my fifteenth year
year thirty-nine of the reign of Charles VII, King of France
day of Easter
It has been three months since my lord has rendered me a visit. But this night, after he commanded me to bed, instead of drawing the curtains, he demanded of me if he might sit on the bed beside me instead of the hard floor. My cheeks became red because, had I noticed before, I would have made offer.
I must learn to be a better wife. And in fact, I do know how, for I had done the study of the Holy Bible as Agnès had demanded of me. I must begin to practice it.
He sat beside me for a while, but then laid himself the length of the bed, with his head at the foot, crooked his arm at the elbow, and placed his head in his hand as he told me this story:
There lived in Bretagne a prince named Kulhwch who had fallen in love with a lady named Olwen, daughter of the giant Yspaddaden Penkawr. Olwen had hair the color of broom, exactly, my lord says me, like mine. She had eyes the color of doves, just like mine, and cheeks stained the color of thrift. The prince demanded of the giant the hand of Olwen.
The giant gave his accord, but only if Prince Kulhwch would go to Eire, a kingdom across the sea, and take from them the Graal, a cauldron which must be used in the marriage fest.
The Graal was so strong in magic that in spite of the number of persons taking food from the Graal, it never went empty; but food from the dishonorable could not be cooked in it. And when dead chevaliers were thrown into the Graal, they are alive the next day, more fit than before, but without a tongue to speak.
The prince demanded the aid of Arthur King of Bretons. To refuse would have been dishonorable, so Arthur sent a message to Odgar mac Aedh, King of Eire, and demanded of him the Graal.
Odgar the King told Diwrnach the Gael, keeper of the cauldron, to give it to Arthur.
Diwrnach promised God Arthur would never have it.
Arthur took a group of chevaliers and sailed on his boat to Eire. They rendered a visit to Diwrnach the Gael, who offered them to eat and sleep. Arthur and the chevaliers ate and slept and then demanded of Diwrnach the cauldron.
Diwrnach refused.
Lancelot du Lac took Kaledvoulc’h, the sword of Arthur, and killed Diwrnach the Gael. Then the Graal was given to Hywydd, the servant of Arthur, for to guard it.
And ever after this, it is for Hywydd to be keeper of the Graal and be ready to light the fire underneath it.
I demanded of my lord if I wasn’t as fair as Olwen.
Then he raised himself and came to sit by my side. He took a lock of my hair and stroked it and told me that I was still more fair.
This pleased me.
four days before Saint Barnabé
One month since my lord told me a story, he came again this past night. I reminded myself of Marzin the Magician, and demanded of my lord if he had not a son or a family.
My lord says me that he is the son of the devil and a nun. That he has not family, but that he is the lover of the fairy Viviane.
It is Viviane who made him prisoner in nine magic circles of light, invisible as air, but more strong than stone. He wanders still the Brocéliande, although he is very rarely seen.
Viviane met Marzin at the Fontaine de Barenton and then enchanted him at the Fontaine de Jeunesse Eternale. She used the chants of Marzin himself to turn his age into youth.
Marzin built for her a crystal stronghold beneath the lake at Concoret. It falsely reflects the Chateau de Comper. My lord says me that if one plunges into the lake and looks far enough down, the stronghold of Viviane can be seen.
I demanded of my lord to take me to the lake and to teach me to swim.
He laughed at me and replied to me that girls swim not.
I replied to him that I am not a young girl, but a woman. And that his wife. And if he can swim, than I am sure to be able to. I have two arms and two legs as has he.
He laughed the harder, his head falling from his hand and onto the bed.
At this I came from the bed, walked to beside him at the foot, and lifted my robe that he could see how sturdy were my legs.
He stopped laughing.
one day before Saint Jean-Baptiste
My lord has gone to Dinan these two weeks. He left Anne and I. I have tried to interest Anne in books.
She says me that reading gives her pain in the head and tires her eyes.
I told her of an invention in Italy of glasses one puts in front of the eyes to be aided to see.
