The Decameron, Volume II

there had solace of one another and a goodtime; and at daybreak the gallant hied him back to his house. Meanwhilethe husband, rueful and supperless, half dead with cold, kept his armedwatch beside his door, momently expecting the priest, for the best partof the night; but towards daybreak, his powers failing him, he lay downand slept in the ground-floor room. 'Twas hard upon tierce when he awoke,and the front door was then open; so, making as if he had just come in,he went upstairs and breakfasted. Not long afterwards he sent to his wifea young fellow, disguised as the priest's underling, who asked her if heof whom she wist had been with her again. The lady, who quite understoodwhat that meant, made answer that he had not come that night, and that,if he continued to neglect her so, 'twas possible he might be forgotten,though she had no mind to forget him.

  Now, to make a long story short, the husband passed many a night in thesame way, hoping to catch the priest as he came in, the lady and hergallant meanwhile having a good time. But at last the husband, being ableto stand it no longer, sternly demanded of his wife what she had said tothe priest the morning when she was confessed. The lady answered that shewas not minded to tell him, for that 'twas not seemly or proper so to do.Whereupon:--"Sinful woman," quoth the husband, "in thy despite I knowwhat thou saidst to him, and know I must and will who this priest is, ofwhom thou art enamoured, and who by dint of his incantations lies withthee a nights, or I will sluice thy veins for thee." "'Tis not true,"replied the lady, "that I am enamoured of a priest." "How?" quoth thehusband, "saidst thou not as much to the priest that confessed thee?""Thou canst not have had it from him," rejoined the lady. "Wast thou thenpresent thyself? For sure I never told him so." "Then tell me," quoth thehusband, "who this priest is; and lose no time about it." Whereat thelady began to smile, and:--"I find it not a little diverting," quoth she,"that a wise man should suffer himself to be led by a simple woman as aram is led by the horns to the shambles; albeit no wise man art thou: notsince that fatal hour when thou gavest harbourage in thy breast, thouwist not why, to the evil spirit of jealousy; and the more foolish andinsensate thou art, the less glory have I. Deemest thou, my husband, thatI am as blind of the bodily eye as thou art of the mind's eye? Nay, butfor sure I am not so. I knew at a glance the priest that confessed me,and that 'twas even thyself. But I was minded to give thee that of whichthou wast in quest, and I gave it thee. Howbeit, if thou hadst been thewise man thou takest thyself to be, thou wouldst not have chosen such away as that to worm out thy good lady's secrets, nor wouldst thou havefallen a prey to a baseless suspicion, but wouldst have understood thatwhat she confessed was true, and she all the while guiltless. I told theethat I loved a priest; and wast not thou, whom I love, though ill enoughdost thou deserve it, turned priest? I told thee that there was no doorin my house but would open when he was minded to lie with me: and whenthou wouldst fain have access to me, what door was ever closed againstthee? I told thee that the priest lay nightly with me: and what night wasthere that thou didst not lie with me? Thou sentest thy young clerk tome: and thou knowest that, as often as thou hadst not been with me, Isent word that the priest had not been with me. Who but thou, that hastsuffered jealousy to blind thee, would have been so witless as not toread such a riddle? But thou must needs mount guard at night beside thedoor, and think to make me believe that thou hadst gone out to sup andsleep. Consider thy ways, and court not the mockery of those that knowthem as I do, but turn a man again as thou wast wont to be: and let therebe no more of this strict restraint in which thou keepest me; for I swearto thee by God that, if I were minded to set horns on thy brow, I shouldnot fail so to take my pastime that thou wouldst never find it out,though thou hadst a hundred eyes, as thou hast but two."

  Thus admonished, the jealous caitiff, who had flattered himself that hehad very cunningly discovered his wife's secret, was ashamed, and made noanswer save to commend his wife's wit and honour; and thus, having causefor jealousy, he discarded it, as he had erstwhile been jealous withoutcause. And so the adroit lady had, as it were, a charter of indulgence,and needed no more to contrive for her lover to come to her over the rooflike a cat, but admitted him by the door, and using due discretion, hadmany a good time with him, and sped her life gaily.

  NOVEL VI.

