No More Learning

Three bolts at once.
2317
§ Yeoman


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2318
SEBASTIAN BRANDT
Which whyle thou lyvest shall nat let the want
That thou desyrest justly, for thy syrvyce,
And than after gyve the, the joyes of Paradyse.
OF TO[O] MOCHE SPEKYNGE OR BABLYNGE
HE THAT his tunge can temper and refrayne
And asswage the foly of hasty langage
Shall kepe his mynde from trouble, sadnes and payne,
And fynde therby great ease and avauntage;
Where as a hasty speker falleth in great domage
Peryll and losse, in lyke wyse as the pye
Betrays hir byrdes by hir chatrynge and crye.
Is it not better for one his tunge to kepe
Where as he myght (perchaunce) with honestee,
Than wordes to speke whiche make hym after wepe
For great losse folowynge wo and adversyte?
A worde ones spokyn revoked can not be,
Therfore thy fynger lay before thy types,
For a wyse mannys tunge without advysement trypes.
He that wyll answere of his owne folysshe brayne
Before that any requyreth his counsayle
Shewith him selfe and his hasty foly playne,
Wherby men knowe his wordes of none avayle.
Some have delyted in mad blaborynge and frayle
Whiche after have supped bytter punysshement
For their wordes spoken without advysement.
Many have ben whiche sholde have be counted wyse
Sad and discrete, and right well sene
* in scyence;
But all they have defyled with this one vyse
Of moche spekynge: o cursyd synne and offence
Ryte it is that so great inconvenience
So great shame, contempt rebuke and vylany
Sholde by one small member came to the hole body.
Let suche take example by the chatrynge pye,
Whiche doth hyr nest and byrdes also betraye
By hyr grete chatterynge, clamoure dyn and crye,
Ryght so these folys theyr owne foly bewraye.
But touchynge wymen of them I wyll nought say,
They can not speke, but ar as coy and styll
As the horle wynde or clapper of a mylle.
* Well seen well versed.
-


## p. 2319 (#517) ###########################################

2319
THE ABBÉ DE BRANTÔME
(PIERRE DE BOURDEILLE)
(1527-1614)
VERY historian of the Valois period is indebted to Brantôme
for preserving the atmosphere and detail of the brilliant life
in which he moved as a dashing courtier, a military adven-
turer, and a gallant gentleman of high degree. He was not a pro-
fessional scribe, nor a student; but he took notes unconsciously, and
in the evening of his life turned back the pages of his memory to
record the scenes through which he had passed and the characters
which he had known. He has been termed the "valet de chambre≫
of history; nevertheless the anecdotes scattered through his works
will ever be treasured by all students and
historians of that age of luxury and mag-
nificence, art and beauty, beneath which
lay the fermentation of great religious and
political movements, culminating in the
struggle between the Huguenots and Cath-
olics.

Brantôme was the third son of the
Vicomte de Bourdeille, a Périgord noble-
man, whose family had lived long in Gui-
enne, and whose aristocratic lineage was
lost in myth. Upon the estate stood the
Abbey of Brantôme, founded by Charle-
magne, and this Henry II. gave to young
Pierre de Bourdeille in recognition of the
military deeds of his brother, Jean de Bourdeille, who lost his life in
service. Thereafter the lad was to sign his name as the Reverend
Father in God, Messire Pierre de Bourdeille, Abbé de Brantôme.
Born in the old château in 1527, he was destined for the church, but
abandoned this career for arms. At an early age he was sent to
court as page to Marguerite, sister of Francis I. and Queen of Na-
varre; after her death in 1549, he went to Paris to study at the Uni-
versity. His title of Abbé being merely honorary, he served in the
army under François de Guise, Duke of Lorraine, and became Gentle-
man of the Chamber to Charles IX. His career extended through
the reigns of Henry II. , Francis II. , Charles IX. , Henry III. , and
Henry IV. , to that of Louis XIII. With the exception of diplomatic
ABBÉ DE BRANTÔME


