_TALE IV_.
_A young gentleman sought to discover whether the offer of an honour-able love would be displeasing to his master's sister, a lady of the most illustrious lineage in Flanders, who had been twice widowed, and was a woman of muck spirit. Meeting with a reply contrary to his desires, he attempted to possess her by force; but she resisted him successfully, and by the advice of her lady of honour, without seeming to take notice of his designs and efforts, gradually ceased to regard him with the favour with which she had been wont to treat him. Thus, by his foolhardy presumption, he lost the honourable and habitual companionship which, more than others, he had had with her_.(1)
1 This story is historical, and the incidents must have occurred between 1520 and 1525.--L.
There lived in the land of Flanders a lady of such high lineage, thatnone more illustrious could be found. She was a widow, both her firstand second husbands being dead, and she had no children living. Duringher widowhood she lived in retirement with her brother, by whom she wasgreatly loved, and who was a very great lord and married to the daughterof a King. This young Prince was a man much given to pleasure, fond ofhunting, pastimes, and women, as his youth inclined him. He had awife, however, who was of a very froward disposition, (2) and found nopleasure in her husband's pursuits; wherefore this Lord always tookhis sister along with his wife, for she was a most joyous and pleasantcompanion, and withal a discreet and honourable woman.
In this Lord's household there was a gentleman who, for stature,comeliness, and grace, surpassed all his fellows. This gentleman, (3)perceiving that his master's sister was of merry mood and always readyfor a laugh, was minded to try whether the offer of an honourable lovewould be displeasing to her.
2 The young prince here mentioned is Francis I., who at this period was between twenty-five and thirty years old. The froward wife is Claude of France (daughter of Louis XII. and Anne of Brittany), whom Francis married in 1514, and who died of consumption at Blois ten years later, while the King was on his way to conquer Milan. (See the Memoir of Margaret, pp. xxvi. and xxxv.)--Ed.
3 According to Brantome, the Lady of Flanders, the young Prince's sister, was Queen Margaret herself, and the gentleman who paid court to her was William Gouffier, Lord of Bonnivet, of Crevecoeur, Thois, and Querdes, and also a favourite of Francis I., with whom he was brought up, and by whom he was employed in all the great enterprises of the time. Bonnivet became Admiral of France in 1517, and two years later he was created governor of Dauphine, and guardian of the Dauphin's person. He negotiated the peace and alliance with Henry VIII., and arranged all the preliminaries of the interview known as the Field of the Cloth of Gold (1520). In 1521, says Anselme in his _Histoire Genealogique_, Bonnivet became governor of Guienne, commanded the army sent to Navarre, and captured Fontarabia. In 1524 he was despatched to Italy as lieutenant-general, and besieged Milan, but was repeatedly repulsed, and finally fell back on the Ticino. He was killed at Pavia (February 24, 1525), and was largely responsible for that disastrous defeat, having urged Francis I. to give battle, contrary to the advice of the more experienced captains. Bonnivet, as mentioned by Queen Margaret in this story, had the reputation of being one of the handsomest men of his time.-- L.
He made this offer, but the answer that he received from her wascontrary to his desires. However, although her reply was such asbeseemed a Princess and a woman of true virtue, she readily pardoned hishardihood for the sake of his comeliness and breeding, and let him knowthat she bore him no ill-will for what he had said. But she charged himnever to speak to her after that fashion again; and this he promised,that he might not lose the pleasure and honour of her conversation.Nevertheless, as time went on, his love so increased that he forgot thepromise he had made. He did not, however, risk further trial of words,for he had learned by experience, and much against his will, whatvirtuous replies she was able to make. But he reflected that if he couldtake her somewhere at a disadvantage, she, being a widow, young, lusty,and of a lively humour, would perchance take pity on him and on herself.
To compass his ends, he told his master that excellent hunting was tobe had in the neighbourhood of his house, and that if it pleased himto repair thither and hunt three or four stags in the month of May, hecould have no finer sport. The Lord granted the gentleman's request, asmuch for the affection he bore him as for the pleasure of the chase, andrepaired to his house, which was as handsome and as fairly ordered asthat of the richest gentleman in the land.
