THE TENTH STORY
[Day the Fourth]
A PHYSICIAN'S WIFE PUTTETH HER LOVER FOR DEAD IN A CHEST, WHICH TWO USURERS CARRY OFF TO THEIR OWN HOUSE, GALLANT AND ALL. THE LATTER, WHO IS BUT DRUGGED, COMETH PRESENTLY TO HIMSELF AND BEING DISCOVERED, IS TAKEN FOR A THIEF; BUT THE LADY'S MAID AVOUCHETH TO THE SEIGNORY THAT SHE HERSELF HAD PUT HIM INTO THE CHEST STOLEN BY THE TWO USURERS, WHEREBY HE ESCAPETH THE GALLOWS AND THE THIEVES ARE AMERCED IN CERTAIN MONIES
Filostrato having made an end of his telling, it rested only withDioneo to accomplish his task, who, knowing this and it beingpresently commanded him of the king, began as follows: 'The sorrowsthat have been this day related of ill fortuned loves have saddenednot only your eyes and hearts, ladies, but mine also; wherefore I haveardently longed for an end to be made thereof. Now that, praised beGod, they are finished (except I should choose to make an ill additionto such sorry ware, from which God keep me!), I will, without fartherensuing so dolorous a theme, begin with something blither and better,thereby perchance affording a good argument for that which is to berelated on the ensuing day.
You must know, then, fairest lasses, that there was in Salerno, nogreat while since, a very famous doctor in surgery, by name MasterMazzeo della Montagna, who, being already come to extreme old age,took to wife a fair and gentle damsel of his city and kept betterfurnished with sumptuous and rich apparel and jewels and all that canpleasure a lady than any woman of the place. True it is she wenta-cold most of her time, being kept of her husband ill covered abed;for, like as Messer Ricardo di Chinzica (of whom we already told)taught his wife to observe saints' days and holidays, even so thedoctor pretended to her that once lying with a woman necessitated Iknow not how many days' study to recruit the strength and the liketoys; whereof she abode exceeding ill content and like a discreet andhigh-spirited woman as she was, bethought herself, so she might thebetter husband the household good, to betake herself to the highwayand seek to spend others' gear. To this end, considering divers youngmen, at last she found one to her mind and on him she set all herhope; whereof he becoming aware and she pleasing him mightily, he inlike manner turned all his love upon her.
The spark in question was called Ruggieri da Jeroli, a man of noblebirth, but of lewd life and blameworthy carriage, insomuch that he hadleft himself neither friend nor kinsman who wished him well or caredto see him and was defamed throughout all Salerno for thefts and otherknaveries of the vilest; but of this the lady recked little, hepleasing her for otherwhat, and with the aid of a maid of hers, shewrought on such wise that they came together. After they had takensome delight, the lady proceeded to blame his past way of life and topray him, for the love of her, to desist from these ill fashions; andto give him the means of doing this, she fell to succouring him, nowwith one sum of money and now with another. On this wise they abodetogether, using the utmost discretion, till it befell that a sick manwas put into the doctor's hands, who had a gangrened leg, and MasterMazzeo, having examined the case, told the patient's kinsfolk that,except a decayed bone he had in his leg were taken out, needs must hehave the whole limb cut off or die, and that, by taking out the bone,he might recover, but that he would not undertake him otherwise thanfor a dead man; to which those to whom the sick man pertained agreedand gave the latter into his hands for such. The doctor, judging thatthe patient might not brook the pain nor would suffer himself to beoperated, without an opiate, and having appointed to set about thematter at evensong, let that morning distil a certain water of hiscomposition, which being drunken by the sick man, should make himsleep so long as he deemed necessary for the performing of theoperation upon him, and fetching it home, set it in his chamber,without telling any what it was.
The hour of vespers come and the doctor being about to go to thepatient in question, there came to him a messenger from certain verygreat friends of his at Malfi, charging him fail not for anything torepair thither incontinent, for that there had been a great fraythere, in which many had been wounded. Master Mazzeo accordingly putoff the tending of the leg until the ensuing morning and going aboarda boat, went off to Malfi, whereupon his wife, knowing that he wouldnot return home that night, let fetch Ruggieri, as of her wont, andbringing him into her chamber, locked him therewithin, against certainother persons of the house should be gone to sleep. Ruggieri, then,abiding in the chamber, awaiting his mistress, and being,--whether forfatigue endured that day or salt meat that he had eaten or maybe forusance,--sore, athirst, caught sight of the flagon of water, which thedoctor had prepared for the sick man and which stood in the window,and deeming it drinking water, set it to his mouth and drank it alloff; nor was it long ere a great drowsiness took him and he fellasleep.
