arm between
them; whereupon quoth Maso to his comrades, 'Needs must we pull him
off those breeches of his altogether, for that it may very well be
done.' Each of the others had already seen how;[381] wherefore, having
agreed among themselves what they should say and do, they returned
thither next morning, when, the court being very full of folk,
Matteuzzo, without being seen of any, crept under the bench and posted
himself immediately beneath the judge's feet. Meanwhile, Maso came up
to my lord judge on one side and taking him by the skirt of his gown,
whilst Ribi did the like on the other side, began to say, 'My lord,
my lord, I pray you for God's sake, ere yonder scurvy thief on the
other side of you go elsewhere, make him restore me a pair of
saddle-bags whereof he hath saith indeed he did it not; but I saw him,
not a month ago, in act to have them resoled.' Ribi on his side cried
out with all his might, 'Believe him not, my lord; he is an arrant
knave, and for that he knoweth I am come to lay a complaint against
him for a pair of saddle-bags whereof he hath robbed me, he cometh now
with his story of the boothose, which I have had in my house this many
a day. An you believe me not, I can bring you to witness my next-door
neighbor Trecca and Grassa the tripewoman and one who goeth gathering
the sweepings from Santa Masia at Verjaza, who saw him when he came
back from the country.

[Footnote 381: _i.e._ how they might do this.]

Maso on the other hand suffered not Ribi to speak, but bawled his
loudest, whereupon the other but shouted the more. The judge stood up
and leaned towards them, so he might the better apprehend what they
had to say, wherefore Matteuzzo, watching his opportunity, thrust his
hand between the crack of the boards and laying hold of Messer
Niccola's galligaskins by the breech, tugged at them amain. The
breeches came down incontinent, for that the judge was lean and lank
of the crupper; whereupon, feeling this and knowing not what it might
be, he would have sat down again and pulled his skirts forward to
cover himself; but Maso on the one side and Ribi on the other still
held him fast and cried out, 'My lord, you do ill not to do me justice
and to seek to avoid hearing me and get you gone otherwhere; there be
no writs granted in this city for such small matters as this.' So
saying, they held him fast by the clothes on such wise that all who
were in the court perceived that his breeches had been pu