2 Seeante, p. 24, note 8.3 The French word isbasion, which in the sixteenthcentury was often used to imply a sword; arquebuses andmusketoons being termedbasions à feuby way ofdistinction. Moreover, it is expressly stated farther onthat Dumesnil had a sword.—Ed.
“In this wise Dumesnil reached the house of St. Aignan, which he found a means of entering, and gained a closet up above, near the room where the said St. Aignan and his wife slept. St. Aignan was without thought of this, inasmuch as he was ignorant of the enterprise of the said Dumesnil, being in the living room with one Master Thomas Guérin, who had come upon business. Now, as St. Aignan was disposing himself to go to bed, he told one of his servants, named Colas, to bring him hiscas(4) and the servant having occasion to go up into a closet in which St. Aignan’s wife was sleeping, and in which the said Dumesnil was concealed, the latter, fearing that he might be recognised, suddenly came out with a drawn sword in his hand; whereupon the said Colas cried: ‘Help! There is a robber!’ And he declared to St. Aignan that he had seen a strange man who did not seem to be there for any good purpose; whereupon St. Aignan said to him: ‘One must find out who it is. Is there occasion for any one to come here at this hour?’ Thereupon Colas went after the said personage, whom he found in a little alley near the courtyard behind the house; and the said personage, having suddenly perceived Colas, endeavoured to strike him on the body with his weapon; but Colas withstood him and gave him a few blows,(5) for which reason he cried out ‘Help! Murder!’ Thereupon St. Aignan arrived, having a sword in his hand; and after him came the said Guérin. St. Aignan, who as yet did not know Dumesnil on account of his disguise, and also because it was wonderfully dark, found him calling out: ‘Murder! Confession!’ By which cry the said St. Aignan knew him, and was greatly perplexed, astonished, and angered, at seeing his enemy at such an hour in his house, he having been found there, with a weapon, in the closet. And the said St. Aignan recalling to memory the trouble and worry that Dumesnil had caused him, dealt him two or three thrusts in hot anger, and then said to him: ‘Hey! Wretch that thou art, what hast brought thee here? Wert thou not content with the wrong thou didst me in coming here previously? I never did thee an ill office.’ Whereupon the said Dumesnil said: ‘It is true, I have too grievously offended you, and am too wicked; I entreat your pardon.’ And thereupon he fell to the ground as if dead; which seeing, the said St. Aignan, realising the misfortune that had happened, said not a word, but recommended himself to God and withdrew into his room, where he found his wife in bed, she having heard nothing.
4 Theen caswas a kind of light supper providedin caseone felt hungry at night-time. Most elaborateen cas,consisting of several dishes, were frequently provided forthe kings of France.—Ed.5 In the story Margaret asserts that it was Thomas Guérinwho attacked Dumesnil.—D.
“On the night of the said dispute, and a little later, St. Aignan went to see what the said Dumesnil was doing, and finding him in the courtyard dead, he helped to carry him into the stable, being too greatly incensed to act otherwise. And upon the said Colas asking him what should be done with the body, St. Aignan paid no heed to this question, because he was not master of himself; but merely said to Colas that he might do as he thought fit, and that the body might be interred in consecrated ground or placed in the street. After which St. Aignan withdrew into his room and slept with his wife, who had her maids with her. And on the morrow this same Colas declared to St. Aignan that he had taken the said body to be buried, so as to avoid a scandal. To all of which things St. Aignan paid no heed, but on the morrow sent to fetch the two young men in the service of the said Dumesnil, who were at his lodging, and had the horses removed from the said lodging, and gave orders to one of the young men to take them back.
“On account of all which occurrences he (St. Aignan) absented himself, &c, &c, but humbly entreating us, &c, &c. Wherefore we now give to the Bailiffs of Chartres and Caen, or to their Lieutenants, and to each of them severally and to all, &c, &c. Given at Châtelherault, in the month of July, the year of Grace, one thousand five hundred and twenty-six, and the twelfth of our reign.
“Signed: By the King on the report of the Council:
“De Nogent.“Visa: contentor.
“De Nogent.”
It will be seen that the foregoing petition contains variouscontradictory statements. The closet, for instance, is atfirst described as being near the room in which St. Aignanand his wife slept, then it is asserted that the wife sleptin the closet, but ultimately the husband is shown joininghis wife in the bed-chamber, where she had heard nothing.The character of the narrative is proof of its falsity, andMargaret’s account of the affair may readily be accepted asthe more correct one.—Ed.
