lent well
spoken both of God and of the verity of our faith, it should not
henceforth be forbidden us to descend to the doings of mankind and the
events that have befallen them, I will now proceed to relate to you
the case aforesaid, which having heard, you will peradventure become
more wary in answering the questions that may be put to you. You must
know, lovesome[46] companions[47] mine, that, like as folly ofttimes
draweth folk forth of happy estate and casteth them into the utmost
misery, even so doth good sense extricate the wise man from the
greatest perils and place him in assurance and tranquillity. How true
it is that folly bringeth many an one from fair estate unto misery is
seen by multitude of examples, with the recounting whereof we have no
present concern, considering that a thousand instances thereof do
every day manifestly appear to us; but that good sense is a cause of
solacement I will, as I promised, briefly show you by a little story.

[Footnote 46: Lit. amorous (_amorose_), but Boccaccio frequently uses
_amoroso_, _vago_, and other adjectives, which are now understood in
an active or transitive sense only, in their ancient passive or
intransitive sense of lovesome, desirable, etc.]

[Footnote 47: _Compagne_, _i.e._ she-companions. Filomena is
addressing the female part of the company.]

Saladin,--whose valour was such that not only from a man of little
account it made him Soldan of Babylon, but gained him many victories
over kings Saracen and Christian,--having in divers wars and in the
exercise of his extraordinary munificences expended his whole treasure
and having an urgent occasion for a good sum of money nor seeing
whence he might avail to have it as promptly as it behoved him, called
to mind a rich Jew, by name Melchizedek, who lent at usance in
Alexandria, and bethought himself that this latter had the wherewithal
to oblige him, and he would; but he was so miserly that he would never
have done it of his freewill and Saladin was loath to use force with
him; wherefore, need constraining him, he set his every wit awork to
find a means how the Jew might be brought to serve him in this and
presently concluded to do him a violence coloured by some show of
reason.

Accordingly he sent for Melchizedek and receiving him familiarly,
seated him by himself, then said to him, 'Honest man, I have
understood from divers persons that thou art a very learned man and
deeply versed in matters of divinity;