The Decameron of Giovanni Boccaccio
whilst the latter, recognizing her, cast himself at her feet, weeping
and craving forgiveness, which she, ill worthy as he was thereof,
graciously accorded him and raising him to his feet, embraced him
tenderly, as her husband. Then the Soldan commanded that Ambrogiuolo
should incontinent be bound to a stake and smeared with honey and
exposed to the sun in some high place of the city, nor should ever be
loosed thence till such time as he should fall of himself; and so was
it done. After this he commanded that all that had belonged to him
should be given to the lady, the which was not so little but that it
outvalued ten thousand doubloons. Moreover, he let make a very goodly
banquet, wherein he entertained Bernabo with honour, as Madam
Ginevra's husband, and herself as a very valiant lady and gave her, in
jewels and vessels of gold and silver and monies, that which amounted
to better[139] than other ten thousand doubloons. Then, the banquet
over, he caused equip them a ship and gave them leave to return at
their pleasure to Genoa, whither accordingly they returned with great
joyance and exceeding rich; and there they were received with the
utmost honour, especially Madam Ginevra, who was of all believed to be
dead and who, while she lived, was still reputed of great worth and
virtue. As for Ambrogiuolo, being that same day bounded to the stake
and anointed with honey, he was, to his exceeding torment, not only
slain, but devoured, of the flies and wasps and gadflies, wherewith
that country aboundeth, even to the bones, which latter, waxed white
and hanging by the sinews, being left unremoved, long bore witness of
his villainy to all who saw them. And on this wise did the deceiver
abide at the feet of the deceived."
[Footnote 132: Lit. Whatsoever an ass giveth against a wall, such he
receiveth (_Quale asino da in parete, tal riceve_). I cannot find any
satisfactory explanation of this proverbial saying, which may be
rendered in two ways, according as _quale_ and _tale_ are taken as
relative to a thing or a person. The probable reference seems to be to
the circumstance of an ass making water against a wall, so that his
urine returns to him.]
[Footnote 133: From this point until the final discovery of her true
sex, the heroine is spoken of in the masculine gender, as became her
assumed name and habit.]
[Footnote 134: Here Boccaccio uses the feminine pronoun, immediately
afterward resuming the masculine form in speaking of Sicurano.]
[Footnote 135: _i.e._ her.]
[Footnote 136: _i.e._ her.]
[Footnote 137: _i.e._ hers.]
[Footnote 138: _i.e._ her.]
[Footnote 139: Sic (_meglio_).]
THE TENTH STORY
[Day the Second]
PAGANINO OF MONACO STEALETH AWAY THE WIFE OF MESSER
RICCIARDO DI CHINZICA, WHO, LEARNING WHERE SHE IS, GOETH
THITHER AND MAKING FRIENDS WITH PAGANINO, DEMANDETH HER
AGAIN OF HIM. THE LATTER CONCEDETH HER TO HIM, AN SHE WILL;
BUT SHE REFUSETH TO RETURN WITH HIM AND MESSER RICCIARDO
DYING, SHE BECOMETH THE WIFE OF PAGANINO
Each of the honourable company highly commended for goodly the story
told by their queen, especially Dioneo, with whom alone for that
present day it now rested to tell, and who, after many praises
bestowed upon the preceding tale, said, "Fair ladies, one part of the
queen's story hath caused me change counsel of telling you one that
was in my mind, and determine to tell you another,--and that is the
stupidity of Bernabo (albeit good betided him thereof) and of all
others who give themselves to believe that which he made a show of
believing and who, to wit, whilst going about the world, diverting
themselves now with this woman and now with that, imagine that the
ladies left at home abide with their hands in their girdles, as if we
knew not, we who are born and reared among the latter, unto what they
are fain. In telling you this story, I shall at once show you how
great is the folly of these folk and how greater yet is that of those
who, deeming themselves more potent than nature herself, think by dint
of sophistical inventions[140] to avail unto that which is beyond
their power and study to bring others to that which they themselves
are, whenas the complexion of those on whom they practise brooketh it
not.
[Footnote 140: Lit. fabulous demonstrations (_dimostrazioni
favolose_), casuistical arguments, founded upon premises of their own
invention.]
