The Decameron of Giovanni Boccaccio

THE FIRST STORY. Master Ciappelletto dupeth a holy friar with a false confession and dieth; and having been in his lifetime the worst of men, he is, after his death, reputed a saint and called Saint Ciappelletto 16

THE SECOND STORY. Abraham the Jew, at the instigation of Jehannot de Chevigné, goeth to the Court of Rome and seeing the depravity of the clergy, returneth to Paris and there becometh a Christian 25

THE THIRD STORY. Melchizedek the Jew, with a story of three rings, escapeth a parlous snare set for him by Saladin 28

THE FOURTH STORY. A monk, having fallen into a sin deserving of very grievous punishment, adroitly reproaching the same fault to his abbot, quitteth himself of the penalty 30

THE FIFTH STORY. The Marchioness of Monferrato, with a dinner of hens and certain sprightly words, curbeth the extravagant passion of the King of France 33

THE SIXTH STORY. An honest man, with a chance pleasantry, putteth to shame the perverse hypocrisy of the religious orders 35

THE SEVENTH STORY. Bergamino, with a story of Primasso and the Abbot of Cluny, courteously rebuketh a fit of parsimony newly come to Messer Cane della Scala 37

THE EIGHTH STORY. Guglielmo Borsiere with some quaint words rebuketh the niggardliness of Messer Ermino de' Grimaldi 40

THE NINTH STORY. The King of Cyprus, touched to the quick by a Gascon lady, from a mean-spirited prince becometh a man of worth and valiance 42

THE TENTH STORY. Master Alberto of Bologna civilly putteth a lady to the blush who thought to have shamed him of being enamoured of her 43