The Lais of Marie de France

Equitan, the lord of Nantes and a man who enjoys “amorous dalliance”, falls in love with the wife of his seneschal, a form of steward. At first, the lady protests that she is not noble or wealthy enough to be the object of Equitan’s affections, and that he would inevitably tire of her, abandon her, and leave her “very much worse off” (58). A lovestruck Equitan implores her that if she assents to being his lover, “you can be the mistress and I the servant; you the haughty one and I the suppliant” (58). She agrees to become his mistress, and they exchange rings to pledge their faith.

The lady comes to fear that the king will abandon her for a princess. If that happens, she would be so grief-stricken that she would die. The king replies that if her husband, the seneschal dies, she could become his wife. The lady thus hatches a plan to run two baths while Equitan is out hunting with her husband. The bath designated for her husband will be so hot that it will scald him to death. The lady places both tubs before the bed.