The lady, who had seen and heard all that pa.s.sed, was so delighted and amazed at beholding the depth and constancy of his love, that she was impatient to see him again in order to ask his forgiveness for the sorrow that she had caused him to endure. And as soon as she could meet with him, she failed not to address him in such excellent and pleasant words, that he not only forgot all his troubles but even deemed them very fortunate, seeing that their issue was to the glory of his constancy and the perfect a.s.surance of his love, the fruit of which he enjoyed from that time forth as fully as he could desire, without either hindrance or vexation. (3)

3 In reference to this story, Montaigne says in his Essay on Cruelty: "Such as have sensuality to encounter, willingly make use of this argument, that when it is at the height it subjects us to that degree that a man's reason can have no access... wherein they conceive that the pleasure doth so transport us that our reason cannot perform its office whilst we are so benumbed and extacied in delight.... But I know that a man may triumph over the utmost effort of this pleasure: I have experienced it in myself, and have not found Venus so imperious a G.o.ddess as many--and some more reformed than I--declare. I do not consider it as a miracle, as the Queen of Navarre does in one of the Tales of her _Heptameron_ (which is a marvellous pretty book of the kind), nor for a thing of extreme difficulty to pa.s.s over whole nights, where a man has all the convenience and liberty he can desire, with a long-coveted mistress, and yet be just to his faith first given to satisfy himself with kisses and innocent embraces only, without pressing any further."--Cotton's "Montaigne's Essays", London, 1743, vol ii. pp. 109-10.

"I pray you, ladies, find me if you can a woman who has ever shown herself as constant, patient and true as was this man. They who have experienced the like temptations deem those in the pictures of Saint Antony very small in comparison; for one who can remain chaste and patient in spite of beauty, love, opportunity and leisure, will have virtue enough to vanquish every devil."

"Tis a pity," said Oisille, "that he did not address his love to a woman possessing as much virtue as he possessed himself. Their amour would then have been the most perfect and honourable that was ever heard of."

"But prithee tell me," said Geburon, "which of the two trials do you deem the harder?"

"I think the last," said Parlamente, "for resentment is the strongest of all temptations."

Longarine said she thought that the first was the most arduous to sustain, since to keep his promise it was needful he should subdue both love and himself.

"It is all very well for you to talk," said Simontault, "it is for us who know the truth of the matter to say what we think of it. For my own part, I think he was stupid the first time and witless the second; for I make no doubt that, while he was keeping his promise, to his mistress, she was put to as much trouble as himself, if not more. She had him take the oath only in order to make herself out a more virtuous woman than she really was; she must have well known that strong love will not be bound by commandment or oath, or aught else on earth, and she simply sought to give a show of virtue to her vice, as though she could be won only through heroic virtues. And the second time he was witless to leave a woman who loved him, and who was worth more than his pledged mistress, especially when his displeasure at the trick played upon him had been a sound excuse."

Here Dagoucin put in that he was of the contrary opinion, and held that the gentleman had on the first occasion shown himself constant, patient and true, and on the second occasion loyal and perfect in his love.

"And how can we tell," asked Saffredent, "that he was not one of those that a certain chapter calls _de frigidis et malificiatis?_" (4)

4 This is an allusion to the penalties p.r.o.nounced by several ecclesiastical Councils, and specified in the Capitularies, against those who endeavoured to suspend the procreative faculties of their enemies by resorting to magic. On this matter Baluze's collection of Capitularies (vol. i.) may be consulted. The "chapter" referred to by Margaret is evidently chapter xv. (book vi.) of the Decretals of Pope Boniface VIII., which bears the t.i.tle of _De frigidis et maleficiatis_, and which is alluded to by Rabelais in _Pantagruel_. The belief in the practices in question dates back to ancient times, and was shared by Plato and Pliny, the latter of whom says that to guard against any spell of the kind some wolf fat should be rubbed upon the threshold and door jambs of one's bed-chamber. In the sixteenth century sorcery of this description was so generally believed in, in some parts of France, that Cardinal du Perron inserted special prayers against it in the ritual. Some particulars on the subject will be found in the _Admirables Secrets du Pet.i.t Albert_, and also in a _Traite d'Enchantement_, published at La Roch.e.l.le in 1591, which gives details concerning certain practices alleged to take place on the solemnisation of marriage among those of the Reformed Church.--D. and L.

