For those of you who feel helpless, here are ways of protecting yourself:
washing your hands
self-isolating
self-distancing (two meters: six to seven feet)
keeping the kitchen counters disinfected
keeping the toilet lid down
no travelling
I hope the military, or related force, will be deployed to keep people at a distance when they shop for the necessities. They must wear protective gear. There have been nasty incidents that have led to stiff fines and may lead to imprisonment. If you do not have money, you should not be expected to pay, but be honest. Governments can deal with this problem. You will probably get money soon. It starts today in Canada.
The military or related force could make sure these measures are enforced immediately. The nice thing about the military or related force is that they can also be your go-to persons.
The angel of death striking a door during the plague of Rome; engraving by Levasseur after Jules-Elie Delaunay (Wikipedia)
Denial
Denial is our worst enemy. I saw the people of my building flaunting so many rules (consignes) that they should have been penalized. I wrote emails to the Committee managing this building to report dangerous interaction.
However, I did not write that the dangerous interaction I witnessed was in violation of rules put into place by authorities. But, my star fell. I was no longer the quiet person who had purchased an apartment in the building, but someone who would not let her neighbours huddle by the mailboxes, in violation of the rules put into place to protect the citizens of Quebec.
It’s quite simple. The only outings that are allowed are trips to the grocery store and the pharmacy. One cannot touch the money one gives to the pharmacy’s delivery man. Mail is delivered, but parcels are not signed by recipients. Distancing has its rules. One cannot go out to walk the dog.
But what about leaders elsewhere? We know that it took a long time for President Trump to realize that the danger was real and imminent. Not in the United States! Yet, I wonder to what extent he would have been believed had he mobilized the authorities at the end of January. The highways remain busy. I hope these people are driving home. It took a long time for President Trump to suggest self-isolation. He may have thought that the United States was a “free” country and that as President, he had to comfort Americans.
People are now throwing stones at Mr Trump for looking upon the coronavirus as no more than the yearly flu. However, had he closed the country down, would citizens of a “free” country have taken him seriously? I don’t think so. There are exceptionally dutiful Americans. They died on both fronts, the Atlantic and the Pacific, during World War II. Had the President closed the country, he may well have been deemed “un-American” by the very persons who elected him to the Presidency of their country?
Yes, President Trump reassured everyone. This will go come April. His attitude did not differ much from the attitude of my neighbours who didn’t “believe in” the coronavirus and would have agreed with Mr Trump that come April, etc… But I jumped like a lioness. Yet, I don’t think I would point a guilty finger at “sinners.” Nor would I pronounce the President of the United States guilty of a genocide. It’s a pandemic.
The government of China reprimanded the whistle-blower, Dr Li Wenliang. Many Quebecers went to Florida and other sunny destinations several days after I had gone into self-isolation.
Is now the time to throw stones? Not quite. Now is the time when one does not leave one’s house or apartment, except to get food and medication, wearing protective gear. Now is the time when industries produce whatever doctors, nurses require as rapidly as they produce weapons.
I live in the most defiant province of Canada, but the management of this building has now issued consignes, rules, that could prevent hundreds of death were they respected everywhere. I said to a member of the managing committee of this building that I understood my neighbours. They are asked to live upside down. A few weeks ago, they could greet one another and hug when they picked up their mail. They could also exercise in the pool, but all these rooms are closed. My star rose.
Denial is strange. It is as though one believed, yet did not believe at the same time. It’s a defense mechanism. Yet, would that Mr Trump had seen what was going in Wuhan!
One of my nieces so wanted to go to Cuba with her husband and two children. She postponed the trip by a year. Another niece cancelled a trip to Disneyland. Is anything real?
President Trump did take a long time to understand what to him was incomprehensible. Capt. Brett Crozier was dismissed because he disclosed the manner in which coronavirus was managed aboard his ship.
L’Étourdi is the last play by Molière that we are reading from beginning to end. I have written at least one or more post(s) on each of Molière’s plays. Titles are listed on my Molière page.
We have not read La Critique de l’École des femmes (1st June 1663) and L’Impromptu de Versailles. L’Impromtu de Versailles (14 October 1663) (seeBritannica) is considered a théâtre dans le théâtre, a play within a play, in the broadest acceptation of the term. As for La Critique de l’École de femmes (see Britannica). It was an answer to criticism of l’École des femmes. The plays we have not read in their entirety will be revisited in the light of our recent rereading of all of Molière’s plays.
