THE NINTH STORY
[Day the Sixth]
GUIDO CAVALCANTI WITH A PITHY SPEECH COURTEOUSLY FLOUTETH CERTAIN FLORENTINE GENTLEMEN WHO HAD TAKEN HIM BY SURPRISE
The queen, seeing Emilia delivered of her story and that it restedwith none other than herself to tell, saving him who was privileged tospeak last, began thus, "Although, sprightly ladies, you have this daytaken out of my mouth at the least two stories, whereof I had purposedto relate one, I have yet one left to tell, the end whereof comprisetha saying of such a fashion that none, peradventure, of suchpertinence, hath yet been cited to us.
You must know, then, that there were in our city, of times past, manygoodly and commendable usances, whereof none is left there nowadays,thanks to the avarice that hath waxed therein with wealth and hathbanished them all. Among these there was a custom to the effect thatthe gentlemen of the various quarters of Florence assembled togetherin divers places about the town and formed themselves into companiesof a certain number, having a care to admit thereinto such only asmight aptly bear the expense, whereof to-day the one and to-morrow theother, and so all in turn, hold open house, each his day, for thewhole company. At these banquets they often entertained both strangergentlemen, whenas there came any thither, and those of the city; andon like wise, once at the least in the year, they clad themselvesalike and rode in procession through the city on the most notable daysand whiles they held passes of arms, especially on the chief holidaysor whenas some glad news of victory or the like came to the city.
Amongst these companies was one of Messer Betto Brunelleschi,whereinto the latter and his companions had studied amain to drawGuido, son of Messer Cavalcante de' Cavalcanti, and not without cause;for that, besides being one of the best logicians in the world and anexcellent natural philosopher (of which things, indeed, they reckedlittle), he was very sprightly and well-bred and a mighty well-spokenman and knew better than any other to do everything that he would andthat pertained unto a gentleman, more by token that he was very richand knew wonder-well how to entertain whomsoever he deemed deservingof honour. But Messer Betto had never been able to win and to havehim, and he and his companions believed that this betided for thatGuido, being whiles engaged in abstract speculations, became muchdistraught from mankind; and for that he inclined somewhat to theopinion of the Epicureans, it was reported among the common folk thatthese his speculations consisted only in seeking if it might bediscovered that God was not.
It chanced one day that Guido set out from Orto San Michele and cameby way of the Corso degli Ademari, the which was oftentimes his road,to San Giovanni, round about which there were at that present diversgreat marble tombs (which are nowadays at Santa Reparata) and manyothers. As he was between the columns of porphyry there and the tombsin question and the door of the church, which was shut, Messer Bettoand his company, coming a-horseback along the Piazza di SantaReparata, espied him among the tombs and said, 'Let us go plague him.'Accordingly, spurring their horses, they charged all down upon him insport and coming upon him ere he was aware of them, said to him,'Guido, thou refusest to be of our company; but, harkye, whenas thoushalt have found that God is not, what wilt thou have accomplished?'Guido, seeing himself hemmed in by them, answered promptly,'Gentlemen, you may say what you will to me in your own house'; then,laying his hand on one of the great tombs aforesaid and being verynimble of body, he took a spring and alighting on the other side, madeoff, having thus rid himself of them.
The gentlemen abode looking one upon another and fell a-saying that hewas a crack-brain and that this that he had answered them amounted tonought seeing that there where they were they had no more to do thanall the other citizens, nor Guido himself less than any of themselves.But Messer Betto turned to them and said, 'It is you who are thecrackbrains, if you have not apprehended him. He hath courteously andin a few words given us the sharpest rebuke in the world; for that, anyou consider aright, these tombs are the houses of the dead, seeingthey are laid and abide therein, and these, saith he, are our house,meaning thus to show us that we and other foolish and unlettered menare, compared with him and other men of learning, worse than deadfolk; wherefore, being here, we are in our own house.' Thereupon eachunderstood what Guido had meant to say and was abashed nor everplagued him more, but held Messer Betto thenceforward a gentleman of asubtle wit and an understanding."
The Decameron of Giovanni Boccaccio Page 67