Il Pecorone

Il Pecorone, often referred to in English as The Golden Eagle,[1] is an Italian collection of stories written between 1378 and 1385 by Giovanni Fiorentino.

It was written in a style influenced by the Decameron of Giovanni Boccaccio, the Golden Legend collection of saint lives, the Seven Sages of Rome or the Gemma ecclesiastica of Giraldus Cambrensis.

[2] Abridged from Johnson's summary: Giannetto, a young noble of Florence, whose father has left him no money, comes to Venice and is befriended by his godfather Ansaldo, the richest merchant there.

One day Giannetto expresses a desire to make a voyage to Alexandria, so as to see something of the world; Ansaldo furnishes him with a fine ship and much merchandise, and off he starts.

The captain says that it belongs to a widow who has become very rich by gaining the fortunes of many lovers; for she has made it a law that whoever puts into the harbour (which is called Belmonte) must woo her, and if he fails to fulfil certain difficult conditions, give up to her everything he has brought with him.

So Giannetto puts into port, tries, fails, loses his valuable ship and merchandise, and returns to Venice with the story that he has been shipwrecked; and Ansaldo receives him again into his house.

He is greatly agitated, his wife enquires the cause, and, learning, bids him to hurry to Venice with 100,000 ducats to pay the debt, in case Ansaldo has not been able.

But all is explained soon, and Ansaldo marries the young maid-in-waiting who had given Giannetto the hint by which he was able to fulfil the hard conditions imposed upon the wooers and win the "Lady of Belmonte".