A towns-woman of Tours returned so much good for all theevil treatment she had received from her husband, that thelatter forsook the mistress whom he was quietly maintaining,and returned to his wife. (1)1 It is probable that the incidents related in this taleoccurred between 1460 and 1470. They will be found recordedin theMénagier de Paris. (See Baron Pichon’s edition,1847, vol. i. p. 237). A similar narrative figures in someeditions of Morlini’s tales, notably theNovello, Fabello,et Comedies, Neapoli, 1520. We further find it inGueudeville’s translation of Erasmus’s Colloquies (Dialoguesur le mariage, collogues, &c., Leyden, 1720, vol. i. p.87), and Mr. Walter Keily has pointed out (theHeptameron,Bohn, 1864) that William Warner worked the same incidentsinto his poemAlbion’s England, his stanzas beingreproduced in Percy’sReliquesunder the title ofThePatient Countess.—L. and Ed.
In the city of Tours there dwelt a chaste and comely townswoman, who, by reason of her virtues, was not only loved but feared also and respected by her husband. Nevertheless, with all the fickleness of men who grow weary of ever eating good bread, he fell in love with a farm tenant (2) of his own, and would oft-time leave Tours to visit the farm, where he always remained two or three days; and when he came back to Tours he was always in so sorry a plight that his wife had much ado to cure him, yet, as soon as he was whole again, he never failed to return to the place where pleasure caused him to forget all his ills.
2 The French word here ismétayère. Themétayer(fem.métayère) was a farm tenant under the general control of hislandlord, who supplied him with seed and took to himself aconsiderable portion of the produce. The system was doneaway with at the Revolution, but was revived here and thereunder the Restoration, when some of the nobles came to“their own” again, and there may even nowadays be a fewinstances of the kind.—Ed.
When his wife, who was anxious above all things for his life and health, found him constantly return home in so evil a plight, she went to the farm and found there the young woman whom her husband loved. Then, without anger but with graceful courage, she told her that she knew her husband often went to see her, but that she was ill-pleased to find him always return home exhausted in consequence of her sorry treatment of him. The poor woman, influenced as much by respect for her mistress as by regard for the truth, was not able to deny the fact, and craved forgiveness.
The lady asked to see the room and bed in which her husband was wont to sleep, and found it so cold and dirty and ill-appointed that she was moved to pity. Forthwith she sent for a good bed furnished with sheets, blankets and counterpane such as her husband loved; she caused the room to be made clean and neat and hung with tapestries; provided suitable ware for his meat and drink, a pipe of good wine, sweetmeats and confections, and begged the woman to send him back no more in so miserable a state.
It was not long before the husband again went, as was his wont, to see his tenant, and he was greatly amazed to find his poor lodging in such excellent order. And still more was he surprised when the woman gave him to drink in a silver cup; and he asked her whence all these good things had come. The poor woman told him, weeping, that they were from his wife, who had taken such great pity on his sorry treatment that she had furnished the house in this way, and had charged her to be careful of his health.
When the gentleman saw the exceeding generosity of his wife in returning so much good for all the evil turns that he had done her, he looked upon his own wrongdoing as no less great than her kindness; and, after giving some money to his tenant, he begged her to live in future as an honest woman. Then he went back to his wife, acknowledged his wrongdoing, and told her that, but for her great gentleness and generosity, he could never have forsaken the life that he had been leading. And thenceforward, forgetting the past, they lived in all peacefulness together.
“You may be sure, ladies, that there are but few husbands whom a wife’s love and patience cannot win at last, unless they be harder even than stone, which weak and yielding water will in time make hollow.”
“That woman,” said Parlamente, “had neither heart, gall nor liver.”
“What would you have had her do?” said Longarine. “She practised what God commands, and returned good for evil.” (3)
3 “Recompense to no man evil for evil.”—Rom. xii. 17.“Not rendering evil for evil, or railing for railing.”—1Pet. iii. 9.—Ed.
“I think,” said Hircan, “she must have been in love with some Grey Friar, who had laid upon her the penance of having her husband well treated in the country, so that, meantime, she might be free to entertain herself well in the town.”
“Therein,” said Oisille, “you clearly show the wickedness of your own heart, judging ill of a good deed. I rather believe her to have been so subdued by the love of God that she cared for naught save the salvation of her husband’s soul.”
