Chapter XI

The old woman begins her narrative by asserting that she was not always disfigured and enslaved, but rather the daughter of Pope Urban X, raised in extraordinary luxury and beauty that far exceeded all German nobility.

The old woman catalogs her remarkable beauty in elaborate detail, describing her throat, eyes, eyebrows, and the effect she had on those around her, claiming even poets could not adequately praise her appearance.

The old woman recounts her betrothal to the Prince of Massa Carara, the magnificent wedding preparations, and his sudden death from poisoning, dismissing this tragedy as merely a trifle.

The old woman describes how a Sallee corsair attacked their galley as she and her mother fled to Gaeta, leading to their capture and enslavement.

The old woman explains the corsairs' intrusive body search for hidden valuables, defending it as a customary practice among seafaring nations and even the Knights of Malta.

The old woman describes the hardships of slavery aboard the pirate vessel and her loss of virginity to the corsair captain, presenting this trauma as commonplace and unworthy of lengthy discussion.

The old woman sets the scene of their arrival in Morocco by detailing the internal civil wars among the Emperor's fifty sons and various factional groups.

The old woman witnesses a brutal battle in which rival factions fight over the women prisoners, resulting in the violent deaths of the women and all the men involved, while she alone survives.

After escaping the carnage and collapsing beneath an orange tree, the old woman awakens to find a man attending to her, who laments his own misfortune in a foreign language.