Dante's Heart
The Seven Sages of Rome
The Widow
“…A cavalier had a very beautiful wife, whom he loved greatly, and while she
was eating with him at a table, she, cutting bread, unbecomingly cut her hand.
The husband, seeing that, died in grief. Seeing that her husband had died
for her, she began to make a great lamentation, so that no one was able to
quiet her. And when her husband was carried to burial, she had a house
built for herself, and there she stayed day and night, weeping.
"It happened in that time that the king had someone hung, and he ordered
his cavalier to guard so that the body not be carried away. And while he was
watching the dead man by day and by night, the third night came and this
cavalier had the greatest of thirsts, and he thought to himself of the place
where the woman lived. He went there and asked her for something to drink,
and the woman brought him some water. When he saw that she was so
beautiful, he said to her, ‘You weep, and it is to no purpose at all!’
"So many things did he say to her that night, that he had his will with her.
"Returning to the gallows, he found that the body had been carried away,
and he became very miserable, because he feared for his life. Then he
returned to the woman, and told her what had happened to him.
"The woman replied, ‘If you want to promise me that you will take me for
your wife, I will help you in this danger.’ And he promised this to her. So
the woman said, ‘Take this husband of mine from his tomb, and hang him in
place of that one.’ He said that he feared, and he would not do it. So the
woman went and took a cord and tied it around the neck of her first
husband and dragged him all the way to the gallows.
"Then she said to the cavalier, ‘Now climb on top of the gallows, and hang
him there.’ And he said that he was afraid. So she climbed up and hung
him, and she said, ‘This is the one that was hung.’
"The cavalier said, ‘That one had a wound on his head, and this one does
not, and someone might notice.’ And she said, ‘Now climb up on the gallows
with your sword in hand, and make him a wound.’ And he said that he would
not do it. The woman said, ‘Now hand me the sword.’ She climbed up on
the gallows and struck her husband in the head just as the man who had
been guarding him had told her.
"Then he said to the woman, ‘He had two teeth missing in front.’ The
woman said, ‘Then break the teeth off of him.’ And he said that he would
not do it. Then the woman said, ‘Give me a rock and I will break them.’ And
thus she did to her husband.
"Then she said to the cavalier, ‘Now marry me.’
"And he answered, ‘I certainly will not—for just as you have done to him,
who was your husband, so you would do to me, and even worse, if it were
possible to do.’
"Now watch, lord emperor, how the works of women are done, so that you
should not give faith to the words of your wife.” Hearing this, the emperor
ordered that the sentence of his son be delayed.
And returning that evening to his wife, he found her very sad, just as he had
the other times. She said, “So it will happen to you, lord emperor, as it
happened to another emperor of Rome, who was tricked by three foot
soldiers.”
The emperor said, “How was it?”
Then the woman said:
back next page: "The Marvellous Mirror"
The Widow
“…A cavalier had a very beautiful wife, whom he loved greatly, and while she
was eating with him at a table, she, cutting bread, unbecomingly cut her hand.
The husband, seeing that, died in grief. Seeing that her husband had died
for her, she began to make a great lamentation, so that no one was able to
quiet her. And when her husband was carried to burial, she had a house
built for herself, and there she stayed day and night, weeping.
"It happened in that time that the king had someone hung, and he ordered
his cavalier to guard so that the body not be carried away. And while he was
watching the dead man by day and by night, the third night came and this
cavalier had the greatest of thirsts, and he thought to himself of the place
where the woman lived. He went there and asked her for something to drink,
and the woman brought him some water. When he saw that she was so
beautiful, he said to her, ‘You weep, and it is to no purpose at all!’
"So many things did he say to her that night, that he had his will with her.
"Returning to the gallows, he found that the body had been carried away,
and he became very miserable, because he feared for his life. Then he
returned to the woman, and told her what had happened to him.
"The woman replied, ‘If you want to promise me that you will take me for
your wife, I will help you in this danger.’ And he promised this to her. So
the woman said, ‘Take this husband of mine from his tomb, and hang him in
place of that one.’ He said that he feared, and he would not do it. So the
woman went and took a cord and tied it around the neck of her first
husband and dragged him all the way to the gallows.
"Then she said to the cavalier, ‘Now climb on top of the gallows, and hang
him there.’ And he said that he was afraid. So she climbed up and hung
him, and she said, ‘This is the one that was hung.’
"The cavalier said, ‘That one had a wound on his head, and this one does
not, and someone might notice.’ And she said, ‘Now climb up on the gallows
with your sword in hand, and make him a wound.’ And he said that he would
not do it. The woman said, ‘Now hand me the sword.’ She climbed up on
the gallows and struck her husband in the head just as the man who had
been guarding him had told her.
"Then he said to the woman, ‘He had two teeth missing in front.’ The
woman said, ‘Then break the teeth off of him.’ And he said that he would
not do it. Then the woman said, ‘Give me a rock and I will break them.’ And
thus she did to her husband.
"Then she said to the cavalier, ‘Now marry me.’
"And he answered, ‘I certainly will not—for just as you have done to him,
who was your husband, so you would do to me, and even worse, if it were
possible to do.’
"Now watch, lord emperor, how the works of women are done, so that you
should not give faith to the words of your wife.” Hearing this, the emperor
ordered that the sentence of his son be delayed.
And returning that evening to his wife, he found her very sad, just as he had
the other times. She said, “So it will happen to you, lord emperor, as it
happened to another emperor of Rome, who was tricked by three foot
soldiers.”
The emperor said, “How was it?”
Then the woman said:
back next page: "The Marvellous Mirror"
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