Lives of Fair and Gallant Ladies. Vol 2. — John Shaqi
Lives of Fair and Gallant Ladies. Vol 2.Brantôme, Pierre de Bourdeille
History
Lives of Fair and Gallant Ladies. Vol 2.
Brantôme, Pierre de Bourdeille
Erotic literature
I have known not a few which have lost many a good fortune with women
by reason of such over-respectfulness, whereof I could tell some
excellent stories, were I not afeared of wandering too far from the
proper subject of my Discourse. But I hope to give them in a separate
place; so I will only tell the following one here.
I have heard tell in former days of a lady, and one of the fairest in
all the world, who having in the like fashion heard a certain Prince
given out by repute for brave and valiant, and that he had already
in his young days done and performed great exploits of war, and in
especial won two great and signal victories against his foes,[6] did
conceive a strong desire to see him; and to this end did make a journey
to the province wherein he was then tarrying, under some pretext or
other that I need not name. Well! at last she did set forth; and
presently,—for what is not possible to a brave and loving heart?—she
doth gain sight of him and can contemplate him at her ease, for he
did come out a long distance to meet her, and doth now receive her
with all possible honour and respect, as was meet for so great, fair
and noble-hearted a Princess. Nay! the respect was e’en _too_ great,
some do say; for the same thing happened as with the Señor de Mendoza
and the Duchess of Savoy, and such excessive respectfulness did but
engender the like despite and dissatisfaction. At any rate she did part
from him by no means so well satisfied as she had come. It may well
be he would but have wasted his time without her yielding one whit to
his wishes; but at the least the attempt would not have been ill, but
rather becoming to a gallant man, and folk would have esteemed him the
better therefor.
Why! what is the use of a bold and generous spirit, if it show not
itself in all things, as well in love as in war? For love and arms be
comrades, and do go side by side with a single heart, as saith the
Latin poet: “Every lover is a man of war, and Cupid hath his camp and
arms no less than Mars.” Ronsard hath writ a fine sonnet hereanent in
the first book of his “Amours.”[7*]
2.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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