The Lord and his Lady were lodged on one side of the house, and she whomthe gentleman loved more than himself on the other. Her apartment wasso well arranged, tapestried above and matted below,(4) that it wasimpossible to perceive a trap-door which was by the side of her bed, andwhich opened into a room beneath, that was occupied by the gentleman'smother.(5)
4 In most palaces and castles at this period the walls were covered with tapestry and the floors with matting. This remark is necessary to enable one to understand Bonnivet's stratagem.--D.
5 Philippa de Montmorency, second wife of William Gouffier, Lord of Boissy, who was Bonnivet's father (Anselme's _Histoire Genealogique_, vol. vii. p. 880).--L.
She being an old lady, somewhat troubled by rheum, and fearful lest thecough she had should disturb the Princess, made exchange of chamberswith her son. In the evening this old lady was wont to bring sweetmeatsto the Princess for her collation,(6) at which the gentleman waspresent; and being greatly beloved by her brother and intimate with him,he was also suffered to be present when she rose in the morning and whenshe retired to bed, on which occasions he always found reasons for anincrease of his affection.
6 At that period the collation, as the supper was called, was served at seven in the evening, shortly before the curfew.--B. J.
Thus it came to pass that one evening he made the Princess stay up verylate, until at last, being desirous of sleep, she bade him leave her.He then went to his own room, and there put on the handsomest andbest-scented shirt he had, and a nightcap so well adorned that nothingwas lacking in it. It seemed, to him, as he looked at himself in hismirror, that no lady in the world could deny herself to one of hiscomeliness and grace. He therefore promised himself a happy issue tohis enterprise, and so lay down on his bed, where in his desire and surehope of exchanging it for one more honourable and pleasant, he looked tomake no very long stay.
As soon as he had dismissed all his attendants he rose to fasten thedoor after them; and for a long time he listened to hear whether therewere any sound in the room of the Princess, which was above his own.When he had made sure that all was quiet, he wished to begin hispleasant task, and little by little let down the trap-door, which wasso excellently wrought, and so well covered with cloth, that it made notthe least noise. Then he ascended into the room and came to the bedsideof his lady, who was just falling asleep.
Forthwith, having no regard for the duty that he owed his mistress orfor the house to which she belonged, he got into bed with her, withoutentreating her permission or making any kind of ceremony. She felt himin her arms before she knew that he had entered the room; but beingstrong, she freed herself from his grasp, and fell to striking, biting,and scratching him, demanding the while to know who he was, so thatfor fear lest she should call out he sought to stop her mouth with thebedclothes. But this he found it impossible to do, for when she sawthat he was using all his strength to work her shame she did as muchto baffle him. She further called as loudly as she could to her lady ofhonour,(7) who slept in her room; and this old and virtuous woman ran toher mistress in her nightdress.
7 The lady in question was Blanche de Tournon, daughter of James de Tournon, by Jane de Polignac, and sister of Cardinal de Tournon, Minister of Francis I. She first married Raymond d'Agout, Baron of Sault in Provence, who died in 1503; and se
condly James de Chastillon, Chamberlain to Charles VIII. and Louis XII., killed at the siege of Ravenna in 1512. Brantome states, moreover, that she subsequently married Cardinal John du Bellay. (See Appendix to the'present volume, C.) In this story, Margaret describes the Princess of Flanders as having lost two husbands, with the view of disguising the identity of her heroine. Her own husband (the Duke of Alencon) was still alive; but Madame de Chastillon had twice become a widow, and the Queen, who was well aware of this, designedly ascribed to the Princess the situation of the lady of honour. This story should be compared with the poem "Quatre Dames et Quatre Gentilhommes" in the _Marguerites de la Marguerite_.--F.
When the gentleman saw that he was discovered, he was so fearful ofbeing recognised by the lady, that he descended in all haste through histrap-door; his despair at returning in such an evil plight being no lessthan his desire and assurance of a gracious reception had previouslybeen. He found his mirror and candle on his table,(8) and looking at hisface, all bleeding from the lady's scratches and bites, whence the bloodwas trickling over his fine shirt, which had now more blood than gold(9) about it, he said--
8 It is not surprising that the mirror should have been lying on the table. Mirrors were for a long time no larger than our modern hand-glasses. That of Mary de' Medici, offered to her by the Republic of Venice, and now in the Galerie d'Apollon at the Louvre, is extremely small, though it has an elaborate frame enriched with precious cameos. Even the mirrors placed by Louis XIV. in the celebrated Galerie des Glaces at Versailles were no larger than ordinary window-panes.--M.