"To complete his eulogy, Hircan ought to have told us how he comported himself when he obtained what he wanted, and then we should have been able to judge whether it was virtue or impotence that made him observe so much discretion."

"You may be sure," said Hircan, "that had he told me this I should have concealed it as little as I did the rest. Nevertheless, from seeing his person and knowing his temper, I shall ever hold that his conduct was due to the power of love rather than to any impotence or coldness."

"Well, if he was such as you say," said Simontault, "he ought to have broken his oath; for, had the lady been angered by such a trifle, it would have been easy to appease her."

"Nay," said Ennasuite, "perhaps she would not then have consented."

"And pray," said Saffredent, "would it not have been easy enough to compel her, since she had herself given him the opportunity?"

"By Our Lady!" said Nomerfide, "how you run on! Is that the way to win the favour of a lady who is accounted virtuous and discreet?"

"In my opinion," said Saffredent, "the highest honour that can be paid to a woman from whom such things are desired is to take her by force, for there is not the pettiest damsel among them but seeks to be long entreated. Some indeed there are who must receive many gifts before they are won, whilst there are others so stupid that hardly any device or craft can enable one to win them, and with these one must needs be ever thinking of some means or other. But when you have to do with a woman who is too clever to be deceived, and too virtuous to be gained by words or gifts, is there not good reason to employ any means whatever that may be at your disposal to vanquish her? When you hear it said that a man has taken a woman by force, you may be sure that the woman has left him hopeless of any other means succeeding, and you should not think any the worse of a man who has risked his life in order to give scope to his love."

Geburon burst out laughing.

"In my day," said he, "I have seen besieged places stormed because it was impossible to bring the garrison to a parley either by money or by threats; 'tis said that a place which begins to treat is half taken."

"You may think," said Ennasuite, "that every love on earth is based upon such follies as these, but there are those who have loved, and who have long persevered in their love, with very different aims."

"If you know a story of that kind," said Hircan, "I will give place to you for the telling of it."

"I do know one," said Ennasuite, "and I will very willingly relate it."

[Ill.u.s.tration: 216.jpg Tailpiece]

APPENDIX.

A. (Tale VIII., Page i.)

Tales of a similar character to this will be found in the following works written prior to Margaret's time:--

Legrand d'Aussy's collection of _Fabliaux ou Contes du XIIeme et XIIIeme siecles_ (vol. iii.).

Boccaccio's _Decameron_ (day viii., story iv.).

Enguerrand d'Oisy's _Le Meunier d'Aleu_.

Poggio's _Facetio ( Vir sibi cornua promovens)_.

Sacchetti's _Novelle_ (vol. ii., No. ccvi.).

Morlini's _Novelle_ (No. lxxix.).

_Les Cent Nouvelles Nouvelles_ (story ix.).

Malespini's _Ducento Novelle_ (part ii., No. xcvi.).

Of the foregoing, says M. de Montaiglon, Margaret could only have been acquainted with the _Decameron_, the _Cent Nouvelles_, and Poggio's _Facetio_, which had been translated into French by Tardix (see Nos. cv.

and ex. of that translation).

A similar story in Latin verse is also contained in a fourteenth century MS. at Monte Ca.s.sino. See _I codici e le arti a Monte Ca.s.sino_, by D.

Andrea Caravita (vol. ii. p. 289).

Since Margaret's time stories of the same character have appeared in the following works:--

Melander's _Jocondia_ (p. 298).

Phil. Beroalde's _Contes Latins_ (see _Poggii Imitationes_, Noel's ed., vol. ii. p. 245).

Guicciardini's _h.o.r.e di Recreazione_ (p. 103).

J. Bouchet's _Serees_ (No. 8; Roybet's ed., vol. ii. p. 115).

Gabrielle Chapuys' _Facetieuses Journees_ (p. 213).

La Fontaine's _Contes_ (book v., No. viii.:_ Les Quiproquo_). _Le Pa.s.se-Temps Agreable_ (p. 27).

Moreover, a song written on the same subject will be found, says M.

de Lincy, on folio 44 of the _Premier Recueil de toutes les chansons nouvelles_ (Troyes, Nicholas du Ruau, 1590). It is there called "The facetious and recreative story of a certain labourer of a village near Paris, who, thinking that he was enjoying his servant, lay with his wife." This song was reprinted in various other collections of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries.