The Decameron, Volume II

desperation, Bruno added:--"Now bereasonable, Calandrino; among the company that ate and drank with usthere was one that told me that thou hadst up there a girl that thoudidst keep for thy pleasure, giving her what by hook or by crook thoucouldst get together, and that he held it for certain that thou hadstsent her this pig. And thou art grown expert in this sort of cozenage.Thou tookest us one while adown the Mugnone a gathering black stones, andhaving thus started us on a wild-goose chase, thou madest off; and thenwouldst fain have us believe that thou hadst found the stone: and now, inlike manner, thou thinkest by thine oaths to persuade us that this pigwhich thou hast given away or sold, has been stolen from thee. But weknow thy tricks of old; never another couldst thou play us; and, to beround with thee, this spell has cost us some trouble: wherefore we meanthat thou shalt give us two pair of capons, or we will let Monna Tessaknow all." Seeing that he was not believed, and deeming his mortificationample without the addition of his wife's resentment, Calandrino gave themthe two pair of capons, with which, when the pig was salted, theyreturned to Florence, leaving Calandrino with the loss and the laughagainst him.

  NOVEL VII.

  --A scholar loves a widow lady, who, being enamoured of another, causes himto spend a winter's night awaiting her in the snow. He afterwards by astratagem causes her to stand for a whole day in July, naked upon atower, exposed to the flies, the gadflies, and the sun.--

  Over the woes of poor Calandrino the ladies laughed not a little, and hadlaughed yet more, but that it irked them that those that had robbed himof the pig should also take from him the capons. However, the story beingended, the queen bade Pampinea give them hers: and thus forthwithPampinea began:--Dearest ladies, it happens oftentimes that the artfulscorner meets his match; wherefore 'tis only little wits that delight toscorn. In a series of stories we have heard tell of tricks played withoutaught in the way of reprisals following: by mine I purpose in some degreeto excite your compassion for a gentlewoman of our city (albeit theretribution that came upon her was but just) whose flout was returned inthe like sort, and to such effect that she well-nigh died thereof. Thewhich to hear will not be unprofitable to you, for thereby you will learnto be more careful how you flout others, and therein you will do verywisely.

  'Tis not many years since there dwelt at Florence a lady young and fair,and of a high spirit, as also of right gentle lineage, and tolerably wellendowed with temporal goods. Now Elena--such was the lady's name--beingleft a widow, was minded never to marry again, being enamoured of ahandsome young gallant of her own choosing, with whom she, recking noughtof any other lover, did, by the help of a maid in whom she placed muchtrust, not seldom speed the time gaily and with marvellous delight.Meanwhile it so befell that a young nobleman of our city, Rinieri byname, who had spent much time in study at Paris, not that he mightthereafter sell his knowledge by retail, but that he might learn thereasons and causes of things, which accomplishment shews to mostexcellent advantage in a gentleman, returned to Florence, and there livedas a citizen in no small honour with his fellows, both by reason of hisrank and of his learning. But as it is often the case that those who aremost versed in deep matters are the soonest mastered by Love, so was itwith Rinieri. For at a festal gathering, to which one day he went, thereappeared before his eyes this Elena, of whom we spoke, clad in black, asis the wont of our Florentine widows, and shewing to his mind so muchfairer and more debonair than any other woman that he had ever seen, thathappy indeed he deemed the man might call himself, to whom God in Hisgoodness should grant the right to hold her naked in his arms. So now andagain he eyed her stealthily, and knowing that boons goodly and preciousare not to be gotten without trouble, he made up his mind to study andlabour with all assiduity how best to please her, that so he might winher love, and thereby the enjoyment of her.