The lady came to the chamber as first she might and finding Ruggieriasleep, nudged him and bade him in a low voice arise, but to noeffect, for he replied not neither stirred anywhit; whereat she wassomewhat vexed and nudged him more sharply, saying, 'Get up, slugabed!An thou hadst a mind to sleep, thou shouldst have betaken thee tothine own house and not come hither.' Ruggieri, being thus pushed,fell to the ground from a chest whereon he lay and gave no more signof life than a dead body; whereupon the lady, now somewhat alarmed,began to seek to raise him up and to shake him more roughly, tweakinghim by the nose and plucking him by the beard, but all in vain; he hadtied his ass to a fast picket.[257] At this she began to fear lest hewere dead; nevertheless she proceeded to pinch him sharply and burnhis flesh with a lighted taper, but all to no purpose; wherefore,being no doctress, for all her husband was a physician, she doubtednot but he was dead in very deed. Loving him over all else as shedid, it needeth no asking if she were woebegone for this and daringnot make any outcry, she silently fell a-weeping over him andbewailing so sore a mishap.
[Footnote 257: A proverbial way of saying that he was fast asleep.]
After awhile, fearing to add shame to her loss, she bethought herselfthat it behoved her without delay find a means of carrying the deadman forth of the house and knowing not how to contrive this, shesoftly called her maid and discovering to her her misadventure soughtcounsel of her. The maid marvelled exceedingly and herself pulled andpinched Ruggieri, but, finding him without sense or motion, agreedwith her mistress that he was certainly dead and counselled her puthim forth of the house. Quoth the lady, 'And where can we put him, soit may not be suspected, whenas he shall be seen to-morrow morning,that he hath been brought out hence?' 'Madam,' answered the maid, 'Isaw, this evening at nightfall, over against the shop of our neighbouryonder the carpenter, a chest not overbig, the which, an the ownerhave not taken it in again, will come very apt for our affair; forthat we can lay him therein, after giving him two or three slasheswith a knife, and leave him be. I know no reason why whoso findeth himshould suppose him to have been put there from this house rather thanotherwhence; nay, it will liefer be believed, seeing he was a youngman of lewd life, that he hath been slain by some enemy of his, whilstgoing about to do some mischief or other, and after clapped in thechest.'
The maid's counsel pleased the lady, save that she would not hear ofgiving him any wound, saying that for naught in the world would herheart suffer her to do that. Accordingly she sent her to see if thechest were yet whereas she had noted it and she presently returned andsaid, 'Ay.' Then, being young and lusty, with the aid of her mistress,she took Ruggieri on her shoulders and carrying him out,--whilst thelady forewent her, to look if any came,--clapped him into the chestand shutting down the lid, left him there. Now it chanced that, a dayor two before, two young men, who lent at usance, had taken up theirabode in a house a little farther and lacking household gear, buthaving a mind to gain much and spend little, had that day espied thechest in question and had plotted together, if it should abide therethe night, to carry it off to their own house. Accordingly, midnightcome, they sallied forth and finding the chest still there, withoutlooking farther, they hastily carried it off, for all it seemed tothem somewhat heavy, to their own house, where they set it down besidea chamber in which
their wives slept and there leaving it, withoutconcerning themselves for the nonce to settle it overnicely, betookthem to bed.
Presently, the morning drawing near, Ruggieri, who had slept a greatwhile, having by this time digested the sleeping draught and exhaustedits effects, awoke and albeit his sleep was broken and his senses insome measure restored, there abode yet a dizziness in his brain, whichheld him stupefied, not that night only, but some days after. Openinghis eyes and seeing nothing, he put out his hands hither and thitherand finding himself in the chest, bethought himself and said, 'What isthis? Where am I? Am I asleep or awake? Algates I mind me that I camethis evening into my mistress's chamber and now meseemeth I am in achest. What meaneth this? Can the physician have returned or otheraccident befallen, by reason whereof the lady hath hidden me here, Ibeing asleep? Methinketh it must have been thus; assuredly it was so.'Accordingly, he addressed himself to abide quiet and hearken if hecould hear aught and after he had abidden thus a great while, beingsomewhat ill at ease in the chest, which was small, and the sidewhereon he lay irking him, he would have turned over to the other andwrought so dexterously that, thrusting his loins against one of thesides of the chest, which had not been set on a level place, he causedit first to incline to one side and after topple over. In falling, itmade a great noise, whereat the women who slept therenigh awoke andbeing affrighted, were silent for fear. Ruggieri was sore alarmed atthe fall of the chest, but, finding that it had opened in the fall,chose rather, if aught else should betide, to be out of it than toabide therewithin. Accordingly, he came forth and what with knowingnot where he was and what with one thing and another, he fell togroping about the house, so haply he should find a stair or a door,whereby he might get him gone.
