THE TENTH STORY
[Day the Sixth]
FRA CIPOLLA PROMISETH CERTAIN COUNTRY FOLK TO SHOW THEM ONE OF THE ANGEL GABRIEL'S FEATHERS AND FINDING COALS IN PLACE THEREOF, AVOUCHETH THESE LATTER TO BE OF THOSE WHICH ROASTED ST. LAWRENCE
Each of the company being now quit of his[309] story, Dioneo perceivedthat it rested with him to tell; whereupon, without awaiting moreformal commandment, he began on this wise, silence having first beenimposed on those who commended Guido's pregnant retort: "Charmingladies, albeit I am privileged to speak of that which most liketh me,I purpose not to-day to depart from the matter whereof you have allvery aptly spoken; but, ensuing in your footsteps, I mean to show youhow cunningly a friar of the order of St. Anthony, by name FraCipolla, contrived with a sudden shift to extricate himself from asnare[310] which had been set for him by two young men; nor should itirk you if, for the complete telling of the story, I enlarge somewhatin speaking, an you consider the sun, which is yet amiddleward in thesky.
[Footnote 309: "Or her."]
[Footnote 310: Lit. to avoid or elude a scorn (_fuggire uno scorno_).]
Certaldo, as you may have heard, is a burgh of Val d' Elsa situate inour country, which, small though it be, was once inhabited bygentlemen and men of substance; and thither, for that he found goodpasture there, one of the friars of the order of St. Anthony was longused to resort once a year, to get in the alms bestowed by simpletonsupon him and his brethren. His name was Fra Cipolla and he was gladlyseen there, no less belike, for his name's sake[311] than for otherreasons, seeing that these parts produce onions that are famousthroughout all Tuscany. This Fra Cipolla was little of person,red-haired and merry of countenance, the jolliest rascal in the world,and to boot, for all he was no scholar, he was so fine a talker and soready of wit that those who knew him not would not only have esteemedhim a great rhetorician, but had avouched him to be Tully himself ormay be Quintilian; and he was gossip or friend or well-wisher[312] towell nigh every one in the country.
[Footnote 311: _Cipolla_ means onion.]
[Footnote 312: The term "well-wisher" (_benivogliente_), whenunderstood in relation to a woman, is generally equivalent (at leastwith the older Italian writers) to "lover." See ante, passim.]
One August among others he betook himself thither according to hiswont, and on a Sunday morning, all the goodmen and goodwives of thevillages around being come to hear mass at the parish church, he cameforward, whenas it seemed to him time, and said, 'Gentlemen andladies, it is, as you know, your usance to send every year to the poorof our lord Baron St. Anthony of your corn and of your oats, thislittle and that much, according to his means and his devoutness, tothe intent that the blessed St. Anthony may keep watch over yourbeeves and asses and swine and sheep; and besides this, you use topay, especially such of you as are inscribed into our company, thatsmall due which is payable once a year. To collect these I have beensent by my superior, to wit, my lord abbot; wherefore, with theblessing of God, you shall, after none, whenas you hear the bellsring, come hither without the church, where I will make preachment toyou after the wonted fashion and you shall kiss the cross; moreover,for that I know you all to be great devotees of our lord St. Anthony,I will, as an especial favour show you a very holy and goodly relic,which I myself brought aforetime from the holy lands beyond seas; andthat is one of the Angel Gabriel's feathers, which remained in theVirgin Mary's chamber, whenas he came to announce to her in Nazareth.'This said, he broke off and went on with his mass.
Now, when he said this, there were in the church, among many others,two roguish young fellows, hight one Giovanni del Bragioniera and theother Biagio Pizzini, who, after laughing with one another awhile overFra Cipolla's relic, took counsel together, for all they were greatfriends and cronies of his, to play him some trick in the matter ofthe feather in question. Accordingly, having learned that he was todine that morning with a friend of his in the burgh, they went downinto the street as soon as they knew him to be at table, and betookthemselves to the inn where he had alighted, purposing that Biagioshould hold his servant in parley, whilst Giovanni should search hisbaggage for the feather aforesaid, whatever it might be, and carry itoff, to see what he should say to the people of the matter.
