ABSTRACT
Tandiz que quelqu'ung s'avancera de dire quelque bon compte,j'en feray ung petit qui ne vous tiendra gueres; mais iI est veritable et de nouvel advenu. J'avoie ung mareschal qui bien et longuement m'avoit servy de son mestier; illuy print volunte de soy marier; si Ie fut, et a la plus devoiee femme qui fust, comme on disoit en tout Ie 5 pais. Et quand iI cogneut que par beau ne par lait iI ne la povoit oster de sa mauvaistie, ill'abandonna, et ne se tint plus avec elle, mais la fuyoit comme tempeste; car, s'ill'eust sceue en une place,jamais n'y eust tire, mais tousjours au contraire. Quand elle vit qu'illa fuyoit ainsi, et qu'elle n'avoit a qui tencer ne monstrer sa devoiee maniere, 10 elle se mist en la queste de luy et partout Ie suyvoit, Dieu scet disant quelx motz; et I'aultre se taisoit et picquoit son chemin. Et elle tant plus montoit sur son chevalet, et disoit de maulx et de maledictions a son pouvre mary, plus que ung deable ne saroit faire a one ame damnee. Un jour entre les aultres, voyant que son mary ne 15 respondoit mot a chose qu'elle proposast, Ie suyvant par la rue, devant tout Ie monde cryoit tant qu'elle povoit: 'Vien ~a, traistre! parle a moy. Je suis a toy,je suis a toy!' Et mon mareschal, qui estoit devant, disoit a chacun mot qu'elle disoit: 'J'en donne ma part au deable,j'en donne ma part au deable!' Et ainsi la mena tout du long 20 de la ville de Lille toujours cryant: 'Je suis a toy'; et I'autre respondoit: 'J'en donne ma part au deable!' Tantost apres, comme Dieu voulut, ceste bonne femme mournt, et I'on demandoit a mon mareschal s'iI estoit fort courrouce de la mort de sa femme; et iI disoit que jamais si grand eur ne luy advint, et que si Dieu luy eust 25 donne un souhait a choisir, il eust demande la mort de sa femme, 'Iaquelle, disoit ii, estoit tant male et obstinee en malice que, si je la savoye en paradis, je n'y vouldroye jamais aller tant qu'elle y fust, car impossible seroit que paix fust en nulle assemblee ou elle fust. Mais je suis seur qu'elle est en enfer, car oncques chose cree 30 n'approucha plus a faire la maniere des deables qu'elle faisoit.' Et puis on luy disoit: 'Et vrayement il vous fault remarier et en querre une bonne, paisible et preude femme. - Maryer! disoit iI; j'aymeroye mieulx me aller pendre au gibet que jamais me rebouter ou dangier de trouver enfer, que j'ay, la Dieu mercy, a ceste heure 35 passe.' Ainsi demoura et est encores. Ne s~ay je qu'il ferae
[While (we are waiting for) someone else to come forward to tell some good story, 1 shall compose a short one, which will take hardly any time at all; but it is true and happened recently. 1 had a marshal who had served me well and for a long time in his job; and he decided to get married; and he did so, and to the most dissolute woman - so it was said - in the whole country. [6] And when he realized that neither by good or ill could he persuade her from her evil ways, he abandoned her, and no longer lived with her, but fled her like a storm; for if he had known her to be in one place, he would never have gone there, but rather in the opposite direction. When she saw that he fled her in this way, and that she had no one to scold or to show her dissolute ways, she set out to look for him and followed him everywhere, saying God only knows what; and he kept quiet and went on his way. [12] And she continued all the more to ride her little horse and to say evil things and to curse her husband more than any devil could do to a damned soul. One day, seeing that her husband didn't respond to anything she said, following him down the road she shouted out in front of everyone as loud as she could: [17] 'Come here traitor!, speak to me. I'm yours, I'm yours!'. And my marshal, who was in front, said in reply: 'I give my share to the devil, 1 give my share to the devil!'. And he fled from her in this way all through the town of Lille, one always calling out: 'I'm yours'; and the other replied, 'I give my share to the devil!'. [22] Soon after, as it pleased God, this good woman died, and the marshal was asked whether he was very upset by the death of his wife; and he said that he had never had such good fortune and that if God had granted him the choice of one wish, he would have asked for the death of his wife, 'who, he said, was so evil and fixed in her malice that, if 1 knew she were in paradise, 1 would never want to go there as long as she were there, for it would be impossible for there to be peace in any gathering where she was. [30] But I'm certain she's in hell, for never has any created thing acted more like devils than she did'. And then people said to him: 'and indeed you ought to remarry and find yourself a good, peaceful and honourable wife'. [33] 'Marry!, he said, 1 would rather hang myself from the gallows than ever put myself again in the danger of finding hell which, thank God, 1 have escaped at this time.' Thus he remained and is still. And 1 do not know what he will do.]
COMMENTARY
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