“It seems to me,” said Simontault, “that he had more reason to return to his wife when he was so cold at the farm than afterwards when he was treated so well.”
“From what I can see,” said Saffredent, “you are not of the same opinion as the rich man of Paris who, when he lay with his wife, could not put off his gear without being chilled, but who never felt the worse when he went without cap or shoes, in the depth of winter, to see his servant-maid in the cellar. Yet his wife was very beautiful and the maid very ugly.”
“Have you not heard,” said Geburon, “that God always aids lunatics, lovers and sots? Perhaps he was all three in one.”
“Do you thence conclude,” said Pariamente, “that God recks not of the wise, the chaste and the temperate? Help is not needed by those who can help themselves. He who said that He had come for the sick and not for the whole, (4) came by the law of His mercy to succour our infirmities, thereby annulling the decrees of His rigorous justice; and he that deems himself wise is a fool in the sight of God. But, to end the sermon, to whom will Longarine give her vote?”
4 “They that are whole have no need of the physician, butthey that are sick.”—St. Markii. 17. See alsoSt.Lukev. 31.—Ed.
“I give it,” she said, “to Saffredent.”
“Then I hope,” said Saffredent, “to prove to you that God does not favour lovers. For although it has already been said, ladies, that vice is common to men and women alike, yet will a subtle artifice be more readily and adroitly devised by a woman than by a man Of this I am now about to give you an instance.”
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089a.jpg the Lord of Grignaulx Catching The Pretended Ghost
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The Lord of Grignaulx freed his house from a ghost whichhad so tormented his wife that for the space of two yearsshe had dwelt elsewhere.
A certain Lord of Grignaulx (1) who was gentleman of honour to the Queen of France, Anne, Duchess of Brittany, on returning to his house whence he had been absent during more than two years, found his wife at another estate, near by, and when he inquired the reason of this, she told him that a ghost was wont to haunt the house, and tormented them so much that none could dwell there. (2) Monsieur de Grig-naulx, who had no belief in such absurdities, replied that were it the devil himself he was not afraid of him, and so brought his wife home again.
At night he caused many candles to be lighted that he might see the ghost more clearly, and, after watching for a long time without hearing anything, he fell asleep; but immediately afterwards he was awaked by a buffet upon the cheek, and heard a voice crying, “Brenigne, Brenigne,” which had been the name of his grandmother. (3) Then he called to the serving-woman, who lay near them, (4) to light the candle, for all were now extinguished, but she durst not rise. And at the same time the Lord of Grig-naulx felt the covering pulled from off him, and heard a great noise of tables, trestles and stools falling about the room; and this lasted until morning. However, the Lord of Grignaulx was more displeased at losing his rest than afraid of the ghost, for indeed he never believed it to be any such thing.
1 This is John de Talleyrand, knight, lord of Grignols andFouquerolles, Prince of Chalais, Viscount of Fronsac, mayorand captain of Bordeaux, chamberlain of Charles VIII., firstmajordomo and gentleman of honour in turn to two FrenchQueens, Anne of Brittany and Mary of England. His wife wasMargaret de la Tour, daughter of Anne de la Tour, Viscountof Turenne, and Mary de Beaufort. She bore him severalchildren. It was John de Talleyrand who warned Louise ofSavoy that her son Francis, then Count of Angoulême, waspaying court to the young Queen, Mary of England, wife toLouis XII. Apprehensive lest this intrigue should destroyher son’s prospects, Louise prevailed on him to relinquishit (Brantôme’sDames Illustres).—L. 4 892 The house haunted by the ghost would probably beTalleyrand’s château at Grignols, in the department of theGironde. His lordship of Fouquerolles was only a few milesdistant, in the Dordogne, and this would be the estate towhich his wife had retired.—Ed.3 Talleyrand’s grandmother on the paternal side was Mary ofBrabant; the reference may be to his maternal grandmother,whose Christian name was possibly “Bénigne.” On the otherhand, Boaistuau gives the name as Revigne, and among the oldFrenchnoblessewere the Revigné and Revigny families.—Ed.4 Seeante, note 2 to Tale XXXVII.
On the following night he resolved to capture this ghost, and so, when he had been in bed a little while, he pretended to snore very loudly, and placed his open hand close to his face. Whilst he was in this wise waiting for the ghost, he felt that something was coming near him, and accordingly snored yet louder than before, whereat the ghost was so encouraged as to deal him a mighty blow. Forthwith, the Lord of Grignaulx caught the ghost’s hand as it rested on his face, and cried out to his wife—
“I have the ghost!”
