Thereupon Giosefo took a stout cudgel cut from an
oak sapling, and hied him into the room whither the
lady had withdrawn from the table in high dudgeon,
seized her by the hair, threw her on to the floor at
his feet, and fell a beating her amain with the cudgel.
The lady at first uttered a shriek or two, from which
she passed to threats; but seeing that, for all that,
Giosefo slackened not, by the time she was thoroughly
well thrashed, she began to cry him mercy, imploring
him not to kill her, and adding that henceforth his
will should be to her for law. But still Giosefo
gave not over, but with ever fresh fury dealt her mighty
swingeing blows, now about the ribs, now on the haunches,
now over the shoulders; nor had he done with the fair
lady, until, in short, he had left never a bone or
other part of her person whole, and he was fairly
spent. Then, returning to Melisso:—“To-morrow,”
quoth he, “we shall see whether ‘Get thee
to the Bridge of Geese’ will prove to have been
sound advice or no.” And so, having rested
a while, and then washed his hands, he supped with
Melisso. With great pain the poor lady got upon
her feet and laid herself on her bed, and having there
taken such rest as she might, rose betimes on the
morrow, and craved to know of Giosefo what he was
minded to have to breakfast. Giosefo, laughing
with Melisso over the message, gave her his directions,
and when in due time they came to breakfast, they
found everything excellently ordered according as it
had been commanded: for which cause the counsel,
which they had at first failed to understand, now
received their highest commendation.
Some few days later Melisso, having taken leave of
Giosefo, went home, and told a wise man the counsel
he had gotten from Solomon. Whereupon:—“And
no truer or sounder advice could he have given thee,”
quoth the sage: “thou knowest that thou
lovest never a soul, and that the honours thou payest
and the services thou renderest to others are not
prompted by love of them, but by love of display.
Love, then, as Solomon bade thee, and thou shalt be
loved.” On such wise was the unruly chastised;
and the young man, learning to love, was beloved.
NOVEL X.
— Dom Gianni at the instance of his gossip
Pietro uses an enchantment to transform Pietro’s
wife into a mare; but, when he comes to attach the
tail, Gossip Pietro, by saying that he will have none
of the tail, makes the enchantment of no effect.
—
The queen’s story evoked some murmurs from the
ladies and some laughter from the young men; however,
when they were silent, Dioneo thus began:—Dainty
my ladies, a black crow among a flock of white doves
enhances their beauty more than would a white swan;
and so, when many sages are met together, their ripe
wisdom not only shews the brighter and goodlier for
the presence of one that is not so wise, but may even
derive pleasure and diversion therefrom. Wherefore