## p. 2320 (#518) ###########################################

ABBÉ DE BRANTÔME
2320
missions, service on the battle-field, and voyages for pleasure, he
spent his life at court.
About 1594 he retired to his estate, where until his death on July
15th, 1614, he passed his days in contentions with the monks of
Brantôme, in lawsuits with his neighbors, and in writing his books:
'Lives of the Illustrious Men and Great Captains of France'; 'Lives
of Illustrious Ladies'; 'Lives of Women of Gallantry'; 'Memoirs, con-
taining anecdotes connected with the Court of France'; 'Spanish
Rodomontades'; a 'Life' of his father, François de Bourdeille; a
'Funeral Oration' on his sister in-law; and a dialogue in verse,
entitled 'The Tomb of Madame de Bourdeille. ' These were not
published until long after his death, first appearing in Leyden about
1665, at the Hague in 1740, and in Paris in 1787. The best editions
are by Fourcault (7 vols. , Paris, 1822); by Lacour and Mérimée (3
vols. , 1859); and Lalande (10 vols. , 1865-'81).
What Brantôme thought of himself may be seen by glancing at
that portion of the "testament mystique" which relates to his writ-
ings:-
"I will and expressly charge my heirs that they cause to be printed the
books which I have composed by my talent and invention. These books will
be found covered with velvet, either black, green or blue, and one larger
volume, which is that of the Rodomontades, covered with velvet, gilt outside
and curiously bound. All have been carefully corrected. There will be found
in these books excellent things, such as stories, histories, discourses, and witty
sayings, which I flatter myself the world will not disdain to read when once
it has had a sight of them. I direct that a sum of money be taken from my
estate sufficient to pay for the printing thereof, which certainly cannot be
much; for I have known many printers who would have given money rather
than charged any for the right of printing them. They print many things
without charge which are not at all equal to mine. I will also that the said
impression shall be in large type, in order to make the better appearance,
and that they should appear with the Royal Privilege, which the King will
readily grant. Also care must be taken that the printers do not put on the
title-page any supposititious name instead of mine. Otherwise, I should be
defrauded of the glory which is my due. »
The old man delighted in complimenting himself and talking
about his "grandeur d'âme. " This greatness of soul may be measured
from the command he gave his heirs to annoy a man who had
refused to swear homage to him, "it not being reasonable to leave
at rest this little wretch, who descends from a low family, and
whose grandfather was nothing but a notary. " He also commands
his nieces and nephews to take the same vengeance upon his enemies
"as I should have done in my green and vigorous youth, during
which I may boast, and I thank God for it, that I never received an
injury without being revenged on the author of it. "


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ABBÉ DE BRANTÔME
2321
Brantôme writes like a "gentleman of the sword," with dash and
élan, and as one, to use his own words, who has been "toujours trot-
tant, traversant, et vagabondant le monde» (always trotting, travers-
ing, and tramping the world). Not in the habit of a vagabond,
however, for the balls, banquets, tournaments, masques, ballets, and
wedding-feasts which he describes so vividly were occasions for the
display of sumptuous costumes; and Messire Pierre de Bourdeille
doubtless appeared as elegant as any other gallant in silken hose,
jeweled doublet, flowing cape, and long rapier. What we value most
are his paintings of these festive scenes, and the vivid portraits
which he has left of the Valois women, who were largely responsible.
for the luxuries and the crimes of the period: women who could
step without a tremor from a court-masque to a massacre; who
could toy with a gallant's ribbons and direct the blow of an assassin;
and who could poison a rival with a delicately perfumed gift. Such
a court Brantôme calls the "true paradise of the world, school of all
honesty and virtue, ornament of France. » We like to hear about
Catherine de' Medici riding with her famous "squadron of Venus":
"You should have seen forty or fifty dames and demoiselles follow-
ing her, mounted on beautifully accoutred hackneys, their hats adorned
with feathers which increased their charm, so well did the flying
plumes represent the demand for love or war. Virgil, who under-
took to describe the fine apparel of Queen Dido when she went out
hunting, has by no means equaled that of our Queen and her ladies. »
Charming, too, are such descriptions as "the most beautiful ballet
that ever was, composed of sixteen of the fairest and best-trained
dames and demoiselles, who appeared in a silvered rock where they
were seated in niches, shut in on every side. The sixteen ladies
represented the sixteen provinces of France. After having made the
round of the hall for parade as in a camp, they all descended, and
ranging themselves in the form of a little oddly contrived battalion,
some thirty violins began a very pleasant warlike air, to which they
danced their ballet. " After an hour the ladies presented the King,
the Queen-Mother, and others with golden plaques, on which were
engraved "the fruits and singularities of each province," the wheat
of Champagne, the vines of Burgundy, the lemons and oranges of
Provence, etc. He shows us Catherine de' Medici, the elegant, cun-
ning Florentine; her beautiful daughters, Elizabeth of Spain and Mar-
guerite de Valois; Diana of Poitiers, the woman of eternal youth and
beauty; Jeanne d'Albret, the mother of Henry IV. ; Louise de Vaude-
mont; the Duchesse d'Étampes; Marie Touchet; and all their satel-
lites, as they enjoyed their lives.
-
Very valuable are the data regarding Mary Stuart's departure
from France in 1561. Brantôme was one of her suite, and describes
IV-146