L’Étourdi ou les Contretemps is known as the very first play Molière wrote. He may have written other plays during the years he toured the provinces of France, from 1645 to 1658. It was written between 1653 and 1655.
Given our circumstances, a pandemic, I did not finish l’Étourdi, but I wish to live as normally as possible. We will therefore finish reading Molière. However, we will concentrate on shorter passages.
He wrote it in approximately 1653 – 1655. Given our circumstances, the pandemic, I did not finish l’Étourdi, but I would like life to remain as normal as possible, so we will finish reading Molière. However, we concentrate on shorter passages.
LÉLIE, (son of) fils de Pandolphe.
CÉLIE, (slave to) esclave de Trufaldin.
MASCARILLE, (lackey to) valet de Lélie.
HIPPOLYTE, (daughter of) fille d’Anselme.
ANSELME, (old man) vieillard.
TRUFALDIN, vieillard.
PANDOLPHE, vieillard.
LÉANDRE, (son) fils de famille.
ANDRÈS, (believed to be) cru égyptien.
ERGASTE, valet.
UN COURRIER.
DEUX TROUPES DE MASQUES.
Act Four, Scene Three
plots : a central plot and related stratagems
a view of the world
L’Étourdi is yet another comedy. Lélie loves Célie but so does Léandre. Therefore, as is the case with all comedies, Lélie has a rival who can buy Célie, Trufaldin’s slave. That is an obstacle to Lélie marrying his “divinity.” Pandolfe, Lélie’s father is also an obstacle. His son Lélie does not have financial independence. Lélie must therefore ask his valet to help secure the woman is love.
… Monsieur votre père/ est un autre qui ne vous laisse pas/ Comme vous voudriez bien, manier ses ducats … Mascarille à Lélie (I.ii, v 100 …)
[That your father is just as covetous an old hunk,
who does not allow you to handle his ducats, …] Mascarille to Lélie (I. 3, p. 10)
Inside this frame plot, are a series of attempts, stratagems, Mascarille devises to capture Clélie, but these are foiled by Lélie himself. Therefore, Lélie seems his own worst enemy, which he is but not entirely. He is virtuous to the point of refusing to hear that Clélie is a loose woman. He defends her and, in the process, pulls the rug from under Mascarille feet. He does not operate in the same manner as Mascarille whose virtue is to discourage Léandre from marrying Clélie. Mascarille tells him that Clélie is a loose woman, which is a lie that serves Lélie. Lélie will not hear that Clélie is anything other than his divinity. He will not allow Léandre to think otherwise. So Léandre learns that Mascarille has played him.
Mascarille’s Stratagems
Although l’Étourdi has a frame plot, we see several attempts, Mascarille’s stratagems, to capture Célie, all of which are spoiled by Lélie. Molière has once again made the “lover” his own worst enemy. Lélie seems a scatterbrain, a translation of l’Étourdi. But he and Mascarille are also the victims of destiny.
You may remember that two fathers Pandolfe and Anselme had arranged for Lélie, Panolfe’s son, to marry Hippolyte, Anselme’s daughter. After Mascarille and Lélie’s make believe Pandolfe has died, Anselme decides that his daughter Hippolyte will marry Léandre, the son of good parents who has a little money and could buy Célie.
Léandre’s Maskerade
reckless
humiliating
However, Léandre arranges a maskerade. His women (men disguised as women) will assault Trufaldin’s house and capture Célie. Trufaldin is forewarned and, in the English translation, he gives Léandre perfume (a cassolette in the original French). The perfume is not perfume. It stinks, which suggests that it contains Clélie’s excrements.
