The Book of the Courtier

by Baldassare Castiglione

  ‘But when all is said and done even all these qualities will not be enough to enable our courtier to win universal favour with lords, knights and ladies unless he also has a gentle and agreeable manner in his day-to-day relationships. However, as far as this is concerned, I truly think that it is difficult to give any rule, because of the infinite variety of things that must be taken into account, seeing that there are no two people in the whole world who are of identical mind. Therefore whoever has to accommodate his behaviour to dealings with a considerable number of people must be guided by his own judgement and, recognizing the differences between one man and another, must change his style and method from day to day, according to the nature of those with whom he wants to converse. And for my part I know no other rules to give on this subject, except perhaps the one we have already heard from signor Morello, which he learned at confession as a child.’

  Here signora Emilia laughed and said: ‘You are too anxious to shirk your duty, Federico; but you will not be successful, for you must go on talking until it is time to go to bed.’

  ‘And if, madam, I have nothing more to say?’ asked Federico.

  ‘Then we shall be able to see how ingenious you can be,’ answered signora Emilia. ‘After all, I once heard of a man so ingenious and eloquent that he did not want for material in writing a whole book in praise of a fly, others in praise of the ague and another in praise of baldness; and if that is true, then haven’t you got it in you to find enough to talk about courtiership for the space of an evening?’

  ‘Already,’ replied Federico, ‘we have said so much about it that we have enough material for two books. But since excuses do not help me, I shall continue talking until you decide that I have fulfilled if not my duty, then all I am capable of.

  ‘I consider that the dealings the courtier has with his prince are those which he should chiefly endeavour to make agreeable. I know that to talk of a courtier being conversant with his prince in this way implies a certain equality that can hardly exist between a ruler and his servant; but for the time being we shall let this go. Well then, I want the courtier not only to make it clear on all occasions and to all persons that he is of the quality we have already described but also to devote all his thought and strength to loving and almost adoring the prince he serves above all else, devoting all his ambitions, actions and behaviour to pleasing him.’

  At this, without waiting further, Pietro da Napoli said:

  ‘We would find plenty of courtiers like this nowadays, for it seems to me that in a few words you have sketched for us a firstclass flatterer.’

  ‘You are very much mistaken,’ replied Federico. ‘For flatterers love neither their prince nor their friends, and I am saying that this is, above all, what I want our courtier to do; and he can obey and further the wishes of the one he serves without adulation, since I am referring to those wishes that are reasonable and right, or that in themselves are neither good nor bad, as, for example, in sport, to devote oneself to one kind of recreation rather than another. And I would have our courtier try to act in this manner, even if it is against his nature, in such a way that whenever his prince sees him he believes that the courtier will have something agreeable to say. And this will be the case if he has the discretion to discern what pleases his prince, and the wit and judgement to know how to act accordingly, and the considered resolve to make himself like what he may instinctively dislike. Prepared in this way, he will never appear before his prince in a bad humour, or in a melancholy mood; nor will he be as taciturn as are so many who seem to bear a grudge against their masters, which is truly odious. He will not speak evil, and least of all of his lords: something that often happens, for in Courts there seems to be a tempest that drives those who are most favoured by their lords and are raised from the humblest condition to the most exalted always to complain and speak ill of them; and this is unseemly not only in their kind but also in those who may be treated badly. Our courtier will avoid foolish arrogance; he will not be the bearer of bad news; he will not be careless in sometimes saying things that may give offence, instead of striving to please; he will not be obstinate and contentious, as are some who seem to enjoy nothing more than being irritating and obnoxious like flies and make a habit of contradicting everyone spitefully without any misgivings; he will not be an idle or lying babbler, nor a stupid flatterer or boaster, but will be modest and reserved, observing always, and especially in public, the reverence and respect which should mark the attitude of a servant towards his master. And he will not behave in the way that so many do, who when they cross the path of a great prince, even if they have spoken to him only once before, go up to him with a certain smiling and friendly countenance, just as if they were going to embrace an equal or do a favour to someone of lower rank. Very rarely, or hardly ever, will he ask his master anything for himself, lest his prince, being reluctant to refuse, concedes it grudgingly, which is far worse. And when he asks for something on behalf of others he will take careful note of the time and place, and will request only what is right and reasonable; and he will present the request in such a way, leaving out the items he knows could be displeasing and cleverly smoothing over the difficulties, that his lord will always grant it or, if he wishes not to, will be able to refuse without worrying about giving offence to the petitioner. For very often when lords have refused to grant a favour to someone who has been seeking it importunately they imagine that the person who has been so insistent must be very anxious to get what he wants and therefore, when he is baulked, must be ill-disposed towards the one who has denied him; and this belief breeds in them a hatred of the person concerned, whom subsequently they can never see without distaste.

