The Heptameron

by Marguerite de Navarre

  Nouvelles, texte critique établi et présenté par Yves Le Hir, Paris, Presses Universitaires de France, 1967.

  Reproduces Bibliothèque Nationale’s Fr. 1524, which is an edition of the Heptaméron by Adrien de Thou. Seventy-two tales without the Gruget substitutions but with its own version of tale 52 and reworkings of the transitional dialogues.

  Three Sixteenth-Century Conteurs, selected and edited with introductions and notes by A. J. Krailsheimer, MA, Oxford University Press, 1966.

  As well as extracts from Des Périers and du Fail there are extracts from the Heptaméron: the Prologue, and tales 17, 31, 35, 49, 50, 60, 65, 67. François’s text is reproduced. There is a useful introduction.

  Tales from the Heptaméron, selected and edited by H. P. Clive, London, The Athlone Press, 1970.

  Reproduces the de Thou manuscript with a small number of corrections. Selects Prologue and tales 4, 5, 8, 9, 12, 18, 19, 24, 26, 29, 31, 34, 35, 36, 37, 40, 44, 53, 55, 56, 57, 63, 67. Useful introduction, notes and glossary.

  2. MAIN ENGLISH TRANSLATIONS

  The Queene of Navarre’s Tales. Containing Verie pleasant Discourses of fortunate lovers. Now newly translated out of French into English, London, printed by V. S. for John Oxenbridge, and are to be sold at his shop in Paule’s churchyard at the sign of the Parot, 1597.

  Heptameron or the History of the Fortunate Lovers; Written by the most Excellent and most Virtuous Princess Margaret de Valoys, Queen of Navarre; Published in French by the Privilege and immediate Approbation of the King; Now made English by Robert Codrington, Master of Arts, London, printed by F. L. for Nath. Ekins, and are to be sold at his Shop at the Gun, by the West-End of St Paul’s, 1654.

  Novels, Tales and Stories. Written Originally in French, by Marguerite de Valois, Queen of Navar. And Printed by Order of the French King. Translated into English by several Hands, London, printed for W. Chetwood, at Cato’s Head, in Russel-Street, Covent Garden, and T. Edlin over-against Exeter Exchange in the Strand. (Price 6d.) (Published about 1750.)

  The Heptameron of Margaret, Queen of Navarre. Translated from the French, with a Memoir of the Author, by W. H. Kelly, London, Henry G. Bohn, 1855. (In Bohn’s Extra Volume.)

  The Heptameron of Tales and Novels of Marguerite, Queen of Navarre, now first completely done into English prose and verse, from the original French, by A. Machen, privately printed, 1885.

  The Heptameron of the Tales of Margaret, Queen of Navarre. Newly Translated [by John Smith Chartres] from the Authentic Text of M. Le Roux de Lincy. With an Essay upon the Heptameron by George Saintsbury, M.A. Also the Original Seventy-three Full-page Engravings Designed by S. Freudenberg and One Hundred and Fifty Head and Tail Pieces by Dunker, 5 vols., London, printed for the Society of English Bibliophilists, 1894.

  Unexpurgated Edition. The Heptameron. Tales of Marguerite, Queen of Navarre. New Translation from the French, London. The Temple Company, n.d. (The introduction is signed ‘W’. Cataloguers attribute the translation to W. M. Thomson and give the date as 1896.)

  3. SELECTED READING RELATING TO THE HEPTAMÉRON

  Brantôme (Pierre de Bourdeille), Oeuvres Complètes, éd. L. Lalanne, vol. 8, Des Dames, Paris, 1875.

  N. Cazauran, L’Heptaméron de Marguerite de Navarre, Paris, 1976.

  P. F. Cholakian, Rape and Writing in the Heptameron of Marguerite de Navarre, Carbondale, IL, 1991.

  B. J. Davies, The Storytellers in Marguerite de Navarre’s Heptameron, Lexington, 1978.

  C.-G. Dubois, ‘Fonds mythique et jeu des sens dans le “Prologue” de I Heptaméron’, in Etudes seizièmistes offertes à V.-L. Saulnier, Geneva, 1980.

