The Decameron of Giovanni Boccaccio
excuses, put off his clothes and laid himself beside the abbot, who
put his hand on his breast and fell to touching him no otherwise than
amorous damsels use to do with their lovers; whereat Alessandro
marvelled exceedingly and misdoubted him the abbot was moved by
unnatural love to handle him on that wise; but the latter promptly
divined his suspicions, whether of presumption or through some gesture
of his, and smiled; then, suddenly putting off a shirt that he wore,
he took Alessandro's hand and laying it on his own breast, said,
'Alessandro, put away thy foolish thought and searching here, know
that which I conceal.'
Alessandro accordingly put his hand to the abbot's bosom and found
there two little breasts, round and firm and delicate, no otherwise
than as they were of ivory, whereby perceiving that the supposed
prelate was a woman, without awaiting farther bidding, he straightway
took her in his arms and would have kissed her; but she said to him,
'Ere thou draw nearer to me, hearken to that which I have to say to
thee. As thou mayst see, I am a woman and not a man, and having left
home a maid, I was on my way to the Pope, that he might marry me. Be
it thy good fortune or my mishap, no sooner did I see thee the other
day than love so fired me for thee, that never yet was woman who so
loved man. Wherefore, I am resolved to take thee, before any other, to
husband; but, an thou wilt not have me to wife, begone hence
forthright and return to thy place.'
Alessandro, albeit he knew her not, having regard to her company and
retinue, judged her to be of necessity noble and rich and saw that she
was very fair; wherefore, without overlong thought, he replied that,
if this pleased her, it was mighty agreeable to him. Accordingly,
sitting up with him in bed, she put a ring into his hand and made him
espouse her[90] before a picture wherein our Lord was portrayed, after
which they embraced each other and solaced themselves with amorous
dalliance, to the exceeding pleasure of both parties, for so much as
remained of the night.
[Footnote 90: _i.e._ make her a solemn promise of marriage, formally
plight her his troth. The ceremony of betrothal was formerly (and
still is in certain countries) the most essential part of the marriage
rite.]
When the day came, after they had taken order together concerning
their affairs, Alessandro arose and departed the chamber by the way he
had entered, without any knowing where he had passed the night. Then,
glad beyond measure, he took to the road again with the abbot and his
company and came after many days to Rome. There they abode some days,
after which the abbot, with the two knights and Alessandro and no
more, went in to the Pope and having done him due reverence, bespoke
him thus, 'Holy Father, as you should know better than any other,
whoso is minded to live well and honestly should, inasmuch as he may,
eschew every occasion that may lead him to do otherwise; the which
that I, who would fain live honestly, may throughly do, having fled
privily with a great part of the treasures of the King of England my
father, (who would have given me to wife to the King of Scotland, a
very old prince, I being, as you see, a young maid), I set out,
habited as you see me, to come hither, so your Holiness might marry
me. Nor was it so much the age of the King of Scotland that made me
flee as the fear, if I were married to him, lest I should, for the
frailty of my youth, be led to do aught that might be contrary to the
Divine laws and the honour of the royal blood of my father. As I came,
thus disposed, God, who alone knoweth aright that which behoveth unto
every one, set before mine eyes (as I believe, of His mercy) him whom
it pleased Him should be my husband, to wit, this young man,' showing
Alessandro, 'whom you see here beside me and whose fashions and desert
are worthy of however great a lady, although belike the nobility of
his blood is not so illustrious as the blood-royal. Him, then, have I
taken and him I desire, nor will I ever have any other than he,
however it may seem to my father or to other folk. Thus, the principal
occasion of my coming is done away; but it pleased me to make an end
of my journey, at once that I might visit the holy and reverential
places, whereof this city is full, and your Holiness and that through
you I might make manifest, in your presence and consequently in that
of the rest of mankind, the marriage contracted between Alessandro
and myself in the presence of God alone. Wherefore I humbly pray you
that this which hath pleased God and me may find favour with you and
that you will vouchsafe us your benison, in order that with this, as
with more assurance of His approof whose Vicar you are, we may live
and ultimately die together.'
Alessandro marvelled to hear that the damsel was the King's daughter
of England and was inwardly filled with exceeding great gladness; but
the two knights marvelled yet more and were so incensed, that, had
they been otherwhere than in the Pope's presence, they had done
Alessandro a mischief and belike the lady also. The Pope also, on his
part, marvelled exceedingly both at the habit of the lady and at her
choice; but, seeing that there was no going back on that which was
done, he consented to satisfy her of her prayer. Accordingly, having
first appeased the two knights, whom he knew to be angered, and made
them well at one again with the lady and Alessandro, he took order for
that which was to do, and the day appointed by him being come, before
all the cardinals and many other men of great worship, come, at his
bidding, to a magnificent bride-feast prepared by him, he produced the
lady, royally apparelled, who showed so fair and so agreeable that she
was worthily commended of all, and on like wise Alessandro splendidly
attired, in bearing and appearance no whit like a youth who had lent
at usury, but rather one of royal blood, and now much honoured of the
two knights. There he caused solemnly celebrate the marriage afresh
and after goodly and magnificent nuptials made, he dismissed them with
his benison.
