The Decameron of Giovanni Boccaccio
ON LIKE WISE AND SO ESCAPETH ILL HAP
The end of Filostrato's story, whereat whiles the ladies had some
little blushed and other whiles laughed, being come, it pleased the
queen that Pampinea should follow on with a story, and she
accordingly, beginning with a smiling countenance, said, "Some are so
little discreet in seeking at all hazards to show that they know and
apprehend that which it concerneth them not to know, that whiles,
rebuking to this end unperceived defects in others, they think to
lessen their own shame, whereas they do infinitely augment it; and
that this is so I purpose, lovesome ladies, to prove to you by the
contrary thereof, showing you the astuteness of one who, in the
judgment of a king of worth and valour, was held belike of less
account than Masetto himself.
Agilulf, King of the Lombards, as his predecessors had done, fixed the
seat of his kingship at Pavia, a city of Lombardy, and took to wife
Theodolinda[155] the widow of Autari, likewise King of the Lombards, a
very fair lady and exceeding discreet and virtuous, but ill fortuned
in a lover.[156] The affairs of the Lombards having, thanks to the
valour and judgment of King Agilulf, been for some time prosperous and
in quiet, it befell that one of the said queen's horse-keepers, a man
of very low condition, in respect of birth, but otherwise of worth far
above so mean a station, and comely of person and tall as he were the
king, became beyond measure enamoured of his mistress. His mean estate
hindered him not from being sensible that this love of his was out of
all reason, wherefore, like a discreet man as he was, he discovered it
unto none, nor dared he make it known to her even with his eyes. But,
albeit he lived without any hope of ever winning her favour, yet
inwardly he gloried in that he had bestowed his thoughts in such high
place, and being all aflame with amorous fire, he studied, beyond
every other of his fellows, to do whatsoever he deemed might pleasure
the queen; whereby it befell that, whenas she had occasion to ride
abroad, she liefer mounted the palfrey of which he had charge than any
other; and when this happened, he reckoned it a passing great favour
to himself nor ever stirred from her stirrup, accounting himself happy
what time he might but touch her clothes. But, as often enough we see
it happen that, even as hope groweth less, so love waxeth greater, so
did it betide this poor groom, insomuch that sore uneath it was to him
to avail to brook his great desire, keeping it, as he did, hidden and
being upheld by no hope; and many a time, unable to rid himself of
that his love, he determined in himself to die. And considering
inwardly of the manner, he resolved to seek his death on such wise
that it should be manifest he died for the love he bore the queen, to
which end he bethought himself to try his fortune in an enterprise of
such a sort as should afford him a chance of having or all or part of
his desire. He set not himself to seek to say aught to the queen nor
to make her sensible of his love by letters, knowing he should speak
and write in vain, but chose rather to essay an he might by practice
avail to lie with her; nor was there any other shift for it but to
find a means how he might, in the person of the king, who, he knew,
lay not with her continually, contrive to make his way to her and
enter her bedchamber. Accordingly, that he might see on what wise and
in what habit the king went, whenas he visited her, he hid himself
several times by night in a great saloon of the palace, which lay
between the king's bedchamber and that of the queen, and one night,
amongst others, he saw the king come forth of his chamber, wrapped in
a great mantle, with a lighted taper in one hand and a little wand in
the other, and making for the queen's chamber, strike once or twice
upon the door with the wand, without saying aught, whereupon it was
incontinent opened to him and the taper taken from his hand. Noting
this and having seen the king return after the same fashion, he
bethought himself to do likewise. Accordingly, finding means to have a
cloak like that which he had seen the king wear, together with a taper
and a wand, and having first well washed himself in a bagnio, lest
haply the smell of the muck should offend the queen or cause her smoke
the cheat, he hid himself in the great saloon, as of wont. Whenas he
knew that all were asleep and it seemed to him time either to give
effect to his desire or to make his way by high emprise[157] to the
wished-for death, he struck a light with a flint and steel he had
brought with him and kindling the taper, wrapped himself fast in the
mantle, then, going up to the chamber-door, smote twice upon it with
the wand. The door was opened by a bedchamber-woman, all sleepy-eyed,
who took the light and covered it; whereupon, without saying aught, he
passed within the curtain, put off his mantle and entered the bed
where the queen slept. Then, taking her desirefully in his arms and
feigning himself troubled (for that he knew the king's wont to be
that, whenas he was troubled, he cared not to hear aught), without
speaking or being spoken to, he several times carnally knew the queen;
after which, grievous as it seemed to him to depart, yet, fearing lest
his too long stay should be the occasion of turning the gotten delight
into dolour, he arose and taking up the mantle and the light,
withdrew, without word said, and returned, as quickliest he might, to
his own bed. He could scarce yet have been therein when the king arose
and repaired to the queen's chamber, whereat she marvelled
exceedingly; and as he entered the bed and greeted her blithely, she
took courage by his cheerfulness and said, 'O my lord, what new
fashion is this of to-night? You left me but now, after having taken
pleasure of me beyond your wont, and do you return so soon? Have a
