ys treated him somewhat
rigorously, beheld the extremity of his grief and his uprightness,
which, amidst all his despair, would suffer him to prefer but this
moderate request, her sole answer was to throw her arms around his neck,
weeping so bitterly that speech and strength alike failed her, and
she swooned away in his embrace. Thereupon, overcome by pity, love
and sorrow, he must needs swoon also, and one of Pauline's companions,
seeing them fall one on one side and one on the other, called aloud for
aid, whereupon remedies were fetched and applied, and brought them to
themselves.

Then Pauline, who had desired to conceal her love, was ashamed at having
shown such transports; yet were her pity for the unhappy gentleman a
just excuse. He, unable to utter the "Farewell for ever!" hastened away
with heavy heart and set teeth, and, on entering his apartment, fell
like a lifeless corpse upon his bed. There he passed the night in such
piteous lamentations that his servants thought he must have lost all his
relations and friends, and whatsoever he possessed on earth.

In the morning he commended himself to Our Lord, and having divided
among his servants what little worldly goods he had, save a small sum
of money which he took, he charged his people not to follow him, and
departed all alone to the monastery of the Observance, (4) resolved to
take the cloth there and never more to quit it his whole life long.

4 The monastery of the Observance here referred to would
appear to be that at Ferrara, founded by Duke Hercules I.,
father of the Marchioness of Mantua. The name of
"Observance" was given to those conventual establishments
where the rules of monastic life were scrupulously observed,
however rigorous they might be. The monastery of the
Observance at Ferrara belonged to the Franciscan order,
reformed by the Pope in 1363.--D. and L.

The Warden, who had known him in former days, at first thought he was
being laughed at or was dreaming, for there was none in all the land
that less resembled a Grey Friar than did this gentleman, seeing that
he was endowed with all the good and honourable qualities that one
would desire a gentleman to possess. Albeit, after hearing his words and
beholding the tears that flowed (from what cause he knew not) down his
face, the Warden compassionately took him in, and very soon afterwards,
finding him persevere in his desire, granted him the cloth: wher