Fra Cipolla had a servant, whom some called Guccio[313] Balena,[314]others Guccio Imbratta[315] and yet others Guccia Porco[316] and whowas such a scurvy knave that Lipo Topo[317] never wrought his like,inasmuch as his master used oftentimes to jest of him with his croniesand say, 'My servant hath in him nine defaults, such that, were one ofthem in Solomon or Aristotle or Seneca, it would suffice to mar alltheir worth, all their wit and all their sanctity. Consider, then,what a man he must be, who hath all nine of them and in whom there isneither worth nor wit nor sanctity.' Being questioned whiles what werethese nine defaults and having put them into doggerel rhyme, he wouldanswer, 'I will tell you. He's a liar, a sloven, a slugabed;disobedient, neglectful, ill bred; o'erweening, foul-spoken, adunderhead; beside which he hath divers other peccadilloes, whereof itbooteth not to speak. But what is most laughable of all his fashionsis that, wherever he goeth, he is still for taking a wife and hiring ahouse; for, having a big black greasy beard, him-seemeth he is soexceeding handsome and agreeable that he conceiteth himself all thewomen who see him fall in love with him, and if you let him alone, hewould run after them all till he lost his girdle.[318] Sooth to say,he is of great assistance to me, for that none can ever seek to speakwith me so secretly but he must needs hear his share; and if it chancethat I be questioned of aught, he is so fearful lest I should not knowhow to answer, that he straightway answereth for me both Ay and No, ashe judgeth sortable.'
[Footnote 313: Diminutive of contempt of Arrigo, contracted fromArriguccio, _i.e._ mean little Arrigo.]
[Footnote 314: _i.e._ Whale.]
[Footnote 315: _i.e._ Dirt.]
[Footnote 316: _i.e._ Hog.]
[Footnote 317: A painter of Boccaccio's time, of whom little ornothing seems to be known.]
[Footnote 318: _Perpendo lo coreggia._ The exact meaning of thispassage is not clear. The commentators make sundry random shots at it,but, as usual, only succeed in making confusion worse confounded. Itmay perhaps be rendered, "till his wind failed him."]
Now Fra Cipolla, in leaving him at the inn, had bidden him look wellthat none touched his gear, and more particularly his saddle-bags, forthat therein were the sacred things. But Guccio, who was fonder of thekitchen than the nightingale of the green boughs, especially if hescented some serving-wench there, and who had seen in that of the inna gross fat cookmaid, undersized and ill-made, with a pair of papsthat showed like two manure-baskets and a face like a cadger's, allsweaty, greasy and smoky, leaving Fra Cipolla's chamber and all hisgear to care for themselves, swooped down upon the kitchen, even asthe vulture swoopeth upon carrion, and seating himself by the fire,for all it was August, entered into discourse with the wench inquestion, whose name was Nuta, telling her that he was by rights agentleman and had more than nine millions of florins, beside thatwhich he had to give others, which was rather more than less, and thathe could do and say God only knew what. Moreover, without regard tohis bonnet, whereon was grease enough to have seasoned the caldron ofAltopascio,[319] and his doublet all torn and pieced and enamelledwith filth about the collar and under the armpits, with more spots andpatches of divers colours than ever had Turkey or India stuffs, andhis shoes all broken and hose unsewn, he told her, as he had been theSieur de Chatillon,[320] that he meant to clothe her and trick her outanew and deliver her from the wretchedness of abiding withothers,[321] and bring her to hope of better fortune, if without anygreat wealth in possession, and many other things, which, for all hedelivered them very earnestly, all turned to wind and came to nought,as did most of his enterprises.
[Footnote 319: Said by the commentators to have been an abbey, wherethey made cheese-soup for all comers twice a week; hence "the caldronof Altopascio" became a proverb; but _quaere_ is not the nameAltopascio (high feeding) a f
ancy one?]
[Footnote 320: It does not appear to which member of this great houseBoccaccio here alludes, but the Chatillons were always rich andmagnificent gentlemen, from Gaucher de Chatillon, who followed PhilipAugustus to the third crusade, to the great Admiral de Coligny.]
[Footnote 321: Sic (_star con altrui_); but "being in the service ofor dependent upon others" seems to be the probable meaning.]
