The Book of the Courtier
of their loveliness. Then the soul,—freed from vice, purged by studies
of true philosophy, versed in spiritual life, and practised in matters
of the intellect, devoted to the contemplation of her own substance,—as
if awakened from deepest sleep, opens those eyes which all possess but
few use, and sees in herself a ray of that light which is the true image
of the angelic beauty communicated to her, and of which she then
communicates a faint shadow to the body. Grown blind to things earthly,
the soul thus becomes very keen-sighted to things heavenly; and
sometimes, when the motive forces of the body are absorbed by earnest
contemplation or fettered by sleep, being unhampered by them, she is
conscious of a certain far-off perfume of true angelic beauty, and
ravished by the splendour of that light, she begins to kindle and
pursues it so eagerly that she almost becomes phrensied with desire to
unite herself to that beauty, thinking that she has found God’s
footstep, in the contemplation of which she seeks to rest as in her
beatific end. And thus, glowing in this most happy flame, she rises to
her noblest part, which is the intellect; and here, no longer darkened
by the gloomy night of things earthly, she sees the divine beauty; but
still she does not yet quite enjoy it perfectly, because she
contemplates it in her own particular intellect only, which cannot be
capable of the vast universal beauty.
“Wherefore, not well content with this boon, love gives the soul a
greater felicity; for just as from the particular beauty of one body it
guides her to the universal beauty of all bodies, so in the highest
stage of perfection it guides her from the particular to the universal
intellect. Hence the soul, kindled by the most sacred fire of true
divine love, flies to unite herself with the angelic nature, and not
only quite forsakes sense, but has no longer need of reason’s discourse;
for, changed into an angel, she understands all things intelligible, and
without veil or cloud views the wide sea of pure divine beauty, and
receives it into herself, and enjoys that supreme felicity of which the
senses are incapable.
69.—“If, then, the beauties which with these dim eyes of ours we daily
see in corruptible bodies (but which are naught but dreams and faintest
shadows of beauty) seem to us so fair and gracious that they often
kindle most ardent fire in us, and of such delight that we deem no
felicity able to equal that which we sometimes feel at a single glance
coming to us from a woman’s beloved eyes,—what happy wonder, what
blessed awe, shall we think is that which fills the souls that attain to
the vision of divine beauty! What sweet flame, what delightful burning,
must that be thought which springs from the fountain of supreme and true
beauty!—which is the source of every other beauty, which never waxes nor
wanes: ever fair, and of its own self most simple in every part alike;
like only to itself, and partaking of none other; but fair in such wise
that all other fair things are fair because they derive their beauty
from it.
“This is that beauty identical with highest good, which by its light
calls and attracts all things to itself, and not only gives intellect to
the intellectual, reason to the rational, sense and desire for life to
the sensual, but to plants also and to stones communicates motion and
that natural instinct of their quality, as an imprint of itself.
“Therefore this love is as much greater and happier than the others, as
the cause that moves it is more excellent; and hence, just as material
fire refines gold, so does this most sacred fire in our souls destroy
and consume that which is mortal there, and quickens and beautifies that
celestial part which at first, by reason of the senses, was dead and
buried in them. This is the Pyre whereon the poets write that Hercules
was burned on the crest of Mount Œta, and by such burning became divine
and immortal after death.[478] This is the Burning Bush of Moses, the
Cloven Tongues of fire, the Fiery Chariot of Elias,[479] which doubles
grace and felicity in the souls of those who are worthy to behold it,
when they leave this earthly baseness and take flight towards heaven.
“Let us, then, direct all the thoughts and forces of our soul to this
most sacred light, which shows us the way that leads to heaven; and
following after it, let us lay aside the passions wherewith we were
clothed at our fall, and by the stairway that bears the shadow of
sensual beauty on its lowest step, let us mount to the lofty mansion
where dwells the heavenly, lovely and true beauty, which lies hidden in
the inmost secret recesses of God, so that profane eyes cannot behold
it. Here we shall find a most happy end to our desires, true rest from
our toil, certain cure for our miseries, most wholesome medicine for our
diseases, safest refuge from the boisterous storms of this life’s
tempestuous sea.
70.—“What mortal tongue, then, O most holy Love, can praise thee
worthily? Most fair, most good, most wise, thou springest from the union
of beauty and goodness and divine wisdom, and abidest in that union, and
by that union returnest to that union as in a circle. Sweetest bond of
the universe, joining things celestial to things terrestrial, thou with
benignant sway inclinest the supernal powers to rule the lower powers,
and turning the minds of mortals to their origin, joinest them thereto.
Thou unitest the elements in concord, movest nature to produce—and that
which is born, to the perpetuation of life. Thou unitest things that are
separate, givest perfection to the imperfect, likeness to the unlike,
friendship to the unfriendly, fruit to the earth, tranquillity to the
sea, vital light to the heavens.
“Thou art father of true pleasure, of grace, of peace, of gentleness and
good will, enemy to rustic savagery and sloth—in short, the beginning
and the end of every good. And since thou delightest to inhabit the
flower of beautiful bodies and beautiful souls, and thence sometimes to
display thyself a little to the eyes and minds of those who are worthy
to behold thee, methinks that now thy abode is here among us.
