Page 39 - THE DECAMERON: A Visionary Journey in 100 Stories and 100 Etchings by Petru Russu

However, a Florentine who knew Martellino recognized him and exclaimed The Second Day | The Second Novell
that he had no such imperfections. The crowd, hearing this, threw him to Storyteller: Filostrato
the ground, tore his clothes, and beat him severely. Martellino cried for
mercy, but the more he cried, the more they beat him. Fearing for his life, Where we may learn, that things that sometimes seem hurtful to
Stechio and Marquiso tried to find a way to save him. us may turn to our benefit and advantage: Rinaldo de Este, after
being robbed by thieves, arrived at Chasteau Guillaume, where
Marquiso ran to the Lieutenant of Justice and claimed that Martellino had he was kindly lodged by a kind widow, and compensated for all
cut his purse, asking for him to be brought before the judge. The Lieutenant his losses; afterward, he returned home safe and well.
sent officers to apprehend Martellino, who was then taken to the Palace,
with the crowd following. The judge, upon hearing the accusations, ordered
Martellino to be examined and tortured. Martellino, however, denied the
accusations, stating he had only just arrived in the city and went to see
the saint, where he was beaten.
The judge, finding the accusations against Martellino false, finally released
him, and Martellino, beyond all hope, esc While matters proceeded in this
manner, Marquiso and Stechio, understanding how roughly the Lieutenant
dealt with Martellino, and that he had already been given the Strappado,
were in heavy perplexity, saying to themselves, "We have handled this
business very badly, redeeming him out of the frying pan and flinging him
into the fire." Trudging about from place to place, they met their host, and
told him everything that had happened, whereat he could not refrain from
laughing. He then went with them to one Master Alexander Agolante, who
dwelt in Trevers and was in great credit with the city's chief magistrate, to
whom he related the whole discourse. All three earnestly entreated him
to commiserate the case of poor Martellino.

Master Alexander, after laughing heartily at this hot piece of service,
went with them to the Lord of Trevers and prevailed so well that the Lord
sent to have Martellino brought before him. The messengers found him
standing in his shirt before the judge, trembling and quaking pitifully from
the Strappado. The judge, perhaps hating him because he was a Florentine,
flatly determined to have him hanged and would not deliver him to the
Lord until compelled to do so out of spite.
When Martellino came before the Lord of Trevers and acquainted
him truly with every particular, Master Alexander requested that he be
dispatched to Florence, fearing there was no other help but hanging. The
Lord, smiling for a long while at the accident, had Martellino handsomely
attired and delivered them his pass. They then escaped out of further
danger and tarried nowhere until they reached Florence. 1985 HAND COLORED AQUA TINTA / AQUA FORTE
29,5X19,5 CM. | 11¾X7½ IN. (IMAGE SIZE).
35
The Decameron