NOVEL VII.
Lodovico being in love with Beatrice, she sends her husband into the garden, disguised like herself, so that her lover may be with her in the meantime and he afterwards goes into the garden and beats the husband.
Isabella's quick and lucky thought was admired by the whole company, when Filomena began, by the king's command, to this effect: - You must understand, that at Paris dwelt a certain gentleman, a Florentine, who, being a little reduced, was forced to go into trade, by which he acquired a great deal of wealth. He had only one son, named Lodovico, who, haying regard to the nobility of his father, more than to anything of business, was, instead of being brought up in a warehouse, sent, with some other young noblemen, into the service of the king of France, where he acquired all the accomplishments that belonged to a fine gentleman. Being one day in company with certain knights, who were just returned from the Holy Land, and talking of beauties in England, France, and other countries, one of them declared, that, in all parts of the world, of all the women that ever he saw, he never met with any to come up to Beatrice, the wife of Egano de' Galluzzi, of Bologna; to which his companions, who had been with him there, agreed.
Lodovico, on hearing this, was possessed with such a desire to see her, that he could think of nothing else; and designing to go and make some stay there, if she proved to his liking, he pretended to his father that he had an inclination to go to the Holy Land, and obtained his very reluctant consent. Changing his name then to Anichino, he came to Bologna; and, as fortune would have it, saw Beatrice at her window the very next day, when he found her beauty to exceed even his warmest imagination, and, being quite enamoured, he resolved not to depart from Bologna till he had obtained his desire. Pondering, therefore, which was the most likely way to succeed, he supposed, that if he could but get to be a servant to the husband, he might probably carry his point. Accordingly, he sold his horses, and disposing of his servants, with orders never to take notice of him, he told his landlord, that he should be glad to get into the service of some person of distinction, if such a place could be met with. The landlord replied, "You are just such a person as would suit a gentleman here, called Egano, who has a great number of servants, and will always have well-looking, genteel people about him, like yourself: I will speak to him for you." This he did, and Anichino was immediately taken into the family, greatly to his satisfaction. Continuing then with Egano, where he had daily opportunities of seeing the lady, he gained so far upon him by his "good behaviour, that Egano could do nothing without him, and made him sole director of all his affairs.
One day it happened, as Egano was gone out fowling, and left him behind, that Beatrice (who as yet knew nothing of his love, but had always commended his most engaging behaviour) made him sit down with her at chess, and Anichino, as it was his whole desire to please her, contrived to let her win, with which she was vastly delighted. - At length, all the women being gone out of the room, and they left by themselves, he heaved a deep sigh. She looked, and said, "What is the matter with you, Anichino? Are you uneasy because I win?" - "Madam," he replied, "it is a thing of more consequence which occasioned that sigh." - "Then, by the re- gard you have for me," quoth she, "I conjure you to tell it me." When Anichino saw himself entreated by his love for her, whom he valued beyond all the world, he gave a greater sigh than before. She desired again to know the reason. "Madam," he replied, "I am extremely afraid lest I should offend you by so doing; I doubt also if you would not speak of it to some other person." She made answer, " Be assured I shall not be offended; nor shall I ever speak of it again, unless you give me leave." - "Then," said he, "as I have your promise, I will reveal it." And he told her, with tears in his eyes, who he was; what he had heard of her, and where; and how he came to be a servant to her husband. He entreated her, in the most humble manner, to have pity on him, and accept of this secret offer of his love; or, if that was too great a favour for him to expect, that he might continue in the same condition as before; and that she would be pleased only to let him admire her. O! how singularly sweet are these Bolognian dispositions! In cases of this sort how worthy of praise! They delight not in people's tears and sighs; but, to soft and amorous entreaties, they are ever easy of access. Were I able to give them their due praise, my voice should never faint on so agreeable a subject. The lady had her eyes fixed upon him all the time he was speaking, and giving credit to his words, she began to conceive the same passion in her heart for him. "Anichino," she replied, "be of good cheer; you have effected in a moment (the small time only that you have been speaking), that which all the lords and gentlemen, who have been daily soliciting me, could never bring to pass: so that now I am more yours than my own. You have deserved my love, and you shall have it: come, therefore, to my chamber about midnight." Upon this they parted, and he waited with great impatience for night.
