The Decameron (Day 6 to Day 10): Containing an hundred pleasant NovelsBoccaccio, Giovanni
History
The Decameron (Day 6 to Day 10): Containing an hundred pleasant Novels
Boccaccio, Giovanni
Allegories; Frame stories; Plague -- Europe -- History -- Fiction; Storytelling -- Fiction
The woman, whom love had inspired with sprightly counsell, ingeniously
enstructing her what to do in this distresse, stearnly thus replyed.
Before I will suffer any such shame as thou intended towards mee,
I will drowne my selfe heere in this Well before our doore, where
being found dead, and thy villanous jealousie so apparantly knowne,
beside thy more then beastly drunkennesse: all the neighbours will
constantly beleeve, that thou didst first strangle me in the house,
and afterwardes threw me into this Well. So either thou must flie upon
the supposed offence, or lose all thy goodes by banishment, or (which
is much more fitting for thee) have thy head smitten off as a wilfull
murtherer of thy wife; for all will judge it to be no otherwise.
All which wordes, mooved not _Tofano_ a jot from his obstinat
determination: but he still persisting therein, thus she spake. I
neither can nor will longer endure this base Villanie of thine: to the
mercy of heaven I commit my soul, and stand there my wheele, a witnesse
against so hard-hearted a murtherer.
No sooner had she thus spoke, but the night being so extreamly dark,
as they could not discerne one another; Cheta went to the Well, where
finding a verie great stone, which lay loose upon the brim of the Well,
even as if it had beene layde there on purpose, shee cried out aloud,
saying. Forgive me faire heavens, and so threw the stone downe into the
Well. The night being very still & silent, the fall of the great stone
made such a dreadfull noise in the Well; that he hearing it at the
Windowe, thought verily she had drowned her selfe indeede. Whereupon,
running downe hastily, and taking a Bucket fastened to a strong Cord:
he left the doore wide open, intending speedily to helpe her. But she
standing close at the doores entrance, before he could get to the Wels
side; she was within the house, softly made the doore fast on the
inside, and then went up to the Window, where _Tofano_ before had stood
talking to her.
While he was thus dragging with his Bucket in the Well, crying and
calling _Cheta_, take hold good _Cheta_, and save thy life: she stood
laughing in the Window, saying. Water should bee put into Wine before a
man drinkes it, and not when he hath drunke too much already. _Tofano_
hearing his Wife thus to flout him out of his Window, went back to the
doore, and finding it made fast against him: he willed hir to grant him
entrance. But she, forgetting all gentle Language, which formerly she
had used to him: in meere mockery and derision (yet intermixed with
some sighes and teares, which women are saide to have at command) out
aloud (because the Neighbours should heare her) thus she replyed.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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