In that case, the reluctance springs from his pagan religion, and the work is more consistently religious. While Emaré suffers because of her wicked mother-in-law accusing her of bearing animals, her tale has many common points with Florence's: both women are noted for their beauty and magnificent clothing, both are taken as evil for it, and both suffer not for their own instruction, being models of virtue, but to demonstrate God's providence. Because in many variants, one character or another stems from Hungary, there may also be influence from the legends of St. Elizabeth of Hungary. The story itself been traced to the Old English The Wife's Lament; however, because the woman herself complains only of malevolent relatives, not the specific brother-in-law, it is impossible to confirm that it is the source. Similar attempts, for instance, have been made to link it to the Constance cycle, and it does fit such tales as Emare and Vitae Duorum Offarum as well as it does the Crescentia cycle. Further Influence Florence of Rome is cited by Christine de Pizan in Part II of The Book of the City of Ladies as an example of a lady notable for her chastity. References Middle English poems Romance (genre)