Page 184 - THE DECAMERON: 100 Days on 100 Etchings by Petru Rusu

“Master Simone and the Secret Society“
An idiot of a doctor, Master Simone, comes from Bologna to set
up shop in Florence. He tries to learn as much as possible about
the people his new neighborhood. One day, he spots Bruno
and Buffalmacco (of Calandrino fame) and asks his companion
about them. He learns that they’re penniless painters, but
Master Simone thinks they look too carefree and cheerful to
be totally broke.He decides to find out their secret source of
income. So he makes friends with Bruno and asks him outright
how he manages to be so cheerful without money. Bruno
knows a blockhead when he sees one and wants to see how
much he can squeeze the doctor. He tells Simone that he and
Buffalmacco “go the course” in order to pay for their happy
lives. Wait, what? Simone asks for clarification and Bruno
convinces him he could be killed for revealing the secret, but
since the doctor’s such a great friend, he’ll give it up. When
they meet, each member is granted two wishes on the spot.
Because Bruno and Buffalmacco are BFFs with these two
magical disciples, they’re among the 25. He goes on to describe
the lavish banquets held in their honor, which include exotic
women from all over the world brought in to provide for their
every pleasure. Bruno tells Simone that he and Buffalmacco
always request the “company” of the Queens of England and
France, and it’s granted to them along with whatever money
they need. Now Master Simone’s all hot to become part of
this secret society, so he wines and dines Bruno to get into
his good graces. Bruno paints some lovely murals in Simone’s
house just to appear grateful for the physician’s attentions.
Finally, Simone summons the courage to ask Bruno to bring him
to one of the secret meetings. He’s just dying to get his hands
on a serving wench he met in an alley. Bruno can see that
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Simone’s a true dunce, so he makes him promise on his honor
as a “gentleman and a moron” that he will never breathe a word
of what he’s about to reveal. He suggests that Simone should
butter Buffalmacco up, since very soon he’ll be an important
head honcho in the secret society. So Simone wines and dines
both Buffalmacco and Bruno in the hopes of being inducted to
this secret society of pleasure. The good doctor brags of his
own wisdom to both men, saying that when he was among the
other doctors in Bologna, he was worshipped as a god. The
two men decide to have some real fun with the doctor. They
promise to help him gain entrance into the society since he’s
so wise, and to find favor with the “Countess of Cesspool.”
Bruno and Buffalmacco have a grand time making jokes about
farts and poo, all in the service of tricking the foolish physician.
Finally, they decide that the day’s come for Master Simone
to be inducted into the society. They give him very specific
instructions on how he’s to be conveyed to the pleasure palace
and tell him he has to be brave, because the ride over will be
very scary. Simone is to wait for his ride on the tombs outside
Santa Maria Novella and get on the back of a horned beast that
comes for him. He must not call out to God or the saints for
help. So Simone’s picked up by Buffalmacco, who’s dressed like
the devil, but Simone can’t help it and calls out to God for help.
That’s Buffalmacco’s cue to take him outside of town and dump
him in a ditch filled with waste Master Simone has to return
home to his wife stinking like a medieval Florentine cesspool. In
the morning, Bruno and Buffalmacco appear at Simone’s house.
They’ve painted themselves all over with bruise marks and give
Simone a dressing down for his cowardice. Simone is so sorry
that he treats them to even fancier meals than ever.
“Master Simone and the Secret Society” retrieved from publicly source: shmoop
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