with his company atGenoa, he embarked on a galley, and having departed thence, in no longtime arrived at Acre, and joined the main Christian host; wherein thereby and by broke out an exceeding great and mortal sickness; during which,whether owing to Saladin's strategy, or his good fortune, he made an easycapture of well-nigh all the remnant of the Christians that were escaped,and quartered them in divers prisons in many cities; of which captivesMesser Torello being one, was brought to Alexandria and there confined.Where, not being known, and fearing to make himself known, he, underconstraint of necessity, applied him to the training of hawks, whereof hewas a very great master; and thereby he fell under the notice of Saladin,who took him out of the prison, and made him his falconer. The Soldancalled him by no other name than "Christian," and neither recognized, norwas recognized by, him, who, his whole soul ever in Pavia, essayed many atime to escape, that he might return thither, but still without success:wherefore, certain Genoese, that were come to Alexandria as ambassadorsto the Soldan for the redemption of some of their townsfolk, being aboutto return, he resolved to write to his lady, how that he lived, and wouldcome back to her, as soon as he might, and that she should expect hisreturn; and having so done, he earnestly besought one of the ambassadors,whom he knew, to see that the letter reached the hands of the Abbot ofSan Pietro in Ciel d'Oro, who was his uncle.
Now, such being the posture of Messer Torello's affairs, it befell oneday that, while he talked with Saladin of his hawks, he smiled; wherebyhis mouth shaped itself in a fashion, of which Saladin had takenparticular note, while he was at Pavia. And so, recalling Messer Torelloto mind, he fixed his gaze upon him, and it seemed to him that 'twasindeed Messer Torello; wherefore, leaving the matter of which they wereconversing:--"Tell me, Christian," quoth he, "of what country art thou inthe West?" "My lord," replied Messer Torello, "I am a Lombard, of a citycalled Pavia, a poor man, and of humble condition." Which when he heard,Saladin, well-nigh resolved of his doubt, said joyfully to himself:--"Godhas provided me with occasion meet to prove to this man what store I setby his courtesy;" and without another word he brought him into a roomwhere he kept all his wearing apparel, and said:--"Look, Christian, ifamong these robes there be any that thou hast ever seen before." SoMesser Torello examined the robes, and espied those which his lady hadgiven to Saladin; but, deeming they could not be the same, hereplied:--"My lord, there is no robe here that I recognize, albeit 'tistrue that those two robes are such as I once wore myself, in company withthree merchants that came to my house." Whereupon Saladin could refrainhimself no longer; but, tenderly embracing him:--"You," quoth he, "areMesser Torello d'Istria, and I am one of those three merchants to whomyour lady gave these robes; and now is the time to warrant you of thequality of my merchandise, as, when I parted from you, I told you mightcome to pass." Which to hear, Messer Torello was at once overjoyed andabashed, overjoyed to have entertained so illustrious a guest, andabashed, for that it seemed to him that he had given him but a sorryentertainment. To whom:--"Messer Torello," quoth Saladin, "since hitherhas God sent you to me, deem that 'tis no more I that am lord here, butyou." And so they made great cheer together; and then Saladin causedMesser Torello to be royally arrayed; and presented him to all hisgreatest lords, and having extolled his merit in no stinted measure, badeall, as they hoped for grace from him, honour Messer Torello even ashimself. And so from that hour did they all; but most especially the twolords that had been with Saladin at Messer Torello's house.
The glory, to which Messer Torello thus suddenly found himself raised,somewhat diverted his mind from the affairs of Lombardy, and the more so,for that he entertained no doubt that his letter had reached his uncle'shands. But for that in the camp, or rather army, of the Christians, onthe day when they were taken by Saladin, there died and was buried oneMesser Torello de Dignes, an obscure knight of Provence, whereas MesserTorello d'Istria was known to all the host for a right noble gentleman,whoso heard tell that Messer Torello was dead, supposed that 'twas MesserTorello d'Istria, and not Messer Torello de Dignes; nor did what happenedafter, to wit, the capture, avail to undeceive them; for not a fewItalians had carried the report home with them; among whom there weresome who made bold to say that they had seen Messer Torello d'Istria'sdead body, and had been present at its interment. Which rumour coming tothe ears of his lady and his kinsfolk, great indeed, nay, immeasurablewas the distress that it occasioned not only to them, but to all that hadknown him. The mode and measure of his lady's grief, her mourning, herlamentation, 'twere tedious to describe. Enough that, after some monthsspent in almost unmitigated tribulation, her sorrow shewed signs ofabatement; whereupon, suit being made for her hand by some of thegreatest men of Lombardy, her brothers and other kinsfolk began toimportune her to marry again. Times not a few, and with floods of tears,she refused; but, overborne at last, she consented to do as they wouldhave her, upon the understanding that she was to remain unmarried untilthe term for which she had bound herself to Messer Torello was fulfilled.