  J. Gelernt, World of Many Loves: The Heptameron of Marguerite de Navarre, Chapel Hill, 1966.

  P. Jourda, Marguerite d’Angoulême, Duchesse d’Alençon, Reine de Navarre (1492—1549), Paris, 1930.

  A. J. Krailsheimer, ‘The Heptaméron Reconsidered’, in The French Renaissance and its Heritage, London, 1968.

  G. Mathieu-Castellani, La conversation conteuse: les nouvelles de Marguerite de Navarre, Paris, 1992.

  D. Stone, Jr, ‘Observations on the Text of the Histoires des amans fortunez’, Renaissance Quarterly, vol. XXXIII, no. 2, 1980.

  E.V Telle, L’Oeuvre de Marguerite d’Angoulême, reine de Navarre, et la Querelle des Femmes, Toulouse, 1937.

  R. Salmninen, Marguerite de Navarre, Heptameron, Edition critique, Helsinki, 1991.

  M. Tetel, Marguerite de Navarre’s Heptaméron: Themes, Language, and Structure, Durham, NC, 1973.

  THE HEPTAMERON

  NOTE Square brackets [ ] denote readings from de Thou – see Introduction, p. 26.

  SUMMARIES OF THE STORIES

  FIRST DAY:

  A COLLECTION OF LOW TRICKS PLAYED BY WOMEN ON MEN AND BY MEN ON WOMEN

  Prologue

  60

  Story 1

  71 A procurator’s wife, having been pursued by the Bishop of Sées, finds it profitable to accept his advances, but, no more content with the Bishop than with her husband, she finds more pleasure in a liaison with the son of the Lieutenant-General of Alençon, who is eventually butchered on her instructions by her husband, who is himself sent to the galleys along with a notorious sorcerer called Gallery.

  Story 2

  79 A mule-driver’s wife from Amboise prefers to die at the hand of a servant, rather than to submit to his evil desires.

  Story 3

  83 The Queen of Naples has revenge on her unfaithful husband, King Alfonso, by taking his mistress’s husband as her lover, an arrangement that endures to the end of their days, without the King ever suspecting.

  Story 4

  90 A young lord having met a lady of Flanders of higher birth than himself, and the sister of his master, and seeing she is twice a widow and a woman of character, wonders if a high-minded love-affair might not interest her. She refuses, he decides on violence, and she resists, but upon the advice of her lady-in-waiting keeps the matter quiet, and by degrees cuts the young man off, so that in the end his stupid presumption loses him such advantage as he had.

  Story 5

  98 Two Franciscans from Niort plot to rape the boatwoman ferrying them across the river at Coulon, but she, being as resourceful as she is virtuous, outwits them, so that they end up being handed over to the law, and by the law to the Father Superior of their convent, who punishes them as he sees fit.

  Story 6

  102 An old valet de chambre of the Duke of Alençon, who is blind in one eye, discovers his wife is having an affair with a young man, attempts to catch them out but is caught himself instead.

  Story 7

  105 Thanks to a certain merchant’s cleverness an old woman is tricked and her daughter’s honour saved.

  Story 8

  108 A man called Bornet, less faithful to his wife than she to him, wants to sleep with the chambermaid, and tells a friend, who, hoping to share in the spoils, joins in the plot, with the result that the husband goes to bed with his own wife, and unbeknown to both his wife and himself, arranges for his friend to go to bed with her too.

  Story 9

  115 A gentleman’s perfect love for his lady is so closely guarded that it leads him to his death, to the great grief of his beloved.

  Story 10

  122 Lady Florida, after the death of her husband, virtuously resists the advances of Amador who seeks to sully her honour, and withdraws to the religious life.

  SECOND DAY:

  ON WHICH IS DISCUSSED ALL MANNER OF THOUGHTS, AT THE PLEASURE OF THE STORYTELLERS

  Prologue

  155

  Story 11

  156 Madame de Roncex visits the Franciscan convent, is taken short and is discovered in an embarrassing condition by her male companions.

  Story 12

  158 The Duke of Florence, failing to capture the ear of the lady he loves, seeks to have her favours by means of the brother, who ostensibly agrees, but murders the Duke in his bed, thereby ridding his country of a tyrant, saving his own life and pr
eserving the honour of his family.

