The Decameron of Giovanni Boccaccio
blame a thing which cannot be undone is to do no otherwhat than to
seek to show oneself wiser than the Gods, who, we must e'en believe,
dispose of and govern us and our affairs with unfailing wisdom and
without any error; wherefore you may very easily see what fond and
brutish overweening it is to presume to find fault with their
operations and eke how many and what chains they merit who suffer
themselves be so far carried away by hardihood as to do this. Of whom,
to my thinking, you are all, if that be true which I understand you
have said and still say for that Sophronia is become my wife, whereas
you had given her to Gisippus, never considering that it was
foreordained from all eternity that she should become not his, but
mine, as by the issue is known at this present. But, for that to speak
of the secret foreordinance and intention of the Gods appeareth unto
many a hard thing and a grievous to apprehend, I am willing to suppose
that they concern not themselves with aught of our affairs and to
condescend to the counsels[466] of mankind, in speaking whereof, it
will behove me to do two things, both very contrary to my usances, the
one, somedele to commend myself, and the other, in some measure to
blame or disparage others; but, for that I purpose, neither in the one
nor in the other, to depart from the truth and that the present matter
requireth it, I will e'en do it.
[Footnote 466: Or "arguments" (_consigli_).]
Your complainings, dictated more by rage than by reason, upbraid,
revile and condemn Gisippus with continual murmurs or rather clamours,
for that, of his counsel, he hath given me to wife her whom you of
yours[467] had given him; whereas I hold that he is supremely to be
commended therefor, and that for two reasons, the one, for that he
hath done that which a friend should do, and the other, for that he
hath in this wrought more discreetly than did you. That which the
sacred laws of friendship will that one friend should do for the
other, it is not my intention at this present to expound, being
content to have recalled to you this much only thereof, to wit, that
the bonds of friendship are far more stringent than those of blood or
of kindred, seeing that the friends we have are such as we choose for
ourselves and our kinsfolk such as fortune giveth us; wherefore, if
Gisippus loved my life more than your goodwill, I being his friend, as
I hold myself, none should marvel thereat. But to come to the second
reason, whereanent it more instantly behoveth to show you that he hath
been wiser than yourselves, since meseemeth you reck nothing of the
foreordinance of the Gods and know yet less of the effects of
friendship:--I say, then, that you of your judgment, of your counsel
and of your deliberation, gave Sophronia to Gisippus, a young man and
a philosopher; Gisippus of his gave her to a young man and a
philosopher; your counsel gave her to an Athenian and that of Gisippus
to a Roman; your counsel gave her to a youth of noble birth and his to
one yet nobler; yours to a rich youth, his to a very rich; yours to a
youth who not only loved her not, but scarce knew her, his to one who
loved her over his every happiness and more than his very life. And to
show you that this I say is true and that Gisippus his action is more
commendable than yours, let us consider it, part by part. That I, like
Gisippus, am a young man and a philosopher, my favour and my studies
may declare, without more discourse thereof. One same age is his and
mine and still with equal step have we proceeded studying. True, he is
an Athenian and I am a Roman. If it be disputed of the glory of our
native cities, I say that I am a citizen of a free city and he of a
tributary one; I am of a city mistress of the whole world and he of a
city obedient unto mine; I am of a city most illustrious in arms, in
empery and in letters, whereas he can only commend his own for
letters. Moreover, albeit you see me here on lowly wise enough a
student, I am not born of the dregs of the Roman populace; my houses
and the public places of Rome are full of antique images of my
ancestors and the Roman annals will be found full of many a triumph
led by the Quintii up to the Roman Capitol; nor is the glory of our
name fallen for age into decay, nay, it presently flourisheth more
splendidly than ever. I speak not, for shamefastness, of my riches,
bearing in mind that honourable poverty hath ever been the ancient and
most ample patrimony of the noble citizens of Rome; but, if this be
condemned of the opinion of the vulgar and treasures commended, I am
abundantly provided with these latter, not as one covetous, but as
beloved of fortune.[468] I know very well that it was and should have
been and should be dear unto you to have Gisippus here in Athens to
kinsman; but I ought not for any reason to be less dear to you at
Rome, considering that in me you would have there an excellent host
and an useful and diligent and powerful patron, no less in public
occasions than in matters of private need.
[Footnote 467: _i.e._ of your counsel.]
[Footnote 468: _i.e._ my riches are not the result of covetous
amassing, but of the favours of fortune.]
Who then, letting be wilfulness and considering with reason, will
commend your counsels above those of my Gisippus? Certes, none.
