The Humbugs of the World · Chapter
XLIII explained
This chapter recounts the audacious imposture of Riza Bey, a false Persian envoy who deceived Louis XIV and the French court in 1667.
What happens
This chapter recounts the audacious imposture of Riza Bey, a false Persian envoy who deceived Louis XIV and the French court in 1667. The imposter, likely a former barber and bandit from Leghorn, exploited the king's vanity and the court's fascination with the exotic to extract lavish gifts, credit, and favors before vanishing with his plunder, leaving behind only worthless colored glass as supposed precious stones.
Themes in this chapter
Definition and Nature of Humbug
The entire episode of Riza Bey exemplifies humbug as a bold, theatrical deception that exploits vanity, exoticism, and the credulity of even the most powerful figures.
Gullibility and Human Nature
Louis XIV and his court are easily deceived by the Persian facade, demonstrating how desire for prestige and novelty blinds people to obvious fraud.
Advertising and Showmanship
The imposture relies on elaborate pageantry, exotic costumes, and staged ceremonies to create an irresistible spectacle that captivates the public and the king alike.
Characters to notice
- Riza Bey
The false Persian envoy who orchestrates the elaborate humbug, deceiving Louis XIV and the French court with a fabricated embassy from the Shah of Persia.
- Mr. Barnum
Referenced implicitly as the narrator of this historical humbug, drawing parallels to his own showmanship and the gullibility of the public.
Key passages
“L’etat c’est moi —'I am the State,' was Louis’ celebrated and very significant motto; for in his own hands he had really concentrated all the powers of the realm, and woe to him who trifled with a majesty so real and so imperial!”
Louis XIV's motto 'I am the State' reflected his absolute power, and anyone who dared to mock his authority faced severe consequences.
Highlights the audacity of the humbug, which successfully deceived even an absolute monarch.
“The turquoises and opals left with the King turned out, upon close inspection, to be a new and very ingenious variety of colored glass, now common enough, and then worth, if anything, about thirty cents in cash.”
The supposed precious gems were actually cleverly made colored glass, worth almost nothing.
The climax of the deception, revealing the king's gullibility and the imposter's cunning.
“L’etat c’est moi had been sold for thirty cents!”
The absolute monarch had been tricked for a pittance.
Ironic conclusion emphasizing the humbug's success against the most powerful man in France.