The Decameron, Volume II

donot, indeed, restore thee thy wife, whom thy kinsfolk and hers castforth; but I am minded to give thee this lady, my gossip, with this herlittle boy, whom I know well to be thy son, and whom I held at the font,and named Gentile: and I pray thee that she be not the less dear to theefor that she has tarried three months in my house; for I swear to thee bythat God, who, peradventure, ordained that I should be enamoured of her,to the end that my love might be, as it has been, the occasion of herrestoration to life, that never with her father, or her mother, or withthee, did she live more virtuously than with my mother in my house."Which said, he turned to the lady, saying:--"Madam, I now release youfrom all promises made to me, and so deliver you to Niccoluccio." Then,leaving the lady and the child in Niccoluccio's embrace, he returned tohis seat.

  Thus to receive his wife and son was to Niccoluccio a delight great inthe measure of its remoteness from his hope. Wherefore in the mosthonourable terms at his command he thanked the knight, whom all the rest,weeping for sympathy, greatly commended for what he had done, as did alsoall that heard thereof. The lady, welcomed home with wondrous cheer, waslong a portent to the Bolognese, who gazed on her as on one raised fromthe dead. Messer Gentile lived ever after as the friend of Niccoluccio,and his and the lady's kinsfolk.

  Now what shall be your verdict, gracious ladies? A king's largess, thoughit was of his sceptre and crown, an abbot's reconciliation, at no cost tohimself, of a malefactor with the Pope, or an old man's submission of histhroat to the knife of his enemy--will you adjudge that such acts asthese are comparable to the deed of Messer Gentile? Who, though young,and burning with passion, and deeming himself justly entitled to thatwhich the heedlessness of another had discarded, and he by good fortunehad recovered, not only tempered his ardour with honour, but having thatwhich with his whole soul he had long been bent on wresting from another,did with liberality restore it. Assuredly none of the feats aforesaidseem to me like unto this.

  NOVEL V.

  --Madonna Dianora craves of Messer Ansaldo a garden that shall be as fairin January as in May. Messer Ansaldo binds himself to a necromancer, andthereby gives her the garden. Her husband gives her leave to do MesserAnsaldo's pleasure: he, being apprised of her husband's liberality,releases her from her promise; and the necromancer releases MesserAnsaldo from his bond, and will take nought of his.--

  Each of the gay company had with superlative commendation extolled MesserGentile to the skies, when the king bade Emilia follow suit; and with agood courage, as burning to speak, thus Emilia began:--Delicate myladies, none can justly say that 'twas not magnificently done of MesserGentile; but if it be alleged that 'twas the last degree of magnificence,'twill perchance not be difficult to shew that more was possible, as ismy purpose in the little story that I shall tell you.

  In Friuli, a country which, though its air is shrewd, is pleasantlydiversified by fine mountains and not a few rivers and clear fountains,is a city called Udine, where dwelt of yore a fair and noble lady,Madonna Dianora by name, wife of a wealthy grandee named Giliberto, avery pleasant gentleman, and debonair. Now this lady, for her highqualities, was in the last degree beloved by a great and noble baron,Messer Ansaldo Gradense by name, a man of no little consequence, andwhose fame for feats of arms and courtesy was spread far and wide. But,though with all a lover's ardour he left nought undone that he might doto win her love, and to that end frequently plied her with hisambassages, 'twas all in vain. And the lady being distressed by hisimportunity, and that, refuse as she might all that he asked of her, henone the less continued to love her and press his suit upon her,bethought her how she might rid herself of him by requiring of him anextraordinary and, as she deemed, impossible feat. So one day, a womanthat came oftentimes from him to her being with her:--"Good woman," quothshe, "thou hast many a time affirmed that Messer Ansaldo loves me aboveall else; and thou hast made proffer to me on his part of wondrous richgifts which I am minded he keep to himself, for that I could never bringmyself to love him or pleasure him for their sake; but, if I might becertified that he loves me as much as thou sayst, then without a doubt Ishould not fail to love him, and do his pleasure; wherefore, so he giveme the assurance that I shall require, I shall be at his command." "Whatis it, Madam," returned the good woman, "that you would have him do?""This," replied the lady; "I would have this next ensuing January, hardby this city, a garden full of green grass and flowers and floweringtrees, just as if it were May; and if he cannot provide me with thisgarden, bid him never again send either thee or any other to me, forthat, should he harass me any further, I shall no longer keep silence, asI have hitherto done, but shall make my complaint to my husband and allmy kinsmen, and it shall go hard but I will be quit of him."

