Honore de Balzac
Perseverance In Love
A Touranian hammered away at a silversmith's metal when possessed with wild desires, seeing that the silversmith had great powerful nervous arms. The lover of the most gentle maid that God ever...
Odd Sayings Of Three Pilgrims
When the pope left Avignon to take up residence in Rome, three pilgrims came to Avignon to celebrate his return. Three pilgrims loosened their tongues and agreed to journey to Rome together. They...
The Afflictions of an English Cat
When I was born, a parson in Catshire complimented my mother on the manner in which I had been bred. I went to London and met Arabella, my mistress. One day an old English Peer saw me and asked me...
The Atheist's Mass
Bianchon, a physician to whom science owes a fine system of theoretical physiology, was isolated during his life by his egoism, and died in final impenitence, as do many noble geniuses. Horace...
The Brothers-in-Arms
At the commencement of the reign of King Henry, the Cadet of Maille was invited by the Sieur de Lavalliere to come at daybreak on the morning of his departure. One evening, Lavalliere suspected the...
The Conscript
On a November evening in 1793, Mme. de Dey opened her house to the principal citizens and Revolutionary authorities of Carentan. She had succeeded in gaining universal esteem. The public prosecutor...
The Continence Of King Francis The First
King Francis was taken to Madrid by Emperor Charles V and kept there until Queen Marguerite was sent to him. Adrian VI found himself harder pressed by unsatisfied desire than he had ever been...
The Danger Of Being Too Innocent
The Lord of Montcontour, a brave soldier of Tours, put his other son in a monastery, but decided to give his second son in marriage to a maiden. The old lady Virtue, long time a widow, lived...
The Dear Night of Love
An advocate named Avenelles lent his house intended to carry off the king, and placed his wife under the guardianship and pursuing eye of an old servant. He picked out a good gentleman, lover of...
The Devil's Heir
A good old canon of Notre Dame de Paris gave himself up earnestly to the confessing of ladies, made money with holy water, and had three heirs, but his heart had cracked a little. One evening the...
The Elixir of Life
Don Juan Belvidéro was entertaining a prince of the house of Este in a sumptuous palace of Ferrara. Two hundred years later, under Louis XV., God manifested himself to Don Juan, and the prince...
The Fair Imperia Married
The cardinal left his inheritance to Theodora, who stabbed herself. Theodora's mother wept for her daughter, but refused to be comforted. Madame Imperia felt bitten by a strong desire, and assumed...