[Day the Fifth]
GIANNI DI PROCIDA BEING FOUND WITH A YOUNG LADY, WHOM HE
LOVED AND WHO HAD BEEN GIVEN TO KING FREDERICK OF SICILY, IS
BOUND WITH HER TO A STAKE TO BE BURNT; BUT, BEING RECOGNIZED
BY RUGGIERI DELL' ORIA, ESCAPETH AND BECOMETH HER HUSBAND
Neifile's story, which had much pleased the ladies, being ended, the
queen bade Pampinea address herself to tell another, and she
accordingly, raising her bright face, began: "Exceeding great,
charming ladies, is the might of Love and exposeth lovers to sore
travails, ay, and to excessive and unforeseen perils, as may be
gathered from many a thing that hath been related both to-day and
otherwhiles; nevertheless, it pleaseth me yet again to demonstrate it
to you with a story of an enamoured youth.
Ischia is an island very near Naples, and therein, among others, was
once a very fair and sprightly damsel, by name Restituta, who was the
daughter of a gentleman of the island called Marino Bolgaro and whom a
youth named Gianni, a native of a little island near Ischia, called
Procida, loved more than his life, as she on like wise loved him. Not
only did he come by day from Procida to see her, but oftentimes
anights, not finding a boat, he had swum from Procida to Ischia, at
the least to look upon the walls of her house, an he might no
otherwise. During the continuance of this so ardent love, it befell
that the girl, being all alone one summer day on the sea-shore,
chanced, as she went from rock to rock, loosening shell-fish from the
stones with a knife, upon a place hidden among the cliffs, where, at
once for shade and for the commodity of a spring of very cool water
that was there, certain young men of Sicily, coming from Naples, had
taken up their quarters with a pinnace they had. They, seeing that she
was alone and very handsome and was yet unaware of them, took counsel
together to seize her and carry her off and put their resolve into
execution. Accordingly, they took her, for all she made a great
outcry, and carrying her aboard the pinnace, made the best of their
way to Calabria, where they fell to disputing of whose she should be.
Brief, each would fain have her; wherefore, being unable to agree
among themselves and fearing to come to worse and to mar their affairs
for her, they took counsel together to present her to Frederick, King
of Sicily, who was then a young man and delighted in such toys.
Accordingly, coming to Palermo, they made gift of the damsel to the
king, who, seeing her to be fair, held her dear; but, for that he was
presently somewhat infirm of his person, he commanded that, against he
should be stronger, she should be lodged in a very goodly pavilion,
belonging to a garden of his he called La Cuba, and there tended; and
so it was done.
Great was the outcry in Ischia for the ravishment of the damsel and
what most chagrined them was that they could not learn who they were
that had carried her off; but Gianni, whom the thing concerned more
than any other, not looking to get any news of this in Ischia and
learning in what direction the ravishers had gone, equipped another
pinnace and embarking therein, as quickliest as he might, scoured all
the coast from La Minerva to La Scalea in Calabria, enquiring
everywhere for news of the girl. Being told at La Scalea that she had
been carried off to Palermo by some Sicilian sailors, he betook
himself thither, as quickliest he might, and there, after much search,
finding that she had been presented to the king and was by him kept
under ward at La Cuba, he was sore chagrined and lost well nigh all
hope, not only of ever having her again, but even of seeing her.
Nevertheless, detained by love, having sent away his pinnace and
seeing that he was known of none there, he abode behind and passing
often by La Cuba, he chanced one day to catch sight of her at a window
and she saw him, to the great contentment of them both.
Gianni, seeing the place lonely, approached as most he might and
bespeaking her, was instructed by her how he must do, an he would
thereafterward have further speech of her. He then took leave of her,
having first particularly examined the ordinance of the place in every
part, and waited till a good part of the night was past, when he
returned thither and clambering up in places where a woodpecker had
scarce found a foothold, he made his way into the garden. There he
found a long pole and setting it against the window which his mistress
had shown him, climbed up thereby lightly enough. The damsel,
herseeming she had already lost her honour, for the preservation
whereof she had in times past been somewhat coy to him, thinking that
she could give herself to none more worthily than to him and doubting
not to be able to induce him to carry her off, had resolved in herself
to comply with him in every his desire; wherefore she had left the
window open, so he might enter forthright. Accordingly, Gianni,
finding it open, softly made his way into the chamber and laid himself
beside the girl, who slept not and who, before they came to otherwhat,
discovered to him all her intent, instantly beseeching him to take her
thence and carry her away. Gianni answered that nothing could be so
pleasing to him as this and promised that he would without fail, as
soon as he should have taken his leave of her, put the matter in train
on such wise that he might carry her away with him, the first time he
returned thither. Then, embracing each other with exceeding pleasure,
they took that delight beyond which Love can afford no greater, and
after reiterating it again and again, they fell asleep, without
perceiving it, in each other's arms.
Meanwhile, the king, who had at first sight been greatly taken with
the damsel, calling her to mind and feeling himself well of body,
determined, albeit it was nigh upon day, to go and abide with her
awhile. Accordingly, he betook himself privily to La Cuba with certain
of his servants and entering the pavilion, caused softly open the
chamber wherein he knew the girl slept. Then, with a great lighted
flambeau before him, he entered therein and looking upon the bed, saw
her and Gianni lying asleep and naked in each other's arms; whereas he
was of a sudden furiously incensed and flamed up into such a passion
of wrath that it lacked of little but he had, without saying a word,
slain them both then and there with a dagger he had by his side.
