the worse for her. Whereupon he gave the signal, and hiedhim to the door, which he had no sooner opened, than Giannole enteredwith two of his companions, and finding the girl in the saloon, laidhands on her with intent to carry her off. The girl struggled, andshrieked amain, as did also the maid. Minghino, fearing the noise, hastedto the spot with his companions; and, seeing that the girl was alreadybeing borne across the threshold, they drew their swords, and cried outin chorus:--"Ah! Traitors that ye are, ye are all dead men! 'Twill gootherwise than ye think for. What means this force?" Which said, theyfell upon them with their swords, while the neighbours, alarmed by thenoise, came hurrying forth with lights and arms, and protested that 'twasan outrage, and took Minghino's part. So, after a prolonged struggle,Minghino wrested the girl from Giannole, and set her again in Giacomino'shouse. Nor were the combatants separated before the officers of theGovernor of the city came up and arrested not a few of them; among themMinghino and Giannole and Crivello, whom they marched off to prison.However, peace being restored and Giacomino returned, 'twas with nolittle chagrin that he heard of the affair; but finding uponinvestigation that the girl was in no wise culpable, he was somewhatreassured; and determined, lest the like should again happen, to bestowthe girl in marriage as soon as might be.
On the morrow the kinsfolk of the two lovers, having learned the truth ofthe matter, and knowing what evil might ensue to the captives, ifGiacomino should be minded to take the course which he reasonably might,came and gave him good words, beseeching him to let the kindly feeling,the love, which they believed he bore to them, his suppliants, count formore with him than the wrong that the hare-brained gallants had done him,and on their part and their own offering to make any amend that he mightrequire. Giacomino, who had seen many things in his time, and lacked notsound sense, made answer briefly:--"Gentlemen, were I in my own country,as I am in yours, I hold myself in such sort your friend that noughtwould I do in this matter, or in any other, save what might be agreeableto you: besides which, I have the more reason to consider your wishes,because 'tis against you yourselves that you have offended, inasmuch asthis damsel, whatever many folk may suppose, is neither of Cremona nor ofPavia, but is of Faenza, albeit neither I nor she, nor he from whom I hadher, did ever wot whose daughter she was: wherefore, touching that youask of me, I will even do just as you bid me." The worthy men found itpassing strange that the girl should be of Faenza; and having thankedGiacomino for his handsome answer, they besought him that he would bepleased to tell them how she had come into his hands, and how he knewthat she was of Faenza. To whom Giacomino replied on this wise:--"Acomrade and friend I had, Guidotto da Cremona, who, being at the point ofdeath, told me that, when this city of Faenza was taken by the EmperorFrederic, he and his comrades, entering one of the houses during thesack, found there good store of booty, and never a soul save this girl,who, being two years old or thereabouts, greeted him as father as he cameup the stairs; wherefore he took pity on her, and carried her withwhatever else was in the house away with him to Fano; where on hisdeathbed he left her to me, charging me in due time to bestow her inmarriage, and give her all his goods and chattels by way of dowry: but,albeit she is now of marriageable age, I have not been able to provideher with a husband to my mind; though right glad should I be to do so,that nought like the event of yesterday may again befall me."
