bring them before him; and so ’twas done.
And having fully apprised himself of their case, he
saw fit to make them amends of the wrong he had done
them with honours and largess. Wherefore he caused
them to be splendidly arrayed, and being assured that
they were both minded to wed, he himself gave Gianni
his bride, and loading them with rich presents, sent
them well content back to Ischia, where they were welcomed
with all festal cheer, and lived long time thereafter
to their mutual solace and delight.
— Teodoro, being enamoured of Violante,
daughter of Messer Amerigo, his lord, gets her with
child, and is sentenced to the gallows; but while he
is being scourged thither, he is recognized by his
father, and being set at large, takes Violante to
wife. —
While they doubted whether the two lovers would be
burned, the ladies were all fear and suspense; but
when they heard of their deliverance, they all with
one accord put on a cheerful countenance, praising
God. The story ended, the queen ordained that
the next should be told by Lauretta, who blithely
thus began:—
Fairest ladies, what time good King Guglielmo ruled
Sicily there dwelt on the island a gentleman, Messer
Amerigo Abate da Trapani by name, who was well provided,
as with other temporal goods, so also with children.
For which cause being in need of servants, he took
occasion of the appearance in Trapani waters of certain
Genoese corsairs from the Levant, who, scouring the
coast of Armenia, had captured not a few boys, to purchase
of them some of these youngsters, supposing them to
be Turks; among whom, albeit most shewed as mere shepherd
boys, there was one, Teodoro, by name, whose less
rustic mien seemed to betoken gentle blood. Who,
though still treated as a slave, was suffered to grow
up in the house with Messer Amerigo’s children,
and, nature getting the better of circumstance, bore
himself with such grace and dignity that Messer Amerigo
gladly gave him his freedom, and still deeming him
to be a Turk, had him baptized and named Pietro, and
made him his majordomo, and placed much trust in him.
Now among the other children that grew up in Messer
Amerigo’s house was his fair and dainty daughter,
Violante; and, as her father was in no hurry to give
her in marriage, it so befell that she became enamoured
of Pietro, but, for all her love and the great conceit
she had of his qualities and conduct, she nevertheless
was too shamefast to discover her passion to him.
However, Love spared her the pains, for Pietro had
cast many a furtive glance in her direction, and had
grown so enamoured of her that ’twas never well
with him except he saw her; but great was his fear
lest any should detect his passion, for he deemed
’twould be the worse for him. The damsel,
who was fain indeed of the sight of him, understood
his case; and to encourage him dissembled not her
exceeding great satisfaction. On which footing
they remained a great while, neither venturing to
say aught to the other, much as both longed to do
so. But, while they both burned with a mutual
flame, Fortune, as if their entanglement were of her
preordaining, found means to banish the fear and hesitation
that kept them tongue-tied.
