retained intact a couple of quaint mediaeval bridges, which Margaret
must have ofttimes crossed in her many journeyings. Moreover, the
townsfolk still point out the so-called Palace of Marianne, said to have
been built by Margaret's husband for one of his mistresses, and also the
old royal baths, which the Queen no doubt frequented.

It was at the castle of Nérac that Margaret's favourite protégé, the
venerable Lefèvre d'Étaples, died at the age of one hundred and one, in
the presence of his patroness, to whom before expiring he declared that
he had never known a woman carnally in his life. However, he regretfully
added that in his estimation he had been guilty of a greater sin, for
he had neglected to lay down his life for his faith. Another partisan of
the Reform, Gerard Roussel, whom Margaret had almost snatched from the
stake and appointed Bishop of Oloron, had no occasion to express any
such regret. His own flock speedily espoused the doctrines of the
Reformation, but when he proceeded to Mauléon and tried to preach there,
the Basques refused to listen to him, and hacked the pulpit to pieces,
the Bishop being precipitated upon the flagstones, and so grievously
injured that he died.

Beside the divines who sought an asylum at Nérac, there were various
noted men of letters, foremost among whom we may class the Queen's two
secretaries, Clement Marot, the poet, and Peter Le Maçon, the translator
of Boccaccio's _Decameron_. This translation was undertaken at the
Queen's request, as Le Maçon states in his dedication to her, and it
has always been considered one of the most able literary works of the
period. With Marot and Le Maçon, but in the more humble capacity of
valet, at the yearly wages of one hundred and ten livres, there came the
gay Bonaventure Despériers, the author of _Les Joyeux Devis_; (1) other
writers, such as John Frotté, John de la Haye and Gabriel Chapuis, were