Messer Azzolino [63] had a story-teller whom he made tell him tales
during the long nights of winter. It happened that one night the
story-teller had a great desire to sleep, while Azzolino urged him to
tell tales.
The story-teller began a tale of a countryman who had a hundred
byzantines [64] of his own which he took with him to the market to buy
sheep at the price of two per byzantine. Returning with his sheep he
came to a river he had passed before much swollen with the rains which
had recently fallen. Standing on the bank, he saw a poor fisherman with
a boat, but of so small a size that there was only room for the
countryman and one sheep at a time. Then the countryman began to cross
over with one sheep, and he began to row: the river was wide. He rowed
and passed over.
And here the story-teller ceased his tale.
Azzolino said: go on! And the story-teller replied: let the sheep cross
over and then I will tell you the tale. Since the sheep would not have
crossed in a year, he could meanwhile sleep at his ease. [65]