Fi, cela sent mauvais, et je suis tout gâté./ Nous sommes découverts, tirons de ce côté. Léandre à tous (III.ix)
[Faugh. This does not smell nicely. My clothes are all spoiled; we are discovered; let us be gone away.] Leandre to all(III.13)
Anselme on Love
Anselme would love to be loved. He hears that Nérine loves him and wants to give money to Mascarille to sustain Nérine’s love. But in Act Four, Scene Three, he is a father to Léandre and, at the very beginning, the conversation is from man to man. The conversation is prompted by Léandre’s catastrophic assault on Trufaldin’s house
Je ne vous parle point en père de ma fille,/ En homme intéressé pour ma propre famille;/ Mais comme votre père ému pour votre bien … Anselme à Léandre (IV.iii)
[I do not speak to you as the father of Hippolyta, as a man interested for my own family, but as your father, anxious for your welfare…] Anselme to Léandre (IV. 4, p. 54)
Anselme’s “réplique,” a tirade, soon turns to the needs of his daughter, Hippolyte, and Anselme’ own needs. He has now made arrangements for her to marry Léandre. Hippolyte loves Léandre. In fact, Mascarille is also working for her.
… Bref, comme je voudrais, d’un âme franche et pure,/ Que l’on fît à mon sang en pareil aventure.
Anselme (IV. iii)
[In short, openly and honestly, as I would wish a child of mine to be treated upon the like occasion.] Anselme to Léandre (IV. 4, p. 54)
Anselme knows that people are laughing at his effort to capture Célie. In doing so, he is inviting laughter, which is the worst of punishment.
Savez-vous de quel œil chacun voit cet amour,/ Qui dedans une nuit vient d’éclater au jour?/ A combien de discours et de traits de risée/ Votre entreprise d’hier est partout exposée. Anselme à Léandre (IV.iii)
[Do you know how everybody regards this amour of yours, which in one night has burst forth? How your yesterday’s undertaking is everywhere talked of and ridiculed?] Anselme to Léandre (IV. 4, p. 54)
She is a “gypsy” to most, except Lélie
Anselme also criticizes Léandre’s choice of a gypsy. One doesn’t know Célie’s background and wisdom has it that we not seek far beyond what is in plain sight. Lélie knows Célie, but Léandre doesn’t.
J’en ai rougi pour vous, encor plus que pour moi,/ Qui me trouve compris dans l’éclat que je voi,/Moi, dis-je, dont la fille à vos ardeurs promise,/ Ne peut sans quelque affront souffrir qu’on la méprise./ Ah! Léandre, sortez de cet abaissement! Anselme à Léandre (IV. iii)
[I really blushed for you, even more than I did for myself, who am also compromised by this public scandal. Yes, I am compromised, I say, I whose daughter, being engaged to you, cannot bear to see her slighted, without taking offence at it.] Anselme à Léandre (IV. 4, p. 54)
Ah! Léandre, sortez de cet abaissement; 1470 Ouvrez un peu les yeux sur votre aveuglement:/ Si notre esprit n’est pas sage à toutes les heures,/ Les plus courtes erreurs sont toujours les meilleures. Anselme à Léandre (IV. iii)
[For shame, Leander; arise from your humiliation; consider well your infatuation; if none of us are wise at all times, yet the shortest errors are always the best.] Anselme to Léandre (IV. 4, p. 54)
The above quotations describe the behaviour that is expected in l’Étourdi’s society. Hippolyte’s father does not want his daughter to marry someone who assaults a man’s house to capture a woman he does know. Léandre has fallen in love with a beautiful face. Beauty does not reveal the character of a woman. That belongs to the realm of appearances, which, as we have seen, are “trompeuses” according to Pascal (see Sources and Resources) and many 17th century writers and thinkers.
Léandre tells Mascarille that he has seen’s Célie’s face:
Vous pourriez l’épouser? Mascarille à Léandre (III. ii)
[Would you marry her?] … Je ne sais; mais enfin,/ Si quelque obscurité se trouve en son destin,/ Sa grâce et sa vertu sont de douces amorces,/ Qui pour tirer les cœurs sont d’incroyablesforces. Léandre à Mascarille (III.ii)
[I am not yet determined, but if her origin is somewhat obscure, her charms and her virtue are gentle attractions, which have incredible force to allure every heart.] Léandre to Mascarille (III. 2, p. 38)
Lélie knows Célie’s cœur. Léandre doesn’t, which he must. Moreover, is the society of the play ready to accept Célie. In 17th France/Italy, society was mostly homogeneous. Besides, Léandre made a fool of himself by assaulting Trufaldin’s house with a masked brigade. He was humiliated by Trufaldin.
