Page:The Book of the Courtier.djvu/341

 THE THIRD BOOK OF THE COURTIER women told them to wear their shields and spears and leave their clothes behind, and to tell the enemy that this was their attire. And thus, acting upon the advice of their women, they in great part atoned for the shame that they could not wholly escape. " Again, Cyrus having routed an army of Persians in battle, in fleeing to their city they met their women outside the gate, who, stopping in the way, said: 'Whither do ye flee, base men? Would ye perchance hide yourselves in us, from whence ye came?' On hearing these and other like words, and being sen- sible how inferior they were in courage to their women, the men were ashamed, and returning against the enemy, fought with him anew and routed him."'" 33. — Having thus far spoken, the Magnifico stopped, and turning to my lady Duchess, said : " Now, my Lady, you will give me leave to be silent." My lord Caspar replied: " You will forsooth have to be silent, for you do not know what more to say." The Magnifico said, laughing: •' You provoke me so, that you run risk of having to listen to women's praises all night; and to hear of many Spartan women who rejoiced in the glorious death of their children;"™ and of those who disowned or even slew theirs when seen to behave basely. Then how in the ruin of their country the Saguntine women took up arms against the forces of Hannibal;'" and how, when Marius overcame the army of the Germans, the women, being unable to get leave to live free at Rome in the service of the Vestal Virgins, all killed themselves and their little chil- dren;'*' and of a thousand others whereof all the ancient histories are full." Then my lord Caspar said : "Ah, my lord Magnifico, but God knows how those things happened; for that age is so remote from us that many lies can be told and there is none to refute them." 34-— The Magnifico said: "If in every age you will compare women's worth with that of men, you will find that they have never been and are not now at 201