- Boccaccio makes an astute observation: those readers who are laughing at this tale right now (i.e. us) can imagine how much the ladies in the garden laughed when they heard it.
- Then Emilia gives up her crown to the last king, Panfilo. She tells him that he has to make up for all the wrongdoing of the past monarchs, so good luck with that.
- But the irrepressible Panfilo is thrilled with the honor.
- He decides that they've had enough of this open-ended arrangement, so he wants to go back to their old custom and tell stories on a theme.
- Panfilo also has a sense that they need to leave a decent legacy, so he chooses the subject of generosity.
- It will also help them to realign their moral compass as they face the reality of their mortality.
- Seriously—all they've been talking about is sex and sex. And deception.
- Finally, Panfilo requests that Neifile sing the closing song.
- She sings a song of blissful young love—you know, in the time before anything bad has happened. It's completely appropriate for the youngest member of the group.