It pleased Alessandro, and likewise the lady, departing Rome, to
betake themselves to Florence, whither report had already carried the
news. There they were received by the townsfolk with the utmost honour
and the lady caused liberate the three brothers, having first paid
every man [his due]. Moreover, she reinstated them and their ladies in
their possessions and with every one's goodwill, because of this, she
and her husband departed Florence, carrying Agolante with them, and
coming to Paris, were honourably entertained by the King. Thence the
two knights passed into England and so wrought with the King that the
latter restored to his daughter his good graces and with exceeding
great rejoicing received her and his son-in-law, whom he a little
after made a knight with the utmost honour and gave him the Earldom of
Cornwall. In this capacity he approved himself a man of such parts and
made shift to do on such wise that he reconciled the son with his
father, whereof there ensued great good to the island, and thereby he
gained the love and favour of all the people of the country.
Moreover, Agolante thoroughly recovered all that was there due to him
and his brethren and returned to Florence, rich beyond measure, having
first been knighted by Count Alessandro. The latter lived long and
gloriously with his lady, and according as some avouch, what with his
wit and valour and the aid of his father-in-law, he after conquered
Scotland and was crowned King thereof."
THE FOURTH STORY
[Day the Second]
LANDOLFO RUFFOLO, GROWN POOR, TURNETH CORSAIR AND BEING
TAKEN BY THE GENOESE, IS WRECKED AT SEA, BUT SAVETH HIMSELF
UPON A COFFER FULL OF JEWELS OF PRICE AND BEING ENTERTAINED
IN CORFU BY A WOMAN, RETURNETH HOME RICH
Lauretta, who sat next Pampinea, seeing her come to the glorious
ending of her story, began, without awaiting more, to speak on this
wise: "Most gracious ladies, there can, to my judgment, be seen no
greater feat of fortune than when we behold one raised from the lowest
misery to royal estate, even as Pampinea's story hath shown it to have
betided her Alessandro. And for that from this time forth whosoever
relateth of the appointed matter must of necessity speak within these
limits,[91] I shall think no shame to tell a story, which, albeit it
compriseth in itself yet greater distresses hath not withal so
splendid an issue. I know well, indeed, that, having regard unto that,
my story will be hearkened with less diligence; but, as I can no
otherwise, I shall be excused.
[Footnote 91: _i.e._ cannot hope to tell a story presenting more
extraordinary shifts from one to the other extreme of human fortune
than that of Pampinea.]
The sea-coast from Reggio to Gaeta is commonly believed to be well
nigh the most delightful part of Italy, and therein, pretty near
Salerno, is a hillside overlooking the sea, which the countryfolk call
Amalfi Side, full of little towns and gardens and springs and of men
as rich and stirring in the matter of trade as any in the world. Among
the said cities is one called Ravello and therein, albeit nowadays
there are rich men there, there was aforetime one, Landolfo Ruffolo by
name, who was exceeding rich and who, his wealth sufficing him not,
came nigh, in seeking to double it, to lose it all and himself withal.
This man, then, having, after the usance of merchants, laid his plans,
bought a great ship and freighting it all of his own monies with
divers merchandise, repaired therewith to Cyprus. There he found
sundry other ships come with the same kind and quality of merchandise
as he had brought, by reason of which not only was he constrained to
make great good cheap of his own venture, but it behoved him, an he
would dispose of his goods, well nigh to throw them away, whereby he
was brought near unto ruin.
Sore chagrined at this mischance and knowing not what to do, seeing
himself thus from a very rich man in brief space grown in a manner
poor, he determined either to die or repair his losses by pillage, so
he might not return thither poor, whence he had departed rich.
Accordingly, having found a purchaser for his great ship, with the
price thereof and that which he had gotten of his wares, he bought a
little vessel, light and apt for cruising and arming and garnishing it
excellent well with everything needful unto such a service, addressed
himself to make his purchase of other men's goods and especially of
those of the Turks. In this trade fortune was far kinder to him than
she had been in that of a merchant, for that, in some year's space,
he plundered and took so many Turkish vessels that he found he had not
only gotten him his own again that he had lost in trade, but had more
than doubled his former substance. Whereupon, schooled by the chagrin
of his former loss and deeming he had enough, he persuaded himself,
rather than risk a second mischance, to rest content with that which
he had, without seeking more. Accordingly he resolved to return
therewith to his own country and being fearful of trade, concerned not
himself to employ his money otherwise, but, thrusting his oars into
the water, set out homeward in that same little vessel wherewith he
had gained it.
He had already reached the Archipelago when there arose one evening a
violent south-east wind, which was not only contrary to his course,
but raised so great a sea that his little vessel could not endure it;
wherefore he took refuge in a bight of the sea, made by a little
island, and there abode sheltered from the wind and purposing there to
await better weather. He had not lain there long when two great
Genoese carracks, coming from Constantinople, made their way with