## p. 2322 (#520) ###########################################

ABBÉ DE BRANTÔME
2322
her grief when the shores of France faded away, and her arrival in
Scotland, where on the first night she was serenaded by Psalm-tunes
with a most villainous accompaniment of Scotch music. "Hé! quelle
musique! " he exclaims, "et quel repos pour la nuit! "
But of all the gay ladies Brantôme loves to dwell upon, his favor-
ites are the two Marguerites: Marguerite of Angoulême, Queen of
Navarre, the sister of Francis I. , and Marguerite, daughter of Cathe-
rine de' Medici and wife of Henry IV. Of the latter, called familiarly
"La Reine Margot," he is always writing. "To speak of the beauty
of this rare princess," he says, "I think that all that are, or will be,
or have ever been near her are ugly. "
Brantôme has been a puzzle to many critics, who cannot explain
his "contradictions. " He had none. He extolled wicked and immoral
characters because he recognized only two merits, -aristocratic birth
and hatred of the Huguenots. He is well described by M. de Barante,
who says:-"Brantôme expresses the entire character of his country
and of his profession. Careless of the difference between good and
evil; a courtier who has no idea that anything can be blameworthy
in the great, but who sees and narrates their vices and their crimes
all the more frankly in that he is not very sure whether what he
tells be good or bad; as indifferent to the honor of women as he is
to the morality of men; relating scandalous things with no conscious-
ness that they are such, and almost leading his reader into accepting
them as the simplest things in the world, so little importance does
he attach to them; terming Louis XI. , who poisoned his brother, the
good King Louis, calling women whose adventures could hardly have
been written by any pen save his own, honnêtes dames. »
Brantôme must therefore not be regarded as a chronicler who
revels in scandals, although his pages reek with them; but as the
true mirror of the Valois court and the Valois period.
THE DANCING OF ROYALTY
From Lives of Notable Women'
A
H! HOW the times have changed since I saw them together
in the ball-room, expressing the very spirit of the dance!
The King always opened the grand ball by leading out
his sister, and each equaled the other in majesty and grace. I
have often seen them dancing the Pavane d'Espagne, which must
be performed with the utmost majesty and grace.
The eyes
of the entire court were riveted upon them, ravished by this
lovely scene; for the measures were so well danced, the steps so


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ABBÉ DE BRANTÔME
2323
intelligently placed, the sudden pauses timed so accurately and
making so elegant an effect, that one did not know what to admire
most, the beautiful manner of moving, or the majesty of the
halts, now expressing excessive gayety, now a beautiful and
haughty disdain. Who could dance with such elegance and grace
as the royal brother and sister? None, I believe; and I have
watched the King dancing with the Queen of Spain and the
Queen of Scotland, each of whom was an excellent dancer.
I have seen them dance the 'Pazzemezzo d'Italie,' walking
gravely through the measures, and directing their steps with so
graceful and solemn a manner that no other prince nor lady
could approach them in dignity. This Queen took great pleasure
in performing these grave dances; for she preferred to exhibit
dignified grace rather than to express the gayety of the Branle,
the Volta, and the Courante. Although she acquired them
quickly, she did not think them worthy of her majesty.
I always enjoyed seeing her dance the Branle de la Torche,
or du Flambeau. Once, returning from the nuptials of the
daughter of the King of Poland, I saw her dance this kind of a
Branle at Lyons before the assembled guests from Savoy, Pied-
mont, Italy, and other places; and every one said he had never
seen any sight more captivating than this lovely lady moving
with grace of motion and majestic mien, all agreeing that she
had no need of the flaming torch which she held in her hand;
for the flashing light from her brilliant eyes was sufficient to
illuminate the set, and to pierce the dark veil of Night.
THE SHADOW OF A TOMB
From Lives of Courtly Women'
Ο
NCE I had an elder brother who was called Captain Bour-
deille, one of the bravest and most valiant soldiers of his
time. Although he was my brother, I must praise him,
for the record he made in the wars brought him fame. He was
the gentilhomme de France who stood first in the science and
gallantry of arms. He was killed during the last siege of Hesdin.
My brother's parents had destined him for the career of letters,
and accordingly sent him at the age of eighteen to study in Italy,
where he settled in Ferrara because of Madame Renée de France,
Duchess of Ferrara, who ardently loved my mother. He enjoyed


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2324
ABBE DE BRANTÔME
life at her court, and soon fell deeply in love with a young
French widow,- Mademoiselle de La Roche,- who was in the
suite of Madame de Ferrara,
They remained there in the service of love, until my father,
seeing that his son was not following literature, ordered him
home. She, who loved him, begged him to take her with him
to France and to the court of Marguerite of Navarre, whom she
had served, and who had given her to Madame Renée when she
went to Italy upon her marriage. My brother, who was young,
was greatly charmed to have her companionship, and conducted
her to Pau. The Queen was glad to welcome her, for the young
widow was handsome and accomplished, and indeed considered
superior in esprit to the other ladies of the court.
After remaining a few days with my mother and grand-
mother, who were there, my brother visited his father. In a short
time he declared that he was disgusted with letters, and joined
the army, serving in the wars of Piedmont and Parma, where he
acquired much honor in the space of five or six months; during
which time he did not revisit his home. At the end of this
period he went to see his mother at Pau.
He made his rever-
ence to the Queen of Navarre as she returned from vespers; and
she, who was the best princess in the world, received him cor-
dially, and taking his hand, led him about the church for an
hour or two. She demanded news regarding the wars of Pied-
mont and Italy, and many other particulars, to which my brother
replied so well that she was greatly pleased with him. He was
a very handsome young man of twenty-four years. After talking
gravely and engaging him in earnest conversation, walking up
and down the church, she directed her steps toward the tomb of
Mademoiselle de La Roche, who had been dead for three months.
She stopped here, and again took his hand, saying, "My cousin"
(thus addressing him because a daughter of D'Albret was mar-
ried into our family of Bourdeille; but of this I do not boast, for
it has not helped me particularly), "do you not feel something
move below your feet?
"No, Madame," he replied.
"But reflect again, my cousin," she insisted.
My brother answered, "Madame, I feel nothing move. I
stand upon a solid stone. "
"Then I will explain," said the Queen, "without keeping you
longer in suspense, that you stand upon the tomb and over the


