Nothing is of direct interest save what was known to him, what fell under his eyes, what lay to his hand--as the Facetiae of Poggio, and the last sermonnaires.

In the course of one's reading one may often enough come across the origin of some of Rabelais' witticisms; here and there we may discover how he has developed a situation.

While gathering his materials wherever he could find them, he was nevertheless profoundly original.
On this point much research and investigation might be employed.

But there is no need why these researches should be extended to the region of fancy.
Gargantua has been proved by some to be of Celtic origin.

Very often he is a solar myth, and the statement that Rabelais only collected popular traditions and gave new life to ancient legends is said to be proved by the large number of megalithic monuments to which is attached the name of Gargantua.