The Decameron of Giovanni Boccaccio Page 13
THE TENTH STORY
[Day the First]
MASTER ALBERTO OF BOLOGNA CIVILLY PUTTETH A LADY TO THE BLUSH WHO THOUGHT TO HAVE SHAMED HIM OF BEING ENAMOURED OF HER
Elisa being now silent, the last burden of the story-telling restedwith the queen, who, with womanly grace beginning to speak, said,"Noble damsels, like as in the lucid nights the stars are the ornamentof the sky and as in Spring-time the flowers of the green meadows,even so are commendable manners and pleasing discourse adorned bywitty sallies, which latter, for that they are brief, are yet morebeseeming to women than to men, inasmuch as much and long speech,whenas it may be dispensed with, is straitlier forbidden unto womenthan to men, albeit nowadays there are few or no women left whounderstand a sprightly saying or, if they understand it, know how toanswer it, to the general shame be it said of ourselves and of allwomen alive. For that virtue,[69] which was erst in the minds of thewomen of times past, those of our day have diverted to the adornmentof the body, and she on whose back are to be seen the most motleygarments and the most gaudily laced and garded and garnished with thegreatest plenty of fringes and purflings and broidery deemeth herselfworthy to be held of far more account than her fellows and to behonoured above them, considering not that, were it a question of whoshould load her back and shoulders with bravery, an ass would carrymuch more thereof than any of them nor would therefore be honoured formore than an ass.
[Footnote 69: _Virtu_, in the old Roman sense of strength, vigour,energy.]
I blush to avow it, for that I cannot say aught against other womenbut I say it against myself; these women that are so laced and purfledand painted and parti-coloured abide either mute and senseless, likemarble statues, or, an they be questioned, answer after such a fashionthat it were far better to have kept silence. And they would have youbelieve that their unableness to converse among ladies and men ofparts proceedeth from purity of mind, and to their witlessness theygive the name of modesty, as if forsooth no woman were modest but shewho talketh with her chamberwoman or her laundress or her bake-wench;the which had Nature willed, as they would have it believed, she hadassuredly limited unto them their prattle on other wise. It is truethat in this, as in other things, it behoveth to have regard to timeand place and with whom one talketh; for that it chanceth bytimes thatwomen or men, thinking with some pleasantry or other to put another tothe blush and not having well measured their own powers with those ofthe latter, find that confusion, which they thought to cast uponanother, recoil upon themselves. Wherefore, so you may know how tokeep yourselves and that, to boot, you may not serve as a text for theproverb which is current everywhere, to wit, that women in everythingstill take the worst, I would have you learn a lesson from the last ofto-day's stories, which falleth to me to tell, to the intent that,even as you are by nobility of mind distinguished from other women, solikewise you may show yourselves no less removed from them byexcellence of manners.
It is not many years since there lived (and belike yet liveth) atBologna a very great and famous physician, known by manifest renown towell nigh all the world. His name was Master Alberto and such was thevivacity of his spirit that, albeit he was an old man of hard uponseventy years of age and well nigh all natural heat had departed hisbody, he scrupled not to expose himself to the flames of love; forthat, having seen at an entertainment a very beautiful widow lady,called, as some say, Madam Malgherida[70] de' Ghisolieri, and beingvastly taken with her, he received into his mature bosom, no otherwisethan if he had been a young gallant, the amorous fire, insomuch thathimseemed he rested not well by night, except the day foregone he hadlooked upon the delicate and lovesome countenance of the fair lady.Wherefore he fell to passing continually before her house, now afootand now on horseback, as the occasion served him, insomuch that sheand many other ladies got wind of the cause of his constant passingsto and fro and oftentimes made merry among themselves to see a manthus ripe of years and wit in love, as if they deemed that that mostpleasant passion of love took root and flourished only in the sillyminds of the young and not otherwhere.
[Footnote 70: Old form of Margherita.]
