THE FIRST STORY
[Day the Ninth]
MADAM FRANCESCA, BEING COURTED BY ONE RINUCCIO PALERMINI AND ONE ALESSANDRO CHIARMONTESI AND LOVING NEITHER THE ONE NOR THE OTHER, ADROITLY RIDDETH HERSELF OF BOTH BY CAUSING ONE ENTER FOR DEAD INTO A SEPULCHRE AND THE OTHER BRING HIM FORTH THEREOF FOR DEAD, ON SUCH WISE THAT THEY CANNOT AVAIL TO ACCOMPLISH THE CONDITION IMPOSED
"Since it is your pleasure, madam, I am well pleased to be she whoshall run the first ring in this open and free field of story-telling,wherein your magnificence hath set us; the which an I do well, I doubtnot but that those who shall come after will do well and better. Manya time, charming ladies, hath it been shown in our discourses whatand how great is the power of love; natheless, for that medeemeth notit hath been fully spoken thereof (no, nor would be, though we shouldspeak of nothing else for a year to come,) and that not only doth lovebring lovers into divers dangers of death, but causeth them even toenter for dead into the abiding-places of the dead, it is my pleasureto relate to you a story thereof, over and above those which have beentold, whereby not only will you apprehend the puissance of love, butwill know the wit used by a worthy lady in ridding herself of two wholoved her against her will.
You must know, then, that there was once in the city of Pistoia a veryfair widow lady, of whom two of our townsmen, called the one RinuccioPalermini and the other Alessandro Chiarmontesi, there abiding byreason of banishment from Florence, were, without knowing one ofother, passionately enamoured, having by chance fallen in love withher and doing privily each his utmost endeavour to win her favour. Thegentlewoman in question, whose name was Madam Francesca de' Lazzari,being still importuned of the one and the other with messages andentreaties, to which she had whiles somewhat unwisely given ear, anddesiring, but in vain, discreetly to retract, bethought herself howshe might avail to rid herself of their importunity by requiring themof a service, which, albeit it was possible, she conceived thatneither of them would render her, to the intent that, they not doingthat which she required, she might have a fair and colourable occasionof refusing to hearken more to their messages; and the device whichoccurred to her was on this wise.
There had died that very day at Pistoia, one, who, albeit hisancestors were gentlemen, was reputed the worst man that was, not onlyin Pistoia, but in all the world; more by token that he was in hislifetime so misshapen and of so monstrous a favour that whoso knew himnot, seeing him for the first time, had been affeared of him; and hehad been buried in a tomb without the church of the Minor Friars. Thiscircumstance she bethought herself would in part be very apt to herpurpose and accordingly she said to a maid of hers, 'Thou knowest theannoy and the vexation I suffer all day long by the messages of yondertwo Florentines, Rinuccio and Alessandro. Now I am not disposed togratify [either of] them with my love, and to rid myself of them, Ihave bethought myself, for the great proffers that they make, to seekto make proof of them in somewhat which I am certain they will not do;so shall I do away from me this their importunity, and thou shalt seehow. Thou knowest that Scannadio,[425] for so was the wicked mancalled of whom we have already spoken, 'was this morning buried in theburial-place of the Minor Brethren, Scannadio, of whom, whenas theysaw him alive, let alone dead, the doughtiest men of this city went infear; wherefore go thou privily first to Alessandro and bespeak him,saying, "Madam Francesca giveth thee to know that now is the timecome whenas thou mayst have her love, which thou hast so muchdesired, and be with her, an thou wilt, on this wise. This night, fora reason which thou shalt know after, the body of Scannadio, who wasthis morning buried, is to be brought to her house by a kinsman ofhers, and she, being in great fear of him, dead though he be, wouldfain not have him there; wherefore she prayeth thee that it pleasethee, by way of doing her a great service, go this evening, at thetime of the first sleep, to the tomb wherein he is buried, and donningthe dead man's clothes, abide as thou wert he until such time as theyshall come for thee. Then, without moving or speaking, thou mustsuffer thyself be taken up out of the tomb and carried to her house,where she will receive thee, and thou mayst after abide with her anddepart at thy leisure, leaving to her the care of the rest." An he saythat he will do it, well and good; but, should he refuse, bid him onmy part, never more show himself whereas I may be and look, as hevalueth his life, that he send me no more letters or messages. Thenshalt thou betake thee to Rinuccio Palermini and say to him, "MadamFrancesca saith that she is ready to do thine every pleasure, an thouwilt render her a great service, to wit, that to-night, towards themiddle hour, thou get thee to the tomb wherein Scannadio was thismorning buried and take him up softly thence and bring him to her ather house, without saying a word of aught thou mayst hear or feel.There shalt thou learn what she would with him and have of her thypleasure; but, an it please thee not to do this, she chargeth theenever more send her writ nor message."'
[Footnote 425: _Scannadio_ signifies "Murder-God" and was no doubt anickname bestowed upon the dead man, on account of his wicked andreprobate way of life.]