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ABBÉ DE BRANTÔME
2325
body of your poor dearly-loved Mademoiselle de La Roche, who is
interred here; and that our friends may have sentiment for us at
our death, render a pious homage here. You cannot doubt that
the gentle creature, dying so recently, must have been affected
when you approached. In remembrance I beg you to say a
paternoster and an Ave Maria and a de profundis, and sprinkle
holy water. Thus you will win the name of a very faithful
lover and a good Christian. "
M. LE CONSTABLE ANNE DE MONTMORENCY
From Lives of Distinguished Men and Great Captains>
HⓇ
E NEVER failed to say and keep up his paternosters every
morning, whether he remained in the house, or mounted
his horse and went out to the field to join the army.
It was
a common saying among the soldiers that one must "beware the
paternosters of the Constable. " For as disorders were very fre-
quent, he would say, while mumbling and muttering his pater-
nosters all the time, "Go and fetch that fellow and hang me
him up to this tree;" "Out with a file of harquebusiers here be-
fore me this instant, for the execution of this man! "
"Burn me
this village instantly! " "Cut me to pieces at once all these
villain peasants, who have dared to hold this church against the
king! " All this without ever ceasing from his paternosters till
he had finished them-thinking that he would have done very
wrong to put them off to another time; so conscientious was he!
TWO FAMOUS ENTERTAINMENTS
From 'Lives of Courtly Women'
I
HAVE read in a Spanish book called 'El Viaje del Principe '
(The Voyage of the Prince), made by the King of Spain in
the Pays-Bas in the time of the Emperor Charles, his father,
about the wonderful entertainments given in the rich cities. The
most famous was that of the Queen of Hungary in the lovely
town of Bains, which passed into a proverb, "Mas bravas que
las festas de Bains" (more magnificent than the festivals of Bains).
Among the displays which were seen during the siege of a coun-
terfeit castle, she ordered for one day a fête in honor of the


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2326
ABBÉ DE BRANTÔME
Emperor her brother, Queen Eleanor her sister, and the gentle-
men and ladies of the court.
Toward the end of the feast a lady appeared with six Oread-
nymphs, dressed as huntresses in classic costumes of silver and
green, glittering with jewels to imitate the light of the moon.
Each one carried a bow and arrows in her hand and wore a
quiver on her shoulder; their buskins were of cloth of silver.
They entered the hall, leading their dogs after them, and placed
on the table in front of the Emperor all kinds of venison pasties,
supposed to have been the spoils of the chase. After them came
the Goddess of Shepherds and her six nymphs, dressed in cloth
of silver, garnished with pearls. They wore knee-breeches be-
neath their flowing robes, and white pumps, and brought in
various products of the dairy.
Then entered the third division Pomona and her nymphs-
bearing fruit of all descriptions. This goddess was the daughter
of Donna Beatrix Pacheco, Countess d'Autremont, lady-in-waiting
to Queen Eleanor, and was but nine years old. She was now
Madame l'Admirale de Chastillon, whom the Admiral married
for his second wife. Approaching with her companions, she
presented her gifts to the Emperor with an eloquent speech,
delivered so beautifully that she received the admiration of the
entire assembly, and all predicted that she would become a
beautiful, charming, graceful, and captivating lady. She was
dressed in cloth of silver and white, with white buskins, and a
profusion of precious stones-emeralds, colored like some of the
fruit she bore. After making these presentations, she gave the
Emperor a Palm of Victory, made of green enamel, the fronds
tipped with pearls and jewels. This was very rich and gor-
geous.
To Queen Eleanor she gave a fan containing a mirror
set with gems of great value. Indeed, the Queen of Hungary
showed that she was a very excellent lady, and the Emperor
was proud of a sister worthy of himself. All the young ladies
who impersonated these mythical characters were selected from
the suites of France, Hungary, and Madame de Lorraine; and
were therefore French, Italian, Flemish, German, and of Lor-
raine. None of them lacked beauty.
At the same time that these fêtes were taking place at Bains,
Henry II. made his entrée in Piedmont and at his garrisons in
Lyons, where were assembled the most brilliant of his courtiers
and court ladies. If the representation of Diana and her chase
-