His wife immediately rose up and lit the candle, and found that it was the serving-woman who slept in their room; and she, throwing herself upon her knees, entreated forgiveness and promised to confess the truth. This was, that she had long loved a serving-man of the house, and had taken this fine mystery in hand in order to drive both master and mistress away, so that she and her lover, having sole charge of the house, might be able to make good cheer as they were wont to do when alone. My Lord of Grignaulx, who was a somewhat harsh man, commanded that they should be soundly beaten so as to prevent them from ever forgetting the ghost, and this having been done, they were driven away. In this fashion was the house freed from the plaguy ghosts who for two years long had played their pranks in it. (5)
5 Talleyrand, who passes for having been the last of the“Rois des Ribauds” (see the Bibliophile Jacob’s historicalnovel of that title), was, like his descendant the greatdiplomatist, a man of subtle and caustic humour. Brantôme,in his article on Anne of Brittany inLes Dames Illustres,repeatedly refers to him, and relates that on an occasionwhen the Queen wished to say a few words in Spanish to theEmperor’s ambassador—there was a project of marrying herdaughter Claude to Charles V.—she applied to Grignols toteach her a sentence or two of the Castilian language. He,however, taught her some dirty expression, but was carefulto warn Louis XII., who laughed at it, telling his wife onno account to use the Spanish words she had learnt. Ondiscovering the truth, Anne was so greatly vexed, thatGrignols was obliged to withdraw from Court for some time,and only with difficulty obtained the Queen’s forgiveness.—L. and Ed.
“It is wonderful, ladies, to think of the effects wrought by the mighty god of Love. He causes women to put aside all fear, and teaches them to give every sort of trouble to man in order to work their own ends. But if the purpose of the serving-woman calls for blame, the sound sense of the master is no less worthy of praise. He knew that when the spirit departs, it returns no more.” (6)
6 “A wind that passeth away, and cometh not again.”—Psalmlxxviii. 39.—M.
“In sooth,” said Geburon, “love showed little favour to the man and the maid, but I agree that the sound sense of the master was of great advantage to him.”
“Nevertheless,” said Ennasuite, “the maid through her cunning lived for a long time at her ease.”
“‘Tis but a sorry ease,” said Oisille, “that is founded upon sin and that ends in shame and chastisement.”
“That is true, madam,” said Ennasuite, “but many persons reap pain and sorrow by living righteously, and lacking wit enough to procure themselves in all their lives as much pleasure as these two.”
“It is nevertheless my opinion,” said Oisille, “that there can be no perfect pleasure unless the conscience be at rest.”
“Nay,” said Simontault, “the Italian maintains that the greater the sin the greater the pleasure.” (7)
7 This may be a reference to Boccaccio or Castiglione, butthe expression is of a proverbial character in manylanguages.—Ed.
“In very truth,” said Oisille, “he who invented such a saying must be the devil himself. Let us therefore say no more of him, but see to whom Saffredent will give his vote.”
“To whom?” said he. “Only Parlamente now remains; but if there were a hundred others, she should still receive my vote, as being the one from whom we shall certainly learn something.”
“Well, since I am to end the day,” said Parlamente, “and since I promised yesterday to tell you why Rolandine’s father built the castle in which he kept her so long a prisoner, I will now relate it to you.”
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095a.jpg the Count of Jossebelin Murdering his Sister’s Husband
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The sister of the Count of Jossebelin, after marryingunknown to her brother a gentleman whom he caused to be putto death (albeit except for his lowlier rank he had oftendesired him for his brother-in-law) did, with great patienceand austerity of life, spend the remainder of her days in ahermitage. (1)
This lord, who was the father of Rolandine and was called the Count of Jossebelin, had several sisters, some of whom were married to wealthy husbands, others becoming nuns, whilst one, who was beyond comparison fairer than all the rest, dwelt unwedded in his house. (2)
1 The events here narrated would have occurred in or about1479.—L.2 The so-called Count of Jossebelin is John II., Viscountde Rohan, previously referred to in Tale XXI. He was the sonof Alan IX., Vicount of Rohan, by his second wife, Mary ofLorraine. Alan, by a first marriage with Margaret ofBrittany, had three daughters, Jane, Margaret and Catherine,all three of whom were married advantageously. Contrary toQueen Margaret’s assertion above, none of them became nuns;Alan may, however, have had illegitimate daughters who tookthe veil. By his second wife he had a son, John II., and adaughter christened Catherine, like her half-sister. Shedied unmarried, says Anselme’sHistoire Généalogique(vol.iv. p. 57), and would appear to be the heroine of QueenMargaret’s tale.—L. and B. J.
