Page 69 - THE DECAMERON: A Visionary Journey in 100 Stories and 100 Etchings by Petru Russu

The Third Day | The Second Novell
One day, after a hard day's work, Masetto was resting when two young Storyteller: Pampinea
nuns approached, thinking he was asleep. The bolder of the two said, "If
you promise to keep it secret, I'll tell you something I've been thinking A stable belonging to Agilulffo, King of the Lombards, found a way to
about." The other agreed, and the first continued, "We are kept so close access the Queen's bed without her knowledge or consent. When
here, and no men ever enter except the old steward and this mute. I've the King discovered this and identified the culprit, he marked him by
heard from other ladies that nothing compares to the pleasure of being shaving his head. In response, the stable hand shaved the heads of
with a man. I've thought of trying it with this mute, as he can't tell anyone. all his fellow stable hands thereby escaping the punishment.
He's a simpleton, and we can make him do whatever we want."

The other nun was shocked but intrigued. "But what if we get pregnant?"
she asked. The first nun reassured her, "We'll deal with that if it happens.
There are ways to keep it secret." Convinced, the second nun agreed to try.

They checked to make sure no one was watching, then the bolder nun
woke Masetto and led him to a hut. Masetto, pretending to be simple, did
as they wished. They took turns, and before leaving, each had another
go. They found the experience even more delightful than they had heard
and continued to visit Masetto whenever they could.
One day, another nun saw them and told two others. They decided not
to report it but instead joined in. Eventually, all the nuns, including the
abbess, took turns with Masetto. The abbess, finding him asleep one hot
day, was overcome with desire and took him to her chamber. She kept
him there for several days, despite the nuns' complaints that the gardener
was neglecting his duties.

Masetto, unable to satisfy so many women, decided to reveal that he could
speak. One night, he said to the abbess, "Madam, I have heard that one
man can serve ten hens, but ten men are needed for one woman. I can't
keep up with nine. Either let me go or find a way to make this manageable."

The abbess, astonished, asked how he could speak. Masetto explained
that he had been mute due to an illness but had recently recovered. He
told her about the nuns' activities, and she realized that all her nuns were
wiser than she thought. To avoid scandal, they decided to keep Masetto
and made him the steward. They managed their activities discreetly, and
Masetto fathered several children. After the abbess's death, Masetto,
now wealthy, returned home, having wisely used his youth to secure a
comfortable old age. 1985 HAND COLORED AQUA TINTA / AQUA FORTE
29,5X19,5 CM. | 11¾X7½ IN. (IMAGE SIZE).
65
The Decameron