
Dessoubz beaulté gist deception.
Bien souvent soubz quelque beaulté,
Et soubz bonne & doulce apparence,
Gist falace & desloyaulté,
Dont on ne scait la difference.

UNg homme avoit une femme assez belle,
Qui n’estoit pas à son gré bien fidele
Et meit cela si bien en fantasie,
Qu’il en tomba au mal de jalousie,
Voire à bon droit, or feit il tost apres
Aux parens d’elle ung banquet tout expres,
Et apres boire & levées les tables,
Leur racompta en motz non delectables
Comment sa femme alors se gouvernoit,
Et qu’envers luy tresmal se maintenoit,
En concluant & donnant à entendre,
Qu’il la quittoit & qu’il leur vouloit rendre,
On luy respond que soubz clere beaulté,
Estre ne peult si grand desloyaulté,
Et qu’elle avoit l’apparence & la face,
D’honnesteté & vertueuse grace.
Ha messeigneurs (dit il) voyez vous pas
Ces beaulx souliers dont je marche grans pas,
Ilz sont tous neufz, mais ne scavez ou est ce,
Que l’ung d’iceulx secretement me blesse,
Car soubz doulceur par dehors embasmée,
Gist une aigreur dedans envenimée.
Par le propos que ce mary deduict,
Voyons que n’est tout or ce qui reluyt,
Et que vray est du poete ung proverbe,
Que le serpent gist souvent dessoubz l’herbe.
1. Proverb: ‘Le beau soulier blesse souvent le pied (Cotgrave, s.v. ‘soulier’). And ‘...le serpent gist souvent dessoubz l’herbe’, cf. Vergil, Eclogues, 3.93.
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Relating to the image:
- adult man [31D14] Search | Browse Iconclass
- adult woman [31D15] Search | Browse Iconclass
- arm held downwards [31A2515] Search | Browse Iconclass
- bent legs extended forwards or backwards, with knee or foot placed on an elevation [31A2622] Search | Browse Iconclass
- boulder, stone [25H1124] Search | Browse Iconclass
- clothing for the lower part of the body [41D23] Search | Browse Iconclass
- dress, gown [41D211] Search | Browse Iconclass
- head-gear and clothing for the upper part of the body [41D22] Search | Browse Iconclass
- holding something [31B6(+933)] Search | Browse Iconclass
- landscape with tower or castle [25I5] Search | Browse Iconclass
- low hill country [25H114] Search | Browse Iconclass
- mound, verge [25H1131] Search | Browse Iconclass
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Relating to the text:
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- bad wife [42D36] Search | Browse Iconclass
- Beauty; 'Bellezza' (Ripa) [51D4] Search | Browse Iconclass
- Cheat, Deceit; 'Fraude', 'Inganno' (Ripa) [57AA621] Search | Browse Iconclass
- colours, pigments, and paints (with NAME) [22C4(GOLD)] Search | Browse Iconclass
- Exterior, Exteriority [51AA51] Search | Browse Iconclass
- Fidelity; 'Fedeltà' (Ripa) [57A62] Search | Browse Iconclass
- Freeing (oneself) from Error or Illusion [52C41] Search | Browse Iconclass
- Grace, Charm; 'Gratia', 'Venustà' (Ripa) [51D41] Search | Browse Iconclass
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- Honesty; 'Honestà' (Ripa) [57A61] Search | Browse Iconclass
- infections and wounds [31A4632] Search | Browse Iconclass
- Intrinsic Nature, Essence, Idea (according to Plato) [51A5] Search | Browse Iconclass
- Jealousy; 'Gelosia', 'Rammarico del ben'altrui' (Ripa) [57AA76] Search | Browse Iconclass
- Licentiousness, Lasciviousness; 'Lascivia', 'Licenza' (Ripa) [57AA51] Search | Browse Iconclass
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- poison ~ product of animal [25F(+92)] Search | Browse Iconclass
- proverbs, sayings, etc. (with TEXT) [86(LE SERPENT GIST SOUVENT DESSOUBZ L'HERBE)] Search | Browse Iconclass
- proverbs, sayings, etc. (with TEXT) [86(N'EST TOUT OR CE QUI RELUYT)] Search | Browse Iconclass
- snakes [25F42] Search | Browse Iconclass
- Virtuousness; 'Amor di Virtù', 'Attione virtuosa', 'Guida sicura de' veri honori', 'Virtù', 'Virtù insuperabile' (Ripa) [57A6] Search | Browse Iconclass
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