THE FIFTH STORY
[Day the Tenth]
MADAM DIANORA REQUIRETH OF MESSER ANSALDO A GARDEN AS FAIR IN JANUARY AS IN MAY, AND HE BY BINDING HIMSELF [TO PAY A GREAT SUM OF MONEY] TO A NIGROMANCER, GIVETH IT TO HER. HER HUSBAND GRANTETH HER LEAVE TO DO MESSER ANSALDO'S PLEASURE, BUT HE, HEARING OF THE FORMER'S GENEROSITY, ABSOLVETH HER OF HER PROMISE, WHEREUPON THE NIGROMANCER, IN HIS TURN, ACQUITTETH MESSER ANSALDO OF HIS BOND, WITHOUT WILLING AUGHT OF HIS
Messer Gentile having by each of the merry company been extolled tothe very skies with the highest praise, the king charged Emilia followon, who confidently, as if eager to speak, began as follows: "Daintydames, none can with reason deny that Messer Gentile wroughtmagnificently; but, if it be sought to say that his magnanimity mightnot be overpassed, it will not belike be uneath to show that more ispossible, as I purpose to set out to you in a little story of mine.
In Friuli, a country, though cold, glad with goodly mountains andstore of rivers and clear springs, is a city called Udine, wherein wasaforetime a fair and noble lady called Madam Dianora, the wife of awealthy gentleman named Gilberto, who was very debonair and easy ofcomposition. The lady's charm procured her to be passionately loved ofa noble and great baron by name Messer Ansaldo Gradense, a man of highcondition and everywhere renowned for prowess and courtesy. He lovedher fervently and did all that lay in his power to be beloved of her,to which end he frequently solicited her with messages, but weariedhimself in vain. At last, his importunities being irksome to the ladyand she seeing that, for all she denied him everything he sought ofher, he stinted not therefor to love and solicit her, she determinedto seek to rid herself of him by means of an extraordinary and in herjudgment an impossible demand; wherefore she said one day to a woman,who came often to her on his part, 'Good woman, thou hast many timesavouched to me that Messer Ansaldo loveth me over all things and hastproffered me marvellous great gifts on his part, which I would havehim keep to himself, seeing that never thereby might I be prevailedupon to love him or comply with his wishes; but, an I could becertified that he loveth me in very deed as much as thou sayest, Imight doubtless bring myself to love him and do that which he willeth;wherefore, an he choose to certify me of this with that which I shallrequire of him, I shall be ready to do his commandments.' Quoth thegood woman, 'And what is that, madam, which you would have him do?''That which I desire,' replied the lady, 'is this; I will have, forthis coming month of January, a garden, near this city, full of greengrass and flowers and trees in full leaf, no otherwise than as it wereMay; the which if he contrive not, let him never more send me thee norany other, for that, an he importune me more, so surely as I havehitherto kept his pursuit hidden from my husband and my kinsfolk, Iwill study to rid myself of him by complaining to them.'
The gentleman, hearing the demand and the offer of his mistress, forall it seemed to him a hard thing and in a manner impossible to do andhe knew it to be required of the lady for none otherwhat than tobereave him of all hope, determined nevertheless to essay whatsoevermight be done thereof and sent into various parts about the world,enquiring if there were any to be found who would give him aid andcounsel in the matter. At last, he happened upon one who offered, sohe were well guerdoned, to do the thing by nigromantic art, and havingagreed with him for a great sum of money, he joyfully awaited theappointed time, which come and the cold being extreme and everythingfull of snow and ice, the learned man, the night before the calends ofJanuary, so wrought by his arts in a very goodly meadow adjoining thecity, that it appeared in the morning (according to the testimony ofthose who saw it) one of the goodliest gardens was ever seen of any,with grass and trees and fruits of every kind. Messer Ansaldo, afterviewing this with the utmost gladness, let cull of the finest fruitsand the fairest flowers that were there and caused privily presentthem to his mistress, bidding her come and see the garden required byher, so thereby she might know how he loved her and after, rememberingher of the promise made him and sealed with an oath, bethink herself,as a loyal lady, to accomplish it to him.
