The Decameron, Volume II

by Giovanni Boccaccio

herthat none knew where she had been, save those that had brought her herclothes and the husbandman that was there present, was somewhat consoled,and besought her for God's sake to say nought of the matter to any. Thuslong time they conversed, and then the husbandman took the lady on hisshoulders, for walk she could not, and bore her safely out of the tower.The unfortunate maid, following after with somewhat less caution,slipped, and falling from the ladder to the ground, broke her thigh, androared for pain like any lion. So the husbandman set the lady down upon agrassy mead, while he went to see what had befallen the maid, whom,finding her thigh broken, he brought, and laid beside the lady: who,seeing her woes completed by this last misfortune, and that she of whom,most of all, she had expected succour, was lamed of a thigh, wasdistressed beyond measure, and wept again so piteously that not only wasthe husbandman powerless to comfort her, but was himself fain to weep.However, as the sun was now low, that they might not be there surprisedby night, he, with the disconsolate lady's approval, hied him home, andcalled to his aid two of his brothers and his wife, who returned withhim, bearing a plank, whereon they laid the maid, and so they carried herto the lady's house. There, by dint of cold water and words of cheer,they restored some heart to the lady, whom the husbandman then took uponhis shoulders, and bore to her chamber. The husbandman's wife fed herwith sops of bread, and then undressed her, and put her to bed. They alsoprovided the means to carry her and the maid to Florence; and so 'twasdone. There the lady, who was very fertile in artifices, invented anentirely fictitious story of what had happened as well in regard of hermaid as of herself, whereby she persuaded both her brothers and hersisters and every one else, that 'twas all due to the enchantments ofevil spirits. The physicians lost no time, and, albeit the lady'ssuffering and mortification were extreme, for she left more than one skinsticking to the sheets, they cured her of a high fever, and certainattendant maladies; as also the maid of her fractured thigh. The end ofall which was that the lady forgot her lover, and having learneddiscretion, was thenceforth careful neither to love nor to flout; and thescholar, learning that the maid had broken her thigh, deemed hisvengeance complete, and was satisfied to say never a word more of theaffair. Such then were the consequences of her flouts to this foolishyoung woman, who deemed that she might trifle with a scholar with thelike impunity as with others, not duly understanding that they--I say notall, but the more part--know where the Devil keeps his tail.(1)Wherefore, my ladies, have a care how you flout men, and more especiallyscholars.

  (1) I.e. are a match for the Devil himself in cunning.

  NOVEL VIII.

  --Two men keep with one another: the one lies with the other's wife: theother, being ware thereof, manages with the aid of his wife to have theone locked in a chest, upon which he then lies with the wife of him thatis locked therein.--

  Grievous and distressful was it to the ladies to hear how it fared withElena; but as they accounted the retribution in a measure righteous, theywere satisfied to expend upon her but a moderate degree of compassion,albeit they censured the scholar as severe, intemperately relentless, andindeed ruthless, in his vengeance. However, Pampinea having brought thestory to a close, the queen bade Fiammetta follow suit; and prompt toobey, Fiammetta thus spoke:--Debonair my ladies, as, methinks, yourfeelings must have been somewhat harrowed by the severity of theresentful scholar, I deem it meet to soothe your vexed spirits withsomething of a more cheerful order. Wherefore I am minded to tell you alittle story of a young man who bore an affront in a milder temper, andavenged himself with more moderation. Whereby you may understand that oneshould be satisfied if the ass and the wall are quits, nor by indulging avindictive spirit to excess turn the requital of a wrong into an occasionof wrong-doing. You are to know, then, that at Siena, as I have heardtell, there dwelt two young men of good substance, and, for plebeians, ofgood family, the one Spinelloccio Tanena, the other Zeppa di Mino, byname; who, their houses being contiguous in the Camollia,(1) kept evertogether, and, by what appeared, loved each other as brothers, or evenmore so, and had each a very fine woman to wife. Now it so befell thatSpinelloccio, being much in Zeppa's house, as well when Zeppa was not, aswhen he was there, grew so familiar with Zeppa's wife, that he sometimeslay with her; and on this wise they continued to forgather a great whilebefore any one was ware of it. However, one of these days Zeppa being athome, though the lady wist it not, Spinelloccio came in quest of him;and, the lady sending word that he was not at home, he forthwith wentupstairs and found the lady in the saloon, and seeing none else there,kissed her, as did she him.