She says me that they must be ugly or they would be the fashion, and that no man loves a women with red eyes, crossed from reading.
one day before Sainte Marie-Madeleine
My lord rendered me a visit.
I demanded of him information on the chevaliers of Arthur and how many there were.
My lord says me that there were 350. And when they feasted, they sat at a great round table so that there was no first or last among them. They were the most strong and most courageous chevaliers in all the world. And they went out from Arthur in search of adventure, and returned to him only when they had overcome many things and obtained much glory.
As Arthur became aged, he began to think they must lose respect for him, for he had not fought a battle in many years. He made the decision to show the chevaliers that he was still the most strong and the most courageous. He called them to battle against the Romans.
Before his leaving, he gave his kingdom to the keeping of his nephew, Mordred. Mordred was Lord of Verre, where there was neither summer nor winter.
When Arthur came near to the Romans, the army came out to meet him. The fight lasted three days. At the finish, only seven of the chevaliers of Arthur had life. The rest of the 350 had been killed. But still, Arthur made the Romans retreat. At this moment here, messengers brought news that Mordred had taken Guenievre to the Land of Verre and had there married her and made of himself the King of the Two Bretagnes.
Arthur left the Romans and returned to Bretagne. There, Arthur and the chevaliers discovered that Mordred had made an alliance with the Saxons, and led an army of 50,000. There was much fighting and the sea became red with blood.
The final battle took place in Kamlann and was the battle the most bloody the world has ever seen. There were 100,000 deaths. Of the seven chevaliers that had returned from fighting the Romans, only three remained: Morvran ab Tegit who was so ugly people thought him the devil; Sanddey Bryd Angel who was so fair people thought him an angel and feared to touch him: and Glewlwyd Gavaelvawr who was the last chevalier to see Arthur alive.
Arthur and Mordred found themselves face to face in the middle of the field of battle. Arthur pierced Mordred through the chest with Rongomyant, his lance. But, before his death, Mordred stuck his sword in the sides of Arthur.
Faithful servants of Arthur carried him to a chapel by the sea.
Arthur demanded of his servants to help him gain the sea. Then he took his sword and took his leave of it. He demanded it be thrown into the sea.
The faithful servants then took the sword and launched it at the sea. At the point where it touched the waters, an arm appeared from the sea and lifted high the sword three times, and then drew the sword beneath the waves.
Arthur took his leave of the faithful servants, saying, “Where I am going, you cannot follow, but one day I must return.”
Then the faithful servants took leave of their king, but in their leaving they saw a boat that reached the shore not far from Arthur. And in the boat sat the Fairy Morgane, the sister of Arthur, who, when she saw the king, left the boat and touched him. Arthur got to his feet as if healed and leapt into the boat.
The boat sailed to Avalon where Arthur lives still.
I demanded of my lord why I have not heard before of Morgane, the sister of Arthur He says me that the name of Morgane is spoken with reverence. She is a healer and a prophetess and a magician.
I have made note that all good women are fair, as are Olwen and Guenievre.
Must that mean that Anne is wicked?
day of Saint Dominique
I see many children of all the tradesmen. It is my duty as a wife to have children for my lord.
I demanded of Agnès how I might have children and she replied to me that sometimes God is slow: she told me that I must say extra Ave Marias, and then God will hear my prayer, and that if my lord renders me visits more often this will help.
day of Saint Laurent
I have taken the decision that I will write a mystery, a play in verse, for the services this year for Easter. The first task must be to choose a story. For a mystery, perhaps something Breton, the life of St. Ivo or Saint Guénolé. Or something more pious: the life of Jésu Christ. If I will work hard, and write well, then I may have 1,000 verses.
day of Assomption
I have explained to my lord that which I will try to accomplish: a mystery with 1,000 verses. He says me that the priest is not decided what importance these mysteries have to the church.
But I tell my lord that he has much power, and why should the priest not listen to the advice of a comte?
My lord looked at me, an appraisal I must imagine, and says me that I begin to think like a comtesse. But also that he must read the mystery in whole before he will recommend it to the priest even in part.
