Giovanni Fiorentino was a 14th-century Florentine writer, to whom is attributed the work Il Pecorone . This was a collection of short stories, purportedly published in 1378. However, this date is disputed. The attribution, given in the opening sonnet accompanying the collection, is supposed to be spurious although it is mostly retained for convenience. Wikipedia
“Lose thou no time that seek’st to garner fame,
Or wouldst deserve the favour of thy dame.”
Giovanni Fiorentino book Il Pecorone
Non perder tempo chi cerca aver fama,
voglia acquistar grazia di sua dama.
Il Pecorone, Giornata X., Novella II. Translation reported in Harbottle's Dictionary of quotations French and Italian (1904), p. 377.