However, esteeming it a very base thing of any man, much more a king,
to slay two naked folk in their sleep, he contained himself and
determined to put them to death in public and by fire; wherefore,
turning to one only companion he had with him, he said to him, 'How
deemest thou of this vile woman, on whom I had set my hope?' And after
he asked him if he knew the young man who had dared enter his house to
do him such an affront and such an outrage; but he answered that he
remembered not ever to have seen him. The king then departed the
chamber, full of rage, and commanded that the two lovers should be
taken and bound, naked as they were, and that, as soon as it was broad
day, they should be carried to Palermo and there bound to a stake,
back to back, in the public place, where they should be kept till the
hour of tierce, so they might be seen of all, and after burnt, even as
they had deserved; and this said, he returned to his palace at
Palermo, exceeding wroth.
The king gone, there fell many upon the two lovers and not only
awakened them, but forthright without any pity took them and bound
them; which when they saw, it may lightly be conceived if they were
woeful and feared for their lives and wept and made moan. According to
the king's commandment, they were carried to Palermo and bound to a
stake in the public place, whilst the faggots and the fire were made
ready before their eyes, to burn them at the hour appointed. Thither
straightway flocked all the townsfolk, both men and women, to see the
two lovers; the men all pressed to look upon the damsel and like as
they praised her for fair and well made in every part of her body,
even so, on the other hand, the women, who all ran to gaze upon the
young man, supremely commended him for handsome and well shapen. But
the wretched lovers, both sore ashamed, stood with bowed heads and
bewailed their sorry fortune, hourly expecting the cruel death by
fire.
Whilst they were thus kept against the appointed hour, the default of
them committed, being bruited about everywhere, came to the ears of
Ruggieri dell' Oria, a man of inestimable worth and then the king's
admiral, whereupon he repaired to the place where they were bound and
considering first the girl, commended her amain for beauty, then,
turning to look upon the young man, knew him without much difficulty
and drawing nearer to him, asked him if he were not Gianni di Procida.
The youth, raising his eyes and recognizing the admiral, answered, 'My
lord, I was indeed he of whom you ask; but I am about to be no more.'
The admiral then asked him what had brought him to that pass, and he
answered, 'Love and the king's anger.' The admiral caused him tell his
story more at large and having heard everything from him as it had
happened, was about to depart, when Gianni called him back and said to
him, 'For God's sake, my lord, an it may be, get me one favour of him
who maketh me to abide thus.' 'What is that?' asked Ruggieri; and
Gianni said, 'I see I must die, and that speedily, and I ask,
therefore, by way of favour,--as I am bound with my back to this
damsel, whom I have loved more than my life, even as she hath loved
me, and she with her back to me,--that we may be turned about with our
faces one to the other, so that, dying, I may look upon her face and
get me gone, comforted.' 'With all my heart,' answered Ruggieri,
laughing; 'I will do on such wise that thou shalt yet see her till
thou grow weary of her sight.'
Then, taking leave of him, he charged those who were appointed to
carry the sentence into execution that they should proceed no farther
therein, without other commandment of the king, and straightway betook
himself to the latter, to whom, albeit he saw him sore incensed, he
spared not to speak his mind, saying, 'King, in what have the two
young folk offended against thee, whom thou hast commanded to be
burned yonder in the public place?' The king told him and Ruggieri
went on, 'The offence committed by them deserveth it indeed, but not
from thee; for, like as defaults merit punishment, even so do good
offices merit recompense, let alone grace and clemency. Knowest thou
who these are thou wouldst have burnt?' The king answered no, and
Ruggieri continued, 'Then I will have thee know them, so thou mayst
see how discreetly[280] thou sufferest thyself to be carried away by
the transports of passion. The young man is the son of Landolfo di
Procida, own brother to Messer Gian di Procida,[281] by whose means
thou art king and lord of this island, and the damsel is the daughter
of Marino Bolgaro, to whose influence thou owest it that thine
officers have not been driven forth of Ischia. Moreover, they are
lovers who have long loved one another and constrained of love, rather
than of will to do despite to thine authority, have done this sin, if
that can be called sin which young folk do for love. Wherefore, then,
wilt thou put them to death, whenas thou shouldst rather honour them
with the greatest favours and boons at thy commandment?'
[Footnote 280: Iron., meaning "with how little discretion."]
[Footnote 281: Gianni (Giovanni) di Procida was a Sicilian noble, to
whose efforts in stirring up the island to revolt against Charles of
Anjou was mainly due the popular rising known as the Sicilian Vespers
(A.D. 1283) which expelled the French usurper from Sicily and
transferred the crown to the house of Arragon. The Frederick (A.D.
1296-1337) named in the text was the fourth prince of the latter
dynasty.]
The king, hearing this and certifying himself that Ruggieri spoke
sooth, not only forbore from proceeding to do worse, but repented him
of that which he had done, wherefore he commanded incontinent that the
two lovers should be loosed from the stake and brought before him;
which was forthright done. Therewith, having fully acquainted himself
with their case, he concluded that it behoved him requite them the
injury he had done them with gifts and honour; wherefore he let clothe
them anew on sumptuous wise and finding them of one accord, caused
Gianni to take the damsel to wife. Then, making them magnificent
presents, he sent them back, rejoicing, to their own country, where
they were received with the utmost joyance and delight."