The Baron des Adrets, one of the Generals of the Huguenots, took during the Wars a Castle belonging to the Catholicks, and condemn’d all the Soldiers that had defended it, to leap out at a Window of that Castle; one of them advanc’d twice to the brink of the Precipice, and still he shrunk back; whereupon the Baron told him, Come, take your Leap without any more ado, for I’ll make you suffer greater Torments if you go back a third time. Sir, answer’d the Soldier, since you take the thing to be so easy, I lay you don’t do it in four times. Which so pleas’d the Baron, that as cruel as he was, he pardoned the Soldier upon accout of this Repartee.
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Le Baron des Adrets, l’un des chefs du Parti Huguenot, prit durant la Guerre un Chateau du Parti des Catholiques, & condamna les Soldats qui l’avoient defendu à sauter du haut en bas d’une Tour de ce Chateau; Un du ces Soldats s’avança par deux fois au bord du Precipice, & s’en recula par deux fois; le Baron lui dit, Saute donc sans tant marchander, car je vais te faire souffrir bien d’autres tourmens si tu recules pour la troisiéme fois. Monsieur, lui repondit le Soldat, Puisque vous trouvez la chose si facile, je vous la donne en quatre: Ce qui plût à ce Baron, qui tout cruel qu’il étoit, lui pardonna en faveur de ce bon mot.
87
A young Lady being in Company with her Husband, they began to tell merry Stories, and every one had his own; when it came to the Ladies turn, she was pleas’d to relate all the Stratagems that a Spark had us’d to get one Night into the Room of a Woman he lov’d, and whose Husband was absent; but it fell out unluckily as they were together, very well pleas’d with one another, that the Husband comes and knocks at the Door. So you may imagine, said she, what Trouble I was in. This preposterous Reflexion cast her Husband into another sort of Trouble, by giving him to understand what share he had in this Adventure; and how his Wife had blurted out a Truth, which she never design’d to let him know.
87
Une jeune Dame ètant en Compagnie avec son Mary, on se mit sur les bons Contes, & chacun dit ceux qu’il savoit; la Dame en voulut dire un à son tour, & raconta toutes les addresses dont un Galand s’ètoit servi pour s’introduire la nuit dans la Chambre d’une Femme qu’il aimoit, & dont le Mary ètoit absent; mais par malheur, ajoûta-t-elle, comme ils ètoient en semble, fort contens l’un de l’autre, Voici le Mari qui revint frapper à la porte: Imaginez vous, dit elle, alors l’embarras où je fus. Cette reflexion mal placée, jetta son Mary dans un autre embarras, en lui faisant connoitre la part qu’il avoit en cette avanture, & comme sa femme, sans y penser, avoit laissé échapper une verité qu’elle n’avoit pas intention de lui apprendre.
88
Count Mansfelt having received three Routings in Germany, went to the French King for new Recruits. As he was seeing the two Queens one day at Dinner, the Queen Mother said, They say Count Mansfelt is here among the Croud. I do not believe it, said the young Queen, for whensoever he sees a Spaniard he runs away.
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