You put me in mind, said Pantagruel, of what is written amongst the facetious and merry sayings of Cicero.  During the more than civil wars between Caesar and Pompey, though he was much courted by the first, he naturally leaned more to the side of the latter.  Now one day hearing that the Pompeians in a certain rencontre had lost a great many men, he took a fancy to visit their camp.  There he perceived little strength, less courage, but much disorder.  From that time, foreseeing that things would go ill with them, as it since happened, he began to banter now one and then another, and be very free of his cutting jests; so some of Pompey’s captains, playing the good fellows to show their assurance, told him, Do you see how many eagles we have yet? (They were then the device of the Romans in war.) They might be of use to you, replied Cicero, if you had to do with magpies.

Thus, seeing we are to fight Chitterlings, pursued Pantagruel, you infer thence that it is a culinary war, and have a mind to join with the cooks.  Well, do as you please, I’ll stay here in the meantime, and wait for the event of the rumpus.

Friar John went that very moment among the sutlers, into the cooks’ tents, and told them in a pleasing manner:  I must see you crowned with honour and triumph this day, my lads; to your arms are reserved such achievements as never yet were performed within the memory of man.  Ods-belly, do they make nothing of the valiant cooks?  Let us go fight yonder fornicating Chitterlings!  I’ll be your captain.  But first let’s drink, boys.  Come on! let us be of good cheer.  Noble captain, returned the kitchen tribe, this was spoken like yourself; bravely offered.  Huzza! we are all at your excellency’s command, and we live and die by you.  Live, live, said Friar John, a God’s name; but die by no means.  That is the Chitterlings’ lot; they shall have their bellyful of it.  Come on then, let us put ourselves in order; Nabuzardan’s the word.

Chapter 4.XL.

How Friar John fitted up the sow; and of the valiant cooks that went into it.

Then, by Friar John’s order, the engineers and their workmen fitted up the great sow that was in the ship Leathern Bottle.  It was a wonderful machine, so contrived that, by means of large engines that were round about it in rows, it throw’d forked iron bars and four-squared steel bolts; and in its hold two hundred men at least could easily fight, and be sheltered.  It was made after the model of the sow of Riole, by the means of which Bergerac was retaken from the English in the reign of Charles the Sixth.

Here are the names of the noble and valiant cooks who went into the sow, as the Greeks did into the Trojan horse: 

Sour-sauce.  Crisp-pig.  Carbonado. 
Sweet-meat.  Greasy-slouch.  Sop-in-pan. 
Greedy-gut.  Fat-gut.  Pick-fowl. 
Liquorice-chops.  Bray-mortar.  Mustard-pot. 
Soused-pork.  Lick-sauce.  Hog’s-haslet. 
Slap-sauce.  Hog’s-foot.  Chopped-phiz. 
Cock-broth.  Hodge-podge.  Gallimaufry. 
Slipslop.