The Decameron of Giovanni Boccaccio

by Giovanni Boccaccio

  THE FOURTH STORY

  [Day the Eighth]

  THE RECTOR OF FIESOLE LOVETH A WIDOW LADY, BUT IS NOT LOVED BY HER AND THINKING TO LIE WITH HER, LIETH WITH A SERVING-WENCH OF HERS, WHILST THE LADY'S BROTHERS CAUSE THE BISHOP FIND HIM IN THIS CASE

  Elisa being come to the end of her story, which she had related to theno small pleasure of all the company, the queen turned to Emilia, andsignified to her her wish that she should follow after with her story,whereupon she promptly began thus: "I have not forgotten, nobleladies, that it hath already been shown, in sundry of the foregoingstories, how much we women are exposed to the importunities of thepriests and friars and clergy of every kind; but, seeing that so muchcannot be said thereof but that yet more will remain to say, Ipurpose, to boot, to tell you a story of a rector, who, maugre all theworld, would e'en have a gentlewoman wish him well,[377] whether shewould or not; whereupon she, like a very discreet woman as she was,used him as he deserved.

  [Footnote 377: _i.e._ love him, grant him her favours. See ante,passim.]

  As all of you know, Fiesole, whose hill we can see hence, was once avery great and ancient city, nor, albeit it is nowadays all undone,hath it ever ceased to be, as it is yet, the seat of a bishop. Nearthe cathedral church there a widow lady of noble birth, by name MadamPiccarda, had an estate, where, for that she was not overwell to do,she abode the most part of the year in a house of hers that was notvery big, and with her, two brothers of hers, very courteous andworthy youths. It chanced that, the lady frequenting the cathedralchurch and being yet very young and fair and agreeable, the rector ofthe church became so sore enamoured of her that he could think ofnothing else, and after awhile, making bold to discover his mind toher, he prayed her accept of his love and love him as he loved her.Now he was already old in years, but very young in wit, malapert andarrogant and presumptuous in the extreme, with manners and fashionsfull of conceit and ill grace, and withal so froward andill-conditioned that there was none who wished him well; and if anyhad scant regard for him, it was the lady in question, who not onlywished him no whit of good, but hated him worse than the megrims;wherefore, like a discreet woman as she was, she answered him, 'Sir,that you love me should be mighty pleasing to me, who am bound to loveyou and will gladly do so; but between your love and mine nothingunseemly should ever befall. You are my spiritual father and a priestand are presently well stricken in years, all which things should makeyou both modest and chaste; whilst I, on the other hand, am no girl,nor do these amorous toys beseem my present condition, for that I am awidow and you well know what discretion is required in widows;wherefore I pray you hold me excused, for that I shall never love youafter the fashion whereof you require me; nor do I wish to be thusloved of you.'

  The rector could get of her no other answer for that time, but, nowisedaunted or disheartened by the first rebuff, solicited her again andagain with the most overweening importunity, both by letter andmessage, nay, even by word of mouth, whenas he saw her come into thechurch. Wherefor, herseeming that this was too great and too grievousan annoy, she cast about to rid herself of him after such a fashion ashe deserved, since she could no otherwise, but would do nought ere shehad taken counsel with her brothers. Accordingly, she acquainted themwith the rector's behaviour towards her and that which she purposed todo, and having therein full license from them, went a few days afterto the church, as was her wont. As soon as the rector saw her, he cameup to her and with his usual assurance, accosted her familiarly. Thelady received him with a cheerful countenance and withdrawing apartwith him, after he had said many words to her in his wonted style, sheheaved a great sigh and said, 'Sir, I have heard that there is nofortalice so strong but that, being every day assaulted, it cometh atlast to be taken, and this I can very well see to have happened tomyself; for that you have so closely beset me with soft words and withone complaisance and another, that you have made me break my resolve,and I am now disposed, since I please you thus, to consent to beyours.' 'Gramercy, madam,' answered the rector, overjoyed, 'to tellyou the truth, I have often wondered how you could hold out so long,considering that never did the like betide me with any woman; nay, Ihave said whiles, "Were women of silver, they would not be worth afarthing, for that not one of them would stand the hammer." But letthat pass for the present. When and where can we be together?' Wheretoquoth the lady, 'Sweet my lord, as for the when, it may be what timesoever most pleaseth us, for that I have no husband to whom itbehoveth me render an account of my nights; but for the where I knownot how to contrive.' 'How?' cried the priest. 'Why, in your house tobe sure.' 'Sir,' answered the lady, 'you know I have two youngbrothers, who come and go about the house with their companions dayand night, and my house is not overbig; wherefore it may not be there,except one chose to abide there mute-fashion, without saying a word ormaking the least sound, and be in the dark, after the manner of theblind. An you be content to do this, it might be, for they meddle notwith my bedchamber; but their own is so close to mine that one cannotwhisper the least word, without its being heard.' 'Madam,' answeredthe rector, 'this shall not hinder us for a night or two, against Ibethink me where we may foregather more at ease.' Quoth she, 'Sir, letthat rest with you; but of one thing I pray you, that this abidesecret, so no word be ever known thereof.' 'Madam,' replied he, 'haveno fear for that; but, an it may be, make shift that we shallforegather this evening.' 'With all my heart,' said the lady; andappointing him how and when he should come, she took leave of him andreturned home.

