The Tales Of The Heptameron, Vol. IV. (of V.) Read online

  _TALE XXXII_.

  _Bernage, learning in what patience and humility a German lady submitted to the strange penance laid upon her for her unchastity by her husband, so persuaded the latter that he forgot the past, showed pity to his wife, and, taking her back again, afterwards had by her some very handsome children_.

  King Charles, eighth of the name, sent into Germany a gentleman calledBernage, Lord of Sivray, near Amboise, (1) who to make good speed sparednot to travel both by day and night. In this wise he came very late oneevening to a gentleman's castle, where he asked for lodging, a requestwhich was not granted him without great difficulty.

  1 Bernage, Bernaige, or Vernaiges, as the name is diversely written in the MSS. of the _Heptameron_, was in 1495 equerry to Charles VIII., a post which brought him an annual salary of 300 livres.--See Godefroy's _Histoire de Charles VIII_., p. 705. Civray, near Chenonceaux, on the Cher, was a fief of the barony of Amboise. In 1483 we find a certain John Goussart doing homage for it to the crown.--Archives Nationales, Section Domaniale, cote 3801.--L.

  However, when the gentleman came to know that he was servant to so greata King, he went to him and begged him not to take the churlishness ofhis servants in bad part, since he was obliged to keep his house thusclosed on account of certain of his wife's kinsfolk who sought to dohim hurt. Bernage then told him the nature of his mission, wherein thegentleman offered to serve the interests of the King his master, so faras in him lay; and he forthwith led Bernage into the house, where helodged and entertained him honourably.

  It was the hour for supper, and the gentleman led him into a handsomeroom, hung with beautiful tapestry, where, as soon as the meats wereserved, he saw come from behind the hangings the most beautiful woman itwere possible to behold; though her head was shorn and she was dressedin black garments of the German fashion.

  After the gentleman had washed his hands with Bernage, water was borneto the lady, who also washed hers and then sat down at the end of thetable without speaking to the gentleman, or he to her. The Lord deBernage looked very closely at her, and thought her one of the mostbeautiful women he had ever seen, except that her face was very pale,and its expression very sad.

  After eating a little, she asked for drink, which was brought to her bya servant in a most marvellous vessel, for it was a death's head, theeyeholes of which were closed with silver; and from this she drank twoor three times. When she had supped, the lady washed her hands, madea reverence to the lord of the house, and retired again behind thetapestry without speaking to any one. Bernage was exceedingly amazed atthis strange sight, and became very melancholy and thoughtful.

  The gentleman, who perceived this, then said to him--

  "I perceive that you are astonished at what you have seen at this table;but for the sake of the excellence that I find in you I will explainthe matter, so that you may not think I could show such cruelty withoutreasons of great weight. The lady whom you saw is my wife; I loved hermore than ever man loved woman, insomuch that in order to marry her Iforgot all fear, and brought her hither in defiance of her relations. Onher part, she showed me so many tokens of love that I would have riskedten thousand lives in bringing her hither, to her delight and mine.And here we lived for a while in such peace and gladness that I deemedmyself the happiest gentleman in Christendom.

  "But it came to pass, upon my undertaking a journey which my honourcompelled me to make, she forgot her honour, conscience and love for meto such a degree as to fall in love with a young gentleman whom I hadbrought up in this house, and this I thought I could perceive when Ireturned home again. Nevertheless, the love I bore her was so great thatI was not able to mistrust her, until at last experience opened my eyesand made me see what I dreaded more than death, whereupon my love forher was turned to frenzy and despair in such wise that I watched herclosely, and one day, while feigning to walk abroad, I hid myself in theroom in which she now dwells.

  "Thither she withdrew soon after my departure, and sent for the younggentleman, whom I saw come in with such familiarity as should have beenmine alone. But when I saw him about to get upon the bed beside her, Isprang out, seized him in her very arms, and slew him. And as my wife'scrime seemed to me so great that death would not suffice to punish it, Ilaid upon her a penalty which she must hold, I think, to be more bitterthan death; and this penalty was to shut her up in the room to which shewas wont to retire to take her greatest pleasures in the company ofhim for whom she had more love than she had for me; and there I furtherplaced in a cupboard all her lover's bones, hanging there even asprecious things are hung up in a cabinet.

