# XCIII explained — Lavengro

> Chapter companion for Lavengro by George Borrow.

## 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.

## Character check-ins

### 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 lines

> 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._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/lavengro_se/chapters/xciii
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/lavengro_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/lavengro_se/chapters