Lives of Fair and Gallant Ladies. Vol 1Brantôme, Pierre de Bourdeille
History
Lives of Fair and Gallant Ladies. Vol 1
Brantôme, Pierre de Bourdeille
Erotic literature
True they will do no hurt, if they maintain the children take a little
after the mother, as was said by a gentleman of the Court, a chief
friend of mine, speaking in company of two gentlemen, brothers and high
favourites with the King. Being asked which they were like, the father
or mother, he did make answer that the one which was cold was like the
father, and the other, which was hot, the mother. By this quip giving a
pretty stroke at the mother, who was of a somewhat hot complexion. And
as a matter of fact these two children did partake of these two several
humours, the hot and the cold.
There is yet another sort of cuckolds, they which are made such by
reason of the scorn they show their wives. Thus I have known several
who, though having fair and honourable dames to wife, did take no
account of them, but would ever scorn and disdain them. These being
sharp of wit and full of spirit, and of good family to boot, seeing
themselves so disdained, did proceed to pay them back in their own
coin. Quick was there fine love making, and quick the accomplishment of
the same; for as saith the Italian and Neapolitan catch, _amor non si
vince con altro che con sdegno_—“love is mastered by scorn, and scorn
only.”
For so a fair and honourable lady, and one that doth know herself
such and taketh pride therein, seeing her husband treating her with
mere disdain, though she should bear him the fondest wifely love in
the world, and albeit they should preach and put before her all the
commands of the law to love and honour him, yet if she have the least
spark of spirit, will she leave him in the lurch and take a lover
elsewhere to help her in her little needs, and choose her out some
private pleasure of her own.
I knew once two ladies of the Court, that were sisters-in-law. Of these
the one had married an husband which was high in favour, a courtier
and an adroit one.[82*] Yet did he not make such account of his wife
as it behooved, seeing the birth she was of, but would speak to her
before company as she were a mere savage, and treat her very roughly.
This behaviour she did endure patiently for a while, till at length the
husband did fall something out of favour. Then noting her opportunity
and taking it cleverly as it came, having indeed waited for a good one,
she straightway paid him back the scorn he had put on her, lightly
and gaily making the poor man cuckold. And her sister did likewise,
following her example. This last had been wed when very young and of
tender years, so that her husband took no great heed of her, deeming
her a mere chit and child, and did not love her as he should. But she
coming to a riper time of life, and finding out she had a heart and was
fair to look on, did soon pay him back in his own coin, and so made
him a present of a fine pair of horns by way of interest on his past
neglect.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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