— A knight in the service of the King
of Spain deems himself ill requited. Wherefore
the King, by most cogent proof, shews him that the
blame rests not with him, but with the knight’s
own evil fortune; after which, he bestows upon him
a noble gift. —
Highly graced, indeed, do I deem myself, honourable
my ladies, that our king should have given to me the
precedence in a matter so arduous to tell of as magnificence:
for, as the sun irradiates all the heaven with his
glory and beauty, even so does magnificence enhance
the purity and the splendour of every other virtue.
I shall therefore tell you a story, which, to my thinking,
is not a little pretty; and which, assuredly, it must
be profitable to call to mind.
You are to know, then, that, among other honourable
knights that from days of old even until now have
dwelt in our city, one, and perchance the worthiest
of all, was Messer Ruggieri de’ Figiovanni.
Who, being wealthy and magnanimous, reflecting on
the customs and manner of life of Tuscany, perceived
that by tarrying there he was like to find little or
no occasion of shewing his mettle, and accordingly
resolved to pass some time at the court of Alfonso,
King of Spain, who for the fame of his high qualities
was without a peer among the potentates of his age.
So, being well provided with arms and horses and retinue
suitable to his rank, he hied him to Spain, where
he was graciously received by the King. There
tarrying accordingly, Messer Ruggieri very soon, as
well by the splendid style in which he lived as by
the prodigious feats of arms that he did, gave folk
to know his high desert.
Now, having tarried there some while, and observed
the King’s ways with much care, and how he would
grant castles, cities, or baronies, to this, that,
or the other of his subjects, he deemed that the King
shewed therein but little judgment, seeing that he
would give them to men that merited them not.
And for that nought was given to him, he, knowing his
merit, deemed himself gravely injured in reputation;
wherefore he made up his mind to depart the realm,
and to that end craved license of the King; which
the King granted him, and therewith gave him one of
the best and finest mules that was ever ridden, a
gift which Messer Ruggieri, as he had a long journey
to make, did not a little appreciate. The King
then bade one of his discreet domestics contrive,
as best he might, to ride with Messer Ruggieri on
such wise that it might not appear that he did so
by the King’s command, and charge his memory
with whatever Messer Ruggieri might say of him, so
that he might be able to repeat it; which done, he
was on the very next morning to bid Ruggieri return
to the King forthwith. The King’s agent
was on the alert, and no sooner was Ruggieri out of
the city, than without any manner of difficulty he
joined his company, giving out that he was going towards
Italy. As thus they rode, talking of divers matters,