Egano was now returned from fowling, and, being weary, went, as soon as he had supped, to bed, and the lady with him, leaving the door open, as she had promised. At the time appointed, Anichino went into the bed-chamber, and shutting the door again, he stepped gently to the lady's side of the bed, when, laying his hand upon her breast, he found she was awake. Instantly she seized it with both hers, and Keld him strongly, turning herself in bed at the same time, till she made her husband wake, when she said to him, "My dear, I would say nothing to you last night, because you seemed to be weary; but tell me, which of your servants do you believe to be the most faithful, and respect the most?"
Egano replied, "What a strange question this is! Do not you know that I never loved, and put such confidence in any servant, as I now do in Anichino? But why do you want to be informed?" Anichino, perceiving Egano to be awake, and hearing them talk together, endeavoured several times to draw his hand away, and get out of the room, imagining that she had put a trick upon him; but she held him so fast, that he could not. She then replied to Egano, saying, "I will tell you: I once thought as you do, and that he was the most trusty person about you, but I was mistaken; for he had the assurance, after you were gone out yesterday, to make an offer of his love to me; whilst I, to give you manifest proof of the fact, seemed to consent, and appointed to meet him this night under the pine-tree, in the garden. Now my intention was never to go thither; but if you have a mind to be convinced of his villainy, you need only slip on one of my petticoats, and put a veil over your head, and I am sure you will find him." - "Then," quoth he, "most certainly will I go." Rising, therefore, and disguising himself in that manner, as well as he could in the dark, he went into the garden to wait for Anichino. As soon as he was gone out, she rose also, and made fast the door. Anichino, who had been in the most horrible fear, and had endeavoured all he could to get from her, cursing both her and her love a thousand times over, and himself likewise, for giving credit to her, now at last finding out what was her design, was the happiest man imaginable.
At length, when she thought he had been as long with her as it was safe for him to stay, she said, "I beg of you to take a cudgel, and go into the garden; and, pretending as if this was done only to make trial of my virtue, give him some hard language, as though you meant it for myself, and cudgel him soundly." Accordingly he rose, took a good stick with him and went into the garden, where Egano, seeing him come towards the pine-tree, hastened with a great deal of seeming pleasure to meet him. Then said Anichino, "What! you wicked woman, are you come? and could you think I would do such a thing by my master? I will make you repent your baseness." And lifting up his cudgel, he laid on to some purpose. - Egano, at these words, and feeling the blows, took to his heels, without speaking a word, whilst Anichino was close after him, crying out, "Away, you vile creature! depend upon it, my master shall know all tomorrow."
Egano having sustained all this drubbing, returned at last to his chamber, when the lady said to him, " Well! did Anichino come into the garden?"Egano replied, "Would to God he had stayed away! for, besides all the foul language that could be used to any woman, he has almost broken every bone in my skin. I wondered indeed that he of all men should have addressed you in the way you told me, with intent to dishonour me; but, as he saw you of such a free, cheerful temper, he had a mind, no doubt, to make a trial of you." - "Then, thank Heaven," quoth she, "he proved me with words, and you with deeds. But, I believe, he may say that I bore the words better than you did the deeds: as he has showed himself so faithful, therefore, to you, you will regard him accordingly." - "Most certainly," said Egano: and from that time he concluded he had the most virtuous wife and the honestest servant of any man in the world. On which account (though Anichino and she often laughed together at the thing) they had an opportunity of gratifying their desires with the less suspicion (which could not have been done so well without such a stratagem) all the time Anichino thought fìt to stay with Egano at Bologna.
[The incidents of this novel are amusing enough, but it does not appear that there was any necessity for the lovers to have had recourse to such intricate and perilous expedients. This tale has been copied by Ser. Giovanni, in the second and third day of his "Pecorone," and has given rise to that part of an old English comedy of the 17th century, called the "City Night Cap,” by John Davenport, which relates to Francisco's intrigue with Dorothea, the wife of Ludovico. It is the "Mari cocu, battu et content," of La Fontaine.]