Now among the rest of those present was one Guglielmo da Medicina, whohad been with Guidotto on that occasion, and knew well whose house it wasthat Guidotto had sacked; and seeing the owner there among the rest, hewent up to him, and said:--"Dost hear, Bernabuccio, what Giacomino says?""Ay," answered Bernabuccio, "and I gave the more heed thereto, for that Icall to mind that during those disorders I lost a little daughter of justthe age that Giacomino speaks of." "'Tis verily she then," saidGuglielmo, "for once when I was with Guidotto I heard him describe whathouse it was that he had sacked, and I wist that 'twas thine. Whereforesearch thy memory if there be any sign by which thou thinkest torecognize her, and let her be examined that thou mayst be assured thatshe is thy daughter." So Bernabuccio pondered a while, and thenrecollected that she ought to have a scar, shewing like a tiny cross,above her left ear, being where he had excised a tumour a little whilebefore that affair: wherefore without delay he went up to Giacomino, whowas still there, and besought him to let him go home with him and see thedamsel. Giacomino gladly did so, and no sooner was the girl brought intoBernabuccio's presence, than, as he beheld her, 'twas as if he saw theface of her mother, who was still a beautiful woman. However, he wouldnot rest there, but besought Giacomino of his grace to permit him to lifta lock or two of hair above her left ear; whereto Giacomino consented. SoBernabuccio approached her where she stood somewhat shamefast, and withhis right hand lifted her locks, and, seeing the cross, wist that in verytruth she was his daughter, and tenderly wept and embraced her, albeitshe withstood him; and then, turning to Giacomino, he said:--"My brother,the girl is my daughter; 'twas my house that Guidotto sacked, and sosudden was the assault that my wife, her mother, forgot her, and we havealways hitherto supposed, that, my house being burned that same day, sheperished in the flames." Catching his words, and seeing that he wasadvanced in years, the girl inclined to believe him, and impelled by someoccult instinct, suffered his embraces, and melting, mingled her tearswith his. Bernabuccio forthwith sent for her mother and her sisters andother kinswomen and her brothers, and having shewn her to them all, andtold the story, after they had done her great cheer and embraced her athousand times, to Giacomino's no small delight, he brought her home withhim. Which coming to the ears of the Governor of the city, the worthyman, knowing that Giannole, whom he had in ward, was Bernabuccio's sonand the girl's brother, made up his mind to deal leniently with Giannole:wherefore he took upon himself the part of mediator in the affair, andhaving made peace between Bernabuccio and Giacomino and Giannole andMinghino, gave Agnesa--such was the damsel's name--to Minghino to wife,to the great delight of all Minghino's kinsfolk, and set at liberty notonly Giannole and Minghino but Crivello, and the others theirconfederates in the affair. Whereupon Minghino with the blithest ofhearts wedded Agnesa with all due pomp and circumstance, and brought herhome, where for many a year thereafter he lived with her in peace andprosperity.
NOVEL VI.
--Gianni di Procida, being found with a damsel that he loves, and who hadbeen given to King Frederic, is bound with her to a stake, so to beburned. He is recognized by Ruggieri dell' Oria, is delivered, andmarries her.--
Neifile's story, with which the ladies were greatly delighted, beingended, the queen called for one from Pampinea; who forthwith raised hernoble countenance, and thus began:--Mighty indeed, gracious ladies, arethe forces of Love, and great are the labours and excessive and unthoughtof the perils which they induce lovers to brave; as is manifest enough bywhat we have heard to-day and on other occasions: howbeit I mean to shewyou the same once more by a story of an enamoured youth.
Hard by Naples is the island of Ischia, in which there dwelt aforetimewith other young damsels one, Restituta by name, daughter of one MarinBolgaro, a gentleman of the island. Very fair was she, and blithe ofheart, and by a young gallant, Gianni by name, of the neighbouring isletof Procida, was beloved more dearly than life, and in like measurereturned his love. Now, not to mention his daily resort to Ischia to seeher, there were times not a few when Gianni, not being able to come by aboat, would swim across from Procida by night, that he might have sight,if of nought else, at least of the walls of her house. And while theirlove burned thus fervently, it so befell that one summer's day, as thedamsel was all alone on the seashore, picking her way from rock to rock,detaching, as she went, shells from their beds with a knife, she came toa recess among the rocks, where for the sake, as well of the shade as ofthe comfort afforded by a spring of most cool water that was there, someSicilian gallants, that were come from Naples, had put in with theirfelucca. Who, having taken note of the damsel, that she was very fair,and that she was not yet ware of them, and was alone, resolved to captureher
, and carry her away; nor did they fail to give effect to theirresolve; but, albeit she shrieked amain, they laid hands on her, and sether aboard their boat, and put to sea. Arrived at Calabria, they fell awrangling as to whose the damsel should be, and in brief each claimed herfor his own: wherefore, finding no means of coming to an agreement, andfearing that worse might befall them, and she bring misfortune upon them,they resolved with one accord to give her to Frederic, King of Sicily,who was then a young man, and took no small delight in commodities ofthat quality; and so, being come to Palermo, they did.
Marking her beauty, the King set great store by her; but as she wassomewhat indisposed, he commanded that, till she was stronger, she shouldbe lodged and tended in a very pretty villa that was in one of hisgardens, which
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