Short summary - The Decameron - Giovanni Boccaccio

Italy literature summaries - 2023

Short summary - The Decameron
Giovanni Boccaccio

In 1348 Florence was “visited by a destructive plague”, one hundred thousand people died. Family and friendship ties fell apart, the servants refused to serve the masters, the dead were not buried, but dumped into pits dug in church cemeteries.

When the city was almost empty, after the divine liturgy, seven young women met in the church of Santa Maria Novella, "bound by friendship, neighborhood, kinship", "reasonable, well-born, beautiful, well-behaved, captivating in their modesty." Without telling, in order to avoid misunderstandings, their true names, the author calls them Pampinea, Fiametta, Philomena, Emilia, Lauretta, Neyfila and Elissa - in accordance with their spiritual qualities.

Pampinea proposes to "retreat in a decent manner to country estates and fill leisure with all kinds of entertainment." Leaving the city, where people, in anticipation of their death hour, indulged in lust and debauchery, they will protect themselves from unpleasant experiences, and they themselves will behave morally and with dignity. Nothing keeps them in Florence: all their loved ones died.

The ladies approve of Pampinea's idea, and Philomena suggests inviting men with her, for it is difficult for a woman to live by her own mind, and her advice from a man is urgently needed. During this conversation, three young people enter the church - Panfilo, Filostrato and Dioneo. Among the ladies who found themselves in the church there are also their beloved ones, the rest are related to them. Pampinea immediately offers to invite them.

Young people are happy to be invited. Having agreed on everything, the girls and boys, accompanied by maids and servants, leave the city the next morning. They arrive in a picturesque area where there is a beautiful palace, and settle down there. Dioneo, the most cheerful and witty, offers to have fun as anyone wants. He is supported by Pampinea, who suggests that someone should be in charge of them and think about the arrangement of their life and amusements. And so that everyone knows both the worries and joys associated with headship, and so that no one is envious, this honorable burden should be placed on each one in turn. They will all elect the first “ruler” together, and each time before Vespers, the next ones will be appointed by the one who was the ruler that day. All unanimously elect Pampinea, and Philomena places a laurel wreath on her head, which during the following days serves as a sign of "headship and royalty."

After an exquisitely served breakfast, everyone begins to sing, dance and play musical instruments, and then lie down to rest. Waking up, everyone gathers in a shady corner of the garden, and Pampinea suggests devoting time to stories, "for one storyteller is able to occupy all listeners," allowing on the first day to tell "what everyone likes best." Dioneo asks for the right to tell the last story every time, not obeying the topic of the day, in order to amuse the society, tired of excessive reasoning, and he receives this right.

The first day

Under the reign of Pampinea, where stories are told on any topic

Novella first

Sir Cheparello, nicknamed Chappeletto, a scoundrel in life, a deceiver, a perjurer, a murderer, finds himself in another city at death. He deceives a pious monk with a false confession and dies. In order to save himself from unnecessary trouble and bad rumors of two usurers, the owners of the house in which he stayed, Chappeletto, in his dying confession, talks about himself as a saint who has never sinned in his life. The elder who confessed him willingly believes him, and after the death of Chappeletto, the church fathers rank him among the saints; in the future, Saint Chappeletto enjoys honor and respect, they pray to him and pilgrims go to his relics.

Novella II

The Jew Abraham, as a result of the exhortations of Giannotto di Civigni, goes to the Roman court and, seeing there the depravity of the ministers of the church, returns to Paris, where he becomes a Christian, believing that if, even with such depravity of the heads of the church, the Catholic faith spreads and grows stronger, then it means that in it truly is the Holy Spirit.

Novella third

Saladin, the great Arab commander and ruler, in need of money to wage a new war, comes to the usurer, the Jew Melchizedek and asks him a question about whose faith is better, Christian, Jewish or Islam. The usurer understands that, whatever the answer, Saladdin will be dissatisfied, kill him and take the money. To avoid this, he tells the commander a story about his father, who made three identical rings and secretly gave a ring to each of his three sons, before declaring that there is only one such ring and it will go to the one he chooses, and the owner of the ring will receive an inheritance. After the death of his father, it turned out that there were three rings, and the brothers are still arguing about which of them is the rightful heir. Saladdin understands the secret meaning of history (the rings symbolize religion), begins to respect the usurer and leaves without gold, but in friendship with Melchizedek.

