The Decameron (86 page)

[334]
A play of words upon the primary meaning (winged things) of the word
pennate
, hedge–bills.

[335]
i.e.
The Word [made] flesh. Get–thee–to–the–windows is only a patter tag.

[336]
Or Slopes or Coasts (
piaggie
).

[337]
?

[338]
Industria
in the old sense of ingenuity, skilful procurement, etc.

[339]
i.e.
the tale–telling.

[340]
Lit. the northern chariot (
carro di tramontana
);
quære
the Great Bear?

[341]
Alluding to the subject fixed for the next day's discourse, as who should say, "Have you begun already to play tricks upon us men in very deed, ere you tell about them in words?"

[342]
See p. 144, note 2.

[343]
i.e.
pene arrecto.

[344]
i.e.
a fattened capon well larded.

[345]
i.e.
eggs.

[346]
So called from the figure of a lily stamped on the coin; cf. our rose–nobles.

[347]
i.e.
the discarded vanities aforesaid.

[348]
i.e.
the other ex votos.

[349]
There is apparently some satirical allusion here, which I cannot undertake to explain.

[350]
Syn. professor of the liberal arts (
artista
).

[351]
i.e.
inhabitants of Arezzo.

[352]
Riporre
, possibly a mistake for
riportare
, to fetch back.

[353]
Lit. wished her all his weal.

[354]
Boccaccio writes carelessly "for
aught
" (
altro
), which makes nonsense of the passage.

[355]
Or, in modern parlance, "twopennny–halfpenny."

[356]
Syn. encourager, helper, auxiliary (
confortatore
).

[357]
This sudden change from the third to the second person, in speaking of Nicostratus, is a characteristic example of Boccaccio's constant abuse of the figure enallage in his dialogues.

[358]
i.e.
those eyes.

[359]
i.e.
the Siennese.

[360]
i.e.
from discovering to his friend his liking for the lady.

[361]
Or, in modern parlance, logic–chopping (
sillogizzando
).

[362]
i.e.
with that whereof you bear the name,
i.e.
laurel (
laurea
).

[363]
Or "on this subject" (
in questo
).

[364]
Quære
, "half–complines,"
i.e.
half–past seven p.m. "Half–vespers" would be half–past four, which seems too early.

[365]
Carolando
,
i.e.
dancing in a round and singing the while, the original meaning of our word "carol."

[366]
i.e.
half–past seven a.m.

[367]
Where the papal court then was. See p. 257, note.

[368]
Or, as La Fontaine would say, "aussi bien faite pour armer un lit."

[369]
Or apron.

[370]
Se n'andò col ceteratojo
; a proverbial expression of similar meaning to our "was whistled down the wind,"
i.e.
was lightly dismissed without provision, like a cast–off hawk.

[371]
A play of words upon the Italian equivalent of the French word Douay (
Duagio, i.e. Twoay, Treagio, Quattragio
) invented by the roguish priest to impose upon the simple goodwife.

[372]
Or in modern parlance, "making her a connection by marriage of etc.," Boccaccio feigning priests to be members of the Holy Family, by virtue of their office.

[373]
i.e.
Good cheer.

[374]
A play upon the double meaning of
a denajo
, which signifies also "for money."

[375]
A kind of rissole made of eggs, sweet herbs and cheese.

[376]
Vernaccia
, a kind of rich white wine like Malmsey.

[377]
i.e.
not strait–cut.

[378]
Sforzandosi
,
i.e.
recovering his wind with an effort.

[379]
i.e.
love him, grant him her favours. See ante, passim.

[380]
i.e.
in the malaria district.

[381]
i.e.
great ugly Ciuta.

[382]
Quarantanove
, a proverbial expression for an indefinite number.

[383]
i.e.
how they might do this.

[384]
i.e.
in the old sense of "manager" (
massajo
).

[385]
i.e.
white wine, see p. 372, note.

[386]
i.e.
embarked on a bootless quest.

[387]
A proverbial way of saying that he bore malice and was vindictive.

[388]
Lit. out of hand (
fuor di mano
).

