Abstract: The “magical herbs” from the Quart livre are considered in this study from an epistemological perspective. Rabelais writes of them as part of a broader reflection on Pyrrhonism. The mirabilia incorporate a structure that is both circular and cumulative, reminiscent of the skeptical diallel mode. By concluding his chapter with an invitation to an allegorical reading, Rabelais creates a shift that reinforces the skeptical dimension of the passage.