Novella 4

One monk, "sinning" along with a certain girl, is discovered by the abbot, who, in turn, cannot stand it and after a while he himself enjoys the girl. The monk denounces the abbot for this, thereby avoiding punishment.

Novella fifth

The Marquise of Montferrat, a widow visited by the French king who is passionately in love with her, feeds him only chickens, after which she says that although there are no roosters in their country, these chickens are no different from any others. The king takes the hint and moderates his ardor.

Novel six

One man, having paid for his sins of the Inquisition, received forgiveness and the title of crusader. He was sent to the church to listen and be imbued with faith, but when he returned, he told the inquisitor that he was amused by one thought: if those who give on earth, given in heaven will be rewarded tenfold, then the monks should there after death choke on the stew, which they, as a surplus during life they give to the poor.

Novella seventh

The wandering musician and poet Bergamino finds himself at the feast of Messire Cane Dela Scala. Without waiting for a reward and a gift from the sir, he tells him the story of the poor but famous poet Primus, who happened to be at a dinner with the abbot of Cluny, who was always famous for his generosity and invited crowds of the poor and generally everyone to his table. However, the abbot began to be tormented by greed, and he ordered not to serve food to the Primate, and at that time he chewed the stored bread. When the Primate began to eat the last piece of stored bread, the abbot suddenly came to his senses, surprised at the sudden greed, and gladly treated the guest. Thus, Bergamino reproached Cane Dela Scala, who, having understood morality, generously endowed the cunning musician.

Novella eighth

The rich but stingy sir Hermino de Grimaldi once asks the artist to draw something unprecedented while painting the walls. He says that he will write something that Ermino has definitely never seen - "Nobility". Ermino repents of his stinginess and begins to show generosity.

Novella ninth

The Gascon lady, having been offended in Cyprus, comes to the king, famous for his inactivity and weakness, and asks not to avenge her, but simply to teach him how to endure all insults and insults. He understands her reproach and changes.

Novella tenth

The aged, but respected and wise maestro Alberto from Bologna is in love with one woman, but she tries to shame him in front of her girlfriends. The maestro says that he saw how women eat onions, although they are absolutely tasteless and unpleasant, so why shouldn’t he hope that instead of young people, a woman will choose him, albeit incapable of surrendering to passion, but loving with all her heart.

Second day

Under the direction of Philomena, where they talk about those who, after various vicissitudes and beyond all expectation, reached a prosperous goal

Novella first

Three actors come to Treviso from Florence: Stecchi, Martellino and Marchese, and they want to look at the relics of St. Arrigo. To get through the crowd, Martellino pretends to be a cripple and pretends to be cured by the relics of St. Arrigo. When his deceit is discovered, he is grabbed and beaten. Then Marchese, in order to save his friend, announces to the guards that he allegedly cut off his wallet. They want to hang Martellino, but his friends tell the authorities about the joke with the wallet, they laugh and release Martellino.

Novella II

Rinaldo d'Asti, having been robbed by fellow travelers, comes to Castel Guillelmo, where he "finds shelter" with a widow. Having received a reward from her for this, he finds himself in the city, learns that his robbers have been captured, receives his good back and happily returns home.

Novella third

Three brothers, having recklessly squandered their fortune, inherited from a rich father, became impoverished. Their nephew Alessandro, returning home in despair, meets the abbot along the way and recognizes in him the daughter of the English king, who marries him, and he, having compensated the uncles for all their losses, returns them to their former position.

Novella 4

Landolfo Ruffolo, impoverished due to unsuccessful trading, becomes a corsair. Attacked by the Genoese, he is wrecked at sea, escapes on a box full of jewels, finds shelter with a woman in Corfu, and returns home as a wealthy man.

