



Produced by Chuck Greif and the Online Distributed
Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was
produced from images available at The Internet Archive)









                         THE BOOK OF THE LADIES

              [Illustration: MESSIRE PIERRE DE BOURDEILLE

                         SEIGNEUR DE BRANTOME.]

                      _The Reign and Amours of the
                            Bourbon Régime_

                       A Brilliant Description of
                        the Courts of Louis XVI,
                     Amours, Debauchery, Intrigues,
                      and State Secrets, including
                    Suppressed and Confiscated MSS.

                             [Illustration]

                            The Book of the
                           Illustrious Dames

                                   BY

                 PIERRE DE BOURDEÏLLE, ABBÉ DE BRANTÔME

                       WITH INTRODUCTORY ESSAY BY
                           C.-A. SAINTE-BEUVE

                 _Unexpurgated Rendition into English_

                  PRIVATELY PRINTED FOR MEMBERS OF THE
                     VERSAILLES HISTORICAL SOCIETY
                                NEW YORK

                            Copyright, 1899.
                             BY H. P. & CO.

                         _All Rights Reserved._

                            Édition de Luxe

                    _This edition is limited to two
                     hundred copies, of which this
                       is Number_.............




CONTENTS.


                                                                    PAGE

INTRODUCTION                                                           1

DISCOURSE I. ANNE DE BRETAGNE, Queen of France                        25

_Sainte-Beuve’s remarks upon her_                                     40

DISCOURSE II. CATHERINE DE’ MEDICI, Queen, and mother of
our last kings                                                        44

_Sainte-Beuve’s remarks upon her_                                     85

DISCOURSE III. MARIE STUART, Queen of Scotland, formerly
Queen of our France                                                   89

_Sainte-Beuve’s essay on her_                                        121

DISCOURSE IV. ÉLISABETH OF FRANCE, Queen of Spain                    138

DISCOURSE V. MARGUERITE, Queen of France and of Navarre,
sole daughter now remaining of the Noble House of France             152

_Sainte-Beuve’s essay on her_                                        193

DISCOURSE VI. MESDAMES, the Daughters of the Noble House
of France:

Madame Yoland                                                        214

Madame Jeanne                                                        215

Madame Anne                                                          216

Madame Claude                                                        219

Madame Renée                                                         220

Mesdames Charlotte, Louise, Magdelaine, Marguerite                   223

Mesdames Élisabeth, Claude, and Marguerite                           229

Madame Diane                                                         231

MARGUERITE DE VALOIS, Queen of Navarre                               234

_Sainte-Beuve’s essay on the latter_                                 243

DISCOURSE VII. OF VARIOUS ILLUSTRIOUS LADIES:

Isabelle d’Autriche, wife of Charles IX