having learned discretion, was thenceforth careful
neither to love nor to flout; and the scholar, learning
that the maid had broken her thigh, deemed his vengeance
complete, and was satisfied to say never a word more
of the affair. Such then were the consequences
of her flouts to this foolish young woman, who deemed
that she might trifle with a scholar with the like
impunity as with others, not duly understanding that
they—I say not all, but the more part—know
where the Devil keeps his tail.(1) Wherefore, my ladies,
have a care how you flout men, and more especially
scholars.
(1) I.e. are a match for the Devil himself in
cunning.
— Two men keep with one another:
the one lies with the other’s wife: the
other, being ware thereof, manages with the aid of
his wife to have the one locked in a chest, upon which
he then lies with the wife of him that is locked therein.
—
Grievous and distressful was it to the ladies to hear
how it fared with Elena; but as they accounted the
retribution in a measure righteous, they were satisfied
to expend upon her but a moderate degree of compassion,
albeit they censured the scholar as severe, intemperately
relentless, and indeed ruthless, in his vengeance.
However, Pampinea having brought the story to a close,
the queen bade Fiammetta follow suit; and prompt to
obey, Fiammetta thus spoke:—Debonair my
ladies, as, methinks, your feelings must have been
somewhat harrowed by the severity of the resentful
scholar, I deem it meet to soothe your vexed spirits
with something of a more cheerful order. Wherefore
I am minded to tell you a little story of a young
man who bore an affront in a milder temper, and avenged
himself with more moderation. Whereby you may
understand that one should be satisfied if the ass
and the wall are quits, nor by indulging a vindictive
spirit to excess turn the requital of a wrong into
an occasion of wrong-doing. You are to know,
then, that at Siena, as I have heard tell, there dwelt
two young men of good substance, and, for plebeians,
of good family, the one Spinelloccio Tanena, the other
Zeppa di Mino, by name; who, their houses being contiguous
in the Camollia,(1) kept ever together, and, by what
appeared, loved each other as brothers, or even more
so, and had each a very fine woman to wife. Now
it so befell that Spinelloccio, being much in Zeppa’s
house, as well when Zeppa was not, as when he was
there, grew so familiar with Zeppa’s wife, that
he sometimes lay with her; and on this wise they continued
to forgather a great while before any one was ware
of it. However, one of these days Zeppa being
at home, though the lady wist it not, Spinelloccio
came in quest of him; and, the lady sending word that
he was not at home, he forthwith went upstairs and
found the lady in the saloon, and seeing none else
there, kissed her, as did she him.
