The Decameron, Volume II

by Giovanni Boccaccio

thus occupied with Nuta, the two young men gleefullyaccounted their work half done, and, none gainsaying them, entered FraCipolla's room, which was open, and lit at once upon the wallet, in whichwas the feather. The wallet opened, they found, wrapt up in many folds oftaffeta, a little casket, on opening which they discovered one of thetail-feathers of a parrot, which they deemed must be that which the friarhad promised to shew the good folk of Certaldo. And in sooth he mightwell have so imposed upon them, for in those days the luxuries of Egypthad scarce been introduced into Tuscany, though they have since beenbrought over in prodigious abundance, to the grave hurt of all Italy. Andthough some conversance with them there was, yet in those parts folk knewnext to nothing of them; but, adhering to the honest, simple ways oftheir forefathers, had not seen, nay for the most part had not so much asheard tell of, a parrot.

  So the young men, having found the feather, took it out with great glee;and looking around for something to replace it, they espied in a cornerof the room some pieces of coal, wherewith they filled the casket; whichthey then closed, and having set the room in order exactly as they hadfound it, they quitted it unperceived, and hied them merrily off with thefeather, and posted themselves where they might hear what Fra Cipollawould say when he found the coals in its stead. Mass said, the simplefolk that were in the church went home with the tidings that the featherof the Angel Gabriel was to be seen after none; and this goodman tellinghis neighbour, and that goodwife her gossip, by the time every one hadbreakfasted, the town could scarce hold the multitude of men and womenthat flocked thither all agog to see this feather.

