Read The Tales Of The Heptameron, Vol. II. (of V.) Page 16

  B (Tale XL (B.), Page 95.)

  An anecdote in keeping with this story will be found in Brantome'smiscellaneous works (Petitot's ed., vol. viii. pp. 382-4). The authorof _Les Dames Galantes_, after alluding to his aunt Louise deBourdeille--who was brought up at Court by Anne of Brittany--proceeds tosay:--

  "A certain Grey Friar, who habitually preached before the Queen, fell sodeeply in love with Mademoiselle de Bourdeille that he completely losthis wits, and sometimes in his sermons, whilst speaking of the beautyof the holy virgins of past times, he would so forget himself as to saysome words respecting the beauty of my said aunt, not to mention thesoft glances which he cast at her. And sometimes, whilst in the Queen'sroom, he would take great pleasure in discoursing to her, not with wordsof love however, for he would have incurred a whipping, but with othercovert words which tended towards love. My aunt in no wise approvedof his discourses, and made some mention of them to her own and hercompanions' governess. The Queen heard of the matter and could notbelieve it, on account of this man's cloth and holiness. For this reasonshe kept silent until a certain Good Friday, when, in accordance withcustom, this friar preached before her on the Holy Passion. The ladiesand the maids, including my aunt, being seated as was their wont beforethe reverend father, in full view of him, he, as though giving out thetext and introit of his sermon, began to say: 'It is for you, lovelyhumanity, it is for you that I suffer this day. Thus on a certainoccasion spake our Lord Jesus Christ.' Then proceeding with his sermonthe friar chronicled all the sufferings and afflictions which Jesusendured for mankind at His death upon the Cross, and these he comparedto the sufferings that he himself endured on account of my aunt; but insuch covert, such disguised words that even the most enlightened mighthave failed to understand their meaning. Queen Anne, however, who wasvery expert both in mind and judgment, laid hold of this, and tookcounsel as to the real meaning of the sermon, both with certain lordsand ladies and certain learned men who were there present. They allpronounced the sermon to be most scandalous, and the Grey Friar mostdeserving of punishment; for which reason he was secretly chastised andwhipped, and then driven away, without any scandal being made. Such wasthe Queen's reply to the amours of this Grey Friar; and thus was my auntwell avenged on him for the way in which he had so often importuned her.In those times it was not allowable, under divers penalties, either tocontradict or to refuse to speak to such people, who, so it was thought,conversed only of God and the salvation of the soul."

  In Merimee's Chronique de Charles IX., there will be found a facetioussermon by another Grey Friar; this, however, is less in keeping with the_Heptameron_, than with the character of the discourses delivered by thepreachers of the League.--M.