More importantly, passion does not last. Other bonds are created that unite a man and a woman. Marriage can be the most beautiful of commitments. Anselme’s view of love already reflects the view expressed in Madame de La Fayette‘s Princesse de Clèves (1678). Jealousy keeps love alive. When a woman marries, she loses the love of the man she loves. Madame de Clèves will not marry Monsieur de Nemours, for fear he will no longer love her, which would cause her infinite pain. Le Prince de Clèves dies because his wife loves Monsieur de Nemours; grief kills him.
Moreover, it is true that a woman can divide a family. Prince Harry cannot travel to the UK to see sick and/or ageing family. Miseries can follow a marriage. One chooses well.
Quand on ne prend en dot que la seule beauté,/ Le remords est bien près de la solennité, 1475/ Et la plus belle femme a très peu de défense,/ Contre cette tiédeur qui suit la jouissance:/ Je vous le dis encor, ces bouillants mouvements,/ Ces ardeurs de jeunesse, et ces emportements,/ Nous font trouver d’abord quelques nuits agréables:/ 1480 Mais ces félicités ne sont guère durables,/ Et notre passion alentissant son cours,/ Après ces bonnes nuits donnent de mauvais jours./ De là viennent les soins, les soucis, les misères,/ Les fils déshérités par le courroux des pères. Anselme à Léandre (IV. iii)
[When a man receives no dowry with his wife, but beauty only, repentance follows soon after wedlock; and the handsomest woman in the world; can hardly defend herself against a lukewarmness caused by possession. I repeat it, those fervent raptures, those youthful ardours and ecstacies, may make us pass a few agreeable nights, but this bliss is not at all lasting, and as our passions grow cool, very unpleasant days follow those pleasant nights; hence proceed cares, anxieties, miseries, sons disinherited through their fathers’ wrath.] Anselme to Léandre (IV. 4, p. 54)
Sous quel astre ton maître a-t-il reçu le jour? (Célie, v. 152) Dessins par Lorentz, Jules David, etc. Gravures par les meilleurs artistes, Paris, Schneider, 1850. (fr.wikipedia)
When Anselme changes his mind and replaces Lélie with Léandre, Hippolyte takes Léandre aside so she can tell him what could hurt him. She is an understanding woman which will serve her and her relationship with her husband. Her father wants her to marry Léandre, so she will tell him as they walk, holding hands, toward the temple.
Je dois vous annoncer, Léandre, une nouvelle;/ Mais la trouverez-vous agréable,ou cruelle?
Hyppolyte à Léandre (II.viii)
[I have some news for you, Leander, but will you be pleased or displeased with it?] Hippolyte to Léandre (II. 10, p.32) Pour en pouvoir juger, et répondre soudain, Il faudrait la savoir. Léandre à Hippolyte (II.viii)
[To judge of that, and make answer off-hand, I should know it.] Léandre to Hippolyte (II. 10, p. 32) Donnez-moi donc la main jusqu’au temple, en marchant je pourrai vous l’apprendre. Hippolyte à Léandre (II.viii)
[Give me your hand, then, as far as the church, and I will tell it you as we go.] Hippolyte to Léandre (II.10, p. 33)
The Good Wife is an archetypal figure.
Léandre tells Anselme that he has imagined all the consequences Anselme has discussed. Act Four, Scene Three reveals Molière’s knowledge of human nature. Anselme is one of Molière finest raisonneurs. Yet Léandre’s cœur will benefit from lessons life has taught Anselme. Léandre feels unworthy of so good a wife as Hippolyte.
1485Dans tout votre discours, je n’ai rien écouté,/ Que mon esprit déjà ne m’ait représenté./ Je sais, combien je dois, à cet honneur insigne,/ Que vous me voulez faire, et dont je suis indigne,/ Et vois, malgré l’effort dont je suis combattu,/ 1490 Ce que vaut votre fille, et quelle est sa vertu:/ Aussi veux-je tâcher… Léandre à Anselme (IV. iii)
[All that I now hear from you is no more than what my own reason has already suggested to me. I know how much I am obliged to you for the great honour you are inclined to pay me, and of which I am unworthy. In spite of the passion which sways me, I have ever retained a just sense of your daughter’s merit and virtue: therefore I will endeavour . . .
Léandre to Anselme (IV. 4, p. 54)
Somebody is opening this door; let us retire to a distance, lest some contagion spreads from it, which may attack you suddenly.]
In a footnote, Henri van Laun, our translator, writes that Victor Hugo looked upon L’Étourdi as the best written of Molière’s plays.