  Now she had a serving-wench, who was not overyoung, but had thefoulest and worst-favoured visnomy was ever seen; for she had a noseflattened sore, a mouth all awry, thick lips and great ill-set teeth;moreover, she inclined to squint, nor was ever without sore eyes, andhad a green and yellow complexion, which gave her the air of havingpassed the summer not at Fiesole, but at Sinigaglia.[378] Besides allthis, she was hipshot and a thought crooked on the right side. Hername was Ciuta, but, for that she had such a dog's visnomy of her own,she was called of every one Ciutazza;[379] and for all she wasmisshapen of her person, she was not without a spice of roguishness.The lady called her and said to her, 'Harkye, Ciutazza, an thou wiltdo me a service this night. I will give thee a fine new shift.'Ciutazza, hearing speak of the shift, answered, 'Madam, so you give mea shift, I will cast myself into the fire, let alone otherwhat.''Well, then,' said her mistress, 'I would have thee lie to-night witha man in my bed and load him with caresses, but take good care not tosay a word, lest thou be heard by my brothers, who, as thou knowest,sleep in the next room; and after I will give thee the shift.' QuothCiutazza, 'With all my heart. I will lie with half a dozen men, ifneed be, let alone one.' Accordingly, at nightfall, my lord the rectormade his appearance, according to agreement, whilst the two young men,by the lady's appointment, were in their bedchamber and took good careto make themselves heard; wherefore he entered the lady's chamber insilence and darkness and betook himself, as she had bidden him,straight to the bed, whither on her part came Ciutazza, who had beenwell lessoned by the lady of that which she had to do. My lord rector,thinking he had his mistress beside him, caught Ciutazza in his armsand fell to kissing her, without saying a word, and she him; whereuponhe proceeded to solace himself with her, taking, as he thought,possession of the long-desired good.

  [Footnote 378: _i.e._ in the malaria district.]

  [Footnote 379: _i.e._ great ugly Ciuta.]

  The lady, having done this, charged her brothers carry the rest of theplot into execution, wherefore, stealing softly out of the chamber,they made for the great square and fortune was more favorable to themthan they themselves asked in that which they had a mind to do,inasmuch as, the heat being great, the bishop had enquired for the twoyoung gentlemen, so he might go a-pleasuring to their house and drinkwith them. But, seeing them coming, he acquainted them with his wishand returned with them to their house, where, entering a cool littlecourtyard of theirs, in which were many flambeaux alight, he drankwith great pleasure of an excellent wine of theirs. When he haddru
nken, the young men said to him, 'My lord, since you have done usso much favour as to deign to visit this our poor house, whereto wecame to invite you, we would have you be pleased to view a smallmatter with which we would fain show you.' The bishop answered that hewould well; whereupon one of the young men, taking a lighted flambeauin his hand, made for the chamber where my lord rector lay withCiutazza, followed by the bishop and all the rest. The rector, toarrive the quicklier at his journey's end, had hastened to take horseand had already ridden more than three miles before they came thither;wherefore, being somewhat weary, he had, notwithstanding the heat,fallen asleep with Ciutazza in his arms. Accordingly, when the youngman entered the chamber, light in hand, and after him the bishop andall the others, he was shown to the prelate in this plight; whereuponhe awoke and seeing the light and the folk about him, was sore abashedand hid his head for fear under the bed-clothes. The bishop gave him asound rating and made him put out his head and see with whom he hadlain; whereupon the rector, understanding the trick that had beenplayed him of the lady, what with this and what with the disgracehimseemed he had gotten, became of a sudden the woefullest man thatwas aye. Then, having, by the bishop's commandment, reclad himself, hewas despatched to his house under good guard, to suffer sore penancefor the sin he had committed. The bishop presently enquiring how itcame to pass that he had gone thither to lie with Ciutazza, the youngmen orderly related everything to him, which having heard, he greatlycommended both the lady and her brothers for that, without choosing toimbrue their hands in the blood of a priest, they had entreated him ashe deserved. As for the rector, he caused him bewail his offence fortydays' space; but love and despite made him rue it for more thannine-and-forty,[380] more by token that, for a great while after, hecould never go abroad but the children would point at him and say,'See, there is he who lay with Ciutazza'; the which was so sore anannoy to him that he was like to go mad therefor. On such wise did theworthy lady rid herself of the importunity of the malapert rector andCiutazza gained the shift and a merry night."

  [Footnote 380: _Quarantanove_, a proverbial expression for anindefinite number.]