And so dearly did she love her brother that he, for his part, preferred her even to his wife and children.
She was asked in marriage by many of good estate, but her brother would never listen to them through dread of losing her, and also because he loved his money too well. She therefore spent a great part of her life un-wedded, living very virtuously in her brother’s house. Now there was a young and handsome gentleman who had been reared from childhood in this same house, and who, growing in comeliness and virtue as well as in years, had come to have a complete and peaceful rule over his master, in such sort that whenever the latter desired to give any charge to his sister he always did so by means of this young gentleman, (3) and he allowed him so much influence and intimacy, sending him morning and evening to his sister, that at last a great love sprang up between the two.
3 This is possibly a Count of Keradreux, whom John II. isknown to have put to death, though the Breton and Frenchchroniclers do not relate the circumstances of the crime.—Seepost, p. 100, note 4.—Ed.
But as the gentleman feared for his life if he should offend his master, and the lady feared also for her honour, their love found gladness in speech alone, until the Lord of Jossebelin had often said to his sister that he wished the gentleman were rich and of as good a house as her own, for he had never known a man whom he would so gladly have had for his brother-in-law.
He repeated these sayings so often that, after debating them together, the lovers concluded that if they wedded one another they would readily be forgiven. Love, which easily believes what it desires, persuaded them that nothing but good could come of it; and in this hope they celebrated and consummated the marriage without the knowledge of any save a priest and certain women.
After they had lived for a few years in the delight that man and woman can have together in marriage, and as one of the handsomest and most loving couples in Christendom, Fate, vexed to find two persons so much at their ease, would no longer suffer them to continue in it, but stirred up against them an enemy, who, keeping watch upon the lady, came to a knowledge of her great happiness, and, ignorant the while of her marriage, went and told the Lord of Jossebelin that the gentleman in whom he had so much trust, went too often to his sister’s room, and that moreover at hours when no man should enter it. This the Count would not at first believe for the trust that he had in his sister and in the gentleman.
But the other, like one careful for the honour of the house, repeated the charge so often that a strict watch was set, and the poor folk, who suspected nothing, were surprised. For one evening the Lord of Jossebelin was advised that the gentleman was with his sister, and, hastening thither, found the poor love-blinded pair lying in bed together. His anger at the sight robbed him of speech, and, drawing his sword, he ran after the gentleman to kill him. But the other, being nimble of body, fled in nothing but his shirt, and, being unable to escape by the door, leaped through a window into the garden.
Then the poor lady, clad only in her chemise, threw herself upon her knees before her brother and said to him—
“Sir, spare the life of my husband, for I have indeed married him; and if you are offended punish only me, for what he did was done at my request.”
Her brother, beside himself with wrath, could only reply—
“Even if he be your husband one hundred thousand times over, yet will I punish him as a rascally servant who has deceived me.”
So saying, he went to the window and called out loudly to kill him, which was speedily done before the eyes of himself and his sister. The latter, on beholding the pitiful sight which no prayers on her part had been able to prevent, spoke to her brother like a woman bereft of reason.
“Brother,” she said, “I have neither father nor mother, and I am old enough to marry according to my own pleasure. I chose one whom many a time you said you would gladly have me marry, and for doing by your own counsels that which the law permits me to do without them, you have put to death the man whom you loved best of all the world. Well, since my prayers have been of no avail to preserve his life, I implore you, by all the love you have ever borne me, to make me now a sharer in his death even as I have been a sharer in all his living fortunes. In this way, while sating your unjust and cruel anger, you will give repose to the body and soul of one who cannot and will not live without him.” Although her brother was almost distracted with passion, (4) he had pity upon his sister, and so, without granting or denying her request, withdrew. After weighing well what he had done, and hearing that the gentleman had in fact married his sister, he would gladly have undone his grievous crime. Nevertheless, being afraid that his sister would seek justice or vengeance for it, he caused a castle to be built in the midst of a forest, (5) and, placing her therein, forbade that any should have speech with her.