Les Vies des Dames galantescontains the following passage bearing upon Margaret’s 4th Tale. See Lalanne’s edition of Brantôme’s Works, vol. ix. p. 678et sec.:—
“I have heard a lady of great and ancient rank relate that the late Cardinal du Bellay, whilst a Bishop and Cardinal, married Madame de Chastillon, and died married; and this lady said it in conversing with Monsieur de Manne, a Provençal of the house of Seulal, and Bishop of Frejus, who had attended the said Cardinal during fifteen years at the Court of Rome, and had been one of his private protonotaries. The conversation turning upon the said Cardinal, this lady asked Monsieur de Manne if he (the Cardinal) had ever said and confessed to him that he had been married. It was Monsieur de Manne who was astonished at such a question. He is still alive and can say if I am telling an untruth, for I was there. He replied that he had never heard the matter spoken of either to himself or to others. ‘Then it is I who inform you of it,’ said she, ‘for nothing could be more true but that he was married, and died really married to Madame de Chastillon.’
“I assure you that I laughed heartily, contemplating the astonished countenance of Monsieur de Manne, who was most conscientious and religious, and thought that he had known all the secrets of his late master; but he was as ignorant as a Gibuan as regards that one, which was indeed scandalous on account of the holy rank which he (Cardinal du Bellay) had held.
“This Madame de Chastillon was the widow of the late Monsieur de Chastillon, of whom it was said that he governed the little King Charles VIII., with Bourdillon and Bonneval, who governed the royal blood. He died at Ferrara, where he had been taken to have his wounds dressed, having been wounded at the siege of Ravenna.
“This lady became a widow when very young and beautiful, and on account of her being sensible and virtuous she was elected as lady of honour to the late Queen of Navarre. It was she who gave that fine advice to that lady and great princess, which is recorded in the hundred stories of the said Queen—the story of herself and a gentleman who had slipped into her bed during the night by a trap-door at the bedside, and who wished to enjoy her, but only obtained by it some fine scratches upon his handsome face. She (the Queen) wishing to complain to her brother, Madame de Chastillon made her that fine remonstrance which will be seen in the story, and gave her that beautiful advice which is one of the finest, most judicious, and most fitting that could be given to avoid scandal: did it come even from a first president of (the Parliament of) Paris. Yet it well showed that the lady was quite as artful and shrewd in such secret matters as she was sensible and prudent; and for this reason there is no need for doubt as to whether she kept her affair with the Cardinal a secret. My grandmother, Madame la Sénéchale of Poitou, had her place after her death, by election of King Francis who chose and elected her, and sent to fetch her even in her house, and gave her with his own hand to the Queen his sister, for he knew her to be a very well-advised and very virtuous lady, but not so shrewd, or artful, or ready-witted in such matters as her predecessor, or married either a second time.
“And if you wish to know to whom the story applies, it is to the Queen of Navarre herself and Admiral de Bonnivet, as I hold it from my late grandmother; and yet it seems to me that the said Queen should not have concealed her name, since the other could not obtain aught from her chastity, but went off in confusion, and since she herself had meant to divulge the matter had it not been for the fine and sensible remonstrance which was made to her by the said lady of honour, Madame de Chastillon. Whoever has read the story will find that she was a lady of honour, and I think that the Cardinal, her said husband, who was one of the best speakers and most learned, eloquent, wise, and shrewd men of his time, must have instilled into her this science of speaking and remonstrating so well.”
Brantôme also refers to the story in question in hisVies des Hommes illustres et grands Capitaines français(vol. ii. p. 162), wherein he says:—
“There is a tale in the stories of the Queen of Navarre, which speaks of a lord, the favourite of a king, whom he invited with all his court to one of his houses, where he made a trap-door in his room conducting to the bedside of a great princess, in view of lying with her, as he did, but, as the story relates, he obtained only scratches from her.”
