L’orviétan

Updated 3/27/2009

L’orviétan
L’amour médecin, Acte II, scène 7
Link to Google Books

A dialogue between Sganerrele and The Quack

Sganerrele:
Holà! Monsieur, Holà!
Je vous prie de me donner une boîte de votre orviétan,
que je mén vais vous payer

L’or de tous les climats qu’entoure l’Océan,
Peu-til jamais payer ce secret d’importance?
Mon remède guérit par sa rare excellence,
Plus de maux q’uon peut nombrer dans tout un an:
La gale, la rogne, la teigne, la fièvre, la peste, la goute
Rougeole,

Ô grande puissance de l’orviétan

Sganerrele:
Admirez mes bontés et le pey q’uon vous vend
Ce trésor merveilleux que ma main vous dispense;
Vous pouvez avec lui braver en assurance
Tour les maux que sur nous l’ire du Ciel ré pondi

Translation from Google books:

Sganarelle:
Hey! Good sir, I pray you give me a box of your orvietan, and I will pay you for it.

The Quack (sings):
The gold from all the shores washed by the sea,
Would it ever buy this precious secret?
My remedy can cure, with its rare and excellent power,
More ills than one could number in a year.
Scabies, Itch, Mange, The fever, The plague, The gout, The pox, Hernia, Measles.

O, the mighty power of orvietan!

Sganarelle:
I dare say, Monsieur, that all the gold in the world is not sufficient to pay for your remedy, but, nevertheless, here is a shilling which you may take if you choose.

Quack, (sings.)
Admire, then, my bounty; for twelve paltry pence
A marvellous treasure to you I dispense;
With this you may brave, quite devoid of all fear,
The ills which poor mortals are subject to here.

Scabies, Itch, Mange, The fever, The plague, The gout, The pox, Hernia, Measles.
Of orviétan such is the excellence rare.