g him, by way of penance, hear a mass every
morning at Santa Croce and present himself before him at dinner-time,
and after that he might do what most pleased him the rest of the day;
all which he diligently performed.

One morning, amongst others, it chanced that at the Mass he heard a
Gospel, wherein these words were chanted, 'For every one ye shall
receive an hundred and shall possess eternal life.'[57] This he laid
fast up in his memory and according to the commandment given him,
presented him at the eating hour before the inquisitor, whom he found
at dinner. The friar asked him if he had heard mass that morning,
whereto he promptly answered, 'Ay have I, sir.' Quoth the inquisitor,
'Heardest thou aught therein whereof thou doubtest or would question?'
'Certes,' replied the good man, 'I doubt not of aught that I heard,
but do firmly believe all to be true. I did indeed hear something
which caused and yet causeth me have the greatest compassion of you
and your brother friars, bethinking me of the ill case wherein you
will find yourselves over yonder in the next life.' 'And what was it
that moved thee to such compassion of us?' asked the inquisitor.
'Sir,' answered the other, 'it was that verse of the Evangel, which
saith, "For every one ye shall receive an hundred." 'That is true,'
rejoined the inquisitor; 'but why did these words move thee thus?'
'Sir,' replied the good man, 'I will tell you. Since I have been used
to resort hither, I have seen give out every day to a multitude of
poor folk now one and now two vast great cauldrons of broth, which had
been taken away from before yourself and the other brethren of this
convent, as superfluous; wherefore, if for each one of these cauldrons
of broth there be rendered you an hundred in the world to come, you
will have so much thereof that you will assuredly all be drowned
therein.'

[Footnote 57: "And every one that hath forsaken houses or brethren or
sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands for my name's
sake shall receive an hundredfold and shall inherit everlasting
life."--Matthew xix. 29. Boccaccio has garbled the passage for the
sake of his point.]

All who were at the inquisitor's table fell a-laughing; but the
latter, feeling the hit at the broth-swilling[58] hypocrisy of himself
and his brethren, was mightily incensed, and but that he had gotten
blame for that which he had already done, he would have saddled him
with another prosecution, for th