The Book of the Courtier
his orders to the letter; while on the contrary if the gain in case of
success is like to be more serious than the damage in case of failure, I
think he may properly venture to do that which his reason and judgment
dictate, and somewhat disregard the very letter of his orders,—so as to
act like good merchants, who to gain much risk little, but never risk
much to gain little.
“I strongly approve of the Courtier’s observing above all the character
of the prince whom he serves, and of his governing himself accordingly:
for if it be severe, as is the case with many, I should never advise
anyone who was my friend to change one jot the order given him; lest
that might befall him which is recorded as having befallen a master
engineer of the Athenians, to whom Publius Crassus Mucianus,[166] when
he was in Asia and wished to besiege a fortified place, sent to ask for
one of two ship’s masts that he had seen at Athens, in order to make a
ram wherewith to batter down the wall, and said he wished the larger
one. Being very intelligent, the engineer knew that the larger mast was
unsuitable for the purpose, and as the smaller one was easier to
transport and better adapted for making the machine in question, he sent
it to Mucianus. The latter, hearing how things had gone, sent for the
poor engineer, asked why he had disobeyed his orders, and refusing to
listen to any excuse from him, caused him to be stripped naked and so
flogged and scourged with rods that he died, because it seemed to
Mucianus that instead of obeying, the man had tried to offer advice. So
we had best use great caution with these rigourous men.
25.—“But now let us leave this subject of intercourse with princes, and
come to conversation with our equals or with those that are nearly so:
for we must pay heed to this also, since it is universally more
practised and a man more often finds himself engaged in it than in
conversation with princes.
“There are however some simpletons, who, even in the company of the best
friend they have in the world, on meeting a man who is better dressed,
at once attach themselves to him, and then if they happen on one still
better dressed, they do the like to him. And later, when the prince is
passing through the squares or churches or other public places, they
elbow their way past everyone until they reach his side: and even if
they have naught to say to him, they still must talk, and go on
babbling, and laugh and clap their hands and head, to show they have
business of importance, so that the crowd may see them in favour. But
since these fellows deign to speak only with their lords, I would not
have us deign to speak of them.”
26.—Then the Magnifico Giuliano said:
“As you have mentioned those who are so fond of the company of well
dressed men, I should like you to show us, messer Federico, in what
manner the Courtier ought to dress, and what costume is suitable to him,
and in what way he ought to govern himself in all matters of bodily
adornment. For in this we find an infinite variety: some who dress after
the French fashion, some after the Spanish, some who wish to appear
German; nor is there lack of those who even dress after the style of
Turks: some who wear their beards, some not. Hence in this medley it
were well to know how to choose the best.”
Messer Federico said:
“Indeed I should not know how to give a precise rule about dress, except
that a man ought to follow the custom of the majority; and since (as you
say) this custom is so various, and the Italians are so fond of arraying
themselves after foreign fashions, I think every man may dress as he
pleases.
“But I do not know by what fate it happens that Italy has not, as it was
wont to have, a costume that should be recognized as Italian: for
although the putting of these new fashions into use may have made the
former ones seem very rude, yet the old ones were perhaps a badge of
freedom, as the new ones have proved an augury of servitude, which I
think is now very clearly fulfilled.[167] And as it is recorded that
when Darius had the Persian sword which he wore at his side fashioned
after the Macedonian style, the year before he fought with Alexander,
this was interpreted by the soothsayers to signify that they into whose
fashion Darius had transformed his Persian sword, should come to rule
over Persia.[168] So our having changed our Italian garb for that of
strangers seems to signify that all those for whose garb we have
exchanged our own must come to conquer us: which has been but too true,
for there is now left no nation that has not made us its prey: so that
little more is left to prey upon, and yet they do not cease preying upon
us.
27.—“But I do not wish to touch on painful subjects. Therefore it will
be well to speak of our Courtier’s clothes; which I think, provided they
be not out of the common or inappropriate to his profession, may do very
well in other respects if only they satisfy him who wears them. True it
is that I for my part should not like them to be extreme in any wise, as
the French are sometimes wont to be in over amplitude, and the Germans
in over scantiness,—but as they both are, only corrected and improved in
form by the Italians. Moreover I always like them to tend a little
towards the grave and sober rather than the gay. Thus I think black is
more suitable for garments than any other colour is; and if it is not
black, let it at least be somewhat dark. And this I say of ordinary
attire, for there is no doubt that bright and cheerful colours are more
suitable over armour, and for gala use also dress may be fringed, showy
and magnificent; likewise on public occasions, such as festivals, shows,
masquerades, and the like. For such garments carry with them a certain
liveliness and gaiety that accord very well with arms and sports. But
for the rest I would have our Courtier’s dress display that sobriety
which the Spanish nation greatly affect, for things external often bear
witness to the things within.”
