Transcriber’s Note In the following transcription, italic text is denoted by _underscores_. Small capitals in the original text have been transcribed as ALL CAPITALS. Superscripts in the text are denoted by a prefixing caret symbol (^). A letter (as in 8^o), or letters in curly braces (as in I^{er}), that follow the caret symbol are to be read as superscripts. See end of this document for details of corrections and other changes. —————————————— Start of Book —————————————— Lives of Fair and Gallant Ladies ———— VOLUME II [Illustration: Marguerite of Valois _From an old engraving._] Lives Of Fair and Gallant Ladies By The Seigneur De Brantôme TRANSLATED FROM THE ORIGINAL ———— VOLUME II ———— The Alexandrian Society, Inc. London and New York 1922 COPYRIGHT, 1922, BY THE ALEXANDRIAN SOCIETY, INC. PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA [Illustration: Decorative scrollwork above chapter start] CONTENTS PAGE INTRODUCTION. BY GEORG HARSDÖRFER vii FIFTH DISCOURSE TELLING HOW FAIR AND HONORABLE LADIES DO LOVE BRAVE AND VALIANT MEN, AND BRAVE MEN COURAGEOUS WOMEN 3 SIXTH DISCOURSE OF HOW WE SHOULD NEVER SPEAK ILL OF LADIES, AND OF THE CONSEQUENCES OF SO DOING 91 SEVENTH DISCOURSE CONCERNING MARRIED WOMEN, WIDOWS AND MAIDS: TO WIT, WHICH OF THESE SAME BE BETTER THAN THE OTHER TO LOVE 151 ARTICLE I. OF THE LOVE OF MARRIED WOMEN 156 ARTICLE II. OF THE LOVE OF MAIDS 171 ARTICLE III. OF THE LOVE OF WIDOWS 203 NOTES 335 [Illustration: Decorative scrollwork above chapter start] INTRODUCTION