her of it, and she told him that she did not think it consistent

with decency to be every evening among the gay young courtiers;



that she hoped he would allow her to live in a more reserved

manner than she had done hitherto" target="_blank" title="ad.至今，迄今">hitherto, that the virtue and presence



of her mother authorised her in many liberties which could not

otherwise be justified in a woman of her age.



Monsieur de Cleves, who had a great deal of facility and

complaisance for his wife, did not show it on this occasion, but



told her he would by no means consent to her altering her

conduct; she was upon the point of telling him, it was reported



that the Duke de Nemours was in love with her, but she had not

the power to name him; besides she thought it disingenuous to



disguise the truth, and make use of pretences to a man who had so

good an opinion of her.



Some days after the King was with the Queen at the assembly hour,

and the discourse turned upon nativities and predictions; the



company were divided in their opinion as to what credit ought to

be given to them; the Queen professed to have great faith in



them, and maintained that after so many things had come to pass

as they had been foretold, one could not doubt but there was



something of certainty in that science; others affirmed, that of

an infinite number of predictions so very few proved true, that



the truth of those few ought to be looked upon as an effect of

chance.



"I have formerly been very curious and inquisitive as to

futurity," said the King, "but I have seen so many false and



improbable things, that I am satisfied there is no truth in that

pretended art. Not many years since there came hither a man of



great reputation in astrology; everybody went to see him; I went

among others, but without saying who I was, and I carried with me



the Duke of Guise and Descars, and made them go in first;

nevertheless the astrologer addressed himself first to me, as if



he had concluded me to be their master; perhaps he knew me, and

yet he told me one thing that was very unsuitable to my



character, if he had known me; his prediction was that I should

be killed in a duel; he told the Duke of Guise, that he should



die of a wound received behind; and he told Descars he should be

knocked of the head by the kick of a horse; the Duke of Guise was



a little angry at the prediction, as if it imported he should run

away; nor was Descars better pleased to find he was to make his



exit by so unfortunate an accident; in a word, we went away all

three of us very much out of humour with the astrologer; I don't



know what will happen to the Duke of Guise and Descars, but there

is not much probability of my being killed in a duel; the King of



Spain and I have just made peace, and if we had not, I question

whether we should have fought, or if I should have challenged



him, as the King my father did Charles the Fifth."

After the King had related the misfortune that was foretold him,



those who had defended astrology abandoned the argument, and

agreed there was no credit to be given to it: "For my part,"



said the Duke de Nemours aloud, "I have the least reason of any

man in the world to credit it"; and then turning himself to



Madam de Cleves, near whom he stood, "it has been foretold me,"

says he very softly, "that I should be happy in a person for



whom I should have the most violent and respectfulpassion; you

may judge, Madam, if I ought to believe in predictions."



The Queen-Dauphin, who believed, from what the Duke had spoke

aloud, that what he whispered was some false prediction that had



been told him, asked him what it was he said to Madam de Cleves;

had he had a less ready wit, he would have been surprised at this



question; but without any hesitation, "What I said to her,

Madam," answered he, "was, that it had been predicted to me,



that I should be raised to a higher fortune than my most sanguine

hopes could lead me to expect." "If nothing have been foretold



you but this," replied the Queen-Dauphin, smiling, and thinking

of the affair of England, "I would not advise you to decry



astrology; you may have reasons hereafter to offer in defence of

it." Madam de Cleves apprehended the Queen-Dauphin's meaning,



but knew withal, that the fortune the Duke of Nemours spoke of

was not that of being King of England.



The time of her mourning being expired, the Princess of Cleves

was obliged to make her appearance again, and go to Court as



usual; she saw the Duke de Nemours at the Queen-Dauphin's

• temper [´tempə] n.韧度 v.锻炼；调和 (初中英语单词)


• prince [´prins] n.王子；亲王；君主 (初中英语单词)


• thence [ðens] ad.从那里；因此 (初中英语单词)


• utmost [´ʌtməust] a.最大的 n.极端 (初中英语单词)


• princess [,prin´ses] n.公主；王妃；亲王夫人 (初中英语单词)


• considerable [kən´sidərəbəl] a.重要的；值得重视 (初中英语单词)


• violence [´vaiələns] n.猛烈；暴力(行) (初中英语单词)


• abundance [ə´bʌndəns] n.丰富，充裕 (初中英语单词)


• passion [´pæʃən] n.激情；激怒；恋爱 (初中英语单词)


• convince [kən´vins] vt.使确信；使认识错误 (初中英语单词)


• ambition [æm´biʃən] n.雄心，野心；企图 (初中英语单词)


• pursuit [pə´sju:t] n.追踪；追击；事务 (初中英语单词)


• readily [´redili] ad.乐意地；容易地 (初中英语单词)


• supposed [sə´pəuzd] a.想象的；假定的 (初中英语单词)


• gallant [´gælənt, gə´lænt] a.英勇的；华丽的 (初中英语单词)


• account [ə´kaunt] vi.说明 vt.认为 n.帐目 (初中英语单词)


• conceal [kən´si:l] vt.藏；隐瞒 (初中英语单词)


• plainly [´pleinli] ad.平坦地；简单地 (初中英语单词)


• mourning [´mɔ:niŋ] n.悲伤；治丧；戴孝 (初中英语单词)


