Lavengro · Chapter
XCIII explained
The man in black visits Lavengro and Belle again.
What happens
The man in black visits Lavengro and Belle again. Over drinks, they discuss philology, high mass, and the linguist Mezzofante. The man in black reveals plans for a wooden statue of Mezzofante at the Vatican library, and the conversation touches on religious conversion and the good things in life.
Themes in this chapter
Philology and Learning
The conversation centers on Mezzofante's linguistic abilities and the Vatican's plans for his statue, highlighting themes of scholarship and intellectual legacy.
Religion and Priestcraft
The man in black discusses high mass, conversion of the 'perfidious,' and the Vatican's ambitions, revealing the institutional and political dimensions of religion.
Characters to notice
- Lavengro
Hosts the man in black, engages in witty conversation about philology and religion.
- Belle
Present during the visit, fetches water for the man in black's drink.
- The Priest
The man in black, visits Lavengro and Belle, discusses Mezzofante and Vatican plans.
Key passages
“He might be rendered into English, something in this style:— “To which Margutte answered with a sneer, I like the blue no better than the black, My faith consists alone in savoury cheer, In roasted capons, and in potent sack; But above all, in famous gin and clear, Which often lays the Briton on his back, With lump of sugar, and with lympth from well, I drink it, and defy the fiends of hell.””
Lavengro improvises a translation of Margutte's creed, declaring that his faith is in good food and strong drink, especially gin with sugar and water, and he defies hell.
Lavengro adapts Pulci's character to express a hedonistic, anti-clerical sentiment.
“‘ Nous avons eu ici un exemple qu’un homme peut avoir beaucoup de paroles avec bien peu d’esprit .’”
Napoleon said that Mezzofante was an example of a man who has many words but little wit.
The man in black quotes Napoleon's dismissive assessment of the linguist's intellect.