— Pietro Boccamazza runs away with Agnolella,
and encounters a gang of robbers: the girl takes
refuge in a wood, and is guided to a castle.
Pietro is taken, but escapes out of the hands of the
robbers, and after some adventures arrives at the
castle where Agnolella is, marries her, and returns
with her to Rome. —
Ended Emilia’s story, which none of the company
spared to commend, the queen, turning to Elisa, bade
her follow suit; and she, with glad obedience, thus
began:—
’Tis a story, sweet ladies, of a woeful night
passed by two indiscreet young lovers that I have
in mind; but, as thereon ensued not a few days of
joy, ’tis not inapposite to our argument, and
shall be narrated.
’Tis no long time since at Rome, which, albeit
now the tail,(1) was of yore the head, of the world,
there dwelt a young man, Pietro Boccamazza by name,
a scion of one of the most illustrious of the Roman
houses, who became enamoured of a damsel exceeding
fair, and amorous withal—her name Agnolella—the
daughter of one Gigliuozzo Saullo, a plebeian, but
in high repute among the Romans. Nor, loving
thus, did Pietro lack the address to inspire in Agnolella
a love as ardent as his own. Wherefore, overmastered
by his passion, and minded no longer to endure the
sore suffering that it caused him, he asked her in
marriage. Whereof his kinsfolk were no sooner
apprised, than with one accord they came to him and
strongly urged him to desist from his purpose:
they also gave Gigliuozzo Saullo to understand that
he were best to pay no sort of heed to Pietro’s
words, for that, if he so did, they would never acknowledge
him as friend or relative. Thus to see himself
debarred of the one way by which he deemed he might
attain to his desire, Pietro was ready to die for
grief, and, all his kinsfolk notwithstanding, he would
have married Gigliuozzo’s daughter, had but the
father consented. Wherefore at length he made
up his mind that, if the girl were willing, nought
should stand in the way; and having through a common
friend sounded the damsel and found her apt, he brought
her to consent to elope with him from Rome. The
affair being arranged, Pietro and she took horse betimes
one morning, and sallied forth for Anagni, where Pietro
had certain friends, in whom he placed much trust;
and as they rode, time not serving for full joyance
of their love, for they feared pursuit, they held
converse thereof, and from time to time exchanged
a kiss. Now it so befell, that, the way being
none too well known to Pietro, when, perhaps eight
miles from Rome, they should have turned to the right,
they took instead a leftward road. Whereon when
they had ridden but little more than two miles, they
found themselves close to a petty castle, whence,
so soon as they were observed, there issued some dozen
men at arms; and, as they drew near, the damsel, espying
them, gave a cry, and said:—“We are