Novella fifth

Andreuccio from Perugia, having arrived in Naples to buy horses, is lured by a hetero to her house, where she takes his purse with money. Andreuccio tries to take the wallet away, but falls into a latrine, after which he is driven away. He meets two criminals who offer to take him into business, but first he must wash off the sewage, and Andreuccio dives into the well. Rising from it, he frightens the city guards. Together with the robbers, he enters the crypt of the recently buried high priest, but treacherous accomplices lock him up there. He disguises himself as a dead man and puts on the ruby ring that was on the corpse. The new marauders are frightened when the "dead man" moves, and Andreuccio climbs out of the remaining open tomb and leaves with the ruby ring.

Novel six

Madonna Beritola's husband falls into disgrace. She and her two sons end up on the same island after a shipwreck. Her sons are kidnapped by passing pirates, she lives in a cave with two fallow deer like an animal. Beritola saves the ship with family friends, and she goes to Lunigiana, where one of her sons falls into the service of the ruler of the country, and after falling in love and sinning with the daughter of the ruler, he ends up in a dungeon. Sicily rebels against King Charles, the family of the Madonna Beritola is again beginning to be respected. The son, recognized by his mother, marries his master's daughter, his brother is found, and both return to their former high position.

Novella seventh

The Sultan of Babylon gives his daughter, Alatiel, in marriage to a powerful king. After various accidents and disasters, for four years, in turn, she falls into the “hands” of nine men in different parts of the world, who kill each other and steal Alatiel from each other because of her wonderful beauty. Finally, returned to her father by his old friend the Greek Antigonus as a virgin, she goes, as before, to King del Garbo, whom she marries.

Novella eighth

The Earl of Anver, falsely accused of trampling the honor of the wife of one ruler, goes into exile, leaving his two children in different parts of England. Returning unrecognized, he finds them in a good position, goes as a groom to the army of the French king and, justified after the dying confession of the ruler's wife, who admitted that she had slandered him, returns to his previous state.

Novella ninth

Bernabò, a wealthy merchant, argues with Ambrogiolo that his wife will never cheat on him. Ambrogiolo, hiding in a box, finds himself in Bernabò's house, where he looks at his sleeping wife. He tells Bernabò about a certain sign on his wife's body, the merchant loses a lot of money, and also loses his dignity and orders to kill his innocent wife. She, spared by the servant who was supposed to finish her, escapes and serves in the guise of a man with the Sultan, reaching high positions and respect thanks to her wisdom. She summons Bernabò and Ambrogiolo, forcing the latter to confess his deceit, which he does. Bernabò repents, and his wife reveals herself to him and, having taken the reward for her service from the Sultan and saying goodbye to him, leaves with her husband.

Novella tenth

Paganino from Monaco kidnaps the wife of sir Ricciardo da Kinzica, who, having learned where she is, goes after her and, becoming friends with Paganino, asks to give her to him. Paganino agrees, if it is the will of sir Ricciardo's wife, but she does not want to return, and after the death of sir Ricciardo becomes Paganino's wife.

Day three

Under the presidency of Neifila, where they talk about those who, thanks to their skill, obtained something they greatly desired or returned the lost

Novella first

The young Masetto from Lamporecchio, pretending to be a dumb and narrow-minded fellow, enters the nuns' convent as a gardener, after which, first alone, and then all the other nuns in turn indulge in passion with Masetto. After a while, he is exhausted, unable to constantly please so many women, reveals to everyone that he is not dumb at all, and leaves the monastery.

Novella II

The groom, having desired the wife of his master, King Agilulf, dresses up in him and sleeps with the queen, about which the king secretly learns and, having found the groom among others, cuts his hair in order to identify the culprit the next day. A shorn groom shaves all the others and in this way gets out of trouble, and the king marvels at the cunning of the criminal.

Novella third

One lady, having fallen in love with a young man whose friend was a priest, confesses to this priest, complaining over and over again that that young man, supposedly, is constantly coveting her love. The priest immediately calls his friend to him and reproaches him, while the young man understands the lady's cunning. When she describes at her next confession how the young man allegedly tried to get into her house, he learns from the indignant priest about these ways and, using them, has a good time with the cunning lady.

Novella 4

Don Felice tells the devout, but close-minded brother Puccio that you can achieve liberation from sins by tying yourself in the yard and praying all night, which Brother Puccio does. Don Felice, meanwhile, is having fun with his brother Puccio's wife.