4 John II. of Rohan was a man of the most passionate,resentful disposition, and the greater part of his life wasspent in furthering ambitious schemes, stirring up feuds andfactions, and desolating Brittany with civil war. In 1470 wefind him leaving the service of the Duke, his master, toenter that of Louis XI., on whose side he fought till thepeace of Senlis in 1475. Four years later the Duke ofBrittany caused him to be arrested on the charge ofmurdering the Count of Keradreux, and he appears to haveremained in prison till 1484, when it is recorded that hefled to France, and thence to Lorraine. In 1487 he leaguedhimself with several discontented nobles to drive away theChancellor of Brittany and various foreign favourites aroundthe Duke, and carried civil war into several parts of theduchy. Then for a brief space he made his peace with theDuke, but again took up arms for the French King, fought atSt. Aubin du Cormier, captured Dinan and besieged andpillaged Guingamp. Charles VIII. appointed him Lieutenant-general of Lower Brittany in 1491, and he was firstcommissary of the King of France at the States of Brittanyheld at Vannes in 1491 and 1501. In 1507 he witnessed themarriage contract of the Princess Claude with Francis, Dukeof Valois, afterwards Francis I. (Anselme’sHistoireGénéalogique, vol. iv. p. 57). When Anne became Duchess ofBrittany, John II. vainly strove to compel her to marry hisson, James, and this was one of the causes of their life-long enmity (antevol. iii. Tale XXI.) John II. died in1516.—L. and Ed.5 If this be the chateau of Josselin, as some previouscommentators think, Queen Margaret is in error here, forrecords subsist which prove that Josselin, now classed amongthe historical monuments of France, was built not by JohnII., but by his father, Alan IX. It rises on a steep rock onthe bank of the Oust, at nine miles from Ploèrmel, and onthe sculptured work, both inside and out, the letters A. V.(Alan, Viscount) are frequently repeated, with the arms ofRohan and Brittany quartered together, and bearing the prouddeviceA plus. It seems to us evident that the incidentsrecorded in the early part of Queen Margaret’s tale tookplace at Josselin, and that Catherine de Rohan wasimprisoned in some other chateau expressly erected by herbrother.—D. and Ed.
Some time afterwards he sought, for the satisfaction of his conscience, to win her back again, and spoke to her of marriage; but she sent him word that he had given her too sorry a breakfast to make her willing to sup off the same dish, and that she looked to live in such sort that he should never murder a second husband of hers; for, she added, she could scarcely believe that he would forgive another man after having so cruelly used the one whom he had loved best of all the world.
And although weak and powerless for revenge, she placed her hopes in Him who is the true Judge, and who suffers no wickedness to go unpunished; and, relying upon His love alone, was minded to spend the rest of her life in her hermitage. And this she did, for she never stirred from that place so long as she lived, but dwelt there with such patience and austerity that her tomb was visited by every one as that of a saint.
From the time that she died, her brother’s house came to such a ruinous state, that of his six sons not one was left, but all died miserably; (6) and at last the inheritance, as you heard in the former story, passed into the possession of Rolandine, who succeeded to the prison that had been built for her aunt.
6 Queen Margaret is in error here. Instead of six sons,John II., according to the most reliable genealogicalaccounts of the Rohan family, had but two, James, Viscountof Rohan and Lord of Leon, who died childless in 1527, andClaud, Bishop of Cornouailles, who succeeded him as Viscountof Rohan (Anselme). These had two sisters, Anne, theRolandine of Tale XXI., and Mary, who died in June 1542(Dillaye).—Ed.
“I pray God, ladies, that this example may be profitable to you, and that none among you will seek to marry for her own pleasure without the consent of those to whom obedience is due; for marriage is a state of such long continuance that it should not be entered upon lightly and without the advice of friends and kin. And, indeed, however wisely one may act, there is always at least as much pain in it as there is pleasure.”
“In good faith,” said Oisille, “were there neither God nor law to teach maidens discretion, this example would suffice to give them more reverence for their kindred, and not to seek marriage according to their own pleasure.”
