Page 14 - THE DECAMERON: 100 Days on 100 Etchings by Petru Rusu
P. 14
“Ser Cepperello”
The scoundrel in question is called Master Cepperello/ He doesn’t want his friends to suffer because of him.
Ciappelletto. To give you an idea how bad this character Ciappelletto tells serious some serious whoppers during
is, “Cepperello” has a dual meaning in Italian (“Little the confession, making the holy man think that he’s led
Prick”). He’s so bad that a wealthy merchant named a saintly life. Ciappelletto’s having a good time with his
Franzesi hires him to do some money-collecting among lies, even though he misses something important: the
the Burgundians, considered villains. Franzesi therefore friar reminds him that no sin is too big to be forgiven, if
knew he needed a villain to deal with them. As a notary, you are truly sorry for it. Our scoundrel doesn’t really
Ciappelletto would draw up as many false documents as care about this. The friar’s so impressed by Ciappelletto’s
you liked for free. He’d give false testimony just for fun, holiness that he offers to bury the man in his own convent
was a gambler and card sharp, hated going to church, and if he should, in fact, die. Problem solved. Ciappelletto
cussed as often as possible. Basically, he’s not the guy dies that same day. The friar and his fellows bury him
you want your sister to marry (if you like your sister). So with honors, believing that miracles will happen through
off goes Ciappelletto to Burgundy to work his magic. But the saintly man’s intercession. The friar preaches about
he gets sick while staying in the house of two Florentine Ciappelleto’s amazing life of piety and good deeds. People
money-lenders. As Ciappelletto gets sicker, the two are so worked up that they grab pieces of Ciappelletto’s
Florentines find themselves in a sticky situation: it would clothes as a relic. Pretty soon, people make pilgrimages
be really awkward if a man who won’t take the last rites to the church to pray and make offerings to Ciappelletto.
died in their house (the church would refuse burial and His convincing lies to the friar made the people believe
they’d be stuck with the body). But they can’t throw so strongly in his saintliness that people claimed miracles
him out into the street, either. It isn’t nice. Ciappelletto worked in Ciappelleto’s name. Panfilo ends his story by
hears this discussion and is one step ahead of them. He praising God in his generosity, since He clearly rewards the
makes them call a friar so he can give a “confession.” faith of his people, despite their ignorance.
“Ser Cepperello” Retrieved from publicly source: shmoop
DECAMERON 14 <https://www.shmoop.com/study-guides/literature/decameron/summary/first-day-first-story>
