Appeals for pity in the Heptameron

Ceulx qui par eulx-mesmes se peuvent aydern'ont poinct besoin d'ayde. Car Celluy qui a dist qu'il est venu pour les mallades, et non poinct pour les rains, est venu par la loy de sa misericorde secourir a noz infirmitez, rompant les arrestz de la rigueur de sa justice.

[Those who can help themselves don't need any aid. For He who said that he came to help the sick and not the healthy, came by the law of his mercy to heal our infirmities, thereby breaking the harsh decrees of his justice.] (272, italics mine)

The wife has acted in a godly fashion, freely dispensing mercy, even though her husband did not ask for it. Given Parlamente's statement, it does not seem coincidental that in the story itself the husband's condition is described in terms of an illness. The wife's goal is to heal him. The adjective sain [healthy] is used once, the noun same [health], twice.

In tale 32 we find a character who makes a specific appeal for mercy on behalf of another. Bernage, moved by the sight of the repentant adulterous wife whose head is shaved and who drinks from the skull of her dead lover, urges her husband to be merciful: "vous luy debvez user de misericorde [you should be merciful]" (245). The story illustrates the greater power that may be possessed by the individual to whom an appeal for mercy is made, and the capacity of that more powerful person to lift a sanction or revoke a punishment. The husband reflects on the situation, and promises that if his wife "perseveroit en ceste humilite il en auroit quelquefois pine [continued to be humble, he would take pity on her]" (245). He is ultimately merciful to her, and terminates the punishment. As in tale 38, a change is effected. His act of mercy, though commendable, is somewhat less praiseworthy than the actions of the wife in tale 38, however, since it is not entirely selfless. His decision is motivated in part by the pity he had for his wife, but also by his desire for children.

LOOKING at appeals for pity made on one's own behalf, we find that the petitioners are commonly depicted as manipulative and calculating. The Duke in tale 12 makes an appeal for pity to the serviteur [manservant] whose sister he desires. He begins by telling the gentleman of his affection for him, and asserting that if he had a wife, mother, or daughter who could save his life, 'je les y emploirois, plutost que de vous laisser en tourment [I would make use of them in such a situation rather than leave you in torment]" (90). He then declares that he will reveal a secret about his life that can be remedied only by death or by action taken by the gentleman. The gentleman succumbs to (misplaced) pity-"oyant les raisons de son maistre, et voyant son visaige non fainct, tout baigne de larmes, en eut .. grande compassion [hearing the reasons of his master, and seeing the unfeigned emotion on his face all bathed in tears, he took great pity on him]" (91)-and agrees to do everything within his power to help his master: "ce qui sera en ma puissance est en vos mains [what will be in my power to do for you will be done]" (91). The word "compassion" is used here in a situation in which the pitying party is in a position to mitigate suffering (unlike the examples of compassion in tales 2 and 26). Although the Duke's misery is not feigned, his appeal for pity is calculating and manipulative, as he seeks to secure a promise of help from the gentleman before revealing what he wants from him.