  ‘The courtier will never attempt to make his way into the chamber or private quarters of his master uninvited, even though he possesses considerable authority himself; for often, when princes are by themselves, they enjoy the liberty of saying and doing just what they please, and so they do not want to be seen or overheard by anyone in a position to criticize, and this is quite proper. So it seems to me that those people are in error who condemn a ruler for keeping in his rooms persons of little worth except in the matter of knowing how to give good personal service, for I do not see why princes should not be free to relax just as we like to do. But if a courtier who is accustomed to dealing with important matters should find himself privately with his lord, he should then become another person, defer serious things for another time and place, and engage in conversation which will be pleasing and agreeable to his master, in order not to disturb his peace and quiet. However, in this as in everything else he will take care not to annoy his lord; and he should wait for favours to be offered freely rather than seek them, as do only too many who are so grasping that it seems they will die if they are refused, and who, if they happen to fall out of favour or if others are preferred instead, suffer such agonies that they find it impossible to conceal their envy. In this way, they win nothing but ridicule, and often they tempt their lord to bestow his favours indiscriminately, just to spite them. Then if they happen to be favoured out of the ordinary, they are so swept away that they seem almost drunk with joy, hardly know what to do with their hands or their feet, and can scarcely restrain themselves from calling the whole world to come and congratulate them, as if for something they have never experienced before. No, I do not wish our courtier to be like this. I wish him, on the contrary, to enjoy favours, but not to value them so highly as to appear unable to exist without them. And when they are granted to him, he should not let himself appear unaccustomed or alien to the experience, or amazed that such things should happen; nor should he decline them in the way some do, who out of pure ignorance refuse to accept and thereby show the bystanders that they are convinced of their own unworthiness. A man should, moreover, always be a little more humble than his rank requires, not accepting too easily the favours and honours offered him, but declining them modestly while showing that he values them highly, and yet in such a way that he inspires the person o
ffering them to do so with still greater insistence. For the more resistance that is shown in accepting favours, the more the prince who is giving them will think that he is esteemed; and the favour he is granting will seem greater, the more the recipient shows his thanks and appreciation for the honour being done to him. These are the true and tangible favours which enhance the reputation of the one who is seen to be receiving them; for, since they are granted without being asked for, everyone realizes that they are the reward of true merit; and the more so if they are accepted modestly.’

  Then Cesare Gonzaga remarked: ‘It seems to me that you have plagiarized that passage in the Gospel where it says: “When you are invited to a wedding, go and sit down in the lowliest place, so that, when the one who has invited you comes, he may say: My friend, go higher; and thus you will be honoured in the presence of the other guests.”’5

  Federico laughed and said: ‘It would be too great a sacrilege to plagiarize the Gospel; but you are more learned in Holy Scripture than I thought.’

  And then he continued: ‘You see what great dangers those men sometimes run who rashly begin a conversation in the presence of a great prince without being asked. Often, in order to shame them, the lord will refuse to answer and look the other way; and if he does reply, everyone sees that he does so resentfully. So to receive a favour from one’s lord, the best way is to deserve it. Nor when his prince is pleased with someone else, for whatever reason, must a man expect to achieve the same result simply by copying what the other person does; for the same things do not suit everybody alike. Sometimes one finds a man who is by nature so spontaneously witty that whatever he says provokes laughter, and he seems to have been born just for that; and then if someone who is more dignified tries to do the same, even if he is very clever, the result will be so flat and awkward that it will cause embarrassment; and he will be exactly like the ass that wanted to imitate the dog and play with its master. So it is necessary for everyone to know himself and his capabilities, and to accommodate himself accordingly, and decide what things he must imitate and what not.’

  ‘Before you go on any further,’ interrupted Vincenzo Calmeta, ‘if I heard aright it seems to me that you said earlier that the best way to win favours is by deserving them, and that the courtier should rather wait for them to be offered than seek them presumptuously himself. But I fear that this precept is of little use, and I think that experience clearly teaches us the contrary. For nowadays very few people are favoured by lords, save only the arrogant; and I know that you yourself can testify that some who have found themselves little in favour with their princes have made themselves agreeable to them only through presumption. For myself, I know none who have risen through modesty; and I will even give you time to think about this, because I am confident that you will find very few of them yourself. Thus if you will consider the Court of France, which today is among the noblest of all Christendom, you will find that all those who there enjoy universal favour tend to be arrogant, not only among themselves but even towards the King.’

