French fiction -- Translations into English; Italian fiction -- Translations into English
poore father, and brought me vp as your doughter, it becommeth me to do
that whiche pleaseth you. Notwithstanding, I intende neuer to make any
complaint to you for lacke of such, but if it please you, to geue me a
husbande, I purpose dutifully to loue and honour him. For my
progenitours haue left me none other inheritaunce but honestie, whiche I
meane to kepe, so long as my life indureth.” These woordes to the Ladye,
semed contrary to that whiche shee desired to knowe, to atchieue her
promyse made to her sonne, although (lyke a wyse Ladie) to her selfe,
shee greatly praysed the Damosell, and sayde vnto her. “But Gianetta,
what if my Lorde the Kyng (whiche is a younge Prince, and you a fayre
mayden) would take pleasure in your loue, woulde you refuse him?”
Whereunto the mayde sodaynlye aunswered. “The Kyng maye well force mee,
but by consent he shall neuer obtayne the thing of mee that is
dishoneste.” The Ladye conceyuyng the courage, and stoutnesse of the
mayden in good parte, sayde no more vnto her, but thinking to put the
matter in proofe, she tolde her sonne, that when he was whole, she
woulde put them both in a chamber that he mighte haue his pleasure vppon
her. For she thought it dishonest to intreate her maide for her sonne,
because it was the office of a Ruffian. The yong man was nothing
contented therewith, whereby hee sodainlye waxed sicke againe: which the
ladye perceiuinge, opened her whole intent to Gianetta: but finding her
more constant than euer she was before, she told her husband all that
she had done, whoe agreed (althoughe against their willes) to giue her
to be his wife, thinkinge it better (their sonne lyuing) to haue a wife
vnagreeable to his estate, then to suffer him to die for her sake. Which
after great consultation, they concluded, whereof Gianetta was
maruelouslye well pleased, and with deuout harte gaue thankes to God for
that he had not forgotten her. And yet for all that, shee woulde neuer
name her selfe otherwise, then the doughter of a Picarde. The yong sonne
waxed whole incontinently, and was maried, the best contented man aliue,
and began to dispose himselfe, louingly to lead his life with her.
Perotto which did remaine in Wales with the other Marshall of the king
of England, semblably increased, and was welbeloued of his maister, and
was a very comely and valiaunt personage, that the like of him was not
to be found in all the Island, in such wise as at Torneis, Iustes, and
other factes of armes, there was none in al the Countrie, comparable
vnto him: wherefore by the name of Perotto the Picarde, hee was knowen
and renowmed. And like as God had not forgotten his sister, euen so he
shewed his mercifull remembraunce of him. For a certaine plague and
mortalitie, happened in that countrie, which consumed the one halfe of
the people there: besides that the most part of them that liued, were
fledde for feare into other countries, wherby the whole prouince, seemed
to be abandoned and desolate.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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