Laudator Temporis Acti

Rabelais, Gargantua and Pantagruel III.48 (Gargantua speaking to Pantagruel; tr. J.M. Cohen):

For in my day there was found on the Continent a country in which lived certain image-bearing molecatchers, who were as hostile to marriage as the priests of Cybele in Phrygia — only they were not capons but the most lecherous and salacious of cocks — and they dictated laws to married folk on the subject of marriage. Really I don't know which is the more abominable, the tyrannical presumption of these dreaded molecatchers — who do not confine themselves within the bars of their mysterious temples but meddle with matters utterly foreign to their condition — or the superstitious stupidity of the married folk, who have sanctioned and obeyed such perfectly malicious and barbarous laws. For they do not see what is clearer than the morning star, that these connubial sanctions are entirely to the advantage of the Fraternity, and in no way for the good and profit of husbands and wives; which is sufficient reason to arouse suspicions of inquity and fraud. It would be no more presumptuous if the married were to set up laws for the Fraternity to govern their ceremonies and sacrifices, seeing that these image-bearers take tithe of their goods, and nibble at the profit earned by their labours and the sweat of their brows, to provide themselves with abundant food and ample leisure. Such laws would not, in my opinion, be as perverse and presumptuous as those which the married folk have received from the Fraternity.

Car de mon temps a esté par le continent trouvé pays onquel ne sçay quelz pastophores taulpetiers autant abhorrens de nopces, comme les pontifes de Cybèle en Phrygie (si chappons feussent, et non galls pleins de salacité et lascivie), lesquelz ont dict loix ès gens mariéz sus le faict de mariage. Et ne sçay que plus doibve abhominer, ou la tyrannicque praesumption d’iceulx redoubtez taulpetiers, qui ne se contiennent dedans les treillis de leurs mystérieux temples et se entremettent des négoces contraires par diametre entier à leurs estatz, ou la superstitieuse stupidité des gens mariéz qui ont sanxi et presté obéissance à telles tant malignes et barbaricques loigs, et ne voyent (ce que plus clair est que l'estoille Matute) comment telles sanxions connubiales toutes sont à l'adventaige de leurs mystes, nul au bien et profict des mariéz: qui est cause suffisante pour les rendre suspectes comme iniques et fraudulentes. Par réciprocque témerité, pourroient ilz loigs establir à leurs mystes, sus le faict de leurs cérémonies et sacrifices, attendu que leurs biens ilz déciment et roignent du guaing provenent de leurs labeurs et sueur de leurs mains, pour en abondance les nourrir, et entretenir. Et ne seroient (scelon mon jugement) tant perverses et impertinentes, comme celles sont les quelles d'eulx ilz ont receup.