Walter Savage Landor.

1775-1864.

PETRARCH ATTENDS THE PARISH CHURCH.

(From The Pentameron, 1837.)

It being now the Lord's Day, Messer Francesco thought it meet that he should rise early in the morning and bestir himself, to hear mass in the parish church at Certaldo. Whereupon he went on tiptoe, if so weighty a man could indeed go in such a fashion, and lifted softly the latch of Ser Gio- 5 vanni's chamber-door, that he might salute him ere he departed, and occasion no wonder at the step he was about to take. He found Ser Giovanni fast asleep, with the missal wide open across his nose, and a pleasant smile on his genial, joyous mouth. Ser Francesco leaned over the couch, closed 10 his hands together, and, looking with even more than his usual benignity, said in a low voice, "God bless thee, gentle soul! the Mother of purity and innocence protect thee!"

He then went into the kitchen, where he found the girl Assunta, and mentioned his resolution. She informed him 15 that the horse had eaten his two beans, and was as strong as a lion and as ready as a lover. Ser Francesco patted her on the cheek, and called her "semplicetta!" She was overjoyed at this honor from so great a man, the bosom-friend of her good master, whom she had always thought the greatest man 20 in the world, not excepting Monsignore, until he told her he was only a dog confronted with Ser Francesco. She tripped alertly across the paved court into the stable, and took down the saddle and bridle from the farther end of the rack. But Ser Francesco, with his natural politeness, would 25 not allow her to equip his palfrey. "This is not the work for maidens," said he; "return to the house, good girl!"

She lingered a moment, then went away; but, mistrusting

the dexterity of Ser Francesco, she stopped and turned back again, and peeped through the half-closed door, and heard sundry sobs and wheezes round about the girth. Ser Francesco's wind ill seconded his intention; and although he had 5 thrown the saddle valiantly and stoutly in its station, yet the girths brought him into extremity. She entered again, and, dissembling the reason, asked him whether he would not take a small beaker of the sweet white wine before he set out, and offered to girdle the horse while his Reverence bitted and 10 bridled him. Before any answer could be returned, she had begun. And having now satisfactorily executed her undertaking, she felt irrepressible delight and glee at being able to do what Ser Francesco had failed in. He was scarcely more successful with his allotment of the labor; found un15 looked-for intricacies and complications in the machinery, wondered that human wit could not simplify it, and declared that the animal had never exhibited such restiveness before. In fact he never had experienced the same grooming. At this conjuncture a green cap made its appearance, bound with 20 straw-colored ribbon and surmounted with two bushy sprigs of hawthorn, of which the globular buds were swelling, and some bursting, but fewer yet open. It was young Simplizio Nardi, who sometimes came on the Sunday morning to sweep the court-yard for Assunta.

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"O! this time you are come just when you were wanted," said the girl. "Bridle directly Ser Francesco's horse, and then go away about your business."

The youth blushed, and kissed Ser Francesco's hand, begging his permission. It was soon done. He then held the 30 stirrup; and Ser Francesco, with scarcely three efforts, was seated and erect on the saddle. The horse, however, had somewhat more inclination for the stable than for the expedition; and as Assunta was handing to the rider his long ebony staff, bearing an ivory caduceus, the quadruped turned sud35 denly round. Simplizio called him "bestiaccia!" and then, softening it," poco garbato!" and proposed to Ser Francesco that he should leave the bastone behind, and take the crabswitch he presented to him, giving at the same time a sample

of its efficacy, which covered the long grizzle hair of the worthy quadruped with a profusion of pink blossoms, like embroidery. The offer was declined; but Assunta told Simplizio to carry it himself, and to walk by the side of Ser Canonico quite up to the church-porch, having seen what a 5 sad dangerous beast his Reverence had under him. With perfect good will, partly in the pride of obedience to Assunta, and partly to enjoy the renown of accompanying a canon of holy church, Simplizio did as she enjoined.

And now the sound of village bells, in many hamlets and 10 convents and churches out of sight, was indistinctly heard and lost again; and at last the five of Certaldo seemed to crow over the faintness of them all. The freshness of the morning was enough of itself to excite the spirits of youth; a portion of which never fails to descend on years that are 15 far removed from it, if the mind has partaken in innocent mirth while it was its season and its duty to enjoy it. Parties of young and old passed the canonico and his attendant with mute respect, bowing and bare-headed; for that ebony staff threw its spell over the tongue, which the frank and hearty 20 salutation of the bearer was inadequate to break. Simplizio, once or twice, attempted to call back an intimate of the same age with himself; but the utmost he could obtain was a Riveritissimo" and a genuflexion to the rider. It is reported that a heart-burning rose up from it in the breast of 25 a cousin, some days after, too distinctly apparent in the longdrawn appellation of "Gnor Simplizio."