Novella fifth

Ricciardo Zima gives his best horse to sir Francesco Vergellesi, and for this, with his consent, speaks to his wife, sir Francesco punishes his wife not to say a word to Ricciardo. While she is silent, Ricciardo answers his own questions for her, suggesting ways in which he and Messer Francesco's wife can meet. That's how it all happens.

Novel six

Ricciardo Minutolo loves his wife Filipello Figinoli. Upon learning that she is jealous, he tells her that Filippello made an appointment in the bathhouse for his wife and achieves that the lady herself goes there and, thinking that she was with her husband, spends the night with Ricciardo, after which the latter confesses who he is.

Novella seventh

Tedaldo, having quarreled with his mistress, leaves Florence. After some time, he returns there under the guise of a pilgrim and informs her that because of her coldness, her former lover, Tedaldo, committed suicide, which he seeks repentance from her. Then he saves the life of her husband, who is accused of murdering himself, reconciles the husband of his mistress with his brothers, and reasonably prospers with his wife. Later it turns out that the one killed was a foreigner, very similar to Tedaldo.

Novella eighth

Ferondo, having tasted some powder sprinkled on him by the abbot, falls asleep and becomes like a dead man. They bury him. Removed from the grave by the abbot, he ends up in prison and is assured that he is in purgatory. The abbot, meanwhile, is having fun with Ferondo's wife. "Resurrected", Ferondo brings up a son born from the abbot by his wife.

Novella ninth

Giletta of Narbonne, the daughter of a famous physician, cures the French king of a fistula and asks for her husband Beltramo of Rossillon, who, having married her against his will and indignant at this, goes to Florence. There he courts one girl, but instead of her, Gillette sleeps with him and gives birth to two sons from him. Subsequently, having recognized his sons and appreciating the mind and love of Gillette, he treats her as a lawful wife.

Novella tenth

Alibek, the daughter of a wealthy Muslim, becomes a desert hermit at her whim. The other monks are afraid that the temptation will break them, and they entrust her to the care of Rustico, who is known for his purity and strength of faith. Rustico makes love to Alibek, saying that in this way he "drives his devil into hell Alibek". The latter begins to like it over time. She, seeing that Rustico, because of her hermitage, is no longer able to please her, returns to the city, where she becomes the wife of Neyerbal. She talks about her adventures to the ladies of the city, after which the phrase of the obscene character "drive the devil to hell" is born.

Day four

Under the presidency of Filostrato, where they discuss those whose love had an unfortunate end

Novella first

Tancred, Prince of Salerno, kills his daughter's lover and sends her his heart in a golden goblet. Pouring it with poisoned water, she drinks it and dies.

Novella II

Monk Albert assures Lisette that an angel is in love with her, and, moving into Albert's body, the angel desires intimacy with Madonna Lisetta. So they manage to connect several times, until the conceited Lisette blurts out her secret to her friends. Lisetta's relatives want to catch the "angel", and he throws himself out of the window of her house and finds refuge in the house of a poor man, who the next day leads him, disguised as a savage, to the square, where he is recognized, and the brethren grab him and imprison him.

Novella third

Three young people love three sisters, with whom they run away to Crete, where they live happily for a short time. The older sister soon kills her lover out of jealousy. The second sister, having given herself to the Duke of Crete, saves the first from death, but her lover kills her and flees with the first sister. A third lover with a third sister is accused of this murder. Being captured, they take the blame, but, fearing death, they bribe the guards with the rest of the money, they flee, impoverished, to Rhodes, where they die in poverty.

Novella 4

The stately and handsome prince Gerbino falls in love after hearing descriptions of the beauty of the daughter of the Tunisian king, she is in the same way in love with Gerbino. Having given his grandfather's word of honor not to attack the ship on which the daughter of the Tunisian king is being taken to her lawful fiance, he breaks his word and attacks. Those who were on the ship kill the girl, while Gerbino kills them all out of revenge. After that, he is executed as having disobeyed the order of his grandfather.

