The Tales of the Heptameron, Vol. V | Page 8

any one utter an unfitting word, as often happens.
The tongue will trip and cause one word to be used for another, even by
the discreetest and most excellent speakers. But when you men talk
viciously, not from ignorance, but by reason of your own wickedness, I
know of no virtuous woman who does not feel a loathing for such
speakers, and who would not merely refuse to hearken to them, but
even to remain in their company."
"That is very true," responded Geburon. "I have frequently seen women
make the sign of the cross on hearing certain words spoken, and cease
not in doing so after these words had been uttered a second time."

"But how many times," said Simontault, "have they put on their masks
(6) in order to laugh as freely as they pretended to be angry?"
"Yet it were better to do this," said Parlamente, "than to let it be seen
that the talk pleased them."
"Then," said Dagoucin, "you praise a lady's hypocrisy no less than her
virtue?"
"Virtue would be far better," said Longarine, "but, when it is lacking,
recourse must be had to hypocrisy, just as we use our slippers (7) to
disguise our littleness. And it is no small matter to be able to conceal
our imperfections."
8 Tourets-de-nez. See ante, vol. iii. p. 27, note 5.--Ed.
7 High-heeled slippers or mules were then worn.--B. J.
"By my word," said Hircan, "it were better sometimes to show some
slight imperfection than to cover it so closely with the cloak of virtue."
"It is true," said Ennasuitc, "that a borrowed garment brings the
borrower as much dishonour when he is constrained to return it as it
brought him honour whilst it was being worn, and there is a lady now
living who, by being too eager to conceal a small error, fell into a
greater."
"I think," said Hircan, "that I know whom you mean; in any case,
however, do not pronounce her name."
"Ho! ho!" said Geburon [to Ennasuite], "I give you my vote on
condition that when you have related the story you will tell us the
names. We will swear never to mention them."
"I promise it," said Knnasuite, "for there is nothing that may not be told
in all honour."
[Illustration: 022.jpg Tailpiece]

[Illustration: 023a.jpg The Lord des Cheriots flying from the Prince's
Servant]
[The Lord des Cheriots flying from the Prince's Servant]
[Illustration: 023.jpg Page Image]

TALE LIII.
_By her dissimulation the Lady of Neufchastel caused the Prince of
Belhoste to put her to such proof that it turned to her dishonour_.
King Francis the First was once at a handsome and pleasant castle,
whither he had gone with a small following, both for the purpose of
hunting and in order to take some repose. With him in his train was a
certain Prince of Belhoste, (1) as worshipful, virtuous, discreet and
handsome a Prince as any at Court. The wife he had married did not
belong to a family of high rank, yet he loved her as dearly and treated
her as well as it were possible for a husband to do, and also trusted in
her. And when he was in love with anybody he never concealed it from
her, knowing that she had no other will than his own.
1 The Bibliophile Jacob surmises that this personage may be one of the
Italian grandees at that period in the service of France, in which case
the allusion may be to John Caraccioli, Prince of Melphes, created a
marshal of France in 1544. Queen Margaret, however, makes no
mention of her Prince being a foreigner. "Belhoste" is of course a
fictitious name invented to replace that which the Prince really bore,
and admits of so many interpretations that its meaning in the present
instance cannot well be determined. From the circumstance, however,
that the Prince's wife was of inferior birth to himself, it is not
impossible that the personage referred to may be either Charles de
Bourbon, Prince of La Roche-sur-Yonne and Duke of Beaupréau, or
John VIII., Lord of Créqui, Canaples and Pontdormi, and Prince of
Poix. The former, who married Philippa de Montespedon, widow of
René de Montéjan, and a lady of honour to Catherine de' Medici when

Dauphiness, took a prominent part in the last wars of Francis I.'s reign,
and survived till 1565. The latter, generally known at Court by the
name of Canaples, was a gentleman of the chamber and an especial
favourite of Francis I. Brantôme says of him in his Homines Illustres
that he was "a valiant lord and the strongest man of arms that in those
days existed in all Christendom, for he broke a lance, no matter its
strength, as easily as though it were a mere switch, and