The Decameron, Volume II

by Giovanni Boccaccio

consorting with this or the other woman of the town; and 'tis for meto await his return until midnight or sometimes until matins, even as younow find me. I doubt not that, being thoroughly well drunk, he got him tobed with one of these wantons, and, awaking, found the pack-thread on herfoot, and afterwards did actually perform all these brave exploits ofwhich he speaks, and in the end came back to her, and beat her, and cuther hair off, and being not yet quite recovered from his debauch,believed, and, I doubt not, still believes, that 'twas I that he thustreated; and if you will but scan his face closely, you will see that heis still half drunk. But, whatever he may have said about me, I wouldhave you account it as nothing more than the disordered speech of a tipsyman; and forgive him as I do." Whereupon the lady's mother raised nosmall outcry, saying:--"By the Holy Rood, my daughter, this may not be! Adaughter, such as thou, to be mated with one so unworthy of thee! Thepestilent, insensate cur should be slain on the spot! A pretty state ofthings, indeed! Why, he might have picked thee up from the gutter! Nowfoul fall him! but thou shalt no more be vexed with the tedious drivel ofa petty dealer in ass's dung, some blackguard, belike, that came hitherfrom the country because he was dismissed the service of some pettysquire, clad in romagnole, with belfry-breeches, and a pen in his arse,and for that he has a few pence, must needs have a gentleman's daughterand a fine lady to wife, and set up a coat of arms, and say:--'I am ofthe such and such,' and 'my ancestors did thus and thus.' Ah! had my sonsbut followed my advice! Thy honour were safe in the house of the CountsGuidi, where they might have bestowed thee, though thou hadst but amorsel of bread to thy dowry: but they must needs give thee to this raretreasure, who, though better daughter and more chaste there is none thanthou in Florence, has not blushed this very midnight and in our presenceto call thee a strumpet, as if we knew thee not. God's faith! so I werehearkened to, he should shrewdly smart for it." Then, turning to hersons, she said:--"My sons, I told you plainly enough that this ought notto be. Now, have you heard how your worthy brother-in-law treats yoursister? Petty twopenny trader that he is: were it for me to act, as it isfor you, after what he has said of her and done to her, nought wouldsatisfy or appease me, till I had rid the earth of him. And were I a man,who am but a woman, none, other but myself should meddle with the affair.God's curse upon him, the woeful, shameless sot!" Whereupon the youngmen, incensed by what they had seen and heard, turned to Arriguccio, andafter giving him the soundest rating that ever was bestowed upon caitiff,concluded as follows:--"This once we pardon thee, witting thee to be adrunken knave--but as thou holdest thy life dear, have a care thathenceforth we hear no such tales of thee; for rest assured that if aughtof the kind do reach our ears, we will requite thee for both turns."Which said, they departed. Arriguccio, standing there like one dazed, notwitting whether his late doings were actual fact or but a dream, made nomore words about the matter, but left his wife in peace. Thus did she byher address not only escape imminent peril, but open a way whereby intime to come she was able to gratify her passion to the full without anyfarther fear of her husband.

  NOVEL IX.

  --Lydia, wife of Nicostratus, loves Pyrrhus, who to assure himself thereof,asks three things of her, all of which she does, and therewithal enjoyshim in presence of Nicostratus, and makes Nicostratus believe that whathe saw was not real.--

  So diverting did the ladies find Neifile's story that it kept them stilllaughing and talking, though the king, having bidden Pamfilo tell hisstory, had several times enjoined silence upon them. However, as soon asthey had done, Pamfilo thus began:--Methinks, worshipful ladies, there isno venture, though fraught with gravest peril, that whoso loves ardentlywill not make: of which truth, exemplified though it has been in storiesnot a few, I purpose to afford you yet more signal proof in one which Ishall tell you; wherein you will hear of a lady who in her enterprisesowed far more to the favour of Fortune than to the guidance of reason:wherefore I should not advise any of you rashly to follow in herfootsteps, seeing that Fortune is not always in a kindly mood, nor arethe eyes of all men equally holden.

