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
Other women there be have their parts so pale and wan you would say
they had the fever. Such do resemble some drunkards, which though they
do drink more wine than a sucking pig, are yet always as pale as the
dead. Wherefore do men call them traitors to their wine, as in contrast
with such tipplers as are rosy-faced. In like fashion women that are
pale in this region might very well be spoke of as traitors to Venus,
were it not for the proverb which saith, “a pale whore and a red-faced
scamp.” Be this as it may, there is no doubt their being pale and wan
is not agreeable to see; and is very far from resembling that of one of
the fairest ladies of our time, and one that doth hold high rank (and
myself have seen her), who they used to say did commonly sport three
fine colours all together, to wit scarlet, white and black. For her
mouth was brilliant and as red as coral, her hair pretty and curly and
as black as ebony. So should it ever be, for indeed this is one of the
chiefest beauties of a woman. Then the skin was white as alabaster,
and was finely shadowed by this dark hair. A fair sight in truth!
I have heard Madame de Fontaine-Chalandray, known as _the fair
Torcy_,[130*] relate how that her Mistress, Queen Eleanor, being robed
and dressed, did appear a very beauteous Princess, and indeed there be
many which have seen her looking so at our King’s Court, and of a good
noble figure. But being stripped, she did seem a very giantess in body,
so long was it and big; whereas going lower down, she seemed but a
dwarf, so short and small were her thighs and legs and all those parts.
Another great lady I have heard speak of was just the opposite. For
whereas in body she looked a dwarf, so short and diminutive was it, for
the rest down below she was a perfect giantess or colossus, so big,
long and high-forked were her thighs and legs, though at the same time
well-proportioned and fleshy.
There be many husbands and lovers among us Christians which do desire
to be in all respects different from the Turks, which last take no
pleasure in looking at women closely, because they say, as I have
stated above, they have no shape. We Christians on the other hand do
find, ’tis said, great contentment in regarding them carefully and do
delight in such. Nay! not only do men enjoy seeing them, but likewise
in kissing, and many ladies have shown their lovers the way. Thus a
Spanish lady did reply to her lover on his quitting her one day with
the words, _Bezo las manos y los pies, Señora; Senor, en el medio esta
la mejore stacion_.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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