[Day the Fifth]
RICCIARDO MANARDI, BEING FOUND BY MESSER LIZIO DA VALBONA
WITH HIS DAUGHTER, ESPOUSETH HER AND ABIDETH IN PEACE WITH
HER FATHER
Elisa holding her peace and hearkening to the praises bestowed by the
ladies her companions upon her story, the Queen charged Filostrato
tell one of his own, whereupon he began, laughing, "I have been so
often rated by so many of you ladies for having imposed on you matter
for woeful discourse and such as tended to make you weep, that
methinketh I am beholden, an I would in some measure requite you that
annoy, to relate somewhat whereby I may make you laugh a little; and I
mean therefore to tell you, in a very short story, of a love that,
after no worse hindrance than sundry sighs and a brief fright, mingled
with shame, came to a happy issue.
It is, then, noble ladies, no great while ago since there lived in
Romagna a gentleman of great worth and good breeding, called Messer
Lizio da Valbona, to whom, well nigh in his old age, it chanced there
was born of his wife, Madam Giacomina by name, a daughter, who grew up
fair and agreeable beyond any other of the country; and for that she
was the only child that remained to her father and mother, they loved
and tendered her exceeding dear and guarded her with marvellous
diligence, looking to make some great alliance by her. Now there was
a young man of the Manardi of Brettinoro, comely and lusty of his
person, by name Ricciardo, who much frequented Messer Lizio's house
and conversed amain with him and of whom the latter and his lady took
no more account than they would have taken of a son of theirs. Now,
this Ricciardo, looking once and again upon the young lady and seeing
her very fair and sprightly and commendable of manners and fashions,
fell desperately in love with her, but was very careful to keep his
love secret. The damsel presently became aware thereof and without
anywise seeking to shun the stroke, began on like wise to love him;
whereat Ricciardo was mightily rejoiced. He had many a time a mind to
speak to her, but kept silence of misdoubtance; however, one day,
taking courage and opportunity, he said to her, 'I prithee, Caterina,
cause me not die of love.' To which she straightway made answer,
'Would God thou wouldst not cause _me_ die!'
This answer added much courage and pleasure to Ricciardo and he said
to her, 'Never shall aught that may be agreeable to thee miscarry[276]
for me; but it resteth with thee to find a means of saving thy life
and mine.' 'Ricciardo,' answered she, 'thou seest how straitly I am
guarded; wherefore, for my part, I cannot see how thou mayst avail to
come at me; but, if thou canst see aught that I may do without shame
to myself, tell it me and I will do it.' Ricciardo, having bethought
himself of sundry things, answered promptly, 'My sweet Caterina, I can
see no way, except that thou lie or make shift to come upon the
gallery that adjoineth thy father's garden, where an I knew that thou
wouldst be anights, I would without fail contrive to come to thee, how
high soever it may be.' 'If thou have the heart to come thither,'
rejoined Caterina, 'methinketh I can well enough win to be there.'
Ricciardo assented and they kissed each other once only in haste and
went their ways.
[Footnote 276: Lit. stand (_stare_), _i.e._ abide undone.]
Next day, it being then near the end of May, the girl began to
complain before her mother that she had not been able to sleep that
night for the excessive heat. Quoth the lady, 'Of what heat dost thou
speak, daughter? Nay, it was nowise hot.' 'Mother mine,' answered
Caterina, 'you should say "To my seeming," and belike you would say
sooth; but you should consider how much hotter are young girls than
ladies in years.' 'Daughter mine,' rejoined the lady, 'that is true;
but I cannot make it cold and hot at my pleasure, as belike thou
wouldst have me do. We must put up with the weather, such as the
seasons make it; maybe this next night will be cooler and thou wilt
sleep better.' 'God grant it may be so!' cried Caterina. 'But it is
not usual for the nights to go cooling, as it groweth towards summer.'
'Then what wouldst thou have done?' asked the mother; and she
answered, 'An it please my father and you, I would fain have a little
bed made in the gallery, that is beside his chamber and over his
garden, and there sleep. There I should hear the nightingale sing and
having a cooler place to lie in, I should fare much better than in
your chamber.' Quoth the mother, 'Daughter, comfort thyself; I will
tell thy father, and as he will, so will we do.'
Messer Lizio hearing all this from his wife, said, for that he was an
old man and maybe therefore somewhat cross-grained, 'What nightingale
is this to whose song she would sleep? I will yet make her sleep to
the chirp of the crickets.' Caterina, coming to know this, more of
despite than for the heat, not only slept not that night, but suffered
not her mother to sleep, still complaining of the great heat.
Accordingly, next morning, the latter repaired to her husband and said
to him, 'Sir, you have little tenderness for yonder girl; what
mattereth it to you if she lie in the gallery? She could get no rest
all night for the heat. Besides, can you wonder at her having a mind
to hear the nightingale sing, seeing she is but a child? Young folk
are curious of things like themselves. Messer Lizio, hearing this,
said, 'Go to, make her a bed there, such as you think fit, and bind it
about with some curtain or other, and there let her lie and hear the
nightingale sing to her heart's content.'