The two young men, accordingly, found Guccio busy about Nuta, whereatthey were well pleased, for that it spared them half their pains, andentering Fra Cipolla's chamber, which they found open, the first thingthat came under their examination was the saddle-bags wherein was thefeather. In these they found, enveloped in a great taffetas wrapper,a little casket and opening this latter, discovered therein a parrot'stail-feather, which they concluded must be that which the friar hadpromised to show the people of Certaldo. And certes he might lightlycause it to be believed in those days, for that the refinements ofEgypt had not yet made their way save into a small part of Tuscany, asthey have since done in very great abundance, to the undoing of allItaly; and wherever they may have been some little known, in thoseparts they were well nigh altogether unknown of the inhabitants; naythe rude honesty of the ancients yet enduring there, not only had theynever set eyes on a parrot, but were far from having ever heard tellof such a bird. The young men, then, rejoiced at finding the feather,laid hands on it and not to leave the casket empty, filled it withsome coals they saw in a corner of the room and shut it again. Then,putting all things in order as they had found them, they made off inhigh glee with the feather, without having been seen, and began toawait what Fra Cipolli should say, when he found the coals in placethereof.
The simple men and women who were in the church, hearing that theywere to see the Angel Gabriel's feather after none, returned home, assoon as mass was over, and neighbor telling it to neighbor and gossipto gossip, no sooner had they all dined than so many men and womenflocked to the burgh that it would scarce hold them, all lookingeagerly to see the aforesaid feather. Fra Cipolla, having well dinedand after slept awhile, arose a little after none and hearing of thegreat multitude of country folk come to see the feather, sent to bidGuccio Imbratta come thither with the bells and bring his saddle-bags.Guccio, tearing himself with difficulty away from the kitchen andNuta, betook himself with the things required to the appointed place,whither coming, out of breath, for that the water he had drunken hadmade his belly swell amain, he repaired, by his master's commandment,to the church door and fell to ringing the bells lustily.
When all the people were assembled there, Fra Cipolla, withoutobserving that aught of his had been meddled with, began hispreachment and said many words anent his affairs; after which,thinking to come to the showing of the Angel Gabriel's feather, hefirst recited the Confiteor with the utmost solemnity and let kindle apair of flambeaux; then, pulling off his bonnet, he delicatelyunfolded the taffetas wrapper and brought out the casket. Having firstpronounced certain ejaculations in praise and commendation of theAngel Gabriel and of his relic, he opened the casket and seeing itfull of coals, suspected not Guccio Balena of having played him thistrick, for that he knew him not to be man enough; nor did he curse himfor having kept ill watch lest others should do it, but silentlycursed himself for having committed to him the care of his gear,knowing him, as he did, to be negligent, disobedient, careless andforgetful.
Nevertheless, without changing colour, he raised his eyes and hands toheaven and said, so as to be heard of all, 'O God, praised be stillthy puissance!' Then, shutting the casket and turning to the people,'Gentlemen and ladies,' quoth he, 'you must know that, whilst I wasyet very young, I was dispatched by my superior to those parts wherethe sun riseth and it was expressly commanded me that I should seektill I found the Privileges of Porcellana, which, though they costnothing to seal, are much more useful to others than to us. On thiserrand I set out from Venice and passed through Borgo de' Greci,[322]whence, riding through the kingdom of Algarve and Baldacca,[323] Icame to Parione,[324] and from there, not without thirst, I came afterawhile into Sardinia. But what booteth it to set out to you in detailall the lands explored by me? Passing the straits of San Giorgio,[325]I came into Truffia[326] and Buffia,[327] countries much inhabited andwith great populations, and thence into the land of Menzogna,[328]where I found great plenty of our brethren and of friars of otherreligious orders, who all went about those parts, shunning unease forthe love of God, recking little of others' travail, whenas they sawtheir own advantage to ensue, and spending none other money than suchas was uncoined.[329] Thence I passed into the land of the Abruzzi,where the men and women go in clogs over the mountains, clothing theswine in their own guts;[330] and a little farther I found folk whocarried bread on sticks and wine in bags. From this I came to theMountains of the Bachi, where all the waters run down hill; and inbrief, I made my way so far inward that I won at last even to IndiaPastinaca,[331] where I swear to you, by the habit I wear on my back,that I saw hedge-bills[332] fly, a thing incredible to whoso hath notseen it. But of this Maso del Saggio will confirm me, whom I foundthere a great merchant, cracking walnuts and selling the shells byretail.
