An anonymous manuscript of the play is kept in M. de Soleinne’s Bibliothèque dramatique (Bibliothèque nationale de France, Manuscripts Department, FF 9251). It is the second of four handwritten plays transcribed in a “Répertoire des petites pieces de Polichinelle” (Repertory of short Polichinelle plays) – the other three plays being L’Enlèvement de Proserpine par Pluton roi des Enfers, Polichinelle Grand-Turc and Le Marchand ridicule. It has sometimes been dated 1695 by mistake. In the fourth volume (1767) of their Dictionnaire des Théâtres de Paris, the Parfait brothers presented Polichinelle colin-maillard as a puppet play staged by Gillot in 1708. The four aforementioned plays were edited by Françoise Rubellin, who observes that the Polichinelle in these plays is largely different from the Polichinelle staged in the “théâtres de la Foire”, who was probably more well-known.

Gaston Baty made a handwritten copy of the play which is kept in the Institut International de la Marionnette (don Temporal).

The Compère character was played by an actor facing the stage and serving as a mediator between the performers and the audience.

Polichinelle’s wife has just died, and he asks his Compère (Companion) if he would like to marry him. The Compère refuses and suggests that Polichinelle buy a girl from Bonhomme Tatepoule – someone who sells girls for a living. Compère blindfolds Polichinelle so that he plays blind man’ buff and chooses a girl this way. Instead, Polichinelle catches a butterfly. A demon comes, dressed as a bundle of sticks, and Polichinelle grabs him. When he recovers his sight, Polichinelle gives up on his plan to remarry. Men and women peasants dance at the end of the play.