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Thursday, May 01, 2003
posted by gbarto at 2:32 AM:
Cicero references John Derbyshire's diary and the question of sexual morals and mores, but what struck me were the words of Rabelais peering out at me:Fay ce que voudres.
This was the motto of an 18th century libertine society called the Hellfire Club, but I think the parentage of the phrase is more august. Here's Rabelais on the rules at the Abbey of Thelemy (my English follows the 16th c. French):
En leur reigle n’estoit que ceste clauseThe needles on many the internal compass do not point in the right direction, and this the TurkeyBlog knows, but he still prefers the Abbey of Thelemy to any world in which the government and society have sufficient force to make sure that we all hold to the upright path. (With thanks to Professor Ehsan Ahmed for a 16th c. lit course that made me instantly think of the passage.)
FAY CE QUE VOULDRAS,
Parce que gents liberes, bien nayz, bien instruictz, conversants en compaignies honnestes, ont par nature ung instinct & aguillon, qui tousjours les poulse à faictz vertueux et retire de vice, lequel ilz nommoient honneur.
In their rules was only this clause:
DO AS YOU WISH,
Because these free men, well born, well taught, conversant with polite society, have by nature an instinct and internal compass, which always impels them to do the virtuous and draw back from vice, which they call honor.
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