Decameron First Day, Tenth Story Summary

Master Alberto of Bologna

Storyteller: Pampinea
Pampinea suggests that wit is the icing on the cake of good manners and conversation.
It's especially appropriate for women to make witty remarks, since those kinds of remarks are usually brief and women should never speak for long periods of time.
Wait, what?
But modern women, she asserts, have lost the talent for making a witty remark. They're too obsessed by make-up and bling.
They cover up their lack of intelligence with silence, thinking it makes them seem pure.
But there's a time and place for everything: sometimes a woman thinks she's clever and tries her wit on a man—and it backfires.
So Pampinea's going to tell a story that will help the ladies in her group avoid this mistake and keep men from thinking that women will always lose every argument.

Master Alberto is an old physician who finds himself consumed by love for a beautiful young woman named Malgherida.
Malgherida and her friends realize that the old man's in love with her and have a good time snickering at him behind his back.
One day, the ladies decide to have some fun with Alberto, so they invite him in to have some wine and snacks with them.
They ask him how it's possible that an old dude like him could fall in love with a woman like Malgherida, who has many young lovers-in-waiting.
So Alberto gives them a great answer: as an older man, he's learned patience and hope. He's also observed that young women have some bizarre likes that can't be explained.
Who knows, maybe Malgherida has a thing for old men, so he'll keep hoping.
Malgherida thinks this is an excellent answer and can see that her nasty comments were misplaced.
She tells Alberto that he's clearly worthy to be loved and that he's welcome to ask anything of her.