The Book of the Courtier
deeds of war, and whoso is moved thereto by gain or other motive,
besides doing nothing good, deserves not to be called a gentleman, but a
base trafficker. And true glory is that which is preserved in the sacred
treasure-house of letters, as everyone may understand except those
unfortunates who have never enjoyed them.
“What soul is there so abject, timid and humble, that when he reads of
the deeds of Cæsar, Alexander, Scipio, Hannibal, and many others, is not
inflamed by an ardent desire to be like them, and does not make small
account of this frail two days’ life, in order to win the almost eternal
life of fame, which in spite of death makes him live in far greater
glory than before? But he who does not feel the delight of letters,
cannot either know how great is the glory they so long preserve, and
measures it by the life of one man or two, because his memory runs no
further. Hence he cannot esteem this short-lived glory so much as he
would that almost eternal glory if knowledge of it were unhappily not
denied him, and as he does not esteem it so much, we may reasonably
believe that he will not run such danger to pursue it as one who knew it
would.
“I should be far from willing to have an antagonist cite instances to
the contrary in refutation of my view, and urge upon me that with all
their knowledge of letters the Italians have for some time since shown
little martial valour,—which is alas only too true.[114] But it very
certainly might be said that the fault of a few has brought not only
grievous harm but eternal obloquy upon all the rest; and from them was
derived the true cause of our ruin and of the decadence if not the death
of valour in our souls: yet it would be far more shameful in us to
publish it, than for the French to be ignorant of letters. Therefore it
is better to pass over in silence that which cannot be recalled without
pain: and avoiding this subject (upon which I entered against my will)
to return to our Courtier.
44.—“I would have him more than passably accomplished in letters, at
least in those studies that are called the humanities, and conversant
not only with the Latin language but with the Greek, for the sake of the
many different things that have been admirably written therein.[115] Let
him be well versed in the poets, and not less in the orators and
historians, and also proficient in writing verse and prose, especially
in this vulgar tongue of ours;[116] for besides the enjoyment he will
find in it, he will by this means never lack agreeable entertainment
with ladies,[117] who are usually fond of such things. And if other
occupations or want of study prevent his reaching such perfection as to
render his writings worthy of great praise, let him be careful to
suppress them so that others may not laugh at him, and let him show them
only to a friend whom he can trust: because they will at least be of
this service to him, that the exercise will enable him to judge the work
of others. For it very rarely happens that a man who is not accustomed
to write, however learned he may be, can ever quite appreciate the toil
and industry of writers, or taste the sweetness and excellence of style,
and those latent niceties that are often found in the ancients.
“Moreover these studies will also make him fluent, and as Aristippus
said to the tyrant, confident and assured in speaking with
everyone.[118] Hence I would have our Courtier keep one precept fixed in
mind; which is that in this and everything else he should be always on
his guard, and diffident rather than forward, and that he should keep
from falsely persuading himself that he knows that which he does not
know. For by nature we all are fonder of praise than we ought to be, and
our ears love the melody of words that praise us more than any other
sweet song or sound; and thus, like sirens’ voices, they are often the
cause of shipwreck to him who does not close his ears to such deceptive
harmony. Among the ancient sages this danger was recognized, and books
were written showing in what way the true friend may be distinguished
from the flatterer.[119] But what does this avail, if there be many, nay
a host, of those who clearly perceive that they are flattered, yet love
him who flatters them, and hold him in hatred who tells them the truth?
And often when they find him who praises them too sparing in his words,
they even help him and say such things of themselves, that the flatterer
is put to shame, most impudent though he be.
“Let us leave these blind ones to their errour, and have our Courtier of
such good judgment that he will not take black for white, or have more
self-confidence than he clearly knows to be well founded; and especially
in those peculiarities which (if you remember) messer Cesare in his game
said we had often used as an instrument to bring men’s folly to light.
On the contrary, even if he well knows the praises bestowed upon him to
be true, let him not err by accepting them too openly or confirming them
without some protest; but rather let him as it were disclaim them
modestly, always showing and really esteeming arms as his chief
profession, and all other good accomplishments as an ornament thereto.
And particularly among soldiers let him not act like those who insist on
seeming soldiers in learning, and learned men among soldiers. In this
way, for the reasons we have alleged, he will avoid affectation, and
even the middling things that he does, shall seem very great.”
45.—Messer Pietro Bembo here replied:
“Count, I do not see why you insist that this Courtier, being lettered
and endowed with so many other admirable accomplishments, should hold
everything as an ornament of arms, and not arms and the rest as an
ornament of letters; which without other accompaniment are as superiour
in dignity to arms, as the mind is to the body, for the practice of them
properly pertains to the mind, as that of arms does to the body.”
