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
of seven or eight months, quick forgetting the memory of this gallant
lady, he did re-wed with the sister of Madame de Monceaux,[53] no doubt
a fair and honourable damosel,—manifesting to all and sundry how that
to keep alive was his one thing needful, be it on what terms it may.
Of a surety life is good and sweet; natheless is a noble death greatly
to be commended, such as was this lady’s, who dying as she did of
grief, doth appear of a contrary complexion to that of some women,
which are said to be of an opposite nature to men, for that they do die
of joy and in joy.
10.
Of this sort of death I will allege only the instance of Mlle. de
Limueil, the elder, which did die at Court, being one of the Queen’s
maids of honour. All through her sickness, whereof she died, her tongue
did never leave off wagging, but she did talk continuously; for she
was a very great chatterbox, a sayer of very witty and telling scoffs,
and a very fine woman withal. When the hour of her death was come, she
did summon her chamber valet to her; for each maid of honour hath her
own. He was called Julian, and did play excellently on the violin.
“Julian,” saith she to him, “come take your violin and go on playing
me the _Défaite des Suisses_ (Switzers’ Rout)[54] till I be dead, and
play it as well as ever you can; and when you come to the words, _Tout
est perdu_ (“All is lost”), play the passage over four or five times as
pathetically as you may.” This the other did, while she joined in with
her voice; and when ’twas come to _Tout est perdue_, she did repeat it
over twice. Then turning to the other side of the bed, she cried to her
friends: “Yes! all is lost this bout, and for good and all,” and so
died. Truly a death we may call gay and pleasant! This tale I have of
two of her companions, persons of credit, who saw the mystery played
out.
If then there be women which do die of joy and in joyous wise, no less
are men to be found which have done the like. Thus we read of that
great Pope, Leo X., how he did die of joy and delight, when he beheld
us Frenchmen driven out altogether from the State of Milan; so sore a
hate he bare us!
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