The Decameron of Giovanni Boccaccio

by Giovanni Boccaccio

  THE NINTH STORY

  [Day the Third]

  GILLETTE DE NARBONNE RECOVERETH THE KING OF FRANCE OF A FISTULA AND DEMANDETH FOR HER HUSBAND BERTRAND DE ROUSSILLON, WHO MARRIETH HER AGAINST HIS WILL AND BETAKETH HIM FOR DESPITE TO FLORENCE, WHERE, HE PAYING COURT TO A YOUNG LADY, GILLETTE, IN THE PERSON OF THE LATTER, LIETH WITH HIM AND HATH BY HIM TWO SONS; WHEREFORE AFTER, HOLDING HER DEAR, HE ENTERTAINETH HER FOR HIS WIFE

  Lauretta's story being now ended, it rested but with the queen totell, an she would not infringe upon Dioneo's privilege; wherefore,without waiting to be solicited by her companions, she began allblithesomely to speak thus: "Who shall tell a story that may appeargoodly, now we have heard that of Lauretta? Certes, it was well for usthat hers was not the first, for that few of the others would havepleased after it, as I misdoubt me[199] will betide of those which areyet to tell this day. Natheless, be that as it may, I will e'enrecount to you that which occurreth to me upon the proposed theme.

  [Footnote 199: Lit. and so I hope (_spero_), a curious instance of theancient Dantesque use of the word _spero_, I hope, in its contrarysense of fear.]

  There was in the kingdom of France a gentleman called Isnard, Count ofRoussillon, who, for that he was scant of health, still entertainedabout his person a physician, by name Master Gerard de Narbonne. Thesaid count had one little son, and no more, hight Bertrand, who wasexceeding handsome and agreeable, and with him other children of hisown age were brought up. Among these latter was a daughter of theaforesaid physician, by name Gillette, who vowed to the said Bertrandan infinite love and fervent more than pertained unto her tenderyears. The count dying and leaving his son in the hands of the king,it behoved him betake himself to Paris, whereof the damsel abode soredisconsolate, and her own father dying no great while after, she wouldfain, an she might have had a seemly occasion, have gone to Paris tosee Bertrand: but, being straitly guarded, for that she was left richand alone, she saw no honourable way thereto; and being now of age fora husband and having never been able to forget Bertrand, she had,without reason assigned, refused many to whom her kinsfolk would havemarried her.

  Now it befell that, what while she burned more than ever for love ofBertrand, for that she heard he was grown a very goodly gentleman,news came to her how the King of France, by an imposthume which he hadhad in his breast and which had been ill tended, had gotten a fistula,which occasioned him the utmost anguish and annoy, nor had he yet beenable to find a physician who might avail to recover him thereof,albeit many had essayed it, but all had aggravated the ill; whereforethe king, despairing of cure, would have no more counsel nor aid ofany. Hereof the young lady was beyond measure content and bethoughtherself that not only would this furnish her with a legitimateoccasion of going to Paris, but that, should the king's ailment besuch as she believed, she might lightly avail to have Bertrand tohusband. Accordingly, having aforetime learned many things of herfather, she made a powder of certain simples useful for such aninfirmity as she conceived the king's to be and taking horse, repairedto Paris.

  Before aught else she studied to see Bertrand and next, presentingherself before the king, she prayed him of his favour to show her hisailment. The king, seeing her a fair and engaging damsel, knew not howto deny her and showed her that which ailed him. Whenas she saw it,she was certified incontinent that she could heal it and accordinglysaid, 'My lord, an it please you, I hope in God to make you whole ofthis your infirmity in eight days' time, without annoy or fatigue onyour part.' The king scoffed in himself at her words, saying, 'Thatwhich the best physicians in the world have availed not neither knownto do, how shall a young woman know?' Accordingly, he thanked her forher good will and answered that he was resolved no more to follow thecounsel of physicians. Whereupon quoth the damsel, 'My lord, you makelight of my skill, for that I am young and a woman; but I would haveyou bear in mind that I medicine not of mine own science, but with theaid of God and the science of Master Gerard de Narbonne, who was myfather and a famous physician whilst he lived.'

