what he asked; but the abbot, seeing
that she hearkened and hesitated to reply and himseeming he had
already half converted her, followed up his first words with many
others and stayed not till he had persuaded her that she would do well
to comply with him. Accordingly, she said, blushing, that she was
ready to do his every commandment, but might not avail thereto till
such time as Ferondo should be gone to purgatory; whereupon quoth the
abbot, exceeding well pleased, 'And we will make shift to send him
thither incontinent; do you but contrive that he come hither to-morrow
or next day to sojourn with me.' So saying, he privily put a very
handsome ring into her hand and dismissed her. The lady rejoiced at
the gift and looking to have others, rejoined her companions, to whom
she fell to relating marvellous things of the abbot's sanctity, and
presently returned home with them.

A few days after Ferondo repaired to the abbey, whom, whenas the abbot
saw, he cast about to send him to purgatory. Accordingly, he sought
out a powder of marvellous virtue, which he had gotten in the parts of
the Levant of a great prince who avouched it to be that which was wont
to be used of the Old Man of the Mountain,[194] whenas he would fain
send any one, sleeping, into his paradise or bring him forth thereof,
and that, according as more or less thereof was given, without doing
any hurt, it made him who took it sleep more or less [time] on such
wise that, whilst its virtue lasted, none would say he had life in
him. Of this he took as much as might suffice to make a man sleep
three days and putting it in a beaker of wine, that was not yet well
cleared, gave it to Ferondo to drink in his cell, without the latter
suspecting aught; after which he carried him into the cloister and
there with some of his monks fell to making sport of him and his
dunceries; nor was it long before, the powder working, Ferondo was
taken with so sudden and overpowering a drowsiness, that he slumbered
as yet he stood afoot and presently fell down fast asleep.

[Footnote 194: The well-known chief of the Assassins (properly
_Heshashin_, _i.e._ hashish or hemp eaters). The powder in question is
apparently a preparation of hashish or hemp. Boccaccio seems to have
taken his idea of the Old Man of the Mountain from Marco Polo, whose
travels, published in the early part of the fourteenth century, give a
most romantic account of that chieftain and his followers.]

The abbot