herself to be with him in any place in the world save her own house,
and there it might not be, seeing that Fra Puccio never went without
the town. At this the monk was sore chagrined; but, after much
consideration, he hit upon a device whereby he might avail to
foregather with the lady in her own house, without suspect, for all
Fra Puccio should be at home. Accordingly, the latter coming one day
to visit him, he bespoke him thus, 'I have many a time understood, Fra
Puccio, that all thy desire is to become a saint and to this end
meseemeth thou goest about by a long road, whereas there is another
and a very short one, which the Pope and the other great prelates, who
know and practise it, will not have made known, for that the clergy,
who for the most part live by alms, would incontinent be undone,
inasmuch as the laity would no longer trouble themselves to propitiate
them with alms or otherwhat. But, for that thou art my friend and hast
very honourably entertained me, I would teach it thee, so I were
assured thou wouldst practise it and wouldst not discover it to any
living soul.' Fra Puccio, eager to know the thing, began straightway
to entreat him with the utmost instancy that he would teach it him and
then to swear that never, save in so far as it should please him,
would he tell it to any, engaging, an if it were such as he might
avail to follow, to address himself thereunto. Whereupon quoth the
monk, 'Since thou promisest me this, I will e'en discover it to thee.
Thou must know that the doctors of the church hold that it behoveth
whoso would become blessed to perform the penance which thou shalt
hear; but understand me aright; I do not say that, after the penance,
thou wilt not be a sinner like as thou presently art; but this will
betide, that the sins which thou hast committed up to the time of the
penance will all by virtue thereof be purged and pardoned unto thee,
and those which thou shalt commit thereafterward will not be written
to thy prejudice, but will pass away with the holy water, as venial
sins do now. It behoveth a man, then, in the first place, whenas he
cometh to begin the penance, to confess himself with the utmost
diligence of his sins, and after this he must keep a fast and a very
strict abstinence for the space of forty days, during which time
thou[166] must abstain from touching, not to say other women, but even
thine own wife. Moreover, thou must have in thine own house some place
whence thou ma