The Decameron of Giovanni Boccaccio
Page 95
THE FOURTH STORY
[Day the Ninth]
CECCO FORTARRIGO GAMETH AWAY AT BUONCONVENTO ALL HIS GOOD AND THE MONIES OF CECCO ANGIOLIERI [HIS MASTER;] MOREOVER, RUNNING AFTER THE LATTER, IN HIS SHIRT, AND AVOUCHING THAT HE HATH ROBBED HIM, HE CAUSETH HIM BE TAKEN OF THE COUNTRYFOLK; THEN, DONNING ANGIOLIERI'S CLOTHES AND MOUNTING HIS PALFREY, HE MAKETH OFF AND LEAVETH THE OTHER IN HIS SHIRT
Calandrino's speech concerning his wife had been hearkened of all thecompany with the utmost laughter; then, Filostrato being silent,Neifile, as the queen willed it, began, "Noble ladies, were it notuneather for men to show forth unto others their wit and their worththan it is for them to exhibit their folly and their vice, many wouldweary themselves in vain to put a bridle on their tongues; and thishath right well been made manifest to you by the folly of Calandrino,who had no call, in seeking to be made whole of the ailment in whichhis simplicity caused him believe, to publish the privy diversions ofhis wife; and this hath brought to my mind somewhat of contrarypurport to itself, to wit, a story of how one man's knavery got thebetter of another's wit, to the grievous hurt and confusion of theover-reached one, the which it pleaseth me to relate to you.
There were, then, in Siena, not many years ago, two (as far as agewent) full-grown men, each of whom was called Cecco. One was the sonof Messer Angiolieri and the other of Messer Fortarrigo, and albeit inmost other things they sorted ill of fashions one with the other, theywere natheless so far of accord in one particular, to wit, that theywere both hated of their fathers, that they were by reason thereofgrown friends and companied often together. After awhile, Angiolieri,who was both a handsome man and a well-mannered, himseeming he couldill live at Siena of the provision assigned him of his father andhearing that a certain cardinal, a great patron of his, was come intothe Marches of Ancona as the Pope's Legate, determined to betakehimself to him, thinking thus to better his condition. Accordingly,acquainting his father with his purpose, he took order with him tohave at once that which he was to give him in six months, so he mightclothe and horse himself and make an honourable figure. As he wentseeking some one whom he might carry with him for his service, thething came to Fortarrigo's knowledge, whereupon he presently repairedto Angiolieri and besought him, as best he knew, to carry him withhim, offering himself to be to him lackey and serving-man and all,without any wage beyond his expenses paid. Angiolieri answered that hewould nowise take him, not but he knew him to be right well sufficientunto every manner of service, but for that he was a gambler andbytimes a drunkard, to boot. But the other replied that he wouldwithout fail keep himself from both of these defaults and affirmed itunto him with oaths galore, adding so many prayers that Angiolieri wasprevailed upon and said that he was content.
Accordingly, they both set out one morning and went to dine atBuonconvento, where, after dinner, the heat being great, Angiolierilet make ready a bed at the inn and undressing himself, withFortarrigo's aid, went to sleep, charging the latter call him at thestroke of none. As soon as his master was asleep, Fortarrigo betookhimself to the tavern and there, after drinking awhile, he fell togaming with certain men, who in a trice won of him some money he hadand after, the very clothes he had on his back; whereupon, desirous ofretrieving himself, he repaired, in his shirt as he was, toAngiolieri's chamber and seeing him fast asleep, took from his pursewhat monies he had and returning to play, lost these as he had lostthe others. Presently, Angiolieri awoke and arising, dressed himselfand enquired for Fortarrigo. The latter was not to be found andAngiolieri, concluding him to be asleep, drunken, somewhere, as wasbytimes his wont, determined to leave him be and get himself anotherservant at Corsignano. Accordingly, he caused put his saddle and hisvalise on a palfrey he had and thinking to pay the reckoning, so hemight get him gone, found himself without a penny; whereupon great wasthe outcry and all the hostelry was in an uproar, Angiolieri declaringthat he had been robbed there and threatening to have the host and allhis household carried prisoners to Siena.
