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A chaste Death.

The piteous and chaste death of one of the Mulcters wiues of the Queene of Nauarre.

¶The .L. Nouell.

IN the Citie of Amboise, there was a Muleter that serued the Quéene of Nauarre, sister to King Fraunces the first of that name, which was brought a bed of a sōne at Blois: To which Towne the said Muleter was gone to be paide his quarters wages. Whose wife dwelled at Amboise beyond the bridges. It chaunced that of long time one of her husbandes seruantes did so disordinatelye loue her, that vpon a certayne daye he coulde not forbeare but he must néedes vtter the effect of his Loue borne

vnto her. But she bring a right honest woman, tooke her mans sute in very ill part, threatning to make her husbande to beate him, and to put him away, and vsed him in suche wise, that after that tyme he durst not speake thereof no more, no yet to make any signe or semblance. And kept that fier couered within his brest, vntill his Master was ridden out of the towne, and that his maistresse was at euensong at Sainct Floren∣tines, a church of the castle, farre from her house. Who now being alone in the house, began to ymagine how he might attempt that thing by force, which before by no supplication or seruice he was able to attaine. For which purpose, he brake vp a borde betwene his may∣stresse chamber and his. But bicause the curteyns of his maister and maystresse bed, and of the seruauntes of the other side, couered and hid the walles betwene, it could not be perceyued, nor yet his malice discried, vntill suche time as his maistresse was gone to bed, with a little wenche of .xij. yeares of age. And so sone as the pore woman was fallen into her first sléepe, this varlet entred in at a hole which he had broken, and so conueyed himselfe into her bed in his shirte, with a naked sworde in his hand. But so sone as she felt him layed downe by her, she lept out of the bed, going a∣bout to persuade him by such possible meanes as was mete for an honest woman to doe. And he indued with beastly Loue, rather acquainted with the language of his Mulets, than with her honest reasons, shewed him∣self more beastly than the beasts, with whom he had of long time bene comiersant. For, séeing her so ofte to runne aboute the table that he coulde not catche her, and also that she was so strong, that twise she ouer∣came him, in despaire that he shoulde neuer inioy her

a liue, he gaue her a great blowe with his sworde ouer she raynes of the backe, thinking that if feare and force coulde not make her to yelde her selfe, yet payne and smarte should cause her. Howbeit, it chaunced cleane contrarye. For like as a good man of armes when he séeth his owne bloude, is more chafed to reuenge him∣selfe vpon his enemies to acquire honor: euen so the chaste hearte of this woman, did reenforce and for∣tefie her courage in double wise, to auoyde and escape the hands of this wicked varlet, deuising by al meanes possible by fayre wordes to make the varlet to acknow∣ledge his fault. But he was so inflamed with fury, that there was no place in him to receyue good coūcel. And eftsones with his sword, gashed her tender body with diuers and sundry strokes, for the auoyding whereof, so fast as her legges could beare her, she ranne vp and downe the chamber. And when through want of bloud she perceyued death approche, lifting vp her eyes vnto heauē, and ioyning her handes together, gaue thanks vnto God, whom she termed to be her force, her vertue her pacience and chastitie, humbly beseching him to take in good parte the bloude which by his commaun∣dement was sheadde in honor of that precious bloud, which from his owne sonne did issue vpon the Crosse, wherby she did beleue firmely & stedfastly, that all her sinnes were wiped away defaced frō the memorie of his wrath and anger, and in saying,

Lorde receyue my soule which was derely bought and redemed with thy bounty and goodnesse,

she fel downe to the ground vpon her face where the wicked villayne inflicted her body with manifolde blowes. And after she had lost her speache and the force of her body: this moste wicked and abhominable varlet, toke her by force, which had

no more strength and power to defende her selfe. And when he had satisfied his cursed desire, he fledde awaye in suche hast, as afterwardes for all the pursute made after him, he could not be founde. The yong wenche which lay with her, for feare hid her self vnder the bed. But when she perceyued the villayne departed, she came vnto her maistresse, and finding her speachelesse and without mouing, she cried out of the window vn∣to the nexte neighboures to come to succour her. And they which loued her, and estéemed her so well as any woman in the Towne, came presently vnto her, and brought diuers Surgeons with them, who finding vp∣on her body .xxv. mortall woundes, they did so muche as in them laye to helpe her. But it was impossible Howbeit she lay one houre without speache, making signes with her eyes and handes, declaring that she had not lost her vnderstanding being demaunded by the priest, of the fayth wherein she died, and of her sal∣uation, she aunswered by such euident signes, that her speache and communicacion coulde not declare it bet∣ter, howe y^t her trust and confidence was in the death of Iesus Christ, whom she hoped to sée in the celestiall city, and so with a ioyful countenaunce, her eyes erec∣ted vp to the heauēs, she rendred her chast body to the earth, and her soule to her creator. And when she was shrowded ready to the buriall, as her neighbours were attending to follow her to the church, her pore husbād came home, and the first sight he saw, was the body of his deade wife before his dore, whereof before that in∣stante he had no newes. And when he vnderstode the order of her death, he then doubled his sorrow, in such wise that he was also like to die. In this sorte was this martir of Chastitie buried in the Church of S. Flo∣rentine,

where all the honest dames and wiues of the city endeuored themselues to accompany her, & to ho∣nour her with such reuerence as they were able to do: accompting themselues most happye to dwell in that Towne, where a woman of such vertuous behaui∣our did dwel. The folish and wanton persons séeing the honour done to y^e dead body, determined from that time forth, to renew their former life and to chaunge the same into a better.