The Decameron of Giovanni Boccaccio
Ricciardo, 'Look what thou sayest; consider me well; an thou wilt but
recollect thyself, thou wilt see that I am thine own Ricciardo di
Chinzica.' 'Sir,' answered the lady, 'you will pardon me; belike it is
not so seemly a thing as you imagine for me to look much on you.
Nevertheless I have seen enough of you to know that I never before set
eyes on you.' Ricciardo, concluding that she did this for fear of
Paganino and chose not to confess to knowing him in the latter's
presence, besought him of his favour that he might speak with her in a
room alone. Paganino replied that he would well, so but he would not
kiss her against her will, and bade the lady go with him into a
chamber and there hear what he had to say and answer him as it should
please her. Accordingly the lady and Messer Ricciardo went into a room
apart and as soon as they were seated, the latter began to say,
'Alack, heart of my body, sweet my soul and my hope, knowest thou not
thy Ricciardo, who loveth thee more than himself? How can this be? Am
I so changed? Prithee, fair mine eye, do but look on me a little.' The
lady began to laugh and without letting him say more, replied, 'You
may be assured that I am not so scatterbrained but that I know well
enough you are Messer Ricciardo di Chinzica, my husband; but, what
time I was with you, you showed that you knew me very ill, for that
you should have had the sense to see that I was young and lusty and
gamesome and should consequently have known that which behoveth unto
young ladies, over and above clothes and meat, albeit for
shamefastness they name it not; the which how you performed, you know.
If the study of the laws was more agreeable to you than your wife, you
should not have taken her, albeit it never appeared to me that you
were a judge; nay, you seemed to me rather a common crier of saints'
days and sacraments and fasts and vigils, so well you knew them. And I
tell you this, that, had you suffered the husbandmen who till your
lands keep as many holidays as you allowed him who had the tilling of
my poor little field, you would never have reaped the least grain of
corn. However, as God, having compassion on my youth, hath willed it,
I have happened on yonder man, with whom I abide in this chamber,
wherein it is unknown what manner of thing is a holiday (I speak of
those holidays which you, more assiduous in the service of God than in
that of the ladies, did so diligently celebrate) nor ever yet entered
in at this door Saturday nor Friday nor vigil nor Emberday nor Lent,
that is so long; nay, here swink we day and night and thump our wool;
and this very night after matinsong, I know right well how the thing
went, once he was up. Wherefore I mean to abide with him and work;
whilst I am young, and leave saints' days and jubilees and fasts for
my keeping when I am old; so get you gone about your business as
quickliest you may, good luck go with you, and keep as many holidays
as you please, without me.' Messer Ricciardo, hearing these words, was
distressed beyond endurance and said, whenas he saw she had made an
end of speaking. 'Alack, sweet my soul, what is this thou sayest? Hast
thou no regard for thy kinsfolk's honour and thine own? Wilt thou
rather abide here for this man's whore and in mortal sin than at Pisa
as my wife? He, when he is weary of thee, will turn thee away to thine
own exceeding reproach, whilst I will still hold thee dear and still
(e'en though I willed it not) thou shalt be mistress of my house. Wilt
thou for the sake of a lewd and disorderly appetite, forsake thine
honour and me, who love thee more than my life? For God's sake, dear
my hope, speak no more thus, but consent to come with me; henceforth,
since I know thy desire, I will enforce myself [to content it;]
wherefore, sweet my treasure, change counsel and come away with me,
who have never known weal since thou wast taken from me.' Whereto
answered the lady, 'I have no mind that any, now that it availeth not,
should be more tender of my honour than I myself; would my kinsfolk
had had regard thereto, whenas they gave me to you! But, as they had
then no care for my honour, I am under no present concern to be
careful of theirs; and if I am herein _mortar_[142] sin, I shall abide
though it be in pestle[142] sin. And let me tell you that here
meseemeth I am Paganino's wife, whereas at Pisa meseemed I was your
whore, seeing that there, by season of the moon and quadratures of
geometry, needs must be planets concur to couple betwixt you and me,
whereas here Paganino holdeth me all night in his arms and straineth
me and biteth me, and how he serveth me, let God tell you for me. You
say forsooth you will enforce yourself; to what? To do it in three
casts and cause it stand by dint of cudgelling? I warrant me you are
grown a doughty cavalier since I saw you last! Begone and enforce
yourself to live, for methinketh indeed you do but sojourn here below
upon sufferance, so peaked and scant o' wind you show to me. And yet
more I tell you, that, should he leave me (albeit meseemeth he is
nowise inclined thereto, so I choose to stay,) I purpose not therefor
ever to return to you, of whom squeeze you as I might, there were no
making a porringer of sauce; for that I abode with you once to my
grievous hurt and loss, wherefore in such a case I should seek my
vantage elsewhere. Nay, once again I tell you, here be neither saints'
days nor vigils; wherefore here I mean to abide; so get you gone in
God's name as quickliest you may, or I will cry out that you would
fain force me.' Messer Ricciardo, seeing himself in ill case and now
recognizing his folly in taking a young wife, whenas he was himself
forspent, went forth the chamber tristful and woebegone, and bespoke
Paganino with many words, that skilled not a jot. Ultimately, leaving
the lady, he returned to Pisa, without having accomplished aught, and
there for chagrin fell into such dotage that, as he went about Pisa,
to whoso greeted him or asked him of anywhat, he answered nought but
'The ill hole[143] will have no holidays;'[144] and there, no great
while after, he died. Paganino, hearing this and knowing the love the
lady bore himself, espoused her to his lawful wife and thereafter,
without ever observing saints' day or vigil or keeping Lent, they
wrought what while their legs would carry them and led a jolly life of
it. Wherefore, dear my ladies, meseemeth Bernabo, in his dispute with
Ambrogiuolo, rode the she-goat down the steep."[145]
[Footnote 141: According to one of the commentators of the Decameron,
there are as many churches at Ravenna as days in the year and each day
is there celebrated as that of some saint or other.]
