THE NINTH DAY.
Aurora had now changed the heavens from blue to purple, and the flowers along the meadows began to open to the rising sun, when the queen arose with all her company; and they took a walk together to the grove, not far from the palace, where they saw a variety of creatures, such as deer, goats, etc., so secure from the hunter, by reason of the then raging pestilence, that they stood gazing upon them as if they had been tame. Upon a nearer approach, first to one, and then to another, as if they meant to play with them, they were greatly delighted to see them run and skip about them.
But the sun being now risen a good height it was thought convenient to return. They had all oak garlands on, with their hands full of flowers, or sweet-smelling herbs; so that whoever had seen them must needs have concluded, either that death would not be able to vanquish them, or at least that he would find them no otherwise than merry. In this manner they came, step by step, to the palace, laughing, joking, and singing, all the way, where they found everything in order; and after reposing themselves awhile, they sang half a dozen songs before they would sit down to table. They then washed their hands, and dinner was served up, when being sufficiently regaled, and after indulging in a dance or two, the queen gave leave for such as were disposed to go to rest. At the usual hour they met at the usual place, when the queen, looking to Filomena, desired her to begin for that day; which she did in this manner:
NOVEL I.
Madam Francesca having two lovers, and liking neither of them, rids herself of both, by making one go and lie down in a person's grave, and sending the other to fetch him out.
I am well pleased, madam, as it is your will, to run the first ring, in this free and open field of story telling, in which your courtesy has placed us; not doubting, if I perform well, but that they who come after will do as well or better. It has often been made appear in our discourses, how great the force of love is; nor do I think the subject would be exhausted, were we to talk of nothing else from year's end to year's end: and because it has led its votaries not only into various dangers of death, but even into the very mansions of the dead, I propose to add a story to what has been already given, wherein, besides the power of love, will be shown the contrivance of a certain lady to rid herself of two lovers, who were neither of them to her liking.
In the city of Pistoia, there was a handsome widow lady, whom two of our townsmen, who were banished thither, were desperately in love with, and used their utmost endeavours to gain her affection. The one was named Rinuccio Palermino, and the other Alessandro Chiarmontesi, and neither was aware of the other's attachment to the widow. Now this lady, who was called Francesca de' Lazari, having been often solicited by them, had listened too inconsiderately to their importunities; and being afterwards desirous to get rid of them both, without being able to do it, it came into her head at last to ask a piece of service of them, which, though possible to be done, she supposed neither would undertake, and that, from their not complying, she might have a just pretence for turning them adrift. The thing was this: the very day that she first thought of it, a man was buried at Pistoia, who, though of a good family, was reputed to have been one of the vilest wretches that ever was born; moreover, he was so deformed, that they who did not know him, would have been frightened at the first sight of him. This circumstance, she thought, fell in very aptly with her design; and therefore she said to her maid: "Thou knowest what plague and trouble I have had with these two Florentines: now I have no mind to have either the one or the other. In order, then, to shake them off, I intend to make a trial of them in a certain affair which I am confident they will refuse to do, and thou shalt hear what it is. Last night, thou knowest, was interred in the churchyard belonging to the lesser friars, Scannadio (for so was the man called whom we have been speaking of), who, even when alive, was frightful to most people. Go then privately to Alessandro, and say that thy mistress orders thee to acquaint him, that the time is now come when he may be secure of her love in the following manner: - One of her relations, for a reason which he will know hereafter, is to bring that man's corpse to her house, which she is much averse to; therefore she begs it as a favour of him, that he would go about the beginning of the night into the grave, and put the man's shroud on, waiting there till the person comes to take him away, which he is to suffer him to do without speaking a word, and let him carry him to her house, where she will be ready to receive him, and the rest he may leave to her. If he agrees to it, it is well; but if he refuses, charge him at his peril not to come any more in her sight, or trouble her with his messages. After this, thou must go to Rinuccio, and tell him, that thy mistress is ready to gratify him, upon condition that he will do her one piece of service, which is to fetch Scannadio out of his grave about midnight, and bring him to her house, the meaning of which he will see at that time; and if he should refuse, that he offer to come no more near her." The maid obeyed, and going to both, delivered her messages. They replied, that they would not only get into a grave, but even into hell, if it was her desire. She accordingly reported their answers to the lady, who was waiting to see if they would be such fools as to comply.
At night, therefore, Alessandro stripped to his waistcoat and went to supply Scannadio's place in the vault, when he was seized with a sudden terror by the way, and began to say to himself, "What a fool am I! Whither am I going? How do I know but this is a trap laid by some of her relations, who have made a discovery of my love, to murder me in the vault? The deed may be effected, and nobody know anything of the matter. Or how can I be assured but it is a stratagem of some rival whom she may love better than me?
