There once was a smart storyteller
Who hard pressed, cause neglected, poor feller,
Used his talent for tale
With the patron, to avail -
Think: autobiography (poignant), bestseller.

By a monk called a blasphemous sinner
he replied to that charge with a grin: a-
fter what Matthew told
- "you shall receive hundredfold" -
By the alms you give, you must choke on dinner.

There once was a monarch of France
Who was in for a little romance
But the lady was married,
so (worried) she carried
Out a scheme that said 'hands off my pants'.

There was a young monk who was stuck
With a lover, but had the good luck
That his abbot as well
Had a fling with the gal,
So they said, who will care 'bout one carnal misstep.

The sultan a wise man to test
Asked him which of religions was best
The answer, of all things
Was: they are three like rings
For three sons - Allegory be blest.

Giannotto urged Abraham the jew:
"Become a Christian!" - said he "It is true:
You sin without end
Yet the church does expand
I'm in! - The holy ghost must be with you."

There was a great sinner lay dying
Wanting burial from the church he's defying:
"How to handle this mess?
I'll pretend to confess!"
And they called him a saint, for well lying.

There once were ten people in Florence
Who held the raging Plague in abhorrence
They fled to a villa
Said, in order to fill our
Time, let us tell stories - in torrents.