  The king, hearing this, said in himself, 'It may be this woman is sentme of God; why should I not make proof of her knowledge, since shesaith she will, without annoy of mine, cure me in little time?'Accordingly, being resolved to essay her, he said, 'Damsel, and if youcure us not, after causing us break our resolution, what will you haveensue to you therefor?' 'My lord,' answered she, 'set a guard upon meand if I cure you not within eight days, let burn me alive; but, if Icure you, what reward shall I have?' Quoth the king, 'You seem as yetunhusbanded; if you do this, we will marry you well and worshipfully.''My lord,' replied the young lady, 'I am well pleased that you shouldmarry me, but I will have a husband such as I shall ask of you,excepting always any one of your sons or of the royal house.' Hereadily promised her that which she sought, whereupon she began hercure and in brief, before the term limited, she brought him back tohealth.

  The king, feeling himself healed, said, 'Damsel, you have well earnedyour husband'; whereto she answered, 'Then, my lord, I have earnedBertrand de Roussillon, whom I began to love even in the days of mychildhood and have ever since loved over all.' The king deemed it agrave matter to give him to her; nevertheless, having promised her andunwilling to fail of his faith, he let call the count to himself andbespoke him thus: 'Bertrand, you are now of age and accomplished [inall that behoveth unto man's estate];[200] wherefore it is ourpleasure that you return to govern your county and carry with you adamsel, whom we have given you to wife.' 'And who is the damsel, mylord?' asked Bertrand; to which the king answered, 'It is she who hathwith her medicines restored to us our health.'

  [Footnote 200: _Fornito_, a notable example of what the illustriousLewis Carroll Dodgson, Waywode of Wonderland, calls a "portmanteau-word,"a species that abounds in mediaeval Italian, for the confusion oftranslators.]

  Bertrand, who had seen and recognized Gillette, knowing her (albeitshe seemed to him very fair) to be of no such lineage as sorted withhis quality, said all disdainfully, 'My lord, will you then marry meto a she-leach? Now God forbid I should ever take such an one towife!' 'Then,' said the king, 'will you have us fail of our faith, thewhich, to have our health again, we pledged to the damsel, who inguerdon thereof demanded you to husband?' 'My lord,' answeredBertrand, 'you may, an you will, take from me whatsoever I possess or,as your liegeman, bestow me upon whoso pleaseth you; but of this Icertify you, that I will never be a consenting party unto such amarriage.' 'Nay,' rejoined the king, 'but you shall, for that thedamsel is fair and wise and loveth you dear; wherefore we doubt notbut you will have a far happier life with her than with a lady ofhigher lineage.' Bertrand held his peace and the king let make greatpreparations for the celebration of the marriage.

  The appointed day being come, Bertrand, sore against his will, in thepresence of the king, espoused the damsel, who loved him more thanherself. This done, having already determined in himself what heshould do, he sought leave of the king to depart, saying he would fainreturn to his county and there consummate the marriage; then, takinghorse, he repaired not thither, but betook himself into Tuscany,where, hearing that the Florentines were at war with those of Sienna,he determined to join himself to the former, by whom he was joyfullyreceived and made captain over a certain number of men-at-arms; andthere, being well provided[201] of them, he abode a pretty while intheir service.

  [Footnote 201: _i.e._ getting good pay and allowances (_avendo buonaprovisione_).]

  The newly-made wife, ill content with such a lot, but hoping by herfair dealing to recall him to his county, betook herself toRoussillon, where she was received of all as their liege lady. There,finding everything waste and disordered for the long time that theland had been without a lord, with great diligence and solicitude,like a discreet lady as she was, she set all in order again, whereofthe count's vassals were mightily content and held her exceeding dear,vowing her a great love and blaming the count sore for that heaccepted not of her. The lady, having thoroughly ordered the county,notified the count thereof by two
knights, whom she despatched to him,praying him that, an it were on her account he forbore to come to hiscounty, he should signify it to her and she, to pleasure him, woulddepart thence; but he answered them very harshly, saying, 'For that,let her do her pleasure; I, for my part, will return thither to abidewith her, whenas she shall have this my ring on her finger and in herarms a son by me begotten.' Now the ring in question he held very dearand never parted with it, by reason of a certain virtue which it hadbeen given him to understand that it had.