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ABBÉ DE BRANTÔME
2327
given by the Queen of Hungary was found beautiful, the one at
Lyons was more beautiful and complete. As the king entered
the city, he saw obelisks of antiquity to the right and left, and
a wall of six feet was constructed along the road to the court-
yard, which was filled with underbrush and planted thickly with
trees and shrubbery. In this miniature forest were hidden deer
and other animals.
As soon
as his Majesty approached, to the sound of horns
and trumpets Diana issued forth with her companions, dressed in
the fashion of a classic nymph with her quiver at her side and
her bow in her hand. Her figure was draped in black and gold
sprinkled with silver stars, the sleeves were of crimson satin
bordered with gold, and the garment, looped up above the knee,
revealed her buskins of crimson satin covered with pearls and
embroidery. Her hair was entwined with magnificent strings of
rich pearls and gems of much value, and above her brow was
placed a crescent of silver, surrounded by little diamonds. Gold
could never have suggested half so well as the shining silver the
white light of the real crescent. Her companions were attired in
classic costumes made of taffetas of various colors, shot with
gold, and their ringlets were adorned with all kinds of glittering
gems.
Other nymphs carried darts of Brazil-wood tipped with black
and white tassels, and carried horns and trumpets suspended by
ribbons of white and black. When the King appeared, a lion,
which had long been under training, ran from the wood and lay
at the feet of the Goddess, who bound him with a leash of
white and black and led him to the king, accompanying her
action with a poem of ten verses, which she delivered most
beautifully. Like the lion-so ran the lines-the city of Lyons
lay at his Majesty's feet, gentle, gracious, and obedient to his
command. This spoken, Diana and her nymphs made low bows
and retired.
Note that Diana and her companions were married women,
widows, and young girls, taken from the best society in Lyons,
and there was no fault to be found with the way they performed
their parts. The King, the princes, and the ladies and gentle-
men of the court were ravished. Madame de Valentinois, called
Diana of Poitiers,-whom the King served and in whose name.
the mock chase was arranged,-was not less content.


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2328
FREDRIKA BREMER
(1801-1865)
REDRIKA BREMER was born at Tuorla Manor-house, near Åbo
in Finland, on the 17th of August, 1801. In 1804 the family
removed to Stockholm, and two years later to a large estate
at Årsta, some twenty miles from the capital, which was her subse-
quent home.
At Årsta the father of Fredrika, who had amassed a
fortune in the iron industry in Finland, set up an establishment in
accord with his means. The manor-house, built two centuries before,
had become in some parts dilapidated, but it was ultimately restored
and improved beyond its original condi-
tion. From its windows on one side the eye
stretched over nearly five miles of meadows,
fields, and villages belonging to the estate.
In spite of its surroundings, however,
Fredrika's childhood was not a happy one.
Her mother was severe and impatient of
petty faults, and the child's mind became
embittered. Her father was reserved and
melancholy. Fredrika herself was restless
and passionate, although of an affectionate
nature. Among the other children she was
the ugly duckling, who was misunderstood,
and whose natural development was con-
FREDRIKA BREMER
tinually checked and frustrated. Her talents were early exhibited in
a variety of directions. Her first verses, in French, to the morn,
were written at the age of eight. Subsequently she wrote comedies
for home production, prose and verse of all sorts, and kept a journal,
which has been preserved. In 1821 the whole family went on a tour
abroad, from which they did not return until the following year,
having visited in the meantime Germany, Switzerland, and France,
and spent the winter in Paris. This year among new scenes and
surroundings seems to have brought home to Fredrika, upon the
resumption of her old life in the country, its narrowness and its
isolation. She was entirely shut off from all desired activity; her
illusions vanished one by one. "I was conscious," she says in her
short autobiography, "of being born with powerful wings, but I was
conscious of their being clipped;" and she fancied that they would
remain so.



## p. 2329 (#527) ###########################################

FREDRIKA BREMER
2329
Her attention, however, was fortunately attracted from herself to
the poor and sick in the country round about; and she presently
became to the whole region a nurse and a helper, denying herself
all sorts of comforts that she might give them to others, and brav-
ing storm and hunger on her errands of mercy. In order to earn
money for her charities she painted miniature portraits of the Crown
Princess and the King, and secretly sold them. Her desire to in-
crease the small sums she thus gained induced her to seek a pub-
lisher for a number of sketches she had written. Her brother readily
disposed of the manuscript for a hundred rix-dollars; and her first
book, 'Teckningar ur Hvardagslifvet' (Sketches of Every-day Life),
appeared in 1828, but without the name of the author, of whose
identity the publisher himself was left in ignorance. The book was
received with such favor that the young author was induced to try
again; and what had originally been intended as a second volume of
the 'Sketches' appeared in 1830 as 'Familjen H. ' (The H. Family).
Its success was immediate and unmistakable. It not only was re-
ceived with applause, but created a sensation, and Swedish literature
was congratulated on the acquisition of a new talent among its
writers.
The secret of Fredrika's authorship—which had as yet not been
confided even to her parents-was presently revealed to the poet
(and later bishop) Franzén, an old friend of the family. Shortly
afterward the Swedish Academy, of which Franzén was secretary,
awarded her its lesser gold medal as a sign of appreciation. A third
volume met with even greater success than its predecessors, and
seemed definitely to point out the career which she subsequently
followed; and from this time until the close of her life she worked
diligently in her chosen field. She rapidly acquired an appreciative
public in and out of Sweden.
Many of her novels and tales were
translated into various languages, several of them appearing simul-
taneously in Swedish and English. In 1844 the Swedish Academy
awarded her its great gold medal of merit.
Several long journeys abroad mark the succeeding years: to Den-
mark and America from 1848 to 1857; to Switzerland, Belgium,
France, Italy, Palestine, and Greece, from 1856 to 1861; to Germany
in 1862, returning the same year. The summer months of 1864 she
spent at Årsta, which since 1853 had passed out of the hands of the
family. She removed there the year after, and died there on the 31st
of December.
Fredrika Bremer's most successful literary work was in the line of
her earliest writings, descriptive of the every-day life of the middle.
classes. Her novels in this line have an unusual charm of expression,
whose definable elements are an unaffected simplicity and a certain


