THE EIGHTH STORY
[Day the Fifth]
NASTAGIO DEGLI ONESTI, FALLING IN LOVE WITH A LADY OF THE TRAVERSARI FAMILY, SPENDETH HIS SUBSTANCE WITHOUT BEING BELOVED IN RETURN, AND BETAKING HIMSELF, AT THE INSTANCE OF HIS KINSFOLK, TO CHIASSI, HE THERE SEETH A HORSEMAN GIVE CHASE TO A DAMSEL AND SLAY HER AND CAUSE HER BE DEVOURED OF TWO DOGS. THEREWITHAL HE BIDDETH HIS KINSFOLK AND THE LADY WHOM HE LOVETH TO A DINNER, WHERE HIS MISTRESS SEETH THE SAME DAMSEL TORN IN PIECES AND FEARING A LIKE FATE, TAKETH NASTAGIO TO HUSBAND
No sooner was Lauretta silent than Filomena, by the queen'scommandment, began thus: "Lovesome ladies, even as pity is in uscommended, so also is cruelty rigorously avenged by Divine justice;the which that I may prove to you and so engage you altogether topurge yourselves therefrom, it pleaseth me tell you a story no lesspitiful than delectable.
In Ravenna, a very ancient city of Romagna, there were aforetime manynoblemen and gentlemen, and amongst the rest a young man calledNastagio degli Onesti, who had, by the death of his father and anuncle of his, been left rich beyond all estimation and who, as ithappeneth often with young men, being without a wife, fell in lovewith a daughter of Messer Paolo Traversari, a young lady of muchgreater family than his own, hoping by his fashions to bring her tolove him in return. But these, though great and goodly andcommendable, not only profited him nothing; nay, it seemed they didhim harm, so cruel and obdurate and intractable did the beloved damselshow herself to him, being grown belike, whether for her singularbeauty or the nobility of her birth, so proud and disdainful thatneither he nor aught that pleased him pleased her. This was sogrievous to Nastagio to bear that many a time, for chagrin, beingweary of complaining, he had it in his thought to kill himself, butheld his hand therefrom; and again and again he took it to heart tolet her be altogether or have her, an he might, in hatred, even as shehad him. But in vain did he take such a resolve, for that, the morehope failed him, the more it seemed his love redoubled. Accordingly,he persisted both in loving and in spending without stint or measure,till it seemed to certain of his friends and kinsfolk that he was liketo consume both himself and his substance; wherefore they besought himagain and again and counselled him depart Ravenna and go sojournawhile in some other place, for that, so doing, he would abate bothhis passion and his expenditure. Nastagio long made light of thiscounsel, but, at last, being importuned of them and able no longer tosay no, he promised to do as they would have him and let make greatpreparations, as he would go into France or Spain or some other farplace. Then, taking horse in company with many of his friends, he rodeout of Ravenna and betook himself to a place called Chiassi, somethree miles from the city, where, sending for tents and pavilions, hetold those who had accompanied him thither that he meant to abide andthat they might return to Ravenna. Accordingly, having encamped there,he proceeded to lead the goodliest and most magnificent life that wasaye, inviting now these, now those others, to supper and to dinner, ashe was used.
It chanced one day, he being come thus well nigh to the beginning ofMay and the weather being very fair, that, having entered into thoughtof his cruel mistress, he bade all his servants leave him to himself,so he might muse more at his leisure, and wandered on, step by step,lost in melancholy thought, till he came [unwillingly] into thepine-wood. The fifth hour of the day was well nigh past and he hadgone a good half mile into the wood, remembering him neither of eatingnor of aught else, when himseemed of a sudden he heard a terriblegreat wailing and loud cries uttered by a woman; whereupon, his dulcetmeditation being broken, he raised his head to see what was to do andmarvelled to find himself among the pines; then, looking before him,he saw a very fair damsel come running, naked through a thicket allthronged with underwood and briers, towards the place where he was,weeping and crying sore for mercy and all dishevelled and torn by thebushes and the brambles. At her heels ran two huge and fiercemastiffs, which followed hard upon her and ofttimes bit her cruelly,whenas they overtook her; and after them he saw come riding upon ablack courser a knight arrayed in sad-coloured armour, with a verywrathful aspect and a tuck in his hand, threatening her with death infoul and fearsome words.
This sight filled Nastagio's mind at once with terror and amazementand after stirred him to compassion of the ill-fortuned lady,wherefrom arose a desire to deliver her, an but he might, from suchanguish and death. Finding himself without arms, he ran to take thebranch of a tree for a club, armed wherewith, he advanced to meet thedogs and the knight. When the latter saw this, he cried out to himfrom afar off, saying, 'Nastagio, meddle not; suffer the dogs andmyself to do that which this wicked woman hath merited.' As he spoke,the dogs, laying fast hold of the damsel by the flanks, brought her toa stand and the knight, coming up, lighted down from his horse;whereupon Nastagio drew near unto him and said, 'I know not who thoumayst be, that knowest me so well; but this much I say to see that itis a great felony for an armed knight to seek to slay a naked womanand to set the dogs on her, as she were a wild beast; certes, I willdefend her as most I may.'
