E. Cobham Brewer 1810–1897. Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 1898.
Sans Souci (French).
Free and easy, void of care. There is a place so called near Potsdam, where Frederick II. (the Great) built a royal palace.
1
Enfans Sans Souci. The Tradesmen’s company of actors, as opposed to the Lawyers’, called “Basochians” (q.v.). This company was organised in France in the reign of Charles VIII., for the performance of short comedies, in which public characters and the manners of the day were turned into ridicule. The manager of the “Care-for-Nothings” (sans souci) was called “The Prince of Fools.” One of their dramatic pieces, entitled Master Pierre Pathelin, was an immense favourite with the Parisians.
