“There are many,” said Hircan, “who would not have acted in the same way.”

“So much the more is he to be esteemed,” said Longarine, “in having subdued the common craftiness of men.  He who can do evil and yet does it not is happy indeed.”

“Your words,” said Geburon, “remind me of one who was more afraid of doing wrong in the eyes of men than of offending against God, her honour and love.”

“Then I pray you tell us the story,” said Parlamente, “for I give you my vote.”

“There are some persons,” said Geburon, “who have no God, or, if they believe in one, think Him so far away that He can neither see nor know the wicked acts that they commit; or, if He does, imagine that He pays no heed to things here below, and is too careless to punish them.  Of this opinion was a lady, whose name I will alter for the sake of her family, and whom I will call Jambicque.( 5) She used often to say that a woman who had only God to deal with was very fortunate, if for the rest she was able to maintain her honour among men.  But you will see, ladies, that her prudence and her hypocrisy did not prevent her secret from being discovered, as will appear from her story, wherein the truth shall be set forth in full, except that the names of persons and places will be changed.”

     5 Some of the MSS. give the name as Camele or Camille,
     which is also that adopted by Boaistuau.—­L.

[Illustration:  142.jpg Tailpiece]

[Illustration:  143a.jpg Jambicque repudiating her Lover]

[Jambicque repudiating her Lover]

[Illustration:  143.jpg Page Image]

TALE XLIII.

Jambicque, preferring the praise of the world to a good conscience, strove to appear before men other than site really was; but her friend and lover discovered her hypocrisy by means of a little chalk-mark, and made known to everybody the wickedness that she was at such pains to hide.

There dwelt in a very handsome castle a high and mighty Princess, who had in her train a very haughty lady called Jambicque. (1) The latter had so deceived her mistress that the Princess did nothing save by her advice, deeming her the discreetest and most virtuous lady of her day.

1 There are no means of positively identifying this woman.  Brantome, who refers at length to the above tale in his Vies des Dames Galantes (Lalanne’s edition, pp. 236-8), implies that he knew her name but would not tell it.  He says, however, that “she was a widow and lady of honour to a very great Princess, and knew better how to play the prude than any other lady at Court.”—­M.

This Jambicque used greatly to inveigh against wanton passion, and whenever she perceived any gentleman in love with one of her companions, she would chide them with much harshness, and, by making ill report of them to her mistress, often cause them to be rebuked; hence she was feared far more than she was loved by all the household.  As for herself, she never spoke to a man except in a loud voice, and with much haughtiness, and was therefore reputed a deadly enemy to all love.  Nevertheless, it was quite otherwise with her heart, for there was a gentleman in her mistress’s service towards whom she entertained so strong a passion that, at last, she could no longer endure it. (2)