What while he continued to pass back and forth, it chanced one holidaythat, the lady being seated with many others before her door andespying Master Alberto making towards them from afar, they one andall took counsel together to entertain him and do him honour and afterto rally him on that his passion. Accordingly, they all rose toreceive him and inviting him [to enter,] carried him into a shadycourtyard, whither they let bring the choicest of wines and sweetmeatsand presently enquired of him, in very civil and pleasant terms, howit might be that he was fallen enamoured of that fair lady, knowingher to be loved of many handsome, young and sprightly gentlemen. Thephysician, finding himself thus courteously attacked, put on a blithecountenance and answered, 'Madam, that I love should be no marvel toany understanding person, and especially that I love yourself, forthat you deserve it; and albeit old men are by operation of naturebereft of the vigour that behoveth unto amorous exercises, yet not forall that are they bereft of the will nor of the wit to apprehend thatwhich is worthy to be loved; nay, this latter is naturally the bettervalued of them, inasmuch as they have more knowledge and experiencethan the young. As for the hope that moveth me, who am an old man, tolove you who are courted of many young gallants, it is on this wise: Ihave been many a time where I have seen ladies lunch and eat lupinsand leeks. Now, although in the leek no part is good, yet is thehead[71] thereof less hurtful and more agreeable to the taste; but youladies, moved by a perverse appetite, commonly hold the head in yourhand and munch the leaves, which are not only naught, but of an illsavour. How know I, madam, but you do the like in the election of yourlovers? In which case, I should be the one chosen of you and theothers would be turned away.'
[Footnote 71: _i.e._ the base or eatable part of the stem.]
The gentlewoman and her companions were somewhat abashed and said,'Doctor, you have right well and courteously chastised ourpresumptuous emprise; algates, your love is dear to me, as should bethat of a man of worth and learning; wherefore, you may in allassurance command me, as your creature, of your every pleasure, savingonly mine honour.' The physician, rising with his companions, thankedthe lady and taking leave of her with laughter and merriment, departedthence. Thus the lady, looking not whom she rallied and thinking todiscomfit another, was herself discomfited; wherefrom, an you be wise,you will diligently guard yourselves."
* * * * *
The sun had begun to decline towards the evening, and the heat was ingreat part abated, when the stories of the young ladies and of thethree young men came to an end; whereupon quoth the queenblithesomely, "Henceforth, dear companions, there remaineth noughtmore to do in the matter of my governance for the present day, save togive you a new queen, who shall, according to her judgment, order herlife and ours, for that[72] which is to come, unto honest pleasance.And albeit the day may be held to endure from now until nightfall,yet,--for that whoso taketh not somewhat of time in advance cannot,meseemeth, so well provide for the future and in order that what thenew queen shall deem needful for the morrow may be prepared,--methinkeththe ensuing days should commence at this hour. Wherefore, in reverenceof Him unto whom all things live and for our own solacement, Filomena,a right discreet damsel, shall, as queen, govern our kingdom for thecoming day." So saying, she rose to her feet and putting off thelaurel-wreath, set it reverently on the head of Filomena, whom firstherself and after all the other ladies and the young men likewisesaluted as queen, cheerfully submitting themselves to her governance.
[Footnote 72: _i.e._ that day.]
Filomena blushed somewhat to find herself invested with the queendom,but, calling to mind the words a little before spoken byPampinea,[73]--in order that she might not appear witless, she resumedher assurance and in the first place confirmed all the offices givenby Pampinea; then, having declared that they should abide whereas theywere, she appointed that which was to do against the ensuing morning,as
well as for that night's supper, and after proceeded to speak thus:
[Footnote 73: See ante, p. 8.]
"Dearest companions, albeit Pampinea, more of her courtesy than forany worth of mine, hath made me queen of you all, I am not thereforedisposed to follow my judgment alone in the manner of our living, butyours together with mine; and that you may know that which meseemethis to do and consequently at your pleasure add thereto or abatethereof, I purpose briefly to declare it to you.
