ÉRASTE, in love with Orphise.

DAMIS, guardian to Orphise.

ALCIDOR, a bore.

LISANDRE, a bore.

ALCANDRE, a bore.

ALCIPPE, a bore.

DORANTE, a bore.

CARITIDÈS, a bore.

ORMIN, a bore.

FILINTE, a bore.

LA MONTAGNE, servant to Éraste.

L'ÉPINE, servant to Damis.

LA RIVIERE and TWO COMRADES.

ORPHISE, in love with Éraste.

ORANTE, a female bore.

CLIMÈNE, a female bore.

Scene.—PARIS.

* * * * *

[Footnote: MoliÈre himself played probably the parts of Lisandre the dancer, Alcandre the duellist, or Alcippe the gambler, and perhaps all three, with some slight changes in the dress. He also acted CaritidÈs the pedant, and Dorante the lover of the chase. In the inventory taken after MoliÈre's death we find: "A dress for the Marquis of the FÂcheux, consisting in a pair of breeches very large, and fastened below with ribbands, (rhingrave), made of common silk, blue and gold-coloured stripes, with plenty of flesh-coloured and yellow trimmings, with Colbertine, a doublet of Colbertine cloth trimmed with flame-coloured ribbands, silk stockings and garters." The dress of CaritidÈs in the same play, "cloak and breeches of cloth, with picked trimmings, and a slashed doublet." Dorante's dress was probably "a hunting-coat, sword and belt; the above-mentioned hunting-coat ornamented with fine silver lace, also a pair of stag-hunting gloves, and a pair of long stockings (bas a botter) of yellow cloth." The original inventory, given by M. SouliÉ, has toile Colbertine, for "Colbertine cloth." I found this word in Webster's Dictionary described from The Fop's Dictionary of 1690 as "A lace resembling net-work, the fabric of Mons. Colbert, superintendent of the French king's manufactures." In Congreve's The Way of the World, Lady Wishfort, quarrelling with her woman Foible (Act v., Scene i), says to her, among other insults: "Go, hang out an old Frisoneer gorget, with a yard of yellow colberteen again!"]