END OF VOL. I. LONDON: PRINTED FOR THE SOCIETY OF ENGLISH BIBLIOPHILISTS
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Frontispiece
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ContentsFIRST DAY, Continued.TALE VIII.TALE IX.TALE X.SECOND DAY.PROLOGUE.TALE XI.(A).TALE XI.(B).TALE XII.TALE XIII.TALE XIV.TALE XV.TALE XVI.TALE XVII.TALE XVIII.APPENDIX.A. (Tale VIII., Page i.)B (Tale XL (B.), Page 95.)C. (Tale XII., Page 101.)D. (Tale XVI., Page 183.)E. (Tale XVII., Page 195.)List of IllustrationsFrontispieceTitlepage001a.jpg Bornet’s Concern on Discovering That his Wife Is Without Her Ring001.jpg Page Image012.jpg Tailpiece013a.jpg the Dying Gentleman Receiving The Embraces Of His Sweetheart013.jpg Page Image024.jpg Tailpiece025a.jpg the Countess Asking an Explanation from Amadour025.jpg Page Image083.jpg Tailpiece089.jpg Page Image093.jpg Tailpiece095a.jpg the Grey Friar Telling his Tales095.jpg Page Image100.jpg Tailpiece101a.jpg the Gentleman Killing The Duke101.jpg Page Image117.jpg Tailpiece119a.jpg the Sea-captain Talking to The Lady119.jpg Page Image140.jpg Tailpiece141a.jpg Bonnivet and the Lady of Milan141.jpg Page Image155.jpg Tailpiece157a.jpg the Lady Taking Oath As to Her Conduct157.jpg Page Image182.jpg Tailpiece183a.jpg the Gentleman Discovering The Trick183.jpg Page Image193.jpg Tailpiece195a.jpg the King Showing his Sword195.jpg Page Image203.jpg Tailpiece205a.jpg the Student Escaping The Temptation205.jpg Page Image216.jpg Tailpiece
FIRST DAY, Continued.
TALE VIII.
TALE IX.
TALE X.
SECOND DAY.
PROLOGUE.
TALE XI.(A).
TALE XI.(B).
TALE XII.
TALE XIII.
TALE XIV.
TALE XV.
TALE XVI.
TALE XVII.
TALE XVIII.
APPENDIX.
A. (Tale VIII., Page i.)
B (Tale XL (B.), Page 95.)
C. (Tale XII., Page 101.)
D. (Tale XVI., Page 183.)
E. (Tale XVII., Page 195.)
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001a.jpg Bornet’s Concern on Discovering That his Wife Is Without Her Ring
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013a.jpg the Dying Gentleman Receiving The Embraces Of His Sweetheart
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FIRST DAY—Continued.Tale VIII.The misadventure of Bornet, who, planning with a friend ofhis that both should lie with a serving-woman, discovers too late thatthey have had to do with his own wife.Tale IX.The evil fortune of a gentleman of Dauphiné, who dies ofdespair because he cannot marry a damsel nobler and richer than himself.Tale X.The Spanish story of Florida, who, after withstanding the loveof a gentleman named Amadour for many years, eventually becomes a nun.SECOND DAY.PrologueTale XI. (A).Mishap of the Lady de Roncex in the Grey Friars’ Conventat Thouars.Tale XI. (B). Facetious discourse of a Friar of Touraine.Tale XII.Story of Alexander de’ Medici, Duke of Florence, whom hiscousin, Lorenzino de’ Medici, slew in order to save his sister’s honour.Tale XIII.Praiseworthy artifice of a lady to whom a sea Captain senta letter and diamond ring, and who, by forwarding them to the Captain’swife as though they had been intended for her, united husband and wifeonce more in all affection.Tale XIV.The Lord of Bonnivet, after furthering the love entertainedby an Italian gentleman for a lady of Milan, finds means to takethe other’s place and so supplant him with the lady who had formerlyrejected himself.Tale XV.The troubles and evil fortune of a virtuous lady who, afterbeing long neglected by her husband, becomes the object of his jealousy.Tale XVI.Story of a Milanese Countess, who, after long rejecting thelove of a French gentleman, rewards him at last for his faithfulness,but not until she has put his courage to the proof.Tale XVII.The noble manner in which King Francis the First shows CountWilliam of Furstemberg that he knows of the plans laid by him againsthis life, and so compels him to do justice upon himself and to leaveFrance.Tale XVIII.A young gentleman scholar at last wins a lady’s love, afterenduring successfully two trials that she had made of him.Appendix to Vol. II
FIRST DAY—Continued.Tale VIII.The misadventure of Bornet, who, planning with a friend ofhis that both should lie with a serving-woman, discovers too late thatthey have had to do with his own wife.Tale IX.The evil fortune of a gentleman of Dauphiné, who dies ofdespair because he cannot marry a damsel nobler and richer than himself.Tale X.The Spanish story of Florida, who, after withstanding the loveof a gentleman named Amadour for many years, eventually becomes a nun.SECOND DAY.PrologueTale XI. (A).Mishap of the Lady de Roncex in the Grey Friars’ Conventat Thouars.Tale XI. (B). Facetious discourse of a Friar of Touraine.Tale XII.Story of Alexander de’ Medici, Duke of Florence, whom hiscousin, Lorenzino de’ Medici, slew