It's worth noting that this is an unusually literary discussion of penances setting relatively burdensome tasks of artistic production, but Goethe's comments on penances (again, see this complete source on forfeits) at least partially validate how literary some penances could be at around the same time. In any case, de Voyer's discussion connects parlor game penances to everything from fairy tales and the early history of novel-writing in France to the kind of charades that appear in Emma or Waterman (1853) (or more distantly, acting charades in Vanity Fair or Jane Eyre).
De Voyer also connects penances to enigmas, rebuses, and acrostics, which are likewise mentioned in other parlor game manuals and which, in the form of acrostic rebuses (as in Phillis Wheatley Peters (1777), any number of issues of The Lady's Magazine or volumes of The Masquerade in the late 1700s, plus Ritson (1811), Ritson (1813), or Susan and Elizabeth (1829)), are precursors to double acrostics (see The Family Friend (1852), Capel (1861), A Cantab (1862), or K.L. (1862)), which are all precursors to crossword puzzles. In French, the term jeux d'esprit actually overlaps with both parlor games and wordplay (jeux des mots), and relevant sources on wordplay include Polissonniana (1722), Lalanne (1857), Passard & Gratet-Duplessis (1860), and Canel, v. 1 / v. 2 (1867).
Finally, this text's original proverbs call to mind the prominent position occupied by proverbs in many parlor manuals, including in Sorel's whole series of games from the 1640s, like one in which proverbs must be illustrated in "some story" or one in which proverbs can be represented "by signs" without speaking or one in which proverbs are acted out as "a sort of comedy or farce" or one in which proverbs should be recalled by an initial letter but in place of which "beautiful words" / original poetry may be substituted.
Let's see now, Madame, how you can make the wittiest people of your social group pay for the pledges they have been in a circumstance to allow by making mistakes in a game, because of which it's even necessary to be strict with them, since the company can only gain by making them spend the 'money' with which they are abundantly supplied; that is to say, by making them give new proofs of their talents, their wit, and their taste.
As a general rule, any person who has been in the circumstance of making a mistake in the game, & leaving a pledge, is obliged to undergo a penance to get it back: this penance is arbitrary, in the judgment of the Lady or Queen of the game, the pledge depository, & the execution can be left to the next day, or even to another more distant day. We impose small, light, or pleasant sentences on the people we want to spare; & we take advantage of the talents of all those who have them; thus, one can ask, for the next day, a pretty tune from a young lady who can sing, a drawing from one who knows how to draw, a few morsels of poetry, or imagination, from those to whom one can suppose the talent to produce such works; but considering that if they were made off the cuff, & quite on the spot, they would hardly be good, it is proper to give the Authors at least twenty-four hours to prepare themselves to discharge their debts; & the moment of this acquittal having come, it is a new pleasure that one procures for the company: it can be very varied if the payers are in large number, & if one allows those who are not able to carry out their task, to have it fulfilled by others to their credit. If the Queen, arbiter of the game, is not happy with the way in which the task is fulfilled, she can impose a greater one, and suspend the surrender of the pledge.
Among the penances that can be imposed on the intelligent people of a social group, the following are the most common.
1°. They can be ordered, to amuse the company, to bring the next day, or on a given day, a few little Farces, such as Rebuses, discourses with double meanings (honest however), Charades, or small Riddles, or Logogriphs in prose, Anagrams, & some prose tales, which are short & pleasant, without being scandalous.
2°. One can also ask the same, or some other man of the company, for some brief gallant or amusing verses, Stanzas, Sonnets, Madrigals, Epigrams, Songs or Triolets. If one wishes to increase the difficulty of his work, he must be ordered to make an Engima, or a Logogriph, on a given word, but in secret; acrostic verses on a given name; echo verses; rhyming bits, by prescribing the rhymes; a Song based on a noted air, & which he is obliged to parody, &c.