[Footnote 322: Apparently the Neapolitan town of that name.]
[Footnote 323: The name of a famous tavern in Florence (_Florio_).]
[Footnote 324: _Quaere_ a place in Florence? One of the commentators,with characteristic carelessness, states that the places mentioned inthe preachment of Fra Cipolla (an amusing specimen of thepatter-sermon of the mendicant friar of the middle ages, thatecclesiastical Cheap Jack of his day) are all names of streets orplaces of Florence, a statement which, it is evident to the mostcursory reader, is altogether inaccurate.]
[Footnote 325: Apparently the island of that name near Venice.]
[Footnote 326: _i.e._ Nonsense-land.]
[Footnote 327: _i.e._ Land of Tricks or Cozenage.]
[Footnote 328: _i.e._ Falsehood, Lie-land.]
[Footnote 329: _i.e._ paying their way with fine words, instead ofcoin.]
[Footnote 330: _i.e._ making sausages of them.]
[Footnote 331: _Bachi_, drones or maggots. _Pastinaca_ means "parsnip"and is a meaningless addition of Fra Cipolla's fashion.]
[Footnote 332: A play of words upon the primary meaning (wingedthings) of the word _pennate_, hedge-bills.]
Being unable to find that which I went seeking, for that thence onegoeth thither by water, I turned back and arrived in those holycountries, where, in summer-years, cold bread is worth four farthingsa loaf and the hot goeth for nothing. There I found the venerablefather my lord Blamemenot Anitpleaseyou, the very worshipful Patriarchof Jerusalem, who, for reverence of the habit I have still worn of mylord Baron St. Anthony, would have me see all the holy relics that hehad about him and which were so many that, an I sought to recountthem all to you, I should not come to an end thereof in several miles.However, not to leave you disconsolate, I will tell you some thereof.First, he showed me the finger of the Holy Ghost, as whole and soundas ever it was, and the forelock of the seraph that appeared to St.Francis and one of the nails of the Cherubim and one of the ribs ofthe Verbum Caro[333] Get-thee-to-the-windows and some of the vestmentsof the Holy Catholic Faith and divers rays of the star that appearedto the Three Wise Men in the East and a vial of the sweat of St.Michael, whenas he fought with the devil, and the jawbone of the deathof St. Lazarus and others. And for that I made him a free gift of theSteeps[334] of Monte Morello in the vernacular and of some chapters ofthe Caprezio,[335] which he had long gone seeking, he made me a sharerin his holy relics and gave me one of the teeth of the Holy Rood andsomewhat of the sound of the bells of Solomon's Temple in a vial andthe feather of the Angel Gabriel, whereof I have already bespoken you,and one of the pattens of St. Gherardo da Villa Magna, which not longsince at Florence I gave to Gherardo di Bonsi, who hath a particulardevotion for that saint; and he gave me also of the coals wherewiththe most blessed martyr St. Lawrence was roasted; all which things Idevoutly brought home with me and ye
t have. True it is that mysuperior hath never suffered me to show them till such time as heshould be certified if they were the very things or not. But now that,by certain miracles performed by them and by letters received from thepatriarch, he hath been made certain of this, he hath granted me leaveto show them; and I, fearing to trust them to others, still carry themwith me.
[Footnote 333: _i.e._ The Word [made] flesh. Get-thee-to-the-windowsis only a patter tag.]
[Footnote 334: Or Slopes or Coasts (_piaggie_).]
[Footnote 335: ?]
Now I carry the Angel Gabriel's feather, so it may not be marred, inone casket, and the coals wherewith St. Lawrence was roasted inanother, the which are so like one to other, that it hath oftenhappened to me to take one for the other, and so hath it betided me atthis present, for that, thinking to bring hither the casket whereinwas the feather, I have brought that wherein are the coals. The whichI hold not to have been an error; nay, meseemeth certain that it wasGod's will and that He Himself placed the casket with the coals in myhands, especially now I mind me that the feast of St. Lawrence is buttwo days hence; wherefore God, willing that, by showing you the coalswherewith he was roasted, I should rekindle in your hearts thedevotion it behoveth you have for him, caused me take, not thefeather, as I purposed, but the blessed coals extinguished by thesweat of that most holy body. So, O my blessed children, put off yourbonnets and draw near devoutly to behold them; but first I would haveyou knew that whoso is scored with these coals, in the form of thesign of the cross, may rest assured, for the whole year to come, thatfire shall not touch him but he shall feel it.'
