hath not said St. Julian his
Paternoster is oftentimes ill lodged, for all he have a good bed.

[Footnote 79: Lit. a story striveth in (draweth) me to be told or to
tell itself (_a raccontarsi mi tira una novella_).]

[Footnote 80: _i.e._ religious matters (_cose cattoliche_).]

In the days, then, of the Marquis Azzo of Ferrara, there came a
merchant called Rinaldo d'Asti to Bologna on his occasions, which
having despatched and returning homeward, it chanced that, as he
issued forth of Ferrara and rode towards Verona, he fell in with
certain folk who seemed merchants, but were in truth highwaymen and
men of lewd life and condition, with whom he unwarily joined company
and entered into discourse. They, seeing him to be a merchant and
judging him to have monies about him, took counsel together to rob
him, at the first opportunity that should offer; wherefore, that he
might take no suspicion, they went devising with him, like decent
peaceable folk, of things honest and seemly and of loyalty, ordering
themselves toward him, in so far as they knew and could, with respect
and complaisance, so that he deemed himself in great luck to have met
with them, for that he was alone with a serving-man of his on
horseback.

Thus faring on and passing from one thing to another, as it chanceth
in discourse, they presently fell to talking of the orisons that men
offer up to God, and one of the highwaymen, who were three in number,
said to Rinaldo, 'And you, fair sir, what orison do you use to say on
a journey?' Whereto he answered, 'Sooth to say, I am but a plain man
and little versed in these matters and have few orisons in hand; I
live after the old fashion and let a couple of shillings pass for
four-and-twenty pence.[81] Nevertheless, I have still been wont, when
on a journey, to say of a morning, what time I come forth of the inn,
a Pater and an Ave for the soul of St. Julian's father and mother,
after which I pray God and the saint to grant me a good lodging for
the ensuing night. Many a time in my day have I, in the course of my
journeyings, been in great perils, from all of which I have escaped
and have still found myself at night, to boot, in a place of safety
and well lodged. Wherefore I firmly believe that St. Julian, in whose
honour I say it, hath gotten me this favour of God; nor meseemeth
should I fare well by day nor come to good harbourage at night, except
I had said it in the morning.' 'And did you say it[82] this morni