  The knights understood the hardship of the condition implied in thesetwo well nigh impossible requirements, but, seeing that they might notby their words avail to move him from his purpose, they returned tothe lady and reported to her his reply; whereat she was sore afflictedand determined, after long consideration, to seek to learn if andwhere the two things aforesaid might be compassed, to the intent thatshe might, in consequence, have her husband again. Accordingly, havingbethought herself what she should do, she assembled certain of thebest and chiefest men of the county and with plaintive speech veryorderly recounted to them that which she had already done for love ofthe count and showed them what had ensued thereof, adding that it wasnot her intent that, through her sojourn there, the count should abidein perpetual exile; nay, rather she purposed to spend the rest of herlife in pilgrimages and works of mercy and charity for her soul'shealth; wherefore she prayed them take the ward and governance of thecounty and notify the count that she had left him free and vacantpossession and had departed the country, intending nevermore to returnto Roussillon. Many were the tears shed by the good folk, whilst shespoke, and many the prayers addressed to her that it would please herchange counsel and abide there; but they availed nought. Then,commending them to God, she set out upon her way, without telling anywhither she was bound, well furnished with monies and jewels of priceand accompanied by a cousin of hers and a chamberwoman, all inpilgrims' habits, and stayed not till she came to Florence, where,chancing upon a little inn, kept by a decent widow woman, she theretook up her abode and lived quietly, after the fashion of a poorpilgrim, impatient to hear news of her lord.

  It befell, then, that on the morrow of her arrival she saw Bertrandpass before her lodging, a-horseback with his company, and albeit sheknew him full well, natheless she asked the good woman of the inn whohe was. The hostess answered, 'That is a stranger gentleman, whocalleth himself Count Bertrand, a pleasant man and a courteous andmuch loved in this city; and he is the most enamoured man in the worldof a she-neighbour of ours, who is a gentlewoman, but poor. Sooth tosay, she is a very virtuous damsel and abideth, being yet unmarriedfor poverty, with her mother, a very good and discreet lady, but forwhom, maybe, she had already done the count's pleasure.' The countesstook good note of what she heard and having more closely enquired intoevery particular and apprehended all aright, determined in herself howshe should do.

  Accordingly, having learned the house and name of the lady whosedaughter the count loved, she one day repaired privily thither in herpilgrim's habit and finding the mother and daughter in very poor case,saluted them and told the former that, an it pleased her, she wouldfain speak with her alone. The gentlewoman, rising, replied that shewas ready to hearken to her and accordingly carried her into a chamberof hers, where they seated themselves and the countess began thus,'Madam, meseemeth you are of the enemies of Fortune, even as I am;but, an you will, belike you may be able to relieve both yourself andme.' The lady answered that she desired nothing better than to relieveherself by any honest means; and the countess went on, 'Needs must youpledge me your faith, whereto an I commit myself and you deceive me,you will mar your own affairs and mine.' 'Tell me anything you will inall assurance,' replied the gentlewoman; 'for never shall you findyourself deceived of me.'

  Thereupon the countess, beginning with her first enamourment,recounted to her who she was and all that had betided her to that dayafter such a fashion that the gentlewoman, putting faith in her wordsand having, indeed, already in part heard her story from others, beganto have compassion of her. The countess, having related heradventures, went on to say, 'You have now, amongst my other troubles,heard what are the two things which it behoveth me have, an I wouldhave my husband, and to which I know none who can help me, save onlyyourself, if that be true which I hear, to wit, that the count myhusband is passionately enamoured of your daughter.' 'Madam,' answeredthe gentlewoman, 'if the count love my daughter I know not; indeed hemaketh a great show thereof. But, an it be so, what can I do in thisthat you desire?' 'Madam,' rejoined the countess, 'I will tell you;but first I will e'en show you what I purpose shall ensue thereof toyou, an you serve me. I see your daughter fair and of age for ahusband and according to what I have heard, meseemeth I understand thelack of good to marry her withal it is that causeth you keep her athome. Now I purpose, in requital of the service you shall do me, togive her forthright of mine own monies such a dowry as you yourselfshall deem necessary to marry her honorably.'

  The mother, being needy, was pleased with the offer; algates, havingthe spirit of a gentlewoman, she said, 'Madam, tell me what I can dofor you; if it consist with my honour, I will willingly do it, and youshall after do that which shall please you.' Then said the countess,'It behoveth me that you let tell the count my husband by some one inwhom you trust, that your daughter is ready to do his every pleasure,so she may but be certified that he loveth her as he pretendeth, thewhich she will never believe, except he send her the ring which hecarrieth on his finger and by which she hath heard he setteth suchstore. An he send you the ring, you must give it to me and after sendto him to say that your daughter is ready do his pleasure; then bringhim hither in secret and privily put me to bed to him in the stead ofyour daughter. It may be God will vouchsafe me to conceive and on thiswise, having his ring on my finger and a child in mine arms of himbegotten, I shall presently regain him and abide with him, as a wifeshould abide with her husband, and you will have been the causethereof.'

