[Notes by LKG]
This story is part of the Decameron unit. Story source: The Decameron by Boccaccio, translated by J. M. Rigg (1903).
Girolamo and Salvestra
(Neifile: Day 4, Story 8)
When Emilia's story was done, Neifile at a word from the king thus began:Some there are, noble ladies, who, methinks, deem themselves to be wiser than the rest of the world and are in fact less so, and by consequence presume to measure their wit against not only the counsels of men but the nature of things, which presumption has from time to time been the occasion of most grievous mishaps, but nought of good was ever seen to betide thereof. And as there is nought in nature that brooks to be schooled or thwarted so ill as love, the quality of which is such that it is more likely to die out of its own accord than to be done away of set purpose, I am minded to tell you a story of a lady, who, while she sought to be more wise than became her and than she was, and indeed than the nature of the matter wherein she studied to shew her wisdom, allowed, thinking to unseat Love from the heart that he had occupied and wherein perchance the stars had established him, did in the end banish at one and the same time Love and life from the frame of her son.
Know then that, as 'tis related by them of old time, there was once in our city a very great and wealthy merchant, Leonardo Sighieri by name, who had by his lady a son named Girolamo, after whose birth he departed this life, leaving his affairs in meet and due order, and well and faithfully were they afterwards administered in the interest of the boy by his mother and guardians.
As he grew up, consorting more frequently with the neighbours' children than any others of the quarter, he made friends with a girl of his own age that was the daughter of a tailor, and in course of time this friendship ripened into a love so great and vehement that Girolamo was ever ill at ease when he saw her not, nor was her love for him a whit less strong than his for her. Which his mother perceiving would not seldom chide him therefor and chastise him.
And as Girolamo could not give it up, she confided her distress to his guardians, speaking — for by reason of her boy's great wealth she thought to make, as it were, an orange-tree out of a bramble — on this wise: "This boy of ours, who is now scarce fourteen years old, is so in love with a daughter of one of our neighbours, a tailor — Salvestra is the girl's name — that, if we part them not, he will, peradventure, none else witting, take her to wife some day, and I shall never be happy again, or if he see her married to another, he will pine away, to prevent which, methinks, you would do well to send him away to distant parts on the affairs of the shop, for so, being out of sight, she will come at length to be out of mind, and then we can give him some well-born girl to wife."
Whereto the guardians answered that 'twas well said and that it should be so done to the best of their power, so they called the boy into the shop, and one of them began talking to him very affectionately on this wise: "My son, thou art now almost grown up; 'twere well thou shouldst now begin to learn something for thyself of thy own affairs, wherefore we should be very well pleased if thou wert to go stay at Paris a while, where thou wilt see how we trade with not a little of thy wealth, besides which thou wilt there become a much better, finer, and more complete gentleman than thou couldst here, and when thou hast seen the lords and barons and seigneurs that are there in plenty and hast acquired their manners, thou canst return hither."
The boy listened attentively and then answered shortly that he would have none of it, for he supposed he might remain at Florence as well as another. Whereupon the worthy men plied him with fresh argument, but were unable to elicit other answer from him, and told his mother so. Whereat she was mightily incensed and gave him a great scolding, not for his refusing to go to Paris, but for his love, which done, she plied him with soft, wheedling words and endearing expressions and gentle entreaties that he would be pleased to do as his guardians would have him, whereby at length she prevailed so far that he consented to go to Paris for a year and no more, and so 'twas arranged.
(800 words)
