This parody of Antoine Danchet’s tragedy Nitétis (performed several weeks earlier at the Comédie-Française) is the only play for puppet theatre written by Piron – given that Francisque’s company was composed of human actors who only performed with puppets occasionally, and only because they were forced to. Nicolas Bienfait, however, specialised in puppet theatre, which he learnt from his stepfather Alexandre Bertrand, and later passed down to two more generations.

The first publisher of Piron’s Œuvres Complètes (Complete Works), Rigoley de Juvigny, indicates that the first performance was made with Francisque’s puppets in 1722, at the Foire Saint-Laurent (Saint-Laurent Fair). Jean-Luc Impe corrected this mistake (Opéra baroque et marionnette, editions Institut International de la Marionnette, 1994, p. 121).

The Docteur (Doctor) mocks Pierrot, dressed in ancient clothes to play in Nitétis. Arlequin flees when Polichinelle becomes angry after not being given a role in the tragedy; then, he offers the Docteur the role of the Princesse (Princess). The king of Persia, Cambise (Cambyse), ousted the king of Egypt, Phanès (Phanes). Phanès, a relative of the old Egyptian king Apriès (Apries) asks Cambise to kill the children of Amasis, Psamménite (Psammenitus) and Nitétis, to take revenge for the murder of his wife. Cambise agrees but later learns that the stranger who saved him is Psamménite; he also falls in love with Nitétis, with whom Psamménite is also in love. The Reine (Queen), widow of Apriès (Apries), who was killed by Amasis, also asks Cambise to take revenge for her, by killing Amasis. Amasis tells Psamménite that Nitétis is not his daughter, but Apriès’. He also tells him that he was raising her to be Psamménite’s wife. Psamménite declares his love to Nitétis; doing so, he reveals that she is Apriès’ daughter. Nitétis tells the Reine, Apriès’ widow, that she is her daughter. She asks Cambise to kill Amasis. Psamménite discloses to his father Amasis that he is in love with Nitétis. Amasis tells him about his plan to have Cambise killed, but Psamménite refuses to help him. Amasis attacks Cambise, but Psamménite intervenes: Cambise kills them both. Nitétis asks Cambise to marry her, but he prefers a common-law marriage.