Having thus spoken, he opened the casket, chanting the while acanticle in praise of St. Lawrence, and showed the coals, which afterthe simple multitude had awhile beheld with reverent admiration, theyall crowded about Fra Cipolla and making him better offerings thanthey were used, besought him to touch them withal. Accordingly, takingthe coals in hand, he fell to making the biggest crosses for which hecould find room upon their white smocks and doublets and upon theveils of the women, avouching that how much soever the coalsdiminished in making these crosses, they after grew again in thecasket, as he had many a time proved. On this wise he crossed all thepeople of Certaldo, to his no small profit, and thus, by his ready witand presence of mind, he baffled those who, by taking the feather fromhim, had thought to baffle him and who, being present at hispreachment and hearing the rare shift employed by him and from how farhe had taken it and with what words, had so laughed that they thoughtto have cracked their jaws. Then, after the common folk had departed,they went up to him and with all the mirth in the world discovered tohim that which they had done and after restored him his feather, whichnext year stood him in as good stead as the coals had done that day."
* * * * *
This story afforded unto all the company alike the utmost pleasure andsolace, and it was much laughed of all at Fra Cipolla, andparticularly of his pilgrimage and the relics seen and brought back byhim. The queen, seeing the story and likewise her sovantry at an end,rose to her feet and put off the crown, which she set laughingly onDioneo's head, saying, "It is time, Dioneo, that thou prove awhilewhat manner charge it is to have ladies to govern and guide; be thou,then, king and rule on such wise that, in the end, we may have reasonto give ourselves joy of thy governance." Dioneo took the crown andanswered, laughing, "You may often enough have seen much better kingsthan I, I mean chess-kings; but, an you obey me as a king should intruth be obeyed, I will cause you enjoy that without which assuredlyno entertainment is ever complete in its gladness. But let that talkbe; I will rule as best I know."
Then, sending for the seneschal, according to the wonted usance, heorderly enjoined him of that which he should do during the continuanceof his seignory and after said, "Noble ladies, it hath in diversmanners been devised of human industry[336] and of the various chances[of fortune,] insomuch that, had not Dame Licisca come hither a whileagone and found me matter with her prate for our morrow's relations, Imisdoubt me I should have been long at pains to find a subject ofdiscourse. As you heard, she avouched that she had not a single gossipwho had come to her husband a maid and added that she knew right wellhow many and what manner tricks married women yet played theirhusbands. But, letting be the first part, which is a childish matter,methinketh the second should be an agreeable subject for discourse;wherefore I will and ordain it that, since Licisca hath given usoccasion therefor, it be discoursed to-morrow OF THE TRICKS WHICH, ORFOR LOVE OR FOR THEIR OWN PRESERVATION, WOMEN HAVE HERETOFORE PLAYEDTHEIR HUSBANDS, WITH OR WITHOUT THE LATTER'S COGNIZANCE THEREOF."
[Footnote 336: _Industria_ in the old sense of ingenuity, skilfulprocurement, etc.]
