The Decameron of Giovanni Boccaccio
Accordingly, the night come, the jealous man took his arms and hid
himself by stealth in a room on the ground floor, whilst the lady,
whenas it seemed to her time,--having caused lock all the doors and in
particular that of the midstair, so he might not avail to come
up,--summoned the young man, who came to her from his side by a very
privy way. Thereupon they went to bed and gave themselves a good time,
taking their pleasure one of the other till daybreak, when the young
man returned to his own house. Meanwhile, the jealous man stood to his
arms well nigh all night beside the street-door, sorry and supperless
and dying of cold, and waited for the priest to come till near upon
day, when, unable to watch any longer, he returned to the ground floor
room and there fell asleep. Towards tierce he awoke and the street
door being now open, he made a show of returning from otherwhere and
went up into his house and dined. A little after, he sent a lad, as he
were the priest's clerkling that had confessed her, to the lady to ask
if she wot of were come thither again. She knew the messenger well
enough and answered that he had not come thither that night and that
if he did thus, he might haply pass out of her mind, albeit she wished
it not. What more should I tell you? The jealous man abode on the
watch night after night, looking to catch the priest at his entering
in, and the lady still had a merry life with her lover the while.
At length the cuckold, able to contain himself no longer, asked his
wife, with an angry air, what she had said to the priest the morning
she had confessed herself to him. She answered that she would not tell
him, for that it was neither a just thing nor a seemly; whereupon,
'Vile woman that thou art!' cried he. 'In despite of thee I know what
thou saidst to him, and needs must I know the priest of whom thou art
so mightily enamoured and who, by means of his conjurations, lieth
with thee every night; else will I slit thy weasand.' She replied that
it was not true that she was enamoured of any priest. 'How?' cried the
husband, 'Saidst thou not thus and thus to the priest who confessed
thee?' And she, 'Thou couldst not have reported it better, not to say
if he had told it thee, but if thou hadst been present; ay, I did tell
him this.' 'Then,' rejoined the jealous man, 'tell me who is this
priest, and that quickly.'
The lady fell a-smiling and answered, 'It rejoiceth me mightily to see
a wise man led by the nose by a woman, even as one leadeth a ram by
the horns to the shambles, albeit thou art no longer wise nor hast
been since the hour when, unknowing why, thou sufferedst the malignant
spirit of jealousy to enter thy breast; and the sillier and more
besotted thou art, so much the less is my glory thereof. Deemest thou,
husband mine, I am as blind of the eyes of the body as thou of those
of the mind? Certes, no; I perceived at first sight who was the priest
that confessed me and know that thou wast he; but I had it at heart to
give thee that which thou wentest seeking, and in sooth I have done
it. Wert thou as wise as thou thinkest to be, thou wouldst not have
essayed by this means to learn the secrets of thy good wife, but
wouldst, without taking vain suspicion, have recognized that which she
confessed to thee to be the very truth, without her having sinned in
aught. I told thee that I loved a priest, and wast not thou, whom I am
much to blame to love as I do, become a priest? I told thee that no
door of my house could abide locked, whenas he had a mind to lie with
me; and what door in the house was ever kept against thee, whenas thou
wouldst come whereas I might be? I told thee that the priest lay with
me every night, and when was it that thou layest not with me? And
whenassoever thou sentest thy clerk to me, which was thou knowest, as
often as thou layest from me, I sent thee word that the priest had not
been with me. What other than a crack-brain like thee, who has
suffered thyself to be blinded by thy jealousy, had failed to
understand these things? Thou hast abidden in the house, keeping
watch anights, and thoughtest to have given me to believe that thou
wast gone abroad to sup and sleep. Bethink thee henceforth and become
a man again, as thou wast wont to be; and make not thyself a laughing
stock to whoso knoweth thy fashions, as do I, and leave this
unconscionable watching that thou keepest; for I swear to God that, an
the fancy took me to make thee wear the horns, I would engage, haddest
thou an hundred eyes, as thou hast but two, to do my pleasure on such
wise that thou shouldst not be ware thereof.'
The jealous wretch, who thought to have very adroitly surprised his
wife's secrets, hearing this, avouched himself befooled and without
answering otherwhat, held the lady for virtuous and discreet; and
whenas it behoved him to be jealous, he altogether divested himself of
his jealousy, even as he had put it on, what time he had no need
thereof. Wherefore the discreet lady, being in a manner licensed to do
her pleasures, thenceforward no longer caused her lover to come to her
by the roof, as go the cats, but e'en brought him in at the door, and
dealing advisedly, many a day thereafter gave herself a good time and
led a merry life with him."
THE SIXTH STORY
[Day the Seventh]
MADAM ISABELLA, BEING IN COMPANY WITH LEONETTO HER LOVER, IS
VISITED BY ONE MESSER LAMBERTUCCIO, OF WHOM SHE IS BELOVED;
HER HUSBAND RETURNING, [UNEXPECTED,] SHE SENDETH
LAMBERTUCCIO FORTH OF THE HOUSE, WHINGER IN HAND, AND THE
HUSBAND AFTER ESCORTETH LEONETTO HOME
The company were wonder-well pleased with Fiammetta's story, all
affirming that the lady had done excellently well and as it behoved
unto such a brute of a man, and after it was ended, the king bade
Pampinea follow on, who proceeded to say, "There are many who,
speaking ignorantly, avouch that love bereaveth folk of their senses
and causeth whoso loveth to become witless. Meseemeth this is a
foolish opinion, as hath indeed been well enough shown by the things
already related, and I purpose yet again to demonstrate it.