Then messer Cesare Gonzaga said:
“This would give me little concern, for if a gentleman is of worth in
other things, his attire will never enhance or lessen his reputation.”
“You say truly,” replied messer Federico. “Yet what one of us is there,
who, on seeing a gentleman pass by with a garment on his back quartered
in divers colours, or with a mass of strings and knotted ribbons and
cross lacings, does not take him for a fool or a buffoon?”
“Neither for a fool,” said messer Pietro Bembo, “nor for a buffoon would
he be taken by anyone who had lived any time in Lombardy, for all men go
about like that.”
“Then,” said my lady Duchess, laughing, “if all men go about like that,
we must not cast it at them as a fault, since this attire is as fitting
and proper to them as it is for the Venetians to wear puffed
sleeves,[169] or for the Florentines to wear the hood.”
“I am not speaking,” said messer Federico, “more of Lombardy than of
other places, for both the foolish and the wise are to be found in every
nation. But to say what I think is important in attire, I wish that our
Courtier may be neat and dainty throughout his dress, and have a certain
air of modest elegance, yet not of a womanish or vain style. Nor would I
have him more careful of one thing than of another, like many we see who
take such pains with their hair that they forget the rest; others devote
themselves to their teeth, others to their beard, others to their boots,
others to their bonnets, others to their coifs;[170] and the result is
that these few details of elegance seem borrowed by them, while all the
rest, being very tasteless, is recognized as their own. And this kind of
dress I would have our Courtier shun, by my advice; adding also that he
ought to consider how he wishes to seem and of what sort he wishes to be
esteemed, and to dress accordingly and contrive that his attire shall
aid him to be so regarded even by those who neither hear him speak nor
witness any act of his.”
28.—Then my lord Gaspar Pallavicino said:
“Methinks it is not fitting, or even customary among persons of worth,
to judge men’s quality by their dress rather than by their words and
acts; for many would make mistakes, nor is it without reason that we
have the proverb, ‘dress makes not the monk.’”
“I do not say,” replied messer Federico, “that fixed opinions of men’s
worth are to be formed only in this way, or that they are not better
known by their words and acts than by their dress: but I do say that
dress is no bad index of the wearer’s fancy, although it may be
sometimes wrong; and not only this, but all ways and manners, as well as
acts and words, are an indication of the qualities of the man in whom
they are seen.”
“And what things do you find,” replied my lord Gaspar, “from which we
may form an opinion, that are neither words nor acts?”
Then messer Federico said:
“You are too subtle a logician. But to tell you what I mean, there are
some acts that still endure after they are performed, such as building,
writing, and the like; others do not endure, such as those I have now in
mind. In this sense, therefore, I do not say that walking, laughing,
looking, and the like, are acts,—and yet all these outward things often
give knowledge of those within. Tell me, did you not judge that friend
of ours, of whom we were speaking only this morning, to be a light and
frivolous man as soon as you saw him walking with that twist of his
head, wriggling about, and with affable demeanour inviting the
by-standers to doff their caps to him? So, too, when you see anyone
gazing too intently with dull eyes after the manner of an idiot, or
laughing as stupidly as those goitrous mutes in the mountains of
Bergamo,[171]—do you not set him down a very simpleton, although he
neither speak nor do aught else? Thus you see that these ways and
manners (which I do not for the present regard as acts) in great measure
make men known to us.
29.—“But another thing seems to me to give and to take away from
reputation greatly, and this is our choice of the friends with whom we
are to live in intimate relations; for doubtless reason requires that
they who are joined in close amity and fast companionship, shall have
their desires, souls, judgments and minds also in accord. Thus, he who
consorts with the ignorant or wicked, is deemed ignorant or wicked; and
on the contrary, he who consorts with the good, the wise, and the
discreet, is himself deemed to be the like. Because by nature everything
seems to join willingly with its like. Therefore I think we ought to use
great care in beginning these friendships, for he who knows one of two
close friends, at once imagines the other to be of the same quality.”
Then messer Pietro Bembo replied:
“I certainly think we ought to take great care to limit ourselves to
friends of like mind with us, as you say, not only because of the gain
or loss of reputation, but because there are to-day very few true
friends to be found, nor do I believe that the world any longer contains
a Pylades and Orestes, a Theseus and Pirithous, or a Scipio and
Lælius.[172] On the contrary, by some fatality it happens every day that
two friends, who have lived in very cordial love for many years, yet in
some way cheat each other at last, either through malice, or jealousy,
or fickleness, or some other evil cause: and each gives the other the
blame which perhaps both deserve.
“Therefore, since it has more than once happened to me to be deceived by
him whom I most loved above every other person, and by whom I was sure I
was loved,—I have sometimes thought to myself that it would be well for
us never to trust anyone in the world, nor so to give ourselves up to
any friend (however dear and loved he be) as to reveal all our thoughts