The gentleman was much astonished at the request; nevertheless, though he had worked till he could do no more, he went off and found his companion, and brought him to her, and he soon set to work as the other had done.
When he was played out as his friend had been, she was not ashamed to ask him, as she had done the first, to bring to her another gentleman, and he did so.
This made three with whom she had fought a love battle and defeated them all; but you must know that the first gentleman felt ill, and stricken with the plague, as soon as he had sent his friend to take his place; so he hastened to the priest, and confessed as best he could, and then died in the priest"s arms.
His friend also, the second comer, as soon as he had given up his place to the third, felt very ill, and asked everywhere after the one who was already dead. He met the priest, weeping and exhibiting great grief, who told him of the death of his friend.
"Ah, monsieur le cure, I am stricken as he was; hear my confession."
The cure, in a great fright, made haste to hear his confession, and, when that was finished, the gentleman, though within two hours of his end, went to her from whom he and his friend had taken the contagion, and found with her the man he had fetched, and said to her;
"Cursed woman! you have killed me and my friend also. You ought to be burned to death! Nevertheless I pardon you, and may G.o.d pardon you!
You have the plague, and have given it to my friend, who died in the priest"s arms, and I shall soon follow him." With that he left, and died an hour later in his own house.
The third gentleman, who had run the same risks as his companions, who were both dead, did not feel very safe. Nevertheless, he took courage, and cast aside all fear, and bethought him that he had often been in perils and dangerous battles before, and went to the father and mother of the girl who had killed his two companions, and told them that their daughter was ill, and that they must take care of her. That being done, he so conducted himself that he escaped the danger of which his two friends had died.
Now you must know that when this slayer of men was brought back to her father"s house, whilst they were making a bed ready in which she could repose and sweat, she sent secretly for the son of a shoe-maker, a neighbour, and had him brought to her father"s stable, where she made him work as she had done the others, but he did not live four hours after.
She was put to bed, and they made her sweat greatly. And soon there appeared upon her body four buboes, of which she was afterwards cured.
And I believe that you will find her now amongst the prost.i.tutes at Avignon, Vienne, Valence, or some other place in Dauphine.
And the doctors said that she had escaped death because she had tasted the joys of this life; which is a notable and true example to many young girls to never refuse a good thing when it comes in their way.
STORY THE FIFTY-SIXTH -- THE WOMAN, THE PRIEST, THE SERVANT, AND THE WOLF.
By Monseigneur De Villiers.
_Of a gentleman who caught, in a trap that he laid, his wife, the priest, her maid, and a wolf; and burned them all alive, because his wife committed adultery with the priest._
In a town in this kingdom, in the duchy of Auvergne, there formerly lived a gentleman, who, to his misfortune, had a very pretty young wife.
This damsel was acquainted with a priest, a neighbour, who lived half a league off, and they were so neighbourly together that the good priest took the gentleman"s place whenever he was absent.
And this damsel had a waiting-maid who was acquainted with all their doings, and often carried messages to the priest, and advised him of the place and hour when he could safely come to her mistress.
The matter was not so well hid as the lovers would have liked, for a gentleman, who was a near relative of him to whom this dishonour was done, was informed of the affair, and told the person most concerned all that he knew.
You may fancy that the good gentleman, when he heard that in his absence his wife was helped by the priest, was not overpleaaed, and if it had not been for his cousin would have taken terrible vengeance as soon as he heard the news; but consented to put it off until he had taken them both in the act.
He and his cousin arranged to go on a pilgrimage, four or six leagues from home, and take his wife and the priest, in order to take note how they behaved towards each other.
As they were returning from this pilgrimage, during which the cure had made love as he best could,--that is to say by glances and other little devices--the husband caused himself to be sent for by a messenger he had instructed, to come at once to a lord of that country.
He pretended to be very vexed, and to leave with much regret, --nevertheless, since the lord had sent for him he could not disobey. So he went his way, and his cousin, the other gentleman, said that he would keep him company, as that was his way to return home.
The priest and the lady much rejoiced to hear this news; they consulted together and decided that the priest should take leave and quit the house, in order that none of the people there might suspect him, and about midnight he would return to the lady, as he was accustomed. No sooner was this determined on than the priest said farewell, and left the house.
Now you must know that the husband and his relative were hidden in a gorge through which the priest would have to pa.s.s, and could neither go or return any other way, without going out of the right road.
They saw the priest pa.s.s, and judged that he would return that night--as indeed was his intention. They let him pa.s.s without saying a word, and then prepared a large pitfall, with the help of some peasants who aided them in the task. The trap was quickly and well made, and it was not long before a wolf, pa.s.sing that way, fell into the pit.
Soon after came the priest, clad in a short gown, and with a curtle axe hung round his neck; and when he came to where the pitfall had been dug, he fell into it on the wolf, at which he was much alarmed, and the wolf, who was down there first, was as much afraid of the priest as the priest was of it.
When the two gentlemen saw the priest lodged along with the wolf, they were much delighted, and he who was most concerned, declared that the priest should never come out alive, for he would kill him there. The other blamed him for this, and did not wish the priest killed, and was of opinion they should rather cut off his genitals; but the husband wanted him killed, and this discussion lasted for a long time, while they were awaiting the dawn, when they could see clearly.
Whilst they were thus waiting, the lady, who expected the priest, and did not know why he tarried so long, sent her servant-maid in order to make him hurry.
The maid, whilst on her road to the cure"s house, fell into the trap with the wolf and the cure. She was much astonished to find herself in such company.
"Alas!" said the priest, "I am lost. We have been found out, and someone has laid this trap for us."
The husband and his cousin, who heard and saw all, were both as pleased as they could be; and they felt as sure as though the Holy Spirit had revealed it to them, that the mistress would fellow the maid, for they had heard the maid say that her mistress had sent her to the priest to know why he had failed to come at the hour agreed upon between them.
The mistress, finding that neither the cure or the maid came, and that dawn was approaching, suspected that there was something, and that she should find them in a little wood there was on the road--which was where the trap was laid--and determined to go there and try and find out if there was any news.
She walked along towards the priest"s house, and when she came to the spot where the trap was laid, she tumbled in along with the others.
When they found themselves all a.s.sembled, it need not be said that they were much astonished, and each did his or her utmost to get out of the pit, but it was no good, and they looked upon themselves as being as good as dead, as well as dishonoured.
Then the two prime movers in the affair--that is to say the husband of the lady, and his cousin--came to the edge of the pit, and saluted the company, and told them to be comfortable, and asked them if they were ready for breakfast.
The husband, who was anxious for his revenge, managed to send his cousin to look after their horses, which were at a house near by, and when he had got rid of him, he made all the haste he could, and threw a quant.i.ty of brushwood into the pit, and set it on fire, and burned them all--wife, priest, waiting-woman and wolf.
After that he left that part of the country, and went to the King to ask his pardon, which he easily obtained.
And some say that the King remarked that it was a pity the poor wolf should have been burned alive for the faults of the others.
[Ill.u.s.tration: 57.jpg The obliging Brother.]
STORY THE FIFTY-SEVENTH -- THE OBLIGING BROTHER.
By Monsieur De Villiers.
_Of a damsel who married a shepherd, and how the marriage was arranged, and what a gentleman, the brother of the damsel, said._