Ser Francesco moved gradually forward, his steed picking his way along the lane and looking fixedly on the stones with all the sobriety of a mineralogist. He himself was well 30 satisfied with the pace, and told Simplizio to be sparing of the switch unless in case of a hornet or a gadfly. Simplizio smiled toward the hedge, and wondered at the condescension of so great a theologian and astrologer in joking with him about the gadflies and hornets in the beginning of April. 35 "Ah! there are men in the world who can make wit out of

anything!" said he to himself. As they approached the walls of the town, the whole country was pervaded by a stir

ring and diversified air of gladness. Laughter and songs and flutes and viols, inviting voices and complying responses, mingled with merry bells and with processional hymns, along the woodland paths and along the yellow meadows.. It was 5 really the Lord's Day, for he made his creatures happy in it, and their hearts were thankful. Even the cruel had ceased from cruelty, and the rich man alone exacted from the animal his daily labor. Ser Francesco made this remark, and told his youthful guide that he had never been before 10 where he could not walk to church on a Sunday; and that nothing should persuade him to urge the speed of his beast, on the Seventh Day, beyond his natural and willing foot's pace.

He reached the gates of Certaldo more than half an hour 15 before the time of service, and he found laurels suspended over them and being suspended; and many pleasant and beautiful faces were protruded between the ranks of gentry and clergy who awaited him. Little did he expect such an attendance; but Fra Biagio of San Vivaldo, who himself had 20 offered no obsequiousness or respect, had scattered the secret of his visit throughout the whole country. A young poet, the most celebrated in the town, approached the canonico with a long scroll of verses, which fell below the knee, beginning,

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'How shall we welcome our illustrious guest ?"

To which Ser Francesco immediately replied, "Take your favorite maiden, lead the dance with her, and bid all your friends follow; you have a good half hour for it.”

Universal applauses succeeded, the music struck up, couples 30 were instantly formed. The gentry on this occasion led out the cittadinanza, as they usually do in the villeggiatura, rarely in the carnival, and never at other times. The elder of the priests stood round in their sacred vestments, and looked with cordiality and approbation on the youths, whose 35 hands and arms could indeed do much and did it, but whose active eyes could rarely move upward the modester of their partners. While the elder of the clergy were thus gathering

the fruits of their liberal cares and paternal exhortations, some of the younger looked on with a tenderer sentiment, not unmingled with regret. Suddenly the bells ceased; the figure of the dance was broken; all hastened into the church; and many hands that joined on the green met together at the 5 font and touched the brow reciprocally with its lustral waters, in soul-devotion.

After the service, and after a sermon a good church-hour in length to gratify him, enriched with compliments from all authors, Christian and pagan, informing him at the conclu- 10 sion that, although he had been crowned in the Capitol, he must die, being born mortal, Ser Francesco rode homeward. The sermon seemed to have sunk deeply into him, and even into the horse under him, for both of them nodded, both snorted, and one stumbled. Simplizio was twice fain to cry, 15 "Ser Canonico! Riverenza! in this country if we sleep before dinner it does us harm. There are stones in the road, Ser Canonico, loose as eggs in a nest, and pretty nigh as thick together, huge as mountains."

"Good lad!" said Ser Francesco, rubbing his eyes, "toss 20 the biggest of them out of the way, and never mind the rest."

The horse, although he walked, shuffled almost into an amble as he approached the stable, and his master looked up at it with nearly the same contentment. Assunta had been 25 ordered to wait for his return, and cried, "O Ser Francesco! you are looking at our long apricot, that runs the whole length of the stable and barn, covered with blossoms as the old white hen is with feathers. You must come in the summer, and eat this fine fruit with Signor Padrone. You 30 cannot think how ruddy and golden and sweet and mellow it is. There are peaches in all the fields, and plums and pears and apples, but there is not another apricot for miles. and miles. Ser Giovanni brought the stone from Naples before I was born; a lady gave it to him when she had eaten 35 only half the fruit off it: but perhaps you may have seen her, for you have ridden as far as Rome, or beyond. Padrone looks often at the fruit, and eats it willingly; and I have seen