Vela saigement dit, Ceux dont la fantaisie
Sera religieuse et devote envers Dieu
Tousjours acheveront quelque grand poésie,
Et dessus leur renom la Parque n’aura lieu.
But the matter is still undecided.
[Mr. The Duke: The Man of Malplaquet]
On the field of Malplaquet, that battlefield, I met a man.
He was pointed out to me as a man who drove travellers to Bavai. His name was Mr. The Duke, and he was very poor.
If he comes across these lines (which is exceedingly unlikely) I offer him my apologies. Anyhow, I can write about him freely, for he is not rich, and, what is more, the laws of his country permit the telling of the truth about our fellow-men, even when they are rich.
Mr. The Duke was of some years, and his colour was that of cedar wood. I met him in his farmyard, and I said to him:
“Is it you, sir, that drive travellers to Bavai?”
“No,” said he.