d, who, not
without putting her to very great anguish and vexation, recovered the
lady of a sore fever, after she had once and again left her skin
sticking to the sheets, and on like wise healed the maid of her broken
thigh. Wherefore, forgetting her lover, from that time forth she
discreetly forbore both from making mock of others and from loving,
whilst the scholar, hearing that the maid had broken her thigh, held
himself fully avenged and passed on, content, without saying otherwhat
thereof. Thus, then, did it befall the foolish young lady of her
pranks, for that she thought to fool it with a scholar as she would
have done with another, unknowing that scholars,--I will not say all,
but the most part of them,--know where the devil keepeth his tail.
Wherefore, ladies, beware of making mock of folk, and especially of
scholars."

THE EIGHTH STORY

[Day the Eighth]

TWO MEN CONSORTING TOGETHER, ONE LIETH WITH THE WIFE OF HIS
COMRADE, WHO, BECOMING AWARE THEREOF, DOTH WITH HER ON SUCH
WISE THAT THE OTHER IS SHUT UP IN A CHEST, UPON WHICH HE
LIETH WITH HIS WIFE, HE BEING INSIDE THE WHILE

Elena's troubles had been irksome and grievous to the ladies to hear;
natheless, for that they deemed them in part justly befallen her, they
passed them over with more moderate compassion, albeit they held the
scholar to have been terribly stern and obdurate, nay, cruel. But,
Pampinea being now come to the end of her story, the queen charged
Fiammetta follow on, who, nothing loath to obey, said, "Charming
ladies, for that meseemeth the severity of the offended scholar hath
somedele distressed you, I deem it well to solace your ruffled spirits
with somewhat more diverting; wherefore I purpose to tell you a little
story of a young man who received an injury in a milder spirit and
avenged it after a more moderate fashion, by which you may understand
that, whenas a man goeth about to avenge an injury suffered, it should
suffice him to give as good as he hath gotten, without seeking to do
hurt overpassing the behoof of the feud.

You must know, then, that there were once in Siena, as I have
understood aforetime, two young men in easy enough case and of good
city families, whereof one was named Spinelloccio Tanena and the other
Zeppa di Mino, and they were next-door neighbours in Camollia.[394]
These two young men still companied together and loved each other, to
all appearance, as they had been brothers, or be