The action takes place in Florence. The plot is the conversation of Kallimako with his servant Shiro, turned, in fact, to the audience. The young man explains why he returned to his hometown from Paris, where he was taken at the age of ten. In a friendly company, the French and Italians started a dispute, whose women are more beautiful. And one Florentine said that Madonna Lucretia, the wife of Messer Nicha Calfucci, overshadows all the ladies with her charm. Wanting to check this, Kallimako went to Florence and found that the fellow countryman had not a bit in his soul - Lucretia was even more beautiful than he expected. But now Kallimako is experiencing unheard of torment: falling in love with madness, he is doomed to languish with an unquenched passion, since it is impossible to seduce the virtuous Lucretius. There is only one hope: the cunning Ligurio set to work, the one that always comes to dinner and constantly begs for money.
Ligurio longs to please Kallimako. After talking with her husband Lucretia, he is convinced of two things: firstly, Messer Nicha is unusually stupid, and secondly, he really wants to have children whom God still does not give. Nicha already consulted with many doctors - they all unanimously recommend a trip to the water with his wife, which is not at all like Nicholas’s homebody.Lucrezia herself vowed to defend the forty early dinners, but withstood only twenty - some fat priest began to pester her, and since then her character has become very bad. Ligurio promises to introduce Nitsch to the famous doctor, who recently arrived in Florence from Paris, - with the patronage of Ligurio, he may agree to help.
Kallimako in the role of a doctor makes an indelible impression on Messer Nich: he speaks excellently in Latin and, unlike other doctors, demonstrates a professional approach to the matter: he demands that the woman's urine be brought in order to find out if she is able to have children. To Nich's great joy, the verdict is favorable: his wife will certainly suffer if she drinks the tincture of mandrake. This is the surest means used by the French kings and dukes, but he has one drawback - the first night is mortally dangerous for a man. Ligurio offers an exit:
you need to grab some tramp on the street and put him in bed to Lucretia - then the harmful effect of the mandrake will affect him. Nicha sighs sadly: no, his wife will never agree, because this pious fool had to be broken even to get urine. However, Ligurio is sure of success: mother of Lucretia Sostratus and her confessor Fra Timoteo are simply obliged to help in this holy work. Sostrata enthusiastically persuades her daughter - for the sake of the child, you can tolerate, and it is a mere trifle. Lucretia is horrified: to spend the night with a stranger who has to pay for it with his life - how can one decide on this? In any case, she will not do this without the consent of the holy father.
Then Nitsa and Ligurio go to Fra Timoteo.To begin with, Ligurio launches a trial balloon: one nun, a relative of Messer Calfucci, became pregnant by chance - is it possible to give the poor thing such a decoction to throw out? Fra Timoteo willingly agrees to help a rich man - according to him, the Lord approves of all that benefits people. Having gone away for a minute, Ligurio returns with the news that the need for the broth has disappeared, because the girl threw herself - however, there is an opportunity to make
another good deed, having made Messer Nich and his wife happy. Fra Timoteo quickly estimates that he promises an undertaking, thanks to which you can expect a generous reward from both your lover and your husband - both of whom will be grateful to him from the grave of life. It remains only to persuade Lucretius. And Fra Timoteo easily cope with his task. Lucretia is kind and simple-minded: the monk assures her that the tramp may not die, but since there is such a danger, you need to protect your husband. But this “sacrament” cannot be called adultery, for it will be performed for the good of the family and on the orders of the spouse, whom must obey. It is not the flesh that sins, but the will - in the name of procreation, Lot's daughters once copied with her own father, and no one condemned them for this. Lucretia is not too eager to agree with the arguments of the confessor, and Sostratus promises his son-in-law that she herself will put her daughter to bed.
Ligurio hurries with joyful news to Kallimako, and he tells Siro to take Messer Nicha to the notorious tincture of mandrake - sweet wine with spices. But here a difficulty arises: Kallimako is obliged to grab the first ragman caught before the eyes of the stupid husband - you can’t avoid it, because Nicha can suspect something was amiss.The cunning parasite instantly finds a way out: Fra Timoteo will act as Kallimako, and the young man, having put on a false nose and twisted his mouth to the side, will begin to walk near the house of Lucretia. Everything happens in full accordance with the plan: when he sees a monk dressed up, Nicha is delighted with Kallimako’s ability to change his appearance and voice - Ligurio advises putting a wax ball in his mouth, but first gives the dung. While Nicha spits, Kallimako walks out into the street in a tattered cloak and with a lute in his hands - conspirators armed with the Svyatog stag password pounce on him and drag him into the house under the joyful exclamations of her husband.
The next day, Fra Timoteo, who is eager to find out how the case ended, finds out that everyone is happy. Nitsch proudly tells about his forethought: he personally undressed and examined an ugly tramp who was completely healthy and surprisingly well-built. After making sure that the wife and the “deputy” did not take off their duties, he spent the whole night talking with Sostrata about the future baby — of course, this would be a boy. And the ragged man had to be kicked up almost from the bed; but in
in fact, the doomed young man is kind of sorry. For his part, Kallimako tells Ligurio that Lucretia perfectly understood the difference between an old husband and a young lover. He confessed everything to her, and she saw the sign of God in this - this could only happen by the will of heaven, so what was begun should certainly be continued. The conversation is interrupted by the appearance of Messer Nitsch: he scatters in thanks to the great doctor, and then both of them, together with Lucretia and Sostrata, go to Fra Timoteo, the benefactor of the family.The husband “acquaints” his half with Kallimako and orders to surround this person with all sorts of attention as the best friend of the house. Lucretius, submissive to the will of her husband, declares that Kallimako will be their godfather, because without his help she would never have borne a child. A contented monk invites the whole honest company to offer a prayer for the successful completion of a good deed.