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FREDRIKA BREMER
2330
quiet humor which admirably fits the chosen milieu. Besides the
ones already mentioned, 'Presidentens Döttrar' (The President's
Daughters), Grannarna' (The Neighbors), 'Hemmet' (The Home),
'Nina,' and others, cultivated this field. Later she drifted into
"tendency » fiction, making her novels the vehicles for her opinions
on important public questions, such as religion, philanthropy, and
above all the equal rights of women. These later productions, of
which Hertha' and 'Syskonlif' are the most important, are far
inferior to her earlier work. She had, however, the satisfaction of
seeing the realization of several of the movements which she had so
ardently espoused: the law that unmarried women in Sweden should
their majority at twenty-five years of age; the organization at
Stockholm of a seminary for the education of woman teachers; and
certain parliamentary reforms.
In addition to her novels and short stories, she wrote some verse,
mostly unimportant, and several books of travel, among them 'Hem-
men i ny Verlden' (Homes in the New World), containing her ex-
periences of America; 'Life in the Old World'; and 'Greece and the
Greeks. '
A HOME-COMING
From The Neighbors'
LETTER I. -FRANCISCA W. TO MARIA M.
ROSENVIK, Ist June, 18 .
HE
ERE I am now, dear Maria, in my own house and home, at
my own writing-table, and with my own Bear. And who
then is Bear? no doubt you ask. Who else should he be
but my own husband? I call him Bear because-it so happens.
I am seated at the window. The sun is setting. Two swans
are swimming in the lake, and furrow its clear mirror. Three
cows-my cows—are standing on the verdant margin, quiet, fat,
and pensive, and certainly think of nothing. What excellent
cows they are! Now the maid is coming up with the milk-pail.
Delicious milk in the country! But what is not good in the
country? Air and people, food and feelings, earth and sky, every-
thing there is fresh and cheering.
Now I must introduce you to my place of abode -no! I must
begin farther off. Upon yonder hill, from which I first beheld
the valley in which Rosenvik lies (the hill is some miles in the
interior of Smaaland) do you descry a carriage covered with
-


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FREDRIKA BREMER
2331
dust? In it are seated Bear and his wedded wife. The wife is
looking out with curiosity, for before her lies a valley so beauti-
ful in the tranquillity of evening! Below are green groves which
fringe mirror-clear lakes, fields of standing corn bend in silken
undulations round gray mountains, and white buildings glance
amid the trees. Round about, pillars of smoke are shooting up
vertically from the wood-covered hills to the serene evening sky.
This seems to indicate the presence of volcanoes, but in point of
fact it is merely the peaceful labor of the husbandmen burning
the vegetation, in order to fertilize the soil. At all events, it is
an excellent thing, and I am delighted, bend forward, and am
just thinking about a happy family in nature,- Paradise, and
Adam and Eve, when suddenly Bear puts his great paws
around me, and presses me so that I am near giving up the
ghost, while, kissing me, he entreats me to "be comfortable
here. " I was a little provoked; but when I perceived the heart-
felt intention of the embrace, I could not but be satisfied.
-―――――
In this valley, then, was my permanent home: here my new
family was living; here lay Rosenvik; here I was to live with
my Bear. We descended the hill, and the carriage rolled rapidly
along the level way. Bear told me the names of every estate,
both in the neighborhood and at a distance. I listened as if I
were dreaming, but was roused from my reverie when he said
with a certain stress, "Here is the residence of ma chère mère,"
and the carriage drove into a courtyard, and stopped before a
large and fine stone house.
"What, are we going to alight here? " "Yes, my love. " This
was by no means an agreeable surprise to me. I would gladly
have first driven to my own home, there to prepare myself a little
for meeting my husband's stepmother, of whom I was a little
afraid, from the accounts I had heard of that lady, and the respect
Bear entertained for her. This visit appeared entirely mal àpropos
to me, but Bear has his own ideas, and I perceived from his
manner that it was not expedient then to offer any resistance.
It was Sunday, and on the carriage drawing up, the tones of
a violin became audible to me. "Aha! " said Bear, "so much the
better;" made a ponderous leap from the carriage, and lifted me
out. Of hat-cases and packages, no manner of account was to be
taken. Bear took my hand, ushered me up the steps into the
magnificent hall, and dragged me toward the door from whence
the sounds of music and dancing were heard. "See," thought I,
.


