Boccaccio The Decameron---Day 7 Stories
The Queen gives Dineo the Crown. The theme for Day 7 is tricks women have played upon their husbands, either in the name of love, or for self defense --with or without the husband’s knowledge.
NOTE: a description of the landscape is written by Boccaccio before the Day 7 stories.
Day 7 Story 1 as told by Emilia.
In Florence there lived a man named Gianni Lotteringhi. He was elected President of the Singers of Santa Maria Novella, so he had a lofty opinion of himself. He had a handsome wife named Tessa who was clever. She was in love with Federigo di Neri Pogolotti, a young spark. She would have her lover visit her at her country cottage.
They devised a trick for meeting—when he went to his summer home, further down the road, he would look for an ass’s skull on a pole near her house; if the jawbone pointed towards Florence, he could come safely to see her; if it was turned to Fiesole, he would stay away.
One day her husband stayed home; she had the maid deliver food to him but forgot to tell the maid to take the food away from the garden after he ate.
Soon Federigo is tapping at the door. His wife says to her husband; “God knows, Gianni, it’s a ghost that has been bothering me; you will have to charm him away”.
Then she says: “Ghost, oh ghost, fly by night; stiff tailed you came; stiff tailed take flight!
Go to the garden; you’ll find a basted one; put your mouth to the flask and go away.
Federigo heard her words; knew about the capon; ate it and fled.
Day 7 Story 2 as told by Filostrata
In Naples a poor man married a good looking girl named Peronella. She sees a young man and they both fall in love. The young man enters her house as soon as he sees her husband leave in the morning. One day the husband unexpectedly returned. She hides her lover in a large wine cask.
He tells her it is St Galeon’s Day—the day laborers do not work. He also tells her that he has sold the cask for 5 florins. She retorts: “There you are a man who sells a good cask for 5 florins, when I, a poor woman, sold it for 7 florins. He’s in there now to check it out for soundness.” The man comes out—the man says the sides must be scraped before he buys it, so the husband enters the cask to see if it needs scraping. The wife stands in front of the opening and she and her lover satisfy their lusty passion.
Day 7 Story 3 as told by Elisa
In Sienna a youth named Rinaldo fell in love with a neighbor. He decided that when she became a mother he would be a Godfather to the child and become closer to her. He wanted to be her gossip so that he could chat with her intimately.
He also becomes a friar. (IN this story there is an ironic paragraph about friars). He wants to sleep with the woman; she says it’s a grave sin. The friar agrees with her but tells her that God forgives sins if the person is repentant. He convinces her and they lie together.
Her husband finds them; she realizes she must make up a story as to why the friar is there. She says “If it weren’t for Friar Rinaldo, we would have lost our son. The boy had a fainting fit; I sent for the friar. He says it’s the worms he has in his body; but don’t worry, I will put a spell upon him, and before I leave, the child will recover.”
He sent his companion to the pigeonloft to say prayers while he and I came here because the mother must be present. We shut ourselves in. There he is with the baby. “ “I must go and see the little one” says the husband without thinking at all that he had been tricked.
Day 7 Story 4 as told by Lauretta
Tofano, a rich man, lives in Arezzo. He had a wife named Ghita. He was jealous when he learned a younger man liked her. She like to make her husband drunk, so he wouldn’t bother her, but he suspects why she is doing this. One night he acts as if he is drunk, and when she comes home late, she tells him she was at a neighbor’s house. He still doesn’t let her in.
“I’ll make you regret this” she says. “I’ll pitch myself into the well—and after I am found, everyone will believe you did it in a drunken fit. “ She throws a stone in the well; he hears the noise and runs out. She quickly ran into the house, locked the door, and when the neighbors heard them fighting, they believed her that he was drunk. Tofano had to plead for her mercy, and it cured him of the jealousy.
Day 7 Story 5 as told by Fiammetta
Jealous men are a menace to themselves. All week long women are pent up in a house. They look forward to holidays but jealous husbands keep their wives locked up; so whatever women do to these husbands should be commended.
Once a merchant kept such watch on his wife, she could not go to church; to wedding or show her face in the window, She knew a youth from the next building who was handsome—if she could find a hole in the wall, then they could meet.
