The Tales of the Heptameron, Vol. V | Page 7

came back looking and asking for his sugar
everywhere.
3 M. Duval, archivist of the Orne, states that La Tirelière, which is
situated near St. Germain-du-Corbois, within three miles of Alençon, is
an old gentilhommière or manor-house, surrounded by a moat. It was
originally a simple vavassonrie held in fief from the Counts and Dukes
of Alençon by the Pantolf and Crouches families, and in the
seventeenth century was merged into the marquisate of L'Isle.--M.
4 Sugar was at this period sold by apothecaries, and was a rare and
costly luxury. There were loaves of various sizes, but none so large as
those of the present time.--M.
The gentleman, thinking that he had cleverly tricked him, then went in
haste to a tavern with his crony, to whom he said--
"Our breakfast has been paid for at the cost of that varlet."
When he was come to the tavern he called for good bread, good wine
and good meat, for he thought that he had wherewith to pay. But whilst
he was eating, as he began to grow warm, his sugar-loaf in its turn
began to thaw and melt, and filled the whole room with the smell
peculiar to it, whereupon he, who carried it in his bosom, grew wroth

with the waiting-woman, and said to her--
"You are the filthiest folks that ever I knew in this town, for either you
or your children have strewn all this room with filth."
"By St. Peter!" replied the woman, "there is no filth here unless you
have brought it in yourselves."
Thereupon they rose, by reason of the great stench that they smelt, and
went up to the fire, where the gentleman drew out of his bosom a
handkerchief all dyed with the melted sugar, and on opening his robe,
lined with fox-skin, found it to be quite spoiled.
And all that he was able to say to his crony was this--
"The rogue whom we thought to deceive has deceived us instead."
Then they paid their reckoning and went away as vexed as they had
been merry on their arrival, when they fancied they had tricked the
apothecary's varlet. (5)
5 In MS. 1520, this tale ends in the following manner:-- "They were no
sooner in the street than they perceived the apothecary's man going
about and making inquiry of every one whether they had not seen a loaf
of sugar wrapped in paper. They [the advocate and his companion]
sought to avoid him, but he called aloud to the advocate, 'If you have
my loaf of sugar, sir, I beg that you will give it back to me, for 'tis a
double sin to rob a poor servant.' His shouts brought to the spot many
people curious to witness the dispute, and the true circumstances of the
case were so well proven, that the apothecary's man was as glad to have
been robbed as the others were vexed at having committed such a nasty
theft. However, they comforted themselves with the hope that they
might some day give him tit for tat."--Ed.
"Often, ladies, do we see the like befall those who delight in using such
cunning. If the gentleman had not sought to eat at another's expense, he
would not have drunk so vile a beverage at his own. It is true, ladies,
that my story is not a very clean one, but you gave me license to speak

the truth, and I have done so in order to show you that no one is sorry
when a deceiver is deceived."
"It is commonly said," replied Hircan, "that words have no stink, yet
those for whom they are intended do not easily escape smelling them."
"It is true," said Oisille, "that such words do not stink, but there are
others which are spoken of as nasty, and which are of such evil odour
that they disgust the soul even more than the body is disgusted when it
smells such a sugar-loaf as you described in the tale."
"I pray you," said Hircan, "tell me what words you know of so foul as
to sicken both the heart and soul of a virtuous woman."
"It would indeed be seemly," replied Oisille, "that I should tell you
words which I counsel no woman to utter."
"By that," said Saffredent, "I quite understand what those terms are.
They are such as women desirous of being held discreet do not
commonly employ. But I would ask all the ladies present why, when
they dare not utter them, they are so ready to laugh at them when they
are used in their presence."
Then said Parlamente--
"We do not laugh because we hear such pretty expressions, though it is
indeed true that every one is disposed to laugh on seeing anybody
stumble or on hearing