Harvard Classics, vol 38 | Page 6

they are in love. Moreover, he made them
dance the Brittany triori, without moving feet or hips: he made the
gentlemen see and hear many good things.
At other tunes they made the wrestlers of the towns and Villages come,
where there was a prize for the best: and the sport was not ended but
that one or other had a leg or arm broken, or the shoulder or hip
dislocated.
There was a little man of Low Brittany, of a square body and well set,
who long held the credit of the field, and by his skill and strength threw
five or six to the ground. There came against him a big man, one
Dativo, a pedagogue, who was said to be one of the best wrestlers in all
Brittany: he entered into the lists, having thrown off his long jacket, in
hose and doublet: when he was near the little man, it looked as though
the little man had been tied to his girdle. Nevertheless, when they
gripped each other round the neck, they were a long time without doing
anything, and we thought they would remain equal in force and skill:
but the little man suddenly leaped beneath this big Dativo, and took
him on his shoulder, and threw him to earth on his back all spread out
like a frog; and all the company laughed at the skill and strength of the
little fellow. The great Dativo was furious to have been thus thrown to

earth by so small a man: he rose again in a rage, and would have his
revenge. They took hold again round the neck, and were again a good
while at their hold without falling to the ground: but at last the big man
let himself fall upon the little, and in falling put his elbow upon the pit
of his stomach, and burst his heart, and killed him stark dead. And
knowing he had given him his death's blow, took again his long
cassock, and went away with his tail between his legs, and eclipsed
himself. Seeing the little man came not again to himself, either for wine,
vinegar, or any other thing presented to him, I drew near to him and felt
his pulse, which did not beat at all: then I said he was dead. Then the
Bretons, who were assisting at the wrestling, said aloud in their jargon,
"Andraze meuraquet enes rac un bloa so abeuduex henelep e barz an
gouremon enel ma hoa engoustun." That is to say, "That is not in the
sport." And someone said that this great Dativo was accustomed to do
so, and but a year past he had done the same at a wrestling. I must
needs open the body to know the cause of this sudden death. I found
much blood in the thorax. ... I tried to find some internal opening
whence it might have come, which I could not, for all the diligence that
I could use. ... The poor little wrestler was buried. I took leave of MM.
de Rohan, de Laval, and d'Estampes. M. de Rohan made me a present
of fifty double ducats and a horse, M. de Laval gave me a nag for my
man, and M. d'Estampes gave me a diamond worth thirty crowns: and I
returned to my house in Paris.

THE JOURNEY TO PERPIGNAN. 1543
Some while after, M. de Rohan took me with him posting to the camp
at Perpignan. While we were there, the enemy sallied out, and
surrounded three pieces of our artillery before they were beaten back to
the gates of the city. Which was not done without many killed and
wounded, among the others M. de Brissac, who was then grand master
of the artillery, with an arquebus-shot in the shoulder. When he retired
to his tent, all the wounded followed him, hoping to be dressed by the
surgeons who were to dress him. Being come to his tent and laid on his
bed, the bullet was searched for by three or four of the best surgeons in
the army, who could not find it, but said it had entered into his body.
At last he called for me, to see if I could be more skilful than they,
because he had known me in Piedmont. Then I made him rise from his

bed, and told him to put himself in the same posture that he had when
he was wounded, which he did, taking a javelin in his hand just as he
had held his pike to fight. I put my hand around the wound, and found
the bullet. ... Having found it, I showed them the place where it was,
and it was taken out by M. Nicole Lavernot, surgeon of M. the Dauphin,
who