THE FOURTH STORY
[Day the Second]
LANDOLFO RUFFOLO, GROWN POOR, TURNETH CORSAIR AND BEING TAKEN BY THE GENOESE, IS WRECKED AT SEA, BUT SAVETH HIMSELF UPON A COFFER FULL OF JEWELS OF PRICE AND BEING ENTERTAINED IN CORFU BY A WOMAN, RETURNETH HOME RICH
Lauretta, who sat next Pampinea, seeing her come to the gloriousending of her story, began, without awaiting more, to speak on thiswise: "Most gracious ladies, there can, to my judgment, be seen nogreater feat of fortune than when we behold one raised from the lowestmisery to royal estate, even as Pampinea's story hath shown it to havebetided her Alessandro. And for that from this time forth whosoeverrelateth of the appointed matter must of necessity speak within theselimits,[91] I shall think no shame to tell a story, which, albeit itcompriseth in itself yet greater distresses hath not withal sosplendid an issue. I know well, indeed, that, having regard unto that,my story will be hearkened with less diligence; but, as I can nootherwise, I shall be excused.
[Footnote 91: _i.e._ cannot hope to tell a story presenting moreextraordinary shifts from one to the other extreme of human fortunethan that of Pampinea.]
The sea-coast from Reggio to Gaeta is commonly believed to be wellnigh the most delightful part of Italy, and therein, pretty nearSalerno, is a hillside overlooking the sea, which the countryfolk callAmalfi Side, full of little towns and gardens and springs and of menas rich and stirring in the matter of trade as any in the world. Amongthe said cities is one called Ravello and therein, albeit nowadaysthere are rich men there, there was aforetime one, Landolfo Ruffolo byname, who was exceeding rich and who, his wealth sufficing him not,came nigh, in seeking to double it, to lose it all and himself withal.This man, then, having, after the usance of merchants, laid his plans,bought a great ship and freighting it all of his own monies withdivers merchandise, repaired therewith to Cyprus. There he foundsundry other ships come with the same kind and quality of merchandiseas he had brought, by reason of which not only was he constrained tomake great good cheap of his own venture, but it behoved him, an hewould dispose of his goods, well nigh to throw them away, whereby hewas brought near unto ruin.
Sore chagrined at this mischance and knowing not what to do, seeinghimself thus from a very rich man in brief space grown in a mannerpoor, he determined either to die or repair his losses by pillage, sohe might not return thither poor, whence he had departed rich.Accordingly, having found a purchaser for his great ship, with theprice thereof and that which he had gotten of his wares, he bought alittle vessel, light and apt for cruising and arming and garnishing itexcellent well with everything needful unto such a service, addressedhimself to make his purchase of other men's goods and especially ofthose of the Turks. In this trade fortune was far kinder to him thanshe had been in that of a merchant, for that, in some year's space,he plundered and took so many Turkish vessels that he found he had notonly gotten him his own again that he had lost in trade, but had morethan doubled his former substance. Whereupon, schooled by the chagrinof his former loss and deeming he had enough, he persuaded himself,rather than risk a second mischance, to rest content with that whichhe had, without seeking more. Accordingly he resolved to returntherewith to his own country and being fearful of trade, concerned nothimself to employ his money otherwise, but, thrusting his oars intothe water, set out homeward in that same little vessel wherewith hehad gained it.
He had already reached the Archipelago when there arose one evening aviolent south-east wind, which was not only contrary to his course,but raised so great a sea that his little vessel could not endure it;wherefore he took refuge in a bight of the sea, made by a littleisland, and there abode sheltered from the wind and purposing there toawait better weather. He had not lain there long when two greatGenoese carracks, coming from Constantinople, made their way withgreat difficulty into the little harbour, to avoid that from whichhimself had fled. The newcomers espied the little ship and hearingthat it pertained to Landolfo, whom they already knew by report to bevery rich, blocked against it the way by which it might depart andaddressed themselves, like men by nature rapacious and greedy ofgain,[92] to make prize of it. Accordingly, they landed part of theirmen well harnessed and armed with crossbows and posted them on suchwise that none might come down from the bark, an he would not be shot;whilst the rest, warping themselves in with small boats and aided bythe current, laid Landolfo's little ship aboard and took it out ofhand, crew and all, without missing a man. Landolfo they carriedaboard one of the carracks, leaving him but a sorry doublet; then,taking everything out of the ship, they scuttled her.
[Footnote 92: The Genoese have the reputation in Italy of beingthieves by nature.]
On the morrow, the wind having shifted, the carracks made sailwestward and fared on their voyage prosperously all that day; buttowards evening there arose a tempestuous wind which made the wavesrun mountains high and parted the two carracks one from the other.Moreover, from stress of wind it befell that that wherein was thewretched and unfortunate Landolfo smote with great violence upon ashoal over against the island of Cephalonia and parting amidships,broke all in sunder no otherwise than a glass dashed against a wall.The sea was in a moment all full of bales of merchandise and chestsand planks, that floated on the surface, as is wont to happen in suchcases, and the poor wretches on board, swimming, those who knew how,albeit it was a very dark night and the sea was exceeding great andswollen, fell to laying hold of such things as came within theirreach. Among the rest the unfortunate Landolfo, albeit many a timethat day he had called for death, (choosing rather to die than returnhome poor as he found himself,) seeing it near at hand, was fearfulthereof and like the others, laid hold of a plank that came to hishand, so haply, an he put off drowning awhile, God might send himsome means of escape.
