Page 111 - THE DECAMERON: A Visionary Journey in 100 Stories and 100 Etchings by Petru Russu

for it seems fitting that you would like that dead which you loved so The Fourth Day | The Tenth Novell
dearly while it lived.” Upon hearing his words, the lady sat silent for Storyteller: Dioneo
a long time, then finally asked what she had just eaten. He quickly
explained, "You have just eaten the heart of Messer Guiglielmo A physician's wife, thinking her lover who had taken an opiate
Guardastagno, to whom you were so fond. I took it out of him with was dead, placed him in a chest. Two usurers took the chest to
my own hands and had my cook prepare it for you." their house, hoping for a valuable haul. The man woke up and was
mistaken for a thief. The maid informed the authorities that she had
The poor lady was deeply troubled by his words, and tears flowed placed him in the chest. The usurers were fined for stealing.
from her eyes while sighs broke from her heart. After a silence, she
said, “My lord, you have committed a truly dishonorable and evil
deed, driven by your own unwarranted jealousy, and not because of
any fault of mine. On my soul, which I wish to be eternally damned
if I lie, I have never been unfaithful to you or given him any favors
beyond what was suitable for a friend. Since my body has been
made a receptacle for such a precious kind of food as the heart of
the noble Guardastagno, no other food shall enter there, nor will I
live as the wife of such a cruel husband."

With these words, she got up from the table and, stepping to a large
window that was open behind her, leapt out. The height of the fall
killed her and shattered her body into many pieces. Rossiglione stood
motionless, struck by the reality of having killed a dear friend and lost
a chaste and honorable wife, all due to his own unbearable jealousy.

Reflecting on his actions and filled with remorse, he realized the
severity of his crime and feared the vengeance of Guardastagno’s
friends and followers, as well as the people of Provence who loved
him. Fearful of retribution, he fled secretly during the night.

The news of the tragic events and Rossiglione’s escape spread
quickly by the next morning. Both Guardastagno’s people and the
lady’s attendants found the bodies and brought them together to the
chapel of Rossiglione’s castle. After much lamentation for the great
misfortune, they were honorably buried in a single tomb, with verses
inscribed that described their noble status and the unfortunate
events that led to their deaths.
1985 HAND COLORED AQUA TINTA / AQUA FORTE
29,5X19,5 CM. | 11¾X7½ IN. (IMAGE SIZE).
107
The Decameron