ion, although
of a pleasing naivete, was not at all correct, having been made from
a Latin version of the original. Manuscript copies of Laurent's
translation were to be found in the royal and most of the princely
libraries of the fifteenth century.--Ed.

B. (Tale I., Page 50.)

The letters of remission which at the instance of Henry VIII. were
granted to Michael de St. Aignan in respect of the murder of James du
Mesnil are preserved in the National Archives of France (Register
J. 234, No. 191), and after the usual preamble, recite the culprit's
petition in these terms:--

"Whereas it appears from the prayer of Michael de St. Aignan, lord of
the said place, (1) that heretofore he for a long time lived and resided
in the town of Alencon in honour and good repute; but, to the detriment
of his prosperity, life, and conduct there were divers evil-minded and
envious persons who by sinister, cunning, and hidden means persecuted
him with all the evils, wiles, and deceits that it is possible to
conceive, albeit the said suppliant had never caused them displeasure,
injury, or detriment; among others, one named James Dumesnil, a young
man, to whom the said suppliant had procured all the pleasure and
advantages that were in his power, and whom he had customarily admitted
to his house, thinking that the said Dumesnil was his loyal friend, and
charging his wife and his servants to treat him when he came as though
he were his brother; by which means St. Aignan hoped to induce the said
Dumesnil to espouse one of his relatives.

1 This was in all probability the village of St. Aignan on
the Sarthe, between Moulins-la-Marche and Bazoches, and
about twenty miles from Alencon. The personage here
mentioned should not be confounded with Emery de
Beauvilliers, whom Francis I. created Count of St. Aignan
(on the Cher), and whose descendants, many of whom were
distinguished generals and diplomatists, became dukes of the
same place.--Ed.

"But Dumesnil ill-requited the aforesaid good services and courtesies,
and rendering evil for good, as is the practice of iniquity, endeavoured
to and did cause an estrangement between the said St. Aignan and
his wife, who had always lived together in good, great, and perfect
affection. And the better to effect his purpose he (Dumesnil) gave the
said wife to understand, among other things, that St. Aignan bore her
no affection; that he daily desired her deat