The Tales of the Heptameron, Vol. 5 (of 5)Marguerite, Queen, consort of Henry II, King of Navarre
General
The Tales of the Heptameron, Vol. 5 (of 5)
Marguerite, Queen, consort of Henry II, King of Navarre
Love stories, French -- Translations into English; Tales -- France -- Translations into English
2 The former is Margaret of France, Duchess of Savoy and
Berry. Born in June 1523, she died in September 1574.--
Queen Margaret was her godmother. When only three years old,
she was promised in marriage to Louis of Savoy, eldest son
of Duke Charles III., and he dying, she espoused his younger
brother, Emmanuel Philibert, in July 1549. Graceful and
pretty as a child (see _ante_, vol. i. p. xlviii.), she
became, thanks to the instruction of the famous Michael de
l’ Hôpital, one of the most accomplished women of her time,
and Brantôme devotes an article to her in his _Dames
Illustres_ (Lalanne, v. viii. pp. 328-37). See also Hilarion
de Coste’s _Éloges et Vies des Reines, Princesses, &c_.,
Paris, 1647, vol. ii. p. 278.
The Duchess of Montpensier, also referred to above, is
Jacqueline de Longwick (now Longwy), Countess of Bar-sur-
Seine, daughter of J. Ch. de Longwick, Lord of Givry, and of
Jane, _bâtarde_ of Angoulême. In 1538 Jacqueline was
married to Louis II. de Bourbon, Duke of Montpensier. She
gained great influence at the French Court, both under
Francis I. and afterwards, and De Thou says of her that she
was possessed of great wit and wisdom, far superior to the
century in which she lived. She died in August 1561, and was
the mother of Francis I., Duke of Montpensier, sometimes
called the Dauphin of Auvergne, who fought at Jarnac,
Moncontour, Arques, and Ivry, against Henry of Navarre.--L.,
B. J. and Ed.
They, being by no means enamoured of melancholy, begged that she would
tell them what it was.
“You know such a one,” she replied, “as worthy a gentleman as lives, and
as bold. You are aware how many ill turns he has done me, and that, just
when I loved him most, he fell in love with others, and so caused me
more grief than I have ever suffered to be seen. Well, God has now
afforded me the means of taking revenge upon him.
“I am forthwith going to my own room, which is overhead, and immediately
afterwards, if it pleases you to keep watch, you will see him follow me.
When he has passed the galleries, and is about to go up the stairs, I
pray you come both to the window and help me to cry ‘Thief!’ You will
then see his rage, which, I am sure, will not become him badly, and,
even if he does not revile me aloud, I am sure he will none the less do
so in his heart.”
This plan was not agreed to without laughter, for there was no gentleman
that tormented the ladies more than he did, whilst he was so greatly
liked and esteemed by all, that for nothing in the world would any one
have run the risk of his raillery.
It seemed, moreover, to the two Princesses that they would themselves
share in the glory which the other lady looked to win over this
gentleman.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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