Meanwhile Bruno and Buffalmacco had joined Filippo,
so that what passed was seen and heard by all three.
And while Calandrino was thus intent to kiss Niccolosa,
lo, up came Nello with Monna Tessa. “By
God, I swear they are both there,” ejaculated
Nello, as they entered the doorway; but the lady,
now fairly furious, laid hold of him and thrust him
aside, and rushing in, espied Niccolosa astride of
Calandrino. Niccolosa no sooner caught sight
of the lady, than up she jumped, and in a trice was
beside Filippo. Monna Tessa fell upon Calandrino,
who was still on the floor, planted her nails in his
face, and scratched it all over: she then seized
him by the hair, and hauling him to and fro about the
barn:—“Foul, pestilent cur,”
quoth she, “is this the way thou treatest me?
Thou old fool! A murrain on the love I have borne
thee! Hast thou not enough to do at home, that
thou must needs go falling in love with strange women?
And a fine lover thou wouldst make! Dost not
know thyself, knave? Dost not know thyself, wretch?
Thou, from whose whole body ’twere not possible
to wring enough sap for a sauce! God’s
faith, ’twas not Tessa that got thee with child:
God’s curse on her, whoever she was: verily
she must be a poor creature to be enamoured of a jewel
of thy rare quality.” At sight of his wife,
Calandrino, suspended, as it were, between life and
death, ventured no defence; but, his face torn to
shreds, his hair and clothes all disordered, fumbled
about for his capuche, which having found, up he got,
and humbly besought his wife not to publish the matter,
unless she were minded that he should be cut to pieces,
for that she that was with him was the wife of the
master of the house. “Then God give her
a bad year,” replied the lady. Whereupon
Bruno and Buffalmacco, who by this time had laughed
their fill with Filippo and Niccolosa, came up as if
attracted by the noise; and after not a little ado
pacified the lady, and counselled Calandrino to go
back to Florence, and stay there, lest Filippo should
get wind of the affair, and do him a mischief.
So Calandrino, crestfallen and woebegone, got him
back to Florence with his face torn to shreds; where,
daring not to shew himself at Camerata again, he endured
day and night the grievous torment of his wife’s
vituperation. Such was the issue, to which, after
ministering not a little mirth to his comrades, as
also to Niccolosa and Filippo, this ardent lover brought
his amour.
NOVEL VI.
— Two young men lodge at an inn, of whom
the one lies with the host’s daughter, his wife
by inadvertence lying with the other. He that
lay with the daughter afterwards gets into her father’s
bed and tells him all, taking him to be his comrade.
They bandy words: whereupon the good woman, apprehending
the circumstances, gets her to bed with her daughter,
and by divers apt words re-establishes perfect accord.
—
Calandrino as on former occasions, so also on this,
moved the company to laughter. However, when
the ladies had done talking of his doings, the queen
called for a story from Pamfilo, who thus spoke:—Worshipful
ladies, this Niccolosa, that Calandrino loved, has
brought to my mind a story of another Niccolosa; which
I am minded to tell you, because ’twill shew
you how a good woman by her quick apprehension avoided
a great scandal.
