The Book of the Courtier
weight seldom fails to praise himself. They indeed are insufferable who
do this without desert, but such we do not presume our Courtier to be.”
The Count then said:
“If you heard what I said, it was impudent and indiscriminate
self-praise that I censured: and as you say, we surely ought not to form
a bad opinion of a brave man who praises himself modestly, nay we ought
rather to regard such praise as better evidence than if it came from the
mouth of others. I say, however, that he, who in praising himself runs
into no errour and incurs no annoyance or envy at the hands of those
that hear him, is a very discreet man indeed and merits praise from
others in addition to that which he bestows upon himself; because it is
a very difficult matter.”
Then my lord Gaspar said:
“You must teach us that.”
The Count replied:
“Among the ancient authors there is no lack of those who have taught it;
but to my thinking, the whole art consists in saying things in such a
way that they shall not seem to be said to that end, but let fall so
naturally that it was impossible not to say them, and while seeming
always to avoid self-praise, yet to achieve it; but not after the manner
of those boasters, who open their mouths and let the words come forth
haphazard. Like one of our friends a few days ago, who, being quite run
through the thigh with a spear at Pisa, said he thought it was a fly
that had stung him; and another man said he kept no mirrour in his room
because, when angry, he became so terrible to look at, that the sight of
himself would have frightened him too much.”
Everyone laughed at this, but messer Cesare Gonzaga added:
“Why do you laugh? Do you not know that Alexander the Great, on hearing
the opinion of a philosopher[67] to be that there was an infinite number
of worlds, began to weep, and being asked why he wept, replied, ‘Because
I have not yet conquered one of them;’ as if he would fain have
vanquished all? Does not this seem to you a greater boast than that
about the fly-sting?”
Then the Count said:
“Yes, and Alexander was a greater man than he who made the other speech.
But extraordinary men are surely to be pardoned when they assume much;
for he who has great things to do must needs have daring to do them, and
confidence in himself, and must not be abject or mean in spirit, yet
very modest in speech, showing less confidence in himself than he has,
lest his self-confidence lead to rashness.”
19.—The Count now paused a little, and messer Bernardo Bibbiena said,
laughing:
“I remember what you said earlier, that this Courtier of ours must be
endowed by nature with beauty of countenance and person, and with a
grace that shall make him so agreeable. Grace and beauty of countenance
I think I certainly possess, and this is the reason why so many ladies
are ardently in love with me, as you know; but I am rather doubtful as
to the beauty of my person, especially as regards these legs of mine,
which seem to me decidedly less well proportioned than I should wish: as
to my bust and other members however, I am quite content. Pray, now,
describe a little more in particular the sort of body that the Courtier
is to have, so that I may dismiss this doubt and set my mind at rest.”
After some laughter at this, the Count continued:
“Of a certainty that grace of countenance can be truly said to be yours,
nor need I cite further example than this to show what manner of thing
it is, for we unquestionably perceive your aspect to be most agreeable
and pleasing to everyone, albeit the lineaments of it are not very
delicate. Still it is of a manly cast and at the same time full of
grace; and this characteristic is to be found in many different types of
countenance. And of such sort I would have our Courtier’s aspect; not so
soft and effeminate as is sought by many, who not only curl their hair
and pluck their brows, but gloss their faces with all those arts
employed by the most wanton and unchaste women in the world; and in
their walk, posture and every act, they seem so limp and languid that
their limbs are like to fall apart; and they pronounce their words so
mournfully that they appear about to expire upon the spot: and the more
they find themselves with men of rank, the more they affect such tricks.
Since nature has not made them women, as they seem to wish to appear and
be, they should be treated not as good women but as public harlots, and
driven not merely from the courts of great lords but from the society of
honest men.
20.—“Then coming to the bodily frame, I say it is enough if this be
neither extremely short nor tall, for both of these conditions excite a
certain contemptuous surprise, and men of either sort are gazed upon in
much the same way that we gaze on monsters. Yet if we must offend in one
of the two extremes, it is preferable to fall a little short of the just
measure of height than to exceed it, for besides often being dull of
intellect, men thus huge of body are also unfit for every exercise of
agility, which thing I should much wish in the Courtier. And so I would
have him well built and shapely of limb, and would have him show
strength and lightness and suppleness, and know all bodily exercises
that befit a man of war: whereof I think the first should be to handle
every sort of weapon well on foot and on horse, to understand the
advantages of each, and especially to be familiar with those weapons
that are ordinarily used among gentlemen; for besides the use of them in
war, where such subtlety in contrivance is perhaps not needful, there
frequently arise differences between one gentleman and another, which
afterwards result in duels often fought with such weapons as happen at
the moment to be within reach: thus knowledge of this kind is a very
safe thing. Nor am I one of those who say that skill is forgotten in the
hour of need; for he whose skill forsakes him at such a time, indeed
gives token that he has already lost heart and head through fear.