  "That she may not lose the memory of this villain I cause her to beserved with his skull, (2) in place of a cup, when she is eating anddrinking at table, and this always in my presence, so that she maybehold, alive, him whom her guilt has made her mortal enemy, and dead,through love of her, him whose love she did prefer to mine. And in thiswise, at dinner and at supper, she sees the two things that must be mostdispleasing to her, to wit, her living enemy, and her dead lover; andall this through her own great sinfulness.

  2 It will be remembered that the Lombard King Alboin forced his wife Rosamond to drink his health out of a goblet which had been made from the skull of her father Cunimond, sovereign of the Gepidae. To revenge herself for this affront, Rosamond caused her husband to be murdered one night during his sleep in his palace at Pavia.--Ed.

  "In other matters I treat her as I do myself, save that she goesshorn; for an array of hair beseems not the adulterous, nor a veil theunchaste.

  "For this reason is her hair cut, showing that she has lost the honourof virginity and purity. Should it please you to take the trouble to seeher, I will lead you to her."

  To this Bernage willingly consented, and going-downstairs they found herin a very handsome apartment, seated all alone in front of the fire. Thegentleman drew aside a curtain that hung in front of a large cupboard,wherein could be seen hanging a dead man's bones. Bernage greatly longedto speak to the lady, but durst not do so for fear of the husband. Thegentleman, perceiving this, thereupon said to him--

  "If it be your pleasure to say anything to her, you will see what mannerof grace and speech is hers."

  Then said Bernage to her--"Lady, your patience is as great as yourtorment. I hold you to be the most unhappy woman alive."

  With tears in her eyes, and with the humblest grace imaginable, the ladyanswered--

  "Sir, I acknowledge my offence to have been so great that all the woesthat the lord of this house (for I am not worthy to call him husband)may be pleased to lay upon me are nothing in comparison with the grief Ifeel at having offended him."

  So saying, she began to weep bitterly. The gentleman took Bernage by thearm and led him away.

  On the following morning Bernage took his leave, in order to proceedon the mission that the King had given him. However, in bidding thegentleman farewell, he could not refrain from saying to him--

  "Sir, the love I bear you, and the honour and friendship that you haveshown me in your house, constrain me to tell you that, having regard tothe deep penitence of your unhappy wife, you should, in my opinion, takecompassion upon her. You are, moreover, young and have no children, andit would be a great pity that so fair a lineage should come to an end,and that those who, perhaps, have no love for you, should become yourheirs."

  The gentleman, who had resolved that he would never more speak to hiswife, pondered a long time on the discourse held to him by the Lord deBernage, and at last recognised that he had spoken truly, and promisedhim that, if his wife should continue in her present humility, he wouldat some time have pity upon her.

  Accordingly Bernage departed on his mission, and when he had returnedto his master, the King, he told him the whole story, which the Prince,upon inquiry, found to be true. And as Bernage among other things hadmade mention of the lady's beauty, the King sent his painter, who wascalled John of Paris, (3) that he might make and
bring him a livingportrait of her, which, with her husband's consent, he did. And when shehad long done penance, the gentleman, in his desire to have offspring,and in the pity that he felt for his wife who had submitted to thispenance with so much humility, took her back again and afterwards had byher many handsome children. (4)

  3 John Perreal, called "Jehan de Paris," was one of the most famous painters of the reigns of Charles VIII. and Louis XII. At the end of 1496 we find him resident at Lyons, and there enjoying considerable celebrity. From October 1498 to November 1499 he figures in the roll of officers of the royal household, as valet of the wardrobe, with a salary of 240 livres. In the royal stable accounts for 1508 he appears as receiving ten livres to defray the expense of keeping a horse during June and July that year. He is known to have painted the portrait and planned the obsequies of Philibert of Savoy in 1509; to have been sent to England in 1514 to paint a portrait of the Princess Mary, sister of Henry VIII., who married Louis XII.; and in 1515 to have had charge of all the decorative work connected with Louis XII.'s obsequies. In his _Legende des Venitiens_ (1509) John Le Maire de Belges praises Perreal's skill both in landscape and portrait painting, and describes him as a most painstaking and hardworking artist. He had previously referred to him in his _Temple d'Honneur et de Vertu_ (1504) as being already at that period painter to the King. In the roll of the officers of Francis I.'s household (1522) Perreal's name takes precedence of that of the better known Jehannet Clouet, but it does not appear in that of 1529, about which time he would appear to have died. Shortly before that date he had designed some curious initial letters for the famous Parisian printer and bookseller, Tory. The Claud Perreal, "Lyonnese," whom Clement Marot commemorates in his 36th _Rondeau_ would appear to have been a relative, possibly the son, of "Jehan de Paris."--See Leon de La Borde's _Renaissance des Arts_, vol. i., Pericaud aine's _Notice sur Jean de Paris_, Lyons, 1858, and more particularly E. M. Bancel's _Jehan Perreal dit Jean de Paris, peintre et valet-de-chambre des rois Charles VIII. Louis XII., &c_. Paris, Launette, 1884.--L. and M.

