His ink-horn, weighing as much as a ton of merchandise, swung by heavy iron chains from the side of the desk. From it Gargantua, with a pen-holder as large as the great Pillar of Enay, used to write his Latin exercises. Master Holofernes kept him at all this for eighteen years and eleven months, and so thorough did he become that he could recite his Latin exercises by heart, backwards. He went on studying after this some of the harder books for sixteen years and two months, when he had the misfortune of losing his old teacher very suddenly.
One day, unexpectedly, Father Grandgousier called his friends around him,—who had, by this time, gained redder noses and bigger paunches than ever,—to see how strong his son was in Latin. He also invited a friend of his who, he was sure, did know Latin.
THE FRIEND WHO KNEW LATIN.
Then he shouted out, "Come, my little one, and show these friends of thy father what thou hast learned of Latin. See, here is a gentleman who knows it as he does his breviary. He shall examine thee, and tell us how much thou hast learned under faithful Master Holofernes, whom we all honor."
And the learned friend began on poor Gargantua, and poured on him question after question for six mortal hours. Father Grandgousier, who, by the way, had understood not one word of it all, turned to him at the end triumphantly:—
"Now, good sir, art thou not convinced that my boy knows his Latin?"
Then, that learned friend, although just a little trembling, to be sure, answered quietly enough:—
"With my Liege's permission, Prince Gargantua does not know any more Latin than Your own Gracious Majesty."
"What!
What!
WHAT!!!"