Here the risible muscles of the-notary would permit him to proceed no further, and his laugh was speedily caught and re-echoed through the whole court; insomuch that the poor friar, overwhelmed with ridicule and confusion, sought to make good his escape, and find the way back to his convent, though fully resolved in his own mind to bring the whole affair, in form of appeal, before the high apostolic chamber.
But he was not destined to end the matter in quite so honorable a manner; for Agabio, seizing fast hold of his gown, exclaimed, “Tarry a little, holy father! why are you in such a hurry! I am come here for the purpose of fulfilling the conditions of the will, and these must be complied with”; and then appealing to the vicar, while he held the good father tight by his band, “I require to know from you, as the judge, why Father Serafino should not be entitled to the benefit of his bequest, mounted on the great horse, and receive from my hands the amount of the legacy due to him.
My good Messer Agabio
If this be not granted, I shall feel bound to appeal to a superior tribunal against the undue partiality and injustice of this court.” The good vicar, receiving the whole of this with an air of mock solemnity, turning towards Agabio, replied, “My good Messer Agabio, your beneficent intentions respecting the worthy father no one surely can dispute; but I daresay he will be inclined to rest satisfied with them, without insisting upon the execution of the deed; in particular, as it might possibly bring some degree of scandal upon his cloth, while at the same time that it would be painful to him, such inheritance would produce no sort of benefit to the holy brotherhood.
Besides, if he be so truly disinterested as not to wish to accept the kind bequest of your mother, I hardly see how you can venture to force it upon him, and I would rather permit him to take his leave, with the noble consciousness that he bears no marks of your favor along with him.” Upon this hint Fra Serafino acted, and, full of mingled rage, fear, and vexation, retreated to his own abode, which he did not again quit for many days, out of apprehension of the ridicule of the people.
His punishment, however, was followed by the desired effect; for from that time forth he was never known to solicit widow ladies for their fortunes to endow chapels, especially such as had families of sons, by whom he might again run the risk of being severely handled. As it was, he had the good fortune to escape martyrdom from their hands, and contrived to digest his spleen and disappointment by patience, as every good Christian ought.
According, however, to a different version of the story, trumped up, it is supposed, by some of the friars for the credit of their order (and as I was myself informed by one of them), that same wicked vicar had soon reason to repent of the part he bore in the affair, having to pay no less a fine than five hundred florins.
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