The Book of the Courtier

by Baldassare Castiglione

  ‘And now, to come back to Italy, I maintain that here too we have no shortage of truly outstanding ladies; for there are two remarkable queens in Naples, where a short time ago there died another, the Queen of Hungary, who as you know was herself outstanding and such as to compare with her husband, the invincible and glorious King Matthias Corvinus. The Duchess Isabella of Aragon, the worthy sister of King Ferdinand of Naples, like gold in the fire, has also shown her virtue and valour amid the storms of Fortune. If you visit Lombardy, you will meet Isabella, Marchioness of Mantua, whose splendid qualities it would be wrong to describe in the restrained terms that impose themselves on anyone wishing to mention her at all. It saddens me, too, that all of you did not know her sister, the Duchess Beatrice of Milan, so that you might never again be surprised at the brilliance of women. Then Eleanora of Aragon, Duchess of Ferrara and the mother of the two ladies I have mentioned, was herself so great that her virtues made evident to everyone both her worthiness as the daughter of a king and her right to far grander possessions than all her ancestors had held. And to mention yet another, how many men do you know who have suffered the bitter blows of Fortune as meekly as Queen Isabella of Naples, who, following the loss of her kingdom, the banishment and death of her husband, King Federico, and of two of her children, and the captivity of her first-born, the Duke of Calabria, still acts as a queen and by the manner in which she bears the trials and tribulations of miserable poverty demonstrates to the whole world that although her fortunes have changed her character has not?18 There are countless other ladies of rank, and ordinary women too, whom I could mention to you; such as all those women of Pisa19 whose generous courage and disregard of death, in the defence of their country against the Florentines, have equalled that of the most unconquerable spirits of all time. And for this, some of them have been immortalized by many great poets. I could tell you of certain women who were very talented in letters, in music, in painting and in sculpture. But I do not wish to continue reviewing these examples, which are well known to all of you. It will be enough for you to bring to mind the women you yourselves have known, for then you will recognize without difficulty that for the most part they are not inferior in worth or merit to their fathers, brothers and husbands, and that many of them have been the cause of benefits to men and have often corrected their errors; and if nowadays the world lacks those great queens, such as Tomyris, Queen of Scythia, Artemisia, Zenobia, Semiramis or Cleopatra, who used to subjugate distant lands and erect great buildings, pyramids and cities, neither does it contain men such as Caesar, Alexander, Scipio, Lucullus and those other Roman commanders.’

  ‘Do not say that,’ replied Frisio with a laugh, ‘for now more than ever there are to be found women like Cleopatra and Semiramis; and if they do not possess such great dominions, power and riches, they certainly do not lack the will to imitate those queens in attending to their pleasures and satisfying their appetites as best they can.’

  The Magnifico Giuliano said: ‘Frisio, you still want to go too far. But even if there are some Cleopatras to be found still, there are also countless Sardanapaluses,20 which is far worse.’

  ‘Do not make such comparisons,’ added signor Gaspare, ‘and don’t believe that men are more incontinent than women. Even if they were, it would not be worse, since countless evils arise from the incontinence of women which do not do so from the incontinence of men; and therefore, as was said yesterday, it is wisely made the rule that women are allowed to fail in everything else, and not be blamed, so long as they can devote all their resources to preserving that one virtue of chastity, failing which there would be doubts about one’s children and the bond which binds the whole world on account of blood, and of each man’s natural love for his own offspring, would be dissolved. So women are more sternly forbidden a dissolute way of life than men, whose bodies do not bear their children for those nine months.’

  ‘Really,’ said the Magnifico, ‘these arguments of yours are very remarkable, and I do not know why you don’t put them down in writing. But tell me why it is not made the rule that men may be condemned for a dissolute way of life as much as women, seeing that if they are naturally of higher worth and virtue, they can all the more easily practise the virtue of continence; and then doubts about one’s children would be neither greater nor less. For even if women were unchaste, if the men stayed pure and did not give in to the unchastity of women, they could not produce offspring all on their own. But if you wish to be truthful, you must also recognize that we have granted ourselves the licence by which we want the same sins that are trivial and sometimes even praiseworthy when committed by men to be so damnable in women that they cannot be punished enough, save by a shameful death or at least everlasting infamy. Therefore since this opinion is so widespread, I think it only proper also to punish harshly those who defame women with their lies; and I consider that every noble knight is bound when it is necessary to take up arms in defence of the truth, and especially when he hears a woman falsely accused of being unchaste.’