9 Shirts were then adorned at the collar and in front with gold-thread embroidery, such as is shown in some of Clouet's portraits. In M. de Laborde's _Comptes des Batiments du Roi au XVIeme Siecle_ (vol. ii.) mention is made of "a shirt with gold work," "a shirt with white work," &c.; and also of two beautiful women's chemises in Holland linen "richly worked with gold thread and silk, at the price of six crowns apiece."--M.
"Beauty! now hast thou been rewarded according to thy deserts. By reasonof thy vain promises I attempted an impossible undertaking, and onethat, instead of increasing my happiness, will perchance double mymisfortune. I feel sure that if she knows I made this foolish attemptcontrary to the promise I gave her, I shall lose the honourable andaccustomed companionship which more than any other I have had with her.And my folly has well deserved this, for if I was to turn my goodlooks and grace to any account, I ought not to have hidden them in thedarkness. I should not have sought to take that chaste body by force,but should have waited in long service and humble patience till lovehad conquered her. Without love, all man's merits and might are of noavail."
Thus he passed the night in tears, regrets, and sorrowings such as Icannot describe; and in the morning, finding his face greatly torn, hefeigned grievous sickness and to be unable to endure the light, untilthe company had left his house.
The lady, who had come off victorious, knew that there was no man at herbrother's Court that durst attempt such an enterprise save him who hadhad the boldness to declare his love to her. She therefore concludedthat it was indeed her host, and made search through the room with herlady of honour to discover how he could have entered it. But in this shefailed, whereupon she said to her companion in great anger--
"You may be sure that it can have been none other than the lord of thishouse, and I will make such report of him to my brother in the morningthat his head shall bear witness to my chastity."
Seeing her in such wrath, the lady of honour said to her--
"Right glad am I, madam, to find you esteem your honour so highly that,to exalt it, you would not spare the life of a man who, for the lovehe bears you, has put it to this risk. But it often happens that onelessens what one thinks to increase; wherefore, I pray you, madam, tellme the truth of the whole matter."
When the lady had fully related the business, the lady of honour said toher--
"You assure me that he had nothing from you save only scratches andblows?"
"I do assure you that it was so," said the lady; "and, unless he find arare surgeon, I am certain his face will bear the marks tomorrow."
"Well, since it is thus, madam," said the lady of honour, "it seems tome that you have more reason to thank God than to think of vengeance;for you may well believe that, since the gentleman had spirit enoughto make such an attempt, his grief at having failed will be harderof endurance than any death you could award him. If you desire to berevenged on him, let love and shame do their work; they will tormenthim more grievously than could you. And if you would speak out for yourhonour's sake,(10) beware, madam, lest you fall into a mishap like tohis own.
10 In Boaistuau's edition this passage runs: "Let love and shame do their work, they will know better than you how to torment him; and do this for your honour's sake. Beware," &c.--L.
He, instead of obtaining the greatest delight he could imagine, hasencountered the gravest vexation any gentleman could endure. So you,madam, thinking to exalt your honour, may perchance diminish it. If youmake complaint, you will bring to light what is known to none, for youmay rest assured that the gentleman on his side will never reveal aughtof the matter. And even if my lord, your brother, should do justiceto him at your asking, and the poor gentleman should die, yet would iteverywhere be noised abroad that he had had his will of you, and mostpeople would say it was unlikely a gentleman would make such an attemptunless the lady had given him great encouragement. You are young andfair; you live gaily with all; and there is no one at Court but has seenthe kind treatment you have shown to the gentleman whom you suspect.Hence every one will believe that if he did this deed it was not withoutsome fault on your side; and your honour, for which you have never hadto blush, will be freely questioned wherever the story is related."
On hearing the excellent reasoning of her lady of honour, the Princessperceived that she spoke the truth, and that she herself would, withjust cause, be blamed on account of the close friendship which she hadalways shown towards the gentleman. Accordingly she inquired of her ladyof honour what she ought to do.
