Page:The Book of the Courtier.djvu/381

 THE THIRD BOOK OF THE COURTIER by words or by gestures or by any other means) by which he may be sure of it." 57 — Then messer Roberto da Bari said, laughing : " I appeal from this judgment of yours, my lord Magnifico, and think I shall have many with me; but since you will teach mar- ried women this rusticity, so to speak, do you wish also to have the unmarried equally cruel and discourteous? — and complai- sant to their lovers in nothing whatever ? " «' If my Court Lady be unmarried," replied my lord Magnifico, "and must love, I wish her to love someone whom she can marry; nor shall I account it an errour if she shows him some sign of love: as to which matter I wish to teach her one uni- versal rule in a few words, to the end that she may with little pains be able to bear it in mind; and this is, let her show him who loves her every token of love except such as may imbue her lover's mind with the hope of obtaining something wanton from her. And it is necessary to give great heed to this, for it is an errour committed by countless women, who commonly desire nothing more than to be beautiful: and since to have many lovers seems to them proof of their beauty, they take every pains to get as many as they can. Thus they are often carried into reckless behaviour, and forsaking that temperate modesty which so becomes them, they employ certain pert looks with scurrile words and acts full of immodesty, thinking that they are gladly seen and listened to for this and that by such ways they make themselves loved: which is false; for the demonstrations that are made to them spring from desire excited by a belief in their willingness, not from love. W^herefore I wish that my Court Lady may not by wanton behaviour seem to offer herself to anyone who wants her and to do her best to lure the eyes and appetite of all who look upon her, but that by her merits and virtuous conduct, by her loveliness, by her grace, she may imbue the mind of all who see her with that true love which is due to all things lovable, and with that respect which always deprives him of hope who thinks of any wantonness. " Moreover, he who is loved by such a woman ought to con- tent himself with her every slightest demonstration, and to prize a single loving look from her more than complete possession of 225