_Danza trivigiana_, lit. Trevisan dance, O.E. the
shaking of the sheets.]

THE NINTH STORY

[Day the Eighth]

MASTER SIMONE THE PHYSICIAN, HAVING BEEN INDUCED BY BRUNO
AND BUFFALMACCO TO REPAIR TO A CERTAIN PLACE BY NIGHT, THERE
TO BE MADE A MEMBER OF A COMPANY THAT GOETH A-ROVING, IS
CAST BY BUFFALMACCO INTO A TRENCH FULL OF ORDURE AND THERE
LEFT

After the ladies had chatted awhile over the community of wives
practised by the two Siennese, the queen, with whom alone it rested to
tell, so she would not do Dioneo an unright, began on this wise:
"Right well, lovesome ladies, did Spinelloccio deserve the cheat put
upon him by Zeppa; wherefore meseemeth he is not severely to be blamed
(as Pampinea sought awhile ago to show), who putteth a cheat on those
who go seeking it or deserve it. Now Spinelloccio deserved it, and I
mean to tell you of one who went seeking it for himself. Those who
tricked him, I hold not to be blameworthy, but rather commendable, and
he to whom it was done was a physician, who, having set out for
Bologna a sheepshead, returned to Florence all covered with
miniver.[396]

[Footnote 396: _i.e._ with the doctor's hood of miniver.]

As we see daily, our townsmen return hither from Bologna, this a
judge, that a physician and a third a notary, tricked out with robes
long and large and scarlets and minivers and store of other fine
paraphernalia, and make a mighty brave show, to which how far the
effects conform we may still see all day long. Among the rest a
certain Master Simone da Villa, richer in inherited goods than in
learning, returned hither, no great while since, a doctor of medicine,
according to his own account, clad all in scarlet[397] and with a
great miniver hood, and took a house in the street which we call
nowadays the Via del Cocomero. This said Master Simone, being thus
newly returned, as hath been said, had, amongst other his notable
customs, a trick of asking whosoever was with him who was no matter
what man he saw pass in the street, and as if of the doings and
fashions of men he should compound the medicines he gave his
patients, he took note of all and laid them all up in his memory.
Amongst others on whom it occurred to him more particularly to cast
his eyes were two painters of whom it hath already twice to-day been
discoursed, namely, Bruno and Buffalmacco, who were neighbours of his
and still went in company. Himseeming they recked less of t