Part 39
[Footnote 39: The Comte de Saint Pol has been thought to be identical with M. de Commesuram, the author of several of the _Cent Nouvelles Nouvelles_. Saint Pol occupied an important part in history, and was Constable of France, but he tried to play a double game, and betrayed in turn both Louis and Charles the Bold. At last he was arrested, condemned, and executed, December, 1475.]
[Footnote 42: Hervé Meriadech, a Breton squire and gallant soldier, who performed several gallant feats of arms. Louis XI named him Governor of Tournay in 1461.]
[Footnote 46: Much resembles No. XII. The author is believed to be Chrestien de Dygoigne, whose name appears at the head of story No. 68.]
[Footnote 47: This is believed to be a true story. The person who got rid of his wife in this cunning way was Caffrey Carles, President of the Parliament of Grenoble. He was skilled in Latin and “the humanities”--in the plural only it would appear--and was chosen by Anne of Brittany, the wife of Louis XII, to teach her daughter, Renée, afterwards Duchess of Perrara.
The story is so dramatic that it has been often imitated.]
[Footnote 50: By Antoine de la Sale, a short appreciation of whose literary merits appears in the Introduction. He has appended his own name to this story; in other cases he appears as “L’Acteur” that is to say the “Editor.” (See No. 51). The story is taken from Sacchetti or Poggio. The idea has suggested itself to many writers, including Lawrence Sterne, in Tristram Shandy.]
[Footnote 52: Taken from Sacchetti.]
[Footnote 59: by Poncelet, or Pourcelet, one of the Council of the Duke of Burgundy.]
[Footnote 60: by Poncelet, or Pourcelet, one of the Council of the Duke of Burgundy. No. 60 is from an old fabliau, (_Frère Denise, cordelier_) and is to be found in the _Heptameron_, the _Apologie pour Hérodote_ etc.]
[Footnote 61: by Poncelet, or Pourcelet, one of the Council of the Duke of Burgundy. No. 61 is also from an old _fabliau_, (_Les Cheveux coupe’s_). Mr. Wright also credits him with No. 89.]
[Footnote 63: is related by Montbleru himself, according to Mr. Wright’s edition, but in Vérard there is no author’s name.]
[Footnote 64: From an old _fabliau_, and often imitated.]
[Footnote 69: M. Leroux de Lincy believes that Le Sage took the story of Dona Mencia,--intercalated in _Gil Blas_--from this tale.]
[Footnote 75: Gui, Seigneur de Thalemas died, without issue, in 1463.]
[Footnote 76: Taken from the _Facetiae_ of Poggio.]
[Footnote 78: This story is originally found in Boccaccio (_Dec_. day VII, nov V) and in an old _fabliau_. (_Le Chevalier qui fist sa femme confesser_). La Fontaine has imitated it. See note on No. 82.]
[Footnote 79: Taken from the _Facetiae_ of Poggio.]
[Footnote 80: Taken from the _Facetiae_ of Poggio.]
[Footnote 81: By M. de Waulvrin (Vaurin), Chamberlain to the Duke of Burgundy. He wrote a history of England and France from the earliest times to 1471. Also contributed No. 83.]
[Footnote 82: In the Table of Contents of Vérard’s edition, this story is ascribed to Monseigneur de Lannoy, but at the head of the story itself the name of the author is given as Jean Martin, who also wrote No. 78. Jean Martin was chief _sommelier du corps_ to Philippe le Bel. After the death of that Duke he did not remain in the service of Charles le Téméraire, but retired to Dijon, where he died, 28th Nov. 1475.]
[Footnote 84: In the Table of Contents this story is ascribed to the Marquis de Rothelin. He was Marquis de Hocheberg, Comte de Neufchâtel (Switzerland) Seigneur de Rothelin etc. Marshal of Burgundy, and Grand Seneschal of Provence. In 1491, he was appointed Grand Chamberlain of France. He died in 1503.]
[Footnote 85: The story is taken from an old _fabliau (Le Forgeron de Creil)_ and has been used also by Sachetti, Des Periers and others. No author’s name is given in Vêrard, but in the M.S. from which Mr. Wright worked, the name of M. de Santilly is found at the head of this tale.]
[Footnote 88: Found also in Boccaccio (_Dec_. day VIII, nov. VII). Poggio (_Fraus mulieris_) and in several of the collections of _fabliaux (La Bourgeoise d’Orléans)_.
Mr. Wright gives Alardin (who also contributed No. 77) as the author. An Alardin Bournel returned to France with Louis XI in 1461.]
[Footnote 90: Taken from the _Facetiae_ of Poggio.]
[Footnote 91: Taken from the _Facetiae_ of Poggio.]
[Footnote 93: Taken from the _Facetiae_ of Poggio. According to Mr. Wright, by Timoléon Vignier, possibly a brother of Philippe Vignier.]
[Footnote 95: Taken from the _Facetiae_ of Poggio.]
[Footnote 96: An exceedingly old story, found in a _fabliau_ by Rutebeuf, Poggio’s _Facetiae (Canis testamentum)_ etc. It also occurs in a collection of Russian folk-lore tales.]
[Footnote 99: Also from Poggio’s _Facetiae (Sacerdotis virtus)_. Several of the saints have performed the same miracle in order to avoid the terrible sin of eating meat on a Friday. It was amongst the meritorious acts of one--St. Johannes Crucis--who was canonized as recently as 1840.]
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