  ‘And I,’ answered signor Gaspare with a smile, ‘not only affirm that what you say is indeed the duty of every noble knight but also consider it chivalrous and gentlemanly to conceal the fault which a woman may have committed either through mischance or excessive love; and so you can see that when it is right and proper I am a greater champion of women than you. Indeed, I do not deny that men have arrogated to themselves a certain liberty; and this because they know that it is commonly accepted that a dissolute life does not bring them the infamous reputation that it does to women, who, because of the frailty of their sex, are far more influenced by their passions than men. And if they do sometimes refrain from satisfying their desires, they do so out of shame and not because they lack a very ready will to do so. And so men have instilled in them the fear of infamy as a bridle to preserve their chastity almost by force, and without which, to be honest, they would be little esteemed; for women bring no benefit to the world, save the bearing of children. This is not, however, the case with men, who govern cities and command armies and perform so many other important things: all of which, since you will have it so, I will not dispute women know how to do, but which, quite simply, they do not do. And when men have chanced to be models of continence, then they have surpassed women in this virtue just as in the others, though you do not agree. On this matter, I have no wish to recite for you as many stories and fables as you have done but will merely refer you to the continence of two very great rulers, who were young and flushed with victory, which invariably makes even the mildest men intemperate. First, there is the continence of Alexander the Great, with regard to the very beautiful women of Darius, his defeated enemy; then of Scipio, to whom, when at the age of twenty-four he had taken a city in Spain by force, there was brought a very beautiful and noble young woman, who had been captured among many others. And when Scipio learned that she was the bride of one of the local lords, not only did he refrain from any attempt on her virtue but he also restored her unsullied to her husband, to whom he gave a rich gift besides. I could tell you of Xenocrates who, when a very beautiful woman lay down naked beside him and used all the arts and caresses she knew, and in which she was very skilled, was so continent that she completely failed to arouse his lust, though she spent the whole night trying; or of Pericles who merely on hearing someone praise the beauty of a certain boy too enthusiastically, reproached him harshly; or of many others who have been most continent of their own free will, and not from shame or fear of punishment, by which most of those women who preserve their chastity are influenced; though, to be sure, they do, after all, deserve every praise, just as anyone who falsely impugns their chastity deserves to be severely punished, as you said.’21

  Then Cesare, who had been silent for some while, remarked:

  ‘Think what signor Gaspare must say when he is criticizing women, if these are the things he says in their praise! But if the Magnifico will allow me to say in his stead a few things concerning how falsely, to my mind, Gas
pare has spoken against women, it would be convenient for both of us. For by this means he will obtain a moment’s rest and then be able, all the better, to continue describing the qualities of the Court lady; and I shall consider myself greatly privileged to have the chance of sharing with him in the duty of a worthy knight, namely, to defend the truth.’

  ‘Indeed, I beg you to do so,’ replied the Magnifico, ‘since I was already thinking I had done what I should to the best of my ability, and that this discussion had now gone beyond my purpose.’

  Then Cesare added: ‘I do not want now to speak of all the benefits the world has derived from women, apart from their child-bearing, because it has already been adequately shown how essential they are not only to our being here at all, but to our well-being once we are. But I do say, signor Gaspare, that if they are, as you allege, more inclined to their desires than men and for all that refrain from satisfying them more than men, which you yourself admit, then the less strength their sex has to resist their natural appetites, the more praiseworthy they are. If you say that they do so out of shame, then it seems to me that you are simply attributing two virtues to them in the place of one; for if shame influences them more than desire and in consequence they abstain from evil acts, I consider that this very shame – which when all is said and done is simply fear of disgrace – is a most rare virtue, and practised by very few men. Moreover, if without bringing men into complete and utter disgrace I could tell how many of them are sunk in shamelessness, which is the vice corresponding to this virtue, I would corrupt the chaste ears that hear me. What is more, these men who so offend God and Nature are already old and make a profession, some of the priesthood, others of philosophy or of sacred law; they govern states with a Catonian severity of countenance that suggests all the integrity in the world; they constantly allege that the female sex is most incontinent. But they themselves regret nothing more than their lack of natural vigour to be able to satisfy the abominable desires still lingering in their minds after Nature has denied them to their bodies; and yet they often devise ways for which potency is not required.

