e Pyrenees.

The young and beautiful Princess of Navarre being widowed and her year
of mourning having passed, is induced by her brother, the King of
Navarre, to marry again. The French Crown-Prince has been selected by
the two courts as her future husband, but both parties are of a
somewhat romantic turn of mind and desire to know each other, before
being united for life.

{146}

For this purpose the Prince undertakes a journey to the Pyrenees, where
he knows the Princess to be.

In the first scene we see preparations being made for the reception of
the Princess, whose arrival has been announced by her Seneshal. In the
midst of the bustle there enters a simple Page to demand rooms for his
master. As he is on foot the host treats him spitefully, but his
daughter Lorezza, pleased with his good looks, promises him a good
dinner. While they are still debating, the numerous suite of the
Prince comes up and without further ado takes possession of the house
and stables, which have been prepared for the Princess and her people.
The host begins to feel more favorably inclined towards the strange
Seigneur, though he does not understand, how a simple citizen of Paris
(this is the Prince's incognito), can afford such luxury.

By the time "Monsieur Jean de Paris" arrives the host's demeanour has
entirely changed and seeing two large purses with gold, he abandons the
whole house to the strange guest, hoping that he shall have prosecuted
his journey before the arrival of the Princess. But he has been
mistaken, for no sooner are Jean de Paris' people quartered in the
house, than the Seneshal, a pompous Spanish Grandee arrives, to
announce the coming of the Princess. The host is hopelessly
embarrassed and the Seneshal rages at the impudence of the citizen, but
Jean de Paris quietly intimates, that the house {147} and everything in
it are hired by him, and courteously declares, that he will play the
host and invite the Princess to his house and dinner.

While the Seneshal is still stupefied by such unheard-of impudence, the
Princess arrives, and at once takes everybody captive by her grace and
loveliness. Jean de Paris is fascinated and the Princess who instantly
recognizes in him her future bridegroom, is equally pleased by his
appearance, but resolves to profit and to amuse herself by her
discovery.

To the Seneshal's unbounded surprise she graciously accepts Jean's
invitation.

In the second act the preparations for