The Physician’s tale

Once a time there  was a roman  knight called Virginius . He was a member of  the middle class, he was a doctor and a surgeon that used the astrology and natural medicine  to care for his patients. He had  a loving wife and a very beautiful  and humble daughter, called Virginia.

Her beauty was  incomparable,  but  she avoided events which might compromise her

Virtue. At that time virginity was an important value.

One day , Virginia went to the town with her mother to pray in a temple.

There, a judge ,who governed the town, saw the knight’s daughter and infatuated with her.

He concluded that the poor girl should be his property and  he taught how he could have the girl for his own.

Virginia and Claudius in the town

So Appius, the judge, asked for help from a brave man , he explained him his plan promising him gifts for his complicity.

The shady man, called Claudius , told to the judge that Virginius was holding one of his servants, a beautiful young girl, against his will, pretending she was his daughter. Infact  Claudius  claimed that Virginius had stolen her and  she was his slave .

Virginius tried to defense himself but Appius didn’t listen to his arguments and decided that the girl could return to Claudius.

                                       Claudius and Virginius

He come back home and  called his daughter.  He explained to her  there were only two things she could do: to death or to shame.

At last Virginius decided to kill her even if she cried and  begged for mercy and another solution.  He had to choose between death or dishonor and he chose the  death.

Virginius and  Virginia

Virginia collapsed  and when she awoke she blessed God that she could die  virgin. Virginius then took his sword and cut off her head, and took it to the judge.

Virginia’s death

When Appius saw the girl’s head tried to run away but the people knew his misdeeds,  they took  Appius and threw him into prison.

 Claudius was sentenced to be hanged upon a tree but Virginius intervened in favour of him reducing the sentence to exile.