  Story 13

  167 A galley captain devotes himself to the service of a certain lady, and sends her a diamond, which the lady returns to the captain’s wife, whereby the captain and his wife are reconciled, and the captain’s conscience lightened.

  Story 14

  181 The Seigneur de Bonnivet seeks to revenge himself on a lady’s cruelty, and advises an Italian gentleman on how he may win her favours, only to take the gentleman’s place and win the lady for himself.

  Story 15

  189 An ordinary gentleman of the court marries a rich lady through the good offices of King Francis, but neglects her, with the result that in her sorrow and despair she resolves to seek solace elsewhere.

  Story 16

  204 A lady of Milan, the widow of an Italian count, is determined never to remarry, or to love another man, but is wooed with such vigour and perseverance by a certain Frenchman that she grants his heart’s desire and eternal amity is sworn between them.

  Story 17

  210 King Francis, upon being requested to send Count Wilhelm from the kingdom for plotting against him, handles the Count in such a subtle manner that the Count departs of his own accord.

  Story 18

  214 A young scholar is in love with a most beautiful lady, and, in order to achieve his ends, succeeds in overcoming himself and his passionate desires in spite of all temptations, so that all his suffering turns to joy and the constancy of his love is rewarded.

  Story 19

  220 Paulina is in love with a gentleman, and he with her, but, being forbidden to speak to her, he becomes an Observant Franciscan, and she a nun of St Clare, in order to realize her desire that they should be united both in attire and manner of life.

  Story 20

  231 The Seigneur de Riant loves a widow who has long refused to grant his heart’s desires, but a certain incident quenches in an instant the long-smouldering fire in his soul.

  THIRD DAY:

  OF LADIES WHO HAVE GOODNESS AND PURITY IN LOVE AND OF THE HYPOCRISY AND WICKEDNESS OF MONKS

  Prologue

  235

  Story 21

  236 Rolandine, at the age of thirty, neglected by her father and disliked by her mistress, falls in love with a bastard of noble birth, to whom she promises herself in marriage, and, being in consequence still more harshly treated by her father, remains constant till the bastard’s death, whereafter she is married to a gentleman who bears the arms of her own family.

  Story 22

  255 Sister Marie Héroët is dishonourably approached by the Prior of Saint Martin-des-Champs, whom by the grace of God she vanquishes, to his discomfiture, and to her exaltation.

  Story 23

  267 Through holding too much in awe the order of Saint Francis, a gentleman of Périgord, his wife and his little child come to a tragic end.

  Story 24

  275 Elisor, too forward in disclosing his love to the Queen of Castile, is cruelly treated by her, is put to the test, brought much suffering, but in the end much profit.

  Story 25

  286 A certain young Prince, under the pretext of visiting his lawyer on business, pays court to the wife and eventually has his desires fulfilled.

  Story 26

  292 On the sisterly counsel of a good lady, the Seigneur d’Avannes renounces an unwise passion for a certain noblewoman residing near Pamplona.

  Story 27

  307 A certain secretary seeks the illicit favours of the wife of his host and colleague, but the virtuous wife tricks him, and reveals his designs to her husband.

  Story 28

  310 Bernard du Ha tricks a certain secretary who is trying to trick him.

  Story 29

  314 A certain curé is surprised by a farmer with whose wife he is frolicking, but thinks up a way of making his escape without the husband’s noticing.

  Story 30

  317 A young nobleman of some fourteen or fifteen years of age, thinking he is sleeping with one of his mother’s ladies, has relations with his mother, who nine months later gives birth to a little girl, who twelve or thirteen years later marries the young man, who is entirely unaware that he is her father and her brother, just as she is entirely unaware that she is his daughter and his sister.

  FOURTH DAY:

  PRINCIPALLY OF THE VIRTUE AND LONG-SUFFERING OF LADIES IN THE WINNING OVER OF THEIR HUSBANDS, AND OF THE PRUDENCE OF MEN WITH RESPECT TO THEIR WIVES FOR THE PRESERVATION OF THE HONOUR OF THEIR HOUSE AND LINEAGE

  Prologue

  324

  Story 31

  326 A Franciscan house is burned to the ground together with the friars in it as a perpetual reminder of the cruelties perpetrated by one of them upon a certain noble lady.

