with her dresses and gear and letting make ready
a splendid supper, awaited Salabaetto, who, as soon as it was grown
somewhat dark, betook himself thither and being received with open
arms, supped with all cheer and commodity of service. Thereafter they
betook themselves into the bedchamber, where he smelt a marvellous
fragrance of aloes-wood and saw the bed very richly adorned with
Cyprian singing-birds[417] and store of fine dresses upon the pegs,
all which things together and each of itself made him conclude that
this must be some great and rich lady. And although he had heard some
whispers to the contrary anent her manner of life, he would not
anywise believe it; or, if he e'en gave so much credit thereto as to
allow that she might erst have cozened others, for nothing in the
world could he have believed that this might possibly happen to
himself. He lay that night with her in the utmost delight, still
waxing more enamoured, and in the morning she girt him on a quaint and
goodly girdle of silver, with a fine purse thereto, saying, 'Sweet my
Salabaetto, I commend myself to thy remembrance, and like as my person
is at thy pleasure, even so is all that is here and all that dependeth
upon me at thy service and commandment.' Salabaetto, rejoiced,
embraced and kissed her; then, going forth of her house, he betook
himself whereas the other merchants were used to resort.

[Footnote 417: "It was the custom in those days to attach to the
bedposts sundry small instruments in the form of birds, which, by
means of certain mechanical devices, gave forth sounds modulated like
the song of actual birds."--_Fanfani._]

On this wise consorting with her at one time and another, without its
costing him aught in the world, and growing every hour more entangled,
it befell that he sold his stuffs for ready money and made a good
profit thereby; of which the lady incontinent heard, not from him, but
from others, and Salabaetto being come one night to visit her, she
fell to prattling and wantoning with him, kissing and clipping him and
feigning herself so enamoured of him that it seemed she must die of
love in his arms. Moreover, she would fain have given him two very
fine hanaps of silver that she had; but he would not take them, for
that he had had of her, at one time and another, what was worth a good
thirty gold florins, without availing to have her take of him so much
as a groat's worth. At last, whenas she had well enkindled him by
s