The Decameron, Volume II

by Giovanni Boccaccio

growing, if possible, greater friends day by day.

  Exceeding sacred then, is friendship, and worthy not only to be had inveneration, but to be extolled with never-ending praise, as the mostdutiful mother of magnificence and seemliness, sister of gratitude andcharity, and foe to enmity and avarice; ever, without waiting to beasked, ready to do as generously by another as she would be done byherself. Rarely indeed is it to-day that twain are found, in whom hermost holy fruits are manifest; for which is most shamefully answerablethe covetousness of mankind, which, regarding only private interest, hasbanished friendship beyond earth's farthest bourne, there to abide inperpetual exile. How should love, or wealth, or kinship, how should aughtbut friendship have so quickened the soul of Gisippus that the tears andsighs of Titus should incline his heart to cede to him the fair andgracious lady that was his betrothed and his beloved? Laws, menaces,terror! How should these, how should aught but friendship, have withheldGisippus, in lonely places, in hidden retreats, in his own bed, fromenfolding (not perchance unsolicited by her) the fair damsel within hisyouthful embrace? Honours, rewards, gains! Would Gisippus for these,would he for aught but friendship, have made nothing of the loss ofkindred--his own and Sophronia's--have made nothing of the injuriousmurmurs of the populace, have made nothing of mocks and scorns, so onlyhe might content his friend? And on the other hand, for what other causethan friendship had Titus, when he might decently have feigned not tosee, have striven with the utmost zeal to compass his own death, and sethimself upon the cross in Gisippus' stead? And what but friendship hadleft no place for suspicion in the soul of Titus, and filled it with amost fervent desire to give his sister to Gisippus, albeit he saw him tobe reduced to extreme penury and destitution? But so it is that men covethosts of acquaintance, troops of kinsfolk, offspring in plenty; and thenumber of their dependants increases with their wealth; and they reflectnot that there is none of these, be he who he may, but will be moreapprehensive of the least peril threatening himself than cumbered toavert a great peril from his lord or kinsman, whereas between friends weknow 'tis quite contrariwise.

  NOVEL IX.

  --Saladin, in guise of a merchant, is honourably entreated by MesserTorello. The Crusade ensuing, Messer Torello appoints a date, after whichhis wife may marry again: he is taken prisoner, and by training hawkscomes under the Soldan's notice. The Soldan recognizes him, makes himselfknown to him, and entreats him with all honour. Messer Torello fallssick, and by magic arts is transported in a single night to Pavia, wherehis wife's second marriage is then to be solemnized, and being presentthereat, is recognized by her, and returns with her to his house.--

  So ended Filomena her story, and when all alike had commended themagnificence shewn by Titus in his gratitude, the king, reserving thelast place for Dioneo, thus began:--Lovesome my ladies, true beyond allquestion is what Filomena reports of friendship, and with justice did shedeplore in her closing words the little account in which 'tis held to-dayamong mortals. And were we here for the purpose of correcting, or even ofcensuring, the vices of the age, I should add a copious sequel to herdiscourse; but as we have another end in view, it has occurred to me toset before you in a narrative, which will be of considerable length, butentertaining throughout, an instance of Saladin's magnificence, to theend that, albeit, by reason of our vices, it may not be possible for usto gain to the full the friendship of any, yet by the matters whereof youshall hear in my story we may at least be incited to take delight indoing good offices, in the hope that sooner or later we may come by ourreward thereof.

