The Middle Class Gentleman: Scene III
Scene III
(Monsieur Jourdain, Dorante, Dorimène)
DORANTE
Sir, we come to pay homage, Madame and I, to your new dignity,
and to rejoice with you at the marriage between your daughter and the son
of the Grand Turk.
MONSIEUR JOURDAIN
(After bowing in the Turkish way) Sir, I wish
you the strength of serpents and the wisdom of lions.
DORIMENE,
I was very glad, Sir, to be among the first to come to congratulate
you upon rising to such a high degree of honor.
MONSIEUR JOURDAIN
Madame, I wish your rosebush to flower all year long;
I am infinitely obliged to you for taking part in the honors bestowed upon
me; and I am very happy to see you returned here, so I can make very humble
excuses for the ridiculous behavior of my wife.
DORIMÈNE
That's nothing. I excuse her jumping to conclusions:
your heart must be precious to her, and it isn't strange that the possession
of such a man as you should inspire some jealousy.
MONSIEUR JOURDAIN
The possession of my heart is a thing that has been
entirely gained by you.
DORANTE
You see, Madame, that Monsieur Jourdain is not one of those
men that good fortune blinds, and that he still knows, even in his glory,
how to recognize his friends.
DORIMÈNE
It is the mark of a completely generous soul.
DORANTE
Where then is His Turkish Highness? We want, as your friends,
to pay him our respects.
MONSIEUR JOURDAIN
There he comes, and I have sent for my daughter in
order to give him her hand.