“Still, madam,” said Nomerfide, “whoso has but one good day in the year, is not unhappy her whole life long. She had the pleasure of seeing and speaking for a long time with him whom she loved better than herself, and she moreover enjoyed the delights of marriage with him without scruple of conscience. I consider such happiness so great, that in my opinion it surpassed the sorrow that she bore.”
“You maintain, then,” said Saffredent, “that a woman has more pleasure in lying with a husband, than pain in seeing him put to death before her eyes.”
“That is not my meaning,” said Nomerfide, “for it would be contrary to my experience of women. But I hold that an unwonted pleasure such as that of marrying the man whom one loves best of all the world, must be greater than that of losing him by death, which is common to all.”
“Yes,” said Geburon, “if the death be a natural one, but that in the story was too cruel. And I think it very strange, considering he was neither her father nor her husband but only her brother, and she had reached an age when the law suffers maidens to marry according to their own pleasure, that this lord should have had the daring to commit so cruel a deed.”
“I do not think it at all strange,” said Hircan, “for he did not kill his sister whom he dearly loved, and who was not subject to his control, but dealt with the gentleman whom he had bred as his son and loved as his brother. He had bestowed honour and wealth upon him in his service, and in return for all this the other sought his sister in marriage, a thing which was in nowise fitting for him to do.”
“Moreover,” said Nomerfide, “it was no ordinary or wonted pleasure for a lady of such high lineage to marry a gentleman servant for love. If the death was extraordinary, the pleasure also was novel, and it was the greater seeing that it had against it the opinions of all wise folk, for it was the happiness of a loving heart with tranquillity of soul, since God was in no wise offended by it And as for the death that you call cruel, it seems to me that, since death is unavoidable, the swifter it comes the better; for we know that it is a road by which all of us must travel. I deem those fortunate who do not long linger on the outksirts of death, but who take a speedy flight from all that can be termed happiness in this world to the happiness that is eternal.”
“What do you mean by the outskirts of death?” said Simontault.
“Such as have deep tribulation of spirit,” replied Nomerfide, “such, too, as have long been ill, and in their extreme bodily or spiritual pain have come to think lightly of death and find its approach too slow, such, I say, as these have passed through the outskirts of death and will tell you of the hostels where they knew more lamentation than rest. The lady of the story could not help losing her husband through death, but her brother’s wrath preserved her from seeing him a long time sick or distressed in mind. And turning the gladness that she had had with him to the service of Our Lord, she might well esteem herself happy.”
“Do you make no account,” said Longarine, “of the shame that she endured, or of her imprisonment?”
“I consider,” said Nomerfide, “that a woman who lives perfectly, with a love that is in keeping with the commands of her God, has no knowledge of shame or dishonour except when they impair or lessen the perfection of her love; for the glory of truly loving knows no shame. As for her imprisonment, I imagine that, with her heart at large and devoted to God and her husband, she thought nothing of it, but deemed her solitude the greatest freedom. When one cannot see what one loves, the greatest happiness consists in thinking constantly upon it, and there is no prison so narrow that thought cannot roam in it at will.”
“Nothing can be truer than what Nomerfide says,” observed Simontault, “but the man who in his passion brought this separation to pass must have deemed himself unhappy indeed, seeing that he offended God, Love and Honour.”
“In good sooth,” said Geburon, “I am amazed at the diversity of woman’s love. I can see that those who have most love have most virtue; but those who have less love conceal it in their desire to appear virtuous.”
“It is true,” said Parlamente, “that a heart which is virtuous towards God and man loves more deeply than a vicious one, and fears not to have its inmost purpose known.”
“I have always heard,” said Simontault, “that men should not be blamed if they seek the love of women, for God has put into the heart of man desire and boldness for asking, and in that of woman fear and chastity for refusal. If, then, a man be punished for using the powers that have been given him, he suffers wrong.”
“But it must be remembered,” said Longarine, “that he had praised this gentleman for a long time to his sister. It seems to me that it would be madness or cruelty in the keeper of a fountain to praise its fair waters to one fainting with thirst, and then to kill him when he sought to taste them.”
“The brother,” thereupon said Parlamente, “did indeed so kindle the flame by gentle words of his own, that it was not meet he should beat it out with the sword.”
“I am surprised,” said Saffredent, “to find it taken ill that a simple gentleman should by dint of love alone, and without deceit, have come to marry a lady of high lineage, seeing that the wisdom of the philosophers accounts the least of men to be of more worth than the greatest and most virtuous of women.”
