de
them very handsome and delightsome dwelling-houses thereon. Here they
fell to living like lords and passed their days in banquets and
joyance and merrymaking, the happiest men in the world, they and their
mistresses, with great plenty of servants and hounds and hawks and
horses.

Abiding on this wise, it befell (even as we see it happen all day long
that, how much soever things may please, they grow irksome, an one
have overgreat plenty thereof) that Restagnone, who had much loved
Ninetta, being now able to have her at his every pleasure, without let
or hindrance, began to weary of her, and consequently his love for her
began to wane. Having seen at entertainment a damsel of the country, a
fair and noble young lady, who pleased him exceedingly, he fell to
courting her with all his might, giving marvellous entertainments in
her honor and plying her with all manner gallantries; which Ninetta
coming to know, she fell into such a jealousy that he could not go a
step but she heard of it and after harassed both him and herself with
words and reproaches on account thereof. But, like as overabundance of
aught begetteth weariness, even so doth the denial of a thing desired
redouble the appetite; accordingly, Ninetta's reproaches did but fan
the flame of Restagnone's new love and in process of time it came to
pass that, whether he had the favours of the lady he loved or not,
Ninetta held it for certain, whoever it was reported it to her;
wherefore she fell into such a passion of grief and thence passed into
such a fit of rage and despite that the love which she bore Restagnone
was changed to bitter hatred, and blinded by her wrath, she bethought
herself to avenge, by his death, the affront which herseemed she had
received.

Accordingly, betaking herself to an old Greek woman, a past mistress
in the art of compounding poisons, she induced her with gifts and
promises to make her a death-dealing water, which she, without
considering farther, gave Restagnone one evening to drink he being
heated and misdoubting him not thereof; and such was the potency of
the poison that, ere morning came, it had slain him. Folco and Ughetto
and their mistresses, hearing of his death and knowing not of what
poison he had died,[235] bewept him bitterly, together with Ninetta,
and caused bury him honourably. But not many days after it chanced
that the old woman, who had compounded the poisoned water for Ninetta,
was taken for some other misdeed an