s
you shall hear.

According to that which I have heard tell, there abode near San
Pancrazio an honest man and a rich, called Puccio di Rinieri, who,
devoting himself in his latter days altogether to religious practices,
became a tertiary[160] of the order of St. Francis, whence he was
styled Fra Puccio, and ensuing this his devout life, much frequented
the church, for that he had no family other than a wife and one maid
and consequently, it behoved him not apply himself to any craft. Being
an ignorant, clod-pated fellow, he said his paternosters, went to
preachments and attended mass, nor ever failed to be at the Lauds
chanted by the seculars,[161] and fasted and mortified himself; nay,
it was buzzed about that he was of the Flagellants.[162] His wife,
whose name was Mistress Isabetta,[163] a woman, yet young, of
eight-and-twenty to thirty years of age, fresh and fair and plump as a
lady-apple, kept, by reason of the piety and belike of the age of her
husband, much longer and more frequent fasts than she could have
wished, and when she would have slept or maybe frolicked with him, he
recounted to her the life of Christ and the preachments of Fra
Nastagio or the Complaint of Mary Magdalene or the like. Meantime
there returned home from Paris a monk hight Dom[164] Felice,
Conventual[165] of San Pancrazio, who was young and comely enough of
person, keen of wit and a profound scholar, and with him Fra Puccio
contracted a strait friendship. And for that this Dom Felice right
well resolved him his every doubt and knowing his pious turn of mind,
made him a show of exceeding devoutness, Fra Puccio fell to carrying
him home bytimes and giving him to dine and sup, as the occasion
offered; and the lady also, for her husband's sake, became familiar
with him and willingly did him honour. The monk, then, continuing to
frequent Fra Puccio's house and seeing the latter's wife so fresh and
plump, guessed what should be the thing whereof she suffered the most
default and bethought himself, an he might, to go about to furnish her
withal himself, and so spare Fra Puccio fatigue. Accordingly, craftily
casting his eyes on her, at one time and another, he made shift to
kindle in her breast that same desire which he had himself, which when
he saw, he bespoke her of his wishes as first occasion betided him.
But, albeit he found her well disposed to give effect to the work, he
could find no means thereunto, for that she would on nowise trust