In our city, which aboundeth in all good things, there was once a
young lady both gently born and very fair, who was the wife of a very
worthy and notable gentleman; and as it happeneth often that folk
cannot for ever brook one same food, but desire bytimes to vary their
diet, this lady, her husband not altogether satisfying her, became
enamoured of a young man called Leonetto and very well bred and
agreeable, for all he was of no great extraction. He on like wise fell
in love with her, and as you know that seldom doth that which both
parties desire abide without effect, it was no great while before
accomplishment was given to their loves. Now it chanced that, she
being a fair and engaging lady, a gentleman called Messer
Lambertuccio became sore enamoured of her, whom, for that he seemed
to her a disagreeable man and a tiresome, she could not for aught in
the world bring herself to love. However, after soliciting her amain
with messages and it availing him nought, he sent to her threatening
her, for that he was a notable man, to dishonour her, an she did not
his pleasure; wherefore she, fearful and knowing his character,
submitted herself to do his will.
It chanced one day that the lady, whose name was Madam Isabella, being
gone, as is our custom in summer-time, to abide at a very goodly
estate she had in the country and her husband having ridden
somewhither to pass some days abroad, she sent for Leonetto to come
and be with her, whereat he was mightily rejoiced and betook himself
thither incontinent. Meanwhile Messer Lambertuccio, hearing that her
husband was gone abroad, took horse and repairing, all alone, to her
house, knocked at the door. The lady's waiting-woman, seeing him, came
straight to her mistress, who was closeted with Leonetto, and called
to her, saying, 'Madam, Messer Lambertuccio is below, all alone.' The
lady, hearing this, was the woefullest woman in the world, but, as she
stood in great fear of Messer Lambertuccio, she besought Leonetto not
to take it ill to hide himself awhile behind the curtains of her bed
till such time as the other should be gone. Accordingly, Leonetto, who
feared him no less than did the lady, hid himself there and she bade
the maid go open to Messer Lambertuccio, which being done, he lighted
down in the courtyard and making his palfrey fast to a staple there,
went up into the house. The lady put on a cheerful countenance and
coming to the head of the stair, received him with as good a grace as
she might and asked him what brought him thither; whereupon he caught
her in his arms and clipped her and kissed her, saying, 'My soul, I
understood that your husband was abroad and am come accordingly to be
with you awhile.' After these words, they entered a bedchamber, where
they locked themselves in, and Messer Lambertuccio fell to taking
delight of her.
As they were thus engaged, it befell, altogether out of the lady's
expectation, that her husband returned, whom when the maid saw near
the house, she ran in haste to the lady's chamber and said, 'Madam,
here is my lord come back; methinketh he is already below in the
courtyard.' When the lady heard this, bethinking her that she had two
men in the house and knowing that there was no hiding Messer
Lambertuccio, by reason of his palfrey which was in the courtyard, she
gave herself up for lost. Nevertheless, taking a sudden resolution,
she sprang hastily down from the bed and said to Messer Lambertuccio,
'Sir, an you wish me anywise well and would save me from death, do
that which I shall bid you. Take your hanger naked in your hand and go
down the stair with an angry air and all disordered and begone,
saying, "I vow to God that I will take him elsewhere." And should my
husband offer to detain you or question you of aught, do you say no
otherwhat than that which I have told you, but take horse and look you
abide not with him on any account.' The gentleman answered that he
would well, and accordingly, drawing his hanger, he did as she had
enjoined him, with a face all afire what with the swink he had
furnished and with anger at the husband's return. The latter was by
this dismounted in the courtyard and marvelled to see the palfrey
there; then, offering to go up into the house, he saw Messer
Lambertuccio come down and wondering both at his words and his air,
said, 'What is this, sir?' Messer Lambertuccio putting his foot in the
stirrup and mounting to horse, said nought but, 'Cock's body, I shall
find him again otherwhere,' and made off.
The gentleman, going up, found his wife at the stairhead, all
disordered and fearful, and said to her, 'What is all this? Whom goeth
Messer Lambertuccio threatening thus in such a fury?' The lady,
withdrawing towards the chamber where Leonetto was, so he might hear
her, answered, 'Sir, never had I the like of this fright. There came
fleeing hither but now a young man, whom I know not, followed by
Messer Lambertuccio, hanger in hand, and finding by chance the door of
this chamber open, said to me, all trembling, "For God's sake, madam,
help me, that I be not slain in your arms." I rose to my feet and was
about to question him who he was and what ailed him, when, behold, in
rushed Messer Lambertuccio, saying, "Where art thou, traitor?" I set
myself before the chamber-door and hindered him from entering; and he
was in so far courteous that, after many words, seeing it pleased me
not that he should enter there, he went his way down, as you have
seen.' Quoth the husband, 'Wife, thou didst well, it were too great a
reproach to us, had a man been slain in our house, and Messer
Lambertuccio did exceeding unmannerly to follow a person who had taken
refuge here.'