The ugly demons laugh outright
 And grind their teeth with envious spite;
 Crying:—­“Marvel marvellous! 
 Because that flat-eared ploughman there
 Learned to make your Dame a prayer,
 She would like to kill us all
 Just for looking toward his soul. 
 All the world she wants to rule! 
 No such Dame was ever seen! 
 She thinks that she is God, I ween,
 Or holds Him in her hollow hand. 
 Not a judgment or command
 Or an order can be given
 Here on earth or there in heaven,
 That she does not want control. 
 She thinks that she ordains the whole,
 And keeps it all for her own profit. 
 God nor Devil share not of it.”

As regards Mary of Chartres, these charges seem to have been literally true, except so far as concerned the “laid maufe” Pierre de Dreux.  Gaultier de Coincy saw no impropriety in accepting, as sufficiently exact, the allegations of the devils against the Virgin’s abuse of power.  Down to the death of Queen Blanche, which is all that concerns us, the public saw no more impropriety in it than Gaultier did.  The ugly, envious devils, notorious as students of the Latin Quarter, were perpetually making the same charges against Queen Blanche and her son, without disturbing her authority.  No one could conceive that the Virgin held less influence in heaven than the queen mother on earth.  Nevertheless there were points in the royal policy and conduct of Mary which thoughtful men even then hesitated to approve.  The Church itself never liked to be dragged too far under feminine influence, although the moment it discarded feminine influence it lost nearly everything of any value to it or to the world, except its philosophy.  Mary’s tastes were too popular; some of the uglier devils said they were too low; many ladies and gentlemen of the “siecle” thought them disreputable, though they dared not say so, or dared say so only by proxy, as in “Aucassins.”  As usual, one must go to the devils for the exact truth, and in spite of their outcry, the devils admitted that they had no reason to complain of Mary’s administration:—­

“Les beles dames de grant pris
 Qui traynant vont ver et gris,
 Roys, roynes, dus et contesses, En enfer vienent a granz presses;
 Mais ou ciel vont pres tout a fait
 Tort et bocu et contrefait. 
 Ou ciel va toute la ringaille;
 Le grain avons et diex la paille.”

“All the great dames and ladies fair
 Who costly robes and ermine wear,
 Kings, queens, and countesses and lords
 Come down to hell in endless hordes;
 While up to heaven go the lamed,
 The dwarfs, the humpbacks, and the maimed;
 To heaven goes the whole riff-raff;
 We get the grain and God the chaff.”