Victor Hugo appears to be of another opinion. M. Paul Stapfer, in his les Artistes juges et parties (2ième Causerie, the Grammarian of Hauteville House, p. 55), states: “the opinion of Victor Hugo about Moliere is very peculiar. According to him, the best written of all the plays of our great comic author is his first work, L’Etourdi. It possesses a brilliancy and freshness of style which still shine in le Depit amoureux, but which gradually fade, because Moliere, yielding unfortunately to other inspirations than his own, enters more and more upon a new way.”(p. 4)
In a previous post on Molière’s L’Étourdi ou les Contretemps, I noted that Mascarille, the rogue of L’Étourdi, looks upon his stratagems as virtuous. However, to be perfectly accurate, Mascarille is a virtuoso. Virtuosity suggests considerable dexterity, which describes Mascarille’s nimbleness.
LÉLIE, (son of) fils de Pandolphe.
CÉLIE, (slave to) esclave de Trufaldin.
MASCARILLE, (lackey to) valet de Lélie.
HIPPOLYTE, (daughter of) fille d’Anselme.
ANSELME, (old man) vieillard.
TRUFALDIN, vieillard.
PANDOLPHE, vieillard.
LÉANDRE, (son) fils de famille.
ANDRÈS, (believed to be) cru égyptien.
ERGASTE, valet.
UN COURRIER.
DEUX TROUPES DE MASQUES
Lélie defends Célie’s virtue
You may remember that in Act Three, Mascarille tells Léandre, Lélie’s rival, that Clélie is a loose woman. Léandre does not want to marry a woman who is “public property.” However, Lélie so loves Célie that he will not believe Léandre who says that she is stained. She is as pure as the morning dew. He calls her his divinity
Feignez, si vous voulez, de ne me pas entendre;/ 1005Mais, croyez-moi, cessez de craindre pour un bien,/ Où je serais fâché de vous disputer rien;/ J’aime fort la beauté qui n’est point profanée,/ Et ne veux point brûler pour une abandonnée. Léandre à Lélie (III. iii)
[Pretend, if you please, not to understand me ; but believe me, do not apprehend that I shall take a property which I should be sorry to dispute with you. I adore a beauty who has not been sullied, and do not wish to love a depraved woman.] Léandre to Lélie (III. 3, p. 39)
Ah! que vous êtes bon!/ 1010 Allez, vous dis-je encor, servez-la sans soupçon,/Vous pourrez vous nommer homme à bonnes fortunes: Il est vrai, sa beauté n’est pas des plus communes;/ Mais en revanche aussi le reste est fort commun. Léandre à Lélie (III. iii)
[Oh! how credulous you are! I tell you once more, you may attend on her now without suspecting anybody. You may call yourself a lady-killer. It is true, her beauty is very uncommon, but, to make amends for that, the rest is common enough.] Léandre to Lélie (III. 3, p. 39)
Ce que j’avance ici me vient de bonne part. Léandre à Lélie (III. iii)
[What I state here I have from very good authority.] Léandre to Lélie (III. 3, p. 40)
Quiconque vous l’a dit, est un lâche, un pendard;/ On ne peut imposer de tache à cette fille:/ Je connais bien son cœur. Lélie à Léandre (III. iii)
[Whoever told you so is a scoundrel and a rascal. Nobody can discover the least blemish in this young lady; I know her heart well.] Lélie to Léandre (III. 3, p. 40)
Mascarille has told Léandre that Célie is not the pure woman she appears to be. How can he doubt Mascarille?
Mais enfin Mascarille,/1025D’un semblable procès est juge compétent;/ C’est lui qui la condamne. Léandre à Lélie (III. iii)
[But yet Mascarille is a very competent judge in such a cause: he thinks her guilty.] Léandre to Lélie (III. 3, p. 40)
Act Three, Scene Four
When Mascarille enters the stage, Lélie is livid.
1035 Langue de serpent fertile en impostures,/ Vous osez sur Célie attacher vos morsures!/ Et lui calomnier la plus rare vertu,/ Qui puisse faire éclat sous un sort abattu! Lélie à Mascarille (III. iv)
[You serpent’s tongue! so full of lies! dare you fasten your stings on Celia, and slander the most consummate virtue that ever added lustre to misfortune?] Lélie to Mascarille (III. 4, p. 40)
At this point, Léandre learns that Lélie does not beat Mascarille. Lélie is spoiling Mascarille’s stratagem, which is to make others believe that they must trust him, because his master beats him. Mascarille tries to stop Lélie from saying the truth, but Lélie does not pay attention to him.