Sophronia, then, is well and duly married to Titus Quintius Fulvus, a
noble, rich and long-descended citizen of Rome and a friend of
Gisippus; wherefore whoso complaineth or maketh moan of this doth not
that which he ought neither knoweth that which he doth. Some perchance
will say that they complain not of Sophronia being the wife of Titus,
but of the manner wherein she became his wife, to wit, in secret and
by stealth, without friend or kinsman knowing aught thereof; but this
is no marvel nor thing that betideth newly. I willingly leave be those
who have aforetime taken husbands against their parents' will and
those who have fled with their lovers and have been mistresses before
they were wives and those who have discovered themselves to be married
rather by pregnancy or child-bearing than with the tongue, yet hath
necessity commended it to their kinsfolk; nothing of which hath
happened in Sophronia's case; nay, she hath orderly, discreetly and
honourably been given by Gisippus to Titus. Others will say that he
gave her in marriage to whom it appertained not to do so; but these be
all foolish and womanish complaints and proceed from lack of
advisement. This is not the first time that fortune hath made use of
various means and strange instruments to bring matters to foreordained
issues. What have I to care if it be a cordwainer rather than a
philosopher, that hath, according to his judgment, despatched an
affair of mine, and whether in secret or openly, provided the issue be
good? If the cordwainer be indiscreet, all I have to do is to look
well that he have no more to do with my affairs and thank him for that
which is done. If Gisippus hath married Sophronia well, it is a
superfluous folly to go complaining of the manner and of him. If you
have no confidence in his judgment, look he have no more of your
daughters to marry and thank him for this one.
Nevertheless I would have you to know that I sought not, either by art
or by fraud, to impose any stain upon the honour and illustriousness
of your blood in the person of Sophronia, and that, albeit I took her
secretly to wife, I came not as a ravisher to rob her of her
maidenhead nor sought, after the manner of an enemy, whilst shunning
your alliance, to have her otherwise than honourably; but, being
ardently enkindled by her lovesome beauty and by her worth and knowing
that, had I sought her with that ordinance which you will maybe say I
should have used, I should not (she being much beloved of you) have
had her, for fear lest I should carry her off to Rome, I used the
occult means that may now be discovered to you and caused Gisippus, in
my person, consent unto that which he himself was not disposed to do.
Moreover, ardently as I loved her, I sought her embraces not as a
lover, but as a husband, nor, as she herself can truly testify, did I
draw near to her till I had first both with the due words and with the
ring espoused her, asking her if she would have me for husband, to
which she answered ay. If it appear to her that she hath been
deceived, it is not I who am to blame therefor, but she, who asked me
not who I was. This, then, is the great misdeed, the grievous crime,
the sore default committed by Gisippus as a friend and by myself as a
lover, to wit, that Sophronia hath secretly become the wife of Titus
Quintius, and this it is for which you defame and menace and plot
against him. What more could you do, had he bestowed her upon a churl,
a losel or a slave? What chains, what prison, what gibbets had
sufficed thereunto?
But let that be for the present; the time is come which I looked not
for yet, to wit, my father is dead and it behoveth me return to Rome;
wherefore, meaning to carry Sophronia with me, I have discovered to
you that which I should otherwise belike have yet kept hidden from you
and with which, an you be wise, you will cheerfully put up, for that,
had I wished to cheat or outrage you, I might have left her to you,
scorned and dishonored; but God forfend that such a baseness should
ever avail to harbour in a Roman breast! She, then, namely Sophronia,
by the consent of the Gods and the operation of the laws of mankind,
no less than by the admirable contrivance of my Gisippus and mine own
amorous astuteness, is become mine, and this it seemeth that you,
holding yourselves belike wiser than the Gods and than the rest of
mankind, brutishly condemn, showing your disapproval in two ways both
exceedingly noyous to myself, first by detaining Sophronia, over whom
you have no right, save in so far as it pleaseth me to allow it, and
secondly, by entreating Gisippus, to whom you are justly beholden, as
an enemy. How foolishly you do in both which things I purpose not at
this present to make farther manifest to you, but will only counsel
you, as a friend, to lay by your despites and altogether leaving your
resentments and the rancours that you have conceived, to restore
Sophronia to me, so I may joyfully depart your kinsman and live your
friend; for of this, whether that which is done please you or please
you not, you may be assured that, if you offer to do otherwise, I will
take Gisippus from you and if I win to Rome, I will without fail,
however ill you may take it, have her again who is justly mine and
ever after showing myself your enemy, will cause you know by
experience that whereof the despite of Roman souls is capable.'
Titus, having thus spoken, rose to his feet, with a countenance all
disordered for anger, and taking Gisippus by the hand, went forth of
the temple, shaking his head threateningly and showing that he recked
little of as many as were there. The latter, in part reconciled by his
reasonings to the alliance and desirous of his friendship and in part
terrified by his last words, of one accord determined that it was
better to have him for a kinsman, since Gisippus had not willed it,
than to have lost the latter to kinsman and gotten the former for an
enemy. Accordingly, going in quest of Titus, they told him that they
were willing that Sophronia should be his and to have him for a dear
kinsman and Gisippus for a dear friend; then, having mutually done
each other such honours and courtesies as beseem between kinsmen and
friends, they took their leaves and sent Sophronia back to him. She,
like a wise woman, making a virtue of necessity, readily transferred
to Titus the affection she bore Gisippus and repaired with him to
Rome, where she was received with great honour.