The Decameron of Giovanni Boccaccio
staff on his shoulder, that he entered a very fair coppice which was
in those parts and which was then all in leaf, for that it was the
month of May. Passing therethrough, he happened (even as his fortune
guided him thither) upon a little mead compassed about with very high
trees, in one corner whereof was a very clear and cool spring, beside
which he saw a very fair damsel asleep upon the green grass, with so
thin a garment upon her body that it hid well nigh nothing of her
snowy flesh. She was covered only from the waist down with a very
white and light coverlet; and at her feet slept on like wise two women
and a man, her servants. When Cimon espied the young lady, he halted
and leaning upon his staff, fell, without saying a word, to gazing
most intently upon her with the utmost admiration, no otherwise than
as he had never yet seen a woman's form, whilst in his rude breast,
wherein for a thousand lessonings no least impression of civil
pleasance had availed to penetrate, he felt a thought awaken which
intimated to his gross and material spirit that this maiden was the
fairest thing that had been ever seen of any living soul. Thence he
proceeded to consider her various parts,--commending her hair, which
he accounted of gold, her brow, her nose, her mouth, her throat and
her arms, and above all her breast, as yet but little upraised,--and
grown of a sudden from a churl a judge of beauty, he ardently desired
in himself to see the eyes, which, weighed down with deep sleep, she
kept closed. To this end, he had it several times in mind to awaken
her; but, for that she seemed to him beyond measure fairer than the
other women aforetime seen of him, he misdoubted him she must be some
goddess. Now he had wit enough to account things divine worthy of more
reverence than those mundane; wherefore he forbore, waiting for her to
awake of herself; and albeit the delay seemed overlong to him, yet,
taken as he was with an unwonted pleasure, he knew not how to tear
himself away.
It befell, then, that, after a long while, the damsel, whose name was
Iphigenia, came to herself, before any of her people, and opening her
eyes, saw Cimon (who, what for his fashion and uncouthness and his
father's wealth and nobility, was known in a manner to every one in
the country) standing before her, leant on his staff, marvelled
exceedingly and said, 'Cimon, what goest thou seeking in this wood at
this hour?' He made her no answer, but, seeing her eyes open, began to
look steadfastly upon them, himseeming there proceeded thence a
sweetness which fulfilled him with a pleasure such as he had never
before felt. The young lady, seeing this, began to misdoubt her lest
his so fixed looking upon her should move his rusticity to somewhat
that might turn to her shame; wherefore, calling her women, she rose
up, saying, 'Cimon, abide with God.' To which he replied, 'I will
begone with thee'; and albeit the young lady, who was still in fear of
him, would have declined his company, she could not win to rid herself
of him till he had accompanied her to her own house.
Thence he repaired to his father's house [in the city,] and declared
to him that he would on no wise consent to return to the country; the
which was irksome enough to Aristippus and his kinsfolk; nevertheless
they let him be, awaiting to see what might be the cause of his change
of mind. Love's arrow having, then, through Iphigenia's beauty,
penetrated into Cimon's heart, whereinto no teaching had ever availed
to win an entrance, in a very brief time, proceeding from one idea to
another, he made his father marvel and all his kinsfolk and every
other that knew him. In the first place he besought his father that he
would cause him go bedecked with clothes and every other thing, even
as his brothers, the which Aristippus right gladly did. Then,
consorting with young men of condition and learning the fashions and
carriage that behoved unto gentlemen and especially unto lovers, he
first, to the utmost wonderment of every one, in a very brief space of
time, not only learned the first [elements of] letters, but became
very eminent among the students of philosophy, and after (the love
which he bore Iphigenia being the cause of all this) he not only
reduced his rude and rustical manner of speech to seemliness and
civility, but became a past master of song and sound[264] and
exceeding expert and doughty in riding and martial exercises, both by
land and by sea. In short, not to go recounting every particular of
his merits, the fourth year was not accomplished from the day of his
first falling in love, ere he was grown the sprightliest and most
accomplished gentleman of all the young men in the island of Cyprus,
ay, and the best endowed with every particular excellence. What, then,
charming ladies, shall we say of Cimon? Certes, none other thing than
that the lofty virtues implanted by heaven in his generous soul had
been bounden with exceeding strong bonds of jealous fortune and shut
in some straitest corner of his heart, all which bonds Love, as a
mightier than fortune, broke and burst in sunder and in its quality of
awakener and quickener of drowsed and sluggish wits, urged forth into
broad daylight the virtues aforesaid, which had till then been
overdarkened with a barbarous obscurity, thus manifestly discovering
from how mean a room it can avail to uplift those souls that are
subject unto it and to what an eminence it can conduct them with its
beams.
[Footnote 264: _i.e._ of music, vocal and instrumental.]