  --Madonna Isabella has with her Leonetto, her accepted lover, when she issurprised by one Messer Lambertuccio, by whom she is beloved: her husbandcoming home about the same time, she sends Messer Lambertuccio forth ofthe house drawn sword in hand, and the husband afterwards escortsLeonetto home.--

  Wondrous was the delight that all the company had of Fiammetta's story,nor was there any but affirmed that the lady had done excellent well, anddealt with her insensate husband as he deserved. However, it being ended,the king bade Pampinea follow suit; which she did on this wise:--Not afew there are that in their simplicity aver that Love deranges the mind,insomuch that whoso loves becomes as it were witless: the folly of whichopinion, albeit I doubt it not, and deem it abundantly proven by what hasbeen already said, I purpose once again to demonstrate.

  In our city, rich in all manner of good things, there dwelt a younggentlewoman, fair exceedingly, and wedded to a most worthy and excellentgentleman. And as it not seldom happens that one cannot keep ever to thesame diet, but would fain at times vary it, so this lady, finding herhusband not altogether to her mind, became enamoured of a gallant,Leonetto by name, who, though of no high rank, was not a little debonairand courteous, and he in like manner fell in love with her; and (as youknow that 'tis seldom that what is mutually desired fails to come about)'twas not long before they had fruition of their love. Now the ladybeing, as I said, fair and winsome, it so befell that a gentleman, MesserLambertuccio by name, grew mightily enamoured of her, but so tiresome andodious did she find him, that for the world she could not bring herselfto love him. So, growing tired of fruitlessly soliciting her favour byambassage, Messer Lambertuccio, who was a powerful signior, sent her atlast another sort of message in which he threatened to defame her if shecomplied not with his wishes. Wherefore the lady, knowing her man, wasterrified, and disposed herself to pleasure him.

  Now it so chanced that Madonna Isabella, for such was the lady's name,being gone, as is our Florentine custom in the summer, to spend some timeon a very goodly estate that she had in the contado, one morning findingherself alone, for her husband had ridden off to tarry some dayselsewhere, she sent for Leonetto to come and keep her company; andLeonetto came forthwith in high glee. But while they were together,Messer Lambertuccio, who, having got wind that the husband was away, hadmounted his horse and ridden thither quite alone, knocked at the door.Whereupon the lady's maid hied her forthwith to her mistress, who wasalone with Leonetto, and called her, saying:--"Madam, Messer Lambertucciois here below, quite alone." Whereat the lady was vexed beyond measure;and being also not a little dismayed, she said to Leonetto:--"Prithee,let it not irk thee to withdraw behind the curtain, and there keep closeuntil Messer Lambertuccio be gone." Leonetto, who stood in no less fearof Messer Lambertuccio than did the lady, got into his hiding-place; andthe lady bade the maid go open to Messer Lambertuccio: she did so; andhaving dismounted and fastened his palfrey to a pin, he ascended thestairs; at the head of which the lady received him with a smile and asgladsome a greeting as she could find words for, and asked him on whaterrand he was come. The gentleman embraced and kissed her, saying:--"Mysoul, I am informed that your husband is not here, and therefore I amcome to stay a while with you." Which said, they went into the room, andlocked them in, and Messer Lambertuccio fell a toying with her.

  Now, while thus he sped the time with her, it befell that the lady'shusband, albeit she nowise expected him, came home, and, as he drew nighthe palace, was observed by the maid, who forthwith ran to the lady'schamber, and said:--"Madam, the master will be here anon; I doubt he isalready in the courtyard." Whereupon, for that she had two men in thehouse, and the knight's palfrey, that was in the courtyard, made itimpossible to hide him, the lady gave herself up for dead. Neverthelessshe made up her mind on the spur of th
e moment, and springing out of bed"Sir," quoth she to Messer Lambertuccio, "if you have any regard for me,and would save my life, you will do as I bid you: that is to say, youwill draw your blade, and put on a fell and wrathful countenance, and hieyou downstairs, saying:--'By God, he shall not escape me elsewhere.' Andif my husband would stop you, or ask you aught, say nought but what Ihave told you, and get you on horseback and tarry with him on noaccount." "To hear is to obey," quoth Messer Lambertuccio, who, with theflush of his recent exertion and the rage that he felt at the husband'sreturn still on his face, and drawn sword in hand, did as she bade him.The lady's husband, being now dismounted in the courtyard, and not alittle