Further, said Nomerfide, I think she did well not to confess her sin so readily; such an offence ought to be humbly acknowledged to God, but stoutly denied before men. Even though it be true, still, by deception and swearing, doubt may be cast upon it.
Not so, said Longarine. A sin can scarcely be so secret that it will not become revealed, unless God in His pity conceal it, as in the case of those who for love of Himself have truly repented.
And what, said Hircan, will you say of those women who have no sooner done a deed of folly than they tell some one about it?
I think that a strange thing, answered Longarine, and a sign that sin is not displeasing to them. If, as I said, a sin is not covered by the mercy of God, it cannot be denied before men; there are many who, delighting in such talk, glory to make their vices known, whilst others who contradict themselves in this way become their own accusers.
If you know any such instance, said Saffredent, I give you my place and beg you to tell it us.
[Illustration: 119a. The Gentlemans Spur catching in the Sheet]
[The Gentlemans Spur catching in the Sheet]
_A ladys tongue tripped so awkwardly whilst she was telling a story, as if of another, to a dame of high degree, that her honour thenceforward bore a stain which she could never remove_.
In the time of King Francis the First there lived a lady of the blood royal, who was endowed with honour, virtue and beauty, and well knew how to tell a story with grace and to laugh at such as might be told to her. (1) This lady being at one of her houses, all her subjects and neighbours came to see her; for she was as much liked as it were possible for woman to be.
1 M. de Lincy thinks that this lady may be Louise of Savoy, who was very fond of listening to stories of an equivocal character. This, it may be pointed out, is one of the reasons why the commentators of the _Heptameron_ suppose her to be Oisille, though the latter in the conversational passages following the tales displays considerable prudery and devoutness. That Louise was a woman of extremely amorous tendency is well known; we need, indeed, no better proof of it than her unseemly passion for the Constable de Bourbon when she was five-and-forty years of age. If she be the lady of royal blood spoken of above, the incidents of the tale may have occurred in the Bourbonnais, a considerable portion of which passed into her hands after the flight of the Constable from France. It will be noted that allusion is made to the ladys subjects, showing that she exercised a feudal sway. As one of the commentators of the _Heptameron_ has pointed out, Queen Margaret always saw her mother--that donna terribilissima! as De Lussy called her--in such an ideal light that M. de Lincys surmise may well be a correct one despite the attributes of honour, virtue and beauty bestowed on the lady whom she speaks of.--Ed.