Henri IV visiting the miller of Lieursaint
When passing through a town, Henry IV asked that they bring him the wittiest citizen, to entertain him during lunch. He was introduced to a M. Gaillard, who sat down at the table across from the king. The king immediately quipped:
― “What is the distance between gaillard (daring, entertaining, gallant) and paillard (libertine, dissolute)?”
― “Just the width of a table.”
― “God help me!” said the king, “I didn’t expect to find such boldness in such a small city.”
[Note: Henry IV was notoriously immoral.]
Edmond Guérard, Dictionnaire encyclopédique d’anécdotes (Paris: Firmin Didot, 1872), Vol. 2, 305. (Nobility.org)
Short Stories on Honor, Chivalry, and the World of Nobility—no. 442