in order to save his sister’s honour.Tale XIII.Praiseworthy artifice of a lady to whom a sea Captain senta letter and diamond ring, and who, by forwarding them to the Captain’swife as though they had been intended for her, united husband and wifeonce more in all affection.Tale XIV.The Lord of Bonnivet, after furthering the love entertainedby an Italian gentleman for a lady of Milan, finds means to takethe other’s place and so supplant him with the lady who had formerlyrejected himself.Tale XV.The troubles and evil fortune of a virtuous lady who, afterbeing long neglected by her husband, becomes the object of his jealousy.Tale XVI.Story of a Milanese Countess, who, after long rejecting thelove of a French gentleman, rewards him at last for his faithfulness,but not until she has put his courage to the proof.Tale XVII.The noble manner in which King Francis the First shows CountWilliam of Furstemberg that he knows of the plans laid by him againsthis life, and so compels him to do justice upon himself and to leaveFrance.Tale XVIII.A young gentleman scholar at last wins a lady’s love, afterenduring successfully two trials that she had made of him.Appendix to Vol. II
001a.jpg Bornet’s Concern on Discovering That his Wife Is Without Her Ring
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A certain Bornet, less loyal to his wife than she to him,desired to lie with his maidservant, and made his enterpriseknown to a friend, who, hoping to share in the spoil, soaided and abetted him, that whilst the husband thought tolie with his servant he in truth lay with his wife. Unknownto the latter, he then caused his friend to participate inthe pleasure which rightly belonged to himself alone, andthus made himself a cuckold without there being any guilt onthe part of his wife.(1)
In the county of Alletz (2) there lived a man named Bornet, who being married to an upright and virtuous wife, had great regard for her honour and reputation, as I believe is the case with all the husbands here present in respect to their own wives. But although he desired that she should be true to him, he was not willing that the same law should apply to both, for he fell in love with his maid-servant, from whom he had nothing to gain save the pleasure afforded by a diversity of viands.
1 For a list of tales similar to this one, seepost,Appendix A.2 Alletz, now Alais, a town of Lower Languedoc (departmentof the Gard), lies on the Gardon, at the foot of theCevennes mountains. It was formerly a county, the titlehaving been held by Charles, Duke of Angoulême, natural sonof Charles IX.—M.
Now he had a neighbour of the same condition as his own, named Sandras, a tabourer (3) and tailor by trade, and there was such friendship between them that, excepting Bornet’s wife, they had all things in common. It thus happened that Bornet told his friend of the enterprise he had in hand against the maid-servant; and Sandras not only approved of it, but gave all the assistance he could to further its accomplishment, hoping that he himself might share in the spoil.
3 Tabourers are still to be found in some towns of LowerLanguedoc and in most of those of Provence, where theyperambulate the streets playing their instruments. They arein great request at all the country weddings and otherfestive gatherings, as their instruments supply thenecessary accompaniment to the ancient Provençal dance, thefarandole.—Ed.
The maid-servant, however, was loth to consent, and finding herself hard pressed, she went to her mistress, told her of the matter, and begged leave to go home to her kinsfolk, since she could no longer endure to live in such torment. Her mistress, who had great love for her husband and had often suspected him, was well pleased to have him thus at a disadvantage, and to be able to show that she had doubted him justly. Accordingly, she said to the servant—
“Remain, my girl, but lead my husband on by degrees, and at last make an appointment to lie with him in my closet. Do not fail to tell me on what night he is to come, and see that no one knows anything about it.”
The maid-servant did all that her mistress had commanded her, and her master in great content went to tell the good news to his friend. The latter then begged that, since he had been concerned in the business, he might have part in the result. This was promised him, and, when the appointed hour was come, the master went to lie, as he thought, with the maid-servant; but his wife, yielding up the authority of commanding for the pleasure of obeying, had put herself in the servant’s place, and she received him, not in the manner of a wife, but after the fashion of a frightened maid. This she did so well that her husband suspected nothing.