• suspicion [sə´spiʃən] n.怀(猜)疑；嫌疑 (初中英语单词)


• knowing [´nəuiŋ] a.会意的，心照不宣的 (初中英语单词)


• therefore [´ðeəfɔ:] ad.&conj.因此；所以 (初中英语单词)


• illness [´ilnis] n.生病，不健康，疾病 (初中英语单词)


• resolution [,rezə´lu:ʃən] n.决心；坚决；果断 (初中英语单词)


• resolve [ri´zɔlv] v.决心 n.决心；刚毅 (初中英语单词)


• whenever [wen´evə] conj.&ad.无论何时 (初中英语单词)


• virtue [´və:tʃu:] n.美德；贞操；长处 (初中英语单词)


• facility [fə´siliti] n.容易；熟练；灵巧 (初中英语单词)


• assembly [ə´sembli] n.集会；装配；与会者 (初中英语单词)


• formerly [´fɔ:məli] ad.从前，以前 (初中英语单词)


• hither [´hiðə] ad.到此处 (初中英语单词)


• unfortunate [ʌn´fɔ:tʃunit] a.不幸的，运气差的 (初中英语单词)


• humour [´hju:mə] n.幽默，诙谐 (初中英语单词)


• argument [´ɑ:gjumənt] n.辩论；争论；论证 (初中英语单词)


• softly [´sɔftli] ad.软化地；柔和地 (初中英语单词)


• violent [´vaiələnt] a.强暴的；猛烈的 (初中英语单词)


• advise [əd´vaiz] vt.忠告；建议；通知 (初中英语单词)


• expectation [,ekspek´teiʃən] n.期待(望)；预期 (高中英语单词)


• inclination [,inkli´neiʃən] n.倾斜；爱好；天资 (高中英语单词)


• congratulate [kən´grætjuleit] vt.祝贺 (高中英语单词)


• notwithstanding [,nɔtwiθ´stændiŋ] prep.&conj.虽然；还是 (高中英语单词)


• excessive [ik´sesiv] a.过分的；极端的 (高中英语单词)


• discourse [´diskɔ:s] n.论文；演说；说教 (高中英语单词)


• declaration [,deklə´reiʃən] n.宣布；宣言；申报 (高中英语单词)


• mistaken [mis´teikən] mistake的过去分词 (高中英语单词)


• indifferent [in´difrənt] a.不关心的；中立的 (高中英语单词)


• pretence [pri´tens] n.假装；托词；无理要求 (高中英语单词)


• melancholy [´melənkəli] n.忧郁 a.忧郁的 (高中英语单词)


• seeing [si:iŋ] see的现在分词 n.视觉 (高中英语单词)


• hitherto [,hiðə´tu:] ad.至今，迄今 (高中英语单词)


• certainty [´sə:tənti] n.确实(性)；确信 (高中英语单词)


• infinite [´infinit] a.无限的，无穷的 (高中英语单词)


• saying [´seiŋ, ´sei-iŋ] n.言语；言论；格言 (高中英语单词)


• probability [,prɔbə´biliti] n.或有；可能性 (高中英语单词)


• related [ri´leitid] a.叙述的；有联系的 (高中英语单词)


• misfortune [mis´fɔ:tʃən] n.不幸；灾祸 (高中英语单词)


• hesitation [,hezi´teiʃən] n.犹豫，踌躇 (高中英语单词)


• hereafter [hiər´ɑ:ftə] ad.&n.将来；来世 (高中英语单词)


• impatience [im´peiʃəns] n.不耐烦，急躁 (英语四级单词)


• desirous [di´zaiərəs] a.渴望的；想往的 (英语四级单词)


• amiable [´eimiəbəl] a.亲切的，温和的 (英语四级单词)


• embarrassment [im´bærəsmənt] n.窘迫；困惑；为难 (英语四级单词)


• experienced [ik´spiəriənst] a.有经验的；熟练的 (英语四级单词)


• seeming [´si:miŋ] a.表面上的 n.外观 (英语四级单词)


• reputation [repju´teiʃən] n.名誉；名声；信誉 (英语四级单词)


• prediction [pri´dikʃən] n.预告；(气象等)预报 (英语四级单词)


• withal [wi´ðɔ:l] ad.加之；同样；然而 (英语四级单词)


• gaiety [´geəti] n.欢乐；乐事；华丽 (英语六级单词)


• publicly [´pʌblikli] ad.公然；公众所有地 (英语六级单词)


• speaking [´spi:kiŋ] n.说话 a.发言的 (英语六级单词)


• respectful [ri´spektfəl] a.恭敬的；尊敬人的 (英语六级单词)


• liking [´laikiŋ] n.爱好；嗜好；喜欢 (英语六级单词)


• hunting [´hʌntiŋ] n.打猎 (英语六级单词)


• privately [´praivitli] ad.秘密，一个人 (英语六级单词)


• decency [´di:sənsi] n.正派；体面 (英语六级单词)


• foretold [fɔ:´təuld] foretell过去式(分词) (英语六级单词)


• inquisitive [in´kwizitiv] a.好奇的，好问的 (英语六级单词)


• abandoned [ə´bændənd] a.被抛弃的；无约束的 (英语六级单词)