ded and full of water, she fell to weeping piteously, together
with them. It was noon ere they saw any about the shore or elsewhere,
whom they might move to pity and succour them; but about that hour
there passed by a gentleman, by name Pericone da Visalgo, returning by
chance from a place of his, with sundry of his servants on horseback.
He saw the ship and forthright conceiving what it was, bade one of the
servants board it without delay and tell him what he found there. The
man, though with difficulty, made his way on board and found the young
lady, with what little company she had, crouched, all adread, under
the heel of the bowsprit. When they saw him, they besought him,
weeping, of mercy again and again; but, perceiving that he understood
them not nor they him, they made shift to make known to him their
misadventure by signs.

The servant having examined everything as best he might, reported to
Pericone that which was on board; whereupon the latter promptly caused
to bring the ladies ashore, together with the most precious things
that were in the ship and might be gotten, and carried them off to a
castle of his, where, the women being refreshed with food and rest, he
perceived, from the richness of her apparel, that the lady whom he had
found must needs be some great gentlewoman, and of this he was
speedily certified by the honour that he saw the others do her and her
alone; and although she was pale and sore disordered of her person,
for the fatigues of the voyage, her features seemed to him exceeding
fair; wherefore he forthright took counsel with himself, an she had no
husband, to seek to have her to wife, and if he might not have her in
marriage, to make shift to have her favours.

He was a man of commanding presence and exceeding robust and having
for some days let tend the lady excellently well and she being thereby
altogether restored, he saw her lovely past all conception and was
grieved beyond measure that he could not understand her nor she him
and so he might not learn who she was. Nevertheless, being
inordinately inflamed by her charms, he studied, with pleasing and
amorous gestures, to engage her to do his pleasure without contention;
but to no avail; she altogether rejected his advances and so much the
more waxed Pericone's ardour. The lady, seeing this and having now
abidden there some days, perceived, by the usances of the folk, that
she was among Christians and in a country where, even if she cou