Page 176 - THE DECAMERON: 100 Days on 100 Etchings by Petru Rusu
P. 176
“The Judge from the Marches“
The chief magistrates of Florence, Filostrato says, mostly there’s a hole conveniently located just below his honor’s
come from an area of Italy called the Marches. Because pants. Ribi and Maso pretend to have complaints to lodge
they’re cheapskates, they find bottom feeders to bring against each other and approach the bench to plead with
with them as judges and other officials. One of these Messer Niccola. Ribi pulls Niccola’s robe one way and Maso
judges is Messer Niccola and he’s a disgusting mess of a pulls it the other so that the judge’s ill-fitting pants are on
man. His dress is very unbecoming of a judge: his fur hat view to the general public. At this moment, Matteuzzo pulls
is filthy; his judicial robes don’t cover much and wait for down the judge’s pants. With the skimpy robe held open,
it his pants are on the ground. One day, Maso del Saggio the judge’s entire bottom is on display for all to see. Ribi
happened to be at the court looking for a friend when he and Maso pretend that Niccola’s not doing his job properly
saw Messer Niccola on the bench. He couldn’t believe his and unhand him so they can leave. Matteuzzo gets out of
eyes. He decides to change his plans and goes to find his there before he can be seen. Messer Niccola’s a little slow
partners in crime, Ribi and Matteuzzo. When his friends on the uptake and doesn’t realize that Ribi and Maso were
see the comically dressed judge, they can hardly contain in on the prank until it’s too late. Although he complains
themselves. They know they have to come up with some to the chief magistrate about the humiliation, the chief
plan to humiliate him in front of the court. So the next realizes that the reason for the prank was to show the
day, Matteuzzo hides right under the judge’s bench where stupidity of his judges so he has to let it go.
“The Judge from the Marches” retrieved from publicly source: shmoop
DECAMERON 176 <https://www.shmoop.com/study-guides/literature/decameron/summary/eighth-day-fifth-story>
