ntleman, of from fourteen to fifteen years of
age, thought to lie with one of his mother's maids, but lay
with his mother herself; and she, in consequence thereof,
was, nine months afterwards, brought to bed of a daughter,
who, twelve or thirteen years later, was wedded by the son;
he being ignorant that she was his daughter and sister, and
she, that he was her father and brother_.(1)

In the time of King Louis the Twelfth, the Legate at Avignon being then
a scion of the house of Amboise, nephew to George, Legate of France, (2)
there lived in the land of Languedoc a lady who had an income of more
than four thousand ducats a year, and whose name I shall not mention for
the love I bear her kinsfolk.

1 This story is based on an ancient popular tradition
common to many parts of France, and some particulars of
which, with a list of similar tales in various European
languages, will be found in the Appendix, D.--En.

2 The Papal Legate in France here alluded to is the famous
George, Cardinal d'Amboise, favourite minister of Louis XII.
His nephew, the Legate at Avignon, is Louis d'Amboise,
fourth son of Peter d'Amboise, Lord of Chaumont, and brother
of the Grand-Master of Chaumont. Louis d'Amboise became
bishop of Albi, and lieutenant-general of the King of France
in Burgundy, Languedoc and Roussillon, and played an
important part in the public affairs of his time. He died in
1505.--See _Gallia Christiana_, vol. i. p. 34.--L. and R. J.

While still very young, she was left a widow with one son; and, both
by reason of her regret for her husband and her love for her child, she
determined never to marry again. To avoid all opportunity of doing
so, she had fellowship only with the devout, for she imagined that
opportunity makes the sin, not knowing that sin will devise the
opportunity.

This young widow, then, gave herself up wholly to the service of God,
and shunned all worldly assemblies so completely that she scrupled to
be present at a wedding, or even to listen to the organs playing in a
church. When her son was come to the age of seven years, she chose for
his schoolmaster a man of holy life, so that he might be trained up in
all piety and devotion.

When the son was reaching the age of fourteen or fifteen, Nature, who is
a very secret schoolmaster, finding him in good condition and very idle,
taught him a different lesso