  The young gentlewoman was not used to keep her eyes bent ever towards theinfernal regions; but, rating herself at no less, if not more, than herdeserts, she was dexterous to move them to and fro, and thus busilyscanning her company, soon detected the men who regarded her withpleasure. By which means having discovered Rinieri's passion, she inlylaughed, and said:--'Twill turn out that 'twas not for nothing that Icame here to-day, for, if I mistake not, I have caught a gander by thebill. So she gave him an occasional sidelong glance, and sought as bestshe might to make him believe that she was not indifferent to him,deeming that the more men she might captivate by her charms, the higherthose charms would be rated, and most especially by him whom she had madelord of them and her love. The erudite scholar bade adieu tophilosophical meditation, for the lady entirely engrossed his mind; and,having discovered her house, he, thinking to please her, found diverspretexts for frequently passing by it. Whereon the lady, her vanityflattered for the reason aforesaid, plumed herself not a little, andshewed herself pleased to see him. Thus encouraged, the scholar foundmeans to make friends with her maid, to whom he discovered his love,praying her to do her endeavour with her mistress, that he might have herfavour. The maid was profuse of promises, and gave her mistress hismessage, which she no sooner heard, than she was convulsed with laughter,and replied:--"He brought sense enough hither from Paris: knowest thouwhere he has since been to lose it? Go to, now; let us give him thatwhich he seeks. Tell him, when he next speaks to you of the matter, thatI love him vastly more than he loves me, but that I must have regard tomy reputation, so that I may be able to hold my head up among otherladies; which, if he is really the wise man they say, will cause him toaffect me much more." Ah! poor woman! poor woman! she little knew, myladies, how rash it is to try conclusions with scholars.

  The maid found the scholar, and did her mistress's errand. The scholar,overjoyed, proceeded to urge his suit with more ardour, to inditeletters, and send presents. The lady received all that he sent her, butvouchsafed no answers save such as were couched in general terms: and onthis wise she kept him dangling a long while. At last, having disclosedthe whole affair to her lover, who evinced some resentment and jealousy,she, to convince him that his suspicions were groundless, and for thatshe was much importuned by the scholar, sent word to him by her maid,that never since he had assured her of his love, had occasion served herto do him pleasure, but that next Christmastide she hoped to be with him;wherefore, if he were minded to await her in the courtyard of her houseon the night of the day next following the feast, she would meet himthere as soon as she could. Elated as ne'er another, the scholar hied himat the appointed time to the lady's house, and being ushered into acourtyard by the maid, who forthwith turned the key upon him, addressedhimself there to await the lady's coming.

  Now the lady's lover, by her appointment, was with her that evening; and,when they had gaily supped, she told him what she had in hand that night,adding:--"And so thou wilt be able to gauge the love which I have borneand bear this scholar, whom thou hast foolishly regarded as a rival." Thelover heard the lady's words with no small delight, and waited in eagerexpectancy to see her make them good. The scholar, hanging about there inthe courtyard, began to find it somewhat chillier than he would haveliked, for it had snowed hard all day long, so that the snow layeverywhere thick on the ground; however, he bore it patiently, expectingto be recompensed by and by. After a while the lady said to herlover:--"Go we to the chamber and take a peep through a lattice at him ofwhom thou art turned jealous, and mark what he does, and how he willanswer the maid, whom I have bidden go speak with him." So the pair hiedthem to a lattice, wherethrough they could see without being seen, andheard the maid call from another lattice to the scholar,saying:--"Rinieri, my lady is distressed as never woman was, for that oneof her brothers is come here to-night, and after talking a long whilewith her, must needs sup with her, and is not yet gone, but, I think, hewill soon be off; and that is the reason why she has not been able tocome to thee, but she will come soon now. She trusts it does not irk theeto wait so long." Whereto the scholar, supposing that 'twas true, madeanswer:--"Tell my lady to give herself no anxiety on my account, untilshe can conveniently come to me, but to do so as soon as sh
e may."Whereupon the maid withdrew from the window, and went to bed; while thelady said to her lover:--"Now, what sayst thou? Thinkst thou that, if Ihad that regard for him, which thou fearest, I would suffer him to tarrybelow there to get frozen?" Which said, the lady and her now partlyreassured lover got them to bed, where for a great while they disportedthem right gamesomely, laughing together and making merry over theluckless scholar.

  The scholar, meanwhile, paced up and down the courtyard to keep himselfwarm, nor indeed had he where to sit, or take shelter: in this plight hebestowed many a curse upon the lady's brother for his long tarrying, andnever a sound did he hear but he thought that 'twas the lady opening thedoor. But vain indeed were his hopes: the lady, having solaced herselfwith her lover until hard upon midnight, then said to him:--"How