  Zeppa saw all that passed, but said nothing and kept close, being mindedto see how the game would end, and soon saw his wife and Spinelloccio,still in one another's arms, hie them to her chamber and lock themselvesin: whereat he was mightily incensed. But, witting that to make a noise,or do aught else overt, would not lessen but rather increase hisdishonour, he cast about how he might be avenged on such wise that,without the affair getting wind, he might content his soul; and having,after long pondering, hit, as he thought, upon the expedient, he budgednot from his retreat, until Spinelloccio had parted from the lady.Whereupon he hied him into the chamber, and there finding the lady withher head-gear, which Spinelloccio in toying with her had disarranged,scarce yet readjusted:--"Madam, what dost thou?" quoth he.Whereto:--"Why, dost not see?" returned the lady. "Troth do I," rejoinedhe, "and somewhat else have I seen that I would I had not." And so hequestioned her of what had passed, and she, being mightily afraid, didafter long parley confess that which she might not plausibly deny, towit, her intimacy with Spinelloccio, and fell a beseeching him with tearsto pardon her. "Lo, now, wife," quoth Zeppa, "thou hast done wrong, and,so thou wouldst have me pardon thee, have a care to do exactly as I shallbid thee; to wit, on this wise: thou must tell Spinelloccio, to find someoccasion to part from me to-morrow morning about tierce, and come hitherto thee; and while he is here I will come back, and when thou hearest mecoming, thou wilt get him into this chest, and lock him in there; whichwhen thou hast done, I will tell thee what else thou hast to do, whichthou mayst do without the least misgiving, for I promise thee I will dohim no harm." The lady, to content him, promised to do as he bade, andshe kept her word.

  The morrow came, and Zeppa and Spinelloccio being together about tierce,Spinelloccio, having promised the lady to come to see her at that hour,said to Zeppa:--"I must go breakfast with a friend, whom I had lief notkeep in waiting; therefore, adieu!" "Nay, but," quoth Zeppa, "'tis notyet breakfast-time." "No matter," returned Spinelloccio, "I have businesson which I must speak with him; so I must be in good time." WhereuponSpinelloccio took his leave of Zeppa, and having reached Zeppa's house bya slightly circuitous route, and finding his wife there, was taken by herinto the chamber, where they had not been long together when Zeppareturned. Hearing him come, the lady, feigning no small alarm, bundledSpinelloccio into the chest, as her husband had bidden her, and havinglocked him in, left him there. As Zeppa came upstairs:--"Wife," quoth he,"is it breakfast time?" "Ay, husband, 'tis so," replied the lady.Whereupon:--"Spinelloccio is gone to breakfast with a friend to-day,"quoth Zeppa, "leaving his wife at home: get thee to the window, and callher, and bid her come and breakfast with us." The lady, whose fear forherself made her mighty obedient, did as her husband bade her; and aftermuch pressing Spinelloccio's wife came to breakfast with them, though shewas given to understand that her husband would not be of the company. So,she being come, Zeppa received her most affectionately, and taking herfamiliarly by the hand, bade his wife, in an undertone, get her to thekitchen; he then led Spinelloccio's wife into the chamber, and locked thedoor. Hearing the key turn in the lock:--"Alas!" quoth the lady, "whatmeans this, Zeppa? Is't for this you have brought me here? Is this thelove you bear Spinelloccio? Is this your loyalty to him as your friendand comrade?" By the time she had done speaking, Zeppa, still keepingfast hold of her, was beside the chest, in which her husband was locked.Wherefore:--"Madam," quoth he, "spare me thy reproaches, until thou hastheard what I have to say to thee.
I have loved, I yet love, Spinelloccioas a brother; and yesterday, though he knew it not, I discovered that thetrust I reposed in him has for its guerdon that he lies with my wife, aswith thee. Now, for that I love him, I purpose not to be avenged upon himsave in the sort in which he offended. He has had my wife, and I intendto have thee. So thou wilt not grant me what I crave of thee, be sure Ishall not fail to take it; and having no mind to let this affront passunavenged, will make such play with him that neither thou nor he shallever be happy again." The lady hearkening, and by dint of his repeatedasseverations coming at length to believe him:--"Zeppa mine," quoth she,"as this thy vengeance is to light upon me, well content