped Out.


33 posted on 03/16/2020 12:04:18 PM PDT by ImJustAnotherOkie (All I know is The I read in the papers.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Maceman

This is the ultimate old time potty humor.


34 posted on 03/16/2020 12:09:07 PM PDT by jonrick46 (Cultural Marxism is the cult of the Left waiting for the Mothership.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Freedom_Is_Not_Free
One word. Bidet.

Got one. Called a washlet seat. Haven't needed TP for over 2 years.
Heated seat and water.

35 posted on 03/16/2020 7:02:13 PM PDT by TangoLimaSierra (To the Left, The Truth is Right Wing Extremism.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 30 | View Replies]

To: Maceman

Hmm, I never really knew what to do with marjoram. Thanks for the info.

(Eat right, wipe left)


36 posted on 03/16/2020 8:05:04 PM PDT by nicollo (I said no!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-36 last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
General/Chat
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson