Chapter XXXI: Here It Is Told of a Story-Teller of Messer Azzolino

Messer Azzolino [63] had a story-teller whom he made tell him tales during the long nights of winter. It happened that one night the story-teller had a great desire to sleep, while Azzolino urged him to tell tales.

The story-teller began a tale of a countryman who had a hundred byzantines [64] of his own which he took with him to the market to buy sheep at the price of two per byzantine. Returning with his sheep he came to a river he had passed before much swollen with the rains which had recently fallen. Standing on the bank, he saw a poor fisherman with a boat, but of so small a size that there was only room for the countryman and one sheep at a time. Then the countryman began to cross over with one sheep, and he began to row: the river was wide. He rowed and passed over.

And here the story-teller ceased his tale.

Azzolino said: go on! And the story-teller replied: let the sheep cross over and then I will tell you the tale. Since the sheep would not have crossed in a year, he could meanwhile sleep at his ease. [65]