The women, hearing this, began to say, 'Who is there?' But Ruggieri,knowing not the voice, answered not; whereupon they proceeded to callthe two young men, who, for that they had overwatched themselves,slept fast and heard nothing of all this. Thereupon the women, waxingmore fearful, arose and betaking themselves to the windows, fella-crying, 'Thieves! Thieves!' At this sundry of the neighbours ran upand made their way, some by the roof and some by one part and some byanother, into the house; and the young men also, awaking for thenoise, arose and seized Ruggieri, who finding himself there, was in amanner beside himself for wonderment and saw no way of escape. Thenthey gave him into the hands of the officers of the governor of thecity, who had now run thither at the noise and carried him beforetheir chief. The latter, for that he was held of all a very sorryfellow, straightway put him to the question and he confessed to havingentered the usurers' house to steal; whereupon the governor thought tolet string him up by the neck without delay.
The news was all over Salerno by the morning that Ruggieri had beentaken in the act of robbing the money-lenders' house, which the ladyand her maid hearing, they were filled with such strange and exceedingwonderment that they were like to persuade themselves that they hadnot done, but had only dreamed of doing, that which they had doneovernight; whilst the lady, to boot, was so concerned at the news ofthe danger wherein Ruggieri was that she was like to go mad. Soonafter half tierce[258] the physician, having returned from Malfi andwishing to medicine his patient, called for his prepared water andfinding the flagon empty, made a great outcry, saying that nothingcould abide as it was in his house. The lady, who was troubled withanother great chagrin, answered angrily, saying 'What wouldst thousay, doctor, of grave matter, whenas thou makest such an outcry anenta flagonlet of water overset? Is there no more water to be found inthe world?' 'Wife,' rejoined the physician, 'thou thinkest this wascommon water; it was not so; nay, it was a water prepared to causesleep'; and told her for what occasion he had made it. When she heardthis, she understood forthright that Ruggieri had drunken the opiateand had therefore appeared to them dead and said to her husband,'Doctor, we knew it not; wherefore do you make yourself some more';and the physician, accordingly, seeing he might not do otherwise, letmake thereof anew.
[Footnote 258: _i.e._ about half-past seven a.m.]
A little after, the maid, who had gone by her mistress's commandmentto learn what should be reported of Ruggieri, returned and said toher, 'Madam, every one missaith of Ruggieri; nor, for aught I couldhear, is there friend or kinsman who hath risen up or thinketh to riseup to assist him, and it is held certain that the prefect of policewill have him hanged to-morrow. Moreover, I have a strange thing totell you, to wit, meseemeth I have discovered how he came into themoney-lenders' house, and hear how. You know the carpenter overagainstwhose shop was the chest wherein we laid him; he was but now at thehottest words in the world with one to whom it seemeth the chestbelonged; for the latter demanded of him the price of his chest, andthe carpenter replied that he had not sold it, but that it had thatnight been stolen from him. Whereto, "Not so," quoth the other, "nay,thou soldest it to the two young men, the money-lenders yonder, asthey told me yesternight, when I saw it in their house what timeRuggieri was taken." "They lie," answered the carpenter. "I never soldit to them; but they stole it from me yesternight. Let us go to them."So they went off with one accord to the money-lenders' house, and Icame back hither. On this wise, as you may see, I conclude thatRuggieri was transported whereas he was found; but how he came to lifeagain I cannot divine.'
