Arriguccio Berlinghieri
- Storyteller: Neifile
- This is the story of an upstart, rich merchant who marries an aristocratic wife and ends up regretting it.
- Arriguccio Berlinghieri, the merchant, marries Monna Sismonda, a gentlewoman who immediately falls in love with a man called Ruberto.
- Sismonda has a great time with her lover, but eventually even a busy merchant like Arriguccio figures out what's going on.
- So he starts watching her carefully, making sure she's in bed before he falls asleep.
- But Sismonda gets an idea. Once Arriguccio drops off, she can spend some quality time with Ruberto.
- She ties a string to her toe and dangles the end of it out the window. When Ruberto arrives, he gives it a tug to let her know it's "magic time."
- If all is clear, Sismonda would release the string. If not, she'd haul the string up.
- The plan works beautifully. Until it doesn't.
- One night, Arriguccio catches his toe on the string.
- Long story short, he winds up chasing Ruberto down the street and fighting with him.
- Sismonda thinks fast. She puts her maid into her (Sismonda's) bed and blows out the lights.
- She bribes her maid to bear up under the beating she's about to receive.
- When Arriguccio gets home, he returns to his bedroom and beats his "wife" black and blue and cuts off her hair.
- Then he goes to fetch Sismonda's brothers so that they can finish the job.
- Sismonda returns to her room and takes care of her black-and-blue maidservant, giving her enough money to make her feel better.
- When the brothers, mother and husband return to the house, Sismonda is sitting there, calm and unharmed.
- Arriguccio thinks he's lost his mind.
- Sismonda denies everything, of course, saying that he'd never even been home that night.
- And then she accuses him further: he's been hanging out with harlots.
- Sismonda's mother launches into an attack on the nouveau riche merchant class.
- Sismonda's brothers are ready to thrash Arriguccio, but they let him off with a warning.
- So Sismonda not only gets off the hook, she ensures that she can do whatever she wants with Ruberto. Forever.