The Book of the Courtier
King Ferdinand of Naples; who (like gold in the fire) showed her virtue
and worth amid the storms of fortune.[396]
Reduced from a part of Braun’s photograph (no. 34.093) of the portrait
by Titian (1477-1576) in the Imperial Museum at Vienna. The picture
was painted about 1536 from a portrait painted about 1511 by
Francesco Raibolini, better known as Francia, (1450-1517). See
Alessandro Luzio’s article in the _Emporium_ (Bergamo), nos. 65-6.
“If you come to Lombardy, you will find my lady Isabella, Marchioness of
Mantua;[397] to whose very admirable virtues injustice would be done in
speaking as soberly as in this place anyone must needs do who would
speak of her at all. I regret, too, that you did not all know her sister
the Duchess Beatrice of Milan, in order that you might never more have
need to marvel at woman’s capacity.[398] And Eleanora of Aragon, Duchess
of Ferrara and mother of both these two ladies whom I have mentioned,
was of such sort that her very admirable virtues bore good witness to
all the world that she not only was a worthy daughter of a king, but
deserved to be queen over a much greater realm than all her ancestors
had possessed.[399] And to tell you of another, how many men do you know
in the world who have borne the cruel blows of fortune as patiently as
Queen Isabella of Naples has done?[400]—who, after the loss of her
kingdom, the exile and death of her husband King Federico[401] and of
two children, and the captivity of her first-born, the Duke of
Calabria,[402] still shows herself to be a queen, and so endures the
grievous burdens of bitter poverty as to give all men proof that
although her fortunes are changed, her rank is not.
“I refrain from mentioning countless other ladies, and also women of low
degree; like many Pisan women, who in defence of their city against the
Florentines displayed that generous daring, without any fear of death,
which might have been displayed by the most unconquerable souls that
have ever been on earth; wherefore some of them have been celebrated by
many noble poets.[403]
“I could tell you of some who were very excellent in letters, in music,
in painting, in sculpture; but I do not wish to go on selecting from
among these instances that are perfectly well known to you all. It is
enough that if you reflect upon the women whom you yourselves know, it
is not difficult for you to perceive that they are for the most part not
inferior in worth and merits to their fathers, brothers and husbands;
and that not a few have been the source of good to men and often have
corrected many a one of his errours; and if there are not now to be
found on earth those great queens who march to the conquest of distant
lands, and erect great buildings, pyramids and cities,—like that famous
Tomyris, Queen of Scythia, Artemisia, Zenobia, Semiramis or
Cleopatra,[404]—neither are there men like Cæsar, Alexander, Scipio,
Lucullus and those other Roman commanders.”
37.—“Say not so,” replied Frisio, laughing; “for now more than ever are
there women to be found like Cleopatra or Semiramis; and if they have
not such great states, power and riches, yet they lack not the good will
to imitate those queens in giving themselves pleasure, and in satisfying
as far as they can all their appetites.”
The Magnifico Giuliano said:
“You always wish to go beyond bounds, Frisio; but if there are some
Cleopatras to be found, there is no lack of countless Sardanapaluses,
which is far worse.”[405]
Then my lord Gaspar said:
“Do not draw these comparisons, or imagine that men are more incontinent
than women; and even if they were so, it would not be worse, for from
women’s incontinence countless evils result that do not from men’s.
Therefore, as was said yesterday, it is wisely ordained that women are
allowed to fail in all other things without blame, to the end that they
may be able to devote all their strength to keeping themselves in this
one virtue of chastity; without which their children would be uncertain,
and that tie would be dissolved which binds the whole world by blood and
by the natural love of each man for what he has produced. Hence loose
living is more forbidden to women than to men, who do not carry their
children for nine months within them.”
38.—Then the Magnifico replied:
“Verily these are fine arguments which you cite, and I do not see why
you do not commit them to writing.
“But tell me why it is not ordained that loose living is as disgraceful
a thing in men as in women, seeing that if men are by nature more
virtuous and of greater worth, they could all the more easily practise
this virtue of continence also; and their children would be neither more
nor less certain, for although women were unchaste, they could of
themselves merely and without other aid in no wise bear children,
provided men were continent and did not take part in women’s unchastity.
But if you will say the truth, even you know that we men have of our own
authority arrogated to ourselves a licence, whereby we insist that the
same sins are in us very trivial and sometimes praiseworthy, and in
women cannot be sufficiently punished, unless by shameful death or
perpetual infamy at least.
“Wherefore, since this opinion is prevalent, methinks it were a fitting
thing to punish severely those also who with lies cast infamy on women;
and I think that every noble cavalier is bound always to defend the
truth with arms where there is need, and especially when he knows some
woman to be falsely accused of little chastity.”
