Guglielmo Borsiere
Story
- Storyteller: Lauretta
- Although a Genoese gentleman called Ermino de' Grimaldi is richer than any man in Italy, he's a total miser. His frugality earns him the name Ermino Skinflint.
- While Ermino piles up his money, a silver-tongued courtier named Guglielmo Borsiere comes to town.
- Lauretta here spends a lot of time dissing the so-called nobles of her day, who are anything but noble when compared to Borsiere.
- Gone are the days when courtiers performed noble, peacemaking deeds for little reward, she says. The scoundrels of these days do nothing but gossip and spread trouble, and the worst of them are rewarded.
- Lauretta then calms down and tells us that Guglielmo gets a great welcome from all the best families of Genoa. He learns of Ermino's greed and can't wait to meet him.
- Likewise, Ermino hears good things of Guglielmo and invites him to see a new house that he's built for himself.
- Ermino asks Guglielmo if he can think of any completely novel subject that he might have painted on the walls of his home.
- Guglielmo's been waiting for this opening. He says that there's nothing new under the sun, but that he does know of something that Ermino knows nothing about: Generosity.
- Ermino's so struck by the comment that he promises Guglielmo to have it painted so well that others will never think Ermino was a stranger to generosity.
- And there's a bonus: Ermino took Guglielmo's comment so much to heart that he became the best and most generous gentleman of the city.