5 Gilles du Mesnil, Lieutenant-General of the presidial
bailiwick and Sénéchaussée of Alençon.--B. J.
This mode of life lasted a long time, during which she had the Bishop
for her profit and the said Du Mesnil for her pleasure. To the latter
she swore that she showed a fair countenance to the Bishop only that
their own love might the more freely continue; that the Bishop, in
spite of appearances, had obtained only words, from her; and that he,
Du Mesnil, might rest assured that no man, save himself, should ever
receive aught else.
One day, when her husband was setting forth to visit the Bishop, she
asked leave of him to go into the country, saying that the air of the
town was injurious to her; and, when she had arrived at her farm, she
forthwith wrote to Du Mesnil to come and see her, without fail, at
about ten o’clock in the evening. This the young man did; but as he was
entering at the gate he met the maid who was wont to let him in, and who
said to him, “Go elsewhere, friend, for your place is taken.”
Supposing that the husband had arrived, he asked her how matters stood.
The woman, seeing that he was so handsome, youthful, and well-bred, and
was withal so loving and yet so little loved, took pity upon him and
told him of his mistress’s wantonness, thinking that on hearing this he
would be cured of loving her so much. She related to him that the Bishop
of Sees had but just arrived, and was now in bed with the lady, a thing
which the latter had not expected, for he was not to have come until
the morrow. However, he had detained her husband at his house, and had
stolen away at night to come secretly and see her. If ever man was in
despair it was Du Mesnil, who nevertheless was quite unable to believe
the story. He hid himself, however, in a house near by, and watched
until three hours after midnight, when he saw the Bishop come forth
disguised, yet not so completely but that he could recognise him more
readily than he desired.
Du Mesnil in his despair returned to Alençon, whither, likewise, his
wicked mistress soon came, and went to speak to him, thinking to deceive
him according to her wont. But he told her that, having touched sacred
things, she was too holy to speak to a sinner like himself, albeit
his repentance was so great that he hoped his sin would very soon be
forgiven him. When she learnt that her deceit was found out, and that
excuses, oaths, and promises never to act in a like way again were of
no avail, she complained of it to her Bishop. Then, having weighed the
matter with him, she went to her husband and told him that she could no
longer dwell in the town of Alençon, for the Lieutenant’s son, whom he
had so greatly esteemed among his friends, pursued her unceasingly
to rob her of her honour. She therefore begged of him to abide at
Argentan,(6) in order that all suspicion might be removed.
6 Argentan, on the Orne, twenty-six miles from Alençon, had
been a distinct viscounty, but at this period it belonged to
the duchy of Alençon.--Ed.
The husband, who suffered himself to be ruled by his wife, consented;
but they had not been long at Argentan when this bad woman sent a
message to Du Mesnil, saying that he was the wickedest man in the world,
for she knew full well that he had spoken evilly (sic.) of her and
of the Bishop of Sees; however, she would strive her best to make him
repent of it.
The young man, who had never spoken of the matter except to herself,
and who feared to fall into the bad graces of the Bishop, repaired to
Argentan with two of his servants, and finding his mistress at vespers
in the church of the Jacobins,(7) he went and knelt beside her, and
said--
“I am come hither, madam, to swear to you before God that I have never
spoken of your honour to any person but yourself. You treated me so ill
that I did not make you half the reproaches you deserved; but if there
be man or woman ready to say that I have ever spoken of the matter to
them, I am here to give them the lie in your presence.”
7 The name of Jacobins was given to the monks of the
Dominican Order, some of whom had a monastery in the suburbs
of Argentan.--Ed.
Seeing that there were many people in the church, and that he was
accompanied by two stout serving-men, she forced herself to speak as
graciously as she could. She told him that she had no doubt he spoke the
truth, and that she deemed him too honourable a man to make evil report
of any one in the world; least of all of herself, who bore him so much
friendship; but since her husband had heard the matter spoken of, she
begged him to say in his presence that he had not so spoken and did not
so believe.
To this he willingly agreed, and, wishing to attend her to her house, he
offered to take her arm; but she told him it was not desirable that he
should come with her, for her husband would think that she had put these
words into his mouth. Then, taking one of his serving-men by the sleeve,
she said--
“Leave me this man, and as soon as it is time I will send him to seek
you. Meanwhile do you go and rest in your lodging.”
He, having no suspicion of her conspiracy against him, went thither.
She gave supper to the serving-man whom she had kept with her, and who
frequently asked her when it would be time to go and seek his master;
but she always replied that his master would come soon enough. When it
was night, she sent one of her own serving-men to fetch Du Mesnil; and
he, having no suspicion of the mischief that was being prepared for
him, went boldly to St. Aignan’s house. As his mistress was still
entertaining his servant there, he had but one with himself.
Just as he was entering the house, the servant who had been sent to
him told him that the lady wished to speak with him before he saw her
husband, and that she was waiting for him in a room where she was alone
with his own serving-man; he would therefore do well to send his other
servant away by the front door. This he did. Then while he was going up
a small, dark stairway, the Proctor St. Aignan, who had placed some
men in ambush in a closet, heard the noise, and demanded what it was;
whereupon he was told that a man was trying to enter secretly into his
house.
At the moment, a certain Thomas Guérin, a murderer by trade, who had
been hired by the Proctor for the purpose, came forward and gave the
poor young man so many sword-thrusts that whatever defence he was able
to make could not save him from falling dead in their midst.