The Decameron of Giovanni Boccaccio
commended the greatness of his soul, which poverty had not availed nor
might anywise avail to abate. Then, being put out of all hope of
having the falcon and fallen therefore in doubt of her son's recovery,
she took her leave and returned, all disconsolate, to the latter,
who, before many days had passed, whether for chagrin that he could
not have the bird or for that his disorder was e'en fated to bring him
to that pass, departed this life, to the inexpressible grief of his
mother. After she had abidden awhile full of tears and affliction,
being left very rich and yet young, she was more than once urged by
her brothers to marry again, and albeit she would fain not have done
so, yet, finding herself importuned and calling to mind Federigo's
worth and his last magnificence, to wit, the having slain such a
falcon for her entertainment, she said to them, 'I would gladly, an it
liked you, abide as I am; but, since it is your pleasure that I take a
[second] husband, certes I will never take any other, an I have not
Federigo degli Alberighi.' Whereupon her brothers, making mock of her,
said 'Silly woman that thou art, what is this thou sayest? How canst
thou choose him, seeing he hath nothing in the world?' 'Brothers
mine,' answered she, 'I know very well that it is as you say; but I
would liefer have a man that lacketh of riches than riches that lack
of a man.' Her brethren, hearing her mind and knowing Federigo for a
man of great merit, poor though he was, gave her, with all her wealth,
to him, even as she would; and he, seeing himself married to a lady of
such worth and one whom he had loved so dear and exceeding rich, to
boot, became a better husband of his substance and ended his days with
her in joy and solace."
THE TENTH STORY
[Day the Fifth]
PIETRO DI VINCIOLO GOETH TO SUP ABROAD, WHEREUPON HIS WIFE
LETTETH FETCH HER A YOUTH TO KEEP HER COMPANY, AND HER
HUSBAND RETURNING, UNLOOKED FOR, SHE HIDETH HER GALLANT
UNDER A HEN-COOP. PIETRO TELLETH HER HOW THERE HAD BEEN
FOUND IN THE HOUSE OF ONE ARCOLANO, WITH WHOM HE WAS TO HAVE
SUPPED, A YOUNG MAN BROUGHT IN BY HIS WIFE, AND SHE BLAMETH
THE LATTER. PRESENTLY, AN ASS, BY MISCHANCE, SETTETH FOOT ON
THE FINGERS OF HIM WHO IS UNDER THE COOP AND HE ROARETH OUT,
WHEREUPON PIETRO RUNNETH THITHER AND ESPYING HIM,
DISCOVERETH HIS WIFE'S UNFAITH, BUT ULTIMATELY COMETH TO AN
ACCORD WITH HER FOR HIS OWN LEWD ENDS
The queen's story come to an end and all having praised God for that
He had rewarded Federigo according to his desert, Dioneo, who never
waited for commandment, began on this wise: "I know not whether to say
if it be a casual vice, grown up in mankind through perversity of
manners and usances, or a defect inherent in our nature, that we laugh
rather at things ill than at good works, especially when they concern
us not. Wherefore, seeing that the pains I have otherwhiles taken and
am now about to take aim at none other end than to rid you of
melancholy and afford you occasion for laughter and merriment,--albeit
the matter of my present story may be in part not altogether seemly,
nevertheless, lovesome lasses, for that it may afford diversion, I
will e'en tell it you, and do you, hearkening thereunto, as you are
wont to do, whenas you enter into gardens, where, putting out your
dainty hands, you cull the roses and leave the thorns be. On this wise
must you do with my story, leaving the naughty man of whom I shall
tell you to his infamy and ill-luck go with him, what while you laugh
merrily at the amorous devices of his wife, having compassion, whenas
need is, of the mischances of others.
There was, then, in Perugia, no great while agone, a rich man called
Pietro di Vinciolo, who, belike more to beguile others and to abate
the general suspect in which he was had of all the Perugians, than for
any desire of his own, took him a wife, and fortune in this was so far
conformable to his inclination that the wife he took was a thickset,
red-haired, hot-complexioned wench, who would liefer have had two
husbands than one, whereas she happened upon one who had a mind far
more disposed to otherwhat than to her. Becoming, in process of time,
aware of this and seeing herself fair and fresh and feeling herself
buxom and lusty, she began by being sore incensed thereat and came
once and again to unseemly words thereof with her husband, with whom
she was well nigh always at variance. Then, seeing that this might
result rather in her own exhaustion than in the amendment of her
husband's depravity, she said in herself, 'Yonder caitiff forsaketh me
to go of his ribaldries on pattens through the dry, and I will study
to carry others on shipboard through the wet. I took him to husband
and brought him a fine great dowry, knowing him to be a man and
supposing him desireful of that whereunto men are and should be fain;
and had I not believed that he would play the part of a man, I had
never taken him. He knew that I was a woman; why, then, did he take me
to wife, if women were not to his mind? This is not to be suffered.
Were I minded to renounce the world, I should have made myself a nun;
but, if, choosing to live in the world, as I do, I look for delight or
pleasure from yonder fellow, I may belike grow old, expecting in vain,
and whenas I shall be old, I shall in vain repent and bemoan myself of
having wasted my youth, which latter he himself is a very good teacher
and demonstrator how I should solace, showing me by example how I
should delect myself with that wherein he delighteth, more by token
that this were commendable in me, whereas in him it is exceeding
blameworthy, seeing that I should offend against the laws alone,
whereas he offendeth against both law and nature.'