“Deign, then, O Lord, to hear our prayers, pour thyself upon our hearts,
and with the splendour of thy most holy fire illumine our darkness and,
like a trusted guide, in this blind labyrinth show us the true path.
Correct the falseness of our senses, and after our long pursuit of
vanities give us true and solid good; make us to inhale those spiritual
odours that quicken the powers of the intellect, and to hear the
celestial harmony with such accord that there may no longer be room in
us for any discord of passion; fill us at that inexhaustible fountain of
content which ever delights and never satiates, and gives a taste of
true beatitude to all who drink of its living and limpid waters; with
the beams of thy light purge our eyes of misty ignorance, to the end
that they may no longer prize mortal beauty, and may know that the
things which first they seemed to see, are not, and that those which
they saw not, really are.
“Accept our souls, which are offered thee in sacrifice; burn them in
that living flame which consumes all mortal dross, to the end that,
being wholly separated from the body, they may unite with divine beauty
by a perpetual and very sweet bond, and that we, being severed from
ourselves, may, like true lovers, be able to transform ourselves into
the beloved, and rising above the earth may be admitted to the angels’
feast, where, fed on ambrosia and immortal nectar, we may at last die a
most happy and living death, as died of old those ancient fathers whose
souls thou, by the most glowing power of contemplation, didst ravish
from the body and unite with God.”
71.—Having thus far spoken, with such vehemence that he almost seemed
transported and beside himself, Bembo remained silent and motionless,
keeping his eyes towards heaven, as if wrapped in ecstasy; when my lady
Emilia, who with the others had been listening most attentively to his
discourse, took him by the border of his robe, and shaking him a little,
said:[480]
“Have a care, messer Pietro, that with these thoughts your soul, also,
does not forsake your body.”
“My Lady,” replied messer Pietro, “that would not be the first miracle
that love has wrought upon me.”
Then my lady Duchess and all the others again began urging Bembo to
continue his discourse: and everyone seemed almost to feel in his mind a
spark of that divine love which inspired the speaker, and all desired to
hear more; but Bembo added:
“My Lords, I have said that which love’s sacred phrensy dictated to me
at the moment; now that it seems to inspire me no further, I should not
know what to say: and I think love is not willing that its secrets
should be further disclosed, or that the Courtier should pass beyond
that stage which it has been pleased to have me show him; and therefore
perhaps it is not permitted to speak more of this matter.”
72.—“Verily,” said my lady Duchess, “if the unyouthful Courtier should
prove able to follow the path that you have shown him, he ought in all
reason to content himself with such great felicity, and to have no envy
of the youthful Courtier.”
Then messer Cesare Gonzaga said:
“The road which leads to this felicity seems to me so steep that I
believe it is very hard to travel.”
My lord Gaspar added:
“I believe it is hard for men to travel, but impossible for women.”
My lady Emilia laughed, and said:
“My lord Gaspar, if you return to wronging us so often, I promise you
that you will not be pardoned again.”
My lord Gaspar replied:
“No wrong is done you by saying that women’s souls are not so purged of
passion as those of men, nor given to contemplation, as messer Pietro
said those must be who would taste divine love. Thus we do not read that
any woman has had this grace, but that many men have had it, like Plato,
Socrates and Plotinus,[481] and many others; and so many of our holy
Fathers, like St. Francis, upon whom an ardent spirit of love impressed
the most holy seal of the five wounds:[482] nor could aught but the
power of love lift St. Paul to the vision of those mysteries whereof man
is not allowed to speak;[483] nor show St. Stephen the opened
heavens.”[484]
Here the Magnifico Giuliano replied:
“In this, women will by no means be outdone by men; for Socrates himself
confesses that all the mysteries of love which he knew were revealed to
him by a woman, who was the famous Diotima;[362] and the angel who
wounded St. Francis with the fire of love, has also made several women
of our age worthy of the same seal. You must remember, too, that St.
Mary Magdalen had many sins forgiven her because she loved much,[485]
and perhaps with no less grace than St. Paul was she many times lifted
to the third heaven by angelic love; and so many others, who (as I
narrated yesterday more at large) for the love of Christ’s name took no
heed of life, nor were afraid of torments or any manner of death however
horrible and cruel it might be; and they were not old, as messer Pietro
would have our Courtier, but tender and delicate girls, and of that age
wherein he says that sensual love ought to be allowed in men.”
73.—My lord Gaspar began making ready to reply, but my lady Duchess
said:
“Of this let messer Pietro Bembo be the judge, and let us abide by his
decision whether or not women are as capable of divine love as men are.
But as the controversy between you might be too long, it will be well to
postpone it until to-morrow.”
“Nay, until this evening,” said messer Cesare Gonzaga.
“How until this evening?” said my lady Duchess.
Messer Cesare replied:
“Because it is already day;” and he showed her the light that was
beginning to come in through the cracks at the windows.