The book of the ladies: Illustrious Dames: The Reign and Amours of the Bourbon RégimeBrantôme, Pierre de Bourdeille
History
The book of the ladies: Illustrious Dames: The Reign and Amours of the Bourbon Régime
Brantôme, Pierre de Bourdeille
France -- Biography; France -- Court and courtiers; Queens; Women -- Biography
Shortly after, he saw her again as she went to the baths of Liège, Don
Juan being then at Namur, where she had to pass; the which crowned all
his hopes to enjoy so fine a sight, and he went to meet her with great
and splendid Spanish magnificence, receiving her as though she were the
Queen Élisabeth, her sister, in the latter’s lifetime his queen, and
Queen of Spain. And though he was most enchanted with the beauty of her
body, he was the same with that of her mind, as I hope to show in its
proper place. But it was not Don Juan alone who praised and delighted to
praise her, but all his great and brave Spanish captains did the same,
and even the very soldiers of those far-famed bands, who went about
saying among themselves, in soldierly chorus, that “the conquest of such
beauty was better than that of a kingdom, and happy would be the
soldiers who, to serve her, would die beneath her banner.”
It is not surprising that such people, well-born and noble, should think
this princess beautiful, but I have seen Turks coming on an embassy to
the king her brother, barbarians that they were, lose themselves in
gazing at her, and say that the pomp of their Grand Signior in going to
his mosque or marching with his army was not so fine to see as the
beauty of this queen.
In short, I have seen an infinity of other strangers who have come to
France and to the Court expressly to behold her whose fame had gone from
end to end of Europe, so they said.
I once saw a gallant Neapolitan knight, who, having come to Paris and
the Court, and not finding the said queen, delayed his return two months
in order to see her, and having seen her he said these words: “In other
days, the Princess of Salerno bore the like reputation for beauty in our
city of Naples, so that a foreigner who had gone there and had not seen
her, when he returned and related his visit, and was asked had he seen
that princess, and answered no, was told that in that case he had not
seen Naples. Thus I, if on my return without seeing this beautiful
princess I were asked had I seen France and the Court, could scarcely
say I had, for she is its ornament and enrichment. But now, having seen
and contemplated her so well, I can say that I have seen the greatest
beauty in the world, and that our Princess of Salerno is as nothing to
her. Now I am well content to go, having enjoyed so fine a sight. I
leave you Frenchmen to think how happy you should be to see at your ease
and daily her fine face; and to approach that flame divine, which can
warm and kindle frigid hearts from afar more than the beauty of our most
beauteous dames near-by.” Such were the words said to me one day by that
charming Neapolitan knight.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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