Now, although this maiden was not one of the fairest—nor yet indeed was she of the ugliest—she was nevertheless so discreet and virtuous that many persons of great consequence sought her in marriage. They had, however, but a cold reply; for the father (3) was so fond of his money that he gave no thought to his daughter’s welfare, while her mistress, as I have said, bore her but little favour, so that she was sought by none who desired to be advanced in the Queen’s good graces.

1 This is evidently Anne of Brittany, elder daughter of Duke
Francis II. and wife in turn of Charles VIII. and Louis XII.
Brantôme says: “She was the first to form that great Court
of ladies which we have seen since her time until now; she
always had a very great suite of ladies and maids, and never
refused fresh ones; far from it, indeed, for she would
inquire of the noblemen at Court if they had daughters, and
would ask that they might be sent to her.”—Lalanne’s
OEuvres de Brantôme, vol. vii. p. 314—L.
2 This by the consent of all the commentators is Anne de
Rohan, elder daughter of John II. Viscount de Rohan, Count
of Porhoët, Léon and La Garnache, by Mary of Brittany,
daughter of Duke Francis I. The date of Anne de Rohan’s
birth is not exactly known, but she is said to have been
about thirty years of age at the time of the tale, though
the incidents related extend over a somewhat lengthy period.
However, we know that Anne was ultimately married to Peter
de Rohan in 1517, when, according to her marriage contract,
she was over thirty-six years old (Les Preuves de Histoire
ecclésiastique et civile de Bretagne, 1756, vol. v. col.
940). From this we may assume that she was thirty in or
about 1510. The historical incidents alluded to in the tale
would, however, appear to have occurred (as will be shown by
subsequent notes) between 1507 and 1509, and we are of
opinion that the Queen of Navarre has made her heroine
rather older than she really was, and that the story indeed
begins in or about 1505, when Rolandine can have been little
more than five or six and twenty.—Ed.
3 See notes to Tale XL. (vol. iv).

Thus, owing to her father’s neglect and her mistress’s disdain, the poor maiden continued unmarried for a long while; and this at last made her sad at heart, not so much because she longed to be married as because she was ashamed at not being so, wherefore she forsook the vanities and pomps of the Court and gave herself up wholly to the worship of God. Her sole delight consisted in prayer or needlework, and thus in retirement she passed her youthful years, living in the most virtuous and holy manner imaginable.

Now, when she was approaching her thirtieth year, there was at Court a gentleman who was a Bastard of a high and noble house; (4) he was one of the pleasantest comrades and most worshipful men of his day, but he was wholly without fortune, and possessed of such scant comeliness that no lady would have chosen him for her lover.

4 One cannot absolutely identify this personage; but judging
by what is said of him in the story—that he came of a great
house, that he was very brave but poor, neither rich enough
to marry Rolandine nor handsome enough to be made a lover
of, and that a lady, who was a near relative of his, came to
the Court after his intrigue had been going on for a couple
of years—he would certainly appear to be John, Bastard of
Angoulôme, a natural son of Count John the Good, and
consequently half-brother to Charles of Angoulôme ( who
married Louise of Savoy) and uncle to Francis I. and Queen
Margaret. In Père Anselme’s Histoire Généalogique de la
Maison de France, vol. i. p. 210 B. there is a record of
the letters of legitimisation granted to the Bastard of
Angoulême at his father’s request in June 1458, and M. Paul
Lacroix points out that if Rolandine’s secret marriage to
him took place in or about 1508, he would then have been
about fifty years old, hardly the age for a lover. The
Bastard is, however, alluded to in the tale as a man of
mature years, and as at the outset of the intrigue (1505) he
would have been but forty-seven, we incline with M. de Lincy
to the belief that he is the hero of it.—Eu.

Thus this poor gentleman had continued unmated, and as one unfortunate often seeks out another, he addressed himself to Rolandine, whose fortune, temper and condition were like his own. And while they were engaged in mutually lamenting their woes, they became very fond of each other, and finding that they were companions in misfortune, sought out one another everywhere, so that they might exchange consolation, in this wise setting on foot a deep and lasting attachment.

Those who had known Rolandine so very retiring that she would speak to none, were now greatly shocked on seeing her unceasingly with the well-born Bastard, and told her governess that she ought not to suffer their long talks together. The governess, therefore, remonstrated with Rolandine, and told her that every one was shocked at her conversing so freely with a man who was neither rich enough to marry her nor handsome enough to be her lover.

To this Rolandine, who had always been rebuked rather for austereness than for worldliness, replied—

“Alas, mother, you know that I cannot have a husband of my own condition, and that I have always shunned such as are handsome and young, fearing to fall into the same difficulties as others. And since this gentleman is discreet and virtuous, as you yourself know, and tells me nothing that is not honourable and right, what harm can I have done to you and to those that have spoken of the matter, by seeking from him some consolation in my grief?”

The poor old woman, who loved her mistress more than she loved herself, replied—