The Book of the Courtier
“It is not in order for the discussion to spend itself in your praises;
it is enough that you are all well known. But as I remember, Sir Count,
that you accused me last evening of not distributing the labour equally,
it were well to let messer Federico rest awhile, and to give messer
Bernardo Bibbiena the task of speaking about pleasantries, because we
not only know him to be very amusing in continuous talk, but we remember
that he has several times promised us to try to write upon this subject,
and hence we may believe that he has already thought much about it, and
therefore ought to satisfy us fully. Afterwards, when we have finished
discussing pleasantries, messer Federico shall go on with what he has
left to say about the Courtier.”
Thereupon messer Federico said:
“My Lady, I do not know what I have left to say; but like the wayfarer
at noon, weary with the fatigue of his long journey, I will refresh
myself with messer Bernardo’s talk and the sound of his words, as if
under some delightful and shady tree, with the soft murmur of a plashing
spring. Then perhaps, being revived a little, I shall be able to say
something more.”
Messer Bernardo replied, laughing:
“If I show you my head, you shall see what shade is to be expected from
the leafage of my tree.[188] As for listening to the murmur of that
plashing spring, perhaps you may; for I was once turned into a spring,
not by any of the ancient gods but by our friend Fra Mariano,[60] and I
have never stood in need of water from then till now.”
Then everyone began to laugh, for this pleasantry referred to by messer
Bernardo happened at Rome in the presence of Cardinal Galeotto of San
Pietro ad Vincula,[189] and was well known to all.
45.—The laughter having ceased, my lady Emilia said:
“Now stop making us laugh by your use of pleasantries, and teach us how
we are to use them, and from what they are derived, and all you know
about the subject. And to lose no more time, begin at once.”
Reduced from Braun’s photograph (no. 42.158) of the portrait, in the
Pitti Gallery at Florence, long attributed to Raphael (1483-1520),
but regarded by Morelli as the work of a pupil.
“I fear,” said messer Bernardo, “that the hour is late; and to the end
that my talk about pleasantries may not itself lack pleasantry and be
tedious, perhaps it will be well to postpone it until to-morrow.”
Here many replied together that it was still far from the usual hour for
ending the discussion. Then, turning to my lady Duchess and to my lady
Emilia, messer Bernardo said:
“I do not wish to escape this task; although, just as I am wont to
marvel at the presumption of those who venture to sing to the viol
before our friend Giacomo Sansecondo,[190] so I ought not to talk about
pleasantries before an audience who understand what I should say far
better than I.
“However, not to give any of these gentlemen a pretext for refusing the
charge that may be laid upon them, I will tell as briefly as I can what
occurs to me concerning the causes that excite laughter; which is so
peculiar to us that in defining man we are wont to say that he is a
laughing animal. For laughter is found only among men, and is nearly
always the sign of a certain hilarity felt inwardly in the mind, which
is by nature drawn towards amusement and longs for repose and
recreation; wherefore we see many things devised by men to this end,
such as festivals and different kinds of shows. And since we love those
who furnish us this recreation, it was the custom of ancient rulers
(Roman, Athenian and many others), in order to gain the people’s good
will and to feast the eyes and minds of the multitude, to erect great
theatres and other public edifices, and therein to exhibit new sports,
horse and chariot races, combats, strange beasts, comedies, tragedies
and mimes. Nor were such shows eschewed by grave philosophers, who in
sports of this kind and banquets often relaxed their minds when fatigued
by lofty discourse and spiritual meditation; which thing all kinds of
men also like to do: for not only toilers in the field, sailors, and all
those who perform hard and rough labour with their hands, but holy
priests, and prisoners awaiting death from hour to hour, all seek
continually some remedy and solace for their refreshment. Hence
everything that moves to laughter, cheers the mind and gives pleasure,
and for the moment frees us from the memory of those weary troubles of
which our life is full. So laughter, as you see, is very delightful to
all, and greatly to be praised is he who excites it reasonably and in a
graceful way.
“But what laughter is, and where it abides, and how it sometimes seizes
upon our veins, eyes, mouths and sides, and seems as if it would make us
burst, so that with all our effort it cannot be restrained,—I will leave
Democritus to tell, who could not even if he were to promise.[191]
46.—“Now the occasion and as it were the source from which the laughable
springs, lies in a kind of distortion; for we laugh only at those things
that have incongruity in them and that seem amiss without being so. I
know not how to explain it otherwise; but if you think of it yourselves,
you will see that what we laugh at is nearly always something that is
incongruous and yet is not amiss.
“Next I will try to tell you, as far as my judgment shall show me, what
the means are that the Courtier ought to use for the purpose of exciting
laughter, and within what bounds; because it is not seemly for the
Courtier to be always making men laugh, nor yet by those means that are
made use of by fools or drunken men, by the silly, the nonsensical, and
likewise by buffoons. And although these kinds of men seem to be in
demand at courts, yet they deserve not to be called Courtiers, but each
by his own name, and to be held for what they are.