Quoi! châtier mes gens n’est pas en ma puissance? Lélie à Léandre (III. iv)
[What! have I no right, then, to chastise my own servant?] Lélie to Léandre (III. 4, p. 41)
Comment vos gens? Léandre à Lélie (III. iv)
[What do you mean by saying “your servant?”] Léandre to Lélie (III. 4, p. 41)
Encore! Il va tout découvrir. Mascarille (III. iv)
[(Aside.) He is at it again! He will discover all.] Mascarille (III. 4, p. 41)
Quand j’aurais volonté de le battre à mourir,/ Hé bien? c’est mon valet. Lélie à Léandre (III. iv)
[Suppose I had a mind to thrash him within an inch of his life, what then? He is my own servant.] Lélie to Léandre (III. 4, p. 41)
… C’est maintenant le nôtre. Léandre à Mascarille (III. iv)
[At present he is mine.] Léandre to Lélie (III. 4, p. 41)
Donc les coups de bâton n’étaient qu’imaginaires. Léandreà Mascarille (III. iv)
Then all this cudgelling is purely imaginary? Léandre to Mascarille (III. 4, p. 42)
Léandre leaves.
The Masquerades
As Act Three ends, Ergaste tells both Mascarille and Lélie, that he knows of a plot by Léandre. Léandre’s brigade will assault Trufaldin’s house, wearing a disguise, and will abduct Célie. They will be women. Lélie runs to Trufaldin asking him to keep his doors carefully closed.
Fermez soigneusement votre porte ce soir. Lélie à Trufaldin (III. vii)
[Keep your door carefully closed tonight.] Lélie to Trufaldin (III. 10, p. 46)
However, when Mascarille hears about the planned assault, he quickly gathers a brigade of his own that reaches Trufaldin’s house before Léandre and his team. Lélie finds Mascarille behind a disguise. He therefore blunders again and blames Mascarille. See the image at the bottom of this post. It is by François Boucher and Laurent Cars, and shows Mascarille dressed as a woman. Lélie lifts the veil.
Et contre cet assaut je sais un coup fourré,/ Par qui je veux qu’il soit de lui-même enferré;/ Il ne sait pas les dons dont mon âme est pourvue./Adieu, nous boirons pinte à la première vue. Mascarille à Ergaste (III. v)
[Ay, well! He has not yet reached the height of his happiness; I may perhaps be beforehand with him; and as to this thrust, I know how to give him a counter- thrust, by which he may run himself through. He is not aware with what gifts I am endowed. Farewell, we shall take a cup together next time we meet.] Mascarille to Ergaste (III. 6, p. 45)
Mascarille’s masquerade’s is foiled by Lélio. He blunders again. But he claims not to have been ignored only to switch to self-imprecation. Lélie/Lelio blames Mascarille only to blame himself. However is he entirely to blame? “How adverse is our fate!” Mascarille is a virtuoso, but there are “contretemps,” events that are always standing in both Lélie’s and Mascarille’s way.
Hélas! quelle surprise! et quel sort est le nôtre! L’aurais-je deviné,n’étant point averti/ 1230Des secrètes raisons qui t’avaient travesti!/ Malheureux que je suis, d’avoir dessous ce masque,/ Été sans y penser te faire cette frasque!/ Il me prendrait envie, en ce juste courroux,/ De me battre moi-même, et me donner cent coups. Lélie à Mascarille (III. viii)
[Alas! How astonished I am! How adverse is our fate! Could I possibly have guessed this, as you did not secretly inform me that you were going to disguise yourself?Wretch that I am, thoughtlessly to play you such a trick, while you wore this mask. I am in an awful passion with myself, and have a good mind to give myself a sound beating.] Lélio to Mascarille (III. 12, p. 46)
In Act Three Scene Nine, Léandre’s brigade arrives. Trufaldin tells them that:
… La belle est dans le lit, et ne peut vous parler;/ 1250 J’en suis fâché pour vous: mais pour vous régaler/ Du souci qui pour elle ici vous inquiète,/ Elle vous fait présent de cette cassolette. Trufaldin à Léandre (III. ix)
[… the girl is in her bed and cannot speak to you; I am sorry; but to repay you for all the trouble you have taken for her sake, she begs you will be pleased to accept this pot of perfume.] Trufaldin to Léandre (III. 13, pp. 47 – 48)
We break here. Next we will read a conversation between Léandre and Anselme.
