[Footnote 132: Lit. Whatsoever an ass giveth against a wall, such he receiveth (_Quale asino da in parete, tal riceve_). I cannot find any satisfactory explanation of this proverbial saying, which may be rendered in two ways, according as _quale_ and _tale_ are taken as relative to a thing or a person. The probable reference seems to be to the circumstance of an ass making water against a wall, so that his urine returns to him.] [Footnote 133: From this point until the final discovery of her true sex, the heroine is spoken of in the masculine gender, as became her assumed name and habit.] [Footnote 134: Here Boccaccio uses the feminine pronoun, immediately afterward resuming the masculine form in speaking of Sicurano.] [Footnote 135: _i.e._ her.] [Footnote 136: _i.e._ her.] [Footnote 137: _i.e._ hers.] [Footnote 138: _i.e._ her.] [Footnote 139: Sic (_meglio_).] THE TENTH STORY [Day the Second] PAGANINO OF MONACO STEALETH AWAY THE WIFE OF MESSER RICCIARDO DI CHINZICA, WHO, LEARNING WHERE SHE IS, GOETH THITHER AND MAKING FRIENDS WITH PAGANINO, DEMANDETH HER AGAIN OF HIM. THE LATTER CONCEDETH HER TO HIM, AN SHE WILL; BUT SHE REFUSETH TO RETURN WITH HIM AND MESSER RICCIARDO DYING, SHE BECOMETH THE WIFE OF PAGANINO Each of the honourable company highly commended for goodly the story told by their queen, especially Dioneo, with whom alone for that present day it now rested to tell, and who, after many praises bestowed upon the preceding tale, said, "Fair ladies, one part of the queen's story hath caused me change counsel of telling you one that was in my mind, and determine to tell you another,--and that is the stupidity of Bernabo (albeit good betided him thereof) and of all others who give themselves to believe that which he made a show of believing and who, to wit, whilst going about the world, diverting themselves now with this woman and now with that, imagine that the ladies left at home abide with their hands in their girdles, as if we knew not, we who are born and reared among the latter, unto what they are fain. In telling you this story, I shall at once show you how great is the folly of these folk and how greater yet is that of those who, deeming themselves more potent than nature herself, think by dint of sophistical inventions[140] to avail unto that which is beyond their power and study to bring others to that which they themselves are, whenas the complexion of those on whom they practise brooketh it not. [Footnote 140: Lit. fabulous demonstrations (_dimostrazioni favolose_), casuistical arguments, founded upon premises of their own invention.]