that a vain simple young lady, by name Madam
Lisetta da Ca[226] Quirino, wife of a great merchant who was gone with
the galleys into Flanders, came with other ladies to confess to this
same holy friar, at whose feet kneeling and having, like a true
daughter of Venice as she was (where the women are all feather-brained),
told him part of her affairs, she was asked of him if she had a lover.
Whereto she answered, with an offended air, 'Good lack, sir friar,
have you no eyes in your head? Seem my charms to you such as those of
yonder others? I might have lovers and to spare, an I would; but my
beauties are not for this one nor that. How many women do you see
whose charms are such as mine, who would be fair in Paradise?' Brief,
she said so many things of this beauty of hers that it was a weariness
to hear. Fra Alberto incontinent perceived that she savoured of folly
and himseeming she was a fit soil for his tools, he fell suddenly and
beyond measure in love with her; but, reserving blandishments for a
more convenient season, he proceeded, for the nonce, so he might show
himself a holy man, to rebuke her and tell her that this was vainglory
and so forth. The lady told him he was an ass and knew not what one
beauty was more than another, whereupon he, unwilling to vex her
overmuch, took her confession and let her go away with the others.

[Footnote 226: Venetian contraction of _Casa_, house. Da Ca Quirino,
of the Quirino house or family.]

He let some days pass, then, taking with him a trusty companion of
his, he repaired to Madam Lisetta's house and withdrawing with her
into a room apart, where none might see him, he fell on his knees
before her and said, 'Madam, I pray you for God's sake pardon me that
which I said to you last Sunday, whenas you bespoke me of your beauty,
for that the following night I was so cruelly chastised there that I
have not since been able to rise from my bed till to-day.' Quoth
Mistress Featherbrain, 'And who chastised you thus?' 'I will tell
you,' replied the monk. 'Being that night at my orisons, as I still
use to be, I saw of a sudden a great light in my cell and ere I could
turn me to see what it might be, I beheld over against me a very fair
youth with a stout cudgel in his hand, who took me by the gown and
dragging me to my feet, gave me such a drubbing that he broke every
bone in my body. I asked him why he used me thus and he answered, "For
that thou presumedst to-day, to disparage the cel