It is Act Four, Scene Three. The rest of the play is short. Lélie has a second rival.
Saint Matthew and the Angel by Guido Reni (Google)
“Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?” (Matthew, 7.3)
I went into quarantine on 10 March. One person came to my apartment when the kitchen faucet exploded. It was a danger to my neighbours. I kept at a distance from the plumber and I chose a faucet that looks industrial. The kitchen no longer looks the same. I also disinfected the kitchen counters. Kitchen counters are the preferred home of germs and nasty relatives. Our colleague, Colltales, wrote about the many virtues of plain rubbing alcohol. It disinfects.
I could have lost money to Internet fraud. Fortunately, I pay a fee so my credit card is protected. For my loved-ones, believing I had to renew McAfee was rather reckless. But many Quebecers did not start self-isolating before 23 March, the day the government locked down the province. Was I such a fool?
On 17 March, I phoned the clinic where my doctor works. I had an appointment that day, but I said that, in my opinion, getting into a cab to go to a public clinic did not seem prudent. I then learned that doctors had been asked, on that very day, to phone patients. My doctor phoned and also announced that he would be retiring in December 2020, which is a long time from now. Would the crisis last until then? He had found a doctor who would look after me. which reassured me, but he regretted that he could not refer all of his patients to a doctor. They would see supervised interns. My doctor supervises interns. One often knocked at the door, so I had to wait, but I had a doctor. In Quebec, it takes three years to find a family doctor. That is very disconcerting.
However, being told in March that my doctor will retire in December suggests that it might be a long time before doctors can see patients, except victims of the corona virus. I will attempt to make sure my medication can be renewed for at least two years.
Mistakes were made, but this pandemic was a surprise. Although blaming others may make some people feel better, it could be very wrong. I’m now ageing, but pain is still pain. COVID-19 is a terrible affliction. People could not tell what an evil it would be, but solidarity is our finest weapon. We must have one another to turn to.
Love to everyone 💕
Saint Matthew and the Angel by Rembrandt (WikiArt)
Last night, I read that there were 3,977 confirmed and presumptive cases of coronavirus in Canada. Quebec leads Canada at 1,629 cases (MSN).
In the meantime, I am having difficulty renewing my PC fees of approximately $50. My credit card (Mastercard) will not pay. Yet, there is money to pay.
Allow me to say that, unfortunately, Quebec is not the best of environments. I have noted considerable defiance. Leaders should seek stability and security. For instance, in 1982, the Premier of Quebec, René Lévesque, refused to sign the Constitution. Yet, no referendum had given the Quebec government a mandate to secede. We must act in an orderly fashion.
I don’t know what is going on, but I live carefully, I have good neighbours, my nephew, François, and my dear friend Paulina. We phone and send emails. I also have my fine colleagues at WordPress.
Que c’est triste Venise (Que triste está Venecia) es una canción escrita por la novelista Françoise Dorin y compuesta e interpretada por Charles Aznavour.
Se lanzó como un single de 45 rpm en 1964 y fue un éxito internacional, especialmente en los países latinos gracias a su versión en español, titulada esta vez Venecia sin ti.
El vídeo, con la versión que grabó en francés Aznavour en 1964, recoge imágenes de otros publicados en YouTube en los que vemos Venecia estos últimos días prácticamente desierta a causa del coronavirus.
My posts are delayed because of essential business. Quebec is closed.
My main meal comes from meals-on-wheels. As I was going to pick it up, wearing protective gear, I bumped into an assembly of people who doubted we should take authorities seriously. They were not standing at a distance from one another and I saw a person coming out of the swimming pool room.
I didn’t think I had it in me to transform myself into the manager of the building. It was an incredible moment. What I said and wrote in emails was, basically,
disperse immediately and do not let anyone into the building. If something is delivered, it stays in the lobby and someone rings your apartment. Three apartments are for sale. Real Estate is not an essential service. No one comes to visit apartments. If a rule is broken, I’ll call the police, the RCMP (Mounted Police), la GRC (Gendarmerie royale canadienne) …
This morning I saw a sign asking people not to use the swimming pool.
