The Book of the Courtier
about flying. When a Podestà[181] of Padua had decided to give him a
lectureship in law, he was never willing (although urged thereto by many
scholars) to undeceive the Podestà and confess his ignorance,—always
saying that he did not agree with the opinion of Socrates in this
matter, and that it was not seemly for a philosopher ever to say that he
was ignorant of anything.”
Messer Federico replied:
“I do not say that of his own notion and unasked by others, the Courtier
should volunteer to tell his ignorance; for I too dislike this folly of
self-accusal and depreciation. And therefore I sometimes inwardly laugh
at certain men, who needlessly and of their own accord narrate things
that perhaps occurred without their fault but yet imply a shade of
disgrace; like a cavalier whom you all know, and who, whenever he heard
mention made of the battle that was fought against King Charles in the
Parmesan,[182] at once began to tell the manner of his flight, nor
seemed to have seen or heard aught else that day; again, speaking of a
certain famous joust, he always described how he had fallen, and in his
conversation he often seemed to seek an opportunity to tell how he had
received a sound cudgelling one night as he was on his way to meet a
lady.
“I would not have our Courtier tell such follies. It seems to me,
however, that when occasion offers for displaying himself in something
of which he is quite ignorant, he ought to avoid it; and if compelled by
necessity, he ought to confess his ignorance frankly rather than put
himself to that risk. And in this way he will escape the censure that
many nowadays deserve, who from some perverse instinct or unreasonable
design always set themselves to do that which they do not know, and
forsake that which they do know. And as an instance of this, I know a
very excellent musician, who, having abandoned music, gave himself up
wholly to composing verses, and thinks himself very great therein, and
makes all men laugh at him; and now he has lost even his music.
“Another man, one of the first painters of the world, despises the art
wherein he is most rare, and has set himself to study philosophy; in
which he has such strange conceptions and new chimeras, that he could
not with all his painter’s art depict them.[183] And of such as these, a
countless number could be found.
“Some indeed there are who know they excel in one thing and yet make
their chief business of another, of which they are not ignorant either;
but every time they have occasion to display themselves in that wherein
they feel themselves proficient, they do it gallantly. And it sometimes
comes to pass that the company, seeing them do well in that which is not
their profession, think they can do far better in that which they make
their profession. This art, if it be accompanied by good judgment, is by
no means unpleasing to me.”
40.—Then my lord Gaspar Pallavicino replied:
“This seems to me not art but mere deceit; nor do I think it fitting for
him who would be a man of honour, ever to deceive.”
“It is an embellishment, which graces what he does,” said messer
Federico, “rather than deceit; and even if it be deceit, it is not to be
censured. Will you not also say that of two men fencing, the one who
touches the other, deceives him? And this is because the one has more
art than the other. And if you have a jewel that is beautiful without
setting, and it afterwards comes into the hands of a good goldsmith, who
by skilful setting makes it look far more beautiful, will you not say
that this goldsmith deceives the eyes of anyone who sees it? And yet he
deserves praise for his deceit, for with good judgment and art his
master hand often adds grace and beauty to ivory or silver, or to a
beautiful stone by encircling it with fine gold. Therefore let us not
say that art,—or such deceit as this, if you will call it so,—deserves
any censure.
“Nor is it unseemly for a man who is conscious of doing something well,
dexterously to seek occasion for showing himself therein, and at the
same time to conceal what he thinks undeserving of praise,—but always
with a touch of wary dissimulation. Do you not remember that without
appearing to seek them, King Ferdinand[32] found opportunities now and
then to go about in his doublet? and this because he felt himself to be
very agile; and that, as his hands were not over good, he rarely or
almost never took off his gloves? And there were very few that perceived
his cunning. Moreover I think I have read that Julius Cæsar liked to
wear the laurel wreath to hide his baldness.[184] But in all these
matters it is needful to be very cautious and to use good judgment, in
order not to go beyond bounds; for in avoiding one errour a man often
runs into another, and in his wish to win praise, receives censure.
41.—“Hence in our mode of life and conversation, it is a very safe thing
to govern ourselves with a certain decorous discretion, which in truth
is a very great and very strong shield against envy, which we ought to
avoid as much as possible. Moreover I wish our Courtier to guard against
getting the name of a liar or a boaster, which sometimes befalls even
those who do not deserve it. Therefore in his talk let him always take
care not to go beyond the probable, and also not to tell too often those
truths that have the look of falsehood,[185]—like many who never speak
save of miracles, and wish to carry such authority that every incredible
thing shall be believed from them. Others, at the beginning of a
friendship and in order to gain favour with their new friend, swear the
first day they speak with him that there is no one in the world whom
they love more than him, and that they would gladly die to do him
service, and like things beyond reason. And when they part from him,
they pretend to weep and to be unable to speak a word from grief. Thus,
in their wish to be thought very loving, they come to be esteemed liars
and silly flatterers.
