THE HEPTAMERON OF THE TALES OF Margaret, <&ueen of Bavarre IN FIVE VOLUMES VOLUME THE FIRST The translation is from the authentic text of M. LE Roux DE LINCY, and -was first issued by the Society of English Bibliophilists in 1894. The Essay by Professor GEORGE SAINTSBURY, M.A., is also given, and the whole of the important Notes and Appendices. The Illustrations to the present translation are reproductions from the copperplates engraved for the Berne edition by LONGEUIL, HALBOU, and other eminent French artists of the eighteenth century. THE HEPTAMERON OF THE TALES OF ^Margaret, ^ueen of J^avarre IN FIVE VOLUMES VOL. I LONDON: GIBBINGS & CO., LIMITED CONTENTS OF VOLUME I. PAGE PREFACE xi MEMOIR OF MARGARET OF ANGOULEME .... xvii ESSAY ON THE HEPTAMERON xci DEDICATIONS AND PREFACE TO THE ORIGINAL EDITIONS OF THE HEPTAMERON 3 THE PROLOGUE 13 FIRST DAY. TALE I. The pitiful history of a Proctor of Aler^on, named St. Aignan, and of his wife, who caused her husband to assassinate her lover, the son of the Lieutenant-General . ..... 39 ,, II. The fate of the wife of a muleteer of Amboise, who suffered herself to be killed by her servant rather than sacrifice her chastity ... 57 ,, III. The revenge taken by the Queen of Naples, wife to King Alfonso, for her husband's infidelity with a gentleman's wife 65 ,, IV. The ill success of a Flemish gentleman who was unable to obtain, either by persuasion or force, the love of a great Princess .... 79 ,, V. How a boatwoman of Coulon, near Nyort, con- trived to escape from the vicious designs of two Grey Friars ', . . . .95 .viii CONTENTS OF VOLUME I. PACK TALE VI. How the wife of an old valet of the Duke of Alen9on's succeeded in saving her lover from her husband, who was blind of one eye . . 103 VII. The craft of a Parisian merchant, who saved the reputation of the daughter by offering violence to the mother 109 APPENDIX TO THE FIRST DAY in; PAGE ENGRAVINGS CONTAINED IN VOLUME I. To face page QUEEN MARGARET OF NAVARRE. xvii PROLOGUE : THE STORY-TELLERS IN THE MEADOW NEAR THE GAVE. By S. Freudenberg 13 FIRST DAY. TALE I. Du MESNIL LEARNS HIS MISTRESS'S INFIDELITY FROM HER MAID. By S. Freudenberg . 39 ,, II. THE MULETEER'S SERVANT ATTACKING HIS MISTRESS. By S. Freudenberg ... 57 ,, III. THE KING JOKING UPON THE STAG'S HEAD BEING A FITTING DECORATION. By S. Freu- denberg 65 ,, IV. THE PRINCESS'S LADY OF HONOUR HURRYING TO HER MISTRESS'S ASSISTANCE. By S. Freudenberg 79 V. THE BOATWOMAN OF COULON OUTWITTING THE FRIARS. By S. Freudenberg ... 95 ,, VI. THE WIFE'S RUSE TO SECURE THE ESCAPE OF HER LOVER. By S. Freudenberg . . .103 ,, VII. THE MERCHANT TRANSFERRING HIS CARESSES FROM THE DAUGHTER TO THE MOTHER. By S. Freudenberg , . ... 109 PREFACE. HP HE first printed version of the famous Tales of Margaret of Navarre, issued in Paris in the year 1558, under the title of "Histoires des Amans Fortunez," was extremely faulty and imperfect. It comprised but sixty-seven of the seventy-two tales written by the royal author, and the editor, Pierre Boaistuau, not merely changed the order of those narratives which he did print, but suppressed numerous passages in them, besides modifying much of Margaret's phraseology. A somewhat similar course was adopted by Claude Gruget, who, a year later, produced what claimed to be a complete version of the stories, to which he gave the general title of the Heptameron } a name they have ever since retained. Although he reinstated the majority of the tales in their proper sequence, he still suppressed several of them, and inserted others in their place, and also modified the Queen's language after the fashion set by Boaistuau. Despite its imperfections, however, Gruget's xii PREFACE. version was frequently reprinted down to the beginning of the eighteenth century, when it served as the basis of the numerous editions of the Heptameron in beau langage, as the French phrased it, which then began to make their appearance. It served, moreover, in the one or the other form, for the English and other trans- lations of the work, and down to our own times was accepted as the standard version of the Queen of Navarre's celebrated tales. Although it was known that various contemporary MSS. were preserved at the French National Library in Paris, no attempt was made to compare Gruget's faulty version with the originals until the Societe" des Bibliophiles Frangais entrusted this delicate task to M. Le Roux de Lincy, whose labours led to some most valuable dis- coveries, enabling him to produce a really authentic version of Margaret's admired master- piece, with the suppressed tales restored, the omitted passages reinstated, and the Queen's real language given for the first time in all its simple gracefulness. It "is from the authentic text furnished by M. Le Roux de Lincy that the present translation has been made, without the slightest suppression or abridgment. The work moreover contains all the more valuable notes to be found in the best PREFACE. xiii French editions of the Heptameron, as well as numerous others from original sources, and in- cludes a resume" of the various suggestions made by MM. Felix Frank, Le Roux de Lincy, Paul Lacroix, and A. de Montaiglon, towards the identification of the narrators of the stories, and the principal actors in them, with well-known personages of the time. An Essay on the Hep- tameron from the pen of Mr. George Saintsbury, M.A., and a Life of Queen Margaret, are also given, as well as the quaint Prefaces of the earlier French versions; and a complete biblio- graphical summary of the various editions which have issued from the press. It may be supposed that numerous illustrated editions have been published of a work so cele- brated as the Heptameron, which, besides fur- nishing scholars with a favourite subject for research and speculation, has, owing to its per- ennial freshness, delighted so many generations of readers. Such, however, is not the case. Only two fully illustrated editions claim the attention of connoisseurs. The first of these was published at Amsterdam in 1698, with designs by the Dutch artist, Roman de Hooge, whose talent has been much overrated. To-day this edition is only valuable on account of its com- parative rarity. Very different was the famous xi v PREFACE. edition illustrated by Freudenberg, a Swiss artist the friend of Boucher and of Greuze which was published in parts at Berne in 1778-81, and which among amateurs has long commanded an almost prohibitive price. ERNEST A. VIZETELLY. LONDON, 1893. Explanation of the Initials appended to the Notes. B. J. . . Bibliophile Jacob, i.e. Paul Lacroix. D. . . F. Dillaye. F. . . Fe"lix Frank. L. . . Le Roux de Lincy. M. . . Anatole de Montaiglon. Ed. . . E. A. Vizetelly. QUEEN MARGARET OF NAVARRE To face pagt xvii ^MARGARET OF ANGOULEME, QUEEN OF U^AVARRE, I. Louise of Savoy ; her marriage with the Count of Angouleme Birth of her children Margaret and Francis Their father's early death Louise and her children at Amboise Margaret's studies and her brother s pastimes Marriage of Margaret with the Duke of Alenfon Her estrangement from her husband Acces- sion of Francis I. The Duke of Alenfon at Marignano Margaret's Court at Alencon Her personal appearance Her interest in the Reformation and her connection with Clement Marot Lawsuit between Louise of Savoy and the Constable de Bourbon. IN dealing with the life and work of Margaret of Angouleme, 1 it is necessary at the outset to refer to the mother whose influence and companion- ship served so greatly to mould her daughter's career. Louise of Savoy, daughter of Count Philip of Bresse, subsequently Duke of Savoy, was born at Le Pont d'Ain in 1477, and upon 1 This Life of Margaret is based upon the memoir by M. Le Roux de Lincy prefixed to the edition of the Heptameron issued by the Socie'te' des Bibliophiles Fran9ais, but various errors have been rectified, and advantage has been taken of the researches of later biographers. I. B xviii ^MARGARET OF JNGOULEME, the death of her mother, Margaret de Bourbon, she married Charles d'Orleans, Count of Angou- leme, to whom she brought the slender dowry of thirty-five thousand livres. 1 She was then but twelve years old, her husband being some twenty years her senior. He had been banished from the French Court for his participation in the in- surrection of Brittany, and was living in straitened circumstances. Still, on either side the alliance was an honourable one. Louise belonged to a sovereign house, while the Count of Angouleme was a prince of the blood royal of France by virtue of his descent from King Charles V., his grandfather having been that monarch's second son, the notorious Duke Louis of Orleans, 2 who was murdered in Paris in 1417 at the instigation of John the Bold of Burgundy. Louise, who, although barely nubile, impatiently longed to become a mother, gave birth to her first child after four years of wedded life. " My daughter Margaret," she writes in the journal recording the principal events of her career, " was born in the year 1492, the eleventh day of April, at two o'clock in the morning ; that is to say, the 1 The value of the Paris livre at this date was twenty sols, so that the amount would be equivalent to about ^1400. 2 This was the prince described by Brantome as a "great debaucher of the ladies of the Court, and invariably of the greatest among them." Vies des Dames galantes (Disc. i.). $UEEN OF W^APARRE. xix tenth day, fourteen hours and ten minutes, count- ing after the manner of the astronomers." This auspicious event took place at the Chateau of Angouleme, then a formidable and stately pile, of which nowadays there only remains a couple of towers, built in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries. Soon afterwards Cognac became the Count of Angouleme's favourite place of residence, and it was there that Louise gave birth, on Sep- tember 1 2th, 1494, to her second child, a son, who was christened Francis. Louise's desires were now satisfied, but her happiness did not long remain complete. On January 1st, 1496, when she was but eighteen years old, she lost her amiable and accomplished husband, and forthwith retiring to her Chateau of Romorantin, she resolved to devote herself entirely to the education of her children. The Duke of Orleans, who, on the death of Charles VIII. in 1498, succeeded to the throne as Louis XII., was appointed their guardian, and in 1499 he invited them and their mother to the royal Chateau of Amboise, where they remained for several years. The education of Francis, who had become heir-presumptive to the throne, was conducted at Amboise by the Marshal de Gie, one of the King's favourites, whilst Margaret was intrusted to the care of a venerable lady, whom her pane- XX MARGARET OF tANGOULEME, gyrist does not mention by name, but in whom he states all virtues were assembled. 1 This lady took care to regulate not only the acts but also the language of the young princess, who was provided with a tutor in the person of Robert Hurault, Baron of Auzay, great archdeacon and abbot of St. Martin of Autun. 2 This divine in- structed her in Latin and French literature, and also taught her Spanish and Italian, in which languages Brantdme asserts that she became pro- ficient. " But albeit she knew how to speak good Spanish and good Italian," he says, " she always made use of her mother tongue for matters of moment ; though when it was necessary to join in jesting and gallant conversation she showed that she was acquainted with more than her daily bread." 3 Such was Margaret's craving for 1 Sainte-Marthe's Oraison funebre dela Roynedc Navarre, p. 22. Margaret's modern biographers state that this lady was Madame de Chastillon, but it is doubtful which Madame deChastillon it was. The Rev. James Anderson assumes it was Louise de Montmorency, the mother of the Colignys, whilst Miss Freer asserts it was Anne de Chabannes de Dammartin, wife of James de Chastillon, killed in Italy in 1572. M. Franck has shown, in his edition of the Heptameron, that Anne de Chabannes died about 1505, and that James de Chastillon then married Blanche de Tournon. Possibly his first wife may have been Margaret's governess, but what is quite certain is that the second wife became her lady of honour, and that it is she who is alluded to in the Heptameron. 2 Odolant Desnos's Mdmoires historiqucs sur Alenfon, vol. ii. P- 539- J Brant6me's Rodomontades espagnoks, i8mo, 1740, vol. xii. p. 117. QUEEN OF {\ArjRRE. xxi knowledge that she even wished to obtain instruc- tion in Hebrew, and Paul Paradis, surnamed Le Canosse, a professor at the Royal College, gave her some lessons in it. Moreover, a rather obscure passage in the funeral oration which Sainte-Marthe devoted to her after her death, seemingly implies that she acquired from some of the most eminent men then flourishing the pre- cepts of the philosophy of the ancients. The journal kept by Louise of Savoy does not impart much information as to the style of life which she and her children led in their new abode, the palatial Chateau of Amboise, originally built by the Counts of Anjou, and fortified by Charles VII. with the most formidable towers in France. 1 Numerous authorities state, however, that Margaret spent most of her time in study with her preceptors and in the devotional exer- cises which then had so large a place in the train- ing of princesses. Still she was by no means indifferent to the pastimes in which her brother and his companions engaged. Gaston de Foix, the nephew of the King, William Gouffier, who 1 The Chateau of Amboise, now the private property of the Count de Paris, is said to occupy the site of a Rom an fortress destroyed by the Normans and rebuilt by Foulques the Red of Anjou. When Francis I. ascended the French throne he presented the barony of Amboise with its hundred and forty-six fiefs to his mother, Louise of Savoy. xxii {MARGARET OF cANGOULEME, became Admiral de Bonnivet, Philip Brion, Sieur de Chabot, Fleurange, "the young adventurer," Charles de Bourbon, Count of Montpensier, and Anne de Montmorency two future Constables of France surrounded the heir to the throne, with whom they practised tennis, archery, and jousting, or played at soldiers pending the time when they were to wage war in earnest. 1 Margaret was a frequent spectator of these pastimes, and took a keen interest in her brother's efforts whenever he was assailing or defending some miniature fortress or tilting at the ring. It would appear also that she was wont to play at chess with him ; for we have it on high authority that it is she and her brother who are represented, thus engaged, in a curious miniature preserved at the Bibliotheque Nationale in Paris. 2 In this design executed by an unknown artist only the back of Francis is to be seen, but a full view of Margaret is supplied ; the personage standing behind her being Artus Gouffier, her own and her brother's governor. Whatever time Margaret may have devoted to 1 Fleurange's Histoire des Chases mtmorables advenues du Reigne de Louis XII. et Franfois I. 2 Paulin Paris's Manuscrits franfois de la Bibliotheque du Roi, Sc., Paris, 1836, vol. i. pp. 279-281. The miniature in question is contained in MS. No. 6808 : Commentaire sur le Livre des uekta amoureux et Archiloge Sophie. QJJEEN OF NAVARRE. diversion, she was certainly a very studious child, for at fifteen years of age she already had the reputation of being highly accomplished. Shortly after her sixteenth birthday a great change took place in her life. On August 3rd, 1508, Louise of Savoy records in her journal that Francis " this day quitted Amboise to become a courtier, and left me all alone." Margaret accompanied her brother upon his entry into the world, the young couple repairing to Blois, where Louis XII. had fixed his residence. There had previously been some unsuccessful negotiations in view of marry- ing Margaret to Prince Henry of England (Henry VIII.), and at this period another husband was suggested in the person of Charles of Austria, Count of Flanders, and subsequently Emperor Charles V. Louis XII., however, had other views as regards the daughter of the Count of Angou- leme, for he knew that if he himself died without male issue the throne would pass to Margaret's brother. Hence he decided to marry her to a prince of the royal house, Charles, Duke of Alen^on. This prince, born at Alengon on September 2nd, 1489, had been brought up at the Cha- teau of Mauves, in Le Perche, by his mother, the pious and charitable Margaret of Lorraine, who on losing her husband had resolved, like xxiv MARGARET OF ^NGOULEME, Louise of Savoy, to devote herself to the edu- cation of her children. 1 It had originally been intended that her son Charles should marry Susan, daughter of the Duke and Duchess of Bourbon the celebrated Peter and Anne de Beaujeu but this match fell through owing to the death of Peter and the opposition of Anne, who preferred the young Count of Montpensier (afterwards Constable de Bour- bon) as a son-in-law. A yet higher alliance then presented itself for Charles : it was pro- posed that he should marry Anne of Brittany, the widow of King Charles VIII., but she was many years his senior, and, moreover, to prevent the separation of Brittany from France, it had been stipulated that she should marry either her first husband's successor (Louis XII.) or the heir-presumptive to the, throne. Either course seemed impracticable, as the heir, Francis of Angouleme, was but a child, while the new King was already married to Jane, a daughter of Louis XI. Brittany seemed lost to France, when Louis XII., by promising the duchy of Valentinois to Caesar Borgia, prevailed upon Pope Alexander VI. to divorce him from his wife. He then married Anne of Brittany, 1 Hilarion de Coste's Vies et loges des Dames illusfres, vol. ii. p. 260. QUEEN OF ${ArARRE. xxv while Charles of Alen^on proceeded to perfect his knightly education, pending other matri- monial arrangements. In 1 507, when in his eighteenth year, he accom- panied the army which the King led against the Genoese, and conducted himself bravely ; display- ing such courage, indeed, at the battle of Agnadel, gained over the Venetians who were assailed after the submission of Genoa that Louis XII. bestowed upon him the Order of St. Michael. It was during this Italian expedition that his mother negotiated his marriage with Margaret of Angou- leme. The alliance was openly countenanced by Louis XII., and the young Duke of Valois as Francis of Angouleme was now called readily acceded to it. Margaret brought with her a dowry of sixty thousand livres, payable in four instal- ments, and Charles, who was on the point of attaining his twenty-first year, was declared a major and placed in possession of his estates. 1 The marriage was solemnised at Blois in October 1509. Margaret did not find in her husband a mind comparable to her own. Differences of taste and temper brought about a certain amount of cool- ness, which did not, however, hinder the Duchess 1 Odolant Desnos's Mtmoires hisloriques sur Alenfon, vol. ii. p. 231. xxvi MARGARET OF ANGOULEME, from fulfilling the duties of a faithful, submissive wife. In fact, although but little sympathy would appear to have existed between the Duke and Duchess of Alengon, their domestic differences have at least been singularly exaggerated. During the first five years of her married life Margaret lived in somewhat retired style in her duchy of Alen^on, while her husband took part in various expeditions, and was invested with im- portant functions. In 1513 he fought in Picardy against the English and Imperialists, commanded by Henry VIII., being present at the famous "Battle of Spurs;" and early in 1514 he was appointed Lieutenant-General and Governor of Brittany. Margaret at this period was not only often separated from her husband, but she also saw little of her mother, who had retired to her duchy of Angouleme. Louise of Savoy, as mother of the heir-presumptive, was the object of the homage of all adroit and politic courtiers, but she had to behave with circumspection on account of the jealousy of the Queen, Anne of Brittany, whose daughters, Claude and Renee, were de- barred by the Salic Law from inheriting the crown. Louis XII. wished to marry Claude to Francis of Angouleme, but Anne refusing her consent, it was only after her death, in 1514, that the marriage was solemnised. QUEEN OF O^ArARRE. xxvii It now seemed certain that Francis would in due course ascend the throne; but Louis XII. abruptly contracted a third alliance, marrying Mary of England, the sister of Henry VIII. Louise of Savoy soon deemed it prudent to keep a watch on the conduct of this gay young Queen, and took up her residence at the Court in November 1514. Shortly afterwards Louis XII. died of ex- haustion, as many had foreseen, and the hopes of the Duchess of Angouleme were realised. She knew the full extent of her empire over her son, now Francis I., and felt both able and ready to exercise a like authority over the affairs of his kingdom. The accession of Francis gave a more im- portant position to Margaret and her husband. The latter was already one of the leading person- ages of the state, and new favours increased his power. He did not address the King as " Your Majesty," says Odolant Desnos, but styled him " Monseigneur " or " My Lord," and all the acts which he issued respecting his duchy of Alengon began with the preamble, " Charles, by the grace of God." Francis had scarcely become King than he turned his eyes upon Italy, and appointing his mother as Regent, he set out with a large army, a portion of which was commanded by the Duke of Alengon. At the battle of Marig- xxviii (MARGARET OF ^NGOULEME, nano the troops of the latter formed the rear- guard, and, on perceiving that the Swiss were preparing to surround the bulk of the French army, Charles marched against them, overthrew them, and by his skilful manoeuvres decided the issue of the second day's fight. 1 The con- quest of the duchy of Milan was the result of this victory, and peace supervening, the Duke of Alengon returned to France. It was at this period that Margaret began to keep a Court, which, according to Odolant Desnos, rivalled that of her brother. We know that in 1517 she and her husband entertained the King with a series of magnificent fetes at their Chateau of Alengon, which then combined both a palace and a fortress. But little of the chateau now remains, as, after the damage done to it during the religious wars between 1561 and 1572, it was partially demolished by Henry IV. when he and Biron captured it in 1 590. Still the lofty keep built by Henry I. of England subsisted intact till in 1715 it was damaged by fire, and finally in 1787 razed to the ground. The old pile was yet in all its splendour in 1517, when Francis I. was entertained there with jousts and tournaments. At these gay gatherings 1 Odolant Desnos's Mtmoires historiques sur Alenfon, vol. ii. p. 238. QUEEN OF O^APARRE. xxix Margaret appeared apparelled in keeping with her brother's love of display ; for, like all princesses, she clothed herself on important occasions in sumptuous garments. But in every-day life she was very simple, despising the vulgar plan of impressing the crowd by magnificence and splen- dour. In a portrait executed about this period, her dark-coloured dress is surmounted by a wimple with a double collar and her head covered with a cap in the Bearnese style. This portrait * tends, like those of a later date, to the belief that Margaret's beauty, so celebrated by the poets of her time, consisted mainly in the nobility of her bearing and the sweetness and liveliness spread over her features. Her eyes, nose, and mouth were very large, but although she had been vio- lently attacked with small-pox while still young, she had been spared the traces which this cruel illness so often left in those days, and she even preserved the freshness of her complexion until late in life. 2 Like her brother, whom she greatly resembled, she was very tall. Her gait was solemn, but the dignified air of her person was 1 It is preserved at the Bibliotheque Nationale in Paris, where it will be found in the Recueil de Portraits au crayon par Clouet, Dumonstier, &., fol. xi. 2 Referring to this subject, she says in one of her letters : " You can tell it to the Count and Countess of Vertus, whom you will go and visit on my behalf ; and say to the Countess that I am sorely xxx {MARGARET OF JNGOULEME, tempered by extreme affability and a lively humour, which never left her, 1 Francis I. did not allow the magnificent recep- tion accorded to him at Alengon to pass unre- warded. He presented his sister with the duchy of Berry, where she henceforward exercised temporal control, though she does not appear to have ever resided there for any length of time. In 1521, when her husband started to the relief of Chevalier Bayard, attacked in Mezieres by the Imperial troops, she repaired to Meaux with her mother so as to be near to the Duke. Whilst sojourning there she improved her acquaintance with the Bishop, William Brigonnet, who had gathered around him Gerard Roussel, Michael d'Arande, Lefevre d'fitaples, and other celebrated disciples of the Reformation. The effect of vexed that she has this loathsome illness. However, I had it as severely as ever was known. And if it be that she has caught it as I have been told, I should like to be near her to preserve her com- plexion, and do for her what I did for myself." Ge'nin's Lettres de Marguerite dAngoutime, Paris, 1841, p. 374. 1 Sainte-Marthe says on this subject: "For in her face, in her gestures, in her walk, in her words, in all that she did and said, a royal gravity made itself so manifest and apparent, that one saw I know not what of majesty which compelled every one to revere and dread her. In seeing her kindly receive every one, refuse no one, and patiently listen to all, you would have promised yourself easy and facile access to her ; but if she cast eyes upon you, there was in her face I know not what of gravity, which made you so astounded that you no longer had power, I do not say to walk a step, but even to stir a foot to approach her." Oraison funibre, &c., p. 53. QUEEN OF S^AfARRE. xxxl Luther's preaching had scarcely reached France before Margaret had begun to manifest great interest in the movement, and had engaged in a long correspondence with Brigonnet, which is still extant. Historians are at variance as to whether Margaret ever really contemplated a change of religion, or whether the protection she extended to the Reformers was simply dictated by a natural feeling of compassion and a horror of persecution. It has been contended that she really meditated a change of faith, and even attempted to convert her mother and brother; and this view is borne out by some passages in the letters which she wrote to Bishop Bri^onnet after spending the winter of 1521 at Meaux. Whilst she was sojourning there, her husband, having contributed to the relief of Mezieres, joined the King, who was then encamped at Fervacques on the Somme, and preparing to invade Hainault. It was at this juncture that Clement Marot, the poet, who, after being attached to the person of Anne of Brittany, had become a hanger-on at the Court of Francis I., applied to Margaret to take him into her service ; 1 and shortly after- wards we find him furnishing her with informa- 1 Epistle ii. : Le Despourueu a Madame la Duchesse tfAlenfon, in the CEuvres de Ctement Marot, 1700, vol. i. p. 99. xxxii {MARGARET OF UEEN OF O^AFARRE. xliii ceiving that the men avoided speaking with her on serious business, she addressed herself to their mothers, wives, or daughters. In a letter to Marshal de Montmorency, then with the King, she thus refers to the Duke del Infantado, who had received her at his castle of Guadalaxara. "You will tell the King that the Duke has been warned from the Court that if he wishes to please the Emperor neither he nor his son is to speak to me ; but the ladies are not forbidden me, and to them I will speak twofold." l Throughout the negotiations for her brother's release Margaret always maintained the dignity and reserve fitting to her sex and situation. Writing to Francis on this subject she says : "The Viceroy (Lannoy) has sent me word that he is of opinion I should go and see the Emperor, but I have told him through M. de Senlis that I have not yet stirred from my lodging without being asked, and that when- ever it pleases the Emperor to see me I shall be found there."- Margaret was repeatedly admitted to the Im- perial council to discuss the conditions of her brother's ransom. She showed as 'much ability as loftiness of mind on these occasions, and 1 Lett res de Marguerite, &c., p. 197. 2 Captivite de Francois I er , p. 358. xliv MARGARET OF eANGOULEME, several times won Charles V. himself and the sternest of his Ministers to her opinion. 1 She highly favoured the proposed marriage between Francis and his rival's sister, Eleanor of Austria, detecting in this alliance the most certain means of a speedy release. Eleanor, born at Louvain in 1498, had in 1519 married Emanuel, King of Portugal, who died two years afterwards. Since then she had been promised to the Constable de Bourbon, but the Emperor did not hesitate to sacrifice the latter to his own interests. He himself, being fascinated by Margaret's grace and wit, thought of marrying her, and had a letter sent to Louise of Savoy, plainly setting forth the proposal. In this missive, referring to the Constable de Bourbon, Charles remarked that " there were good matches in France in plenty 1 Brantome states that the Emperor was greatly impressed and astonished by her plain speaking. She reproached him for treating Francis so harshly, declaring that this course would not enable him to attain his ends. " For although he (the King) might die from the effects of this rigorous treatment, his deaih would not remain unpunished, as he had children who would some day become men and wreak signal vengeance." "These words," adds Brant&me, "spoken so bravely and in such hot anger, gave the Emperor occasion for thought, insomuch that he moderated himself and visited the King and made him many fine promises, which he did not keep, however." With the Ministers Margaret was even more outspoken ; but we are told that she turned her oratorical powers " to such good purpose that she rendered herself agreeable rather than odious or unpleasant ; the more readily as she was also good- looking, a widow, and in the flower of her age." CEuvres de Brantotne, 8vo, vol. v. (Les Dames illustres). QUEEN OF O^A VARRE. xlv for him ; for instance, Madame Renee, 1 with whom he might very well content himself." 2 These words have led to the belief that there had been some question of a marriage between Margaret and the Constable ; however, there is no mention of any such alliance in the diplomatic documents exchanged between France and Spain on the subject of the King's release. These documents comprise an undertaking to restore the Constable his estates, and even to arrange a match for him in France, 3 but Margaret is never mentioned. She herself, in the numerous letters handed down to us, does not once refer to the famous exile, and the intrigue described by certain historians and romancers evidently rests upon no solid foundation. 4 After three months of negotiations, continually broken off and renewed, Margaret and her brother, feeling convinced of Charles V.'s evil intentions, resolved to take steps to ensure the independence of France. By the King's orders Robertet, his secretary, drew up letters-patent, dated November 1 Rene'e, the younger daughter of Louis XII. and Anne of Brittany, subsequently celebrated as Rene'e of Ferrara. 2 This letter is preserved at the Bibliotheque Nationale, Be'thune MSS., No. 8496, fol. xiii. 3 Captiviti de Francois I er , &c. , pp. 167-207. 4 Varillas is the principal historian who has mentioned this sup- posed intrigue, which also furnished the subject of a romance entitled Histoire de Marguerite, Reine de Navarre, frc., 1696. xlvi MARGARET OF eANGOULEME, 1525, by which it was decreed that the young Dauphin should be crowned at once, and that the regency should continue in the hands of Louise of Savoy, but that in the event of her death the same power should be exercised by Francis's " very dear and well-beloved only sister, Margaret of France, Duchess of Alen^on and Berry." 1 However, all these provisions were to be deemed null and void in the event of Francis obtaining his release. It has been erroneously alleged that Margaret on leaving Spain took this deed of abdication with her, and that the Emperor, informed of the cir- cumstance, gave orders for her to be arrested as soon as her safe-conduct should expire. 2 How- ever, it was the Marshal de Montmorency who carried the deed to France, and Charles V. in ordering the arrest of Margaret had no other aim than that of securing an additional hostage in case his treaty with Francis should not be fulfilled. Margaret, pressed by her brother, at last asked for authorisation to leave Spain. By the manner in which the permission was granted she perceived that the Emperor wished to delay rather than hasten her journey. During November she wrote Francis a letter in which this conviction was plainly 1 Captivity AY: TALE I. 43 after midnight, when he saw the Bishop come forth disguised, yet not so completely but that he could recognise him more readily than he desired. Du Mesnil in his despair returned to Alen$on, whither, likewise, his wicked mistress soon came, and went to speak to him, thinking to deceive him according to her wont. But he told her that, having touched sacred things, she was too holy to speak to a sinner like himself, albeit his re- pentance was so great that he hoped his sin would very soon be forgiven him. When she learnt that her deceit was found out, and that excuses, oaths, and promises never to act in a like way again were of no avail, she complained of it to her Bishop. Then, having weighed the matter with him, she went to her husband and told him that she could no longer dwell in the town of Alen^on, for the Lieutenant's son, whom he had so greatly esteemed among his friends, pursued her unceasingly to rob her of her honour. She therefore begged of him to abide at Argentan, in order that all suspicion might be removed. The husband, who suffered himself to be ruled by his wife, consented ; but they had not been long at 6 Argentan, on the Orne, twenty-six miles from Alen9on, had been a distinct viscounty, but at this period it belonged to the duchy of Alenfon. ED. 44 THE HEPTAMERON. Argentan when this bad woman sent a message to Du Mesnil, saying that he was the wickedest man in the world, for she knew full well that he had spoken evilly of her and of the Bishop of Sees ; however, she would strive her best to make him repent of it. The young man, who had never spoken of the matter except to herself, and who feared to fall into the bad graces of the Bishop, repaired to Argentan with two of his servants, and finding his mistress at vespers in the church of the Jacobins, 7 he went and knelt beside her, and said " I am come hither, madam, to swear to you before God that I have never spoken of your honour to any person but yourself. You treated me so ill that I did not make you half the re- proaches you deserved ; but if there be man or woman ready to say that I have ever spoken of the matter to them, I am here to give them the lie in your presence." Seeing that there were many people in the church, and that he was accompanied by two stout serving-men, she forced herself to speak as graci- ously as she could. She told him that she had 1 The name of Jacobins was given to the monks of the Domi- nican Order, some of whom had a monastery in the suburbs of Argentan. ED. T>AY: TALE I. 4$ no doubt he spoke the truth, and that she deemed him too honourable a man to make evil report of any one in the world ; least of all of herself, who bore him so much friendship ; but since her husband had heard the matter spoken of, she begged him to say in his presence that he had not so spoken and did not so believe. To this he willingly agreed, and, wishing to attend her to her house, he offered to take her arm ; but she told him it was not desirable that he should come with her, for her husband would think that she had put these words into his mouth. Then, taking one of his serving-men by the sleeve, she said " Leave me this man, and as soon as it is time I will send him to seek you. Meanwhile do you go and rest in your lodging." He, having no suspicion of her conspiracy against him, went thither. She gave supper to the serving-man whom she had kept with her, and who frequently asked her when it would be time to go and seek his master ; but she always replied that his master would come soon enough. When it was night, she sent one of her own serving-men to fetch Du Mesnil ; and he, having no suspicion of the mischief that was being prepared for him, went boldly to St. Aignan's house. As his mistress was still enter- 46 THE HEPTAMERON. taining his servant there, he had but one with himself. Just as he was entering the house, the servant who had been sent to him told him that the lady wished to speak with him before he saw her husband, and that she was waiting for him in a room where she was alone with his own serving- man; he would therefore do well to send his other servant away by the front door. This he did. Then while he was going up a small, dark stairway, the Proctor St. Aignan, who had placed some men in ambush in a closet, heard the noise, and demanded what it was ; whereupon he was told that a man was trying to enter secretly into his house. At the moment, a certain Thomas Guerin, a murderer by trade, who had been hired by the Proctor for the purpose, came forward and gave the poor young man so many sword-thrusts that whatever defence he was able to make could not save him from falling dead in their midst. Meanwhile the servant who was waiting with the lady, said to her " I hear my master speaking on the stairway. I will go to him." But the lady stopped him and said " Do not trouble yourself; he will come soon enough." FIRST 'DAY: TALE I. 47 A little while afterwards the servant, hearing his master say, " I am dying, may God receive my soul ! " wished to go to his assistance, but the lady again withheld him, saying " Do not trouble yourself; my husband is only chastising him for his follies. We will go and see what it is." Then, leaning over the balustrade at the top of the stairway, she asked her husband " Well, is it done ? " "Come and see," he replied. "I have now avenged you on the man who put you to such shame." So saying, he drove a dagger that he was holding ten or twelve times into the belly of a man whom, alive, he would not have dared to assail. When the murder had been accomplished, and the two servants of the dead man had fled to carry the tidings to the unhappy father, St. Aignan bethought himself that the matter could not be kept secret. But he reflected that the testimony of the dead man's servants would not be believed, and that no one in his house had seen the deed done, except the murderers, and an old woman-servant, and a girl fifteen years of age. He secretly tried to seize the old woman, but, finding means to escape out of his hands, 48 THE HEPTAMERON. she sought sanctuary with the Jacobins, 8 and was afterwards the most trustworthy witness of the murder. The young maid remained for a few days in St. Aignan's house, but he found means to have her led astray by one of the murderers, and had her conveyed to a brothel in Paris so that her testimony might not be received. 9 To conceal the murder, he caused the corpse of the hapless dead man to be burnt, and the bones which were not consumed by the fire he caused to be placed in some mortar in a part of his house where he was building. Then he sent in all haste to the Court to sue for pardon, set- ting forth that he had several times forbidden his house to a person whom he suspected of plotting his wife's dishonour, and who, notwithstanding his prohibition, had come by night to see her in a suspicious fashion ; whereupon, finding him in the act of entering her room, his anger had got the better of his reason and he had killed him. 8 It was still customary to take sanctuary in churches, monas- teries, and convents at this date, although but little respect was shown for the refugees, whose hiding-places were often surrounded so that they might be kept without food and forced to surrender. After being considerably restricted by an edict issued in 1515, the right of sanctuary was abolished by Francis I. in 1539. B. J. andD. 9 Prostitutes were debarred from giving evidence in French courts of law at this period. D. FIRST 'DAT: TALE 1. 49 But before he was able to despatch his letter to the Chancellor's, the Duke and Duchess had been apprised by the unhappy father of the matter, and they sent a message to the Chancellor to prevent the granting of the pardon. Finding he could not obtain it, the wretched man fled to England with his wife and several of his relations. But before setting out he told the murderer who at his entreaty had done the deed, that he had seen expresses from the King directing that he should be taken and put to death. Nevertheless, on account of the service that he had rendered him, he desired to save his life, and he gave him ten crowns wherewith to leave the kingdom. The murderer did this, and was afterwards seen no more. The murder was so fully proven by the servants of the dead man, by the woman who had taken refuge with the Jacobins, and by the bones that were found in the mortar, that legal proceedings were begun and completed in the absence of St. Aignan and his wife. They were judged by default and were both condemned to death. Their property was confiscated to the Prince, and fifteen hundred crowns were to be given to the dead man's father to pay the costs of the trial. St. Aignan being in England and perceiving 50 THE HEPTAMERON. that in the eyes of the law he was dead in France, by means of his services to divers great lords and by the favour of his wife's relations, induced the King of England 10 to request the King of France u to grant him a pardon and restore him to his possessions and honours. But the King of France, having been informed of the wicked- ness and enormity of the crime, sent the process to the King of England, praying him to consider whether the offence was one deserving of pardon, and telling him that no one in the kingdom but the Duke of Alengon had the right to grant a pardon in that duchy. However, notwithstand- ing all his excuses, he failed to appease the King of England, who continued to entreat him so very pressingly that, at his request, the Proctor at last received a pardon and so returned to his own home. 12 There, to complete his wickedness, he consorted with a sorcerer named Gallery, hoping that by this man's art he might escape payment of the fifteen hundred crowns to the dead man's father. To this end he went in disguise to Paris with w Henry VIII. Francis I. 15 The letters of remission which were granted to St. Aignan on this occasion will be found in the Appendix to the First Day (B)i It will be noted that Margaret in her story gives various parti- culars which St. Aignan did not fail to conceal in view of obtaining his pardon. L. FIRST 'DAY: rALE I. 51 his wife. She, finding that he used to shut him- self up for a great while in a room with Gallery without acquainting her with the reason thereof, spied upon him one morning, and perceived Gallery showing him five wooden images, three of which had their hands hanging down, whilst two had them lifted up. 13 " We must make waxen images like these," said Gallery, speaking to the Proctor. " Such as have their arms hanging down will be for those whom we shall cause to die, and the others with their arms raised will be for the persons from whom you would fain have love and favour." " This one," said the Proctor, " shall be for the King by whom I would fain be loved, and this one for Monseigneur Brinon, Chancellor of Alengon." 14 u This refers to the superstitious practice called envotement, which, according to M. Le"on de Laborde, was well known in France in 1316, and subsisted until the sixteenth century. In 1330 the famous Robert d'Artois, upon retiring to Brabant, occupied himself with pricking waxen images which represented King Philip VI., his brother-in-law, and the Queen, his sister. (Mtmoires de I'Acadtmie des Inscriptions, vol. xv. p. 426. ) During the League the enemies of Henri III. and the King of Navarre revived this practice. (L. ) It would appear also from a docu- ment in the Harley MSS. (18,452, Bib. Nat., Paris) that Cosmo Ruggieri, the Florentine astrologer, Catherine de' Medici's confi- dential adviser, was accused in 1574 of having made a wax figure in view of casting a spell upon Charles IX. M. 14 John Brinon, Councillor of the King, President of the Parlia- ment of Rouen, Chancellor of Alencon and Berry, Lord of Villaines 52 THE HEPTAMERON. " The images/' said Gallery, " must be set under the altar, to hear mass, with words that I will presently tell you to say." Then, speaking of those images that had their arms lowered, the Proctor said that one should be for Master Gilles du Mesnil, father of the dead man, for he knew that as long as the father lived he would not cease to pursue him. More- over, one of the women with their hands hanging down was to be for the Duchess of Alengon, sister to the King ; for she bore so much love to her old servant, Du Mesnil, and had in so many other matters become acquainted with the Proctor's wickedness, that except she died he could not live. The second woman that had her arms hanging down was his own wife, who was (near Dreux), Remy, and Athueuil (near Montfort-l'Amaury), belonged to an old family of judicial functionaries. He was highly esteemed by Margaret, several of whose letters are addressed to him, and he was present at the signing of her marriage contract with Henry II. of Navarre (G^nin's Lettres de Marguerite, p. 444). He married Pernelle Perdrier, who brought him the lordship of Mdan, near Poissy, and other important fiefs, which after his death she presented to the King. His praises were sung by Le Chandelier, the poet ; and M. Floquet, in his History of the Parliament of Normandy, states that Brinon rendered most im- portant services to France as a negotiator in Italy in 1521, and in England in 1524. The Journal d'un Bourgeois de Pans mentions that he died in Paris in 1528, aged forty-four, and was buried in the Church of St. Severin. L. According to La Croix du Maine's Bibliotheque Franfoise, Brinon was the author of a poem entitled Les Amours de Sydire. B. J. FIRS?