Novella fifth

Isabetta's brothers kill her lover. He appears to her in a dream and indicates where he is buried. Secretly digging up his head, she puts it in a pot of basil and daily weeps over it for a long time. The brothers take away her plant pot, after which Isabetta dies of grief. After her death, the canzone remains: “What kind of evil wicked was it / / That my flower was stolen ...”.

Novel six

Andreola loves Gabriotto. She tells him a nightmare she had seen, he is her own, and suddenly dies in her arms from a heart attack. When she and her maid carry Gabriotto to his house, the guards take them away, and Andreola tells how it was. They want to inflict violence on the girl, she opposes this. Andreola's father hears about this and frees her, still innocent. She, not wanting to live in the world anymore, goes to the nun.

Novella seventh

Simone and Pasquino, who are in love, meet in the garden. Pasquino rubs his teeth with sage and dies. Arrested Simone, wanting to show the judge how Pasquino died, rubs her teeth with a leaf of the same sage and also dies. It turns out that it was not sage that grew in that garden, but some kind of poisonous plant.

Novella eighth

Girolamo loves Salvestra. Motivated by the requests of his mother, he goes to Paris. Returning, he finds her married, secretly enters her house and asks Salvestra to lie down for a bit, after which he dies. Girolamo is buried, and his beloved comes and, weeping, dies next to his body; they are buried together.

Novella ninth

Sir Guillelmo Rossiglione gives his wife a taste of the heart of Messire Guglielmo Guardastagno, who was killed by him and loved by her. Upon learning of this, she throws herself from a high window, dies, and is buried along with her lover.

Novella tenth

The lover of a doctor's wife accidentally drinks a sleeping potion prepared by this doctor for one of the patients. The doctor's wife thinks that her beloved has died, and her maid puts the sleeping man in a box, which is dragged along with the body by two usurers. Waking up, the lover does not understand anything and rages, but is caught like a thief. The lady's maid tells the authorities that it was she who put the sleeping man in a box stolen by usurers. Thanks to this, he avoids the gallows, and moneylenders are sentenced to fines for stealing the box.

Day five

Under the presidency of Fiammetta, where they talk about how, after various sad and unfortunate incidents, happiness smiles at lovers

Novella first

Cimone, previously similar to a beast, uneducated and ugly, seeing the sleeping Ephigenia, becomes wise and beautiful. He kidnaps his sweet Ephigenia and takes her to the sea, but after that he is imprisoned in Rhodes. Lysimachus releases him, they kidnap Euphigenia and Cassandra, beloved of Lysimachus, from their wedding celebration, and flee with them to Crete, marry them, and all return home together.

Novella II

Costanza loves Martuccio Gomito. Hearing of his death, in despair she boards a boat alone, which the wind carries to Susa. Finding him alive in Tunisia, she opens up to him, and he, having become close to the king for the advice given during the war, marries her and returns to Lipari with her as a rich man.

Novella third

Pietro Boccamazza flees with Agnolella from his home, but on the way he meets robbers. The girl runs away into the forest, where her old friend stumbles upon her and brings her to her castle. Pietro, on the other hand, escapes from the hands of robbers and, after several adventures, ends up in the castle, where Agnolella is located. He marries her and they return to Rome together.

Novella 4

The daughter of Lizio da Valbona, citing the heat, sleeps on the balcony of her room to "listen to the birds singing". Her lover Ricciardo Manardi climbs up the wall to her. Tired of nightly amusements, young people fall asleep embracing. In this position, they are caught in the morning by Lizio da Valbona, who, together with his wife, persuades Ricciardo to marry his daughter, and he does not refuse.

Novella fifth

Guidotto of Cremona entrusts his adopted daughter to the care of Giacomino of Pavia and dies. In Faenza, Giannole di Severino and Mingino di Mingole fall in love with her. They enter into a feud with each other and try to bribe the servants in one night to kidnap the girl. However, the truth about the girl's parents is revealed. She turns out to be Giannole's sister, and the girl is given in marriage to Mingino.

Novel six

Gianni from Procida sneaks into the royal chambers, as his beloved is given to King Federigo. The king finds the couple and orders to burn both lovers, but Ruggieri del Oria recognizes the lovers, under whom the fire should be lit, the offspring of noble families, and the king lets them go, not daring to execute them.