  Fra Cipolla, having made a hearty breakfast and had a little nap, got upshortly after none, and marking the great concourse of country-folk thatwere come to see the feather, sent word to Guccio Imbratta to go up therewith the bells, and bring with him the wallet. Guccio, though 'twas withdifficulty that he tore himself away from the kitchen and Nuta, hied himup with the things required; and though, when he got up, he was winded,for he was corpulent with drinking nought but water, he did Fra Cipolla'sbidding by going to the church door and ringing the bells amain. When allthe people were gathered about the door, Fra Cipolla, all unwitting thataught of his was missing, began his sermon, and after much said inglorification of himself, caused the confiteor to be recited with greatsolemnity, and two torches to be lit by way of preliminary to the shewingof the feather of the Angel Gabriel: he then bared his head, carefullyunfolded the taffeta, and took out the casket, which, after a fewprefatory words in praise and laudation of the Angel Gabriel and hisrelic, he opened. When he saw that it contained nought but coals, he didnot suspect Guccio Balena of playing the trick, for he knew that he wasnot clever enough, nor did he curse him, that his carelessness hadallowed another to play it, but he inly imprecated himself, that he hadcommitted his things to the keeping of one whom he knew to be "negligentand disobedient, reckless and witless." Nevertheless, he changed notcolour, but with face and hands upturned to heaven, he said in a voicethat all might hear:--"O God, blessed be Thy might for ever and ever."Then, closing the casket, and turning to the people:--"Ladies andgentlemen," he said, "you are to know, that when I was yet a very youngman, I was sent by my superior into those parts where the sun rises, andI was expressly bidden to search until I should find the Privileges ofPorcellana, which, though they cost nothing to seal, are of much more useto others than to us. On which errand I set forth, taking my departurefrom Venice, and traversing the Borgo de' Greci,(9) and thence onhorseback the realm of Algarve,(10) and so by Baldacca(11) I came toParione,(12) whence, somewhat athirst, I after a while got on toSardinia.(13) But wherefore go I about to enumerate all the lands inwhich I pursued my quest? Having passed the straits of San Giorgio, Iarrived at Truffia(14) and Buffia,(15) countries thickly populated andwith great nations, whence I pursued my journey to Menzogna,(16) where Imet with many of our own brethren, and of other religious not a few,intent one and all on eschewing hardship for the love of God, makinglittle account of others! toil, so they might ensue their own advantage,and paying in nought but unminted coin(17) throughout the length andbreadth of the country; and so I came to the land of Abruzzi, where themen and women go in pattens on the mountains, and clothe the hogs withtheir own entrails;(18) and a little further on I found folk that carriedbread in staves and wine in sacks.(19) And leaving them, I arrived at themountains of the Bachi,(20) where all the waters run downwards. In shortI penetrated so far that I came at last to India Pastinaca,(21) where Iswear to you by the habit that I wear, that I saw pruning-hooks(22) fly:a thing that none would believe that had not seen it. Whereof be mywitness that I lie not Maso del Saggio, that great merchant, whom I foundthere cracking nuts, and selling the shells by retail! However, not beingable to find that whereof I was in quest, because from thence one musttravel by water, I turned back, and so came at length to the Holy Land,where in summer cold bread costs four deniers, and hot bread is to be hadfor nothing. And there I found the venerable fatherNonmiblasmetesevoipiace,(23) the most worshipful Patriarch of Jerusalem;who out of respect for the habit that I have ever worn, to wit, that ofBaron Master St. Antony, was pleased to let me see all the holy relicsthat he had by him, which were so many, that, were I to enumerate themall, I should not come to the end of them in some miles. However, not todisappoint you, I will tell you a few of them. In the first place, then,he shewed me the finger of the Holy Spirit, as whole and entire as itever was, and the tuft of the Seraph that appeared to St. Francis, andone of the nails of the Cherubim, and one of the ribs of the Verbum Carohie thee to the casement,(24) and some of the vestments of the HolyCatholic Faith, and some of the rays of the star that appeared to theMagi in the East, and a phial of the sweat of St. Michael a battling withthe Devil and the jaws of death of St. Lazarus, and other relics. And forthat I gave him a liberal supply of the acclivities(25) of Monte Morelloin the vulgar and some chapters of Caprezio, of which he had long been inquest, he was pleased to let me participate in his holy relics, and gaveme one of the teeth of the Holy Cross, and in a small phial a bit of thesound of the bells of Solomon's temple, and this feather of the AngelGabriel, whereof I have told you, and one of the pattens of San Gherardoda Villa Magna, which, not long ago, I gave at Florence to Gherardo diBonsi, who holds him in prodigious veneration. He also gave me some ofthe coals with which the most blessed martyr, St. Lawrence, was roasted.All which things I devoutly brought thence, and have them all safe. Trueit is that my superior has not hitherto permitted me to shew them, untilhe should be certified that they are genuine. However, now that this isavouched by certain miracles wrought by them, of which we have tidings byletter from the Patriarch, he has given me leave to shew them. But,fearing to trust them to another, I always carry them with me; and totell you the truth I carry the feather of the Angel Gabriel, lest itshould get spoiled, in a casket, and the coals, with which St. Lawrencewas roasted, in another casket; which caskets are so like the one to theother, that not seldom I mistake one for the other, which has befallen meon this occasion; for, whereas I thought to have brought with me thecasket wherein is the feather, I have brought instead that which containsthe coals. Nor deem I this a mischance; nay, methinks, 'tis byinterposition, of God, and that He Himself put the casket of coals in myhand, for I mind me that the feast of St. Lawrence falls but two dayshence. Wherefore God, being minded that by shewing you the coals, withwhich he was roasted, I should rekindle in your souls the devotion thatyou ought to feel towards him, guided my hand, not to the feather which Imeant to take, but to the blessed coals that were extinguished by thehumours that exuded from that most holy body. And so, blessed children,bare your heads and devoutly draw nigh to see them. But first of all Iwould have you know, that whoso has the sign of the cross made upon himwith these coals, may live secure for the whole of the ensuing year, thatfire shall not touch him, that he feel it not."

  Having so said, the friar, chanting a hymn in praise of St. Lawrence,opened the casket, and shewed the coals. Whereon the foolish crowd gazeda while in awe and reverent wonder,
and then came pressing forward in amighty throng about Fra Cipolla with offerings beyond their wont, eachand all praying him to touch them with the coals. Wherefore Fra Cipollatook the coals in his hand, and set about making on their white blouses,and on their doublets, and on the veils of the women crosses as big asmight be, averring the while that whatever the coals might thus losewould be made good to them again in the casket, as he had often proved.On this wise, to his exceeding great profit, he marked all the folk ofCertaldo with the cross, and, thanks to his ready wit and resource, hadhis laugh at those, who by robbing him of the feather thought to make alaughing-stock of him. They, indeed, being among his hearers, and markinghis novel expedient, and how voluble he was, and what a long story hemade of it, laughed till they thought their jaws would break; and, whenthe congregation was dispersed, they went up to him, and never so