The Decameron, Volume II

by Giovanni Boccaccio

her he grew distracted, anddid nought all day long but loiter about the village on the chance ofcatching sight of her. And if of a Sunday morning he espied her inchurch, he strove might and main to acquit himself of his Kyrie andSanctus in the style of a great singer, albeit his performance was likerto the braying of an ass: whereas, if he saw her not, he scarce exertedhimself at all. However, he managed with such discretion that neitherBentivegna del Mazzo nor any of the neighbours wist aught of his love.And hoping thereby to ingratiate himself with Monna Belcolore, he fromtime to time would send her presents, now a clove of fresh garlic, thebest in all the country-side, from his own garden, which he tilled withhis own hands, and anon a basket of beans or a bunch of chives orshallots; and, when he thought it might serve his turn, he would give hera sly glance, and follow it up with a little amorous mocking and mowing,which she, with rustic awkwardness, feigned not to understand, and evermaintained her reserve, so that Master Priest made no headway.

  Now it so befell that one day, when the priest at high noon was aimlesslygadding about the village, he encountered Bentivegna del Mazzo at thetail of a well laden ass; and greeted him, asking him whither he wasgoing. "I'faith, Sir," quoth Bentivegna, "for sure 'tis to town I go,having an affair or two to attend to there; and I am taking these thingsto Ser Buonaccorri da Ginestreto, to get him to stand by me in I wot notwhat matter, whereof the justice o' th' coram has by his provoker servedme with a pertrumpery summons to appear before him." Whereupon:--"'Tiswell, my son," quoth the priest, overjoyed, "my blessing go with thee:good luck to thee and a speedy return; and harkye, shouldst thou seeLapuccio or Naldino, do not forget to tell them to send me those thongsfor my flails." "It shall be done," quoth Bentivegna, and jogged ontowards Florence, while the priest, thinking that now was his time to hiehim to Belcolore and try his fortune, put his best leg forward, andstayed not till he was at the house, which entering, he said:--"God begracious to us! Who is within?" Belcolore, who was up in the loft, madeanswer:--"Welcome, Sir; but what dost thou, gadding about in the heat?""Why, as I hope for God's blessing," quoth he, "I am just come to staywith thee a while, having met thy husband on his way to town." Whereupondown came Belcolore, took a seat, and began sifting cabbage-seed that herhusband had lately threshed. By and by the priest began:--"So, Belcolore,wilt thou keep me ever a dying thus?" Whereat Belcolore tittered, andsaid:--"Why, what is't I do to you?" "Truly, nothing at all," replied thepriest: "but thou sufferest me not to do to thee that which I had lief,and which God commands." "Now away with you!" returned Belcolore, "dopriests do that sort of thing?" "Indeed we do," quoth the priest, "and tobetter purpose than others: why not? I tell you our grinding is farbetter; and wouldst thou know why? 'tis because 'tis intermittent. And intruth 'twill be well worth thy while to keep thine own counsel, and letme do it." "Worth my while!" ejaculated Belcolore. "How may that be?There is never a one of you but would overreach the very Devil." "'Tisnot for me to say," returned the priest; "say but what thou wouldst have:shall it be a pair of dainty shoes? Or wouldst thou prefer a fillet? Orperchance a gay riband? What's thy will?" "Marry, no lack have I," quothBelcolore, "of such things as these. But, if you wish me so well, why dome not a service? and I would then be at your command." "Name but theservice," returned the priest, "and gladly will I do it." Quoth thenBelcolore:--"On Saturday I have to go to Florence to deliver some woolthat I have spun, and to get my spinning-wheel put in order: lend me butfive pounds--I know you have them--and I will redeem my perse petticoatfrom the pawnshop, and also the girdle that I wear on saints' days, andthat I had when I was married--you see that without them I cannot go tochurch or anywhere else, and then I will do just as you wish thenceforthand forever." Whereupon:--"So God give me a good year," quoth he, "as Ihave not the money with me: but never fear that I will see that thou hastit before Saturday with all the pleasure in life." "Ay, ay," rejoinedBelcolore, "you all make great promises, but then you never keep them.Think you to serve me as you served Biliuzza, whom you left in the lurchat last? God's faith, you do not so. To think that she turned woman ofthe world just for that! If you have not the money with you, why, go andget it." "Prithee," returned the priest, "send me not home just now. For,seest thou, 'tis the very nick of time with me, and the coast is clear,and perchance it might not be so on my return, and in short I know notwhen it would be likely to go so well as now." Whereto she did butrejoin:--"Good; if you are minded to go, get you gone; if not, stay whereyou are." The priest, therefore, seeing that she was not disposed to givehim what he wanted, as he was fain, to wit, on his own terms, but wasbent upon having a quid pro quo, changed his tone; and:--"Lo, now," quothhe, "thou doubtest I will not bring thee the money; so to set thy mind atrest, I will leave thee this cloak--thou seest 'tis good sky-bluesilk--in pledge." So raising her head and glancing at the cloak:--"Andwhat may the cloak be worth?" quoth Belcolore. "Worth!" ejaculated thepriest: "I would have thee know that 'tis all Douai, not to say Trouai,make: nay, there are some of our folk here that say 'tis Quadrouai; and'tis not a fortnight since I bought it of Lotto, the secondhand dealer,for seven good pounds, and then had it five good soldi under value, bywhat I hear from Buglietto, who, thou knowest, is an excellent judge ofthese articles." "Oh! say you so?" exclaimed Belcolore. "So help me God,I should not have thought it; however, let me look at it." So MasterPriest, being ready for action, doffed the cloak and handed it to her.And she, having put it in a safe place, said to him:--"Now, Sir, we willaway to the hut; there is never a soul goes there;" and so they did. Andthere Master Priest, giving her many a mighty buss and straining her tohis sacred person, solaced himself with her no little while.

