La Vec[c]hia
«S'avessi messo termine a un'ora
A due, c[h]'avresti fatto gran follia,
E l'un conteco in camera sia,
E l'altro viene apresso san' dimora,
Al di dietro dirai ch'egl[i] è ancora
El signor tuo lassù; ch'e' non poria
Far dimoranza, ma tost' una fia:
'Il fante o voi, tornate a poca d'ora'.
E poi sì 'l butti fuori e torni suso,
E trag[g]a l'altro fuor della burella,
Che molto gli è anoiato star rinchiuso;
Po' i trag[g]a la guarnac[c]a e la gonella,
Dicendo ch'ell' è tanto stata giuso
Per lo marito ch'era nella cella.
| The Old Woman
"If you've made appointments for the same hour
with two men --and in this you've been very foolish--
suppose that one of them is with you in the bedroom,
and the other one arrives immediately afterwards,
to this second one you will say that
your husband is still upstairs, and that he should not
be there too much longer, but one of the following will occur:
'Either you or your servant, come back shortly.'
And then she should kick him out and go back upstairs,
and bring the other one out of the hiding place,
where he has not appreciated being locked up;
and then she should take off her robe and dress,
saying that she had to be downstairs so long
because of her husband, who was in the cellar."
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