3°. In the past, it was very often the done thing to propose gallant questions, and to put them to a decision by the intelligent people of the societies over which the ladies presided: we have the proof of this in our old books, manuscripts and printed in French and in Italian, a little before & since the revival of Letters in these two countries. Most of the poetry of the Troubadours revolves only around questions proposed & decided at the Courts of Love of Provence, Forcalquier, Montpellier & Narbonne. The works of Petrarch & Boccaccio are full of such witticisms. All the Italian Beaux-Esprits & Novella writers have imitated their Masters in this respect; & until the middle of the last century the French also followed their example. Mademoiselle de Scudéry wrote entire volumes of this genre and her novels are, so to speak, stuffed with it. It was in treating with these beautiful questions that more than a hundred years ago one was able to admire this affected style, which was called the language of the salon, and the jargon of the Précieuses; but I am quite convinced that a Lady who wanted to introduce this beautiful custom into her society today, whether in the city or in the country, would make herself look ridiculous, and would greatly annoy her company. The century of insipid gallantry has passed, and fortunately will not return; but one can give to a young man of society the order to agitate and decide some questions, half-gallant, half-pleasant, which give him the opportunity to make his talents shine, and even to manifest some sentiment. If he has taste, he will feel that he must be brief in his decisions, and that he would do better to support his opinion with examples than with long reasonings.
We can also charge the same person to make a little Romance, or Fairy Tale, in the genre that the Queen of the game will want to prescribe, even giving him the title, the place of the scene, & the names of the Actors. Two or three days, and sometimes less, can suffice for a man of intelligence to carry out such an order; & it should not be believed that by fixing the subject, & designating the Actors, the task becomes more difficult; on the contrary, the more the ideas are fixed, the easier it is for a man of intelligence to fulfill them.
4°. Finally, one can give as penance the arrangement of some Proverbs overnight, by giving the word, but in a low voice, to the one who will be charged with having them executed. These Proverbs, played in this way, 'impromptu' so to speak, are sometimes infinitely more piquant and more pleasant than those developed over a long period of time, the images of which are imprinted: one has the pleasure of guessing the word, and the one who gave judge if we understood his idea well. I have seen such tasks fulfilled with great success, although the Proverbs given were very difficult and very singular. We can judge by those that I am going to indicate: Dappled clouds and flashy women don't stick around. He is very liberal: he does not eat the Devil without giving him the horns. The people you kill are doing quite well. Between two greens, a blackberry. You mustn't make fun of the dogs unless you're outside the village. Death is inevitable, little pig, and there's no more barley.
Here, Madame, is all that my memory and my research have furnished me on games of all kinds.
Regle générale, toute personne qui a été dans le cas de faire une faute au jeu, & de laisser un gage, est obligée de subir une pénitence pour le retirer : cette pénitence est arbitraire, au jugement de la Dame ou Reine du jeu, dépositaire des gages, & l'exécution peut s'en remettre au lendemain, ou même à un autre jour plus éloigné. On impose de petites peines légeres ou plaisantes aux personnes que l'on veut ménager ; & on tire parti des talens de toutes celles qui en ont ; ainsi, on peut demander, pour le lendemain, un joli air à une Demoiselle qui fait chanter, un dessein à celle qui sauroit dessiner, quelques morceaux de poésie, ou d'imagination, à ceux auxquels on peut supposer le talent de produire de pareils ouvrages ; mais comme s'ils étoient faits à l'impromptu, & tout-à-fait sur le champ, difficilement seroient-ils bons, il est à propos de donner aux Auteurs au moins vingt quatre heures pour se préparer à acquitter leurs dettes ; & le moment de cet acquittement étant venu, c'est un nouveau plaisir que l'on procure à la compagnie : il peut être très-varié si les payeurs sont en grand nombre, & si l'on permet à ceux qui ne sont pas en état d'acquitter leur tâche, de la faire remplir par d'autres à leur acquit. Si la Dame, arbitre du jeu, n'est pas contente de la maniere dont la tâche est remplie, elle peut en imposer une plus forte, & suspendre la reddition du gage.
Entre les pénitences qu'on peut imposer aux gens d'esprit d'une société, les suivantes sont les plus ordinaires.
1°. On peut leur commander, pour amuser la compagnie, d'apporter le lendemain, ou un jour indiqué, quelques petites Facéties, telles que des Rébus, des discours en équivoques (honnêtes cependant), des Charades, ou petites Enigmes, ou Logogriphes en prose, des Anagrammes, & quelques contes en prose, qui soient courts & plaisans, sans être scandaleux.
