The Decameron, vol. 2

The Decameron, vol. 2

The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Decameron, Vol. II., by Giovanni
Boccaccio This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and
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Title: The Decameron, Vol. II.
Author: Giovanni Boccaccio
Release Date: August 3, 2004 [EBook #13102]
Language: English
Character set encoding: ASCII
*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE
DECAMERON, VOL. II. ***

Produced by Donna Holsten

THE DECAMERON
OF
GIOVANNI BOCCACCIO
Faithfully Translated
By J.M. Rigg

with illustrations by Louis Chalon
VOLUME II
CONTENTS
- FIFTH DAY -
NOVEL I. - Cimon, by loving, waxes wise, wins his wife Iphigenia by
capture on the high seas, and is imprisoned at Rhodes. He is delivered
by Lysimachus; and the twain capture Cassandra and recapture
Iphigenia in the hour of their marriage. They flee with their ladies to
Crete, and having there married them, are brought back to their homes.
NOVEL II. - Gostanza loves Martuccio Gomito, and hearing that he is
dead, gives way to despair, and hies her alone aboard a boat, which is
wafted by the wind to Susa. She finds him alive in Tunis, and makes
herself known to him, who, having by his counsel gained high place in
the king's favour, marries her, and returns with her wealthy to Lipari.
NOVEL III. - Pietro Boccamazza runs away with Agnolella, and
encounters a gang of robbers: the girl takes refuge in a wood, and is
guided to a castle. Pietro is taken, but escapes out of the hands of the
robbers, and after some adventures arrives at the castle where Agnolella
is, marries her, and returns with her to Rome.
NOVEL IV. - Ricciardo Manardi is found by Messer Lizio da Valbona
with his daughter, whom he marries, and remains at peace with her
father.
NOVEL V. - Guidotto da Cremona dies leaving a girl to Giacomino da
Pavia. She has two lovers in Faenza, to wit, Giannole di Severino and
Minghino di Mingole, who fight about her. She is discovered to be
Giannole's sister, and is given to Minghino to wife.
NOVEL VI. - Gianni di Procida, being found with a damsel that he
loves, and who had been given to King Frederic, is bound with her to a
stake, so to be burned. He is recognized by Ruggieri dell' Oria, is
delivered, and marries her.
NOVEL VII. - Teodoro, being enamoured of Violante, daughter of
Messer Amerigo, his lord, gets her with child, and is sentenced to the
gallows; but while he is being scourged thither, he is recognized by his
father, and being set at large, takes Violante to wife.
NOVEL VIII. - Nastagio degli Onesti, loving a damsel of the
Traversari family, by lavish expenditure gains not her love. At the
instance of his kinsfolk he hies him to Chiassi, where he sees a knight

hunt a damsel and slay her and cause her to be devoured by two dogs.
He bids his kinsfolk and the lady that he loves to breakfast. During the
meal the said damsel is torn in pieces before the eyes of the lady, who,
fearing a like fate, takes Nastagio to husband.
NOVEL IX. - Federigo degli Alberighi loves and is not loved in return:
he wastes his substance by lavishness until nought is left but a single
falcon, which, his lady being come to see him at his house, he gives her
to eat: she, knowing his case, changes her mind, takes him to husband
and makes him rich.
NOVEL X. - Pietro di Vinciolo goes from home to sup: his wife brings
a boy into the house to bear her company: Pietro returns, and she hides
her gallant under a hen-coop: Pietro explains that in the house of
Ercolano, with whom he was to have supped, there was discovered a
young man bestowed there by Ercolano's wife: the lady thereupon
censures Ercolano's wife: but unluckily an ass treads on the fingers of
the boy that is hidden under the hen-coop, so that he cries for pain:
Pietro runs to the place, sees him, and apprehends the trick played on
him by his wife, which nevertheless he finally condones, for that he is
not himself free from blame.
- SIXTH DAY -
NOVEL I. - A knight offers to carry Madonna Oretta a horseback with
a story, but tells it so ill that she prays him to dismount her.
NOVEL II. - Cisti, a baker, by an apt speech gives Messer Geri Spina
to know that he has by inadvertence asked that of him which he should
not.
NOVEL III. - Monna Nonna de' Pulci by