There was, then, in Pisa a judge, by name Messer Ricciardo di
Chinzica, more gifted with wit than with bodily strength, who,
thinking belike to satisfy a wife by the same means which served him
to despatch his studies and being very rich, sought with no little
diligence to have a fair and young lady to wife; whereas, had he but
known to counsel himself as he counselled others, he should have
shunned both the one and the other. The thing came to pass according
to his wish, for Messer Lotto Gualandi gave him to wife a daughter of
his, Bartolomea by name, one of the fairest and handsomest young
ladies of Pisa, albeit there be few there that are not very lizards to
look upon. The judge accordingly brought her home with the utmost pomp
and having held a magnificent wedding, made shift the first night to
hand her one venue for the consummation of the marriage, but came
within an ace of making a stalemate of it, whereafter, lean and dry
and scant of wind as he was, it behoved him on the morrow bring
himself back to life with malmsey and restorative confections and
other remedies. Thenceforward, being now a better judge of his own
powers than he was, he fell to teaching his wife a calendar fit for
children learning to read and belike made aforetime at Ravenna,[141]
for that, according to what he feigned to her, there was no day in the
year but was sacred not to one saint only, but to many, in reverence
of whom he showed by divers reasons that man and wife should abstain
from carnal conversation; and to these be added, to boot, fast days
and Emberdays and the vigils of the Apostles and of a thousand other
saints and Fridays and Saturdays and Lord's Day and all Lent and
certain seasons of the moon and store of other exceptions, conceiving
belike that it behoved to keep holiday with women in bed like as he
did bytimes whilst pleading in the courts of civil law. This fashion
(to the no small chagrin of the lady, whom he handled maybe once a
month, and hardly that) he followed a great while, still keeping
strait watch over her, lest peradventure some other should teach her
to know working-days, even as he had taught her holidays. Things
standing thus, it chanced that, the heat being great and Messer
Ricciardo having a mind to go a-pleasuring to a very fair country-seat
he had, near Monte Nero, and there abide some days to take the air, he
betook himself thither, carrying with him his fair lady. There
sojourning, to give her some diversion, he caused one day fish and
they went out to sea in two boats, he in one with the fishermen, and
she in another with other ladies. The sport luring them on, they
drifted some miles out to sea, well nigh without perceiving it, and
whilst they were intent upon their diversion, there came up of a
sudden a galliot belonging to Paganino da Mare, a famous corsair of
those days. The latter, espying the boats, made for them, nor could
they flee so fast but he overtook that in which were the women and
seeing therein the judge's fair lady, he carried her aboard the
galliot, in full sight of Messer Ricciardo, who was now come to land,
and made off without recking of aught else. When my lord judge, who
was so jealous that he misdoubted of the very air, saw this, it
booteth not to ask if he was chagrined; and in vain, both at Pisa and
otherwhere, did he complain of the villainy of the corsairs, for that
he knew not who had taken his wife from him nor whither he had carried
her. As for Paganino, finding her so fair, he deemed himself in luck
and having no wife, resolved to keep her for himself. Accordingly,
seeing her weeping sore, he studied to comfort her with soft words
till nightfall, when, his calendar having dropped from his girdle and
saints' days and holidays gone clean out of his head, he fell to
comforting her with deeds, himseeming that words had availed little by
day; and after such a fashion did he console her that, ere they came
to Monaco, the judge and his ordinances had altogether escaped her
mind and she began to lead the merriest of lives with Paganino. The
latter carried her to Monaco and there, over and above the
consolations with which he plied her night and day, he entreated her
honourably as his wife. After awhile it came to Messer Ricciardo's
ears where his wife was and he, being possessed with the most ardent
desire to have her again and bethinking himself that none other might
thoroughly suffice to do what was needful to that end, resolved to go
thither himself, determined to spend any quantity of money for her
ransom. Accordingly he set out by sea and coming to Monaco, there both
saw and was seen of the lady, who told it to Paganino that same
evening and acquainted him with her intent. Next morning Messer
Ricciardo, seeing Paganino, accosted him and quickly clapped up a
great familiarity and friendship with him, whilst the other feigned
not to know him and waited to see at what he aimed. Accordingly,
whenas it seemed to him time, Messer Ricciardo discovered to him, as
best and most civilly he knew, the occasion of his coming and prayed
him take what he pleased and restore him the lady. To which Paganino
made answer with a cheerful countenance, 'Sir, you are welcome, and to
answer you briefly, I say thus; it is true I have a young lady in my
house, if she be your wife or another's I know not, for that I know
you not nor indeed her, save in so much as she hath abidden awhile
with me. If you be, as you say, her husband, I will, since you seem to
me a civil gentleman, carry you to her and I am assured that she will
know you right well. If she say it is as you avouch and be willing to
go with you, you shall, for the sake of your civility, give me what
you yourself will to her ransom; but, an it be not so, you would do
ill to seek to take her from me, for that I am a young man and can
entertain a woman as well as another, and especially such an one as
she, who is the most pleasing I ever saw.' Quoth Messer Ricciardo,
'For certain she is my wife, an thou bring me where she is, thou shalt
soon see it; for she will incontinent throw herself on my neck;
wherefore I ask no better than that it be as thou proposest.' 'Then,'
said Paganino, 'let us be going.' Accordingly they betook themselves
to the corsair's house, where he brought the judge into a saloon of
his and let call the lady, who issued forth of a chamber, all dressed
and tired, and came whereas they were, but accosted Messer Ricciardo
no otherwise than as she would any other stranger who might have come
home with Paganino. The judge, who looked to have been received by her
with the utmost joy, marvelled sore at this and fell a-saying in
himself, 'Belike the chagrin and long grief I have suffered, since I
lost her, have so changed me that she knoweth me not.' Wherefore he
said to her, 'Wife, it hath cost me dear to carry thee a-fishing, for
that never was grief felt like that which I have suffered since I lost
thee, and now meseemeth thou knowest me not, so distantly dost thou
greet me. Seest thou not that I am thine own Messer Ricciardo, come
hither to pay that which this gentleman, in whose house we are, shall
require to thy ransom and to carry thee away? And he, of his favour,
restoreth thee to me for what I will.' The lady turned to him and
said, smiling somewhat, 'Speak you to me, sir? Look you mistake me
not, for, for my part, I mind me not ever to have seen you.' Quoth