She did find a crack; saw that it was the youth’s bedroom. They meet. She asks her husband’s permission to go to church to confess her sins—he agrees; goes to church himself and convinces the priest to let him borrow gowns and hears his wife’s confessions. She recognizes her husband (as the priest). She tells him a priest comes to sleep with her every night. In the husband’s rage, he waits up all night while the woman sleeps with the youth. Finally she confesses she made up the story— AND she continues the affair.
Day 7 Story 6 as told by Pampinea
A lovely lady was the wife of a knight. She isn’t in love with her husband, but with a man named Leonetto. Isabella’s beauty was recognized by another knight named Messer Lambertuccio, but she doesn’t care for him. He threatens to blacken her reputation, so she gives in to his advances.
While with Leonetto, Messer Lambertuccio pays Isabella a call. She conceals Leonetto behind a curtain. Mr. Lambertuccio and she have sex when she hears her husband. She says to Lambertuccio; “Take a knife, and say to my husband, “ I swear to God, I’ll ferret him out elsewhere”, and then get on your horse and go. She concocts a story that Lambertuccio was chasing a youth; the youth entered her room and at that point Leonetto comes out from behind the curtain and tells her husband that Mr. Lambertuccio mistook him for someone else. All is well!!!
Day 7 Story 7 as told by Filomena
In Paris is a wealthy Florentine man whose son Ludovico he wants to be a gentleman. His friends think ladies of France and England are beautiful. They say Beatrice of Egano is the most beautiful. Ludovico wanted to see her; changes his name to Anichino. He falls in love with he rand thought if he became her husband’s retainer, he could be near her. Mr. Egano made him his personal servant. Anchino tells the lady he loves her and goes to her room at midnight. She tricks her husband to believe Anchino is in the garden waiting for her when Anchino was right there in the bedroom. He goes to the garden so she can lay with Anchino. Then she tells him to take a stick….go to the garden where her husband is, and pretend you just tempted me to test me. Anchino goes to the garden and pummels Mr, Egano. Mr. Egano does not see the trick; they enjoy many more nights of joy without being found out.
Day 7 Story 8 as told by Neifile
A man named Arriguccio Berlingheri hopes to improve his class by marriage. Sismonda became his ill-suited match. She falls in love with Ruberto while her husband is away. Arriguccio spies on her. She lets Ruberto come to her at midnight, while her husband is sleeping. She let her lover know when he could come by putting a string out the window; one end to be picked up by her lover, and the other attached to her toe. If her husband was sleeping, he could come be with her; she would let the string go, and open the door.
The husband finds the string attached to her toe and suspects. He cuts the string and wraps it around his own toe. When Ruberto appears he has his weapons ready. Ruberto runs away and when Arriguccio returns home, instead of his wife in bed, it is the maid who suffers the beating. When Arriguccio tells her brothers of her betrayal, they see she is not bruised. She says” What is this, my husband how do you mean to blacken my character; you can see I am not beaten. I will say that it is HE who has had adventures. It is He who is not worthy of me”!!!
Day 7 Story 9 as told by Pamfilo
A man named Nicostratus lived in Argo—he was older and of good rank; had a wife named Lydia. Lydia liked one of his servants named Pyrrhus.. She tells her maid she wants delight with a young man. Pyrrhus would not betray his master and tells Lydia that maybe this is a test his master has set up to see if he is loyal. He promises to do what Lydia asks if she meets 3 conditions; kill the master’s favorite hawk, take a lock from his beard, and one of his teeth. In all tests Lydia does well, and now it is Pyrrhus’ turn to trick.
They are all in a garden. Pyrrhus climbs a tree. He imagines Nicostratus is mounting his wife. Nicostratus says they are just sitting calmly but wants to see if the tree is bewitched so he climbs it himself. He really does see Lydia and Pyrrhus frolicking but the pair tell him they are just sitting calmly.
He comes down from the tree—utterly confused when Pyrrhus says “Do you suppose your wife would do such things right in front of you?????
Day 7 Story 10 as told by the King
In Sienna lived 2 men—Tingoccio Mici and Meuccio di Tura. They made a pact to return to Earth after death tell the other what the Afterlife is like. Toguccio dies first; 3 days later he appears in Meuccio’s bedroom.
He tells his friend, in the Afterlife people don’t CARE about gossip!