  ‘Do not say so,’ replied Federico. ‘On the contrary, the gentlemen of France are very courteous and modest. It is true that they allow themselves a certain liberty as well as an unceremonious familiarity which is peculiar and natural to them and should not, therefore, be called presumption. For in the way they conduct themselves, whereas they laugh at and mock the arrogant, they greatly esteem those they believe to be worthy and modest.’

  Calmeta replied: ‘Look at the Spaniards, who appear to be the leaders in courtiership, and consider how many are to be found who are not extremely arrogant both with ladies and gentlemen. And they are worse than the French in so far as they first make a show of great modesty; and in this they are very shrewd because, as I said, the rulers of our day all keep their favours for those who behave in that way.’

  Then Federico answered: ‘I will certainly not allow you, Vincenzo, to slander our present-day rulers in this manner. For there are also many who love modesty, although I do not claim that this in itself is enough to make a man agreeable. However, I maintain that when it is accompanied by genuine valour, then it does great credit to the one who possesses it. And although modesty is silent, praiseworthy deeds speak for themselves and are far more admirable than if they were accompanied by arrogance and rashness. I will not deny that there are to be found many arrogant Spaniards; but I maintain that those who are highly esteemed are, for the most part, extremely modest. Then there are certain others who are so frigid that they go to absurd lengths to avoid the company of others and so unbalanced that they are judged to be either excessively timid or excessively proud. For these I have no praise at all, nor do I wish modesty to be so dry and arid as to degenerate into boorishness. So let the courtier be eloquent when it suits his purpose, and when discussing affairs of state, prudent and wise; and let him be judicious enough to know how to adapt himself to the customs of the people he may be living among. Then in lesser matters let him be entertaining, and in everything sensible. But above all else he should always hold to what is good; he should be neither envious nor slanderous, and he should never seek to gain grace or favour through wicked methods or by dishonest means.’

  Calmeta then commented: ‘I assure you that all other methods are far more uncertain and protracted than those you condemn. For nowadays, to repeat what I have already said, our rulers love only those who follow such paths.’

  ‘Do not say so,’ replied Federico, ‘for that would be too plainly to argue that the rulers of our time are all wicked and evil; and this is not so, since we find some good princes among them. But if our courtier happens to find himself in the service of a lord who is wicked and malignant, he should leave as soon as he is aware of this, to avoid experiencing the bitter anguish of all those good men who serve bad masters.’

  ‘We must pray God,’ Calmeta replied, ‘to grant us good ones, for once we have them we have to put up with them as they are. This is because there are countless considerations that prevent a gentleman from leaving his master once he has entered his service. The misfortune is in his ever having begun to do so, and in this matter courtiers are like caged birds.’

  ‘It seems to me,’ said Federico, ‘that duty should come before all other considerations. Certainly, the courtier must not abandon his master when he is at war or in serious trouble, for then it could be believed that he did so to promote his own fortunes or because he thought that his chances of gainful advantage had disappeared. But at any other time he has the right and the duty to quit a service which is sure to bring him disgrace among honourable men. For everyone assumes that those who serve good masters are good and those who serve bad masters are bad.’

  Then signor Lodovico Pio remarked: ‘I should like you to clear up a doubt that exists in my mind: namely, whether a gentleman is obliged to obey the prince he is serving in everything that may be commanded, even if it is dishonourable or shameful.’

  ‘In dishonourable things we are not bound to obey anyone,’ answered Federico.

  ‘But then,’ went on signor Lodovico, ‘if I were to be in the service of a prince who treated me well and was confident that I would do everything possible for him, and he were to command me to go and kill a certain person, or something of the sort, should I refuse?’

  ‘What you must do,’ answered Federico, ‘is to obey your lord in everything that redounds to his profit and honour, but not as regards things that bring him loss and shame. Therefore, if he were to order you to commit some treacherous deed not only are you not obliged to do it but you are obliged not to do it, both for your own sake and to avoid ministering to your master’s shame. It is true that many things which seem good at first sight are evil, and many things which seem evil are good. Thus it is sometimes allowable, in the service of one’s masters, to kill not just one man but ten thousand, and to do many other things which on a superficial view would appear evil although they are not.’

  Then signor Gaspare Pallavicino replied: ‘Well, I beg you then, expl
ain about this a little more, and teach us how to distinguish what is really good from what merely appears to be.’

  ‘Allow me to refuse that,’ answered Federico, ‘for there would be too much to say. But let everything be decided by your discretion.’