“But it would be too long and tedious to recount all the faults that may
be committed in our manner of conversation. Hence as regards what I
desire in the Courtier, let it suffice to say, besides the things
already said, that he should be of such sort as never to be without
something to say that is good and well suited to those with whom he is
speaking, and that he should know how to refresh the minds of his
hearers with a certain sweetness, and by his amusing witticisms and
pleasantries to move them cleverly to mirth and laughter, so that
without ever becoming tedious or producing satiety, he may give pleasure
continually.
42.—“At last I think my lady Emilia will give me leave to be silent. And
if she refuse me, I shall by my own talk stand convicted of not being
the good Courtier whereof I have spoken for not only does good talk
(which perhaps you have neither now nor ever heard from me), but even
such talk as I usually have at command (whatever that may be worth),
quite fail me.”
Then my lord Prefect said, laughing:
“I am not willing to let this false opinion,—that you are not a most
admirable Courtier,—rest in the mind of any of us; for it is certain
that your desire to be silent proceeds rather from a wish to escape
labour than from lack of something to say. So, to the end that nothing
may seem to be neglected in such worthy company as this and such
admirable talk, be pleased to teach us how we must employ the
pleasantries that you have just mentioned, and to show us the art that
pertains to all this kind of amusing talk, so as to excite laughter and
mirth in gentle fashion; for indeed methinks it is very important and
well befitting the Courtier.”
“My Lord,” replied messer Federico, “pleasantries and witticisms are the
gift and grace of nature rather than of art; but in this matter certain
nations are to be found more ready than others, like the Tuscans, who in
truth are very clever. It seems to me that the use of witticism is very
natural to the Spaniards too. Yet there are many, both of these and of
all other nations, who from over loquacity sometimes go beyond bounds
and become silly and pointless, because they do not consider the kind of
person with whom they are speaking, the place where they are, the
occasion, or the soberness and modesty which they ought above all things
to maintain.”
43.—Then my lord Prefect replied:
“You deny that there is any art in pleasantries, and yet by speaking ill
of those who use them not with modesty and soberness and who regard not
the occasion and the persons with whom they are speaking, methinks you
show that even this can be taught and has some method in it.”
“These rules, my Lord,” replied messer Federico, “are so universal that
they fit and apply to everything. But I said there is no art in
pleasantries, because I think there are only two kinds of them to be
found: one of which stretches out in long and continuous talk, as we see
in the case of certain men who narrate and describe so gracefully and
amusingly something that has happened to them or that they have seen or
heard, that they set it before our eyes with gestures and words and
almost make us touch it with the hand; and for lack of other word, we
may perhaps call this the humourous or urbane manner. The other kind of
witticism is very short, and consists solely in sayings that are quick
and sharp, such as are often heard among us, or biting; nor are they
acceptable unless they sting a little. By the ancients also they were
called apothegms: at present some call them _arguzie_.[186]
“So I say that in the first kind, which is humourous narrative, there is
no need of any art, because nature herself creates and fashions men
fitted to narrate amusingly, and gives them features, gestures, voice
and words proper to imitate what they will. In the other kind, that of
_arguzie_, what can art avail? For whatever it be, a pungent saying must
dart forth and hit the mark before he who utters it shall seem to have
given it a thought; otherwise it is flat and has no savour. Therefore I
think it is all the work of intellect and nature.”
Then messer Pietro Bembo took up the talk, and said:
“My lord Prefect does not deny what you say, that nature and intellect
play the chief part, especially as regards conception. Still it is
certain that every man’s mind, however fine his intellect may be,
conceives both good things and bad, and more or less; yet judgment and
art then polish and correct them, and cull out the good and reject the
bad. So lay aside what pertains to intellect, and explain to us what
consists in art; that is, of the pleasantries and witticisms that excite
laughter, tell us what are befitting the Courtier and what are not, and
in what time and way they should be used; for this is what my lord
Prefect asks of you.”
44.—Then messer Federico said laughingly:
“There is no one of us here to whom I do not yield in everything, and
especially in being jocular; unless perhaps nonsense, which often makes
others laugh more than bright sayings, be also counted as pleasantry.”
And then turning to Count Ludovico and to messer Bernardo Bibbiena, he
said: “Here are the masters of witticism, from whom I must first learn
what to say if I am to speak of jocose sayings.”[187]
Count Ludovico replied:
“Methinks you are already beginning to practise what you say you know
nothing of, I mean in that you try to make these gentlemen laugh by
ridiculing messer Bernardo and me; for every one of them knows you far
excel us in that for which you praise us. If you are fatigued, then, you
had better beg my lady Duchess to postpone the rest of our talk until
to-morrow, instead of trying to escape fatigue by subterfuge.”
Messer Federico began to make answer, but my lady Emilia quickly
interrupted him and said: