The Decameron of Giovanni Boccaccio
thrown you off the bridge into the Arno! Why did you call on God and
the Saints? Were you not forewarned of this?' 'By God His faith,'
replied the physician, 'I did it not.' 'How?' cried Buffalmacco. 'You
did not call on them? Egad, you did it again and again; for our
messenger told us that you shook like a reed and knew not where you
were. Marry, for the nonce you have befooled us finely; but never
again shall any one serve us thus, and we will yet do you such honour
thereof as you merit.' The physician fell to craving pardon and
conjuring them for God's sake not to dishonour him and studied to
appease them with the best words he could command. And if aforetime he
had entreated them with honour, from that time forth he honoured them
yet more and made much of them, entertaining them with banquets and
otherwhat, for fear lest they should publish his shame. Thus, then, as
you have heard, is sense taught to whoso hath learned no great store
thereof at Bologna."
THE TENTH STORY
[Day the Eighth]
A CERTAIN WOMAN OF SICILY ARTFULLY DESPOILETH A MERCHANT OF
THAT WHICH HE HAD BROUGHT TO PALERMO; BUT HE, MAKING BELIEVE
TO HAVE RETURNED THITHER WITH MUCH GREATER PLENTY OF
MERCHANDISE THAN BEFORE, BORROWETH MONEY OF HER AND LEAVETH
HER WATER AND TOW IN PAYMENT
How much the queen's story in divers places made the ladies laugh, it
needed not to ask; suffice it to say that there was none of them to
whose eyes the tears had not come a dozen times for excess of
laughter: but, after it had an end, Dioneo, knowing that it was come
to his turn to tell, said, "Gracious ladies, it is a manifest thing
that sleights and devices are the more pleasing, the subtler the
trickster who is thereby artfully outwitted. Wherefore, albeit you
have related very fine stories, I mean to tell you one, which should
please you more than any other that hath been told upon the same
subject, inasmuch as she who was cheated was a greater mistress of the
art of cheating others than was any of the men or women who were
cozened by those of whom you have told.
There used to be, and belike is yet, a custom, in all maritime places
which have a port, that all merchants who come thither with
merchandise, having unloaded it, should carry it all into a warehouse,
which is in many places called a customhouse, kept by the commonality
or by the lord of the place. There they give unto those who are
deputed to that end a note in writing of all their merchandise and the
value thereof, and they thereupon make over to each merchant a
storehouse, wherein he layeth up his goods under lock and key.
Moreover, the said officers enter in the book of the Customs, to each
merchant's credit, all his merchandise, causing themselves after he
paid their dues of the merchants, whether for all his said merchandise
or for such part thereof as he withdraweth from the customhouse. By
this book of the Customs the brokers mostly inform themselves of the
quality and the quantity of the goods that are in bond there and also
who are the merchants that own them; and with these latter, as
occasion serveth them, they treat of exchanges and barters and sales
and other transactions. This usance, amongst many other places, was
current at Palermo in Sicily, where likewise there were and are yet
many women, very fair of their person, but sworn enemies to honesty,
who would be and are by those who know them not held great ladies and
passing virtuous and who, being given not to shave, but altogether to
flay men, no sooner espy a merchant there than they inform themselves
by the book of the Customs of that which he hath there and how much he
can do;[414] after which by their lovesome and engaging fashions and
with the most dulcet words, they study to allure the said merchants
and draw them into the snare of their love; and many an one have they
aforetime lured thereinto, from whom they have wiled great part of
their merchandise; nay, many have they despoiled of all, and of these
there be some who have left goods and ship and flesh and bones in
their hands, so sweetly hath the barberess known to ply the razor.
[Footnote 414: _i.e._ what he is worth.]
It chanced, not long since, that there came thither, sent by his
masters, one of our young Florentines, by name Niccolo da Cignano,
though more commonly called Salabaetto, with as many woollen cloths,
left on his hands from the Salerno fair, as might be worth some five
hundred gold florins, which having given the customhouse officers the
invoice thereof, he laid up in a magazine and began, without showing
overmuch haste to dispose of them, to go bytimes a-pleasuring about
the city. He being of a fair complexion and yellow-haired and withal
very sprightly and personable, it chanced that one of these same
barberesses, who styled herself Madam Biancofiore, having heard
somewhat of his affairs, cast her eyes on him; which he perceiving and
taking her for some great lady, concluded that he pleased her for his
good looks and bethought himself to order this amour with the utmost
secrecy; wherefore, without saying aught thereof to any, he fell to
passing and repassing before her house. She, noting this, after she
had for some days well enkindled him with her eyes, making believe to
languish for him, privily despatched to him one of her women, who was
a past mistress in the procuring art and who, after much parley, told
him, well nigh with tears in her eyes, that he had so taken her
mistress with his comeliness and his pleasing fashions that she could
find no rest day or night; wherefore, whenas it pleased him, she
desired, more than aught else, to avail to foregather with him privily
in a bagnio; then, pulling a ring from her pouch, she gave it to him
on the part of her mistress. Salabaetto, hearing this, was the
joyfullest man that was aye and taking the ring, rubbed it against his
eyes and kissed it; after which he set it on his finger and replied to
the good woman that, if Madam Biancofiore loved him, she was well
requited it, for that he loved her more than his proper life and was
ready to go whereassoever it should please her and at any hour. The
messenger returned to her mistress with this answer and it was
appointed Salabaetto out of hand at what bagnio he should expect her
on the ensuing day after vespers.
