Page:The Book of the Courtier.djvu/254

 THE SECOND BOOK OF THE COURTIER able, was what the Archbishop of Florence said to the Alexan- drian cardinal:'*' that men have only their goods, their body, and their soul; their goods are put in peril by the lawyers, their body by the physicians, and their soul by the theologians." Then the Magnifico Giuliano replied: "To this you might add what Nicoletto"^ said: that we seldom find a lawyer who goes to law, a physician who takes physic, or a theologian who is a good Christian." 67.— Messer Bernardo laughed, then went on: "Of these there are countless instances, uttered by great lords and very weighty men. But we often laugh at similes also, such as the one that our friend Pistoia"" wrote to Serafino: 'Send back the wallet that looks like you;' because, if you remember rightly, Serafino looked very like a wallet. " Moreover there are some who delight to liken men and women to horses, dogs, birds, and often to chests, stools, carts, candle- sticks; which is sometimes good and sometimes very flat. Therefore in this it is needful to consider time, place, persons, and the other things that we have mentioned so many times." Then my lord Gaspar Pallavicino said: " An amusing comparison was the one that our friend my lord Giovanni Gonzaga'"' made between Alexander the Great and his own son Alessandro."'" " I do not know it," replied messer Bernardo. My lord Gaspar said: " My lord Giovanni was playing with three dice, and as was his wont had lost many ducats and was still losing; and his son my lord Alessandro (who, although only a lad, is as fond of play as the father is) stood looking at him with great attention and seemed very sad. Count Pianella,'*' who was present with many other gentlemen, said: 'You see, my Lord, that my lord Alessan- dro is little pleased at your losing, and is waiting anxiously for you to win so that he may have some of your winnings. There- fore put him out of his misery, and before you lose everything give him at least a ducat, in order that he too may go and play with his fellows.' Then my lord Giovanni said: 'You are wrong, for Alessandro is not thinking of any such trifle. But as it is written that when he was a boy, Alexander the Great began 142