The Decameron of Giovanni Boccaccio
removed with her daughter into the country to the house of one of her
kinsfolk, and he, being a little after recalled by his vassals and
hearing that the countess had departed the country, returned to his
own house.
The countess, hearing that he had departed Florence and returned to
his county, was mightily rejoiced and abode at Florence till her time
came to be delivered, when she gave birth to two male children, most
like their father, and let rear them with all diligence. Whenas it
seemed to her time, she set out and came, without being known of any,
to Montpellier, where having rested some days and made enquiry of the
count and where he was, she learned that he was to hold a great
entertainment of knights and ladies at Roussillon on All Saints' Day
and betook herself thither, still in her pilgrim's habit that she was
wont to wear. Finding the knights and ladies assembled in the count's
palace and about to sit down to table, she went up, with her children
in her arms and without changing her dress, into the banqueting hall
and making her way between man and man whereas she saw the count, cast
herself at his feet and said, weeping, 'I am thine unhappy wife, who,
to let thee return and abide in thy house, have long gone wandering
miserably about the world. I conjure thee, in the name of God, to
accomplish unto me thy promise upon the condition appointed me by the
two knights I sent thee; for, behold, here in mine arms is not only
one son of thine, but two, and here is thy ring. It is time, then,
that I be received of thee as a wife, according to thy promise.'
The count, hearing this, was all confounded and recognized the ring
and the children also, so like were they to him; but yet he said, 'How
can this have come to pass?' The countess, then, to his exceeding
wonderment and that of all others who were present, orderly recounted
that which had passed and how it had happened; whereupon the count,
feeling that she spoke sooth and seeing her constancy and wit and
moreover two such goodly children, as well for the observance of his
promise as to pleasure all his liegemen and the ladies, who all
besought him thenceforth to receive and honour her as his lawful wife,
put off his obstinate despite and raising the countess to her feet,
embraced her and kissing her, acknowledged her for his lawful wife and
those for his children. Then, letting clothe her in apparel such as
beseemed her quality, to the exceeding joyance of as many as were
there and of all other his vassals who heard the news, he held high
festival, not only all that day, but sundry others, and from that day
forth still honoured her as his bride and his wife and loved and
tendered her over all."
THE TENTH STORY
[Day the Third]
ALIBECH, TURNING HERMIT, IS TAUGHT BY RUSTICO, A MONK, TO
PUT THE DEVIL IN HELL, AND BEING AFTER BROUGHT AWAY THENCE,
BECOMETH NEERBALE HIS WIFE
Dioneo, who had diligently hearkened to the queen's story, seeing that
it was ended and that it rested with him alone to tell, without
awaiting commandment, smilingly began to speak as follows: "Charming
ladies, maybe you have never heard tell how one putteth the devil in
hell; wherefore, without much departing from the tenor of that
whereof you have discoursed all this day, I will e'en tell it you.
Belike, having learned it, you may catch the spirit[202] thereof and
come to know that, albeit Love sojourneth liefer in jocund palaces and
luxurious chambers than in the hovels of the poor, yet none the less
doth he whiles make his power felt midmost thick forests and rugged
mountains and in desert caverns; whereby it may be understood that all
things are subject to his puissance.
[Footnote 202: _Guadagnare l'anima_, lit. gain the soul (syn. pith,
kernel, substance). This passage is ambiguous and should perhaps be
rendered "catch the knack or trick" or "acquire the wish."]
To come, then, to the fact, I say that in the city of Capsa in Barbary
there was aforetime a very rich man, who, among his other children,
had a fair and winsome young daughter, by name Alibech. She, not being
a Christian and hearing many Christians who abode in the town mightily
extol the Christian faith and the service of God, one day questioned
one of them in what manner one might avail to serve God with the least
hindrance. The other answered that they best served God who most
strictly eschewed the things of the world, as those did who had
betaken them into the solitudes of the deserts of Thebais. The girl,
who was maybe fourteen years old and very simple, moved by no ordered
desire, but by some childish fancy, set off next morning by stealth
and all alone, to go to the desert of Thebais, without letting any
know her intent. After some days, her desire persisting, she won, with
no little toil, to the deserts in question and seeing a hut afar off,
went thither and found at the door a holy man, who marvelled to see
her there and asked her what she sought. She replied that, being
inspired of God, she went seeking to enter into His service and was
now in quest of one who should teach her how it behoved to serve Him.
The worthy man, seeing her young and very fair and fearing lest, an he
entertained her, the devil should beguile him, commended her pious
intent and giving her somewhat to eat of roots of herbs and wild
apples and dates and to drink of water, said to her, 'Daughter mine,
not far hence is a holy man, who is a much better master than I of
that which thou goest seeking; do thou betake thyself to him'; and put
her in the way. However, when she reached the man in question, she had
of him the same answer and faring farther, came to the cell of a young
hermit, a very devout and good man, whose name was Rustico and to whom
she made the same request as she had done to the others. He, having a
mind to make a trial of his own constancy, sent her not away, as the
others had done, but received her into his cell, and the night being
come, he made her a little bed of palm-fronds and bade her lie down to
rest thereon. This done, temptations tarried not to give battle to his
powers of resistance and he, finding himself grossly deceived by these
latter, turned tail, without awaiting many assaults, and confessed
himself beaten; then, laying aside devout thoughts and orisons and
mortifications, he fell to revolving in his memory the youth and
beauty of the damsel and bethinking himself what course he should take
with her, so as to win to that which he desired of her, without her
taking him for a debauched fellow.
