The School for Husbands

“I bring before the judgment of France a thing that may seem ridiculous. Nothing is more lofty and renowned than the name with which this book begins, and nothing is more modest than its contents. Such a juxtaposition may strike many as strange; there will also be those who, pointing to the mismatch, will say: what difference does it make whether one crowns a clay statue with pearls and diamonds, or puts luxurious porticoes and triumphal arches in front of a wretched hut? But, Your Highness, let it serve as my excuse that, in this case, I could not do otherwise: the desire to please Your Highness compelled me to dedicate to you the first work that I publish under my own name. I do not bring you a gift—I merely fulfill an obligation; respect is not measured by outward splendor. I resolved to dedicate this trifle to Your Highness because I could not evade paying a debt. And if I do not dwell here on the admirable and worthy qualities of Your Highness, it is only out of a just fear that so lofty a subject would make even more evident the lowliness of my offering.

I imposed on myself silence, in order to find a more suitable place for such merits. In this dedication, I claim only to justify my action before all of France and to have the happiness to tell Your Highness that I have the honor to be, with the deepest respect, the humblest, most obedient, and most devoted servant of Your Highness.
J.-B. P. Molière”