Then the Count replied:
“Nay, the practice of arms pertains to both mind and body. But I would
not have you judge in such a cause, messer Pietro, for you would be too
much suspected of bias by one of the two sides: and as the controversy
has already been long waged by very wise men, there is no need to renew
it; but I regard it as settled in favour of arms, and would have our
Courtier so regard it too, since I may form him as I wish. And if you
are of contrary mind, wait till you hear of a contest wherein he who
defends the cause of arms is allowed to use arms, just as those who
defend letters make use of letters in their defence; for if everyone
avails himself of his proper weapons, you shall see that men of letters
will be worsted.”
“Ah,” said messer Pietro, “a while ago you blamed the French for prizing
letters little, and told what glorious lustre is shed on man by letters
and how they make him immortal; and now it seems you have changed your
mind. Do you not remember that
Before the famous tomb of brave Achilles
Thus spake the mighty Alexander, sighing:
‘O happy youth, who found so clear a trumpet,
And lofty bard to make thy deeds undying!’[120]
And if Alexander envied Achilles not for his deeds, but for the fortune
that had granted him the happiness of having his exploits celebrated by
Homer, we may conclude that Alexander esteemed Homer’s poems above
Achilles’s arms. For what other judge do you wait then, or for what
other sentence upon the dignity of arms and letters, than that
pronounced by one of the greatest commanders that have ever been?”
46.—Then the Count replied:
“I blame the French for thinking that letters are a hindrance to the
profession of arms, and I hold that learning is more proper to no one
than to a warrior; and in our Courtier I would have these two
accomplishments joined and each aided by the other, as is most proper:
nor do I think I have changed my mind in this. But as I said, I do not
wish to discuss which of the two is more worthy of praise. It is enough
that men of letters almost never select for praise any but great men and
glorious deeds, which in themselves merit praise for the mere essential
quality from which they spring; besides this they are very noble
material for writers: which is a great ornament, and in part the cause
of perpetuating writings, which perhaps would not be so much read and
appreciated if they lacked their noble theme, but vain and of little
moment.
“And if Alexander was envious that Achilles should be praised by Homer,
it does not therefore follow that he esteemed letters above arms;
wherein if he had felt himself as far behind Achilles as he deemed all
those who wrote of him were behind Homer, I am sure he would far rather
have desired fine acts on his part than fine speeches on the part of
others. Hence I believe that saying of his to have been a tacit eulogy
of himself, and that he was expressing a desire for what he thought he
did not possess (that is, the supreme excellence of a writer), and not
for what he believed he already had attained (that is, prowess in arms,
wherein he did not deem Achilles at all his superior). Thus he called
Achilles happy, as if hinting that although his own fame had hitherto
not been so celebrated in the world as Achilles’s, which was made bright
and illustrious by that poem so divine,—it was not because his valour
and merits were less or deserving of less praise, but because fortune
bestowed upon Achilles that miracle of nature as a glorious trumpet for
his achievements. Perhaps also he wished to incite some noble genius to
write about him, by showing that this must be as pleasing to him as were
his love and veneration for the sacred monuments of letters: whereof we
have spoken long enough for the present.”
“Nay, too long,” replied my lord Ludovico Pio; “for I believe that in
the whole world it would be impossible to find a receptacle large enough
to hold all the things you would have in our Courtier.”
Then the Count said:
“Wait a little, for there are many more that he must have.”
“In that case,” replied Pietro da Napoli, “Grasso de’ Medici would have
a great advantage over messer Pietro Bembo.”[121]
47.—Here everyone laughed, and the Count began anew and said:
“My lords, you must know that I am not content with the Courtier unless
he be also a musician and unless, besides understanding and being able
to read notes, he can play upon divers instruments. For if we consider
rightly, there is to be found no rest from toil or medicine for the
troubled spirit more becoming and praiseworthy in time of leisure, than
this; and especially in courts, where besides the relief from tedium
that music affords us all, many things are done to please the ladies,
whose tender and gentle spirit is easily penetrated by harmony and
filled with sweetness. Thus it is no marvel that in both ancient and
modern times they have always been inclined to favour musicians, and
have found refreshing spiritual food in music.”
Then my lord Gaspar said:
“I admit that music as well as many other vanities may be proper to
women and perhaps to some that have the semblance of men, but not to
those who really are men; for these ought not to enervate their mind
with delights and thus induce therein a fear of death.”
“Say not so,” replied the Count; “for I shall enter upon a vast sea in
praise of music. And I shall call to mind how it was always celebrated
and held sacred among the ancients, and how very sage philosophers were
of opinion that the world is composed of music, that the heavens make
harmony in their moving, and that the soul, being ordered in like
fashion, awakes and as it were revives its powers through music.
“Thus it is written that Alexander was sometimes excited by it so