of his promise of the jewel, opened the door of the
chamber and brought his wife in. Quoth she with
a laugh:—“Madam, you have given me
tit for tat,” and never a word more. Whereupon:—“Open
the chest,” quoth Zeppa; and she obeying, he
shewed the lady her Spinelloccio lying therein.
’Twould be hard to say whether of the twain
was the more shame-stricken, Spinelloccio to be confronted
with Zeppa, knowing that Zeppa wist what he had done,
or the lady to meet her husband’s eyes, knowing
that he had heard what went on above his head.
“Lo, here is the jewel I give thee,” quoth
Zeppa to her, pointing to Spinelloccio, who, as he
came forth of the chest, blurted out:—“Zeppa,
we are quits, and so ’twere best, as thou saidst
a while ago to my wife, that we still be friends as
we were wont, and as we had nought separate, save
our wives, that henceforth we have them also in common.”
“Content,” quoth Zeppa; and so in perfect
peace and accord they all four breakfasted together.
And thenceforth each of the ladies had two husbands,
and each of the husbands two wives; nor was there ever
the least dispute or contention between them on that
score.
(1) A suburb of Siena.
— Bruno and Buffalmacco prevail upon Master
Simone, a physician, to betake him by night to a certain
place, there to be enrolled in a company that go the
course. Buffalmacco throws him into a foul ditch,
and there they leave him. —
When the ladies had made merry a while over the partnership
in wives established by the two Sienese, the queen,
who now, unless she were minded to infringe Dioneo’s
privilege, alone remained to tell, began on this wise:—Fairly
earned indeed, loving ladies, was the flout that Spinelloccio
got from Zeppa. Wherefore my judgment jumps with
that which Pampinea expressed a while ago, to wit,
that he is not severely to be censured who bestows
a flout on one that provokes it or deserves it; and
as Spinelloccio deserved it, so ’tis my purpose
to tell you of one that provoked it, for I deem that
those from whom he received it, were rather to be
commended than condemned. The man that got it
was a physician, who, albeit he was but a blockhead,
returned from Bologna to Florence in mantle and hood
of vair.
’Tis matter of daily experience that our citizens
come back to us from Bologna, this man a judge, that
a physician, and the other a notary, flaunting it
in ample flowing robes, and adorned with the scarlet
and the vair and other array most goodly to see; and
how far their doings correspond with this fair seeming,
is also matter of daily experience. Among whom
’tis not long since Master Simone da Villa, one
whose patrimony was more ample than his knowledge,
came back wearing the scarlet and a broad stripe(1)
on the shoulder, and a doctor, as he called himself,
and took a house in the street that we now call Via
del Cocomero. Now this Master Simone, being thus,