The lady, seeing the fruits and flowers and having already from manyheard tell of the miraculous garden, began to repent of her promise.Natheless, curious, for all her repentance, of seeing strange things,she went with many other ladies of the city to view the garden andhaving with no little wonderment commended it amain, returned home,the woefullest woman alive, bethinking her of that to which she wasbounden thereby. Such was her chagrin that she availed not so well todissemble it but needs must it appear, and her husband, perceiving it,was urgent to know the reason. The lady, for shamefastness, keptsilence thereof a great while; but at last, constrained to speak, sheorderly discovered to him everything; which Gilberto, hearing, was atthe first sore incensed, but presently, considering the purity of thelady's intent and chasing away anger with better counsel, he said,'Dianora, it is not the part of a discreet nor of a virtuous woman togive ear unto any message of this sort nor to compound with any forher chastity under whatsoever condition. Words received into the heartby the channel of the ears have more potency than many conceive andwell nigh every thing becometh possible to lovers. Thou didst ill,then, first to hearken and after to enter into terms of composition;but, for that I know the purity of thine intent, I will, to absolvethee of the bond of the promise, concede thee that which peradventurenone other would do, being thereto the more induced by fear of thenigromancer, whom Messer Ansaldo, an thou cheat him, will maybe causemake us woeful. I will, then, that thou go to him and study to havethyself absolved of this thy promise, preserving thy chastity, if thoumayst anywise contrive it; but, an it may not be otherwise, thoushalt, for this once, yield him thy body, but not thy soul.'
The lady, hearing her husband's speech, wept and denied herselfwilling to receive such a favour from him; but, for all her muchdenial, he would e'en have it be so. Accordingly, next morning, atdaybreak, the lady, without overmuch adorning herself, repaired toMesser Ansaldo's house, with two of her serving-men before and achamberwoman after her. Ansaldo, hearing that his mistress was come tohim, marvelled sore and letting call the nigromancer, said to him, 'Iwill have thee see what a treasure thy skill hath gotten me.' Then,going to meet her, he received her with decency and reverence, withoutensuing any disorderly appetite, and they entered all[454] into agoodly chamber, wherein was a great fire. There he caused set her aseat and said, 'Madam, I prithee, if the long love I have borne youmerit any recompense, let it not irk you to discover to me the truecause which hath brought you hither at such an hour and in suchcompany.' The lady, shamefast and well nigh with tears in her eyes,answered, 'Sir, neither love that I bear you nor plighted faithbringeth me hither, but the commandment of my husband, who, havingmore regard to the travails of your disorderly passion than to hishonour and mine own, hath caused me come hither; and by his behest Iam for this once disposed to do your every pleasure.' If MesserAnsaldo had marvelled at the sight of the lady, far more did hemarvel, when he heard her words, and moved by Gilberto's generosity,his heat began to change to compassion and he said, 'God forbid,madam, an it be as you say, that I should be a marrer of his honourwho hath compassion of my love; wherefore you shall, what while it isyour pleasure to abide here, be no otherwise entreated than as youwere my sister; and whenas it shall be agreeable to you, you are freeto depart, so but you will render your husband, on my part, thosethanks which you shall deem befitting unto courtesy such as his hathbeen and have me ever, in time to come, for brother and for servant.'
[Footnote 454: _i.e._ Ansaldo, Dianora and the nigromancer.]
The lady, hearing these words, was the joyfullest woman in the worldand answered, saying, 'Nothing, having regard to your fashions, couldever make me believe that aught should ensue to me of my coming otherthan this that I see you do in the matter; whereof I shall still bebeholden to you.' Then, taking leave, she returned, under honourableescort, to Messer Gilberto and told him that which had passed, ofwhich there came about a very strait and loyal friendship between himand Messer Ansal
do. Moreover, the nigromancer, to whom the gentlemanwas for giving the promised guerdon, seeing Gilberto's generositytowards his wife's lover and that of the latter towards the lady,said, 'God forbid, since I have seen Gilberto liberal of his honourand you of your love, that I should not on like wise be liberal of myhire; wherefore, knowing it[455] will stand you in good stead, Iintend that it shall be yours.' At this the gentleman was ashamed andstudied to make him take or all or part; but, seeing that he weariedhimself in vain and it pleasing the nigromancer (who had, after threedays, done away his garden) to depart, he commended him to God andhaving extinguished from his heart his lustful love for the lady, heabode fired with honourable affection for her. How say you now,lovesome ladies? Shall we prefer [Gentile's resignation of] the in amanner dead lady and of his love already cooled for hope forspent,before the generosity of Messer Ansaldo, whose love was more ardentthan ever and who was in a manner fired with new hope, holding in hishands the prey so long pursued? Meseemeth it were folly to pretendthat this generosity can be evened with that."
[Footnote 455: _i.e._ the money promised him by way of recompense.]