The Tales of the Heptameron, Vol. II | Page 9

King of Spain dwelt, and when she came to Saragossa, which was
not far from her house, she would remain a long while with the Queen
and the Court, by whom she was held in as high esteem as any lady
could be.
2 Aranda, in the valley of the Duero, between Burgos and Madrid, is
one of the most ancient towns in Spain, but of miserable aspect,
although a large trade is carried on there in cheap red wines. (Ferdinand
and Isabella resided for some time at Aranda.--Ed.)
Going one day, according to her custom, to visit the King, then at his
castle of La Jasserye, (3) at Saragossa, this lady passed through a
village belonging to the Viceroy of Catalonia, (4) who, by reason of the
great wars between the kings of France and Spain, had not been wont to
stir from the frontier at Perpignan. But for the time being there was
peace, so that the Viceroy and all his captains had come to do homage
to the King. The Viceroy, learning that the Countess of Aranda was
passing through his domain, went to meet her, not only for the sake of
the ancient friendship he bore her, but in order to do her honour as a
kinswoman of the King's.
3 This castle is called La Jafferie in Boaistuau's edition of 1558, and
several learned commentators have speculated as to which is the correct
spelling. Not one of them seems to have been aware that in the
immediate vicinity of Saragossa there still stands an old castle called El

Jaferia or Aljaferia, which, after being the residence of the Moorish
sovereigns, became that of the Spanish kings of Aragon. It has of
modern times been transformed into barracks.--Ed.
4 Henry of Aragon, Duke of Segorbe and Count of Ribagorce, was
Viceroy of Catalonia at this period. He was called the Infante of
Fortune, on account of his father having died before his birth in
1445.--B. J.
Now he had in his train many honourable gentlemen, who, in the long
waging of war, had gained such great honour and renown that all who
saw them and consorted with them deemed themselves fortunate.
Among others there was one named Amadour, who, although but
eighteen or nineteen years old, was possessed of such well-assured
grace and of such excellent understanding that he would have been
chosen from a thousand to hold a public office. It is true that this
excellence of understanding was accompanied by such rare and
winsome beauty that none could look at him without pleasure. And if
his comeliness was of the choicest, it was so hard pressed by his speech
that one knew not whether to give the greatest honour to his grace, his
beauty, or the excellence of his conversation.
What caused him, however, to be still more highly esteemed was his
great daring, which was no whit diminished by his youth. He had
already shown in many places what he could do, so that not only the
Spains, but France and Italy also made great account of his merits. For
in all the wars in which he had taken part he had never spared himself,
and when his country was at peace he would go in quest of wars in
foreign lands, where he was loved and honoured by both friend and foe.
This gentleman, for the love he bore his commander, had come to the
domain where the Countess of Aranda had arrived, and remarking the
beauty and grace of her daughter Florida, who was then only twelve
years old, he thought to himself that she was the fairest maiden he had
ever seen, and that if he could win her favour it would give him greater
satisfaction than all the wealth and pleasure he might obtain from
another. After looking at her for a long time he resolved to love her,
although his reason told him that what he desired was impossible by

reason of her lineage as well as of her age, which was such that she
could not yet understand any amorous discourse. In spite of this, he
fortified himself with hope, and reflected that time and patience might
bring his efforts to a happy issue. And from that moment the kindly
love, which of itself alone had entered Amadour's heart, assured him of
all favour and the means of attaining his end.
To overcome the greatest difficulty before him, which consisted in the
remoteness of his own home and the few opportunities he would have
of seeing Florida again, he resolved to get married. This was contrary
to what he had determined whilst with the ladies of Barcelona and
Perpignan, in which places he was in such favour that little or nothing
was refused him; and, indeed, by reason of