o observe saints' days and holidays, even so the
doctor pretended to her that once lying with a woman necessitated I
know not how many days' study to recruit the strength and the like
toys; whereof she abode exceeding ill content and like a discreet and
high-spirited woman as she was, bethought herself, so she might the
better husband the household good, to betake herself to the highway
and seek to spend others' gear. To this end, considering divers young
men, at last she found one to her mind and on him she set all her
hope; whereof he becoming aware and she pleasing him mightily, he in
like manner turned all his love upon her.

The spark in question was called Ruggieri da Jeroli, a man of noble
birth, but of lewd life and blameworthy carriage, insomuch that he had
left himself neither friend nor kinsman who wished him well or cared
to see him and was defamed throughout all Salerno for thefts and other
knaveries of the vilest; but of this the lady recked little, he
pleasing her for otherwhat, and with the aid of a maid of hers, she
wrought on such wise that they came together. After they had taken
some delight, the lady proceeded to blame his past way of life and to
pray him, for the love of her, to desist from these ill fashions; and
to give him the means of doing this, she fell to succouring him, now
with one sum of money and now with another. On this wise they abode
together, using the utmost discretion, till it befell that a sick man
was put into the doctor's hands, who had a gangrened leg, and Master
Mazzeo, having examined the case, told the patient's kinsfolk that,
except a decayed bone he had in his leg were taken out, needs must he
have the whole limb cut off or die, and that, by taking out the bone,
he might recover, but that he would not undertake him otherwise than
for a dead man; to which those to whom the sick man pertained agreed
and gave the latter into his hands for such. The doctor, judging that
the patient might not brook the pain nor would suffer himself to be
operated, without an opiate, and having appointed to set about the
matter at evensong, let that morning distil a certain water of his
composition, which being drunken by the sick man, should make him
sleep so long as he deemed necessary for the performing of the
operation upon him, and fetching it home, set it in his chamber,
without telling any what it was.

The hour of vespers come and the doctor being about to go to the
patient in questio