The girl, learning this, straightway let make a bed in the gallery and
meaning to lie there that same night, watched till she saw Ricciardo
and made him a signal appointed between them, by which he understood
what was to be done. Messer Lizio, hearing the girl gone to bed,
locked a door that led from his chamber into the gallery and betook
himself likewise to sleep. As for Ricciardo, as soon as he heard all
quiet on every hand, he mounted a wall, with the aid of a ladder, and
thence, laying hold of certain toothings of another wall, he made his
way, with great toil and danger, if he had fallen, up to the gallery,
where he was quietly received by the girl with the utmost joy. Then,
after many kisses, they went to bed together and took delight and
pleasure one of another well nigh all that night, making the
nightingale sing many a time. The nights being short and the delight
great and it being now, though they thought it not, near day, they
fell asleep without any covering, so overheated were they what with
the weather and what with their sport, Caterina having her right arm
entwined about Ricciardo's neck and holding him with the left hand by
that thing which you ladies think most shame to name among men.
As they slept on this wise, without awaking, the day came on and
Messer Lizio arose and remembering him that his daughter lay in the
gallery, opened the door softly, saying in himself, 'Let us see how
the nightingale hath made Caterina sleep this night.' Then, going in,
he softly lifted up the serge, wherewith the bed was curtained about,
and saw his daughter and Ricciardo lying asleep, naked and uncovered,
embraced as it hath before been set out; whereupon, having recognized
Ricciardo, he went out again and repairing to his wife's chamber,
called to her, saying, 'Quick, wife, get thee up and come see, for
that thy daughter hath been so curious of the nightingale that she
hath e'en taken it and hath it in hand.' 'How can that be?' quoth she;
and he answered, 'Thou shalt see it, an thou come quickly.'
Accordingly, she made haste to dress herself and quietly followed her
husband to the bed, where, the curtain being drawn, Madam Giacomina
might plainly see how her daughter had taken and held the
nightingale, which she had so longed to hear sing; whereat the lady,
holding herself sore deceived of Ricciardo, would have cried out and
railed at him; but Messer Lizio said to her, 'Wife, as thou holdest my
love dear, look thou say not a word, for, verily, since she hath
gotten it, it shall be hers. Ricciardo is young and rich and gently
born; he cannot make us other than a good son-in-law. An he would part
from me on good terms, needs must he first marry her, so it will be
found that he hath put the nightingale in his own cage and not in that
of another.'
The lady was comforted to see that her husband was not angered at the
matter and considering that her daughter had passed a good night and
rested well and had caught the nightingale, to boot, she held her
tongue. Nor had they abidden long after these words when Ricciardo
awoke and seeing that it was broad day, gave himself over for lost and
called Caterina, saying, 'Alack, my soul, how shall we do, for the day
is come and hath caught me here?' Whereupon Messer Lizio came forward
and lifting the curtain, answered, 'We shall do well.' When Ricciardo
saw him, himseemed the heart was torn out of his body and sitting up
in bed, he said, 'My lord, I crave your pardon for God's sake. I
acknowledged to have deserved death, as a disloyal and wicked man;
wherefore do you with me as best pleaseth you; but, I prithee, an it
may be, have mercy on my life and let me not die.' 'Ricciardo,'
answered Messer Lizio, 'the love that I bore thee and the faith I had
in thee merited not this return; yet, since thus it is and youth hath
carried thee away into such a fault, do thou, to save thyself from
death and me from shame, take Caterina to thy lawful wife, so that,
like as this night she hath been thine, she may e'en be thine so long
as she shall live. On this wise thou mayst gain my pardon and thine
own safety; but, an thou choose not to do this, commend thy soul to
God.'
Whilst these words were saying, Caterina let go the nightingale and
covering herself, fell to weeping sore and beseeching her father to
pardon Ricciardo, whilst on the other hand she entreated her lover to
do as Messer Lizio wished, so they might long pass such nights
together in security. But there needed not overmany prayers, for that,
on the one hand, shame of the fault committed and desire to make
amends for it, and on the other, the fear of death and the wish to
escape,--to say nothing of his ardent love and longing to possess the
thing beloved,--made Ricciardo freely and without hesitation avouch
himself ready to do that which pleased Messer Lizio; whereupon the
latter borrowed of Madam Giacomina one of her rings and there, without
budging, Ricciardo in their presence took Caterina to his wife. This
done, Messer Lizio and his lady departed, saying, 'Now rest
yourselves, for belike you have more need thereof than of rising.'
They being gone, the young folk clipped each other anew and not having
run more than half a dozen courses overnight, they ran other twain ere
they arose and so made an end of the first day's tilting. Then they
arose and Ricciardo having had more orderly conference with Messer
Lizio, a few days after, as it beseemed, he married the damsel over
again, in the presence of their friends and kinsfolk, and brought her
with great pomp to his own house. There he held goodly and honourable
nuptials and after went long nightingale-fowling with her to his
heart's content, in peace and solace, both by night and by day."