39.—“And I,” replied my lord Gaspar, laughing, “not only affirm that
which you say is the duty of every noble cavalier, but I think that it
is an act of great courtesy and gentleness to conceal the fault a woman
may have committed through mischance or over-love; and thus you may see
that I am more on the side of women, where reason permits it, than you
are.
“I do not, indeed, deny that men have taken a little liberty; and this
because they know that according to universal opinion loose living does
not bring them the infamy that it does to women; who by reason of the
frailty of their sex are much more inclined towards their appetites than
men are; and if they sometimes refrain from satisfying their desires,
they do so from shame and not because their will is not quite ready.
Therefore men have put the fear of infamy upon them as a bridle to keep
them almost by force to this virtue, without which they were in truth
little to be prized; for the world has no good from women except the
bearing of children.
“But this is not the case with men, who rule cities and armies, and do
so many other things of importance. Since you will have it so, I do not
care to deny that women can do these things; it is enough that they do
not. And when men have seen fit to set a pattern of continence, they
have excelled women in this virtue as well as in the others also,
although you do not admit it. And as to this I will not rehearse so many
histories and fables as you have done, but merely refer you to the
continence of two very great young lords, and to their victory, which is
wont to make even men of lowest rank insolent. One is that of Alexander
the Great towards the very beautiful women of Darius,—an enemy, and a
vanquished one at that;[406] the other, of Scipio, who having at the age
of twenty-four years taken a city in Spain by force, there was brought
before him a very beautiful and noble young woman, captured along with
many others; and hearing that she was the bride of a gentleman of the
country, Scipio not only abstained from any wanton act towards her, but
restored her unspotted to her husband, bestowing a rich gift upon her
besides.[407]
“I could tell you of Xenocrates,[408] who was so continent that a very
beautiful woman having laid herself down unclothed beside him, and
employing all the caresses and using all the arts that she knew, whereof
she was an admirable mistress, she had not the power to make him show
the slightest sign of impudicity, although she tried one whole night
long; and of Pericles, who on merely hearing someone praise a boy’s
beauty with overwarmth, reproved him sharply;[409] and of many others
who have been very continent of their own choice, and not from shame or
fear of punishment, which move most women who practise this virtue: who
for all that deserve to be highly praised, and he who falsely casts the
infamy of unchasteness upon them is worthy of the heaviest punishment,
as you have said.”
40.—Then messer Cesare, who had been silent a long while, said:
“Think in what fashion my lord Gaspar is wont to speak in blame of
woman, if these are the things that he says in their praise. But if my
lord Magnifico will let me say a few things in his stead by way of reply
to such matters as my lord Gaspar has, to my thinking, said falsely
against women, it were well for both of us; as he will rest awhile and
then be better able to go on to declare some other excellence of the
Court Lady, and I shall hold myself much favoured at having an
opportunity to share with him this duty of a good cavalier—that is, to
defend the truth.”
“Nay, I pray you do so,” replied my lord Magnifico; “for methinks I have
already fulfilled my duty to the extent of my powers, and this
discussion is now outside my subject.”
Messer Cesare continued:
“I am far from wishing to speak of the good that women do in the world
besides the bearing of children, for it has been sufficiently shown how
necessary they are not only to our being, but to our well-being; but I
say, my lord Gaspar, that if they are as you say more inclined to their
appetites than men, and if for all that they abstain therefrom more than
men, which you admit,—they are as much worthier of praise as their sex
is less strong to resist their natural appetites. And if you say they do
it from shame, methinks that in place of a single virtue you give them
two; for if shame is stronger in them than appetite and they for that
reason abstain from evil acts, I think that this shame (which in short
is nothing else but fear of infamy) is a very rare virtue and one
possessed by very few men. And if I could, without infinite disgrace to
men, tell how many of them are plunged in shamelessness (which is the
vice opposed to this virtue), I should pollute these chaste ears that
hear me. These offenders against God and nature are for the most part
men already old, who make a calling, some of the priesthood, some of
philosophy, some of sacred law; and govern public affairs with a
Catonian severity of countenance that gives promise of all the integrity
in the world; and always allege the feminine sex to be very incontinent;
nor do they ever lament anything more than their loss of natural vigor,
which renders them unable to satisfy the abominable desires that still
linger in their thoughts after being denied by nature to their bodies;
and hence they often find ways wherein strength is not necessary.
41.—“But I do not wish to say more; and it is enough for me that you
grant me that women abstain from unchaste living more than men; and
certain it is that they are restrained by no other bridle than that
which they themselves put on. That this is true, the greater part of
those who are confined with too close care, or beaten by their husbands
or fathers, are less chaste than those who have some liberty.
“But a great bridle to women generally is their love of true virtue and
their desire for honour, whereof many whom I have known in my time make
more account than of their very life; and if you will say the truth,
every one of us has seen very noble youths, discreet, wise, valiant and