Page:Margaret of Angoulême, Queen of Navarre (Robinson 1886).djvu/185

170 the world. But had she only spoken of love and friendship, with no other bondage than that of will, there is no cord would not have been broken nor knot untied; yet, seeing that for escape from purgatory she offered him Hell, I think he had good reason to refuse."

"I' faith," said Émarsuitte, "there are many who, intending to do better than others, do worse, or, at least, the very reverse of what they would."

"Truly," said Guebron, "you put me in mind, à propos of nothing, of one who did the opposite of her intention, and therefrom came a great tumult in the Church of St. John of Lyons."

"Prithee, then," said Parlamente, "take my place and tell us the tale."

"My tale," said Guebron, "will neither be so long nor so piteous as that of Parlamente."

LXV.

the Church of St. John of Lyons there was a very dark chapel, and within it a stone sepulchre, carved in high relief with images as large as life, and all round the sepulchre the likeness of many men-at-arms lay as if asleep. A soldier, strolling one day about the church during the great heat of summer, felt drowsy with the warmth, and, looking at the dark, cool chapel, he thought he would go to the sepulchre and sleep there among the other men-at-arms; and so he lay down beside the images. Now, it happened that a good old