XIVth
century Ars Amandi
Rustico, a robust and hearty
hermit monk, teaches a young and beautiful but unbelievably silly girl how to grind down the
devil who rules the lower part of his powerful body and leaves it at no rest. The devil manifests his might to the girl and impresses her greatly. She readily offers her, what the monks calls “
hell”, to oppress the beast and although the girl
finds the experience to be painful at first, they serve God the best way they can several times a day. Days go by and with the passage of time the humble hermit finds his devil appears to be more civilized and less demanding he used to be, the girl on the other
hand, complains about the
problems her hell is giving her. Unfortunately, the monk fails to offer her the assistance she is asking for, as the devil at his service is too weak to carry out his duties and would do with the help of other devils, should they be at hand. The problem is solved when the girl , to the hermit’s great relief, marries a young good-for-nothing, who does not object to her “hell” problems, especially when he finds out that his fiancée is the only heiress of quite a nice fortune.
This extremely funny and vivid short story is one of the collection of a hundred others which make “Dekameron”, written by Italy’s XIVth century classic, Giovanni Boccaccio. There are other amusing and frivolous narratives as well as pathetic and moving ones. Even though the book was written about seven centuries ago, a contemporary reader can find it both entertaining and educating, as it offers a panoramic view of the society of those days, its customs and history. It can certainly be recommended to read on hot summer afternoons.
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