“The reason is,” said Dagoucin, “that in order to preserve the commonwealth in peace, account is only taken of the rank of families, the age of persons, and the provisions of the laws, without regard to the love and virtue of individuals, and all this so that the kingdom may not be disturbed. Hence it comes to pass that, in marriages made between equals and according to the judgment of kinsfolk and society, the husband and wife often journey to the very outskirts of hell.”
“Indeed it has been seen,” said Geburon, “that those who, being alike in heart, character and temperament, have married for love and paid no heed to diversity of birth and lineage, have ofttime sorely repented of it; for a deep unreasoning love is apt to turn to jealousy and rage.”
“It seems to me,” said Parlamente, “that neither course is worthy of praise, but that folks should submit themselves to the will of God, and pay no heed to glory, avarice or pleasure, and loving virtuously and with the approval of their kinsfolk, seek only to live in the married state as God and nature ordain. And although no condition be free from tribulation, I have nevertheless seen such persons live together without regret; and we of this company are not so unfortunate as to have none of these married ones among the number.”
Hircan, Geburon, Simontault and Saffredent swore that they had wedded after this sort, and had never repented since. Whatever the truth of this declaration may have been, the ladies concerned were exceedingly content with it, and thinking that they could hear nothing to please them better, they rose up to go and give thanks for it to God, and found the monks at the church, ready for vespers.
When the service was over they went to supper, but not without much discourse concerning their marriages; and this lasted all the evening, each one relating the fortune that had befallen him whilst he was wooing his wife.
As it happened, however, that one was interrupted by another, it is not possible to set down these stories in full, albeit they would have been as pleasant to write as those which had been told in the meadow. Such great delight did they take in the converse, and so well did it entertain them, that, before they were aware of it, the hour for rest had come.
The Lady Oisille made the company separate, and they betook themselves to bed so joyously that, what with recounting the loves of the past, and proving those of the present, the married folk, methinks, slept no longer than the others.
And so the night was pleasantly spent until the morning.
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On the Fifth Day Tales are told of the virtue of thosemaids and matrons who held their honour inmore consideration than their pleasure,also of those who did the contrary,and of the simplicity ofcertain others.
When morning was come, the Lady Oisille made ready for them a spiritual breakfast of such excellent flavour that it sufficed to strengthen both body and mind. The whole company was very attentive to it; it seemed to them that they had never harkened to a sermon with such profit before. Then, when the last bell rang for mass, they went to meditate upon the pious discourse which they had heard.
After listening to mass, and walking for a little while, they went to table feeling assured that the present day would prove as agreeable as any of the past. Saffredent even said that he would gladly have the bridge building for another month, so great was the pleasure that he took in their entertainment; but the Abbot was pressing the work with all speed, for it was no pleasure to him to live in the company of so many honourable persons, among whom he could not bring his wonted female pilgrims.
Having rested for a time after dinner, they returned to their accustomed diversion. When all were seated in the meadow, they asked Parlamente to whom she gave her vote.
“I think,” she replied, “that Saffredent might well begin this day, for his face does not look as though he wished us to weep.”
“Then, ladies, you will needs be very hard-hearted,” said Saffredent, “if you take no pity on the Grey Friar whose story I am going to relate to you. You may perhaps think, from the tales that some among us have already told of the monks, that misadventures have befallen hapless damsels simply because ease of execution induced the attempt to be fearlessly begun, but, so that you may know that it is the blindness of wanton lust which deprives the friars of all fear and prudence, I will tell you of what happened to one of them in Flanders.”
115a.jpg the Beating of The Wicked Grey Friar
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A Grey Friar to whom a maiden had presented herself onChristmas night that he might confess her, laid upon her sostrange a penance that she would not submit to it, but rosefrom before him without having received absolution; but hermistress, hearing of the matter, caused the Grey Friar to beflogged in her kitchen, and then sent him back, bound andgagged, to his Warden.
In the year when my Lady Margaret of Austria came to Cambray on behalf of her nephew the Emperor, to treat of peace between him and the Most Christian King, who on his part was represented by his mother, my Lady Louise of Savoy, (1) the said Lady Margaret had in her train the Countess of Aiguemont, (2) who won, among this company, the renown of being the most beautiful of all the Flemish ladies.