  Which done, he hied him away in his cassock, as if he were come fromofficiating at a wedding; but, when he was back in his holy quarters, hebethought him that not all the candles that he received by way ofoffering in the course of an entire year would amount to the half of fivepounds, and saw that he had made a bad bargain, and repented him that hehad left the cloak in pledge, and cast about how he might recover itwithout paying anything. And as he did not lack cunning, he hit upon anexcellent expedient, by which he compassed his end. So on the morrow,being a saint's day, he sent a neighbour's lad to Monna Belcolore with arequest that she would be so good as to lend him her stone mortar, forthat Binguccio dal Poggio and Nuto Buglietti were to breakfast with himthat morning, and he therefore wished to make a sauce. Belcolore havingsent the mortar, the priest, about breakfast time, reckoning thatBentivegna del Mazzo and Belcolore would be at their meal, called hisclerk, and said to him:--"Take the mortar back to Belcolore, andsay:--'My master thanks you very kindly, and bids you return the cloakthat the lad left with you in pledge.'" The clerk took the mortar toBelcolore's house, where, finding her at table with Bentivegna, he setthe mortar down and delivered the priest's message. Whereto Belcolorewould fain have demurred; but Bentivegna gave her a threatening glance,saying:--"So, then, thou takest a pledge from Master Priest? By Christ, Ivow, I have half a mind to give thee a great clout o' the chin. Go, giveit back at once, a murrain on thee! And look to it that whatever he mayhave a mind to, were it our very ass, he be never denied." So, with avery bad grace, Belcolore got up, and went to the wardrobe, and took outthe cloak, and gave it to the clerk, saying:--"Tell thy master fromme:--Would to God he may never ply pestle in my mortar again, such honourhas he done me for this turn!" So the clerk returned with the cloak, anddelivered the message to Master Priest; who, laughing, madeanswer:--"Tell her, when thou next seest her, that, so she lend us notthe mortar, I will not lend her the pestle: be it tit for tat."

  Bentivegna made no account of his wife's words, deeming that 'twas buthis chiding that had provoked them. But Belcolore was not a littledispleased with Master Priest, and had never a word to say to him tillthe vintage; after which, what with the salutary fear in which she stoodof the mouth of Lucifer the Great, to which he threatened to consign her,and the must and roast chestnuts that he sent her, she made it up withhim, and many a jolly time they had together. And though she got not thefive pounds fr
om him, he put a new skin on her tabret, and fitted it witha little bell, wherewith she was satisfied.

  (1) For this folk-song see Cantilene e Ballate, Strambotti e Madrigali,ed. Carducci (1871), p. 60. The fragment there printed maybe freelyrendered as follows:--

  The borage is full sappy, And clusters red we see,And my love would make me happy; So that maiden give to me.

  Ill set I