'Nastagio,' answered the knight, 'I was of one same city with thyselfand thou wast yet a little child when I, who hight Messer Guido degliAnastagi, was yet more passionately enamoured of this woman than thouart presently of yonder one of the Traversari and my ill fortune forher hard-heartedness and barbarity came to such a pass that one day Islew myself in despair with this tuck thou seest in my hand and wasdoomed to eternal punishment. Nor was it long ere she, who was beyondmeasure rejoiced at my death, died also and for the sin of her crueltyand of the delight had of her in my torments (whereof she repented hernot, as one who thought not to have sinned therein, but rather to havemerited reward,) was and is on like wise condemned to the pains ofhell. Wherein no sooner was she descended than it was decreed unto herand to me, for penance thereof,[284] that she should flee before meand that I, who once loved her so dear, should pursue her, not as abeloved mistress, but as a mortal enemy, and that, as often as Iovertook her, I should slay her with this tuck, wherewith I slewmyself, and ripping open her loins, tear from her body, as thou shaltpresently see, that hard and cold heart, wherein nor love nor pitymight ever avail to enter, together with the other entrails, and givethem to the dogs to eat. Nor is it a great while after ere, as God'sjustice and puissance will it, she riseth up again, as she had notbeen dead, and beginneth anew her woeful flight, whilst the dogs and Iagain pursue her. And every Friday it betideth that I come up with herhere at this hour and wreak on her the slaughter that thou shalt see;and think not that we rest the other days; nay, I overtake her inother places, wherein she thought and wrought cruelly against me.Thus, being as thou seest, from her lover grown her foe, it behovethme pursue her on this wise as many years as she was cruel to memonths. Wherefore leave me to carry the justice of God into effect andseek not to oppose that which thou mayst not avail to hinder.'
[Footnote 284: _i.e._ of her sin.]
Nastagio, hearing these words, drew back, grown all adread, with notan hair on his body but stood on end, and looking upon the wretcheddamsel, began fearfully to await that which the knight should do. Thelatter, having made an end of his discourse, ran, tuck in hand, as hewere a ravening dog, at the damsel, who, fallen on her knees and heldfast by the two mastiffs, cried him mercy, and smiting her with allhis might amiddleward the breast, pierced her through and through. Nosooner had she received this stroke than she fell grovelling on theground, still weeping and crying out; whereupon the knight, clappinghis hand to his hunting-knife, ripped open her loins and tearing forthher heart and all that was thereabout, cast them to the two mastiffs,who devoured them incontinent, as being sore anhungred. Nor was itlong ere, as if none of these things had been, the damsel of a suddenrose to her feet and began to flee towards the sea, with the dogsafter her, still rending her; and in a little while they had gone sofar that Nastagio could see them no more. The latter, seeing thesethings, abode a great while between pity and fear, and presently itoccurred to his mind that this might much avail him, seeing that itbe
fell every Friday; wherefore, marking the place, he returned to hisservants and after, whenas it seemed to him fit, he sent for sundryof his kinsmen and friends and said to them, 'You have long urged meleave loving this mine enemy and put an end to my expenditure, and Iam ready to do it, provided you will obtain me a favour; the which isthis, that on the coming Friday you make shift to have Messer PaoloTraversari and his wife and daughter and all their kinswomen and whatother ladies soever it shall please you here to dinner with me. Thatfor which I wish this, you shall see then.' This seemed to them alittle thing enough to do, wherefore, returning to Ravenna, they indue time invited those whom Nastagio would have to dine with him, andalbeit it was no easy matter to bring thither the young lady whom heloved, natheless she went with the other ladies. Meanwhile, Nastagiolet make ready a magnificent banquet and caused set the tables underthe pines round about the place where he had witnessed the slaughterof the cruel lady.
The time come, he seated the gentlemen and the ladies at table and soordered it that his mistress should be placed right over against thespot where the thing should befall. Accordingly, hardly was the lastdish come when the despairful outcry of the hunted damsel began to beheard of all, whereat each of the company marvelled and enquired whatwas to do, but none could say; whereupon all started to their feet andlooking what this might be, they saw the woeful damsel and the knightand the dogs; nor was it long ere they were all there among them.Great was the clamor against both dogs and knight, and many rushedforward to succour the damsel; but the knight, bespeaking them as hehad bespoken Nastagio, not only made them draw back, but filled themall with terror and amazement. Then did he as he had done before,whereat all the ladies that were there (and there were many presentwho had been kinswomen both to the woeful damsel and to the knight andwho remembered them both of his love and of his death) wept aspiteously as if they had seen this done to themselves.
The thing carried to its end and the damsel and the knight gone, theadventure set those who had seen it upon many and various discourses;but of those who were the most affrighted was the cruel damsel belovedof Nastagio, who had distinctly seen and heard the whole matter andunderstood that these things concerned her more than any other who wasthere, remembering her of the cruelty she had still used towardsNastagio; wherefore herseemed she fled already before her enragedlover and had the mastiffs at her heels. Such was the terror awakenedin her thereby that,--so this might not betide her,--no sooner did shefind an opportunity (which was afforded her that same evening) than,turning her hatred into love, she despatched to Nastagio a trustychamberwoman of hers, who besought him that it should please him to goto her, for that she was ready to do all that should be his pleasure.He answered that this was exceeding agreeable to him, but that, so itpleased her, he desired to have his pleasure of her with honour, towit, by taking her to wife. The damsel, who knew that it rested withnone other than herself that she had not been his wife, made answer tohim that it liked her well; then, playing the messenger herself, shetold her father and mother that she was content to be Nastagio'swife, whereat they were mightily rejoiced, and he, espousing her onthe ensuing Sunday and celebrating his nuptials, lived with her longand happily. Nor was this affright the cause of that good only; nay,all the ladies of Ravenna became so fearful by reason thereof, thatever after they were much more amenable than they had before been tothe desires of the men."
The Decameron of Giovanni Boccaccio Page 55