C. (Tale IV., Page 85.)
_Les Vies des Dames galantes_ contains the following passage bearingupon Margaret's 4th Tale. See Lalanne's edition of Brantome's Works,vol. ix. p. 678 _et sec_.:--
"I have heard a lady of great and ancient rank relate that the lateCardinal du Bellay, whilst a Bishop and Cardinal, married Madame deChastillon, and died married; and this lady said it in conversing withMonsieur de Manne, a Provencal of the house of Seulal, and Bishop ofFrejus, who had attended the said Cardinal during fifteen years atthe Court of Rome, and had been one of his private protonotaries. Theconversation turning upon the said Cardinal, this lady asked Monsieurde Manne if he (the Cardinal) had ever said and confessed to him that hehad been married. It was Monsieur de Manne who was astonished at such aquestion. He is still alive and can say if I am telling an untruth, forI was there. He replied that he had never heard the matter spoken ofeither to himself or to others. 'Then it is I who inform you of it,'said she, 'for nothing could be more true but that he was married, anddied really married to Madame de Chastillon.'
"I assure you that I laughed heartily, contemplating the astonishedcountenance of Monsieur de Manne, who was most conscientious andreligious, and thought that he had known all the secrets of his latemaster; but he was as ignorant as a Gibuan as regards that one, whichwas indeed scandalous on account of the holy rank which he (Cardinal duBellay) had held.
"This Madame de Chastillon was the widow of the late Monsieur deChastillon, of whom it was said that he governed the little King CharlesVIII., with Bourdillon and Bonneval, who governed the royal blood. Hedied at Ferrara, where he had been taken to have his wounds dressed,having been wounded at the siege of Ravenna.
"This lady became a widow when very young and beautiful, and on accountof her being sensible and virtuous she was elected as lady of honour tothe late Queen of Navarre. It was she who gave that fine advice to thatlady and great princess, which is recorded in the hundred stories of thesaid Queen--the story of herself and a gentleman who had slipped intoher bed during the night by a trap-door at the bedside, and who wishedto enjoy her, but only obtained by it some fine scratches upon hishandsome face. She (the Queen) wishing to complain to her brother,Madame de Chastillon made her that fine remonstrance which will be seenin the story, and gave her that beautiful advice which is one of thefinest, most judicious, and most fitting that could be given to avoidscandal: did it come even from a first president of (the Parliament of)Paris. Yet it well showed that the lady was quite as artful and shrewdin such secret matters as she was sensible and prudent; and for thisreason there is no need for doubt as to whether she kept her affair withthe Cardinal a secret. My grandmother, Madame la Senechale of Poitou,had her place after her death, by election of King Francis who chose andelected her, and sent to fetch her even in her house, and gave herwith his own hand to the Queen his sister, for he knew her to be a verywell-advised and very virtuous lady, but not so shrewd, or artful, orready-witted in such matters as her predecessor, or married either asecond time.
"And if you wish to know to whom the story applies, it is to the Queenof Navarre herself and Admiral de Bonnivet, as I hold it from my lategrandmother; and yet it seems to me that the said Queen should not haveconcealed her name, since the other could not obtain aught from herchastity, but went off in confusion, and since she herself had meantto divulge the matter had it not been for the fine and sensibleremonstrance which was made to her by the said lady of honour, Madame deChastillon. Whoever has read the story will find that she was a lady ofhonour, and I think that the Cardinal, her said husband, who was one ofthe best speakers and most learned, eloquent, wise, and shrewd men ofhis time, must have instilled into her this science of speaking andremonstrating so well."
Brantome also refers to the story in question in his _Vies des Hommesillustres et grands Capitaines francais_ (vol. ii. p. 162), wherein hesays:--
"There is a tale in the stories of the Queen of Navarre, which speaks ofa lord, the favourite of a king, whom he invited with all his court toone of his houses, where he made a trap-door in his room conducting tothe bedside of a great princess, in view of lying with her, as he did,but, as the story relates, he obtained only scratches from her."
END OF VOL. I.
LONDON: PRINTED FOR THE SOCIETY OF ENGLISH BIBLIOPHILISTS
The Tales Of The Heptameron, Vol. I. (of V.) Page 20
