THE SEVENTH STORY
[Day the Tenth]
KING PEDRO OF ARRAGON, COMING TO KNOW THE FERVENT LOVE BORNE HIM BY LISA, COMFORTETH THE LOVE-SICK MAID AND PRESENTLY MARRIETH HER TO A NOBLE YOUNG GENTLEMAN; THEN, KISSING HER ON THE BROW, HE EVER AFTER AVOUCHETH HIMSELF HER KNIGHT
Fiammetta having made an end of her story and the manful magnanimity ofKing Charles having been much commended, albeit there was one ladythere who, being a Ghibelline, was loath to praise him, Pampinea, bythe king's commandment, began thus, "There is no one of understanding,worshipful ladies, but would say that which you say of good KingCharles, except she bear him ill-will for otherwhat; but, for thatthere occurreth to my memory a thing, belike no less commendable thanthis, done of one his adversary to one of our Florentine damsels, itpleaseth me to relate it to you.
At the time of the expulsion of the French from Sicily, one of ourFlorentines was an apothecary at Palermo, a very rich man calledBernardo Puccini, who had by his wife an only daughter, a very fairdamsel and already apt for marriage. Now King Pedro of Arragon, becomelord of the island, held high festival with his barons at Palermo,wherein he tilting after the Catalan fashion, it chanced thatBernardo's daughter, whose name was Lisa, saw him running [at thering] from a window where she was with other ladies, and he somarvellously pleased her that, looking upon him once and again, shefell passionately in love with him; and the festival ended and sheabiding in her father's house, she could think of nothing but of thisher illustrious and exalted love. And what most irked her in this wasthe consciousness of her own mean condition, which scarce suffered herto cherish any hope of a happy issue; natheless, she could nottherefor bring herself to leave loving the king, albeit, for fear ofgreater annoy, she dared not discover her passion. The king had notperceived this thing and recked not of her, wherefor she sufferedintolerable chagrin, past all that can be imagined. Thus it befellthat, love still waxing in her and melancholy redoubling uponmelancholy, the fair maid, unable to endure more, fell sick and wastedvisibly away from day to day, like snow in the sun. Her father andmother, sore concerned for this that befell her, studied withassiduous tenderness to hearten her and succoured her in as much asmight be with physicians and medicines, but it availed nothing, forthat, despairing of her love, she had elected to live no longer.
It chanced one day that, her father offering to do her every pleasure,she bethought herself, and she might aptly, to seek, before she died,to make the king acquainted with her love and her intent, andaccordingly she prayed him bring her Minuccio d'Arezzo. Now thisMinuccio was in those days held a very quaint and subtle singer andplayer and was gladly seen of the king; and Bernardo concluded thatLisa had a mind to hear him sing and play awhile. Accordingly, he sentto tell him, and Minuccio, who was a man of a debonair humour,incontinent came to her and having somedele comforted her with kindlyspeech, softly played her a fit or two on a viol he had with him andafter sang her sundry songs, the which were fire and flame unto thedamsel's passion, whereas he thought to solace her. Presently she toldhim that she would fain speak some words with him alone, wherefore,all else having withdrawn, she said to him, 'Minuccio, I have chosenthee to keep me very faithfully a secret of mine, hoping in the firstplace that thou wilt never discover it to any one, save to him of whomI shall tell thee, and after that thou wilt help me in that whichlieth in thy power; and of this I pray thee Thou must know, then,Minuccio mine, that the day our lord King Pedro held the greatfestival in honour of his exaltation to the throne, it befell me, ashe tilted, to espy him at so dour a point[459] that for the love ofhim there was kindled in my heart a fire that hath brought me to thispass wherein thou seest me, and knowing how ill my love beseemeth to aking, yet availing not, let alone to drive it away, but even to abateit, and it being beyond measure grievous to me to bear, I have as alesser evil elected to die, as I shall do. True it is that I shouldbegone hence cruelly disconsolate, an he first knew it not; wherefore,unknowing by whom I could more aptly acquaint him with this myresolution than by thyself, I desire to commit it to thee and praythee that thou refuse not to do it, and whenas thou shalt have doneit, that thou give me to know thereof, so that, dying comforted, I maybe assoiled of these my pains.' And this said, she stinted, weeping.
[Footnote 459: _In si forte punto_, or, in modern parlance, at socritical or ill-starred a moment.]
