Page 192 - THE DECAMERON: A Visionary Journey in 100 Stories and 100 Etchings by Petru Russu

The Decameron me my clothes immediately." Hearing her mistress's voice, the maid, careful neither to love nor to mock anyone. The scholar, learning that
the maid had broken her thigh, felt his revenge was complete and
helped by the farmworker, climbed the ladder. Reaching the roof,
said no more about the matter. Such were the consequences of her
she saw her lady lying there naked, exhausted, and looking more
mocking this foolish young woman, who thought she could trifle with
like a half-burned log than a human being. She scratched her face
a scholar as she did with others, not understanding that they, though
and wept over her as if she were dead. However, the lady begged
not all, but most, know where the Devil keeps his tail. Therefore, my
her to be silent and help her dress. Learning from the maid that
no one knew where she had been except those who had brought
her clothes and the farmworker present, the lady was somewhat
Calandrino had some forty soldi on him, which he gave to Bruno.
comforted and begged her to say nothing of the matter to anyone. ladies, be careful how you mock men, especially scholars.
Bruno then went to Florence to a friend who was an apothecary and
They talked for a long time, and then the farmworker took the lady bought a pound of good ginger pills. He had two of them compounded
on his shoulders, for she could not walk, and carried her safely out with fresh hepatic aloes and coated with sugar like the others,
of the tower. The maid, following with less caution, slipped and fell marking them slightly to recognize them. He also bought a flask of
from the ladder to the ground, breaking her thigh and crying out good vernaccia wine and returned to the farm. He told Calandrino
in pain. The farmworker set the lady down on a grassy meadow to invite those he suspected to drink with him the next morning, as
and went to see what had happened to the maid. Finding her thigh it would be a saint's day and they would come readily. That night,
broken, he brought her and laid her beside the lady. Seeing her woes Bruno and Buffalmacco would say the incantation over the pills, and
completed by this last misfortune and that the one from whom she in the morning, Bruno would bring them and administer them himself.
most expected help was injured, the lady was distressed beyond
measure and wept so piteously that the farmworker was powerless Calandrino did as advised, and the next morning, a good company of
to comfort her and wept himself. As the sun was now low, and they young men from Florence and local husbandmen gathered in front
did not want to be caught by night, the farmworker, with the lady's of the church around the elm. Bruno and Buffalmacco came with
approval, went home and called for help from two of his brothers the ginger pills and the wine, arranging the people in a circle. Bruno
and his wife. They returned with him, carrying a plank on which they explained that Calandrino had been robbed of a fine pig and wanted
laid the maid and carried her to the lady's house. There, with cold each person to take a pill and drink the wine. Whoever had stolen
water and comforting words, they restored some heart to the lady. the pig would find the pill more bitter than poison and spit it out.
Bruno suggested that the thief confess to the priest to avoid shame.
The farmworker then took her on his shoulders and carried her to her
room. His wife fed her with bread soaked in water, undressed her, Everyone agreed to eat the pills. Bruno gave each person a pill, and
and put her to bed. They also arranged to carry her and the maid to when he came to Calandrino, he gave him one of the marked pills.
Florence, and so it was done. In Florence, the lady, who was very Calandrino chewed it but found the bitterness intolerable and spat it
clever, made up a completely false story about what had happened out. Bruno, pretending to be concerned with the distribution, heard
to her and her maid, convincing her brothers, sisters, and everyone someone say, "Ha! Calandrino, what means this?" Turning around,
else that it was all due to evil spirits. The doctors quickly treated her, he saw Calandrino had spit out his pill. Bruno gave him the other
and although her suffering was extreme, they cured her of a high marked pill, which Calandrino found even more bitter. Unable to bear
fever and other illnesses, as well as the maid's broken thigh. In the it, he spat it out, tears in his eyes. The company, seeing this, agreed
end, the lady forgot her lover and, having learned her lesson, was that Calandrino had stolen the pig himself and took him to task.

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