  Story 32

  331 Bernage hears of the macabre humiliation imposed as a penance upon a certain noble German lady by her husband, and persuades the husband to forget the past and take pity upon his wife, with the consequence that they are reconciled and raise several fine children.

  Story 33

  337 The sordid hypocrisy of a certain curé who under the cloak of sanctity got his sister with child, and how he was unmasked thanks to the good Count of Angoulême and handed over to the authorities.

  Story 34

  341 Two friars eavesdrop upon their hosts, and as a result of a misunderstanding put their lives in jeopardy.

  Story 35

  346 How a lady from Pamplona, thinking that spiritual love carries no dangers, strives to win the consideration of a Franciscan friar, and how her sensible husband without disclosing his knowledge of the matter succeeds in turning her against that which once she most adored, with the result that she devotes herself entirely to him.

  Story 36

  353 By means of a salad a certain President of Grenoble avenges himself upon a young clerk with whom his wife is having an affair, and preserves the honour of his house.

  Story 37

  358 Madame de Loué, by means of virtue and long-suffering, wins back her husband from his wicked life, with the result that both live in happiness greater than ever before.

  Story 38

  362 A townswoman of Tours is badly treated by her husband, but by treating him generously in return leads him to give up his liaison with a woman who farmed his land, and to go back to her.

  Story 39

  365 The Seigneur de Grignols delivers his house from a ghost that has troubled his wife so much that she had been unable to live there for two whole years.

  Story 40

  368 How the sister of the Comte de Jossebelin marries without her brother’s knowledge a gentleman; how, in spite of his liking for this gentleman, the brother subsequently has him killed because he is of a different house; and how his widow spends the rest of her days in the austerity of a hermitage.

  FIFTH DAY:

  OF WOMEN AND GIRLS WHO HAVE HELD HONOUR DEARER THAN PLEASURE, OF SOME WHO HAVE DONE THE OPPOSITE, AND OF THE SIMPLICITY OF OTHERS

  Prologue

  376

  Story 41

  377 On Christmas Eve a young noblewoman goes for confession to a Franciscan friar, who imposes such an extraordinary penance that she goes away without absolution, with the result that her mistress has the man flogged, bound and sent back to his Superior.

  Story 42

  381 A young Prince falls in love with a girl whose favours in spite of her lowly station he fails to win, with the result that in recognition of her virtue the Prince abandons the chase, holds her in great esteem for the rest of his days and marries her to a gentleman of his service.

  Story 43

  392 Jambique, preferring worldly renown to purity of conscience, desires to appear before men otherwise than as she truly is, but her lover unmasks her hypocrisy by means of a piece of chalk, thereby revealing the baseness she is at such pains to conceal.

  Story 44

  398 The Seigneur de Sedan doubles his offering to a certain Franciscan friar, and gives him two pigs instead of one bec
ause he does not try to disguise the truth.

  Story 45

  401 A certain tapestry-maker is asked by his wife to whip a chambermaid upon the feast of Holy Innocents, which he does in such a fashion that he bestows upon her those privileges that rightly belong to his wife alone, while the wife, being but simple-minded, refuses to believe such wickedness of her husband in spite of her neighbour’s efforts to disabuse her.

  Story 46

  406 A Franciscan by the name of De Vale is invited to dinner at the house of a judge, follows the wife up into the attic and is kicked downstairs for his trouble, whereupon he flees the town and takes refuge in the house of a lady so infatuated with the members of his order that she entrusts him with the chastisement of her daughter, whom he rapes.

  Story 47

  410 Two noblemen live together in such perfect friendship and trust that with the exception of the wife of one of them all they have is shared equally, until one day the married gentleman comes ground-lessly to suspect his friend, who, deeply insulted, swears he will not rest till he has in reality cuckolded his companion.

  Story 48

  414 A wicked old friar staying with a younger brother at an inn where a wedding feast is taking place waits till the bride leaves the party in order to take the place of the bridegroom, who is dancing with the guests.