e it bitterly.

No sooner had Fiammetta made an end of her song than Dioneo, who was
beside her, said, laughing, "Madam, you would do a great courtesy to
let all the ladies know who he is, lest you be ousted of his
possession through ignorance, since you would be so sore incensed
thereat." After this divers other songs were sung and the night being
now well nigh half spent, they all, by the king's commandment, betook
themselves to repose. As the new day appeared, they arose and the
seneschal having already despatched all their gear in advance, they
returned, under the guidance of their discreet king, to Florence,
where the three young men took leave of the seven ladies and leaving
them in Santa Maria Novella, whence they had set out with them, went
about their other pleasures, whilst the ladies, whenas it seemed to
them time, returned to their houses.

HERE ENDETH THE TENTH AND LAST DAY
OF THE DECAMERON

_Conclusion of the Author_

Most noble damsels, for whose solace I have addressed myself to so
long a labour, I have now, methinketh, with the aid of the Divine
favour, (vouchsafed me, as I deem, for your pious prayers and not for
my proper merits,) throughly accomplished that which I engaged, at the
beginning of this present work, to do; wherefore, returning thanks
first to God and after to you, it behoveth to give rest to my pen and
to my tired hand. Which ere I accord them, I purpose briefly to reply,
as to objections tacitly broached, to certain small matters that may
peradventure be alleged by some one of you or by others, since
meseemeth very certain that these stories have no especial privilege
more than other things; nay, I mind me to have shown, at the beginning
of the fourth day, that they have none such. There are, peradventure,
some of you who will say that I have used overmuch license in
inditing these stories, as well as in making ladies whiles say and
very often hearken to things not very seemly either to be said or
heard of modest women. This I deny, for that there is nothing so
unseemly as to be forbidden unto any one, so but he express it in
seemly terms, as meseemeth indeed I have here very aptly done. But let
us suppose that it is so (for that I mean not to plead with you, who
would overcome me,) I say that many reasons very readily offer
themselves in answer why I have done this. Firstly, if there be aught
thereof[484] in any of them, the nature of the stories required it,
the which,