  ‘However, I have no wish to go on. And I shall be satisfied if you grant me that women more than men refrain from living un-chastely. Certainly, the only bridle which restrains them is one they put on themselves; and for the truth of this, consider that most of those who are restricted too closely or are beaten by their husbands or fathers, are less chaste than those who enjoy a certain measure of freedom. It is their love of true virtue which is for most women the strongest bridle, along with their anxiety to guard then-honour, which many I have known myself hold more dear than their own life. And, if you wish for the truth, each of us has seen the noblest of youths, endowed with discretion, wisdom, talent and good looks, devoting years of their life to the pursuit of love and neglecting nothing by way of attention, gifts, entreaties, tears, in short, doing everything imaginable: and all in vain. Were it not that you would say to me that my qualities have never made me worthy of being loved, I should put myself forward as a witness, as one who more than once came near to death because of a woman’s all too severe and unassailable purity.’

  Signor Gaspare replied: ‘Don’t be surprised at that. Women who are begged always refuse to give in to the one who begs them; and those who are not begged do the begging themselves.’

  Cesare said: ‘I have never come across these men that are begged by women. But I have known very many who, when they realize their efforts have been useless and they have wasted time foolishly, have recourse to that fine way of revenging themselves and claim they have enjoyed in full what they have only imagined; and they think that it is fitting behaviour for a courtier to say wicked things and invent stories, so that slanderous reports are spread among the crowd about some noble lady. People of that sort, who make a vile boast, whether true or not, of having enjoyed some lady’s favours, deserve the severest punishment, and even torture; and if this is what they sometimes incur, then no praise is too great for those who have the duty of inflicting it. For if they are telling lies, what could be more wicked than to employ deceit in robbing a respectable woman of something she values more than her life, and solely because of something that ought to win her the highest possible praise? Then, if they are telling the truth, what punishment is harsh enough for a man who repays, with such rank ingratitude, a lady who, won over by false flattery, pretended tears, constant entreaties, lamentation, ruses, trickery and perjuries, has allowed herself to fall too deeply in love, and then has foolishly abandoned herself to the mercies of such a malignant creature? But to answer you further as regards that unheard of continence of Alexander and Scipio, to which you referred, I do not wish to deny that both of them acted in a most praiseworthy manner; nevertheless, so that you may not say that because I am describing things that happened long ago I am repeating fables, I want to give the example of an ordinary woman of our own times who showed far greater continence than either of these great men.

  ‘Let me tell you, then, that I once knew a pretty and charming young girl, whose name I will not reveal in case I furnish matter for scandal to all those idiots who form a bad opinion of a woman as soon as they hear she is in love. This girl, having long been loved by a noble youth of excellent character, began to love him in turn with all her mind and heart; her feelings were quite obvious not only to me, to whom she happily confided everything as if I were, I shall not say her brother, but her dearest sister, but also to all those who saw her in the company of the young man she loved. Loving him as fervently as any loving soul can, she yet for two years remained so reserved that she never once gave him the least sign of her affection, save what she could not conceal; nor would she ever speak to him, or accept his letters or gifts, though not a day went past without her being urged to do both. And how much she desired the youth I well know, since if sometimes she was able to possess secretly anything that had belonged to him, she derived such pleasure from it that it seemed her life-spring and her every good; but for all this time her only concession was to see him and let herself be seen, and occasionally to dance with him, as with others, at holiday times. Since they were so well matched, she and the young man were anxious that their great love for one another should have a happy outcome and that they should become husband and wife. And this was also the hope of all the men and women of their city, with the exception of her cruel father; for he had conceived the perverse and aberrant ambition of marrying her to another and richer man. But the girl’s only rebellious act was to shed the most bitter tears. After the ill-fated marriage had taken place, amidst great compassion on the part of the people and to the despair of the unhappy lovers, even that blow of Fortune was not enough to uproot the love that was so deeply embedded in both their hearts; and it continued for the space of three years, though the girl wisely concealed it and sought in every way possible to rid herself of desires which were now hopeless. All the while, she never faltered in her determination to remain chaste; and seeing that there was no honourable way in which she could have the one whom alone she adored, she chose not to wish for him in any way and to follow her practice of refusing to accept either his messages and his gifts, or even his glances. And with that firm resolve, the wretched girl, overcome by the most bitter anguish and wasted by her lingering passion, died after three years, preferring to renounce the joys and satisfaction for which she pined, and finally life itself, rather than her honour. Nor, indeed, did she lack ways and means of satisfying herself in secret, without any risk of disgrace or any other loss; and yet she abstained from what she wanted so much herself and to do which she was constantly urged by the person whom alone in the world she wanted to please. Nor was she motivated by fear or by any consideration other than a pure love of virtue.