merchant, a man of great substancein lands and goods and money, who, having a most beautiful woman to wife,waxed inordinately jealous of her, and that for no better reason thanthat, loving her greatly, and esteeming her exceeding fair, and knowingthat she did her utmost endeavour to pleasure him, he must needs supposethat every man loved her, and esteemed her fair, and that she, moreover,was as zealous to stand well with every other man as with himself;whereby you may see that he was a poor creature, and of little sense.Being thus so deeply infected with jealousy, he kept so strict and closewatch over her, that some, maybe, have lain under sentence of death andbeen less rigorously confined by their warders. 'Twas not merely that thelady might not go to a wedding, or a festal gathering, or even to church,or indeed set foot out of doors in any sort; but she dared not so much asshew herself at a window, or cast a glance outside the house, no matterfor what purpose. Wherefore she led a most woeful life of it, and foundit all the harder to bear because she knew herself to be innocent.Accordingly, seeing herself evilly entreated by her husband without goodcause, she cast about how for her own consolation she might devise meansto justify his usage of her. And for that, as she might not shew herselfat the window, there could be no interchange of amorous glances betweenher and any man that passed along the street, but she wist that in thenext house there was a goodly and debonair gallant, she bethought her,that, if there were but a hole in the wall that divided the two houses,she might watch thereat, until she should have sight of the gallant onsuch wise that she might speak to him, and give him her love, if he caredto have it, and, if so it might be contrived, forgather with him now andagain, and after this fashion relieve the burden of her woeful life,until such time as the evil spirit should depart from her husband. Sopeering about, now here, now there, when her husband was away, she foundin a very remote part of the house a place, where, by chance, the wallhad a little chink in it. Peering through which, she made out, though notwithout great difficulty, that on the other side was a room, and said toherself:--If this were Filippo's room--Filippo was the name of thegallant, her neighbour--I should be already halfway to my goal. Socautiously, through her maid, who was grieved to see her thus languish,she made quest, and discovered that it was indeed the gallant's room,where he slept quite alone. Wherefore she now betook her frequently tothe aperture, and whenever she was ware that the gallant was in the room,she would let fall a pebble or the like trifle; whereby at length shebrought the gallant to the other side of the aperture to see what thematter was. Whereupon she softly called him, and he knowing her voice,answered; and so, having now the opportunity she had sought, she in fewwords opened to him all her mind. The gallant, being overjoyed, wroughtat the aperture on such wise that albeit none might be ware thereof, heenlarged it; and there many a time they held converse together, andtouched hands, though further they might not go by reason of theassiduous watch that the jealous husband kept.
Now towards Christmas the lady told her husband that, if he approved, shewould fain go on Christmas morning to church, and confess andcommunicate, like other Christians. "And what sins," quoth he, "hast thoucommitted, that wouldst be shriven?" "How?" returned the lady; "dost thoutake me for a saint? For all thou keepest me so close, thou must knowvery well that I am like all other mortals. However, I am not minded toconfess to thee, for that thou art no priest." Her husband, whosesuspicions were excited by what she had said, cast about how he mightdiscover these sins of hers, and having bethought him of what seemed anapt expedient, made answer that she had his consent, but he would nothave her go to any church but their own chapel, where she might hie herbetimes in the morning, and confess either to their own chaplain or someother priest that the chaplain might assign her, but to none other, andpresently return to the house. The lady thought she half understood him,but she answered only that she would do as he required. Christmas morningcame, and with the dawn the lady rose, dressed herself, and hied her tothe church appointed by her husband, who also rose, and hied him to thesame church, where he arrived before her; and having already concertedmatters with the priest that was in charge, he forthwith put on one ofthe priest's robes with a great hood, overshadowing the face, such as wesee priests wear, and which he pulled somewhat forward; and so disguisedhe seated himself in the choir.