Minuccio marvelled at the greatness of the damsel's soul and at hercruel resolve and was sore concerned for her; then, it suddenlyoccurring to his mind how he might honourably oblige her, he said toher, 'Lisa, I pledge thee my faith, whereof thou mayst live assuredthat thou wilt never find thyself deceived, and after, commending theeof so high an emprise as it is to have set thy mind upon so great aking, I proffer thee mine aid, by means whereof I hope, an thou wiltbut take comfort, so to do that, ere three days be past, I doubt notto bring thee news that will be exceeding grateful to thee; and tolose no time, I mean to go about it forthright.' Lisa, having anewbesought him amain thereof and promised him to take comfort, bade himGod speed; whereupon Minuccio, taking his leave, betook himself to oneMico da Siena, a mighty good rhymer of those days, and constrained himwith prayers to make the following canzonet:
Bestir thee, Love, and get thee to my Sire And tell him all the torments I aby; Tell him I'm like to die, For fearfulness concealing my desire.
Love, with clasped hands I cry thee mercy, so Thou mayst betake thee where my lord doth dwell. Say that I love and long for him, for lo, My heart he hath inflamed so sadly well; Yea, for the fire wherewith I'm all aglow, I fear to die nor yet the hour can tell When I shall part from pain so fierce and fell As that which, longing, for his sake I dree In shame and fear; ah me, For God's sake, cause him know my torment dire.
Since first enamoured, Love, of him I grew, Thou hast not given me the heart to dare So much as one poor once my lord unto My love and longing plainly to declare, My lord who maketh me so sore to rue; Death, dying thus, were hard to me to bear. Belike, indeed, for he is debonair, 'Twould not displease him, did he know what pain I feel and didst thou deign Me daring to make known to him my fire.
Yet, since 'twas not thy pleasure to impart, Love, such assurance to me that by glance Or sign or writ I might make known my heart Unto my lord, for my deliverance I prithee, sweet my master, of thine art Get thee to him and give him souvenance Of that fair day I saw him shield and lance Bear with the other knights and looking more, Enamoured fell so sore My heart thereof doth perish and expire.
These words Minuccio forthwith set to a soft and plaintive air, suchas the matter thereof required, and on the third day he betook himselfto court, where, King Pedro being yet at meat, he was bidden by himsing somewhat to his viol. Thereupon he fell to singing the songaforesaid on such dulcet wise that all who were in the royal hallappeared men astonied, so still and attent stood they all to hearken,and the king maybe more than the others. Minuccio having made an endof his singing, the king enquired whence came this song that himseemedhe had never before heard. 'My lord,' replied the minstrel, 'it is notyet three days since the words were made and the air.' The king askedfor whom it had been made; and Minuccio answered, 'I dare not discoverit save to you alone.' The king, desirous to hear it, as soon as thetables were removed, sent for Minuccio into his chamber and the latterorderly recounted to him all that he had heard from Lisa; wherewithDon Pedro was exceeding well pleased and much commended the damsel,avouching himself resolved to have compassion of so worthful a younglady and bidding him therefore go comfort her on his part and tell herthat he would without fail come to visit her that day towards vespers.Minuccio, overjoyed to be the bearer of such pleasing news, betookhimself incontinent, viol and all, to the damsel and bespeaking her inprivate, recounted to her all that had passed and after sang her thesong to his viol; whereat she was so rejoiced and so content that shestraightw
ay showed manifest signs of great amendment and longinglyawaited the hour of vespers, whenas her lord should come, without anyof the household knowing or guessing how the case stood.
Meanwhile, the king, who was a debonair and generous prince, havingsundry times taken thought to the things heard from Minuccio and verywell knowing the damsel and her beauty, waxed yet more pitiful overher and mounting to horse towards vespers, under colour of goingabroad for his diversion, betook himself to the apothecary's house,where, having required a very goodly garden which he had to be openedto him, he alighted therein and presently asked Bernardo what was comeof his daughter and if he had yet married her. 'My lord,' replied theapothecary, 'she is not married; nay, she hath been and is yet verysick; albeit it is true that since none she hath mended marvellously.'The king readily apprehended what this amendment meant and said, 'Ingood sooth, 'twere pity so fair a creature should be yet taken fromthe world. We would fain go visit her.' Accordingly, a little after,he betook himself with Bernardo and two companions only to her chamberand going up to the bed where the damsel, somedele upraised,[460]awaited him with impatience, took her by the hand and said to her,'What meaneth this, my mistress? You are young and should comfortother women; yet you suffer yourself to be sick. We would beseech yoube pleased, for the love of us, to hearten yourself on such wise thatyou may speedily be whole again.' The damsel, feeling herself touchedof his hands whom she loved over all else, albeit she was somewhatshamefast, felt yet such gladness in her heart as she were in Paradiseand answered him, as best she might, saying, 'My lord, my havingwilled to subject my little strength unto very grievous burdens hathbeen the cause to me of this mine infirmity, whereof, thanks to yourgoodness, you shall soon see me quit.' The king alone understood thedamsel's covert speech and held her momently of more account; nay,sundry whiles he inwardly cursed fortune, who had made her daughterunto such a man; then, after he had tarried with her awhile andcomforted her yet more, he took his leave.
