when the husband arrived, now seeing that as he would,
he might not, brought his mind to his circumstances,
and resolved to take his pleasure as he might:
wherefore he made up to the lady, who completely blocked
the vent of the tun; and even on such wise as on the
open champaign the wild and lusty horses do amorously
assail the mares of Parthia, he sated his youthful
appetite; and so it was that almost at the same moment
that he did so, and was off, the tun was scoured,
the husband came forth of it, and Peronella withdrew
her head from the vent, and turning to Giannello,
said:—“Take this light, good man,
and see if ’tis scoured to thy mind.”
Whereupon Giannello, looking into the tun, said that
’twas in good trim, and that he was well content,
and paid the husband the seven gigliats, and caused
him carry the tun to his house.
— Fra Rinaldo lies with his gossip:
her husband finds him in the room with her; and they
make him believe that he was curing his godson of worms
by a charm. —
Filostrato knew not how so to veil what he said touching
the mares of Parthia, but that the keen-witted ladies
laughed thereat, making as if ’twas at somewhat
else. However, his story being ended, the king
called for one from Elisa, who, all obedience, thus
began:—Debonair my ladies, we heard from
Emilia how the bogey is exorcised, and it brought to
my mind a story of another incantation: ’tis
not indeed so good a story as hers; but, as no other,
germane to our theme, occurs to me at present, I will
relate it.
You are to know, then, that there dwelt aforetime
at Siena a young man, right gallant and of honourable
family, his name Rinaldo; who, being in the last degree
enamoured of one of his neighbours, a most beautiful
gentlewoman and the wife of a rich man, was not without
hopes that, if he could but find means to speak with
her privately, he might have of her all that he desired;
but seeing no way, and the lady being pregnant, he
cast about how he might become her child’s godfather.
Wherefore, having ingratiated himself with her husband,
he broached the matter to him in as graceful a manner
as he might; and ’twas arranged. So Rinaldo,
being now godfather to Madonna Agnesa’s child,
and having a more colourable pretext for speaking
to her, took courage, and told her in words that message
of his heart which she had long before read in his
eyes; but though ’twas not displeasing to the
lady to hear, it availed him but little.
Now not long afterwards it so befell that, whatever
may have been his reason, Rinaldo betook him to friarage;
and whether it was that he found good pasture therein,
or what not, he persevered in that way of life.
And though for a while after he was turned friar,
he laid aside the love he bore his gossip, and certain
other vanities, yet in course of time, without putting
off the habit, he resumed them, and began to take a
pride in his appearance, and to go dressed in fine
