Excerpt from Chicot the Jester On Shrove Sunday, in the year 1578, after the popular carnival, and while the echoes of the merry day were dying down in the streets, a splendid entertainment was about to begin in the magnificent mansion which the noble family of Montmorenqy, a family allied to royalty, and on an equality with princely houses, had just built on the other side of the Seine, almost opposite the Louvre. This private feast formed part of the celebrations in connection with the marriage of Francis d'Epinay de Saint-Luc, a great friend of King Henri III., and one of his chief favourites, and of Jeanne de Cosse-Brissac, a daughter of a French marfechal of that name. The wedding feast itself had been served in the Louvre earlier in the day, and the King, who had but grudgingly given his consent to the marriage, had indeed appeared at the banquet, but with severe looks, and demeanour sadly out of keeping with the occasion. His dress, moreover, harmonised with his countenance. He wore that dark brown suit in which Clouet depicts him as a guest at the wedding of Joyeuse. This royal spectre, with aspect so grave, had petrified every one with fear, more especially the young bride, on whom the King frowned whenever she glanced in his direction. Still, this sternness, in the midst of the joyful feast, surprised nobody, for its cause was one of those court secrets which are cautiously handled by every one, like rocks on the surface of the water, which one touches at the risk of being broken to pieces. The meal was hardly over, when Henri rose, and every one naturally followed his example, even some who declared in an undertone their wish to remain at the table. Saint-Luc, glancing at his wife as though he would seek courage from her, approached the King and said, 'Sire, will your Majesty honour me by your presence at the entertainment which I wish to give in Montmorency House to-night.' About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.