waxed in age,
use turned to love so great and so ardent that he was never easy save
what time he saw her, and certes she loved him no less than she was
loved of him. The boy's mother, observing this, many a time chid and
rebuked him therefor and after, Girolamo availing not to desist
therefrom, complained thereof to his guardians, saying to them, as if
she thought, thanks to her son's great wealth, to make an orange-tree
of a bramble, 'This boy of ours, albeit he is yet scarce fourteen
years old, is so enamoured of the daughter of a tailor our neighbour,
by name Salvestra, that, except we remove her from his sight, he will
peradventure one day take her to wife, without any one's knowledge,
and I shall never after be glad; or else he will pine away from her,
if he see her married to another; wherefore meseemeth, to avoid this,
you were best send him somewhither far from here, about the business
of the warehouse; for that, he being removed from seeing her, she will
pass out of his mind and we may after avail to give him some well-born
damsel to wife.'

The guardians answered that the lady said well and that they would do
this to the best of their power; wherefore, calling the boy into the
warehouse, one of them began very lovingly to bespeak him thus, 'My
son, thou art now somewhat waxen in years and it were well that thou
shouldst begin to look for thyself to thine affairs; wherefore it
would much content us that thou shouldst go sojourn awhile at Paris,
where thou wilt see how great part of thy wealth is employed, more by
token that thou wilt there become far better bred and mannered and
more of worth than thou couldst here, seeing the lords and barons and
gentlemen who are there in plenty and learning their usances; after
which thou mayst return hither.' The youth hearkened diligently and
answered curtly that he was nowise disposed to do this, for that he
believed himself able to fare as well at Florence as another. The
worthy men, hearing this, essayed him again with sundry discourse,
but, failing to get other answer of him, told his mother, who, sore
provoked thereat, gave him a sound rating, not because of his
unwillingness to go to Paris, but of his enamourment; after which, she
fell to cajoling him with fair words, coaxing him and praying him
softly be pleased to do what his guardians wished; brief, she
contrived to bespeak him to such purpose that he consented to go to
France and there abide a year and no more.