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FREDRIKA BREMER
2332
now I am to dance in this costume forsooth! " I wished to go
into some place where I could shake the dust from my nose and
my bonnet; where I could at least view myself in a mirror. Im-
possible! Bear, leading me by the arm, assured me that I looked
"most charming," and entreated me to mirror myself in his eyes.
I then needs must be so discourteous as to reply that they were
"too small. " He protested that they were only the clearer, and
opened the door to the ball-room. "Well, since you lead me to
the ball, you shall also dance with me, you Bear! " I exclaimed
in the gayety of despair, so to speak. "With delight! " cried Bear,
and at the same moment we found ourselves in the salon.
My alarm diminished considerably when I perceived in the
spacious room only a crowd of cleanly attired maids and serving-
men, who were sweeping merrily about with one another. They
were so busied with dancing as scarcely to observe us. Bear
then conducted me to the upper end of the apartment; and
there, on a high seat, I saw a tall and strong lady of about fifty,
who was playing on a violin with zealous earnestness, and beat-
ing time with her foot, which she stamped with energy. On her
head she wore a remarkable and high-projecting cap of black
velvet, which I will call a helmet, because that word occurred to
my mind at the very first view I had of her, and I know no
one more appropriate. She looked well, but singular.
It was
the lady of General Mansfelt, my husband's stepmother, ma
chère mère!
She speedily cast her large dark-brown eyes on me, instantly
ceased playing, laid aside the violin, and drew herself up with a
proud bearing, but an air of gladness and frankness. Bear led
me towards her. I trembled a little, bowed profoundly, and
kissed ma chère mère's hand. She kissed my forehead, and for a
while regarded me with such a keen glance, that I was com-
pelled to abase my eyes, on which she again kissed me most
cordially on lips and forehead, and embraced me almost as lustily
as Bear had. Now it was Bear's turn; he kissed the hand of
ma chère mère right respectfully; she however offered him her
cheek, and they appeared very friendly. "Be welcome, my dear
friends! " said ma chère mère, with a loud, masculine voice. "It
was handsome in you to come to me before driving to your own
home. I thank you for it. I would indeed have given you a
better reception had I been prepared; at all events, I know that
'Welcome is the best cheer. ' I hope, my friends, you stay the


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FREDRIKA BREMER
2333
evening here ? » Bear excused us, said that we desired to get
home soon, that I was fatigued from the journey, but that we
would not drive by Carlsfors without paying our respects to ma
chère mère.
"Well, very good, well, very good! " said ma chère mère, with
satisfaction; "we will shortly talk further about that in the cham-
ber there; but first I must say a few words to the people here.
Hark ye, good friends! " and ma chère mère knocked with the
bow on the back of the violin, till a general silence ensued in
the salon. "My children," she pursued in a solemn manner, "I
have to tell you-a plague upon you! will you not be still there,
at the lower end? -I have to inform you that my dear son,
Lars Anders Werner, has now led home, as his wedded wife,
this Francisca Burén whom you see at his side. Marriages are
made in heaven, my children, and we will supplicate heaven to
complete its work in blessing this conjugal pair. We will this
evening together drink a bumper to their prosperity. That will
do! Now you can continue your dancing, my children.
come you here, and do your best in playing. "
Olof,
While a murmur of exultation and congratulations went
through the assembly, ma chère mère took me by the hand, and
led me, together with Bear, into another room. Here she ordered
punch and glasses to be brought in. In the interim she thrust
her two elbows on the table, placed her clenched hands under
her chin, and gazed steadfastly at me, but with a look which was
rather gloomy than friendly. Bear, perceiving that ma chère
mère's review embarrassed me, broached the subject of the har-
vest or rural affairs. Ma chère mère vented a few sighs, so deep
that they rather resembled groans, appeared to make a violent
effort to command herself, answered Bear's questions, and on the
arrival of the punch, drank to us, saying, with a serious look
and voice, "Son and son's wife, your health! " On this she
grew more friendly, and said in a tone of pleasantry, which
beseemed her very well, "Lars Anders, I don't think people can
say you have bought the calf in the sack. Your wife does not
by any means look in bad case, and has a pair of eyes to buy
fish with. Little she is, it is true; but 'Little and bold is often
more than a match for the great. '"
I laughed, so did ma chère mère also; I began to understand
her character and manner. We gossiped a little while together
in a lively manner, and I recounted some little adventures of


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2334
FREDRIKA BREMER
travel, which amused her exceedingly. After the lapse of an
hour, we arose to take leave, and ma chère mère said, with a
really charming smile, "I will not detain you this evening,
delighted as I am to see you. I can well imagine that home
is attractive. Stay at home to-morrow, if you will; but the day
after to-morrow come and dine with me. As to the rest, you
know well that you are at all times welcome.
Fill now your
glasses, and come and drink the folks' health.
keep to ourselves, but share joy in common. "
Sorrow we should
We went into the dancing-room with full glasses, ma chère
mère leading the way as herald. They were awaiting us with
bumpers, and ma chère mère addressed the people something in
this strain: "We must not indeed laugh until we get over the
brook; but when we set out on the voyage of matrimony with
piety and good sense, then may be applied the adage that 'Well
begun is half won'; and on that, my friends, we will drink a
skoal to this wedded pair you see before you, and wish that both
they and their posterity may ever 'sit in the vineyard of our
Lord. ' Skoal! "
"Skoal! skoal! " resounded from every side. Bear and I
emptied our glasses, and went about and shook a multitude of
people by the hand, till my head was all confusion. When this
was over, and we were preparing to prosecute our journey, ma
chère mère came after us on the steps with a packet or bundle
in her hand, and said in a friendly manner, "Take this cold
roast veal with you, children, for breakfast to-morrow morning.
After that, you must fatten and consume your own calves. But
forget not, daughter-in-law, that I get back my napkin. No, you
shan't carry it, dear child, you have enough to do with your bag
and mantle. Lars Anders shall carry the roast veal. " And as if
Lars Anders had been still a little boy, she charged him with
the bundle, showed him how he was to carry it, and Bear did as
she said. Her last words were, "Forget not that I get my nap-
kin again! " I looked with some degree of wonder at Bear; but
he smiled, and lifted me into the carriage.