“Moreover we must diligently consider the bounds and limits of exciting
laughter by derision, and who it is we deride; for laughter is not
aroused by jeering at a poor unfortunate nor yet at an open rascal and
blackguard, because the latter seems to merit greater punishment than
that of being ridiculed, and the mind of man is not prone to flout the
wretched, unless they boast of their wretchedness and are proud and
saucy. We ought also to treat with respect those who are universal
favourites and beloved by all and powerful, for by jeering at these
persons a man may sometimes bring dangerous enmities upon himself. Yet
it is proper to flout and laugh at the vices of those who are neither so
wretched as to excite pity, nor so wicked as to seem worthy of capital
punishment, nor so great that a touch of their wrath can do much harm.
47.—“Again, you must know that from the same occasion whence we draw our
laughable witticisms, we may likewise draw serious phrases of praise or
censure, and sometimes by using the same words. Thus in praising a
generous man who shares all he has with his friends, we are wont to say
that what he has is not his own; the same may be said in censuring a man
who has stolen or by other evil means acquired what he possesses. Also
we say, ‘That lady is of great price,’ meaning to praise her for
discretion and goodness; the same thing might be said in dispraise of
her, implying that anyone may have her.
“But for this purpose we have a chance to use the same situations
oftener than the same words. Thus recently a lady being at mass in
church with three cavaliers, one of whom served her in love,[192] a poor
beggar came up and taking his stand before the lady began to beg alms of
her; and he repeated his petition several times to her with much
importunity and pitiful groaning; yet for all that she gave him no alms,
nor still did she refuse it to him with a sign to go in peace, but
continued to stand abstracted as if she were thinking of something else.
Then the cavalier in love said to his two companions:
“‘You see what I have to expect from my lady, who is so hard-hearted
that she not only gives no alms to that naked starving wretch who is
begging it of her so eagerly and often, but she will not even send him
away. So much does she delight to see a man languishing in misery before
her and vainly imploring her pity.’
“One of his two friends replied:
“‘This is not hardness of heart, but a silent lesson from the lady to
teach you that she is never pleased with an importunate suitor.’
“The other replied:
“‘Nay, it is a warning to him that while she never grants what is asked
of her, still she likes to be entreated for it.’
“You see how the lady’s failure to send the poor man away, gave rise to
one saying of grave censure, one of moderate praise, and another of
biting satire.
48.—“Proceeding now to declare the kinds of pleasantries that are
pertinent to our subject, I say that in my opinion there are three
varieties, although messer Federico mentioned only two: namely, that
which consists in rendering the effect of a thing by means of urbane and
amusing long narrative, and that which consists in the swift and keen
readiness of a single phrase. But we will add a third sort called
practical joking, in which long narratives and short sayings have place,
and also some action.
“Now the first, which consists in continuous talk, is of such sort as
almost to amount to story-telling. And to give you an instance: just at
the time when Pope Alexander the Sixth died and Pius the Third was
created pope,[193] your fellow Mantuan, my lady Duchess, messer Antonio
Agnello,[194] being at Rome and in the palace, happened to speak of the
death of the one pope and of the other’s creation, and in discussing
this with some of his friends, he said:
“‘My Lords, even in the days of Catullus[195] doors began to speak
without a tongue and to listen without ears, and thus to reveal
adulteries. Now, although men are not of such worth as they were in
those times, it may be that the doors (many of which are made of antique
marbles, at least here in Rome) have the same powers that they then had;
and for my part I believe that these two here could clear away all our
doubts if we cared to learn from them.’
“Then the gentlemen present were very curious, and waited to see how the
affair was going to end. Whereupon messer Antonio, continuing to walk up
and down, raised his eyes as if by chance to one of the two doors of the
hall in which they were strolling, stopped a moment, and pointed out to
his companions the inscription over it, which was the name of Pope
Alexander, followed by a V and an I, signifying Sixth as you know; and
he said:
“‘See what the door says: _Alessandro Papa vi_, which means that he
became pope by the violence that he used, and that he accomplished more
by violence than by reason. Now let us see if from the other we can
learn anything about the new pope.’ And turning to the other door as if
by accident, he showed the inscription, N PP V, which signified
_Nicolaus Papa Quintus_;[196] and he at once said: ‘Alas, bad news; this
one says, _Nihil Papa Valet_.’
Reduced from Alinari’s photograph (no. 17412) of a part of the fresco,
“The Resurrection,” in the Borgian Apartments in the Vatican, by
Bernardino di Betto di Biagio, better known as Pinturicchio,
(1454-1513).
49.—“Now you see how elegant and admirable this kind of pleasantry is,
and how becoming to a Courtier, whether the thing that is said be true
or not; because in such a case it is allowable for a man to fabricate as
much as he pleases, without blame; and in speaking the truth, to adorn
it with a little falsity, overstating or understating as the occasion