arcKbiflîop of Cologne fliould be agreeable to. His friends complied cheerfully, and made in-ftant preparations for their journey to Mechlin, where they waited on Bertaldo, and told him the • object of their coming. Bertaldo received thefe knights and clerks from the count de Gueldres very gracioufly, entertained them well, and faid he would coofider of their demand. Being fo very rich, for he was worth at leaft five or fix millions of florins, he was anxious for the ad- ~ vancement of his daughter, and, thinking he could no way ally her more nobly than to the count de Gueldres, had partly in his own mind aflented to it. Before he declared it, he had many doubts, and faid to himfelf,—c If I give ' Mary to the count, he will wifh to be my m af-ter, and I fliall no longer have a will of my own. Befide, fhould fhe have children and die, which may happen, he, who will be enriched by my wealth and re-poffefled of all his lands in the country of Gueldres, may marry again, and as nobly as he pleafes, and have children by this fécond wife, who, from the high blood of their mother, may hold my daughter's chil-dren in contempt, and perhaps difinherit them. I muft have all thefe doubts cleared up before I give rhy confent. I will, however, mention all this to the friends of the count, and make them fuch an anfwer as this : That their coming has pleafed me much, and that my daughter would be very happy to be fo nobly married as to the count de Gueldres : but at this moment it was well known the affairs of the count were in the utmofl diforder ; that all his lands between the Meufe 52