ABSTRACT
The Second Story of the First Day [The two stories of the first day both deal with intimacies of love. In the first a young Sienese, Galgano, falls in love with a married woman who pays no attention to him until she hears her husband praise him as the most virtuous young man in Siena. Then, smitten with curiosity, she invites him to her house during her husband's absence and tempts him to possess her. He is on the point of obeying her whim when she tells him what her husband has said about him, whereupon he leaves her, refusing to betray the man who has spoken so courteously of him.]
When this story was finished, Saturnina began to speak: 'This tale has pleased me greatly, considering the moral resolution shown by that man, when he had in his arms the woman whom he had desired so long. Had I been in his place, I do not know what I should have done. Now I shall tell you a short story which I believe will please you.' And she began like this:
There were at Rome in the Casa i Savelli two friends and comrades, one named Bucciuolo, the other Pietro Paolo, both well born and reasonably well supplied with worldly goods. Wherefore they made up their mind to go and study in Bologna, one taking Civil Law and the other Canon Law; so they took leave of their parents and came to Bologna, where accordingly one heard lectures in Civil Law and the other Canon Law, and thus they continued for some time. As you know, the Decretals are less in quantity than Civil Law, wherefore Bucciuolo, who read the former, finished his course more quickly than Pietro Paolo. Having graduated, he
thought of returning to Rome and said to Pietro Paolo: 'Brother, since I have graduated, I intend to go home.' His friend replied: 'I beg you not to leave me here alone, but please to wait for me during this winter, and in spring we shall go back together. Meanwhile you can learn some other science so as not to waste your time.' With this Bucciuolo was content, and promised to wait for him.