  The gentleman being apprised of his lady's stipulation and promise,notwithstanding that he deemed it no easy matter, nay, a thing almostimpossible, to satisfy her, and knew besides that 'twas but to deprivehim of all hope that she made the demand, did nevertheless resolve to dohis endeavour to comply with it, and causing search to be made in diversparts of the world, if any he might find to afford him counsel or aid, helit upon one, who for a substantial reward offered to do the thing bynecromancy. So Messer Ansaldo, having struck the bargain with him for anexceeding great sum of money, gleefully expected the appointed time.Which being come with extreme cold, insomuch that there was nought butsnow and ice, the adept on the night before the calends of Januarywrought with his spells to such purpose that on the morrow, as wasaverred by eye-witnesses, there appeared in a meadow hard by the city oneof the most beautiful gardens that was ever seen, with no lack of grassand trees and fruits of all sorts. At sight whereof Messer Ansaldo wasoverjoyed, and caused some of the finest fruits and flowers that itcontained to be gathered, and privily presented to his lady, whom he badecome and see the garden that she had craved, that thereby she might haveassurance of his love, and mind her of the promise that she had given himand confirmed with an oath, and, as a loyal lady, take thought for itsperformance. When she saw the flowers and fruits, the lady, who hadalready heard not a few folk speak of the wondrous garden, began torepent her of her promise. But for all that, being fond of strangesights, she hied her with many other ladies of the city to see thegarden, and having gazed on it with wonderment, and commended it not alittle, she went home the saddest woman alive, bethinking her to what itbound her: and so great was her distress that she might not well concealit; but, being written on her face, 'twas marked by her husband, who wasminded by all means to know the cause thereof.

  The lady long time kept silence: but at last she yielded to his urgency,and discovered to him the whole matter from first to last. WhereatGiliberto was at first very wroth; but on second thoughts, consideringthe purity of the lady's purpose, he was better advised, and dismissinghis anger:--"Dianora," quoth he, "'tis not the act of a discreet orvirtuous lady to give ear to messages of such a sort, nor to enter intoany compact touching her chastity with any man on any terms. Words thatthe ears convey to the heart have a potency greater than is commonlysupposed, and there is scarce aught that lovers will not find possible.'Twas then ill done of thee in the first instance to hearken, asafterwards to make the compact; but, for that I know the purity of thysoul, that thou mayst be quit of thy promise, I will grant thee thatwhich, perchance, no other man would grant, being also swayed thereto byfear of the necromancer, whom Messer Ansaldo, shouldst thou play himfalse, might, peradventure, cause to do us a mischief. I am minded, then,that thou go to him, and contrive, if on any wise thou canst, to get theequit of this promise without loss of virtue; but if otherwise it may notbe, then for the nonce thou mayst yield him thy body, but not thy soul."Whereat the lady, weeping, would none of such a favour at her husband'shands. But Giliberto, for all the lady's protestations, was minded thatso it should be.

  Accordingly, on the morrow about dawn, apparelled none too ornately,preceded by two servants and followed by a chambermaid, the lady hied herto Messer Ansaldo's house. Apprised that his lady was come to see him,Messer Ansaldo, marvelling not a little, r
ose, and having called thenecromancer:--"I am minded," quoth he, "that thou see what goodly gain Ihave gotten by thine art." And the twain having met the lady, Ansaldogave way to no unruly appetite, but received her with a seemly obeisance;and then the three repaired to a goodly chamber, where there was a greatfire, and having caused the lady to be seated, thus spokeAnsaldo:--"Madam, if the love that I have so long borne you merit anyguerdon, I pray you that it be not grievous to you to discover to me thetrue occasion of your coming to me at this hour, and thus accompanied."Shamefast, and the tears all but standing in her eyes, the lady madeanswer:--"Sir 'tis neither love that I bear you, nor pledged you, thatbrings me hither, but the command of my husband, who, regarding ratherthe pains you have had of