e than pleasant, I shall succeed in
making you laugh as much as Pamfilo hath done with his; but I will do
my endeavor thereof.

In our city, then, which hath ever abounded in various fashions and
strange folk, there was once, no great while since, a painter called
Calandrino, a simple-witted man and of strange usances. He companied
most of his time with other two painters, called the one Bruno and the
other Buffalmacco, both very merry men, but otherwise well-advised and
shrewd, who consorted with Calandrino for that they ofttimes had great
diversion of his fashions and his simplicity. There was then also in
Florence a young man of a mighty pleasant humor and marvellously
adroit in all he had a mind to do, astute and plausible, who was
called Maso del Saggio, and who, hearing certain traits of
Calandrino's simplicity, determined to amuse himself at his expense
by putting off some cheat on him or causing him believe some strange
thing. He chanced one day to come upon him in the church of San
Giovanni and seeing him intent upon the carved work and paintings of
the pyx, which is upon the altar of the said church and which had then
not long been placed there, he judged the place and time opportune for
carrying his intent into execution. Accordingly, acquainting a friend
of his with that which he purposed to do, they both drew near unto the
place where Calandrino sat alone and feigning not to see him, fell
a-discoursing together of the virtues of divers stones, whereof Maso
spoke as authoritatively as if he had been a great and famous
lapidary.

Calandrino gave ear to their talk and presently, seeing that it was no
secret, he rose to his feet and joined himself to them, to the no
small satisfaction of Maso, who, pursuing his discourse, was asked by
Calandrino where these wonder-working stones were to be found. Maso
replied that the most of them were found in Berlinzone, a city of the
Basques, in a country called Bengodi,[371] where the vines are tied up
with sausages and a goose is to be had for a farthing[372] and a
gosling into the bargain, and that there was a mountain all of grated
Parmesan cheese, whereon abode folk who did nothing but make maccaroni
and ravioli[373] and cook them in capon-broth, after which they threw
them down thence and whoso got most thereof had most; and that hard by
ran a rivulet of vernage,[374] the best ever was drunk, without a drop
of water therein. 'Marry,' cried Calandrino, 'that were a fi