[389]
Boccaccio here misquotes himself. See p. 389, where the lady says to her lover, "Whether seemeth to thee the greater, his wit or the love I bear him?" This is only one of the numberless instances of negligence and inconsistency which occur in the Decameron and which make it evident to the student that it must have passed into the hands of the public without the final revision and correction by the author, that
limæ labor
without which no book is complete and which is especially necessary in the case of such a work as the present, where Boccaccio figures as the virtual creator of Italian prose.

[390]
Lit. face, aspect (
viso
).

[391]
i.e.
thy lover's.

[392]
V'è donato
,
i.e.
young lovers look to receive gifts of their mistresses, whilst those of more mature age bestow them.

[393]
Lit. red as rabies (
rabbia
). Some commentators suppose that Boccaccio meant to write
robbia
, madder.

[394]
i.e.
resource (
consiglio
). See ante, passim.

[395]
Boccaccio appears to have forgotten to mention that Rinieri had broken the rounds of the ladder, when he withdrew it (as stated, p. 394), apparently to place an additional obstacle in the way of the lady's escape.

[396]
Quære
, the street of that name?

[397]
Danza trivigiana
, lit. Trevisan dance, O.E. the shaking of the sheets.

[398]
i.e.
with the doctor's hood of miniver.

[399]
The colour of the doctors' robes of that time.

[400]
The commentators note here that on the church door of San Gallo was depicted an especially frightful Lucifer, with many mouths.

[401]
Legnaja is said to be famous for big pumpkins.

[402]
i.e.
they think of and cherish us alone, holding us as dear as their very eyes.

[403]
i.e.
Fat–hog and Get–thee–to–supper, burlesque perversions of the names Ipocrasso (Hippocrates) and Avicenna.

[404]
i.e.
love her beyond anything in the world. For former instances of this idiomatic expression, see ante, passim.

[405]
Syn. cauterized (
calterita
), a nonsensical word employed by Bruno for the purpose of mystifying the credulous physician.

[406]
Syn. secretary, confidant (
segretaro
).

[407]
A play of words upon
mela
(apple) and
mellone
(pumpkin).
Mellone
is strictly a water–melon; but I have rendered it "pumpkin," to preserve the English idiom, "pumpkinhead" being our equivalent for the Italian "melon," used in the sense of dullard, noodle.

[408]
According to the commentators, "baptized on a Sunday" anciently signified a simpleton, because salt (which is constantly used by the Italian classical writers as a synonym for wit or sense) was not sold on Sundays.

[409]
Syn. confusedly (
frastagliatamente
).

[410]
La Contessa di Civillari
,
i.e.
the public sewers. Civillari, according to the commentators, was the name of an alley in Florence, where all the ordure and filth of the neighbourhood was deposited and stored in trenches for manure.

[411]
Nacchere
, syn. a loud crack of wind.

[412]
Syn. smelt (
sentito
).

[413]
Laterina
,
i.e.
Latrina.

[414]
Lit. Broom–handle (
Manico della Scopa
).

[415]
Lit. "do
yourself
a mischief, without doing
us
any good"; but the sequel shows that the contrary is meant, as in the text.

[416]
i.e.
what he is worth.

[417]
Bucherame.
The word "buckram" was anciently applied to the finest linen cloth, as is apparently the case here; see Ducange, voce
Boquerannus
, and Florio, voce
Bucherame
.

[418]
i.e.
in needlework.

[419]
"It was the custom in those days to attach to the bedposts sundry small instruments in the form of birds, which, by means of certain mechanical devices, gave forth sounds modulated like the song of actual birds."—
Fanfani.

[420]
Syn. that which belongeth to us (
ciò che ci è
,)
ci
, as I have before noted, signifying both "here" and "us," dative and accusative.

[421]
i.e.
procure bills of exchange for.

[422]
i.e.
we must see what is to be done.

[423]
i.e.
having executed and exchanged the necessary legal documents for the proper carrying out of the transaction and completed the matter to their mutual satisfaction.

[424]
The song sung by Pamfilo (under which name, as I have before pointed out, the author appears to represent himself) apparently alludes to Boccaccio's amours with the Princess Maria of Naples (Fiammetta), by whom his passion was returned in kind.