The lady now understood very well how the case stood and telling themaid what she had heard from the physician, besought her help to saveRuggieri, for that she might, an she would, at once save him andpreserve her honour. Quoth she, 'Madam, teach me how, and I willgladly do anything.' Whereupon the lady, whose wits were sharpened bythe urgency of the case, having promptly bethought herself of thatwhich was to do, particularly acquainted the maid therewith, who firstbetook herself to the physician and weeping, began to say to him,'Sir, it behoveth me ask you pardon of a great fault, which I havecommitted against you.' 'In what?' asked the doctor, and she, nevergiving over weeping, answered, 'Sir, you know what manner young man isRuggieri da Jeroli. He took a liking to me awhile agone and partly forfear and partly for love, needs must I become his mistress.Yesternight, knowing that you were abroad, he cajoled me on such wisethat I brought him into your house to lie with me in my chamber, andhe being athirst and I having no whither more quickly to resort forwater or wine, unwilling as I was that your lady, who was in thesaloon, should see me, I remembered me to have seen a flagon of waterin your chamber. Accordingly, I ran for it and giving him the water todrink, replaced the flagon whence I had taken it, whereof I find youhave made a great outcry in the house. And certes I confess I did ill;but who is there doth not ill bytimes? Indeed, I am exceeding grievedto have done it, not so much for the thing itself as for that whichhath ensued of it and by reason whereof Ruggieri is like to lose hislife. Wherefore I pray you, as most I may, pardon me and give me leaveto go succour Ruggieri inasmuch as I can.' The physician, hearingthis, for all he was angry, answered jestingly, 'Thou hast giventhyself thine own penance therefor, seeing that, whereas thouthoughtest yesternight to have a lusty young fellow who would shakethy skincoats well for thee, thou hadst a sluggard; wherefore go andendeavour for the deliverance of thy lover; but henceforth look thoubring him not into the house again, or I will pay thee for this timeand that together.'
The maid, thinking she had fared well for the first venue, betookherself, as quickliest she might, to the prison, where Ruggieri layand coaxed the gaoler to let her speak with the prisoner, whom aftershe had instructed what answers he should make to the prefect ofpolice, an he would fain escape, she contrived to gain admission tothe magistrate himself. The latter, for that she was young and buxom,would fain, ere he would hearken to her, cast his grapnel aboard thegood wench, whereof she, to be the better heard, was no whit chary;then, having quitted herself of the grinding due,[259] 'Sir,' saidshe, 'you have here Ruggieri da Jeroli taken for a thief; but thetruth is not so.' Then, beginning from the beginning, she told him thewhole story; how she, being his mistress, had brought him into thephysician's house and had given him the drugged water to drink,unknowing wh
at it was, and how she had put him for dead into thechest; after which she told him the talk she had heard between themaster carpenter and the owner of the chest, showing him thereby howRuggieri had come into the money-lenders' house.
[Footnote 259: Or "having risen from the grinding" (_levatasi dalmacinio_).]
The magistrate, seeing it an easy thing to come at the truth of thematter, first questioned the physician if it were true of the waterand found that it was as she had said; whereupon he let summon thecarpenter and him to whom the chest belonged and the two money-lendersand after much parley, found that the latter had stolen the chestovernight and put it in their house. Ultimately he sent for Ruggieriand questioned him where he had lain that night, whereto he repliedthat where he had lain he knew not; he remembered indeed having goneto pass the night with Master Mazzeo's maid, in whose chamber he haddrunken water for a sore thirst he had; but what became of him afterhe knew not, save that, when he awoke, he found himself in themoney-lenders' house in a chest. The prefect, hearing these things andtaking great pleasure therein, caused the maid and Ruggieri and thecarpenter and the money-lenders repeat their story again and again;and in the end, seeing Ruggieri to be innocent, he released him andamerced the money-lenders in half a score ounces for that they hadstolen the chest. How welcome this was to Ruggieri, none need ask, andit was beyond measure pleasing to his mistress, who together with herlover and the precious maid, who had proposed to give him the slasheswith the knife, many a time after laughed and made merry of thematter, still continuing their loves and their disport from good tobetter; the which I would well might so betide myself, save always thebeing put in the chest."
* * * * *
If the former stories had saddened the hearts of the lovesome ladies,this last one of Dioneo's made them laugh heartily, especially when hespoke of the prefect casting his grapnel aboard the maid, that theywere able thus to recover themselves of the melancholy caused by theothers. But the king, seeing that the sun began to grow yellow andthat the term of his seignory was come, with very courteous speechexcused himself to the fair ladies for that which he had done, to wit,that he had caused discourse of so sorrowful a matter as that oflovers' infelicity; which done, he rose to his feet and taking fromhis head the laurel wreath, whilst the ladies waited to see on whom heshould bestow it, set it daintily on Fiammetta's fair head, saying, "Imake over this crown to thee, as to her who will, better than anyother, know how with to-morrow's pleasance to console these ladies ourcompanions of to-day's woefulness."