I cannot tell you which of the two was the better pleased, he at the thought that he was deceiving his wife, or she at really deceiving her husband. When he had remained with her, not as long as he wished, but according to his powers, which were those of a man who had long been married, he went out of doors, found his friend, who was much younger and lustier than himself, and told him gleefully that he had never met with better fortune. “You know what you promised me,” said his friend to him.
“Go quickly then,” replied the husband, “for she may get up, or my wife have need of her.”
The friend went off and found the supposed maid-servant, who, thinking her husband had returned, denied him nothing that he asked of her, or rather took, for he durst not speak. He remained with her much longer than her husband had done, whereat she was greatly astonished, for she had not been wont to pass such nights. Nevertheless, she endured it all with patience, comforting herself with the thought of what she would say to him on the morrow, and of the ridicule that she would cast upon him.
Towards daybreak the man rose from beside her, and toying with her as he was going away, snatched from her finger the ring with which her husband had espoused her, and which the women of that part of the country guard with great superstition. She who keeps it till her death is held in high honour, while she who chances to lose it, is thought lightly of as a person who has given her faith to some other than her husband.
The wife, however, was very glad to have it taken, thinking it would be a sure proof of how she had deceived her husband. When the friend returned, the husband asked him how he had fared. He replied that he was of the same opinion as himself, and that he would have remained longer had he not feared to be surprised by daybreak. Then they both went to the friend’s house to take as long a rest as they could. In the morning, while they were dressing, the husband perceived the ring that his friend had on his finger, and saw that it was exactly like the one he had given to his wife at their marriage. He thereupon asked his friend from whom he had received the ring, and when he heard he had snatched it from the servant’s finger, he was confounded and began to strike his head against the wall, saying—“Ah! good Lord! have I made myself a cuckold without my wife knowing anything about it?”
“Perhaps,” said his friend in order to comfort him, “your wife gives her ring into the maid’s keeping at night-time.”
The husband made no reply, but took himself home, where he found his wife fairer, more gaily dressed, and merrier than usual, like one who rejoiced at having saved her maid’s conscience, and tested her husband to the full, at no greater cost than a night’s sleep. Seeing her so cheerful, the husband said to himself—
“If she knew of my adventure she would not show me such a pleasant countenance.”
Then, whilst speaking to her of various matters, he took her by the hand, and on noticing that she no longer wore the ring, which she had never been accustomed to remove from her finger, he was quite overcome.
“What have you done with your ring?” he asked her in a trembling voice.
She, well pleased that he gave her an opportunity to say what she desired, replied—
“O wickedest of men! From whom do you imagine you took it? You thought it was from my maid-servant, for love of whom you expended more than twice as much of your substance as you ever did for me. The first time you came to bed I thought you as much in love as it was possible to be; but after you had gone out and were come back again, you seemed to be a very devil. Wretch! think how blind you must have been to bestow such praises on my person and lustiness, which you have long enjoyed without holding them in any great esteem. ‘Twas, therefore, not the maid-servant’s beauty that made the pleasure so delightful to you, but the grievous sin of lust which so consumes your heart and so clouds your reason that in the frenzy of your love for the servant you would, I believe, have taken a she-goat in a nightcap for a comely girl! Now, husband, it is time to amend your life, and, knowing me to be your wife, and an honest woman, to be as content with me as you were when you took me for a pitiful strumpet. What I did was to turn you from your evil ways, so that in your old age we might live together in true love and repose of conscience. If you purpose to continue your past life, I had rather be severed from you than daily see before my eyes the ruin of your soul, body, and estate. But if you will acknowledge the evil of your ways, and resolve to live in fear of God and obedience to His commandments, I will forget all your past sins, as I trust God will forget my ingratitude in not loving Him as I ought to do.”
If ever man was reduced to despair it was this unhappy husband. Not only had he abandoned this sensible, fair, and chaste wife for a woman who did not love him, but, worse than this, he had without her knowledge made her a strumpet by causing another man to participate in the leasure which should have been for himself alone; and thus he had made himself horns of everlasting derision. However, seeing his wife in such wrath by reason of the love he had borne his maid-servant, he took care not to tell her of the evil trick that he had played her; and entreating her forgiveness, with promises of full amendment of his former evil life, he gave her back the ring which he had recovered from his friend. He entreated the latter not to reveal his shame; but, as what is whispered in the ear is always proclaimed from the housetop, the truth, after a time, became known, and men called him cuckold without imputing any shame to his wife.
