Page 150 - THE DECAMERON: A Visionary Journey in 100 Stories and 100 Etchings by Petru Russu

The Decameron they fell into a dispute about who were the best gentlemen and of the to draw. As I said, it is plainly manifest that when God made them, He
longest descent in Florence. One said the Uberti, another the Lamberti, or
was but a novice in His art. So they are of longer descent than the rest of
mankind and, by consequence, better gentlemen."
some other family, according to their preference. Scalza began to smile
and said, "Now out upon you, out upon you, blockheads that you are! You
By this entertaining argument, Piero, the judge, Neri, who had wagered
know not what you say. The best gentlemen and of the longest descent
the supper, and all the rest, recalling the Baronci's ugliness, were so
in all the world and the Maremma (let alone Florence) are the Baronci, by
the common consent of all physiologists and all who know them as I do.
And lest you misunderstand me, I speak of your neighbors, the Baronci
the wager, and without a doubt, the Baronci were the best gentlemen
and of the longest descent, not merely in Florence but in the world and
of Santa Maria Maggiore." tickled that they laughed and agreed that Scalza was right. He had won
the Maremma to boot. Therefore, it was not without reason that Pamfilo,
The young men, expecting something else from him, said derisively, "You intending to declare Messer Forese's ill-favorability, said that he would
jest with us; as if we did not know the Baronci as well as you!" Scalza have been hideous beside a Baroncio.
replied, "By the Gospels, I jest not, but speak the truth. If any of you will
wager a supper to be given to the winner and six good fellows whom
he shall choose, I will gladly do the same. Moreover, I will abide by the
decision of any one of you whom you may choose." One of them, named The Sixth Day | The Seventh Novell
Neri Mannini, said, "I am ready to wager this supper." They agreed that Storyteller: Filostrato
Piero di Fiorentino, in whose house they were, should be the judge. They
went to him, followed by the rest, eager to see Scalza lose and triumph in Madam Philippa, caught in adultery by her husband Rinaldo de
his discomfiture, and told Piero all that had been said. Pugliese with a young gentleman named Lazarino de Guazzagliotri,
was brought before the judge. She cleverly defended herself with
Piero, a young man of sound sense, heard what Neri had to say and then a quick, witty, and pleasant answer, successfully moderating a
turned to Scalza. "And how," he asked, "may you prove what you assert?" strict statute previously made against women.
Scalza replied, "I will demonstrate it by reasoning so cogently that not only
you but he who denies it shall acknowledge that I speak the truth. You
know, and they were saying, that the longer men's descent, the better
their gentility. I say that the Baronci are of longer descent and thus better
gentlemen than any other men. If I prove to you that they are of longer
descent than any other men, without a doubt, the victory in this dispute
will be mine. You must know that when God made the Baronci, He was
but a novice in His art, of which, when He made the rest of mankind, He
was already a master. To assure yourself that I speak the truth, consider
the Baronci and how they differ from the rest of mankind. All other men
have well-composed and duly proportioned faces, whereas the Baronci
have faces that are very long and narrow, or inordinately broad, with very
long or short noses, protruding and upturned chins, and great jaws like an
ass. Some have one eye larger than the other or set on a lower plane, so 1985 HAND COLORED AQUA TINTA / AQUA FORTE
their faces resemble those that children make when they begin to learn 29,5X19,5 CM. | 11¾X7½ IN. (IMAGE SIZE).
146
The Decameron