But suppose again, on the other hand, that none of these things are intended, and that her relations carry me to her house, I must conclude that they cannot want Scannadio's body either to keep themselves, or to present to her, but rather that they mean to mangle it, he having deserved such treatment from them. She also enjoins me not to speak a word, whatever shall be done to me. But suppose they pluck out my eyes, or lop off my hands, how can I bear that? And should I cry out, and they know me, they might then use me ill; or, otherwise, they may not leave me with the lady, and so she may pretend that I have disobeyed her orders, and my labour will be all lost." Full of these reflections he was on the point of returning home, till his love spurred him on with more prevailing arguments to the contrary, and hurried him along to the vault, which he opened; and having entered, he stripped the dead body, and put on the shroud. Then, having closed the grave again, he laid himself down in Scannadio's place, when calling to mind the roan's character, and the reports which he had heard of his ransacking people's graves, and committing all kinds of villany, he was so terrified that his hair stood on end, and he was expecting every moment that the man should rise up, and strangle him there. Yet still his love got the better of his fear, and he lay as if he was dead, waiting for the event.
As soon as it was midnight, Rinuccio went out also to obey his mistress's commands; and as he passed along, he began to think of many things which might happen to him; particularly his being arrested by the officers of the Signoria with Scannadio's body on his back, and burnt for sacrilege, or else his falling under the resentment of the man's relations, if they should chance to know it; with more such apprehensions, enough to have deterred him from the enterprise. But again he said to himself, "What, and shall I say no to the first request of the lady I have loved, and do still love so much; especially as it is to gain her favour? Undoubtedly, were I sure to die in the attempt I would fulfil my promise." Full of that resolution, he went to the grave, and opened it. Alessandro, though he was very much frightened, lay still nevertheless; whilst Rinuccio, thinking that it was Scannadio's body, took him by the feet, drew him out, and hoisting him upon his shoulders, went on towards Francesca's house. But carrying him along without any great care, he would frequently hit him a great thump against the wall, first on one side, and then on the other: the night also was so dark, that he scarcely knew where he went; and being now got to her door, and she sitting with her maid at the window, expecting their coming and prepared to send them about their business, it happened that the officers were waiting there, to take a certain outlaw, when, hearing the noise of Rinuccio's steps, they uncovered a lantern, to see who it was, levelled their halberds, and cried out, "Who is there?" Rinuccio, upon this, without any great deliberation, threw his burden down, and ran away as fast as his legs would carry him. Alessandro, too, got up as speedily as he could, though the dead man's clothes were a good deal too long for him, and made off as well as the other.
Now the lady saw plainly, by the officers' light, how Rinuccio had the other upon his back, with the dead man's shroud on, and was astonished at the resolution of both, laughing heartily, however, as soon as she saw Alessandro thrown down, and that each of them took to his heels. Highly amused by the adventure, and thankful for her deliverance, she returned into her chamber, declaring to her maid, that surely their love must be very great to fulfil such conditions. Rinuccio stayed at a distance, cursing his hard fortune, till the officers were gone, when he came groping about to find where he had thrown Alessandro down, desiring to complete his commission; but not meeting with him, and supposing that the officers had taken him away, he went home, vexed at his disappointment. Alessandro, also, not knowing what to do, and being ignorant who the person was that had carried him thither, went home with the like dissatisfaction. In the morning, Scannadio's vault being found open» and the body not to be seen, because Alessandro had rolled it to the bottom, the town was all in an uproar about it, many people believing that the devil had certainly carried him off. Nevertheless, both the lovers signified to the lady what they had done, and how they had been disappointed, excusing themselves thereby, for not having fully executed her commands, and still entreating her favour and love: whilst she, seeming to credit neither, cut them both short with an absolute denial, inasmuch as both had failed in the performance of the conditions required.
[In an old English ballad a similar expedient is devised by a prioress, to get rid of her three lovers, a knight, a prelate, and a burgher. She promises her affections to the first, if he will lie all night in a chapel as a dead body, and wrapped in a winding-sheet. Next she requires the priest to say masses over the corpse, which she pretends is that of a cousin who had not been properly interred. She then tells the burgher to bring the body to her house, as the deceased owed her money, and must not be buried till his friends discharged the debt; and in order to terrify the priest, she desires that he should equip himself in disguise of the devil. The lovers all meet in the chapel, where both the knight and priest run off, so that the merchant has no corpse to bring home to his mistress. Hence the allotted service being accomplished by none of them, the lady refuses her love to all three. This tale is entitled the "Pryorys and her Three Wooyrs," and has been published in Jamieson's "Popular Ballads," from a MS. in the British Museum, attributed to Lydgate.]