Bestriding this, he kept himself afloat as best he might, drivenhither and thither of the sea and the wind, till daylight, when helooked about him and saw nothing but clouds and sea and a chestfloating on the waves, which bytimes, to his sore affright, drew nighunto him, for that he feared lest peradventure it should dash againsthim on such wise as to do him a mischief; wherefore, as often as itcame near him, he put it away from him as best he might with his hand,albeit he had little strength thereof. But presently there issued asudden flaw of wind out of the air and falling on the sea, smote uponthe chest and drove it with such violence against Landolfo's plankthat the latter was overset and he himself perforce went under water.However, he struck out and rising to the surface, aided more by fearthan by strength, saw the plank far removed from him, wherefore,fearing he might be unable to reach it again, he made for the chest,which was pretty near him, and laying himself flat with his breast onthe lid thereof, guided it with his arms as best he might.[93]
[Footnote 93: It seems doubtful whether _la reggeva diritta_ shouldnot rather be rendered "kept it upright." Boccaccio has a knack, verytrying to the translator, of constantly using words in an obscure orstrained sense.]
On this wise, tossed about by the sea now hither and now thither,without eating, as one indeed who had not the wherewithal, butdrinking more than he could have wished, he abode all that day and theensuing night, unknowing where he was and descrying nought but sea;but, on the following day, whether it was God's pleasure or stress ofwind that wrought it, he came, grown well nigh a sponge and clingingfast with both hands to the marges of the chest, even as we see thosedo who are like to drown, to the coast of the island of Corfu, where apoor woman chanced to be scouring her pots and pans and making thembright with sand and salt water. Seeing Landolfo draw near anddiscerning in him no [human] shape, she drew back, affrighted andcrying out. He could not speak and scarce saw, wherefore he saidnothing; but presently, the sea carrying him landward, the womandescried the shape of the chest and looking straitlier, perceivedfirst the arms outspread upon it and then the face and guessed it forthat which it was.
Accordingly, moved with compassion, she entered somedele into the sea,which was now calm, and seizing Landolfo by the hair, dragged himashore,
chest and all. There having with difficulty unclasped hishands from the chest, she set the latter on the head of a youngdaughter of hers, who was with her, and carried him off, as he were alittle child, to her hut, where she put him in a bagnio and so chafedand bathed him with warm water that the strayed heat returned to him,together with somewhat of his lost strength. Then, taking him up outof the bath, whenas it seemed good to her, she comforted him withsomewhat of good wine and confections and tended him some days, asbest she might, till he had recovered his strength and knew where hewas, when she judged it time to restore him his chest, which she hadkept safe for him, and to tell him that he might now prosecute hisfortune.
Landolfo, who had no recollection of the chest, yet took it, when thegood woman presented it to him, thinking it could not be so littleworth but that it might defray his expenses for some days, but,finding it very light, was sore abated of his hopes. Nevertheless,what while his hostess was abroad, he broke it open, to see what itcontained, and found therein store of precious stones, both set andunset. He had some knowledge of these matters and seeing them, knewthem to be of great value; wherefore he praised God, who had not yetforsaken him, and was altogether comforted. However, as one who had inbrief space been twice cruelly baffled by fortune, fearing a thirdmisadventure, he bethought himself that it behoved him use greatwariness and he would bring those things home; wherefore, wrappingthem, as best he might, in some rags, he told the good woman that hehad no more occasion for the chest, but that, an it pleased her, sheshould give him a bag and take the chest herself. This she willinglydid and he, having rendered her the best thanks in his power for thekindness received from her, shouldered his bag and going aboard abark, passed over to Brindisi and thence made his way, along thecoast, to Trani.
Here he found certain townsmen of his, who were drapers and clad himfor the love of God,[94] after he had related to them all hisadventures, except that of the chest; nay more, they lent him a horseand sent him, under escort, to Ravello, whither he said he would fainreturn. There, deeming himself in safety and thanking God who hadconducted him thither, he opened his bag and examining everything morediligently than he had yet done, found he had so many and such stonesthat, supposing he sold them at a fair price or even less, he wastwice as rich again as when he departed thence. Then, finding means todispose of his jewels, he sent a good sum of money to Corfu to thegood woman who had brought him forth of the sea, in requital of theservice received, and the like to Trani to those who had reclothedhim. The rest he kept for himself and lived in honour and worship tothe end of his days, without seeking to trade any more."
[Footnote 94: _i.e._ for nothing.]
The Decameron of Giovanni Boccaccio Page 18