It seemed to some of the ladies that to discourse of such a matterwould ill beseem them and they prayed him, therefore, to change thetheme proposed; wherefore answered he, "Ladies, I am no less cognizantthan yourselves of that which I have ordained, and that which youwould fain allege to me availed not to deter me from ordaining it,considering that the times are such that, provided men and women arecareful to eschew unseemly actions, all liberty of discourse ispermitted. Know you not that, for the malignity of the season, thejudges have forsaken the tribunals, that the laws, as well Divine ashuman, are silent and full licence is conceded unto every one for thepreservation of his life? Wherefore, if your modesty allow itself somelittle freedom in discourse, not with intent to ensue it with aught ofunseemly in deeds, but to afford yourselves and others diversion, Isee not with what plausible reason any can blame you in the future.Moreover, your company, from the first day of our assembling untilthis present, hath been most decorous, nor, for aught that hath beensaid here, doth it appear to me that its honour hath anywise beensullied. Again, who is there knoweth not your virtue? Which, not tosay mirthful discourse, but even fear of death I do not believe couldavail to shake. And to tell you the truth, whosoever should hear thatyou shrank from devising bytimes of these toys would be apt to suspectthat you were guilty in the matter and were therefore unwilling todiscourse thereof. To say nothing of the fine honour you would do mein that, I having been obedient unto all, you now, having made me yourking, seek to lay down the law to me, and not to discourse of thesubject which I propose. Put off, then, this misdoubtance, apter tomean minds than to yours, and good luck to you, let each of youbethink herself of some goodly story to tell." When the ladies heardthis, they said it should be as he pleased; whereupon he gave them allleave to do their several pleasures until supper-time.
The sun was yet high, for that the discoursement[337] had been brief;wherefor Dioneo having addressed himself to play at tables with theother young men, Elisa called the other ladies apart and said to them,"Since we have been here, I have still wished to carry you to a placevery near at hand, whither methinketh none of you hath ever been andwhich is called the Ladies' Valley, but have never yet found anoccasion of bringing you thither unto to-day; wherefore, as the sun isyet high, I doubt not but, an it please you come thither, you will beexceeding well pleased to have been there." They answered that theywere ready and calling one of their maids, set out upon their way,without letting the young men know aught thereof; nor had they gonemuch more than a mile, when they came to the Ladies' Valley. Theyentered therein by a very strait way, on one side whereof ran a veryclear streamlet, and saw it as fair and as delectable, especially atthat season whenas the heat was great, as most might be conceived.According to that which one of them after told me, the plain that wasin the valley was as round as if it had been traced with the compass,albeit it seemed the work of nature and not of art, and was in circuita little more than half a mile, encompassed about with six littlehills not over-high, on the summit of each of which stood a palacebuilded in guise of a goodly castle. The sides of these hills wentsloping gradually downward to the plain on such wise as we see inamphitheatres, the degrees descend in ordered succession from thehighest to the lowest, still contracting their circuit; and of theseslopes those which looked toward the south were all
full of vines andolives and almonds and cherries and figs and many another kind offruit-bearing trees, without a span thereof being wasted; whilst thosewhich faced the North Star[338] were all covered with thickets ofdwarf oaks and ashes and other trees as green and straight as mightbe. The middle plain, which had no other inlet than that whereby theladies were come thither, was full of firs and cypresses and laurelsand various sorts of pines, as well arrayed and ordered as if the bestartist in that kind had planted them; and between these little or nosun, even at its highest, made its way to the ground, which was allone meadow of very fine grass, thick-sown with flowers purpurine andothers. Moreover, that which afforded no less delight than otherwhatwas a little stream, which ran down from a valley that divided two ofthe hills aforesaid and falling over cliffs of live rock, made amurmur very delectable to hear, what while it showed from afar, as itbroke over the stones, like so much quicksilver jetting out, underpressure of somewhat, into fine spray. As it came down into the littleplain, it was there received into a fair channel and ran very swiftlyinto the middest thereof, where it formed a lakelet, such as thetownsfolk made whiles, by way of fishpond, in their gardens, whenasthey have a commodity thereof. This lakelet was no deeper than a man'sstature, breast high, and its waters being exceeding clear andaltogether untroubled with any admixture, it showed its bottom to beof a very fine gravel, the grains whereof whoso had nought else to domight, an he would, have availed to number; nor, looking into thewater, was the bottom alone to be seen, nay, but so many fish fleetinghither and thither that, over and above the pleasure thereof, it was amarvel to behold; nor was it enclosed with other banks than the verysoil of the meadow, which was the goodlier thereabout in so much as itreceived the more of its moisture. The water that abounded over andabove the capacity of the lake was received into another channel,whereby, issuing forth of the little valley, it ran off into the lowerparts.
[Footnote 337: _i.e._ the tale-telling.]
[Footnote 338: Lit. the northern chariot (_carro di tramontana_);_quaere_ the Great Bear?]