Novella seventh

Teodoro, kidnapped many years ago, the son of a nobleman, lives as a servant in the house of sir Amerigo and falls in love with his daughter, Violante. She became pregnant from Teodoro, and Amerigo, who learned about the birth of his daughter, orders the servant to be hanged, but Teodoro's father, who is nearby, recognizes his son and releases him.

Novella eighth

Nastagio degli Onesti, in love with a girl from the Traversari family, squanders his wealth without getting reciprocity. He goes to Chiassi, where he sees how one rider pursues the girl, kills her and two dogs devour her, then the girl is resurrected and runs again. The rider says that this girl once tormented him, not reciprocating, he died of grief, and now his former lover is forced to suffer in this way for as many years as she tormented the rider who loved her for months. Nastagio invites his family and his sweetheart to dinner. She sees how that girl is being tormented, and, fearing a similar fate, she marries Nastagio. After this story, all the girls in that city became more accommodating.

Novella ninth

Federigo degli Alberighi loves Monna Giovanna, but is not loved by her. He squanders all his fortune on courtship, and he has only one falcon left, which the ill son of Monna Giovanna asks for. This falcon, for lack of anything else, Federigo serves for dinner to his beloved, who came to him with her request. Upon learning of this, she changes her feelings for Federigo, and after her son dies, a rich inheritance passes to her and her lover.

Novella tenth

Sodomy Pietro di Vinciolo goes out to dinner. His wife, dissatisfied with the fact that her husband does not fulfill marital duties, invites a young man to her. When Pietro returns, his wife hides her lover under a chicken basket. Pietro says that in the house of Ercolano, with whom he dined, they found a young man, hidden there by his wife. Pietro's wife scolds Ercolano's wife. Unfortunately, the donkey steps on the young man's fingers, and he gives himself away with a cry. Pietro runs there, sees him and learns about his wife's deceit, with whom in the end, in his baseness, he puts up, and the three of them spend the night. The young man, returning home in the morning, thinks who he was last night, a woman or a man.

Day six

Under the presidency of Eliza, which speaks of those who, being hurt by some sharp word, repaid for it, or by a quick answer and resourcefulness avoided damage, danger or offense

Novella first

A certain nobleman promises Madonna Oreta to tell such a story that it will seem to her as if she is riding a horse, but she tells it clumsily, stuttering and stuttering, and she aptly compares his story with a stumbling mare, asking to be let down from the saddle. The narrator takes the bait.

Novella II

The baker Chisti constantly treats the noble sir Jerry with expensive wine. Soon he sends a servant to Chisti for wine to treat his guests, but Chisti, seeing a huge bottle, says that the servant was sent, apparently, not to him. Messire Jerry understands the indiscretion of his request and comes himself along with the guests directly to Chisti, where the baker treats them with pleasure.

Novella third

The Florentine Bishop, noticing among the people the Madonna Pona, a young and lively girl who has recently married, is interested in whether her husband will cope with her. She, remembering the story in which one of the bishop's subordinates slept with the wife of one citizen, paying him for it with counterfeit coins, replies that it does not matter whether the husband can cope or not, but the main thing is that the coins will be real. The bishop is ashamed.

Novella 4

Kikibio, Currado's cook, having given one of the legs of a fried crane to his beloved, justifies himself to Currado by saying that cranes always stand on one leg. The next day, Currado drives up to the cranes and screams, they take off and two of their legs are visible. The cook says that the fried crane also had to shout, then the second leg would become visible.

Novella fifth

The great painter, sir Forese da Pabata, and the wise sir Giotto, the painter, of ugly appearance, are joking with each other on their return from Mugello. Giotto says that none of the passers-by would have guessed from the look of Messire Forese what beautiful pictures he paints. Messire Forese says that no one would have guessed that Giotto knew even the very basics of grammar. Both understand that it’s not for them to joke with each other.

Novel six

Michele Skalda wins the argument over whose family is the noblest. He says that the most ancient family is the Baronci family, famous for its hereditary physical defects, since the Lord apparently created this family when he was just training to sculpt people, hence so many mistakes.

