to the founder, King René himself, represented the body of a dead woman, standing, enveloped in a shroud, with her head dressed and worms gnawing her bowels. In the inscription at the foot of the picture the first lines read:
“Une fois sur toute femme belle
Mais par la mort suis devenu telle,
Ma chair estoit très belle, fraische et tendre,
Or, est-elle toute tournée en cendre.
Mon corps estoit très plaisant et très gent,[1]
Je me souloye souvent vestir de soye,
Or en droict fault que toute nue je soys.
Fourrée estois de gris et de menu vair,
En grand palais me logeois à mon vueil,
Or suis logée en oe petit cercueil.
Ma chambre estoit de beaux tapis ornée,
Or est d’aragnes ma fosse environnée.”[2]
Here the memento mori still predominates. It tends imperceptibly to change into the quite worldly complaint of the woman who sees her charms fade, as in the following lines of the Parement et Triumphe des Dames by Olivier de la Marche.
“Ces doulx regards, ces yeulx faiz pour plaisance,
Pensesz y bien, ilz perdront leur clarté,
Nez et sourcilz, la bouche d’eloquence
Se pourriront…
Se vous vivez le droit cours de nature
Dont LX ans est pour ung bien grant nombre,
Vostre beaulté changera en laydure,
Vostre santé en maladie obscure,
Et ne ferez en ce monde que encombre.
Se fille avez, vous luy serez ung umbre,
Celle sera requise et demandée,
Et de chascun la mére habandonnée.”[3]
- ↑ It seems that two lines are missing after the lines 5 and 8.
- ↑ Once I was beautiful above all women But by death I became like this, My flesh was very beautiful, fresh and soft, Now it is altogether turned to ashes. My body was very pleasing and very pretty, I used frequently to dress in silk, Now I must rightly be quite nude. I was dressed in grey fur and miniver, I lived in a great palace as I wished, Now I am lodged in this little coffin. My room was adorned with fine tapestry, Now my grave is by cobwebs.
- ↑ These sweet looks, these eyes made for pleasance, Remember, they will lose their lustre, Nose and eyelashes, the eloquent mouth Will putrefy…. If you live your natural lifetime, Of which sixty years is a great