“It seems to me, ladies, that if all those who have committed like offences against their wives were to be punished in the same way, Hircan and Saffredent would have great cause for fear.”
“Why, Longarine,” said Saffredent, “are none in the company married save Hircan and I?”
“Yes, indeed there are others,” she replied, “but none who would play a similar trick.”
“Whence did you learn,” asked Saffredent, “that we ever solicited our wives’ maid-servants?”
“If the ladies who are in question,” said Longarine, “were willing to speak the truth, we should certainly hear of maid-servants dismissed without notice.”
“Truly,” said Geburon, “you are a most worthy lady! You promised to make the company laugh, and yet are angering these two poor gentlemen.”
“Tis all one,” said Longarine: “so long as they do not draw their swords, their anger will only serve to increase our laughter.”
“A pretty business indeed!” said Hircan. “Why, if our wives chose to believe this lady, she would embroil the seemliest household in the company.”
“I am well aware before whom I speak,” said Longarine. “Your wives are so sensible and bear you so much love, that if you were to give them horns as big as those of a deer, they would nevertheless try to persuade themselves and every one else that they were chaplets of roses.”
At this the company, and even those concerned, laughed so heartily that their talk came to an end. However, Dagoucin, who had not yet uttered a word, could not help saying—
“Men are very unreasonable when, having enough to content themselves with at home, they go in search of something else. I have often seen people who, not content with sufficiency, have aimed at bettering themselves, and have fallen into a worse position than they were in before. Such persons receive no pity, for fickleness is always blamed.”
“But what say you to those who have not found their other half?” asked Simontault. “Do you call it fickleness to seek it wherever it may be found?”
“Since it is impossible,” said Dagoucin, “for a man to know the whereabouts of that other half with whom there would be such perfect union that one would not differ from the other, he should remain steadfast wherever love has attached him. And whatsoever may happen, he should change neither in heart nor in desire. If she whom you love be the image of yourself, and there be but one will between you, it is yourself you love, and not her.”
“Dagoucin,” said Hircan, “you are falling into error. You speak as though we should love women without being loved in return.”
“Hircan,” replied Dagoucin, “I hold that if our love be based on the beauty, grace, love, and favour of a woman, and our purpose be pleasure, honour, or profit, such love cannot long endure; for when the foundation on which it rests is gone, the love itself departs from us. But I am firmly of opinion that he who loves with no other end or desire than to love well, will sooner yield up his soul in death than suffer his great love to leave his heart.”
“In faith,” said Simontault, “I do not believe that you have ever been in love. If you had felt the flame like other men, you would not now be picturing to us Plato’sRepublic, which may be described in writing but not be put into practice.”
“Nay, I have been in love,” said Dagoucin, “and am so still, and shall continue so as long as I live. But I am in such fear lest the manifestation of this love should impair its perfection, that I shrink from declaring it even to her from whom I would fain have the like affection. I dare not even think of it lest my eyes should reveal it, for the more I keep my flame secret and hidden, the more does my pleasure increase at knowing that my love is perfect.”
“For all that,” said Geburon, “I believe that you would willingly have love in return.”
“I do not deny it,” said Dagoucin, “but even were I beloved as much as I love, my love would not be increased any more than it could be lessened, were it not returned with equal warmth.”
Upon this Parlamente, who suspected this fantasy of Dagoucin’s, said—
“Take care, Dagoucin; I have known others besides you who preferred to die rather than speak.”
“Such persons, madam;” said Dagoucin, “I deem very happy.”
“Doubtless,” said Saffredent, “and worthy of a place among the innocents of whom the Church sings:
‘Non loquendo sed moriendo confessi sunt.’ (4)
4 From the ritual for the Feast of the Holy Innocents.—M.
I have heard much of such timid lovers, but I have never yet seen one die. And since I myself have escaped death after all the troubles I have borne, I do not think that any one can die of love.”
“Ah, Saffredent!” said Dagoucin, “how do you expect to be loved since those who are of your opinion never die? Yet have I known a goodly number who have died of no other ailment than perfect love.”
“Since you know such stories,” said Longarine, “I give you my vote to tell us a pleasant one, which shall be the ninth of to-day.”
“To the end,” said Dagoucin, “that signs and miracles may lead you to put faith in what I have said, I will relate to you something which happened less than three years ago.”
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