Accordingly, the good lady, having thus bethought herself and belike
more than once, to give effect privily to these considerations,
clapped up an acquaintance with an old woman who showed like Saint
Verdiana, that giveth the serpents to eat, and still went to every
pardoning, beads in hand, nor ever talked of aught but the lives of
the Holy Fathers or of the wounds of St. Francis and was of well nigh
all reputed a saint, and whenas it seemed to her time, frankly
discovered to her her intent. 'Daughter mine,' replied the beldam,
'God who knoweth all knoweth that thou wilt do exceeding well, and if
for nought else, yet shouldst thou do it, thou and every other young
woman, not to lose the time of your youth, for that to whoso hath
understanding, there is no grief like that of having lost one's time.
And what a devil are we women good for, once we are old, save to keep
the ashes about the fire-pot? If none else knoweth it and can bear
witness thereof, that do and can I; for, now that I am old, I
recognize without avail, but not without very sore and bitter remorse
of mind, the time that I let slip, and albeit I lost it not altogether
(for that I would not have thee deem me a ninny), still I did not what
I might have done; whereof whenas I remember me, seeing myself
fashioned as thou seest me at this present, so that thou wouldst find
none to give me fire to my tinder,[286] God knoweth what chagrin I
feel. With men it is not so; they are born apt for a thousand things,
not for this alone, and most part of them are of much more account old
than young; but women are born into the world for nothing but to do
this and bear children, and it is for this that they are prized; the
which, if from nought else, thou mayst apprehend from this, that we
women are still ready for the sport; more by token that one woman
would tire out many men at the game, whereas many men cannot tire one
woman; and for that we are born unto this, I tell thee again that thou
wilt do exceeding well to return thy husband a loaf for his bannock,
so thy soul may have no cause to reproach thy flesh in thine old age.
Each one hath of this world just so much as he taketh to himself
thereof, and especially is this the case with women, whom it behoveth,
much more than men, make use of their time, whilst they have it; for
thou mayst see how, when we grow old, nor husband nor other will look
at us; nay, they send us off to the kitchen to tell tales to the cat
and count the pots and pans; and what is worse, they tag rhymes on us
and say,
"Tidbits for wenches young;
Gags[287] for the old wife's tongue."
[Footnote 286: _i.e._ she was grown so repulsively ugly in her old
age, that no one cared to do her even so trifling a service as giving
her a spark in tinder to light her fire withal.]
[Footnote 287: Or chokebits (_stranguglioni_).]
And many another thing to the like purpose. And that I may hold thee
no longer in parley, I tell thee in fine that thou couldst not have
discovered thy mind to any one in the world who can be more useful to
thee than I, for that there is no man so high and mighty but I dare
tell him what behoveth, nor any so dour or churlish but I know how to
supple him aright and bring him to what I will. Wherefore do thou but
show me who pleaseth thee and after leave me do; but one thing I
commend to thee, daughter mine, and that is, that thou be mindful of
me, for that I am a poor body and would have thee henceforth a sharer
in all my pardonings and in all the paternosters I shall say, so God
may make them light and candles for thy dead.'[288]
[Footnote 288: _i.e._ that they may serve to purchase remission from
purgatory for the souls of her dead relatives, instead of the burning
of candles and tapers, which is held by the Roman Catholic Church to
have that effect.]
With this she made an end of her discourse, and the young lady came to
an understanding with her that, whenas she chanced to spy a certain
young spark who passed often through that quarter and whose every
feature she set out to her, she should know what she had to do; then,
giving her a piece of salt meat, she dismissed her with God's
blessing; nor had many days passed ere the old woman brought her him
of whom she had bespoken her privily into her chamber, and a little
while after, another and another, according as they chanced to take
the lady's fancy, who stinted not to indulge herself in this as often
as occasion offered, though still fearful of her husband. It chanced
one evening that, her husband being to sup abroad with a friend of
his, Ercolano by name, she charged the old woman bring her a youth,
who was one of the goodliest and most agreeable of all Perugia, which
she promptly did; but hardly had the lady seated herself at table to
sup with her gallant, when, behold, Pietro called out at the door to
have it opened to him. She, hearing this, gave herself up for lost,
but yet desiring, an she might, to conceal the youth and not having
the presence of mind to send him away or hide him elsewhere, made him
take refuge under a hen-coop, that was in a shed adjoining the chamber
where they were at supper, and cast over him the sacking of a
pallet-bed that she had that day let empty.
This done, she made haste to open to her husband, to whom quoth she,
as soon as he entered the house, 'You have very soon despatched this
supper of yours!' 'We have not so much as tasted it,' replied he; and
she said, 'How was that?' Quoth he, 'I will tell thee. Scarce were we
seated at table, Ercolano and his wife and I, when we heard some one
sneeze hard by, whereof we took no note the first time nor the second;
but, he who sneezed sneezing yet a third time and a fourth and a fifth
and many other times, it made us all marvel; whereupon Ercolano, who
was somewhat vexed with his wife for that she had kept us a great
while standing at the door, without opening to us, said, as if in a
rage, "What meaneth this? Who is it sneezeth thus?" And rising from