Dante's Heart
The Seven Sages of Rome
The Stolen Wife
“…And it will happen to you as it happened to a wise judge who had a very
beautiful wife whom he loved greatly. Through jealousy he put her in a very
high tower in which there was only one high window, and one could not go to
her through any way, because the husband carried the key of the tower, and
the woman did not ever leave except for four holidays in the year.
"Now a young man came to the city to see the festival at which she was
present. And when the young man saw this woman, who was so beautiful, he
was seized by love for her and he followed behind her. The woman
perceived that the young man loved her, but she did not think about it,
because she knew it could not bring any good for her.
"The young man was very rich, and he bought a house near that tower. He
began to make grandiose expenditures and became friends with the judge
who was the husband of this woman, holding great feasts with him. This
young man had his house built near that very dark tower, and he had many
iron tools made for breaking the wall of this tower in secret, and he began at
night to break the wall in such a way that it could not be heard. And so much
did he break of it that he reached the room where the woman was. He
entered her room -- he had many pleasures with her. And the broken place
in the stone was open under the bed so that the husband could not notice it,
and the woman kept her clothes in front of that, because she did not wish it
to be seen.
"And she wanted to leave the tower, and she said to the young man, ‘I will
teach you how you can take me for your wife. You will take the clothes of
my husband and dress yourself in them, and you will pass in front of him,
descending right from your house to go see him, and he will marvel greatly.
And that done, you will return his clothes to this place.’
"The young man did as the woman had said. The husband looked at his
clothes, which appeared to him to be his own, and he did not know what to
say. And the young man, coming to the tower by a shorter road, returned
the clothes. The judge, returning to his wife and finding his clothes there,
marvelled greatly. He believed that the young man had dressed with new
clothes.
"At the end the woman said to the young man, ‘I want you to take me for
your wife in his presence.’ The young man then had all his friends go out to
the sea on a ship which he took for the occasion, and he said to the
husband of the woman, ‘I want to marry my lady; may it please you to do me
honor.’ And that one replied, ‘Gladly,’ and he went onto the galley with the
others. Then the young man went to the woman and made her dress up, and
he took all her jewels and other things secretly, and he led her to the sea
where these people were. The husband, looking at her, wanted to know who
she was, but because of what he had seen before with the clothes he didn’t
wish to say anything. The others that were there knew her very well, but
because the husband was silent, they didn’t say anything. The young man
married her, with her husband and all the others present, and he took leave
of them and embarked on the sea and departed. The judge, returning home
quickly, thought he would find his wife there. But she was gone.
“And thus it will happen to you, lord emperor, because your wife will trick
you, inciting you to put your wise and dear son to death.” Hearing this, the
emperor commanded that the sentence be suspended.
Returning that evening to his wife, he found her very disturbed because he
had not seen the sentence to execution, and she said to him:
next page: "The Emperor's Three Masters in the Defense of Rome"
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The Stolen Wife
“…And it will happen to you as it happened to a wise judge who had a very
beautiful wife whom he loved greatly. Through jealousy he put her in a very
high tower in which there was only one high window, and one could not go to
her through any way, because the husband carried the key of the tower, and
the woman did not ever leave except for four holidays in the year.
"Now a young man came to the city to see the festival at which she was
present. And when the young man saw this woman, who was so beautiful, he
was seized by love for her and he followed behind her. The woman
perceived that the young man loved her, but she did not think about it,
because she knew it could not bring any good for her.
"The young man was very rich, and he bought a house near that tower. He
began to make grandiose expenditures and became friends with the judge
who was the husband of this woman, holding great feasts with him. This
young man had his house built near that very dark tower, and he had many
iron tools made for breaking the wall of this tower in secret, and he began at
night to break the wall in such a way that it could not be heard. And so much
did he break of it that he reached the room where the woman was. He
entered her room -- he had many pleasures with her. And the broken place
in the stone was open under the bed so that the husband could not notice it,
and the woman kept her clothes in front of that, because she did not wish it
to be seen.
"And she wanted to leave the tower, and she said to the young man, ‘I will
teach you how you can take me for your wife. You will take the clothes of
my husband and dress yourself in them, and you will pass in front of him,
descending right from your house to go see him, and he will marvel greatly.
And that done, you will return his clothes to this place.’
"The young man did as the woman had said. The husband looked at his
clothes, which appeared to him to be his own, and he did not know what to
say. And the young man, coming to the tower by a shorter road, returned
the clothes. The judge, returning to his wife and finding his clothes there,
marvelled greatly. He believed that the young man had dressed with new
clothes.
"At the end the woman said to the young man, ‘I want you to take me for
your wife in his presence.’ The young man then had all his friends go out to
the sea on a ship which he took for the occasion, and he said to the
husband of the woman, ‘I want to marry my lady; may it please you to do me
honor.’ And that one replied, ‘Gladly,’ and he went onto the galley with the
others. Then the young man went to the woman and made her dress up, and
he took all her jewels and other things secretly, and he led her to the sea
where these people were. The husband, looking at her, wanted to know who
she was, but because of what he had seen before with the clothes he didn’t
wish to say anything. The others that were there knew her very well, but
because the husband was silent, they didn’t say anything. The young man
married her, with her husband and all the others present, and he took leave
of them and embarked on the sea and departed. The judge, returning home
quickly, thought he would find his wife there. But she was gone.
“And thus it will happen to you, lord emperor, because your wife will trick
you, inciting you to put your wise and dear son to death.” Hearing this, the
emperor commanded that the sentence be suspended.
Returning that evening to his wife, he found her very disturbed because he
had not seen the sentence to execution, and she said to him:
next page: "The Emperor's Three Masters in the Defense of Rome"
back
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