An anecdote in keeping with this story will be found in Brantôme’s
miscellaneous works (Petitot’s éd., vol. viii. pp. 382-4). The author
of _Les Dames Galantes_, after alluding to his aunt Louise de
Bourdeille--who was brought up at Court by Anne of Brittany--proceeds to
say:--
“A certain Grey Friar, who habitually preached before the Queen, fell so
deeply in love with Mademoiselle de Bourdeille that he completely lost
his wits, and sometimes in his sermons, whilst speaking of the beauty
of the holy virgins of past times, he would so forget himself as to say
some words respecting the beauty of my said aunt, not to mention the
soft glances which he cast at her. And sometimes, whilst in the Queen’s
room, he would take great pleasure in discoursing to her, not with words
of love however, for he would have incurred a whipping, but with other
covert words which tended towards love. My aunt in no wise approved
of his discourses, and made some mention of them to her own and her
companions’ governess. The Queen heard of the matter and could not
believe it, on account of this man’s cloth and holiness. For this reason
she kept silent until a certain Good Friday, when, in accordance with
custom, this friar preached before her on the Holy Passion. The ladies
and the maids, including my aunt, being seated as was their wont before
the reverend father, in full view of him, he, as though giving out the
text and introit of his sermon, began to say: ‘It is for you, lovely
humanity, it is for you that I suffer this day. Thus on a certain
occasion spake our Lord Jesus Christ.’ Then proceeding with his sermon
the friar chronicled all the sufferings and afflictions which Jesus
endured for mankind at His death upon the Cross, and these he compared
to the sufferings that he himself endured on account of my aunt; but in
such covert, such disguised words that even the most enlightened might
have failed to understand their meaning. Queen Anne, however, who was
very expert both in mind and judgment, laid hold of this, and took
counsel as to the real meaning of the sermon, both with certain lords
and ladies and certain learned men who were there present. They all
pronounced the sermon to be most scandalous, and the Grey Friar most
deserving of punishment; for which reason he was secretly chastised and
whipped, and then driven away, without any scandal being made. Such was
the Queen’s reply to the amours of this Grey Friar; and thus was my aunt
well avenged on him for the way in which he had so often importuned her.
In those times it was not allowable, under divers penalties, either to
contradict or to refuse to speak to such people, who, so it was thought,
conversed only of God and the salvation of the soul.”
In Mérimée’s Chronique de Charles IX., there will be found a facetious
sermon by another Grey Friar; this, however, is less in keeping with the
_Heptameron_, than with the character of the discourses delivered by the
preachers of the League.--M.