Novella seventh

Madonna Philippa, being caught in treason, for which she was supposed to be severely punished by law, explains that her husband did not satisfy her desire, and therefore she gave the resulting “surplus” to a person in need of it. The speech of the Madonna delighted the judge, and the cruel law was softened.

Novella eighth

Cheska, considering herself more beautiful than all the people in the world, blames other people and says that it is unpleasant for her to look at an abomination. Then Fresco, her uncle, advises Cesuke not to look in the mirror.

Novella ninth

The townspeople are trying to make fun of the wise Guido Cavalcanti. Finding him in the cemetery, they hear that in their house he, Guido, is ready to calmly listen to their words. Then Guido leaves, the townspeople understand that Guido compared them in their ignorance and stupidity with the dead, whose home is a cemetery.

Novella tenth

Brother Cipolla (or Luke), who once again came to collect donations from peasants for his order, promises to show the parishioners a sacred relic - the pen of the Archangel Gabriel. Two pranksters, taking advantage of the fact that Luca's servant, Guccio, a slob and a slacker, molested an ugly maid, stole the "relic", which turned out to be a parrot feather, and replaced the feather with coals. Having discovered coals instead of a pen during a sermon, Luke, having told a long story of his wanderings in search of relics, says that he mixed up the relics, seizing coals instead of Gabriel's pen, on which one of the great martyrs was burned. Parishioners believe Luke and give generous donations; the pranksters begin to respect Luka and return the pen to him.

Day seven

Under the presidency of Dioneo, where they talk about the jokes that, for love or for their own salvation, wives performed on their husbands, whether they knew it or not

Novella first

Gianni Logueringi hears a knock at the door at night and wakes up his wife. She assures him that this is a ghost, although in fact it is her lover who gives the signal, since he came on a date because of an incorrectly turned goat's head at the gate of Gianni's house - a conventional sign. Gianni, together with his wife, utters a conspiracy prayer over the “ghost”, in which the wife veiledly explains to her lover that her husband is at home, but the lover can enjoy the food left in the garden. The knock stops.

Novella II

When her husband returns home, Peronella hides her lover in a wine barrel. The husband has sold it, and the wife says that she has already sold it to the man who climbed into the barrel to see if it was strong. He gets out of the barrel and, having ordered his husband to scrape it out more, hides.

Novella third

Rinaldo's brother sleeps with his godmother. Kuma's husband finds him in the same room with her, and she assures her husband that the monk spoke worms from his godson. Before that, brother Rinaldo manages to warn his comrade, who is having fun at this time with a maid.

Novella 4

One night, Tofano locks himself at home from his wife, who has gone to her lover. When, despite her requests, she is not allowed in, she pretends to throw herself into a well, throwing a large stone into it. A frightened Tofano runs out of the house and hurries to the well, while his wife enters the house, locks herself up and does not let Tofano back, introducing him to the neighbors as a drunkard who came home in the middle of the night and rushes inside.

Novella fifth

The jealous man, disguised as a priest, confesses his wife. She assures him that she loves the priest who comes to her every night. While the jealous man secretly guards at the door, the wife tells her lover to go to her on the roof and spends time with him, then reproaching her husband for jealousy and deceit.

Novel six

To the Madonna Isabella, when she had Leonetto, sir Lambertuccio comes, who loved her, but is not loved by her. Upon learning that her husband is nearby, Madonna Isabella orders Leonetto to flee, and sir Lambertuccio to chase him with a knife. She explains to her husband that she tried to shelter a young man who was fleeing from Messer Lambertuccio, with whom the former, for some unknown reason, became angry.

Novella seventh

Lodovico confesses his love to Madonna Beatrice and hides in her bedroom. Madonna Beatrice, having dressed her husband Egano in a dress, sends him into the garden to try to catch Lodovico who is harassing her. The same, in the meantime, sleeps with the Madonna Beatrice, and then comes out and beats Messire Egano, dressed in a woman's dress, saying that he, Lodovico, will not stand the impudent harassment of his wife towards him.

Novella eighth

Someone becomes jealous of his wife. She ties a thread to her finger to find out when her lover will arrive. A husband one day stumbles upon a thread and unraveles his wife's trick