  I say, then, that in the time of the Emperor Frederic I., as certainwriters affirm, the Christians made common emprise for the recovery ofthe Holy Land. Whereof that most valiant prince, Saladin, then Soldan ofBabylonia, being in good time apprised, resolved to see for himself thepreparations made by the Christian potentates for the said emprise, thathe might put himself in better trim to meet them. So, having ordered allthings to his mind in Egypt, he made as if he were bound on a pilgrimage,and attended only by two of his chiefest and sagest lords, and threeservants, took the road in the guise of a merchant. And having surveyedmany provinces of Christendom, as they rode through Lombardy with intentto cross the Alps, they chanced, between Milan and Pavia, to fall in witha gentleman, one Messer Torello d'Istria da Pavia, who with his servantsand his dogs and falcons was betaking him to a fine estate that he had onthe Ticino, there to tarry a while. Now Messer Torello no sooner espiedSaladin and his lords than he guessed them to be gentlemen andforeigners; and, being zealous to do them honour, when Saladin asked oneof his servants how far off Pavia might still be, and if he might winthere in time to enter the town, he suffered not the servant to makeanswer, but:--"No, gentlemen," quoth he, "by the time you reach Pavia'twill be too late for you to enter." "So!" replied Saladin, "then mightyou be pleased to direct us, as we are strangers, where we may best belodged?" "That gladly will I," returned Messer Torello. "I was but nowthinking to send one of these my men on an errand to Pavia; I will sendhim with you, and he will guide you to a place where you will find verycomfortable quarters." Then, turning to one of his most trusty servants,he gave him his instructions, and despatched him with them: after which,he repaired to his estate, and forthwith, as best he might, caused agoodly supper to be made ready, and the tables set in his garden; whichdone, he stationed himself at the gate on the look-out for his guests.

  The servant, conversing with the gentlemen of divers matters, broughtthem by devious roads to his lord's estate without their being ware ofit. Whom as soon as Messer Torello espied, he came forth afoot to meetthem, and said with a smile:--"A hearty welcome to you, gentlemen." NowSaladin, being very quick of apprehension, perceived that the knight haddoubted, when he met them, that, were he to bid them to his house, theymight not accept his hospitality; and accordingly, that it might not bein their power to decline it, had brought them to his house by a ruse.And so, returning his greeting:--"Sir," quoth he, "were it meet to findfault with those that shew courtesy, we should have a grievance againstyou, for that, to say nought of somewhat delaying our journey, you havein guerdon of a single greeting constrained us to accept so noble acourtesy as yours." Whereto the knight, who was of good understanding andwell-spoken, made answer:--"Gentlemen, such courtesy as we shew you will,in comparison of that which, by what I gather from your aspect, were meetfor you, prove but a sorry thing; but in sooth this side of Pavia youmight not anywhere have been well lodged; wherefore take it not amissthat you have come somewhat out of your way to find less discomfortablequarters." And as he spoke, about them flocked the servants, who, havinghelped them to dismount, saw to their horses; whereupon Messer Torelloconducted them to the chambers that were made ready for them, where,having caused them to be relieved of their boots, and refreshed with thecoolest of wines, he held pleasant converse with them until supper-time.Saladin and his lords and servants all knew Latin, so that they bothunderstood and made themselves understood very well, and there was noneof them but adjudged this knight to be the most agreeable and debonairman, and therewithal the best talker, that he had ever seen; while toMesser Torello, on the other hand, they shewed as far greater magnificoesthan he had at first supposed, whereby he was inly vexed that he had notbeen able that evening to do them the honours of company, and a moreceremonious banquet. For which default he resolved to make amends on theensuing morning: wherefore, having imparted to one of his servants thatwhich he would have done, he sent him to his most judicious andhighminded lady at Pavia, which was close by, and where never a gate waslocked. Which done, he brought the gentlemen into the garden, andcourteously asked them who they were. "We are Cypriote merchants,"replied Saladin, "and 'tis from Cyprus we come, and we are on our way toParis on business." Quoth then Messer Torello:--"Would to God that ourcountry bred gentlemen of such a quality as are the merchants that I seeCyprus breeds!" From which they passed to discourse of other matters,until, supper-time being come, he besought them to seat them at table;whereat, considering that the supper was but improvised, theirentertai
nment was excellent and well-ordered.

  The tables being cleared, Messer Torello, surmising that they must beweary, kept them no long time from their rest, but bestowed them in mostcomfortable beds, and soon after went to rest himself. Meanwhile theservant that he had sent to Pavia did his lord's errand to the lady, who,in the style rather of a queen than of a housewife, forthwith assemblednot a few of Messer Torello's friends and vassals, and caused all meetpreparation to be made for a magnificent banquet, and by messengersbearing torches bade not a few of the noblest of the citizens thereto;and had store of silken and other fabrics and vair brought in, and allset in order in every point as her husband had directed. Day came, andthe gentlemen being risen, Messer Torello got him to horse with them, andhaving sent