Page:Peregrinaggio di tre giovani figliuoli del re di Serendippo.djvu/129

 Now he got up early in the morning and thought about nothing else till the hour of the Vespers than how he had chosen to punish the wicked women.

He then asked the third young woman who lived in the quarters above the river to come into his presence. Although he had seen nothing better of her than with the others, he kept hoping, began to caress her and had delightful conversation with her until nightfall. When the tables had been prepared, they went to have dinner. After they had listened for a while to some very fine music, they went to bed. And the prince laid down because he wanted to make sure of her wickedness as well, and after a short while he told the young woman that he was tired and wanted to rest. He persuaded her easily and when she believed that he was really asleep, like the others, she rose quietly from his bed, opened the door slowly and left the room. She went towards a stairway which led to the river. After she had arrived there, she undressed and put the clothes on her head. She took a large empty earthen jar which was nearby and placed it under her arms so she wouldn't drown and crossed the river. When she arrived there, she was tightly embraced by a peasant, and the two of them laid down for a good while and enjoyed themselves amorously.

The Prince had observed everything very well, because he had got up from his bed and followed her secretly to the river.