I will begin my work tomorrow.
one day after Assomption
This day I have chosen St. Ivo as my mystery. I had wanted the life of Jésu Christ, but then have reminded myself that the scene of the crucifixion must take as long as it did for our lord, the Christ. If the priest is not decided on the value of a mystery, then perhaps a mystery which will take fifty of the peasants the day entire to perform, would not be a wise choice.
And now, I must educate myself on the life of St. Ivo. Who better to tell me the story of this saint than my lord? Surely it must number among the dozens of which he has knowledge.
two days after Assomption
I have demanded of my lord to come to my chamber this night.
He replied to me to be certain that this is what I desire.
I replied to him, but of course I am.
And in leaving, he raised my hand to his lips and kissed it.
When he is come, he has seen me at my desk. And he says me, I had thought to come to your chamber of your heart and I come instead to the chamber of your head?
At this phrase I turned, and found him clothed in a costume of blood red velvet which seemed to me too warm for the weather, but is his most fine, and I had fear that I had taken him from some important affair. I presented all my excuses and told him of why I wished him present: That I must know the life of St. Ivo before I can write the mystery of it.
At this he had the look of a soule of which the air has left. And he took from his shoulders the outer houppelande, with clenched jaw, and placed it around my chair and laid himself the length of the bed and began to speak.
Ivo, patron saint of Bretagne, is also advocate of the poor. Ivo was born in Kermartin near Tréguier, the son of a noble man. When he is grown, he is gone to Paris to study the laws of the church and when he is done he is gone to Orléans to study the laws of the state. And all this time, he drinks no wine, eats no meat, and many times takes only bread and water. And often he wears a shirt of hair and he sleeps less than he would like.
When he is returned to Bretagne, he is become a judge of the church, first in Rennes and then in his own town of Tréguier. There it was that he began to seek justice for those who could find none. It is said of Ivo that he was a lawyer, but was not dishonest. He refused bribes. He tried to arrange cases outside the courts so the peasants must not pay. And if they must pay, then St. Ivo would give the money himself. He defended the poor, and went to them in prison. He fought against unfair taxes and gave to the poor much that he had earned. And even those he must judge against later returned and thanked him for his judgments.
And then he became a priest to preach at Lovannec. And there he built a hospital with his own monies and himself cared for the sick who were poor. He gave his own clothes to those who had none and his own bed to those who had only ground on which to sleep. And when there was harvest, he gave to others all of the fruits of his field.
The miracles of Saint Ivo are many according to my lord. And these not occurring while Saint Ivo has life, but after his death. Among them, a sick man falling into a well who calls on Saint Ivo for aid and neither drowns, nor is lost beneath the waters.
A man who is condemned to death by hanging who swears to Saint Ivo that if he is delivered from death then he will visit the tomb of the saint; the man is hung and will not die. And although the hangman tries three times to kill him, he is not able.
A man crossing a bridge falls with his black horse into the river in a spot so deep they cannot touch the bottom; and as they flounder, the leather bag in which are important documents detaches itself from the horse and sinks. They are certain to drown, but the man calls on Saint Ivo for help. At this, the horse bounds from the water onto land, and as the man watches, the bag also comes to the surface. And the man retrieves this from the water and he finds after he has this opened that not one of the papers has become even wet.
One day, as a knight and fifteen persons take a boat to gain the ile of Teven, they are overtaken by a storm which breaks twelve of the oars and engulfs the boat. They have fear of being drowned when they pray to Saint Ivo for aid. And their boat, filled still with water, is pushed to the land in the place exact where they had left.
And then my lord gave pause and I demanded of him if these were all.
He replied to me that if I had three days then I might hear the end of them.
And so I have begun to record these four. And most commendable to me are not the miracles and not the fact that Saint Ivo quit the law to take care of the poor, but that he was honest in law from the start.
And while I am writing still, my lord has fallen asleep. It has taken my prodding and poking to wake him, but now that he has gone, I may finish the transcription.