Betweene the mountaines of Italy and France, towards the south, lyes the territory of Salus, a country flourishing with excellent townes and castles, and peopled with the best sort of gentles and peasants: amongst whom there lived not long since a nobleman of great hope and expectation, lord of the country, by name Gualter, Marquesse of Saluss; to whom, as the government appertained by right of inheritance, so their obedience attended by desert of his worthinesse. He was young in yeeres, noble of lineage, and such attractive demeanour, that the best thought it a pleasure to bee commanded by him, and the worst grew more tractable by his good example: his delight was in hunting and hawking, and the pleasure of the time present extinguished the care of the time to come; for he thought not of mariage, nor to entangle himselfe with the inconveniences of a wife; till at last the people and noblemen of his country projected the contrary, as discontented to see him indisposed that way, and presaging a kind of prosperity to themselves, if by his mariage posteritie might arise to assure them the better how they might bestow their obedience hereafter. Whereupon they assembled together, and made one day amongst the rest a determiner of their resolutions, choosing out for their speaker a noble knight of great authority, faire demeanor, eloquent speech, and more inward with the Marquesse then any of the rest; who, thus acquainted with all their mindes, and prepared to utter his owne minde, took an opportunity to acquaint the renowned Marquesse with the matter.