Fiammetta, whose locks were curled and long and golden and fell overher white and delicate shoulders and whose soft-rounded face was allresplendent with white lilies and vermeil roses commingled, with twoeyes in her head as they were those of a peregrine falcon and a daintylittle mouth, the lips whereof seemed twin rubies, answered, smiling,"And I, Filostrato, I take it willingly, and that thou mayst be thebetter cognizant of that which thou hast done, I presently will andcommand that each prepare to discourse to-morrow of THAT WHICH HATHHAPPILY BETIDED LOVERS AFTER SUNDRY CRUEL AND MISFORTUNATEADVENTURES." Her proposition[260] was pleasing unto all and she, aftersummoning the seneschal and taking counsel with him of things needful,arising from session, blithely dismissed all the company untilsupper-time. Accordingly, they all proceeded, according to theirvarious appetites, to take their several pleasures, some wanderingabout the garden, whose beauties were not such as might lightly tire,and other some betaking themselves towards the mills which wroughttherewithout, whilst the rest fared some hither and some thither,until the hour of supper, which being come, they all foregathered, asof their wont, anigh the fair fountain and there supped with exceedingpleasance and well served. Presently, arising thence, they addressedthemselves, as of their wont, to dancing and singing, and Filomenaleading off the dance, the queen said, "Filostrato, I purpose not todepart from the usance of those who have foregone me in the sovranty,but, like as they have done, so I intend that a song be sung at mycommandment; and as I am assured that thy songs are even such as arethy stories, it is our pleasure that, so no more days than this betroubled with thine ill fortunes, thou sing such one thereof as mostpleaseth thee." Filostrato replied that he would well and forthrightproceeded to sing on this wise:
[Footnote 260: _i.e._ the theme proposed by her.]
Weeping, I demonstrate How sore with reason doth my heart complain Of love betrayed and plighted faith in vain.
Love, whenas first there was of thee imprest Thereon[261] her image for whose sake I sigh, Sans hope of succour aye, So full of virtue didst thou her pourtray, That every torment light accounted I That through thee to my breast Grown full of drear unrest And dole, might come; but now, alack! I'm fain To own my error, not withouten pain.
Yea, of the cheat first was I made aware, Seeing myself of her forsaken sheer, In whom I hoped alone; For, when I deemed myself most fairly grown Into her favour and her servant dear, Without her thought or care Of my to-come despair, I found she had another's merit ta'en To heart and put me from her with disdain.
Whenas I knew me banished from my stead, Straight in my heart a dolorous plaint there grew, That yet therein hath power, And oft I curse the day and eke the hour When first her lovesome visage met my view, Graced with high goodlihead; And more enamoured Than eye, my soul keeps up its dying strain, Faith, ardour, hope, blaspheming still amain. How void my misery is of all relief Thou mayst e'en feel, so sore I call thee, sire, With voice all full of woe; Ay, and I tell thee that it irks me so That death for lesser torment I desire. Come, death, then; shear the sheaf Of this my life of grief And with thy stroke my madness eke assain; Go where I may, less dire will be my bane.
No other way than death is left my spright, Ay, and none other solace for my dole; Then give it[262] me straightway, Love; put an end withal to my dismay: Ah, do it; since fate's spite Hath robbed me of delight; Gladden thou her, lord, with my death, love-slain, As thou hast cheered her with another swain.
My song, though none to learn thee lend an ear, I reck the less thereof, indeed, that none Could sing thee even as I; One only charge I give thee, ere I die, That thou find Love and unto him alone Show fully how undear This bitter life and drear Is to me, craving of his might he deign Some better harbourage I may attain.
Weeping I demonstrate How sore with reason doth my heart complain Of love betrayed and plighted faith in vain.
[Footnote 261: _i.e._ on my heart.]
[Footnote 262: _i.e._ death.]
The words of this song clearly enough discovered the state ofFilostrato's mind and the cause thereof, the which belike thecountenance of a certain lady who was in the dance had yet plainlierdeclared, had not the shades of the now fallen night hidden theblushes that rose to her face. But, when he had made an end of hissong, many others were sung, till such time as the hour of sleeparrived, whereupon, at the queen's commandment, each of the ladieswithdrew to her chamber.
HERE ENDETH THE FOURTH DAYOF THE DECAMERON