great are
the errors which may befall the minds of men, bethinking him first of
his brothers who had bewept and buried a stranger in his stead and
after of the innocent man accused on false suspicion and brought by
untrue witness to the point of death, no less than of the blind
severity of laws and rulers, who ofttimes, under cover of diligent
investigation of the truth, cause, by their cruelties, prove that
which is false and style themselves ministers of justice and of God,
whereas indeed they are executors of iniquity and of the devil; after
which he turned his thought to the deliverance of Aldobrandino and
determined in himself what he should do. Accordingly, arising in the
morning, he left his servant at the inn and betook himself alone,
whenas it seemed to him time, to the house of his mistress, where,
chancing to find the door open, he entered in and saw the lady seated,
all full of tears and bitterness of soul, in a little ground floor
room that was there.

At this sight he was like to weep for compassion of her and drawing
near to her, said, 'Madam, afflict not yourself; your peace is at
hand.' The lady, hearing this, lifted her eyes and said, weeping,
'Good man, thou seemest to me a stranger pilgrim; what knowest thou of
my peace or of my affliction?' 'Madam,' answered Tedaldo, 'I am of
Constantinople and am but now come hither, being sent of God to turn
your tears into laughter and to deliver your husband from death.'
Quoth she, 'An thou be of Constantinople and newly come hither, how
knowest thou who I am or who is my husband?' Thereupon, the pilgrim
beginning from the beginning, recounted to her the whole history of
Aldobrandino's troubles and told her who she was and how long she had
been married and other things which he very well knew of her affairs;
whereat she marvelled exceedingly and holding him for a prophet, fell
on her knees at his feet, beseeching him for God's sake, an he were
come for Aldobrandino's salvation, to despatch, for that the time was
short.

The pilgrim, feigning himself a very holy man, said, 'Madam, arise and
weep not, but hearken well to that which I shall say to you and take
good care never to tell it to any. According to that which God hath
revealed unto me, the tribulation wherein you now are hath betided you
because of a sin committed by you aforetime, which God the Lord hath
chosen in part to purge with this present annoy and will have
altogether amended of you; else will