nd considering
inwardly of the manner, he resolved to seek his death on such wise
that it should be manifest he died for the love he bore the queen, to
which end he bethought himself to try his fortune in an enterprise of
such a sort as should afford him a chance of having or all or part of
his desire. He set not himself to seek to say aught to the queen nor
to make her sensible of his love by letters, knowing he should speak
and write in vain, but chose rather to essay an he might by practice
avail to lie with her; nor was there any other shift for it but to
find a means how he might, in the person of the king, who, he knew,
lay not with her continually, contrive to make his way to her and
enter her bedchamber. Accordingly, that he might see on what wise and
in what habit the king went, whenas he visited her, he hid himself
several times by night in a great saloon of the palace, which lay
between the king's bedchamber and that of the queen, and one night,
amongst others, he saw the king come forth of his chamber, wrapped in
a great mantle, with a lighted taper in one hand and a little wand in
the other, and making for the queen's chamber, strike once or twice
upon the door with the wand, without saying aught, whereupon it was
incontinent opened to him and the taper taken from his hand. Noting
this and having seen the king return after the same fashion, he
bethought himself to do likewise. Accordingly, finding means to have a
cloak like that which he had seen the king wear, together with a taper
and a wand, and having first well washed himself in a bagnio, lest
haply the smell of the muck should offend the queen or cause her smoke
the cheat, he hid himself in the great saloon, as of wont. Whenas he
knew that all were asleep and it seemed to him time either to give
effect to his desire or to make his way by high emprise[157] to the
wished-for death, he struck a light with a flint and steel he had
brought with him and kindling the taper, wrapped himself fast in the
mantle, then, going up to the chamber-door, smote twice upon it with
the wand. The door was opened by a bedchamber-woman, all sleepy-eyed,
who took the light and covered it; whereupon, without saying aught, he
passed within the curtain, put off his mantle and entered the bed
where the queen slept. Then, taking her desirefully in his arms and
feigning himself troubled (for that he knew the king's wont to be
that, whenas he was troubled, he cared not to hear aught