  This seemed a grave matter to the gentlewoman, who feared lest blameshould haply ensue thereof to her daughter; nevertheless, bethinkingher it were honourably done to help the poor lady recover her husbandand that she went about to do this to a worthy end and trusting in thegood and honest intention of the countess, she not only promised herto do it, but, before many days, dealing with prudence and secrecy, inaccordance with the latter's instructions, she both got the ring(albeit this seemed somewhat grievous to the count) and adroitly puther to bed with her husband, in the place of her own daughter. Inthese first embracements, most ardently sought of the count, the lady,by God's pleasure, became with child of two sons, as her delivery indue time made manifest. Nor once only, but many times, did thegentlewoman gratify the countess with her husband's embraces,contriving so secretly that never was a word known of the matter,whilst the count still believed himself to have been, not with hiswife, but with her whom he loved; and whenas he came to take leave ofa morning, he gave her, at one time and another, divers goodly andprecious jewels, which the countess laid up with all diligence.

  Then, feeling herself with child and unwilling to burden thegentlewoman farther with such an office, she said to her, 'Madam,thanks to God and you, I have gotten that which I desired, whereforeit is time that I do that which shall content you and after get megone hence.' The gentlewoman answered that, if she had gotten thatwhich contented her, she was well pleased, but that she had not donethis of any hope of reward, nay, for that herseemed it behoved her todo it, an she would do well. 'Madam,' rejoined the countess, 'thatwhich you say liketh me well and so on my part I purpose not to giveyou that which you shall ask of me by way of reward, but to do well,for that meseemeth behoveful so to do.' The gentlewoman, then,constrained by necessity, with the utmost shamefastness, asked her anhundred pounds to marry her daughter withal; but the countess, seeingher confusion and hearing her modest demand, gave her five hundred andso many rare and precious jewels as were worth maybe as much more.With this the gentlewoman was far more than satisfied and rendered thecountess the
best thanks in her power; whereupon the latter, takingleave of her, returned to the inn, whilst the other, to depriveBertrand of all farther occasion of coming or sending to her house,removed with her daughter into the country to the house of one of herkinsfolk, and he, being a little after recalled by his vassals andhearing that the countess had departed the country, returned to hisown house.

  The countess, hearing that he had departed Florence and returned tohis county, was mightily rejoiced and abode at Florence till her timecame to be delivered, when she gave birth to two male children, mostlike their father, and let rear them with all diligence. Whenas itseemed to her time, she set out and came, without being known of any,to Montpellier, where having rested some days and made enquiry of thecount and where he was, she learned that he was to hold a greatentertainment of knights and ladies at Roussillon on All Saints' Dayand betook herself thither, still in her pilgrim's habit that she waswont to wear. Finding the knights and ladies assembled in the count'spalace and about to sit down to table, she went up, with her childrenin her arms and without changing her dress, into the banqueting halland making her way between man and man whereas she saw the count, castherself at his feet and said, weeping, 'I am thine unhappy wife, who,to let thee return and abide in thy house, have long gone wanderingmiserably about the world. I conjure thee, in the name of God, toaccomplish unto me thy promise upon the condition appointed me by thetwo knights I sent thee; for, behold, here in mine arms is not onlyone son of thine, but two, and here is thy ring. It is time, then,that I be received of thee as a wife, according to thy promise.'

  The count, hearing this, was all confounded and recognized the ringand the children also, so like were they to him; but yet he said, 'Howcan this have come to pass?' The countess, then, to his exceedingwonderment and that of all others who were present, orderly recountedthat which had passed and how it had happened; whereupon the count,feeling that she spoke sooth and seeing her constancy and wit andmoreover two such goodly children, as well for the observance of hispromise as to pleasure all his liegemen and the ladies, who allbesought him thenceforth to receive and honour her as his lawful wife,put off his obstinate despite and raising the countess to her feet,embraced her and kissing her, acknowledged her for his lawful wife andthose for his children. Then, letting clothe her in apparel such asbeseemed her quality, to the exceeding joyance of as many as werethere and of all other his vassals who heard the news, he held highfestival, not only all that day, but sundry others, and from that dayforth still honoured her as his bride and his wife and loved andtendered her over all."