NOVEL 9. OF THE FOURTH DAY
— Sieur Guillaume de Roussillon slays his wife's paramour, Sieur Guillaume de Cabestaing, and gives her his heart to eat. She, coming to wit thereof, throws herself from a high window to the ground, and dies, and is buried with her lover. —
Neifile's story, which had not failed to move her gossips to no little pity, being ended, none now remained to speak but the king and Dioneo,whose privilege the king was minded not to infringe:wherefore he thus began:—I propose, compassionate my ladies, to tell you a story, which, seeing that you so commiserate ill-starred loves, may claim no less a share of your pity than the last, inasmuch as they were greater folk of whom I shall speak, and that which befell them was more direful.