The Heptameron - Day 4

The Fourth Day

• The FIRST Tale, of the Fourth Day-- Punishment of the wickedness of a Friar who sought to lie with a gentleman's wife.



• The SECOND Tale, of the Fourth Day-- How an ambassador of Charles VIII., moved by the repentance of a German lady, whom her husband compelled to drink out of her lover's skull, reconciled husband and wife together



• The THIRD Tale, of the Fourth Day-- The hypocrisy of a priest who, under the cloak of sanctity, had lain with his own sister, is discovered and punished by the wisdom of the Count of Angoulême.



• The FOURTH Tale, of the Fourth Day-- The terror of two Friars who believed that a butcher intended to murder them, whereas the poor man was only speaking of his Pigs.



• The FIFTH Tale, of the Fourth Day-- How a husband's prudence saves his wife from the risks she incurred while thinking to yield to merely a spiritual love.



• The SIXTH Tale, of the Fourth Day-- The story of the President of Grenoble, who saves the honour of his house by poisoning his wife with a salad.



• The SEVENTH Tale, of the Fourth Day-- How the Lady of Loué regained her husband's affection.



• The EIGHT Tale, of the Fourth Day-- The kindness of a townswoman of Tours to a poor farm-woman who is mistress to her husband, makes the latter so ashamed of his faithlessness that he returns to his wife.



• The NINTH Tale, of the Fourth Day-- How the Lord of Grignaulx rid one of his houses of a pretended ghost.



• The TENTH Tale, of the Fourth Day-- The unhappy history of the Count de Jossebelin's sister, who shut herself up in a hermitage because her brother caused her husband to be slain.

The Lady Oisille, as was her excellent custom, rose up on the morrow very much earlier than the others, and meditating upon her book of Holy Scripture, awaited the company which, little by little, assembled together again. And the more slothful of them excused themselves in the words of the Bible, saying, "I have a wife, and therefore could not come so quickly." (1) In this wise it came to pass that Hircan and his wife Parlamente found the reading of the lesson already begun. Oisille, however, knew right well how to pick out the passage in the Scriptures, which reproves those who neglect the hearing of the Word, and she not only read the text, but also addressed to them such excellent and pious exhortations that it was impossible to weary of listening to her.

     1  "I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come."—St.
     Luke xiv. 20.—M.

The reading ended, Parlamente said to her—

"I felt sorry for my slothfulness when I came in, but since my error has led you to speak to me in such excellent fashion, my laziness has profited me double, for I have had rest of body by sleeping longer, and satisfaction of spirit by hearing your godly discourse." "Well," said Oisille, "let us for penance go to mass and pray Our Lord to give us both will and power to fulfil His commandments; and then may He command us according to His own good pleasure."

As she was saying these words, they reached the church, where they piously heard mass. And afterwards they sat down to table, where Hircan failed not to laugh at the slothfulness of his wife. After dinner they withdrew to rest and study their parts, (2) and when the hour was come, they all found themselves at the wonted spot.

     2  Meaning what they had to relate. The French word is
     rolle from rotulus.—M.

Then Oisille asked Hircan to whom he would give his vote to begin the day.

"If my wife," said he, "had not begun yesterday, I should have given her my vote, for although I always thought that she loved me more than any man alive, she has further proved to me this morning that she loves me better than God or His Word, seeing that she neglected your excellent reading to bear me company. However, since I cannot give my vote to the discreetest lady of the company, I will present it to Geburon, who is the discreetest among the men; and I beg that he will in no wise spare the monks."

"It was not necessary to beg that of me," said Geburon; "I was not at all likely to forget them. Only a short while ago I heard Monsieur de Saint-Vincent, Ambassador of the Emperor, tell a story of them which is well worthy of being rememorated and I will now relate it to you."