The people who lived with my hero began to depart this world one after the other. Molière’s aged father, Jean-Baptiste Poquelin, died twenty days after the premiere of Tartuffe. How far were the days when the beginning comedian would run to his father and throw him into despair with requests for money. Toward the end of his father’s life, the situation had changed, and many a time the famous son helped out the old Poquelin in difficult moments.

And so, the father was gone. And the son continued with his own work. In the autumn of 1669 Louis commanded a series of festivities to be arranged in Chambord. For these festivities Molière composed a ballet-farce, under the title of Monsieur de Pourceaugnac.

The hero of the farce was a nobleman from Limoges, de Pourceaugnac, who was ridiculed and made a fool of by the Parisians while he was visiting the city. The Parisians said, and evidently with good reason, that the model for Pourceaugnac was in Paris at the time. According to the story, a certain gentleman from Limoges who was visiting Paris had attended the Palais Royal one evening and, while sitting on the stage, conducted himself disgracefully. Annoyed by something, he picked quarrels with the actors and abused them in the rudest manner. In retaliation, Molière portrayed him in his comedy, making him the laughing stock of Paris. It was said that the provincial guest was so outraged when he saw Pourceaugnac that he threatened to bring suit against Molière. For some reason, however, he never carried out his threat.

Others said that the absurd gentleman from Limoges made sport of in the comedy was Molière’s revenge upon the city where he had once been whistled down and pelted with apples. This is not likely. Would Molière have troubled to avenge something that had happened twenty years before? Besides, it was not only in Limoges that he had been pelted with apples.

The truth is that Limoges and its people had more than once been the object of ridicule, both by Molière and by other authors. The reason for this was that the people of Limoges were known for many unpleasant, absurd, and rude traits, which naturally struck the sharp and observant eye of the Parisian. This was why the citizens of Limoges had even before Molière been satirized in literature and tagged with coarse and ridiculous nicknames.

From the moment when Molière had first attacked physicians in his comedies, he invariably returned to them, finding in the medical faculty an inexhaustible object of ridicule. In Pourceaugnac, too, there are scenes with ludicrous physicians and apothecaries. The comedy also sent its share of darts at lawyers. We can thus see that Molière’s one-time studies of the law had not been wasted, for he drew on his knowledge to satirize pettifoggers.

By general consensus, Molière’s farce was superficial and rather crude, but funny. The part of Pourceaugnac was played by Molière himself, while Hubert performed the female comedy role of Lucette. The farce was first presented on October 6, 1669, at Chambord for the King, and then transferred to the Palais Royal stage, where it enjoyed excellent success. It brought the highest returns of the season, outstripping even Tartuffe, which was followed, considerably behind, by George Dandin and The Miser. The season when Pourceaugnac was presented was also remarkable for the fact that, out of thirteen plays performed at the Palais Royal that season, twelve were by Molière.