  4 Brantome refers to this tale, as an example of marital cruelty, in his _Vies des Dames Galantes_, Lalanne's edition, vol. ix. p. 38.--L.

  "If, ladies, all those whom a like adventure has befallen, were to drinkout of similar vessels, I greatly fear that many a gilt cup would beturned into a death's head. May God keep us from such a fortune, forif His goodness do not restrain us, there is none among us but mightdo even worse; but if we trust in Him He will protect those who confessthat they are not able to protect themselves. Those who confide intheir own strength are in great danger of being tempted so far as tobe constrained to acknowledge their frailty. Many have stumbled throughpride in this way, while those who were reputed less discreet have beensaved with honour. The old proverb says truly, 'Whatsoever God keeps iswell kept.'"

  "The punishment," said Parlamente, "was in my opinion a most reasonableone, for, just as the offence was more than death, so ought thepunishment to have been."

  "I am not of your opinion," said Ennasuite. "I would rather see thebones of all my lovers hanging up in my cabinet than die on theiraccount. There is no misdeed that cannot be repaired during life, butafter death there is no reparation possible."

  "How can shame be repaired?" said Longarine. "You know that, whatevera woman may do after a misdeed of that kind, she cannot repair herhonour."

  "I pray you," said Ennasuite, "tell me whether the Magdalen has not nowmore honour among men than her sister who continued a virgin?" (5)

  5 Martha, sister of Lazarus and Mary Magdalen.--M.

  "I acknowledge," said Longarine, "that we praise her for the great loveshe bore to Jesus Christ and for her deep repentance; yet the name ofsinner clings to her."

  "I do not care what name men may give me," said Ennasuite, "if only Godforgive me, and my husband do the same. There is nothing for which Ishould be willing to die."

  "If the lady loved her husband as she ought," said Dagoucin, "I amamazed that she did not die of sorrow on looking at the bones of the manwhom her guilt had slain."

  "Why, Dagoucin," returned Simontault, "have you still to learn thatwomen know neither love nor even grief?"

  "Yes, I have still to learn it," said Dagoucin, "for I have never madetrial of their love, through fear of finding it less than I desired."

  "Then you live on faith and hope," said Nomerfide, "as the plover doeson air. (6) You are easily fed."

  6 This popular error was still so prevalent in France in the last century, that Buffon, in his Natural History, took the trouble to refute it at length.--B. J.

  "I am content," he replied, "with the love that I feel within myself,and with the hope that there is the like in the hearts of the ladies. IfI knew that my hopes were true, I should have such gladness that I couldnot endure it and live."

  "Keep clear of the plague," said Geburon; "as for the other sicknessyou mention, I will warrant you against it. But I should like to know towhom the Lady Oisille will give her vote?"

  "I give it," she said, "to Simontault, who I know will be sparing ofnone."

  "That," he replied, "is as much as to say that I am somewhat given toslander; however, I will show you that reputed slanderers have spokenthe truth. I am sure, ladies, that you are not so foolish as to believeall the tales that you are told, no matter what show of sanctity theymay possess, if the proof of them be not clear beyond doubt. Many anabuse lurks even under the guise of a miracle, and for this reason I amminded to tell you the story of a miracle that will prove no less to thehonour of a pious Prince than to the shame of a wicked minister of theChurch."

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  029a.jpg The Execution of the Wicked Priest and his Sister]

  [The Execution of the Wicked Priest and his Sister]

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