"Madam," replied the other, "since you are pleased to receive mycounsels, having regard for the affection whence they spring, it seemsto me you should be glad at heart to think that the most comely andgallant gentleman I have ever seen was not able, whether by love or byforce, to turn you from the path of true virtue. For this, madam, youshould humble yourself before God, and confess that it was not throughyour own merit, for many women who have led straighter lives than youhave been humiliated by men less worthy of love than he. And you shouldhenceforth be more than ever on your guard against proposals of love;for many have the second time yielded to dangers which on the firstoccasion they were able to avoid. Be mindful, madam, that love is blind,and that it makes people blind in such wise that the way appears safestjust when it is most slippery. Further, madam, it seems to me that youshould give no sign of what has befallen you, whether to him or to anyone else, and that if he seeks to say anything on the matter, you shouldfeign not to understand him. In this way you will avoid two dangers,the one of vain-glory in the victory you have won, and the other ofrecalling things so pleasant to the flesh that at mention of them thechastest can only with difficulty avoid feeling some sparks of theflame, though they strive their utmost to escape them. (11)
11 We here follow MS. No. 1520.--L.
Besides this, madam, in order that he may not think he has done anythingpleasing in your sight, I am of opinion you should little by littlewithdraw the friendship you have been in the habit of showing him. Inthis way he will know how much you scorn his rashness, and how great isyour goodness, since, content with the victory that God has given you,you seek no further vengeance upon him. And may God give you grace,madam, to continue in the virtue He has placed in your heart; and,knowing that all good things come from Him, may you love and serve Himbetter than before."
The Princess determined to abide by the advice of her lady of honour,and then fell asleep with joy as great as was the sadness of her wakinglover.
On the morrow, the lord, her brother, wishing to depart, inquired forhis host, and was told that he was too ill to bear the light or to hearany one speak. The Prince was greatly astonished at this, and wished togo and see the gentleman; however, learning that he was asleep, he wouldnot awake him, but left the house without bidding him farewell. He tookwith him his wife and sister, and the latter, hearing the excuses sentby the gentleman, who would not see the Prince or any of the companybefore their departure, felt convinced that it was indeed he who had sotormented her, and that he durst not let the marks which she had leftupon his face be seen. And although his master frequently sent for him,he did not return to Court until he was quite healed of all his wounds,save only one--namely, that which love and vexation had dealt to hisheart.
When he did return, and found himself in presence of his victoriousfoe, he could not but blush; and such was his confusion, that he who hadformerly been the boldest of all the company, was often wholly abashedbefore her. Accordingly, being now quite certain that her suspicion wastrue, she estranged herself from him little by little, though not soadroitly that he did not perceive it; but he durst not give any signfor fear of meeting with something still worse, and so he kept his loveconcealed, patiently enduring the disgrace he had so well deserved.(12)
12 This story is referred to by Brantome, both in his _Vies des Homines illustres et grands Capitaines francais_, and in his _Vies des Dames galantes_. See Appendix to the present volume (C. ).
"This, ladies, is a story which should be a warning to those who wouldgrasp at what does not belong to them, and which, further, shouldstrengthen the hearts of ladies, since it shows the virtue of this youngPrincess, and the good sense of her lady of honour. If the like fortuneshould befall any among you, the remedy has now been pointed out."
"It seems to me," said Hircan, "that the tall gentleman of whom you havetold us was so lacking in spirit as to be unworthy of being remembered.With such an opportunity as that, he ought not to have suffered any one,old or young, to baffle him in his enterprise. It must be said, also,that his heart was not entirely filled with love, seeing that fear ofdeath and shame found place within it."
"And what," replied Nomerfide, "could the poor gentleman have done withtwo women against him?"
"He ought to have killed the old one," said Hircan, "and when the youngone found herself without assistance she would have been already halfsubdued."
"To have killed her!" said Nomerfide. "Then you would turn a lover intoa murderer? Since such is your opinion, it would indeed be a fearfulthing to fall into your hands."
"If I had gone so far," said Hircan, "I should have held itdishonourable not to achieve my purpose."
Then said Geburon--
"You think it strange that a Princess, bred in all honour, should provedifficult of capture to one man. You should then be much more astonishedat a poor woman who escaped out of the hands of two."
"Geburon," said Ennasuite, "I give my vote to you to tell the fifthtale, for I think you know something concerning this poor woman thatwill not be displeasing to us."
"Since you have chosen me," said Geburon, "I will tell you a story whichI know to be true from having made inquiries concerning it on the spot.By this story you will see that womanly sense and virtue are not in thehearts and heads of Princesses alone, nor love and cunning in such asare most often deemed to possess them."
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[The Boatwoman of Coulon outwitting the Friars]
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