The Decameron of Giovanni Boccaccio
means to clap up an acquaintance with her maid and discovering to her
his love, prayed her make interest for him with her mistress, so he
might avail to have her favour. The maid promised freely and told the
lady, who hearkened with the heartiest laughter in the world and said,
'Seest thou where yonder man cometh to lose the wit he hath brought
back from Paris? Marry, we will give him that which he goeth seeking.
An he bespeak thee again, do thou tell him that I love him far more
than he loveth me; but that it behoveth me look to mine honour, so I
may hold up my head with the other ladies; whereof and he be as wise
as folk say, he will hold me so much the dearer.' Alack, poor silly
soul, she knew not aright, ladies mine, what it is to try conclusions
with scholars. The maid went in search of Rinieri and finding him, did
that which had been enjoined her of her mistress, whereat he was
overjoyed and proceeded to use more urgent entreaties, writing letters
and sending presents, all of which were accepted, but he got nothing
but vague and general answers; and on this wise she held him in play a
great while.
At last, to show her lover, to whom she had discovered everything and
who was whiles somewhat vexed with her for this and had conceived some
jealousy of Rinieri, that he did wrong to suspect her thereof, she
despatched to the scholar, now grown very pressing, her maid, who told
him, on her mistress's part, that she had never yet had an opportunity
to do aught that might pleasure him since he had certified her of his
love, but that on the occasion of the festival of the Nativity she
hoped to be able to be with him; wherefore, an it liked him, he was
on the evening of the feast to come by night to her courtyard, whither
she would go for him as first she might. At this the scholar was the
gladdest man alive and betook himself at the appointed time to his
mistress's house, where he was carried by the maid into a courtyard
and being there locked in, proceeded to wait the lady's coming. The
latter had that evening sent for her lover and after she had supped
merrily with him, she told him that which she purposed to do that
night, adding, 'And thou mayst see for thyself what and how great is
the love I have borne and bear him of whom thou hast taken a
jealousy.' The lover heard these words with great satisfaction and was
impatient to see by the fact that which the lady gave him to
understand with words.
It had by chance snowed hard during the day and everything was covered
with snow, wherefore the scholar had not long abidden in the courtyard
before he began to feel colder than he could have wished; but, looking
to recruit himself speedily, he was fain to endure it with patience.
Presently, the lady said to her lover, 'Let us go look from a lattice
what yonder fellow, of whom thou art waxed jealous, doth and hear what
he shall answer the maid, whom I have sent to parley with him.'
Accordingly, they betook themselves to a lattice and thence, seeing,
without being seen, they heard the maid from another lattice bespeak
the scholar and say, 'Rinieri, my lady is the woefullest woman that
was aye, for that there is one of her brothers come hither to-night,
who hath talked much with her and after must needs sup with her, nor
is yet gone away; but methinketh he will soon be gone; wherefore she
hath not been able to come to thee, but will soon come now and prayeth
thee not to take the waiting in ill part.' Rinieri, believing this to
be true, replied, 'Tell my lady to give herself no concern for me till
such time as she can at her commodity come to me, but bid her do this
as quickliest she may.' The maid turned back into the house and betook
herself to bed, whilst the lady said to her gallant, 'Well, how sayst
thou? Thinkest thou that, an I wished him such weal as thou fearest, I
would suffer him stand a-freezing down yonder?' So saying, she betook
herself to bed with her lover, who was now in part satisfied, and
there they abode a great while in joyance and liesse, laughing and
making mock of the wretched scholar, who fared to and fro the while in
the courtyard, making shift to warm himself with exercise, nor had
whereas he might seat himself or shelter from the night-damp. He
cursed her brother's long stay with the lady and took everything he
heard for the opening of a door to him by her, but hoped in vain.
The lady, having solaced herself with her lover till near upon
midnight, said to him, 'How deemest thou, my soul, of our scholar?
Whether seemeth to thee the greater, his wit or the love I bear him?
Will the cold which I presently cause him suffer do away from thy mind
the doubts which my pleasantries aroused therein the other day?'
Whereto he replied, 'Heart of my body, yes, I know right well that,
like as thou art my good and my peace and my delight and all my hope,
even so am I thine.' 'Then,' rejoined she, 'kiss me a thousand times,
so I may see if thou say sooth.' Whereupon he clipped her fast in his
arms and kissed her not a thousand, but more than an hundred thousand
times. Then, after they had abidden awhile in such discourse, the lady
said, 'Marry, let us arise a little and go see if the fire is anydele
spent, wherein this my new lover wrote me that he burnt all day long.'
Accordingly, they arose and getting them to the accustomed lattice,
looked out into the courtyard, where they saw the scholar dancing a
right merry jig on the snow, so fast and brisk that never had they
seen the like, to the sound of the chattering of the teeth that he
made for excess of cold; whereupon quoth the lady, 'How sayst thou,
sweet my hope? Seemeth to thee that I know how to make folk jig it
without sound of trump or bagpipe?' Whereto he answered, laughing, 'Ay
dost thou, my chief delight.' Quoth the lady, 'I will that we go down
to the door; thou shalt abide quiet, whilst I bespeak him, and we
shall hear what he will say; belike we shall have no less diversion
thereof than we had from seeing him.'
Accordingly, they softly opened the chamber and stole down to the
door, where, without opening it anydele, the lady called to the
scholar in a low voice by a little hole that was there. Rinieri
hearing himself called, praised God, taking it oversoon for granted
that he was to be presently admitted, and coming up to the door, said,
'Here am I, madam; open for God's sake, for I die of cold.' 'O ay,'
replied the lady, 'I know thou art a chilly one; is then the cold so
exceeding great, because, forsooth, there is a little snow about? I
wot the nights are much colder in Paris. I cannot open to thee yet,
for that accursed brother of mine, who came to sup with me to-night,
is not yet gone; but he will soon begone and I will come incontinent
to open to thee. I have but now very hardly stolen away from him, that
I might come to exhort thee not to wax weary of waiting.' 'Alack,
madam,' cried the scholar, 'I pray you for God's sake open to me, so I
may abide within under cover, for that this little while past there is
come on the thickest snow in the world and it yet snoweth, and I will
wait for you as long as it shall please you.' 'Woe's me, sweet my
treasure,' replied the lady, 'that cannot I; for this door maketh so
great a noise, whenas it is opened, that it would lightly be heard of
my brother, if I should open to thee; but I will go bid him begone, so
I may after come back and open to thee.' 'Then go quickly,' rejoined
he; 'and I prithee let make a good fire, so I may warm me as soon as I
come in, for that I am grown so cold I can scarce feel myself.' Quoth
the lady, 'That should not be possible, an that be true which thou
hast many a time written me, to wit, that thou burnest for the love of
me. Now, I must go, wait and be of good heart.' Then, with her lover,
who had heard all this with the utmost pleasure, she went back to bed,
and that night they slept little, nay, they spent it well nigh all in
dalliance and delight and in making mock of Rinieri.
Meanwhile, the unhappy scholar (now well nigh grown a stork, so sore
did his teeth chatter,) perceiving at last that he was befooled,
essayed again and again to open the door and sought an he might not
avail to issue thence by another way; but, finding no means
thereunto, he fell a-ranging to and fro like a lion, cursing the
foulness of the weather and the lady's malignity and the length of the
night, together with his own credulity; wherefore, being sore despited
against his mistress, the long and ardent love he had borne her was
suddenly changed to fierce and bitter hatred and he revolved in
himself many and various things, so he might find a means of revenge,
the which he now desired far more eagerly than he had before desired
to be with the lady. At last, after much long tarriance, the night
drew near unto day and the dawn began to appear; whereupon the maid,
who had been lessoned by the lady, coming down, opened the courtyard
door and feigning to have compassion of Rinieri, said, 'Bad luck may
he have who came hither yestereve! He hath kept us all night upon
thorns and hath caused thee freeze; but knowest thou what? Bear it
with patience, for that which could not be to-night shall be another
time. Indeed, I know nought could have happened that had been so
displeasing to my lady.'
The despiteful scholar, like a wise man as he was, who knew that
threats are but arms for the threatened, locked up in his breast that
which untempered will would fain have vented and said in a low voice,
without anywise showing himself vexed, 'In truth I have had the worst
night I ever had; but I have well apprehended that the lady is nowise
to blame for this, inasmuch as she herself of her compassion for me,
came down hither to excuse herself and to hearten me; and as thou
sayest, that which hath not been to-night shall be another time.
Commend me to her and God be with thee.' Therewithal, well nigh stark
with cold, he made his way, as best he might, back to his house,
where, being drowsed to death, he cast himself upon his bed to sleep
and awoke well nigh crippled of his arms and legs; wherefore, sending
for sundry physicians and acquainting them with the cold he had
suffered, he caused take order for his cure. The leaches, plying him
with prompt and very potent remedies, hardly, after some time, availed
to recover him of the shrinking of the sinews and cause them relax;
and but that he was young and that the warm season came on, he had
overmuch to suffer. However, being restored to health and lustihead,
he kept his hate to himself and feigned himself more than ever
enamoured of his widow.
Now it befell, after a certain space of time, that fortune furnished
him with an occasion of satisfying his desire [for vengeance], for
that the youth beloved of the widow being, without any regard for the
love she bore him, fallen enamoured of another lady, would have nor
little nor much to say to her nor do aught to pleasure her, wherefore
she pined in tears and bitterness. But her maid, who had great
compassion of her, finding no way of rousing her mistress from the
chagrin into which the loss of her lover had cast her and seeing the
scholar pass along the street, after the wonted manner, entered into a
fond conceit, to wit, that the lady's lover might be brought by some
necromantic operation or other to love her as he had been wont to do
and that the scholar should be a past master in this manner of thing,
and told her thought to her mistress. The latter, little wise, without
considering that, had the scholar been acquainted with the black art,
he would have practised it for himself, lent her mind to her maid's
words and bade her forthright learn from him if he would do it and
give him all assurance that, in requital thereof, she would do