  In Argos, that most ancient city of Achaia, the fame of whose kings ofold time is out of all proportion to its size, there dwelt of yoreNicostratus, a nobleman, to whom, when he was already verging on old age,Fortune gave to wife a great lady, Lydia by name, whose courage matchedher charms. Nicostratus, as suited with his rank and wealth, kept not afew retainers and hounds and hawks, and was mightily addicted to thechase. Among his dependants was a young man named Pyrrhus, a gallant ofno mean accomplishment, and goodly of person and beloved and trusted byNicostratus above all other. Of whom Lydia grew mighty enamoured,insomuch that neither by day nor by night might her thoughts stray fromhim: but, whether it was that Pyrrhus wist not her love, or would havenone of it, he gave no sign of recognition; whereby the lady's sufferingwaxing more than she could bear, she made up her mind to declare her loveto him; and having a chambermaid, Lusca by name, in whom she placed greattrust, she called her, and said:--"Lusca, tokens thou hast had from me ofmy regard that should ensure thy obedience and loyalty; wherefore have acare that what I shall now tell thee reach the ears of none but him towhom I shall bid thee impart it. Thou seest, Lusca, that I am in theprime of my youth and lustihead, and have neither lack nor stint of allsuch things as folk desire, save only, to be brief, that I have one causeto repine, to wit, that my husband's years so far outnumber my own.Wherefore with that wherein young ladies take most pleasure I am but illprovided, and, as my desire is no less than theirs, 'tis now some whilesince I determined that, if Fortune has shewn herself so little friendlyto me by giving me a husband so advanced in years, at least I will not bemine own enemy by sparing to devise the means whereby my happiness andhealth may be assured; and that herein, as in all other matters, my joymay be complete, I have chosen, thereto to minister by his embraces, ourPyrrhus, deeming him more worthy than any other man, and have so set myheart upon him that I am ever ill at ease save when he is present eitherto my sight or to my mind, insomuch that, unless I forgather with himwithout delay, I doubt not that 'twill be the death of me. And so, ifthou holdest my life dear, thou wilt shew him my love on such wise asthou mayst deem best, and make my suit to him that he be pleased to cometo me, when thou shalt go to fetch him." "That gladly will I," repliedthe chambermaid; and as soon as she found convenient time and place, shedrew Pyrrhus apart, and, as best she knew how, conveyed her lady'smessage to him. Which Pyrrhus found passing strange to hear, for 'twas intruth a complete surprise to him, and he doubted the lady did but mean totry him. Wherefore he presently, and with some asperity, answeredthus:--"Lusca, believe I cannot that this message comes from my lady:have a care, therefore, what thou sayst, and if, perchance, it does comefrom her, I doubt she does not mean it; and if perchance, she does meanit, why, then I am honoured by my lord above what I deserve, and I wouldnot for my life do him such a wrong: so have a care never to speak ofsuch matters to me again." Lusca, nowise disconcerted by his uncomplianttone, rejoined:--"I shall speak to thee, Pyrrhus, of these and all othermatters, wherewith I may be commissioned by my lady, as often as sheshall bid me, whether it pleases or irks thee; but thou art a blockhead."

  So, somewhat chafed, Lusca bore Pyrrhus' answer back to her lady, whowould fain have died, when she heard it, and some days afterwards resumedthe topic, saying:--"Thou knowest, Lusca, that 'tis not the first strokethat fells the oak; wherefore, methinks, thou wert best go back to thisstrange man, who is minded to evince his loyalty at my expense, andchoosing a convenient time, declare to him all my passion, and do thybest endeavour that the affair be carried through; for if it should thuslapse, 'twould be the death of me; besides which, he would think we hadbut trifled with him, and, whereas 'tis his love we would have, we shouldearn his hatred." So, after comforting the lady, the maid hied her inquest of Pyrrhus, whom she found in a gladsome and propitious mood, andthus addressed:--"'Tis not many days, Pyrrhus, since I declared to theehow ardent is the flame with which thy lady and mine is consumed for loveof thee, and now again I do thee to wit the
reof, and that, if thou shaltnot relent of the harshness that thou didst manifest the other day, thoumayst rest assured that her life will be short: wherefore I pray thee tobe pleased to give her solace of her desire, and shouldst thou persist inthy obduracy, I, that gave thee credit for not a little sense, shall deemthee a great fool. How flattered thou shouldst be to know thyself belovedabove all else by a lady so beauteous and high-born! And how indebtedshouldst thou feel thyself to Fortune, seeing that she has in store forthee a boon so great and so suited to the cravings of thy youth, ay, andso like to be of service to thee upon occasion of need! Bethink thee, ifthere be any of thine equals whose life is ordered more agreeably thanthine will be if thou but be wise. Which of them wilt thou find so