Now the lady's affairs being in this posture at Pavia, it befell thatsome eight days or so before the time appointed for her marriage, MesserTorello one day espied in Alexandria one that he had observed go with theGenoese ambassadors aboard the galley that took them to Genoa; whereforehe called him, and asked him what sort of a voyage they had had, and whenthey had reached Genoa. "My lord," replied the other, "the galley madebut a sorry voyage of it, as I learned in Crete, where I remained; forthat, while she was nearing Sicily, there arose a terrible gale from theNorth that drove her on to the shoals of Barbary, and never a soulescaped, and among the rest my two brothers were lost." Which reportbelieving--and 'twas indeed most true--and calling to mind that in a fewdays the term that he had asked of his wife would be fulfilled, andsurmising that there could be no tidings of him at Pavia, Messer Torellomade no question but that the lady was provided with another husband;whereby he sank into such a depth of woe that he lost all power to eat,and betook him to his bed and resigned himself to die. Which whenSaladin, by whom he was most dearly beloved, learned, he came to him, andhaving plied him with many and most instant entreaties, learned at lengththe cause of his distress and sickness; and, having chidden him not alittle that he had not sooner apprised him thereof, he besought him toput on a cheerful courage, assuring him, that, if so he did, he wouldbring it to pass that he should be in Pavia at the time appointed, andtold him how. Believing Saladin's words the more readily that he had manytimes heard that 'twas possible, and had not seldom been done, MesserTorello recovered heart, and was instant with Saladin that he should makeall haste.
Accordingly Saladin bade one of his necromancers, of whose skill he hadalready had proof, to devise a method whereby Messer Torello should betransported abed in a single night to Pavia: the necromancer made answerthat it should be done, but that 'twere best he put Messer Torello tosleep. The matter being thus arranged, Saladin hied him back to MesserTorello, and finding him most earnestly desirous to be in Pavia at thetime appointed, if so it might be, and if not, to die:--"Messer Torello,"quoth he, "if you dearly love your lady, and misdoubt that she may becomethe bride of another, no wise, God wot, do I censure you, for that, ofall the ladies that ever I saw, she, for bearing, manners, andaddress--to say nought of beauty, which is but the flower thatperishes--seems to me the most worthy to be lauded and cherished. Muchhad I been gratified, since Fortune has sent you hither to me, that,while you and I yet live, we had exercised equal lordship in thegovernance of this my realm, and, if such was not God's will, and thismust needs come upon you, that you are fain either to be at Pavia at thetime appointed or to die, I had desired of all things to have beenapprised thereof at such a time that I might have sent you home with suchhonourable circumstance and state and escort as befit your high desert;which not being vouchsafed me, and as nought will content you but to bethere forthwith, I do what I can, and speed you thither on such wise as Ihave told you." "My lord," replied Messer Torello, "had you said nought,you have already done enough to prove your goodwill towards me, and thatin
so high a degree as is quite beyond my deserts, and most assured ofthe truth of what you say shall I live and die, and so had done, had younot said it; but, seeing that my resolve is taken, I pray you that that,which you promise to do, be done speedily, for that after to-morrow I mayno longer count on being expected."
Saladin assured him that 'twas so ordered that he should not bedisappointed. And on the morrow, it being his purpose to speed him on hisjourney that same night, he caused to be set up in one of his great hallsa most goodly and sumptuous bed composed of mattresses, all, as was theirwont, of velvet and cloth of gold, and had it covered with a quilt,adorned at certain intervals with enormous