uld be received of his wife, and
standing hearkening, they heard the lady give him the foulest rating
was ever given poor devil, saying, 'Good lack, what a pickle thou art
in! Thou hast been gallanting it to some other woman and must needs
seek to cut a figure with thy gown of scarlet! What, was not I enough
for thee? Why, man alive, I could suffice to a whole people, let alone
thee. Would God they had choked thee, like as they cast thee whereas
thou deservedst to be thrown! Here's a fine physician for you, to have
a wife of his own and go a-gadding anights after other folk's
womankind!' And with these and many other words of the same fashion
she gave not over tormenting him till midnight, what while the
physician let wash himself from head to foot.

Next morning up came Bruno and Buffalmacco, who had painted all their
flesh under their clothes with livid blotches, such as beatings use to
make, and entering the physician's house, found him already arisen.
Accordingly they went in to him and found the whole place full of
stench, for that they had not yet been able so to clean everything
that it should not stink there. Master Simone, seeing them enter, came
to meet them and bade God give them good day; whereto the two rogues,
as they had agreed beforehand, replied with an angry air, saying,
'That say we not to you; nay, rather, we pray God give you so many ill
years that you may die a dog's death, as the most disloyal man and the
vilest traitor alive; for it was no thanks to you that, whereas we
studied to do you pleasure and worship, we were not slain like dogs.
As it is, thanks to your disloyalty, we have gotten so many buffets
this past night that an ass would go to Rome for less, without
reckoning that we have gone in danger of being expelled the company
into which we had taken order for having you received. An you believe
us not, look at our bodies and see how they have fared.' Then, opening
their clothes in front, they showed him, by an uncertain light, their
breasts all painted and covered them up again in haste.

The physician would have excused himself and told of his mishaps and
how and where he had been cast; but Buffalmacco said, 'Would he had
thrown you off the bridge into the Arno! Why did you call on God and
the Saints? Were you not forewarned of this?' 'By God His faith,'
replied the physician, 'I did it not.' 'How?' cried Buffalmacco. 'You
did not call on them? Egad, you did it again and again; for our