At this moment up came Fortarrigo in his shirt, thinking to take hismaster's clothes, as he had taken his money, and seeing the latterready to mount, said, 'What is this, Angiolieri? Must we needs be gonealready? Good lack, wait awhile; there will be one here forthwith whohath my doublet in pawn for eight-and-thirty shillings; and I amcertain that he will render it up for five-and-thirty, money down.' Ashe spoke, there came one who certified Angiolieri that it wasFortarrigo who had robbed him of his monies, by showing him the sum ofthose which the latter had lost at play; wherefore he was soreincensed and loaded Fortarrigo with reproaches; and had he not fearedothers more than he feared God, he had done him a mischief; then,threatening to have him strung up by the neck or outlawed from Siena,he mounted to horse. Fortarrigo, as if he spoke not to him, but toanother, said, 'Good lack, Angiolieri, let be for the nonce this talkthat skilleth not a straw, and have regard unto this; by redeemingit[429] forthright, we may have it again for five-and-thirtyshillings; whereas, if we tarry but till to-morrow, he will not takeless than the eight-and-thirty he lent me thereon; and this favour hedoth me for that I staked it after his counsel. Marry, why should wenot better ourselves by these three shillings?'
[Footnote 429: _i.e._ the doublet.]
Angiolieri, hearing him talk thus, lost all patience (more by tokenthat he saw himself eyed askance by the bystanders, who manifestlybelieved, not that Fortarrigo had gamed away his monies, but that hehad yet monies of Fortarrigo's in hand) and said to him, 'What have Ito do with thy doublet? Mayst thou be strung up by the neck, since notonly hast thou robbed me and gambled away my money, but hinderest meto boot in my journey, and now thou makest mock of me.' However,Fortarrigo still stood to it, as it were not spoken to him and said,'Ecod, why wilt thou not better me these three shillings? Thinkestthou I shall not be able to oblige thee therewith another time?Prithee, do it, an thou have any regard for me. Why all this haste? Weshall yet reach Torrenieri betimes this evening. Come, find the purse;thou knowest I might ransack all Siena and not find a doublet to suitme so well as this; and to think I should let yonder fellow have itfor eight-and-thirty shillings! It is worth yet forty shillings ormore, so that thou wouldst worsen me in two ways.'[430]
[Footnote 430: _i.e._ do me a double injury.]
Angiolieri, beyond measure exasperated to see himself first robbed andnow held in parley after this fashion, made him no further answer,but, turning his palfrey's head, took the road to Torrenieri, whilstFortarrigo, bethinking himself of a subtle piece of knavery, proceededto trot after him in his shirt good two miles, still requiring him ofhis doublet. Presently, Angiolieri pricking on amain, to rid his earsof the annoy, Fortarrigo espied some husbandmen in a field, adjoiningthe highway in advance of him, and cried out to them, saying, 'Stophim, stop him!' Accordingly, they ran up, some with spades and otherswith mattocks, and presenting themselves in the road beforeAngiolieri, concluding that he had robbed him who came crying afterhim in his shirt, stopped and took him. It availed him little to tellthem who he was and how the case stood, and Fortarrigo, coming up,said with an angry air, 'I know not what hindereth me from slayingthee, disloyal thief that thou wast to make off with my gear!' Then,turning to the countrymen, 'See, gentlemen,' quoth he, 'in what aplight he left me at the inn, having first gamed away all his own! Imay well say by God and by you have I gotten back this much, andthereof I shall still be beholden to you.'
Angiolieri told them his own story, but his words were not heeded;nay, Fortarrigo, with the aid of the countrymen, pulled him off hispalfrey and stripping him, clad himself in his clothes; then, mountingto horse, he left him in his shirt and barefoot and returned to Siena,avouching everywhere that he had won the horse and clothes ofAngiolieri, whilst the latter, who had thought to go, as a rich man,to the cardinal in the Marches, returned to Buonconvento, poor and inhis shirt, nor dared for shamefastness go straight back to Siena, but,some clothes being lent him, he mounted the rouncey that Fortarrigohad ridden and betook himself to his kinsfolk at Corsignano, wi
th whomhe abode till such time as he was furnished anew by his father. Onthis wise Fortarrigo's knavery baffled Angiolieri's fairadvisement,[431] albeit his villainy was not left by the latterunpunished in due time and place."
[Footnote 431: Syn. goodly design of foresight (_buono avviso_).]