— Gianni di Procida, being found with
a damsel that he loves, and who had been given to
King Frederic, is bound with her to a stake, so to
be burned. He is recognized by Ruggieri dell’
Oria, is delivered, and marries her. —
Neifile’s story, with which the ladies were
greatly delighted, being ended, the queen called for
one from Pampinea; who forthwith raised her noble
countenance, and thus began:—Mighty indeed,
gracious ladies, are the forces of Love, and great
are the labours and excessive and unthought of the
perils which they induce lovers to brave; as is manifest
enough by what we have heard to-day and on other occasions:
howbeit I mean to shew you the same once more by a
story of an enamoured youth.
Hard by Naples is the island of Ischia, in which there
dwelt aforetime with other young damsels one, Restituta
by name, daughter of one Marin Bolgaro, a gentleman
of the island. Very fair was she, and blithe of
heart, and by a young gallant, Gianni by name, of the
neighbouring islet of Procida, was beloved more dearly
than life, and in like measure returned his love.
Now, not to mention his daily resort to Ischia to see
her, there were times not a few when Gianni, not being
able to come by a boat, would swim across from Procida
by night, that he might have sight, if of nought else,
at least of the walls of her house. And while
their love burned thus fervently, it so befell that
one summer’s day, as the damsel was all alone
on the seashore, picking her way from rock to rock,
detaching, as she went, shells from their beds with
a knife, she came to a recess among the rocks, where
for the sake, as well of the shade as of the comfort
afforded by a spring of most cool water that was there,
some Sicilian gallants, that were come from Naples,
had put in with their felucca. Who, having taken
note of the damsel, that she was very fair, and that
she was not yet ware of them, and was alone, resolved
to capture her, and carry her away; nor did they fail
to give effect to their resolve; but, albeit she shrieked
amain, they laid hands on her, and set her aboard
their boat, and put to sea. Arrived at Calabria,
they fell a wrangling as to whose the damsel should
be, and in brief each claimed her for his own:
wherefore, finding no means of coming to an agreement,
and fearing that worse might befall them, and she
bring misfortune upon them, they resolved with one
accord to give her to Frederic, King of Sicily, who
was then a young man, and took no small delight in
commodities of that quality; and so, being come to
Palermo, they did.