Hither then came the young ladies and after they had gazed all aboutand much commended the place, they took counsel together to bathe, forthat the heat was great and that they saw the lakelet before them andwere in no fear of being seen. Accordingly, bidding their servingmaid abide over against the way whereby one entered there and look ifany should come and give them notice thereof, they stripped themselvesnaked, all seven, and entered the lake, which hid their white bodiesno otherwise than as a thin glass would do with a vermeil rose. Then,they being therein and no troubling of the water ensuing thereof, theyfell, as best they might, to faring hither and thither in pursuit ofthe fish, which had uneath where to hide themselves, and seeking totake them with the naked hand. After they had abidden awhile in suchjoyous pastime and had taken some of the fish, they came forth of thelakelet and clad themselves anew. Then, unable to commend the placemore than they had already done and themseeming time to turn homeward,they set out, with soft step, upon their way, discoursing much of thegoodliness of the valley.
They reached the palace betimes and there found the young men yet atplay where they had left them; to whom quoth Pampinea, laughing. "Wehave e'en stolen a march on you to-day." "How?" asked Dioneo. "Do youbegin to do deeds ere you come to say words?"[339] "Ay, my lord,"answered she and related to him at large whence they came and how theplace was fashioned and how far distant thence and that which they haddone. The king, hearing tell of the goodliness of the place anddesirous of seeing it, caused straightway order the supper, whichbeing dispatched to the general satisfaction, the three young men,leaving the ladies, betook themselves with their servants to thevalley and having viewed it in every part, for that none of them hadever been there before, extolled it for one of the goodliest things inthe world. Then, for that it grew late, after they had bathed anddonned their clothes, they returned home, where they found the ladiesdancing a round, to the accompaniment of a song sung by Fiammetta.
[Footnote 339: Alluding to the subject fixed for the next day'sdiscourse, as who should say, "Have you begun already to play tricksupon us men in very deed, ere you tell about them in words?"]
The dance ended, they entered with them into a discourse of theLadies' Valley and said much in praise and commendation thereof.Moreover, the king, sending for the seneschal, bade him look that thedinner be made ready there on the following morning and have sundrybeds carried thither, in case any should have a mind to lie or sleepthere for nooning; after which he let bring lights and wine andconfections and the company having somedele refreshed themselves, hecommanded that all should address themselves to dancing. Then, Pamfilohaving, at his commandment, set up a dance, the king turned to Elisaand said courteously to her, "Fair damsel, thou has to-day done me thehonour of the crown and I purpose this evening to do thee that of thesong; wherefore look thou sing such an one as most liketh thee." Elisaanswered, smiling, that she would well and with dulcet voice began onthis wise:
Love, from thy clutches could I but win free, Hardly, methinks, again Shall any other hook take hold on me. I entered in thy wars a youngling maid, Thinking thy strife was utmost peace and sweet, And all my weapons on the ground I laid, As one secure, undoubting of defeat; But thou, false tyrant, with rapacious heat, Didst fall on me amain With all the grapnels of thine armoury.
Then, wound about and fettered with thy chains, To him, who for my death in evil hour Was born, thou gav'st me, bounden, full of pains And bitter tears; and syne within his power He hath me and his rule's so harsh and dour No sighs can move the swain Nor all my wasting plaints to set me free.
My prayers, the wild winds bear them all away; He hearkeneth unto none and none will hear; Wherefore each hour my torment waxeth aye; I cannot die, albeit life irks me drear. Ah, Lord, have pity on my heavy cheer; Do that I seek in vain And give him bounden in thy chains to me.
An this thou wilt not, at the least undo The bonds erewhen of hope that knitted were; Alack, O Lord, thereof to thee I sue, For, an thou do it, yet to waxen fair Again I trust, as was my use whilere, And being quit of pain Myself with white flowers and with red besee.
Elisa ended her song with a very plaintive sigh, and albeit allmarvelled at the words thereof, yet was there none who might conceivewhat it was that caused her sing thus. But the king, who was in amerry mood, calling for Tindaro, bade him bring out his bagpipes, tothe sound whereof he let dance many dances; after which, a great partof the night being now past, he bade each go sleep.
HERE ENDETH THE SIXTH DAYOF THE DECAMERON
The Decameron of Giovanni Boccaccio Page 68