Our worst enemies are the people who are too arrogant to obey the law. They don’t know that their freedom ends where the freedom of others begin. Only food, medication and the mail can be delivered.
I then had a conversation with a friend who is a postmaster. Mailmen will not ask you to sign if there is a delivery. That is contact. Covid rests on surfaces, which may include the mail.
One must also realize that there is very little medical help. I often tell people that if they wish to be well treated, they should go to the vet’s office. They have to learn medicine carefully as animals do not speak, except “en son langage.”
I am embedding music played by Hank Knox, a member, by marriage, of Sir Ernest MacMillan‘s family. My dear friend Andrea, whom I lost to cancer recently, was Sir Ernest’s niece. I knew the family but not closely, except for Andrea. We became friends when David and I rented the lower floor of her house.
David had found employment in Toronto. We were in a hotel looking for a home. David drove through streets he knew I would like. He saw a sign on a big tree and Andrea standing outside. He learned that she loved music and cats. So David said he would pick me up because he was certain I wanted to live in that house and that a friendship would grow. I must phone Betsy. She sent me harpsichord music.
“Trump didn't cause the pandemic. What he did was squander America's only advantage—a lag time during which to prepare for the crisis—thus encouraging the spread of the disease when it might have been contained. He has, in real and material ways, made this crisis worse.” pic.twitter.com/dpfEqH02uI
I have been in self-isolation for more than a week. I’ve never smoked. Yet, a little over a year ago, I lost my voice and I was then diagnosed with advanced emphysema. If I can remain in self-isolation, I may be safe, but how long can one be in self-isolation?
In theory, I should not see anyone, but tomorrow, a plumber will come to my apartment and replace the kitchen faucet. It burst apart. I spoke with the manager who told me it had to be replaced immediately, while there was still time.
Sherbrooke has testing facilities and treatment facilities. But distancing is the rule. In fact, authorities have asked people to refrain from going to testing facilities. One must phone and make an appointment. Symptoms must be very clear.
President Trump
Mr Trump tells us that he knew about the impending pandemic. Did he? As you know, with Mr Trump, first, the news is “fake news.” Second, he is not accountable. Yet, Americans will get paid sick leave, etc. They will be helped and they will have an income.
Ironically, on 16 March, Canadian Prime Ministre Justin Trudeau addressed Canadians. However, he did not close the border separating Canada from the United States. He may have feared a negative reaction from our neighbours to the South. But Mr Trump did not hesitate. The border is closed to non-essential traffic. In the days of novel coronavirus, distancing is necessary, but it is a form of togetherness. We need one another perhaps more than ever before.
Canada may have a small advantage. Most Canadians do what their experts tell them to do. Not that they are blinded by what authorities advise, but that they dare not be foolhardy. However, we lack supplies.
I would urge you to provide an income to all American employees whose benefits do not include paid sick leave. Would that I could say, help them when they fall ill, but such advice would make no sense. They must leave the workplace now. People who stay in the workplace will catch the virus and transmit it. The number of victims will then grow at an exponential rate.
One may be tempted to say that the economy will be hurt. Not necessarily. Pandemics are an industry. So much has to be manufactured: respirators, ventilators, the best masks, testing facilities, treatment facilities … It’s like a war effort and the United States has fought wars and thrived.
Make sure that the people working in the Pandemic industry are protected from head to toe.
I’ve listened to many videos and heard about measures taken in various countries. Containment is essential. There is no better strategy than containment. But one must eat.
Let us listen to what our experts have to say. They are the authorities. They can organise the war on Covid-19. We also have economists, experts. They can keep the boat afloat as the battle rages and wipe up the mess when it subsides.
Accountability
By ensuring that drastic measures are taken to stop the spread of the Covid-19 virus you will reassure the markets. It’s the responsible choice. This choice will also comfort the people of the United States and the world.
I am posting this article, but the situation has already started to change, for the better. People must leave the workplace.
No country should allow the spread of a potentially deadly virus, which will happen if the little guy cannot get away from the working place. Not only would he or she be in the line of fire, but the virus would not be contained and the state would be accountable.
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