On entering the church the lady asked for the priest, who came, andlearning that she was minded to confess, said that he could not hear herhimself, but would send her one of his brethren; so away he hied him andsent her, in an evil hour for him, her husband. For though he wore an airof great solemnity, and 'twas not yet broad day, and he had pulled thehood well over his eyes, yet all did not avail, but that his ladyforthwith recognized him, and said to herself:--God be praised! why, thejealous rogue is turned priest: but leave it me to give him that whereofhe is in quest. So she feigned not to know him, and seated herself at hisfeet. (I should tell you that he had put some pebbles in his mouth, thathis speech, being impeded, might not betray him to his wife, and in allother respects he deemed himself so thoroughly disguised that there wasnought whereby she might recognize him.) Now, to come to the confession,the lady, after informing him that she was married, told him among othermatters that she was enamoured of a priest, who came every night to liewith her. Which to hear was to her husband as if he were stricken throughthe heart with a knife; and had it not been that he was bent on knowingmore, he would have forthwith given over the confession, and takenhimself off. However he kept his place, and:--"How?" said he to the lady,"does not your husband lie with you?" The lady replied in theaffirmative. "How, then," quoth the husband, "can the priest also liewith you?" "Sir," replied she, "what art the priest employs I know not;but door there is none, however well locked, in the house, that comes notopen at his touch; and he tells me that, being come to the door of myroom, before he opens it, he says certain words, whereby my husbandforthwith falls asleep; whereupon he opens the door, and enters the room,and lies with me; and so 'tis always, without fail." "Then 'tis verywrong, Madam, and you must give it up altogether," said the husband."That, Sir," returned the lady, "I doubt I can never do; for I love himtoo much." "In that case," quoth the husband, "I cannot give youabsolution." "The pity of it!" ejaculated the lady; "I came not hither totell you falsehoods: if I could give it up, I would." "Madam," repliedthe husband, "indeed I am sorry for you; for I see that you are in a fairway to lose your soul. However, this I will do for you; I will makespecial supplication to God on your behalf; and perchance you may beprofited thereby. And from time to time I will send you one of my youngclerks; and you will tell him whether my prayers have been of any help toyou, or no, and if they have been so, I shall know what to do next.""Nay, Sir," quoth the lady, "do not so; send no man to me at home; for,should my husband come to know it, he is so jealous that nothing in theworld would ever disabuse him of the idea that he came but for an evilpurpose, and so I should have no peace with him all the year long."Madam, returned the husband, "have no fear; rest assured that I will soorder matters that you shall never hear a word about it from him." "Ifyou can make sure of that," quoth the lady, "I have no more to say." Andso, her confession ended, and her penance enjoined, she rose, and went tomass, while the luckless husband, fuming and fretting, hasted to divesthimself of his priest's trappings, and then went home bent upon devisingsome means to bring the priest and his wife together, and take hisrevenge upon them both.
When the lady came home from church she read in her husband's face thatshe had spoiled his Christmas for him, albeit he dissembled to theuttermost, lest she should discover what he had done, and supposedhimself to have learned. His mind was made up to keep watch for thepriest that very night by his own front door. So to the lady he said:--"Ihave to go out to-night to sup and sleep; so thou wilt take care that thefront door, and the mid-stair door, and the bedroom door are well locked;and for the rest thou mayst go to bed, at thine own time." "Well andgood," replied the lady: and as soon as she was able, off she hied her tothe aperture, and gave the wonted signal, which Filippo no sooner heard,than he was at the s
pot. The lady then told him what she had done in themorning, and what her husband had said to her after breakfast,adding:--"Sure I am that he will not stir out of the house, but will keepwatch beside the door; wherefore contrive to come in to-night by theroof, that we may be together." "Madam," replied the gallant, nothingloath, "trust me for that."
Night came, the husband armed, and noiselessly hid himself in a room onthe ground floor: the lady locked all the doors, being especially carefulto secure the mid-stair door, to bar her husband's ascent; and in duetime the gallant, having found his way cautiously enough over the roof,they got them to bed, and