[Illustration:  124.jpg Tailpiece]

[Illustration:  125a.  The King asking the Young Lord to join his Banquet]

[The King asking the Young Lord to join his Banquet]

[Illustration:  125.jpg Page Image]

TALE LXIII.

A gentleman’s refusal of an amour that was sought after by all his comrades, was imputed to him as great virtue, and his wife loved him and esteemed him in consequence far more than before. (1)

In the city of Paris there lived four girls, of whom two were sisters, and such was their beauty, youth and freshness, that they were run after by all the gallants.  A gentleman, however, who at that time held the office of Provost of Paris (2) from the King, seeing that his master was young, of an age to desire such company, so cleverly contrived matters with all four of the damsels that each, thinking herself intended for the King, agreed to what the aforesaid Provost desired.  This was that they should all of them be present at a feast to which he invited his master.

     1 This story, omitted by Boaistuau, was included in
     Gruget’s edition of the Heptameron.—­L.

2 This is John de la Barre, already alluded to in Tale I. The Journal d’un Bourgeois de Paris tells us that he was born in Paris of poor parents, and became a favourite of Francis I., who appointed him Bailiff of the capital, without requiring him to pay any of the dues attaching to the office.  From the roll of the royal household for 1522, we also find that he was then a gentleman of the bed chamber with 1200 livres salary, master of the wardrobe (a post worth 200 livres) and governor of the pages, for the board and clothing of whom he received 5000 livres annually.  In 1526 he became Provost as well as Bailiff of Paris, the two offices then being amalgamated.  He was further created Count of Etampes, and acquired the lordship of Veretz, best remembered by its associations with the murder of Paul Louis Courier.  La Barre fought at Pavia, was taken prisoner with the King, and remained his constant companion during his captivity.  Several letters of his, dating from this period and of great historical interest, are still extant; some of them have been published by Champollion-Figeac (Captivite de Francois Ier) and Genin (Lettres de Marguerite, &c).  Under date 1533 (o. s.) the “Bourgeois de Paris” writes in his Journal:  “At the beginning of March there died in Paris, at the house of Monsieur Poncher, Monsieur le Prevost de Paris, named de La Barre....  The King was then in Paris, at his chateau of the Louvre, and there was great pomp at the obsequies; and he was borne to his lordship of Veretz, near Tours, that he might be buried there.”  Numerous particulars concerning La Barre will also be found in M. de Laborde’s Comptes des Batiments du Roi au XVIeme Siecle.—­ L. and Ed.

He told the latter his plan, which was approved both by the Prince and by two other great personages of the Court, all three agreeing together to share in the spoil.