Rinaldo d'Este and the Widow
Intro
- Storyteller: Filostrato
- Filostrato wants to tell a story to help all newbie lovers navigate the unfamiliar and inhospitable terrain of Love.
Story
- Rinaldo d'Este, a merchant, hooks up with some respectable-looking travelers on his way home from Bologna.
- But they're not respectable. They're thieves. And they intend serious harm.
- After traveling and chatting together happily for a couple of days, one of the thieves decides to toy with Rinaldo a bit.
- He asks Rinaldo if he ever says any prayers before traveling.
- Sure, says Rinaldo. He always says the Our Father and Hail Mary in the name of St. Julian, patron saint of innkeepers, so that he'll always find safe harbor at the end of the day.
- The thief tells him he's personally never prayed to St. Julian, but he does say some other prayers that are effective.
- He wonders out loud who will have better lodgings that night. Whose prayers will be answered? Of course, the thief knows that he and his compadres plan to mug Rinaldo that night and steal his money.
- Rinaldo doesn't know this, so you can imagine his surprise when his three new friends beat him to pieces and steal his horse and money late that night.
- To add insult to injury, they taunt him as they ride away: Let's see if St. Julian answers your prayers.
- So Rinaldo's left to fend for himself, half-naked in the snow outside the city walls.
- He heads for Castel Guglielmo in hopes of saving himself, but when he arrives, the city gates are closed and locked up for the night.
- Rinaldo sees that there's a house jutting out from the castle walls, so he makes a little nest for himself there. He does plenty of complaining to St. Julian—thanks for nothing.
- Inside the house lives the most beautiful lady that ever was (surprise), who was waiting for her lover, Marquis Azzo, to show up.
- But the Marquis is called away on urgent business, and the lady decides to get in the bath that she'd drawn for him. The bathing room is right on the other side of the door from where Rinaldo took shelter.
- She can actually hear his teeth chattering so she sends her maid to find out what's up.
- The maid finds Rinaldo nearly freezing to death and returns to her mistress to tell his pitiful story.
- The lovely lady takes Rinaldo in, lets him bathe, feeds him the dinner meant for the Marquis, and dresses him in her late husband's clothes.
- Since she was already in the mood for love—and Rinaldo's handsome—the two decide to make the most of the night.
- In the morning, the lady gives Rinaldo traveling clothes and money and helps him find his servant.
- How could it be better? Well, the three thieves were caught in the night and all of Rinaldo's belongings were restored to him.
- In the end, St. Julian did keep up his end of the bargain and Rinaldo had no need to complain. Ah, the twists and turns of Fortune.