If I have well noted the course this day held by Pampinea, meseemeth Ihave found it alike praiseworthy and delectable; wherefore till suchtime as, for overlong continuance or other reason, it grow irksome tous, I judge it not to be changed. Order, then, being taken for [thecontinuance of] that which we have already begun to do, we will,arising hence, go awhile a-pleasuring, and whenas the sun shall be forgoing under, we will sup in the cool of the evening, and after sundrycanzonets and other pastimes, we shall do well to betake ourselves tosleep. To-morrow, rising in the cool of the morning, we will on likewise go somewhither a-pleasuring, as shall be most agreeable to everyone; and as we have done to-day, we will at the due hour come back toeat; after which we will dance and when we arise from sleep, as to-daywe have done, we will return hither to our story-telling, whereinmeseemeth a very great measure to consist alike of pleasance and ofprofit. Moreover, that which Pampinea had indeed no opportunity ofdoing, by reason of her late election to the governance, I purpose nowto enter upon, to wit, to limit within some bound that whereof we areto tell and to declare it[74] to you beforehand, so each of you mayhave leisure to think of some goodly story to relate upon the themeproposed, the which, an it please you, shall be on this wise; namely,seeing that since the beginning of the world men have been and willbe, until the end thereof, bandied about by various shifts of fortune,each shall be holden to tell OF THOSE WHO AFTER BEING BAFFLED BYDIVERS CHANCES HAVE WON AT LAST TO A JOYFUL ISSUE BEYOND THEIR HOPE."
[Footnote 74: _i.e._ the terms of the limitation aforesaid.]
Ladies and men alike all commended this ordinance and declaredthemselves ready to ensue it. Only Dioneo, the others all beingsilent, said, "Madam, as all the rest have said, so say I, to wit thatthe ordinance given by you is exceeding pleasant and commendable; butof especial favour I crave you a boon, which I would have confirmed tome for such time as our company shall endure, to wit, that I may notbe constrained by this your law to tell a story upon the given theme,an it like me not, but shall be free to tell that which shall mostplease me. And that none may think I seek this favour as one who hathnot stories, in hand, from this time forth I am content to be stillthe last to tell."
The queen,--who knew him for a merry man and a gamesome and was wellassured that he asked this but that he might cheer the company withsome laughable story, whenas they should be weary of discoursing,--withthe others' consent, cheerfully accorded him the favour he sought.Then, arising from session, with slow steps they took their waytowards a rill of very clear water, that ran down from a little hill,amid great rocks and green herbage, into a valley overshaded with manytrees and there, going about in the water, bare-armed and shoeless,they fell to taking various diversions among themselves, tillsupper-time drew near, when they returned to the palace and theresupped merrily. Supper ended, the queen called for instruments ofmusic and bade Lauretta lead up a dance, whilst Emilia sang a song, tothe accompaniment of Dioneo's lute. Accordingly, Lauretta promptly setup a dance and led it off, whilst Emilia amorously warbled thefollowing song:
I burn for mine own charms with such a fire, Methinketh that I ne'er Of other love shall reck or have desire.
Whene'er I mirror me, I see therein[75] That good which still contenteth heart and spright; Nor fortune new nor thought of old can win To dispossess me of such dear delight. What other object, then, could fill my sight, Enough of pleasance e'er To kindle in my breast a new desire?
This good flees not, what time soe'er I'm fain Afresh to view it for my solacement; Nay, at my pleasure, ever and again With such a grace it doth itself present Speech cannot tell it nor its full intent Be known of mortal e'er, Except indeed he burn with like desire.
And I, grown more enamoured every hour, The straitlier fixed mine eyes upon it be, Give all myself and yield me to its power, E'en tasting now of that it promised me, And greater joyance yet I hope to see, Of such a strain as ne'er Was proven here below of love-desire.
[Footnote 75: _i.e._ in the mirrored presentment of her own beauty.]
Lauretta having thus made an end of her ballad,[76]--in the burden ofwhich all had blithely joined, albeit the words thereof gave some muchmatter for thought,--divers other rounds were danced and a part of theshort night being now spent, it pleased the queen to give an end tothe first day; wherefore, letting kindle the flambeaux, she commandedthat all should betake themselves to rest until the ensuing morning,and all, accordingly, returning to their several chambers, did so.
[Footnote 76: _Ballatella_, lit. little dancing song or song made tobe sung as an accompaniment to a dance (from _ballare_, to dance).This is the origin of our word ballad.]
HERE ENDETH THE FIRST DAYOF THE DECAMERON