Accordingly, having sounded her with sundry questions, he found that
she had never known man and was in truth as simple as she seemed;
wherefore he bethought him how, under colour of the service of God, he
might bring her to his pleasures. In the first place, he showeth her
with many words how great an enemy the devil was of God the Lord and
after gave her to understand that the most acceptable service that
could be rendered to God was to put back the devil into hell, whereto
he had condemned him. The girl asked him how this might be done; and
he, 'Thou shalt soon know that; do thou but as thou shalt see me do.'
So saying, he proceeded to put off the few garments he had and abode
stark naked, as likewise did the girl, whereupon he fell on his knees,
as he would pray, and caused her abide over against himself.[203]
[Footnote 203: The translators regret that the disuse into which magic
has fallen, makes it impossible to render the technicalities of that
mysterious art into tolerable English; they have therefore found it
necessary to insert several passages in the original Italian.]
E cosí stando, essendo Rustico, piú che mai, nel suo disidero acceso,
per lo vederla cosí bella, venue la resurrezion della carne; la quale
riguardando Alibech, e maravigliatasti, disse: Rustico, quella che cosa
è, che io ti veggio, che cosí si pigne in fuori, e non l' ho io? O
figliuola mia, disse Rustico, questo è il diavolo, di che io t'ho
parlato, e vedi tu ora: egli mi dà grandissima molestia, tanta, che io
appena la posso sofferire. Allora disse la giovane. O lodato sia Iddio,
ché io veggio, che io sto meglio, che non stai tu, ché io non ho
cotesto diavolo io. Disse Rustico, tu di vero; ma tu hai un' altra
cosa, che non l'ho io, et haila in iscambio di questo. Disse Alibech: O
che? A cui Rustico disse: Hai l'inferno; e dicoti, che io mi credo, che
Dio t'abbia qui mandata per la salute dell' anima mia; perciòche, se
questo diavolo pur mi darà questa noia, ove tu cogli aver di me tanta
pietà, e sofferire, che io in inferno il rimetta; tu mi darai
grandissima consolazione, et a Dio farai grandissimo piacere, e
servigio; se tu per quello fare in queste parti venuta se; che tu di.
La giovane di buona fede rispose O padre mio, poscia che io ho
l'inferno, sia pure quando vi piacerà mettervi il diavolo. Disse allora
Rustico: Figliuola mia benedetta sia tu: andiamo dunque, e
rimettiamlovi sí, che egli poscia mi lasci stare. E cosí detto, menate
la giovane sopra uno de' loro letticelli, le 'nsegnò, come star si
dovesse a dover incarcerare quel maladetto da Dio. La giovane, che mai
piú non aveva in inferno messo diavolo alcuno, per la prima volta sentí
un poco di noia; perché ella disse a Rustico.
Per certo, padre mio, mala cosa dee essere questo diavolo, e veramente
nimico di Iddio ché ancora all'inferno, non che altrui duole quando,
egli v'è dentro rimesso. Disse Rustico: Figliuola, egli non averrà
sempre cosí: e per fare, che questo non avvenisse, da sei volte anziche
di su il letticel si movesero, ve 'l rimisero; tantoche per quella
volta gli trasser sí la superbia del capo, che egli si stette
volentieri in pace. Ma ritornatagli poi nel seguente tempo piú volte, e
la giovane ubbidente sempre a trargliela si disponesse, avvenne, che il
giuoco le cominciò a piacere; e cominciò a dire a Rustico. Ben veggio,
che il ver dicevano que valenti uomini in Capsa, che il servire a Dio
era cosí dolce cosa, e per certo io non mi ricordo, che mai alcuna
altra ne facessi, che di tanto diletto, e piacere mi fosse, quanto è il
rimettere il diavolo in inferno; e perciò giudico ogn' altra persona,
che ad altro che a servire a Dio attende, essere una bestia. Per la
qual cosa essa spesse volte andava a Rustico, e gli diceva. Padre mio,
io son qui venuta per servire a Dio, e non per istare oziosa; andiamo a
rimittere il diavolo in inferno. La qual cosa faccendo, diceva ella
alcuna volta. Rustico, io non so perché il diavolo si fugga di
ninferno, ché s' egli vi stesse cosí volentiere, come l'inferno il
riceve, e tiene; agli non sene uscirebbe mai. Cosí adunque invitando
spesso la giovane Rustico, et al servigio di Dio confortandolo, se la
bambagia del farsetto tratta gli avea, che egli a talora sentiva
freddo, che un' altro sarebbe sudato; e perciò egli incominciò a dire
alla giovane, che il diavolo non era da gastigare, né da rimettere in
inferno, se non quando egli per superbia levasse il capo; e noi, per la
grazia, di Dio, l'abbiamo sí sgannato, che egla priega Iddio di starsi
in pace: e cosí alquanto impose di silenzio alla giovane. La qual,
poiche vide che Rustico non la richiedeva a dovere il diavolo rimittere
in inferno, gli disse un giorno. Rustico, se il diavolo tuo è
gastigato, e piú non ti dà noia me il mio ninferno non lascia stare:
perché tu farai bene, che tu col tuo diavolo aiuti ad attutare la
rabbia al mio inferno; come io col mio ninferno ho ajutato a trarre la
superbia al tuo diavolo.
_Transcriber's Note:_ The following is a 1886 translation of this
passage by John Payne, printed for the Villon Society by private
subscription and for private circulation only:
Matters standing thus and Rustico being more than ever inflamed in