[Footnote 142: A trifling jingle upon the similarity in sound of the
words _mortale_ (mortal), _mortaio_ (mortar), _pestello_ (pestle), and
_pestilente_ (pestilential). The same word-play occurs at least once
more in the Decameron.]
[Footnote 143: _Il mal foro_, a woman's commodity (Florio).]
[Footnote 144: _i.e._ _Cunnus nonvult feriari._ Some commentators
propose to read _il mal furo_, the ill thief, supposing Ricciardo to
allude to Paganino, but this seems far-fetched.]
[Footnote 145: _i.e. semble_ ran headlong to destruction. The
commentators explain this proverbial expression by saying that a
she-goat is in any case a hazardous mount, and _a fortiori_ when
ridden down a precipice; but this seems a somewhat "sporting" kind of
interpretation.]
* * * * *
This story gave such occasion for laughter to all the company that
there was none whose jaws ached not therefor, and all the ladies
avouched with one accord that Dioneo spoke sooth and that Bernabo had
been an ass. But, after the story was ended and the laughter abated,
the queen, observing that the hour was now late and that all had told
and seeing that the end of her seignory was come, according to the
ordinance commenced, took the wreath from her own head and set it on
that of Neifile, saying, with a blithe aspect, "Henceforth, companion
dear, be thine the governance of this little people"; and reseated
herself. Neifile blushed a little at the honour received and became in
countenance like as showeth a new-blown rose of April or of May in the
breaking of the day, with lovesome eyes some little downcast,
sparkling no otherwise than the morning-star. But, after the courteous
murmur of the bystanders, whereby they gladsomely approved their
goodwill towards the new-made queen, had abated and she had taken
heart again, she seated herself somewhat higher than of wont and said,
"Since I am to be your queen, I will, departing not from the manner
holden of those who have foregone me and whose governance you have by
your obedience commended, make manifest to you in few words my
opinion, which, an it be approved by your counsel, we will ensue.
To-morrow, as you know, is Friday and the next day is Saturday, days
which, by reason of the viands that are used therein,[146] are
somewhat irksome to most folk, more by token that Friday, considering
that He who died for our life on that day suffered passion, is worthy
of reverence; wherefore I hold it a just thing and a seemly that, in
honour of the Divinity, we apply ourselves rather to orisons than to
story-telling. As for Saturday, it is the usance of ladies on that day
to wash their heads and do away all dust and all uncleanliness
befallen them for the labours of the past week; and many, likewise,
use, in reverence of the Virgin Mother of the Son of God, to fast and
rest from all manner of work in honour of the ensuing Sunday.
Wherefore, we being unable fully to ensue the order of living taken by
us, on like wise methinketh we were well to rest from story-telling on
that day also; after which, for that we shall then have sojourned here
four days, I hold it opportune, an we would give no occasion for
newcomers to intrude upon us, that we remove hence and get us gone
elsewhither; where I have already considered and provided. There when
we shall be assembled together on Sunday, after sleeping,--we having
to-day had leisure enough for discoursing at large,[147]--I have
bethought myself,--at once that you may have more time to consider and
because it will be yet goodlier that the license of our story-telling
be somewhat straitened and that we devise of one of the many fashions
of fortune,--that our discourse shall be OF SUCH AS HAVE, BY DINT OF
DILIGENCE,[148] ACQUIRED SOME MUCH DESIRED THING OR RECOVERED SOME
LOST GOOD. Whereupon let each think to tell somewhat that may be
useful or at least entertaining to the company, saving always Dioneo
his privilege." All commended the speech and disposition of the queen
and ordained that it should be as she had said. Then, calling for her
seneschal, she particularly instructed him where he should set the
tables that evening and after of what he should do during all the time
of her seignory; and this done, rising to her feet, she gave the
company leave to do that which was most pleasing unto each.
Accordingly, ladies and men betook themselves to a little garden and
there, after they had disported themselves awhile, the hour of supper
being come, they supped with mirth and pleasance; then, all arising
thence and Emilia, by the queen's commandment, leading the round, the
ditty following was sung by Pampinea, whilst the other ladies
responded:
What lady aye should sing, and if not I,
Who'm blest with all for which a maid can sigh?
Come then, O Love, thou source of all my weal,
All hope and every issue glad and bright
Sing ye awhile yfere
Of sighs nor bitter pains I erst did feel,
That now but sweeten to me thy delight,
Nay, but of that fire clear,
Wherein I, burning, live in joy and cheer,