straightway showed them to
Currado, saying, 'Now, sir, if you look at those that stand yonder,
you may very well see that I told you the truth yesternight, to wit,
that cranes have but one thigh and one leg.' Currado, seeing them,
answered, 'Wait and I will show thee that they have two,' and going
somewhat nearer to them, he cried out, 'Ho! Ho!' At this the cranes,
putting down the other leg, all, after some steps, took to flight;
whereupon Currado said to him, 'How sayst thou now, malapert knave
that thou art? Deemest thou they have two legs?' Chichibio, all
confounded and knowing not whether he stood on his head or his
heels,[303] answered, 'Ay, sir; but you did not cry, "Ho! Ho!" to
yesternight's crane; had you cried thus, it would have put out the
other thigh and the other leg, even as did those yonder.' This reply
so tickled Currado that all his wrath was changed into mirth and
laughter and he said, 'Chichibio, thou art in the right; indeed, I
should have done it.' Thus, then, with his prompt and comical answer
did Chichibio avert ill luck and made his peace with his master."

[Footnote 303: Lit. knowing not whence himself came.]

THE FIFTH STORY

[Day the Sixth]

MESSER FORESE DA RABATTA AND MASTER GIOTTO THE PAINTER
COMING FROM MUGELLO, EACH JESTINGLY RALLIETH THE OTHER ON
HIS SCURVY FAVOUR

Neifile being silent and the ladies having taken much pleasure in
Chichibio's reply, Pamfilo, by the queen's desire, spoke thus:
"Dearest ladies, it chanceth often that, like as fortune whiles hideth
very great treasures of worth and virtue under mean conditions, as
hath been a little before shown by Pampinea, even so, under the
sorriest of human forms are marvellous wits found to have been lodged
by nature; and this very plainly appeared in two townsmen of ours, of
whom I purpose briefly to entertain you. For that the one, who was
called Messer Forese da Rabatta, though little of person and
misshapen, with a flat camoys face, that had been an eyesore on the
shoulders of the foulest cadger in Florence, was yet of such
excellence in the interpretation of the laws, that he was of many men
of worth reputed a very treasury of civil right; whilst the other,
whose name was Giotto, had so excellent a genius that there was
nothing of all which Nature, mother and mover of all things,
presenteth unto us by the ceaseless revolution of the heavens, but he
with pencil and pen and brush depicted it and that s