21.—“Moreover I deem it very important to know how to wrestle, for it is
a great help in the use of all kinds of weapons on foot. Then, both for
his own sake and for that of his friends, he must understand the
quarrels and differences that may arise, and must be quick to seize an
advantage, always showing courage and prudence in all things.[68] Nor
should he be too ready to fight except when honour demands it; for
besides the great danger that the uncertainty of fate entails, he who
rushes into such affairs recklessly and without urgent cause, merits the
severest censure even though he be successful. But when he finds himself
so far engaged that he cannot withdraw without reproach, he ought to be
most deliberate, both in the preliminaries to the duel and in the duel
itself, and always show readiness and daring. Nor must he act like some,
who fritter the affair away in disputes and controversies, and who,
having the choice of weapons, select those that neither cut nor pierce,
and arm themselves as if they were expecting a cannonade; and thinking
it enough not to be defeated, stand ever on the defensive and
retreat,—showing therein their utter cowardice. And thus they make
themselves a laughing-stock for boys, like those two men of Ancona who
fought at Perugia not long since, and made everyone laugh who saw them.”
“And who were they?” asked my lord Gaspar Pallavicino.
“Two cousins,” replied messer Cesare.
Then the Count said:
“In their fighting they were as like as two brothers;” and soon
continued: “Even in time of peace weapons are often used in various
exercises, and gentlemen appear in public shows before the people and
ladies and great lords. For this reason I would have our Courtier a
perfect horseman in every kind of seat; and besides understanding horses
and what pertains to riding, I would have him use all possible care and
diligence to lift himself a little beyond the rest in everything, so
that he may be ever recognized as eminent above all others. And as we
read of Alcibiades that he surpassed all the nations with whom he lived,
each in their particular province, so I would have this Courtier of ours
excel all others, and each in that which is most their profession. And
as it is the especial pride of the Italians to ride well with the rein,
to govern wild horses with consummate skill, and to play at tilting and
jousting,—in these things let him be among the best of the Italians. In
tourneys and in the arts of defence and attack, let him shine among the
best in France.[69] In stick-throwing, bull-fighting, and in casting
spears and darts, let him excel among the Spaniards. But above
everything he should temper all his movements with a certain good
judgment and grace, if he wishes to merit that universal favour which is
so greatly prized.
22.—“There are also many other exercises, which although not immediately
dependent upon arms, yet are closely connected therewith, and greatly
foster manly sturdiness; and one of the chief among these seems to me to
be the chase, because it bears a certain likeness to war: and truly it
is an amusement for great lords and befitting a man at court, and
furthermore it is seen to have been much cultivated among the ancients.
It is fitting also to know how to swim, to leap, to run, to throw
stones, for besides the use that may be made of this in war, a man often
has occasion to show what he can do in such matters; whence good esteem
is to be won, especially with the multitude, who must be taken into
account withal. Another admirable exercise, and one very befitting a man
at court, is the game of tennis, in which are well shown the disposition
of the body, the quickness and suppleness of every member, and all those
qualities that are seen in nearly every other exercise. Nor less highly
do I esteem vaulting on horse, which although it be fatiguing and
difficult, makes a man very light and dexterous more than any other
thing; and besides its utility, if this lightness is accompanied by
grace, it is to my thinking a finer show than any of the others.[70]
“Our Courtier having once become more than fairly expert in these
exercises, I think he should leave the others on one side: such as
turning summersaults, rope-walking, and the like, which savour of the
mountebank and little befit a gentleman.
“But since one cannot devote himself to such fatiguing exercises
continually, and since repetition becomes very tiresome and abates the
admiration felt for what is rare, we must always diversify our life with
various occupations. For this reason I would have our Courtier sometimes
descend to quieter and more tranquil exercises, and in order to escape
envy and to entertain himself agreeably with everyone, let him do
whatever others do, yet never departing from praiseworthy deeds, and
governing himself with that good judgment which will keep him from all
folly; but let him laugh, jest, banter, frolic and dance, yet in such
fashion that he shall always appear genial and discreet, and that
everything he may do or say shall be stamped with grace.”
23.—Then messer Cesare Gonzaga said:
“We certainly ought on no account to hinder the course of this
discussion; but if I were to keep silence, I should be neglectful both
of the right I have to speak and of my desire to know one thing: and let
me be pardoned if I ask a question instead of contradicting; for this I
think may be permitted me, after the precedent of messer Bernardo here,
who in his over desire to be held comely, broke the rules of our game by
asking a question instead of contradicting.”
Then my lady Duchess said:
“You see how one errour begets many. Therefore he who transgresses and
sets a bad example, like messer Bernardo, deserves to be punished not
only for his own transgression but also for the others’.”