care what you do.' The king, hearing these words, at once concluded
that the queen had been deceived by likeness of manners and person,
but, like a wise man, bethought himself forthright, seeing that
neither she nor any else had perceived the cheat, not to make her
aware thereof; which many simpletons would not have done, but would
have said, 'I have not been here, I. Who is it hath been here? How did
it happen? Who came hither?' Whence many things might have arisen,
whereby he would needlessly have afflicted the lady and given her
ground for desiring another time that which she had already tasted;
more by token that, an he kept silence of the matter, no shame might
revert to him, whereas, by speaking, he would have brought dishonour
upon himself. The king, then, more troubled at heart than in looks or
speech, answered, saying, 'Wife, seem I not to you man enough to have
been here a first time and to come yet again after that?' 'Ay, my
lord,' answered she. 'Nevertheless, I beseech you have regard to your
health.' Quoth Agilulf, 'And it pleaseth me to follow your counsel,
wherefore for the nonce I will get me gone again, without giving you
more annoy.' This said, taking up his mantle, he departed the chamber,
with a heart full of wrath and despite for the affront that he saw had
been done him, and bethought himself quietly to seek to discover the
culprit, concluding that he must be of the household and could not,
whoever he might be, have issued forth of the palace. Accordingly,
taking a very small light in a little lantern, he betook himself to a
very long gallery that was over the stables of his palace and where
all his household slept in different beds, and judging that, whoever
he might be that had done what the queen said, his pulse and the
beating of his heart for the swink endured could not yet have had time
to abate, he silently, beginning at one end of the gallery, fell to
feeling each one's breast, to know if his heart beat high. Although
every other slept fast, he who had been with the queen was not yet
asleep, but, seeing the king come and guessing what he went seeking,
fell into such a fright that to the beating of the heart caused by the
late-had fatigue, fear added yet a greater and he doubted not but the
king, if he became aware of this, would put him to death without
delay, and many things passed through his thought that he should do.
However, seeing him all unarmed, he resolved to feign sleep and await
what he should do. Agilulf, then, having examined many and found none
whom he judged to be he of whom he was in quest, came presently to the
horsekeeper and feeling his heart beat high, said in himself, 'This is
the man.' Nevertheless, an he would have nought be known of that which
he purposed to do, he did nought to him but poll, with a pair of
scissors he had brought with him, somewhat on one side of his hair,
which they then wore very long, so by that token he might know him
again on the morrow; and this done, he withdrew and returned to his
own chamber. The culprit, who had felt all this, like a shrewd fellow
as he was, understood plainly enough why he had been thus marked;
wherefore he arose without delay and finding a pair of shears, whereof
it chanced there were several about the stables for the service of the
horses, went softly up to all who lay in the gallery and clipped each
one's hair on like wise over the ear; which having done without being
observed, he returned to sleep. When the king arose in the morning, he
commanded that all his household should present themselves before him,
or ever the palace-doors were opened; and it was done as he said.
Then, as they all stood before him with uncovered heads, he began to
look that he might know him whom he had polled; but, seeing the most
part of them with their hair clipped after one and the same fashion,
he marvelled and said in himself, 'He whom I seek, for all he may be
of mean estate, showeth right well he is of no mean wit.' Then, seeing
that he could not, without making a stir, avail to have him whom he
sought, and having no mind to incur a great shame for the sake of a
paltry revenge, it pleased him with one sole word to admonish the
culprit and show him that he was ware of the matter; wherefore,
turning to all who were present, he said, 'Let him who did it do it no
more and get you gone in peace.' Another would have been for giving
them the strappado, for torturing, examining and questioning, and
doing this, would have published that which every one should go about
to conceal; and having thus discovered himself, though he should have
taken entire revenge for the affront suffered, his shame had not been
minished, nay, were rather much enhanced therefor and his lady's
honour sullied. Those who heard the king's words marvelled and long
debated amongst themselves what he meant by this speech; but none
understood it, save he whom it concerned, and he, like a wise man,
never, during Agilulf's lifetime, discovered the matter nor ever again
committed his life to the hazard of such a venture."
[Footnote 155: Boccaccio calls her _Teudelinga_; but I know of no
authority for this form of the name of the famous Longobardian queen.]
[Footnote 156: Referring apparently to the adventure related in the
present story.]
[Footnote 157: Lit. with high (_i.e._ worthy) cause (_con alta
cagione_).]
THE THIRD STORY
[Day the Third]
UNDER COLOUR OF CONFESSION AND OF EXCEEDING NICENESS OF
CONSCIENCE, A LADY, BEING ENAMOURED OF A YOUNG MAN, BRINGETH
A GRAVE FRIAR, WITHOUT HIS MISDOUBTING HIM THEREOF, TO
AFFORD A MEANS OF GIVING ENTIRE EFFECT TO HER PLEASURE
Pampinea being now silent and the daring and subtlety of the
horsekeeper having been extolled by several of the company, as also
the king's good sense, the queen, turning to Filomena, charged her
follow on; whereupon she blithely began to speak thus, "I purpose to