Accordingly, without saying aught of the matter to any, he punctually
repaired thither at the hour appointed him and found the bagnio taken
by the lady; nor had he waited long ere there came two slave-girls
laden with gear and bearing on their heads, the one a fine large
mattress of cotton wool and the other a great basket full of gear. The
mattress they set on a bedstead in one of the chambers of the bagnio
and spread thereon a pair of very fine sheets, laced with silk,
together with a counterpane of snow-white Cyprus buckram[415] and two
pillows wonder-curiously wrought.[416] Then, putting off their clothes
they entered the bath and swept it all and washed it excellent well.
Nor was it long ere the lady herself came thither, with other two
slave-girls, and accosted Salabaetto with the utmost joy; then, as
first she had commodity, after she had both clipped and kissed him
amain, heaving the heaviest sighs in the world, she said to him, 'I
know not who could have brought me to this pass, other than thou; thou
hast kindled a fire in my vitals, little dog of a Tuscan!' Then, at
her instance, they entered the bath, both naked, and with them two of
the slave-girls; and there, without letting any else lay a finger on
him, she with her own hands washed Salabaetto all wonder-well with
musk and clove-scented soap; after which she let herself be washed and
rubbed of the slave-girls. This done, the latter brought two very
white and fine sheets, whence came so great a scent of roses that
everything there seemed roses, in one of which they wrapped Salabaetto
and in the other the lady and taking them in their arms, carried them
both to the bed prepared for them. There, whenas they had left
sweating, the slave-girls did them loose from the sheets wherein they
were wrapped and they abode naked in the others, whilst the girls
brought out of the basket wonder-goodly casting-bottles of silver,
full of sweet waters, rose and jessamine and orange and citron-flower
scented, and sprinkled them all therewith; after which boxes of
succades and wines of great price were produced and they refreshed
themselves awhile.
[Footnote 415: _Bucherame._ The word "buckram" was anciently applied
to the finest linen cloth, as is apparently the case here; see
Ducange, voce _Boquerannus_, and Florio, voce _Bucherame_.]
[Footnote 416: _i.e._ in needlework.]
It seemed to Salabaetto as he were in Paradise and he cast a thousand
glances at the lady, who was certes very handsome, himseeming each
hour was an hundred years till the slave-girls should begone and he
should find himself in her arms. Presently, at her commandment, the
girls departed the chamber, leaving a flambeau alight there; whereupon
she embraced Salabaetto and he her, and they abode together a great
while, to the exceeding pleasure of the Florentine, to whom it seemed
she was all afire for love of him. Whenas it seemed to her time to
rise, she called the slave-girls and they clad themselves; then they
recruited themselves somedele with a second collation of wine and
sweetmeats and washed their hands and faces with odoriferous waters;
after which, being about to depart, the lady said to Salabaetto, 'So
it be agreeable to thee, it were doing me a very great favour an thou
camest this evening to sup and lie the night with me.' Salabaetto, who
was by this time altogether captivated by her beauty and the artful
pleasantness of her fashions and firmly believed himself to be loved
of her as he were the heart out of her body, replied, 'Madam, your
every pleasure is supremely agreeable to me, wherefore both to-night
and at all times I mean to do that which shall please you and that
which shall be commanded me of you.'
Accordingly the lady returned to her house, where she caused well
bedeck her bedchamber with her dresses and gear and letting make ready
a splendid supper, awaited Salabaetto, who, as soon as it was grown
somewhat dark, betook himself thither and being received with open
arms, supped with all cheer and commodity of service. Thereafter they
betook themselves into the bedchamber, where he smelt a marvellous
fragrance of aloes-wood and saw the bed very richly adorned with
Cyprian singing-birds[417] and store of fine dresses upon the pegs,
all which things together and each of itself made him conclude that
this must be some great and rich lady. And although he had heard some
whispers to the contrary anent her manner of life, he would not
anywise believe it; or, if he e'en gave so much credit thereto as to
allow that she might erst have cozened others, for nothing in the
world could he have believed that this might possibly happen to
himself. He lay that night with her in the utmost delight, still
waxing more enamoured, and in the morning she girt him on a quaint and
goodly girdle of silver, with a fine purse thereto, saying, 'Sweet my
Salabaetto, I commend myself to thy remembrance, and like as my person
is at thy pleasure, even so is all that is here and all that dependeth
upon me at thy service and commandment.' Salabaetto, rejoiced,
embraced and kissed her; then, going forth of her house, he betook
himself whereas the other merchants were used to resort.
[Footnote 417: "It was the custom in those days to attach to the
bedposts sundry small instruments in the form of birds, which, by
means of certain mechanical devices, gave forth sounds modulated like
the song of actual birds."--_Fanfani._]