2°. On peut encore demander au même, ou à quelque autre homme de la compagnie, de petits vers galans ou amusans, Stances, Sonnet, Madrigal, Epigramme, Chanson ou Triolet. Si l'on veut augmenter la difficulté de son travail, il faut lui ordonner de faire une Engime, ou un Logogriphe, sur un mot donné, mais en secret ; des vers acrostiches sur un nom indiqué ; des vers par écho ; des bouts rimés, en lui prescrivant les rimes ; une Chanson sur air noté, & qu'il est obligé de parodier, &c.
3°. Il étoit fort en usage autrefois de proposer des questions galantes, & de les donner à décider aux gens d'esprit des sociétés auxquelles les Dames présidoient : nous en avons la preuve dans nos anciens Livres manuscrits & imprimés en François & en Italien, un peu avant & depuis la renaissance des Lettres dans ces deux pays. La plupart des Poésies des Troubadours ne roulent que sur des questions proposées & décidées aux Cours d'Amour de Provence, de Forcalquier, de Montpellier & de Narbonne. Les ouvrages de Pétrarque & de Bocace sont remplis de pareils jeux d'esprit. Tous les Beaux-Esprits & Nouvellistes Italiens ont imité leurs Maîtres à cet égard ; & jusqu'au milieu du siecle dernier les François ont aussi suivi leur exemple. Mademoiselle de Scudery a fait des volumes entiers de ce genre & ses Romans en sont, pour ainsi dire, farcis. C'étoit en traitant ces belles questions que se saisoit admirer, il y a plus de cent ans, ce style affecté, qui s'appeloit le langage des ruelles, & le jargon des Précieuses ; mais je suis bien persuadé qu'une Dame qui voudroit aujourd'hui introduire ce bel usage dans sa société, soit à la ville, soit à la campagne, se donneroit un ridicule, & ennuyeroit fort sa compagnie. Le siecle de la fade galanterie est passé, & heureusement ne reviendra plus ; mais on peut donner à un jeune homme d'esprit de la société, l'ordre d'agiter & de décider quelques questions, moitié galantes, moitié plaisantes, qui lui donnent occasion de faire briller ses talens, & même de manifester du sentiment. S'il a du goût, il sentira qu'il doit être court dans ses décisions, & qu'il fera mieux d'appuyer son avis par des exemples que par de longs raisonnemens.
On peut aussi charger la même personne de faire un petit Roman, ou Conte de Fées, dans le genre que la Reine du jeu voudra lui prescrire, en lui donnant même le titre, le lieu de la scene, & le nom des Acteurs. Deux ou trois jours, & quelque-fois moins, peuvent suffire à un homme d'esprit pour exécuter un pareil ordre ; & il ne faut pas croire qu'en fixant le sujet, & désignant les Acteurs, la besogne devienne plus difficile ; au contraire, plus les idées sont fixées, plus il est aisé à un homme d'esprit de les remplir.
4°. Enfin, l'on peut donner pour pénitence d'arranger des Proverbes du soir au lendemain, en en donnant le mot, mais tout bas, à celui que l'on chargera de les faire exécuter. Ces Proverbes, joués ainsi, pour ainsi dire à l'im-promptu, sont quelquefois infiniment plus piquans & plus plaisans que ceux préparés de longue main, dont les canevas sont imprimés : on a le plaisir de deviner le mot, & celle qui l'a donné juge si l'on a bien saisi son idée. J'ai vu remplir de pareilles tâches avec un grand succès, quoique les Proverbes donnés fussent très-difficiles & fort singuliers. On en peut juger par ceux que je vais indiquer : Temps pomelé, femme fardée, ne sont pas de longue durée. Il est fort libéral, il ne mange point le Diable qu'il n'en donne les cornes. Les gens que vous tuez se portent assez bien. Entre deux vertes une mûre. Il ne faut point se moquer des chiens que l'on soit hors du village. Il faut mourir, petit cochon, il n'y a plus d'orge.
Voià, Madame, tout ce que ma mémoire & mes recherches m'ont fourni sur les jeux de toute espece.