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FREDRIKA BREMER
2335
THE LANDED PROPRIETOR
From The Home'
L
OUISE possessed the quality of being a good listener in a
higher degree than any one else in the family, and there-
fore she heard more than any one else of his Excellency;
but not of him only, for Jacobi had always something to tell her,
always something to consult her about; and in case she were not
too much occupied with her thoughts about the weaving, he could
always depend upon the most intense sympathy, and the best
advice both with regard to moral questions and economical ar-
rangements, dress, plans for the future, and so forth. He also
gave her good advice which however was very seldom followed
- when she was playing Postilion; he also drew patterns for her
tapestry work, and was very fond of reading aloud to her- but
novels rather than sermons.
―
But he was not long allowed to sit by her side alone; for very
soon a person seated himself at her other side whom we will
call the Landed Proprietor, as he was chiefly remarkable for the
possession of a large estate in the vicinity of the town.
The Landed Proprietor seemed to be disposed to dispute with
the Candidate-let us continue to call him so, as we are all, in
one way or the other, Candidates in this world-the place which
he possessed. The Landed Proprietor had, besides his estate, a
very portly body; round, healthy-looking cheeks; a pair of large
gray eyes, remarkable for their want of expression; and a little.
rosy mouth, which preferred mastication to speaking, which
laughed without meaning, and which now began to direct to
"Cousin Louise "- for he considered himself related to the Lag-
man several short speeches, which we will recapitulate in the
following chapter, headed
STRANGE QUESTIONS
"Cousin Louise, are you fond of fish-bream for instance ? »
asked the Landed Proprietor one evening, as he seated himself
by the side of Louise, who was busy working a landscape in
tapestry.
"Oh, yes! bream is a very good fish," answered she, phleg-
matically, without looking up.


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2336
FREDRIKA BREMER
"Oh, with red-wine sauce, delicious! I have splendid fishing
on my estate, Oestanvik. Big fellows of bream! I fish for them
myself. "
"Who is the large fish there? " inquired Jacobi of Henrik, with
an impatient sneer; "and what is it to him if your sister Louise
is fond of bream or not? "
A very
"Because then she might like him too, mon cher!
fine and solid fellow is my cousin Thure of Oestanvik. I advise
you to cultivate his acquaintance. What now, Gabrielle dear,
what now, your Highness? "
"What is that which- »
"Yes, what is it? I shall lose my head over that riddle.
Mamma dear, come and help your stupid son! "
"No, no! Mamma knows it already.
She must not say it! "
exclaimed Gabrielle with fear.
"What king do you place above all other kings, Magister? "
asked Petrea for the second time, having this evening her
raptus" of questioning.
"
-
"Charles the Thirteenth," answered the Candidate, and list-
ened for what Louise was going to reply to the Landed Propri-
etor.
-
"Do you like birds, Cousin Louise? " asked the Landed Pro-
prietor.
"Oh yes, particularly the throstle," answered Louise.
"Well, I am glad of that! " said the Landed Proprietor.
"On my estate, Oestanvik, there is an immense quantity of
throstles. I often go out with my gun, and shoot them for my
dinner. Piff, paff! with two shots I have directly a whole dish-
ful. "
Petrea, who was asked by no one "Do you like birds,
cousin? " and who wished to occupy the Candidate, did not let
herself be deterred by his evident confusion, but for the second
time put the following question:-"Do you think, Magister, that
people before the Flood were really worse than they are nowa-
days? »
"Oh, much, much better," answered the Candidate.
"Are you fond of roasted hare, Cousin Louise? " asked the
Landed Proprietor.
"Are you fond of roasted hare, Magister? " whispered Petrea
waggishly to Jacobi.
Brava, Petrea! " whispered her brother to her.


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FREDRIKA BREMER
2337
"Are you
fond of cold meat, Cousin Louise? " asked the
Landed Proprietor, as he was handing Louise to the supper-
table.
"Are you fond of Landed Proprietor? " whispered Henrik to
her as she left it.
Louise answered just as a cathedral would have answered:
she looked very solemn and was silent.
After supper Petrea was quite excited, and left nobody alone
who by any possibility could answer her. "Is reason sufficient
for mankind? What is the ground of morals?
What is prop-
erly the meaning of 'revelation'? Why is everything so badly
arranged in the State? Why must there be rich and poor? "
etc. , etc.
"Dear Petrea! " said Louise, "what use can there be in asking
those questions? "
It was an evening for questions; they did not end even when
the company had broken up.
"Don't you think, Elise," said the Lagman to his wife when
they were alone, "that our little Petrea begins to be disagreeable
with her continual questioning and disputing? She leaves no one
in peace, and is stirred up herself the whole time. She will
make herself ridiculous if she keeps on in this way.