[048]
Now so it was that some of Pietro's husbandmen had come to
the house that evening with divers things from the farm, and had
put up their asses in a stable that adjoined the veranda, but had
neglected to water them; and one of the asses being exceeding
thirsty, got his head out of the halter and broke loose from the stable,
and went about nosing everything, if haply he might come by water:
whereby he came upon the hen-coop, beneath which was the boy;
[049]
who, being constrained to stand on all fours, had the fingers of one
hand somewhat protruding from under the hen-coop; and so as luck
or rather ill-luck would have it, the ass trod on them; whereat, being
sorely hurt, he set up a great howling,
[050]
much to the surprise of Pietro,
who perceived that 'twas within his house. So forth he came, and
hearing the boy still moaning and groaning, for the ass still kept his
hoof hard down on the fingers, called out: "Who is there?" and
ran to the hen-coop and raised it, and espied the fellow, who, besides
the pain that the crushing of his fingers by the ass's hoof occasioned
him, trembled in every limb for fear that Pietro should do him a
mischief.
[051]
He was one that Pietro had long been after for his foul
purposes: so Pietro, recognizing him, asked him: "What dost
thou here?" The boy making no answer, save to beseech him for
the love of God to do him no hurt,
[052]
Pietro continued: "Get up,
have no fear that I shall hurt thee; but tell me: How, and for
what cause comest thou to be here?"[053]The boy then confessed
everything. Whereupon Pietro, as elated by the discovery as his wife
was distressed, took him by the hand; and led him into the room
where the lady in the extremity of terror awaited him;
[054]
and, having
seated himself directly in front of her, said: "'Twas but a moment
ago that thou didst curse Ercolano's wife, and averred that she ought
to be burned, and that she was the reproach of your sex: why saidst
thou not, of thyself? Or, if thou wast not minded to accuse thyself,
how hadst thou the effrontery to censure her, knowing that thou
hadst done even as she? Verily 'twas for no other reason than that
ye are all fashioned thus, and study to cover your own misdeeds with
the delinquencies of others: would that fire might fall from heaven
and burn you all, brood of iniquity that ye are!"