The maid betook herself to the two lovers and did her errandpunctually to each, saying as it had been enjoined her; whereto eachmade answer that, an it pleased her, they would go, not only into atomb, but into hell itself. The maid carried their reply to the ladyand she waited to see if they would be mad enough to do it. The nightcome, whenas it was the season of the first sleep, AlessandroChiarmontesi, having stripped himself to his doublet, went forth ofhis house to take Scannadio's place in the tomb; but, by the way,there came a very frightful thought into his head and he fell a-sayingin himself, 'Good lack, what a fool I am! Whither go I? How know I butyonder woman's kinsfolk, having maybe perceived that I love her andbelieving that which is not, have caused me do this, so they mayslaughter me in yonder tomb? An it should happen thus, I should sufferfor it nor would aught in the world be ever known thereof to theirdetriment. Or what know I but maybe some enemy of mine hath procuredme this, whom she belike loveth and seeketh to oblige therein?' Thensaid he, 'But, grant that neither of these things be and that herkinsfolk are e'en for carrying me to her house, I must believe thatthey want not Scannadio's body to hold it in their arms or to put itin hers; nay, it is rather to be conceived that they mean to do itsome mischief, as the body of one who maybe disobliged them insomewhat aforetime. She saith that I am not to say a word for aughtthat I may feel. But, should they put out mine eyes or draw my teethor lop off my hands or play me any other such trick, how shall I do?How could I abide quiet? And if I speak, they will know me and mayhapdo me a mischief, or, though they do me no hurt, yet shall I haveaccomplished nothing, for that they will not leave me with the lady;whereupon she will say that I have broken her commandment and willnever do aught to pleasure me.' So saying, he had well nigh returnedhome; but, nevertheless, his great love urged him on with counterarguments of such potency that they brought him to the tomb, which heopened and entering therein, stripped Scannadio of his clothes; then,donning them and shutting the tomb upon himself, he laid himself inthe dead man's place. Thereupon he began to call to mind what mannerof man the latter had been and remembering him of all the thingswhereof he had aforetime heard tell as having befallen by night, notto say in the sepulchres of the dead, but even otherwhere, his everyhair began to stand on end and himseemed each moment as if Scannadioshould rise upright and butcher him then and there. However, aided byhis ardent love, he got the better of these and the other fearfulthoughts that beset him and abiding as he were the dead man, he fellto awaiting that which should betide him.
Meanwhile, Rinuccio, midnight being now at hand, departed his house,to do that which had been enjoined him of his mistress, and as hewent, he entered into many and various thoughts of the things whichmight possibly betide him; as, to wit, that he might fall into thehands of the police, with Scannadio's body on his shoulders, and bedoomed to the fire as a sorcerer, and that he should, an the thingcame to be known, incur the ill-will of his kinsfolk, and other likethoughts, whereby he was like to have been deterred. But after,be
thinking himself again, 'Alack,' quoth he, 'shall I deny thisgentlewoman, whom I have so loved and love, the first thing sherequireth of me, especially as I am thereby to gain her favour? Godforbid, though I were certainly to die thereof, but I should setmyself to do that which I have promised!' Accordingly, he went on andpresently coming to the sepulchre, opened it easily; which Alessandrohearing, abode still, albeit he was in great fear. Rinuccio, enteringin and thinking to take Scannadio's body, laid hold of Alessandro'sfeet and drew him forth of the tomb; then, hoisting him on hisshoulders, he made off towards the lady's house.
Going thus and taking no manner of heed to his burden, he jolted itmany a time now against one corner and now another of certain benchesthat were beside the way, more by token that the night was so cloudyand so dark he could not see whither he went. He was already well nighat the door of the gentlewoman, who had posted herself at the windowwith her maid, to see if he would bring Alessandro, and was readyarmed with an excuse to send them both away, when it chanced that theofficers of the watch, who were ambushed in the street and abodesilently on the watch to lay hands upon a certain outlaw, hearing thescuffling that Rinuccio made with his feet, suddenly put out a light,to see what was to do and whither to go, and rattled their targets andhalberds, crying, 'Who goeth there?' Rinuccio, seeing this and havingscant time for deliberation, let fall his burden and made off as fastas his legs would carry him; whereupon Alessandro arose in haste andmade off in his turn, for all he was hampered with the dead man'sclothes, which were very long. The lady, by the light of the lanternput out by the police, had plainly recognized Rinuccio, withAlessandro on his shoulders, and perceiving the latter to be clad inScannadio's clothes, marvelled amain at the exceeding hardihood ofboth; but, for all her wonderment, she laughed heartily to seeAlessandro cast down on the ground and to see him after take toflight. Then, rejoiced at this accident and praising God that He hadrid her of the annoy of these twain, she turned back into the houseand betook herself to her chamber, avouching to her maid that withoutdoubt they both loved her greatly, since, as it appeared, they haddone that which she had enjoined them.
Meanwhile Rinuccio, woeful and cursing his ill fortune, for all thatreturned not home, but, as soon as the watch had departed theneighbourhood, he came back whereas he had dropped Alessandro andgroped about, to see if he could find him again, so he might make anend of his service; but, finding him not and concluding that thepolice had carried him off, he returned to his own house, woebegone,whilst Alessandro, unknowing what else to do, made off home on likewise, chagrined at such a misadventure and without having recognizedhim who had borne him thither. On the morrow, Scannadio's tomb beingfound open and his body not to be seen, for that Alessandro had rolledit to the bottom of the vault, all Pistoia was busy with variousconjectures anent the matter, and the simpler sort concluded that hehad been carried off by the devils. Nevertheless, each of the twolovers signified to the lady that which he had done and what hadbefallen and excusing himself withal for not having full accomplishedher commandment, claimed her favour and her love; but she, makingbelieve to credit neither of this, rid herself of them with a curtresponse to the effect that she would never consent to do aught forthem, since they had not done that which she had required of them."
The Decameron of Giovanni Boccaccio Page 92