for the worse."

"'T faith," said Saffredent, "I think that she meant to keep him in
readiness and take him whenever she might leave the other whom for the
time she loved the best."

"I can see," said Oisille, (4) "that the more we talk in this way, the
more those who would not be harshly treated will do their utmost to
speak ill of us. Wherefore, Dagoucin, I pray you give some lady your
vote."

4 Prior to this sentence the following passage occurs in
the De Thou MS.: "When Madame Oysille saw that the men,
under pretence of censuring the Queen of Castille for
conduct which certainly cannot be praised either in her or
in any other, continued saying so much evil of women, that
the most discreet and virtuous were spared no more than the
most foolish and wanton, she could endure it no longer, but
spoke and said," &c.--L.

"I give it," he said, "to Longarine, for I feel sure that she will
tell us no melancholy story, and that she will speak the truth without
sparing man or woman."

"Since you deem me so truthful," said Longarine, "I will be so bold as
to relate an adventure that befel a very great Prince, who surpasses
in worth all others of his time. Lying and dissimulation are, indeed,
things not to be employed save in cases of extreme necessity; they are
foul and infamous vices, more especially in Princes and great lords,
on whose lips and features truth sits more becomingly than on those of
other men. But no Prince in the world however great he be, even though
he have all the honours and wealth he may desire, can escape being
subject to the empire and tyranny of Love; indeed it would seem that
the nobler and more high-minded the Prince, the more does Love strive to
bring him under his mighty hand. For this glorious God sets no store
by common things; his majesty rejoices solely in the daily working of
miracles, such as weakening the strong, strengthening the weak, giving
knowledge to the simple, taking intelligence from the most learned,
favouring the passions, and overthrowing the reason. In such
transformations as these does the Deity of Love delight. Now since
Princes are not exempt from love's thraldom, so also are they not free
from its necessities, and must therefore perforce be permitted to employ
falsehood, hypocrisy and deceit, which, according to the teaching of
Master Jehan de Mehun, (5) are the means to be employed for vanquishing
our enemies. And, since such c