[Footnote 460: _Sollevata_, syn. solaced, relieved or (3) agitated,troubled.]
This humanity of the king was greatly commended and attributed forgreat honour to the apothecary and his daughter, which latter abode aswell pleased as ever was woman of her lover, and sustained of betterhope, in a few days recovered and became fairer than ever. When shewas whole again, the king, having taken counsel with the queen of whatreturn he should make her for so much love, mounting one day to horsewith many of his barons, repaired to the apothecary's house andentering the garden, let call Master Bernardo and his daughter; then,the queen presently coming thither with many ladies and havingreceived Lisa among them, they fell to making wonder-merry. After awhile, the king and queen called Lisa to them and the former said toher, 'Noble damsel, the much love you have borne us hath gotten you agreat honour from us, wherewith we would have you for the love of usbe content; to wit, that, since you are apt for marriage, we wouldhave you take him to husband whom we shall bestow on you, purposing,notwithstanding this, to call ourselves still your knight, withoutdesiring aught from you of so much love but one sole kiss.' Thedamsel, grown all vermeil in the face for shamefastness, making theking's pleasure hers, replied in a low voice on this wise, 'My lord, Iam well assured that, were it known that I had fallen enamoured ofyou, most folk would account me mad therefor, thinking belike that Ihad forgotten myself and knew not mine own condition nor yet yours;but God, who alone seeth the hearts of mortals, knoweth that, in thatsame hour whenas first you pleased me, I knew you for a king andmyself for the daughter of Bernardo the apothecary and that it illbeseemed me to address the ardour of my soul unto so high a place.But, as you know far better than I, none here below falleth in loveaccording to fitness of election, but according to appetite andinclination, against which law I once and again strove with all mymight, till, availing no farther, I loved and love and shall everlove you. But, since first I felt myself taken with love of you, Idetermined still to make your will mine; wherefore, not only will Igladly obey you in this matter of taking a husband at your hands andholding him dear whom it shall please you to bestow on me, since thatwill be mine honour and estate, but, should you bid me abide in thefire, it were a delight to me, an I thought thereby to pleasure you.To have you, a king, to knight, you know how far it befitteth me,wherefore to that I make no farther answer; nor shall the kiss bevouchsafed you, which alone of my love you would have, without leaveof my lady the queen. Natheless, of such graciousness as hath beenyours towards me and that of our lady the queen here God render youfor me both thanks and recompense, for I have not the wherewithal.'And with that she was silent.
Her answer much pleased the queen and she seemed to her as discreet asthe king had reported her. Don Pedro then let call the girl's fatherand mother and finding that they were well pleased with that which hepurposed to do, summoned a young man, by name Perdicone, who was ofgentle birth, but poor, and giving certain rings into his hand,married him, nothing loath, to Lisa; which done, he then and there,over and above many and precious jewels bestowed by the queen andhimself upon the damsel, gave him Ceffalu and Calatabellotta, two veryrich and goodly fiefs, and said to him, 'These we give thee to thelady's dowry. That which we purpose to do for thyself, thou shalt seein time to come.' This said, he turned to the damsel and saying, 'Nowwill we take that fruit which we are to have of your love,' took herhead in his hands and kissed her on the brow. Perdicone and Lisa'sfather and mother, well pleased, (as indeed was she herself,) heldhigh festival and joyous nuptials; and according as many avouch, theking very faithfully kept his covenant with the damsel, for that,whilst she lived, he still styled himself her knight nor ever wentabout any deed of arms but he wore none other favour than that whichwas sent him of her. It is by doing, then, on this wise that subjects'hearts are gained, that others are incited to do well and that eternalrenown is acquired; but this is a mark at which few or none nowadaysbend the bow of their understanding, most princes being presentlygrown cruel and tyrannical."
The Decameron of Giovanni Boccaccio Page 109