own name—­there was a Countess of excellent lineage, (2) but a foreigner.  And as novelties ever please, this lady, both for the strangeness of her attire and for its exceeding richness, was observed by all.  Though she was not to be ranked among the most beautiful, she possessed gracefulness, together with a noble assurance that could not be surpassed; and, moreover, her manner of speech and her seriousness were to match, so that there was none but feared to accost her excepting the King, who loved her exceedingly.  That he might have still more intimate converse with her, he gave some mission to the Count, her husband, which kept him away for a long time, and meanwhile the King made right good cheer with his wife.

     1 The incidents here related must have occurred during the
     reign of Charles VIII., probably in or about 1490.—­L.

2 This Countess cannot be identified.  She was probably the wife of one of the many Italian noblemen, like the Caraccioli and San Severini, who entered the French service about the time of the conquest of Naples.  Brantome alludes to the story in his Dames Galantes (Fourth Discourse) but gives no names.—­Ed.

Several of the King’s gentlemen, knowing that their master was well treated by her, took courage to speak to her, and among the rest was one called Astillon, (3) a bold man and graceful of bearing.

3 This is James de Chastillon, not, however, J. Gaucher de Chastillon, “King of Yvetot,” as M. de Lincy supposes, but J. de Coligny-Chastillon, as has been pointed out by M. Frank.  Brantome devotes the Nineteenth Discourse of his Capitaines francois to this personage, and says:  “He had been one of the great favourites and mignons of King Charles VIII., even at the time of the journey to the kingdom of Naples; and ’twas then said, ’Chastillon, Bourdillon and Bonneval [see post, note 5] govern the royal blood.’” Wounded in April 1512 at the battle of Ravenna, “the most bloody battle of the century,” he was removed to Ferrara, where he died (May 25).  He was the second husband of Blanche de Tournon, Lady of Honour to Queen Margaret, respecting whom see ante, vol. i. pp. 84-5, 122-4, and vol. iv. p. 144, note 2.—­L., F. and Ed.

At first she treated him so seriously, threatening to tell of him to the King his master, that he well-nigh became afraid of her.  However, as he had not been wont to fear the threats even of the most redoubtable captains, he would not suffer himself to be moved by hers, but pressed her so closely that she at last consented to speak with him in private, and taught him the manner in which he should come to her apartment.  This he failed not to do, and, in order that the King might be without suspicion of the truth, he craved permission to go on a journey, and set out from the Court.  On the very first day, however, he left all his following and returned at night to receive fulfilment of the promises that the Countess had made him.  These she kept so much to his satisfaction, that he was content to remain shut up in a closet for five or six days, without once going out, and living only on restoratives.