Now
we know that in April 1544 she met her brother at Alencon, and made a
long stay in the duchy, and the probability is that she commenced the
_Heptameron_ at that time. It was the work of several years, penned in a
desultory style whilst Margaret was travelling about her northern duchy
or her southern kingdom. Like all persons of high station, she journeyed
in a litter, and Brantome informs us that her equipage was a modest one,
for "she never had more than three baggage-mules and six for her two
litters, though she had two, three, or four chariots for her ladies." (1)
Brantome--who it may be mentioned was brought up at Margaret's Court
under the care of his grandmother, Louise de Daillon, wife of Andrew de
Vivonne, Seneschal of Poitou--also states that the Queen composed the
_Heptameron_ mainly "in her litter, while journeying about, for she had
more important occupations when she was at home. I have thus heard it
related by my grandmother, who always went with her in her litter as her
lady of honour, and held the escritoire with which she wrote, and she
set them (the stories) down in writing as speedily and skilfully as if
they had been dictated to her, if not more so.
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