Chapter 77 76. Florentines

Once upon a time there was a Florentine who used to go every evening to the chat-house, and listen to the stories of those who had traveled and seen the world.He never had anything to say, because he wasn't even out of Florence.On such occasions he always felt like a fool. So he longed to be able to travel; he eagerly sold all his possessions, packed his bags, and set off.Walking and walking, it was getting dark, and he went to a priest's house to spend the night.The priest invited him to dinner, and during the meal the priest asked him why he was traveling.When he heard that the Florentines traveled in order to have something to tell others when they returned to Florence, the priest said: "I often have this idea: if you don't dislike me, we can travel together."

"As you say!" said the Florentine, "I'm just worried about finding a companion." Next morning the Florentine and the priest set out together. When it was dark, they reached a farm.They lodged with the farmer, and the farmer asked them: "Why are you traveling?" When he learned the reason, he also had the idea of ​​traveling.So, the next morning, the farmer set out with them on the road. The three of them walked a long way until they came to the door of a giant's house. "Let's knock at the door," said the Florentine, "and when we get back we can tell the story of the giant."

The Giant himself came and opened the door, and entertained the three of them. "If you will live with me," said the giant, "the priest will work in the parish, the farmer in the farm, and the Florentine, though useless, will eventually find work for you." ." The three discussed it: "Well, being a giant's servant will always encounter some unusual things; God knows how many stories we can tell people in the future!" So they accepted the giant's suggestion.The giant took them to bed, and it was agreed that the details would be left for the next day.

The next morning the giant said to the priest, "I will show you the parish records." He led the priest into a room.The Florentines are very curious and don't want to miss anything interesting, so they put their eyes on the keyhole and look in.When the priest was looking down at the file, the giant raised a scimitar, cut off the priest's head, and threw the priest's body behind the trap door. "That's something to talk about when we get back to Florence," thought the Florentine, "but perhaps people won't believe me." "I have put the Priest in his place," said the Giant, "and now it is the Farmer's turn, and I will show you the Farm File."

The farmer followed the giant to the room without any doubt. The Florentine saw through the keyhole that the farmer was looking down at the file, and then the giant's knife fell heavily between his heads, and the beheaded farmer was finally thrown into the trap door. Just when he was secretly pleased that there were many strange stories to go back to tell, it suddenly occurred to him that after the priest and the farmer, it would be his turn next.Then nothing can be said.He longed to run away, but the Giant had already come out of the room, and told him to give him work after dinner.They sat down to eat, and the Florentine was too busy planning his escape from the giant to eat a morsel.

The giant has a bad eye.After eating, the Florentine said: "What a pity! You are so beautiful, but this eye..." When the giant heard about his eye, he felt uncomfortable, and he fidgeted in his chair, blinking, and frowning. "Do you know?" said the Florentine, "I know a herb which is a cure for eye diseases. I seem to have seen it in the grass in your garden." "Is it? Really?" said the Giant at once, "in the garden grass? Let us then find it." The giant led him to the garden lawn, and the Florentine watched the door and the lock as he went out, and was ready to flee in his heart.He picked grass at random from the meadow; when he got home, he boiled the grass in an oil pot.

"This cure will be very painful," he said to the Giant. "Can you bear the pain and remain still?" "Yes, of course I can hold back..." said the giant. "Listen, you'd better be fastened to this marble table with ropes. If you move, the operation can't be successful." The giant agreed to be tied to a marble table in order to cure his eyes.When he was tied up dead, the Florentine poured a pan of boiling oil into the giant's eyes, and then he ran, and went down the stairs, thinking, "That can be said, too." The Giant gave a cry, and the whole house shook.He jumped up with the marble slab on his back, and followed the Florentine.But with the marble slab on his back, he could never catch up with the Florentine, so he had an idea, and shouted: "Florentine! Florentine! Why did you leave me? You haven't finished your operation yet!" How much will it cost to heal me completely? Do you want this ring?" He pulled out a ring.This is a magic ring.

"Well," said the Florentine, "I will bring it back to Florence to testify, and people will believe what I tell." But no sooner had he put the ring on than his finger was marble, and his arm was very heavy , suddenly fell to the ground and couldn't lift it up, and even the people fell down together.Now the Florentine could no longer move, and the ring could not be removed from his finger.The giant was about to catch him now.The Florentine, in desperation, drew his knife from his pocket, and cut off his own finger: thus he might escape, and the giant could no longer catch him.

He returned to Florence, panting, with that wounded hand, with no desire to go out and travel the world, and unwilling to tell his story.As for the severed finger, he said that he accidentally injured it while mowing the grass. (pizza)