Although Cimon, loving Iphigenia as he did, might exceed in certain
things, as young men in love very often do, nevertheless Aristippus,
considering that Love had turned him from a dunce into a man, not only
patiently bore with the extravagances into which it might whiles lead
him, but encouraged him to ensue its every pleasure. But Cimon, (who
refused to be called Galesus, remembering that Iphigenia had called
him by the former name,) seeking to put an honourable term to his
desire, once and again caused essay Cipseus, Iphigenia's father, so he
should give him his daughter to wife; but Cipseus still answered that
he had promised her to Pasimondas, a young nobleman of Rhodes, to whom
he had no mind to fail of his word. The time coming the covenanted
nuptials of Iphigenia and the bridegroom having sent for her, Cimon
said to himself, 'Now, O Iphigenia, is the time to prove how much thou
are beloved of me. By thee am I become a man and so I may but have
thee, I doubt not to become more glorious than any god; and for
certain I will or have thee or die.'
Accordingly, having secretly recruited certain young noblemen who were
his friends and let privily equip a ship with everything apt for naval
battle, he put out to sea and awaited the vessel wherein Iphigenia was
to be transported to her husband in Rhodes. The bride, after much
honour done of her father to the bridegroom's friends, took ship with
the latter, who turned their prow towards Rhodes and departed. On the
following day, Cimon, who slept not, came out upon them with his ship
and cried out, in a loud voice, from the prow, to those who were on
board Iphigenia's vessel, saying, 'Stay, strike your sails or look to
be beaten and sunken in the sea.' Cimon's adversaries had gotten up
their arms on deck and made ready to defend themselves; whereupon he,
after speaking the words aforesaid, took a grappling-iron and casting
it upon the poop of the Rhodians, who were making off at the top of
their speed, made it fast by main force to the prow of his own ship.
Then, bold as a lion, he leapt on board their ship, without waiting
for any to follow him, as if he held them all for nought, and Love
spurring him, he fell upon his enemies with marvellous might, cutlass
in hand, striking now this one and now that and hewing them down like
sheep.
The Rhodians, seeing this, cast down their arms and all as with one
voice confessed themselves prisoners; whereupon quoth Cimon to them,
'Young men, it was neither lust of rapine nor hate that I had against
you made me depart Cyprus to assail you, arms in hand, in mid sea.
That which moved me thereunto was the desire of a thing which to have
gotten is a very grave matter to me and to you a very light one to
yield me in peace; it is, to wit, Iphigenia, whom I loved over all
else and whom, availing not to have of her father on friendly and
peaceful wise, Love hath constrained me to win from you as an enemy
and by force of arms. Wherefor I mean to be to her that which your
friend Pasimondas should have been. Give her to me, then, and begone
and God's grace go with you.'
The Rhodians, more by force constrained than of freewill, surrendered
Iphigenia, weeping, to Cimon, who, seeing her in tears, said to her,
'Noble Lady, be not disconsolate; I am thy Cimon, who by long love
have far better deserved to have thee than Pasimondas by plighted
faith.' Thereupon he caused carry her aboard his own ship and
returning to his companions, let the Rhodians go, without touching
aught else of theirs. Then, glad beyond any man alive to have gotten
so dear a prey, after devoting some time to comforting the weeping
lady, he took counsel with his comrades not to return to Cyprus at
that present; wherefore, of one accord, they turned the ship's head
towards Crete, where well nigh every one, and especially Cimon, had
kinsfolk, old and new, and friends in plenty and where they doubted
not to be in safety with Iphigenia. But fortune the unstable, which
had cheerfully enough vouchsafed unto Cimon the acquisition of the
lady, suddenly changed the inexpressible joyance of the enamoured
youth into sad and bitter mourning; for it was not four full told
hours since he had left the Rhodians when the night (which Cimon
looked to be more delightsome than any he had ever known) came on and
with it a very troublous and tempestuous shift of weather, which
filled all the sky with clouds and the sea with ravening winds, by
reason whereof none could see what to do or whither to steer, nor
could any even keep the deck to do any office.
How sore concerned was Cimon for this it needeth not to ask; himseemed
the gods had vouchsafed him his desire but to make death the more
grievous to him, whereof, without that, he had before recked little.
His comrades lamented on like wise, but Iphigenia bewailed herself
over all, weeping sore and fearing every stroke of the waves; and in
her chagrin she bitterly cursed Cimon's love and blamed his
presumption, avouching that the tempest had arisen for none other
thing but that the gods chose not that he, who would fain against
their will have her to wife, should avail to enjoy his presumptuous
desire, but, seeing her first die, should after himself perish
miserably.
Amidst such lamentations and others yet more grievous, the wind waxing
hourly fiercer and the seamen knowing not what to do, they came,
without witting whither they went or availing to change their course,
near to the island of Rhodes, and unknowing that it was Rhodes, they
used their every endeavour to get to land thereon, an it were
possible, for the saving of their lives. In this fortune was
favourable to them and brought them into a little bight of the sea,
where the Rhodians whom Cimon had let go had a little before arrived
with their ship; nor did they perceive that they had struck the island
of Rhodes till the dawn broke and made the sky somewhat clearer, when
they found themselves maybe a bowshot distant from the ship left of
them the day before. At this Cimon was beyond measure chagrined and
fearing lest that should betide them which did in very deed ensue,
bade use every endeavour to issue thence and let fortune after carry
them whither it should please her, for that they could be nowhere in