_TALE II._
_The wife of a muleteer of Amboise chose rather to die cruelly at the hands of her servant than to fall in with his wicked purpose_.(1)
In the town of Amboise there was a muleteer in the service of the Queenof Navarre, sister to King Francis, first of that name. She beingat Blois, where she had been brought to bed of a son, the aforesaidmuleteer went thither to receive his quarterly payment, whilst his wiferemained at Amboise in a lodging beyond the bridges.(2)
1 The incidents of this story probably took place at Amboise, subsequent, however, to the month of August 1530, when Margaret was confined of her son John.--L.
2 Amboise is on the left bank of the Loire, and there have never been any buildings on the opposite bank. However, the bridge over the river intersects the island of St. Jean, which is covered with houses, and here the muleteer's wife evidently resided.--M.
Now it happened that one of her husband's servants had long loved herexceedingly, and one day he could not refrain from speaking of itto her. She, however, being a truly virtuous woman, rebuked him soseverely, threatening to have him beaten and dismissed by her husband,that from that time forth he did not venture to speak to her in any suchway again or to let his love be seen, but kept the fire hidden withinhis breast until the day when his master had gone from home and hismistress was at vespers at St. Florentin,(3) the castle church, a longway from the muleteer's house.
3 The Church of St. Florentin here mentioned must not be confounded with that of the same name near one of the gates of Amboise. Erected in the tenth century by Foulques Nera of Anjou, it was a collegiate church, and was attended by the townsfolk, although it stood within the precincts of the chateau. For this reason Queen Margaret calls it the castle church.--Ed.
Whilst he was alone the fancy took him that he might obtain by forcewhat neither prayer nor service had availed to procure him, andaccordingly he broke through a wooden partition which was betweenthe chamber where his mistress slept and his own. The curtains of hismaster's bed on the one side and of the servant's bed on the otherso covered the walls as to hide the opening he had made; and thus hiswickedness was not perceived until his mistress was in bed, togetherwith a little girl eleven or twelve years old.
When the poor woman was in her first sleep, the servant, in his shirtand with his naked sword in his hand, came through the opening he hadmade in the wall into her bed; but as soon as she felt him beside her,she leaped out, addressing to him all such reproaches as a virtuouswoman might utter. His love, however, was but bestial, and he wouldhave better understood the language of his mules than her honourablereasonings; indeed, he showed himself even more bestial than the beastswith whom he had long consorted. Finding she ran so quickly round atable that he could not catch her, and that she was strong enough tobreak away from him twice, he despaired of ravishing her alive, anddealt her a terrible sword-thrust in the loins, thinking that, if fearand force had not brought her to yield, pain would assuredly do so.
The contrary, however, happened, for just as a good soldier, on seeinghis own blood, is the more fired to take vengeance on his enemies andwin renown, so her chaste heart gathered new strength as she ran fleeingfrom the hands of the miscreant, saying to him the while all she couldthink of to bring him to see his guilt. But so filled was he with ragethat he paid no heed to her words. He dealt her several more thrusts, toavoid which she continued running as long as her legs could carry her.
When, after great loss of blood, she felt that death was near, shelifted her eyes to heaven, clasped her hands and gave thanks to God,calling Him her strength, her patience, and her virtue, and prayingHim to accept her blood which had been shed for the keeping of Hiscommandment and in reverence of His Son, through whom she firmlybelieved all her sins to be washed away and blotted out from theremembrance of His wrath.
As she was uttering the words, "Lord, receive the soul that has beenredeemed by Thy goodness," she fell upon her face to the ground.
Then the miscreant dealt her several thrusts, and when she had lost bothpower of speech and strength of body, and was no longer able to make anydefence, he ravished her.(4)
4 Brantome, in his account of Mary Queen of Scots, quotes this story. After mentioning that the headsman remained alone with the Queen's decapitated corpse, he adds: "He then took off her shoes and handled her as he pleased. It is suspected that he treated her in the same way as that miserable muleteer, in the Hundred Stories of the Queen of Navarre, treated the poor woman he killed. Stranger temptations than this come to men. After he (the executioner) had done as he chose, the (Queen's) body was carried into a room adjoining that of her servants." Lalanne's _OEuvres de Brantome_, vol. vii. p. 438.--M.
Having thus satisfied his wicked lust, he fled in haste, and in spite ofall pursuit was never seen again.
The little girl, who was in bed with the muleteer's wife, had hiddenherself under the bed in her fear; but on seeing that the man was gone,she came to her mistress. Finding her to be without speech or movement,she called to the neighbours from the window for aid; and as they lovedand esteemed her mistress as much as any woman that belonged to thetown, they came forthwith, bringing surgeons with them. The latterfound that she had received twenty-five mortal wounds in her body, andalthough they did what they could to help her, it was all in vain.
Nevertheless she lingered for an hour longer without speaking, yetmaking signs with eye and hand to show that she had not lost herunderstanding. Being asked by a priest in what faith she died, sheanswered, by signs as plain as any speech, that she placed her hope ofsalvation in Jesus Christ alone; and so with glad countenance and eyesupraised to heaven her chaste body yielded up its soul to its Creator.
Just as the corpse, having been laid out and shrouded,(5) was placedat the door to await the burial company, the poor husband arrived andbeheld his wife's body in front of his house before he had even receivedtidings of her death. He inquired the cause of this, and found that hehad double occasion to grieve; and his grief was indeed so great that itnearly killed him.
5 Common people were then buried in shrouds, not in coffins. --Ed.
This martyr of chastity was buried in the Church of St. Florentin, and,as was their duty, all the upright women of Amboise failed not to showher every possible honour, deeming themselves fortunate in belonging toa town where so virtuous a woman had been found. And seeing the honourthat was shown to the deceased, such women as were wanton and unchasteresolved to amend their lives.
"This, ladies, is a true story, which should incline us more strongly topreserve the fair virtue of chastity. We who are of gentle blood shoulddie of shame on feeling in our hearts that worldly lust to avoid whichthe poor wife of a muleteer shrank not from so cruel a death. Someesteem themselves virtuous women who have never like this one resistedunto the shedding of blood. It is fitting that we should humbleourselves, for God does not vouchsafe His grace to men because of theirbirth or riches, but according as it pleases His own good-will. He paysno regard to persons, but chooses according to His purpose; and he whomHe chooses He honours with all virtues. And often He chooses the lowlyto confound those whom the world exalts and honours; for, as He Himselfhath told us, 'Let us not rejoice in our merits, but rather because ournames are written in the Book of Life, from which nor death, nor hell,nor sin can blot them out.'" (6)
6 These are not the exact words of Scripture, but a combination of several passages from the Book of Revelation.--Ed.
There was not a lady in the company but had tears of compassion in hereyes for the pitiful and glorious death of the muleteer's wife. Eachthought within herself that, should fortune serve her in the same way,she would strive to imitate this poor woman in her martyrdom. Oisille,however, perceiving that time was being lost in praising the dead woman,said to Saffredent--
"Unless you can tell us something that will make the company laugh, Ithi
nk none of them will forgive me for the fault I have committed inmaking them weep; wherefore I give you my vote for your telling of thethird story."
Saffredent, who would gladly have recounted something agreeable to thecompany, and above all to one amongst the ladies, said that it wasnot for him to speak, seeing that there were others older and betterinstructed than himself, who should of right come first. Nevertheless,since the lot had fallen upon himself, he would rather have done with itat once, for the more numerous the good speakers before him, the worsewould his own tale appear.
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[The King Joking upon the Stag's Head being A fitting Decoration]
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The Tales Of The Heptameron, Vol. I. (of V.) Page 12