1 It was in June 1529 that Margaret of Austria came toCambrai to treat for peace, on behalf of Charles V. Louiseof Savoy, who represented Francis I., was accompanied onthis occasion by her daughter, Queen Margaret, who appearsto have taken part in the conferences. The result of thesewas that the Emperor renounced his claims on Burgundy, butupheld all the other stipulations of the treaty of Madrid.Having been brought about entirely by feminine negotiators,the peace of Cambrai acquired the name of “La Paix desDames,” or “the Ladies’ Peace.” Some curious particulars ofthe ceremonies observed at Cambrai on this occasion will befound in Leglay’sNotice sur les fêles et cérémonies àCambray depuis le XIe siècle, Cambrai, 1827.—L. and B. J.2 This is Frances of Luxemburg, Baroness of Fiennes andPrincess of Gavre, wife of John IV., Count of Egmont,chamberlain to the Emperor Charles V. They were the parentsof the famous Lamoral Count of Egmont, Prince of Gavre andBaron of Fiennes, born in 1522 and put to death by the Dukeof Alba on June 5, 1568.—B.J.
When this great assembly separated, the Countess of Aiguemont returned to her own house, and, Advent being come, sent to a monastery of Grey Friars to ask for a clever preacher and virtuous man, as well to preach as to confess herself and her whole household. The Warden, remembering the great benefits that the Order received from the house of Aiguemont and that of Fiennes, to which the Countess belonged, sought out the man whom he thought most worthy to fill the said office.
Accordingly, as the Grey Friars more than any other order desire to obtain the esteem and friendship of great houses, they sent the most important preacher of their monastery, and throughout Advent he did his duty very well, and the Countess was well pleased with him.
On Christmas night, when the Countess desired to receive her Creator, she sent for her confessor, and after making confession in a carefully closed chapel, she gave place to her lady of honour, who in her turn, after being shriven, sent her daughter to pass through the hands of this worthy confessor. When the maiden had told all that was in her mind, the good father knew something of her secrets, and this gave him the desire and the boldness to lay an unwonted penance upon her.
“My daughter,” said he, “your sins are so great that to atone for them I command you the penance of wearing my cord upon your naked flesh.”
The maiden, who was unwilling to disobey him, made answer—
“Give it to me, father, and I will not fail to wear it.”
“My daughter,” said the good father, “it will be of no avail from your own hand. Mine, from which you shall receive absolution, must first bind it upon you; then shall you be absolved of all your sins.”
The maiden replied, weeping, that she would not suffer it.
“What?” said the confessor. “Are you a heretic, that you refuse the penances which God and our holy mother Church have ordained?”
“I employ confession,” said the maiden, “as the Church commands, and I am very willing to receive absolution and do penance. But I will not be touched by your hands, and I refuse this mode of penance.”
“Then,” said the confessor, “I cannot give you absolution.”
The maiden rose from before him greatly troubled in conscience, for, being very young, she feared lest she had done wrong in thus refusing to obey the worthy father.
When mass was over and the Countess of Aiguemont had received the “Corpus Domini,” her lady of honour, desiring to follow her, asked her daughter whether she was ready. The maiden, weeping, replied that she was not shriven.
“Then what were you doing so long with the preacher?” asked her mother.
“Nothing,” said the maiden, “for, as I refused the penance that he laid upon me, he on his part refused me absolution.”
Making prudent inquiry, the mother learnt the extraordinary penance that the good father had chosen for her daughter; and then, having caused her to be confessed by another, they received the sacrament together. When the Countess was come back from the church, the lady of honour made complaint to her of the preacher, whereupon the Countess was the more surprised and grieved, since she had thought so well of him. Nevertheless, despite her anger, she could not but feel very much inclined to laugh at the unwonted nature of the penance.
Still her laughter did not prevent her from having the friar taken and beaten in her kitchen, where he was brought by the strokes of the rod to confess the truth; and then she sent him bound hand and foot to his Warden, begging the latter for the future to commission more virtuous men to preach the Word of God.
“Consider, ladies, if the monks be not afraid to display their wantonness in so illustrious a house, what may they not do in the poor places where they commonly make their collections, and where opportunities are so readily offered to them, that it is a miracle if they are quit of them without scandal. And this, ladies, leads me to beg of you to change your ill opinion into compassion, remembering that he (3) who blinds the Grey Friars is not sparing of the ladies when he finds an opportunity.”