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Madonna Oretta
Cisti is the protagonist of Pampinea’s sixth tale (VI, 2). He is a working-class Florentine baker, although he has become quite wealthy and has an inherent nobility of character. He demonstrates both this nobility and the quick wit that is respected in The Decameron’s characters when he chastises Geri Spina’s servant for making his master look greedy and ungenerous.
Cisti Quotes in The Decameron
The The Decameron quotes below are all either spoken by Cisti or refer to Cisti. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
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Day 6: Second Tale Quotes
I would assuredly curse Nature and Fortune alike, if I did not know for a fact that Nature is very discerning and that Fortune has a thousand eyes, even though fools represent her as blind. Indeed, it is my conviction that Nature and Fortune, being very shrewd, follow the practice so common among mortals, who, uncertain of what the future will bring, make provision for emergencies by burying their most precious possessions in the least imposing […] parts of their houses, whence they bring them forth in the hour of their greatest need […] In the same way, the two fair arbiters of the world’s affairs frequently hide their greatest treasure beneath the shadow of the humblest trades, so that when the need arises for it to be brought forth, its splendor will be all the more apparent.
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Cisti the baker is a man of exceptionally honorable and noble character, although by the accidents of fortune, he was born in a humble class. Although he is very wealthy, he respects the boundaries of class and refuses to insinuate himself into the activities of the nobility, although he does employ a clever ruse that allows him to show generosity and hospitality to Messer Geri Spina and his important out-of-town guests in this tale. Because of his personal excellence, Cisti’s tale is yet another place where The Decameron investigates issues of class and character. While this passage generally holds that Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimos. Qui et ut. Voluptate labore corporis. Hic tempore laborum. Nisi quia ea. Quia soluta itaque. Deleniti nisi earum. Ad tenetur laboriosam. Eum accusamus harum. Accusantium iusto voluptas. Totam quae corporis. Impedit non ut. Incidunt rerum est. A
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Cisti Character Timeline in The Decameron
The timeline below shows where the character Cisti appears in The Decameron. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Day 6: Second Tale
...characters to noble people, fortune often gives noble characters to lowly people. One example is Cisti, a common baker but still a “man of exceedingly lofty spirit.” After some remarks about...
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...to make peace between warring factions, Geri Spina is their host. Each day, they pass Cisti’s bakery while conducting their business. Cisti is of humble origins, but his bakery has made...
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Instead, Cisti sits outside when they pass, drinking wine from a sparkling glass with evident delight. On...
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Before the emissaries leave, Geri Spina hosts a final banquet. He invites Cisti, who declines. Wanting to impress his guests, Geri sends a servant to ask for some...
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Cisti happily sends wine to the banquet and brings the last of the vintage to Geri...
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