The Decameron by Giovanni Boccaccio (best classic books of all time txt) 📕

am going to town about a business of mine and am carrying these things to Squire Bonaccorri da Ginestreto, so he may help me in I know not what whereof the police-court judge hath summoned me by his proctor for a peremptory attendance.’ The priest was rejoiced to hear this and said, ‘Thou dost well, my son; go now with my benison and return speedily; and shouldst thou chance to see Lapuccio or Naldino, forget not to bid them bring me those straps they wot of for my flails.’ Bentivegna answered that it should be done and went his way towards Florence, whereupon the priest bethought himself that now was his time to go try his luck with Belcolore. Accordingly, he let not the grass grow under his feet, but set off forthright and stayed not till he came to her house and entering in, said, ‘God send us all well! Who is within there?’ Belcolore, who was gone up into the hayloft, hearing him, said, ‘Marry, sir, you are welcome; but what do you gadding it abroad in this heat?’ ‘So God give me good luck,’ answered he, ‘I came to abide with thee awhile, for that I met thy man going to town.’

Belcolore came down and taking a seat, fell to picking over cabbage-seed which her husband had threshed out a while before; whereupon quoth the priest to her, ‘Well, Belcolore, wilt thou still cause me die for thee on this wise?’ She laughed and answered, ‘What is it I do to you?’ Quoth he, ‘Thou dost nought to me, but thou sufferest me not do to thee that which I would fain do and which God commandeth.’ ‘Alack!’ cried Belcolore, ‘Go to, go to. Do priests do such things?’ ‘Ay do we,’ replied he, ‘as well as other men; and why not? And I tell thee more, we do far and away better work and knowest thou why? Because we grind with a full head of water. But in good sooth it shall be shrewdly to thy profit, an thou wilt but abide quiet and let me do.’ ‘And what might this “shrewdly to my profit” be?’ asked she. ‘For all you priests are stingier than the devil.’ Quoth he, ‘I know not; ask thou. Wilt have a pair of shoes or a head-lace or a fine stammel waistband or what thou wilt?’ ‘Pshaw!’ cried Belcolore. ‘I have enough and to spare of such things; but an you wish me so well, why do you not render me a service, and I will do what you will?’ Quoth the priest, ‘Say what thou wilt have of me, and I will do it willingly.’ Then said she, ‘Needs must I go to Florence, come Saturday, to carry back the wool I have spun and get my spinning-wheel mended; and an you will lend me five crowns, which I know you have by you, I can take my watchet gown out of pawn and my Sunday girdle369 that I brought my husband, for you see I cannot go to church nor to any decent place, because I have them not; and after I will still do what you would have me.’ ‘So God give me a good year,’ replied the priest, ‘I have them not about me; but believe me, ere Saturday come, I will contrive that thou shalt have them, and that very willingly.’ ‘Ay,’ said Belcolore, ‘you are all like this, great promisers, and after perform nothing to any. Think you to do with me as you did with Biliuzza, who went off with the ghittern-player?370 Cock’s faith, then, you shall not, for that she is turned a common drab only for that. If you have them not about you, go for them.’ ‘Alack,’ cried the priest, ‘put me not upon going all the way home. Thou seest that I have the luck just now to find thee alone, but maybe, when I return, there will be some one or other here to hinder us; and I know not when I shall find so good an opportunity again.’ Quoth she, ‘It is well; an you choose to go, go; if not, go without.’

The priest, seeing that she was not in the humour to do his pleasure without a salvum me fac, whereas he would fain have done it sine custodiâ, said, ‘Harkye, thou believest not that I will bring thee the money; but, so thou mayst credit me, I will leave thee this my blue-cloth cloak.’ Belcolore raised her eyes and said, ‘Eh what! That cloak? What is it worth?’ ‘Worth?’ answered the priest. ‘I would have thee know that it is cloth of Douay, nay, Threeay, and there be some of our folk here who hold it for Fouray.371 It is scarce a fortnight since it cost me seven crowns of hard money to Lotto the broker, and according to what Buglietto telleth me (and thou knowest he is a judge of this kind of cloth), I had it good five shillings overcheap.’ ‘Indeed!’ quoth Belcolore. ‘So God be mine aid, I had never thought it. But give it me first of all.’ My lord priest, who had his arbalest ready cocked, pulled off the cloak and gave it her; and she, after she had laid it up, said, ‘Come, sir, let us go into the barn, for no one ever cometh there.’ And so they did. There the priest gave her the heartiest busses in the world and making her sib to God Almighty,372 solaced himself with her a great while; after which he took leave of her and returned to the parsonage in his cassock, as it were he came from officiating at a wedding.

There, bethinking himself that all the candle-ends he got by way of offertory in all the year were not worth the half of five crowns, himseemed he had done ill and repenting him of