The Book of the City of Ladies

by Christine Pizan

  ‘I could give you endless other examples of men who came to harm in various ways for not deigning to take their good wives’ sensible advice. However, those who met a bad end because they dismissed what their wives had to say have only themselves to blame.’

  29. About various men who did well to trust their wives’ advice.

  ‘I’ll give you some examples of men who came to good because they did what their wives advised them to do. These should suffice as proof, although I could cite you so many cases that my testimony would be endless! What I have to tell you also backs up what I said earlier about ladies who were prudent and reliable.

  ‘The Emperor Justinian, whom I mentioned to you before, had a baron who was his companion-in-arms and whom he loved as dearly as himself. This fine, brave knight was called Belisarius. The emperor had him appointed commander-in-chief of his knights and invited him to sit at his table where he was served as royally as Justinian himself. In short, the emperor showed him so much favour that the other barons grew extremely envious of him. They therefore informed the emperor that Belisarius intended to assassinate him and seize control of the empire for himself. The emperor believed their words all too readily and, in order to find a covert way of having Belisarius killed, he ordered him to lead an attack against a people called the Vandals who were so fierce that no one had yet defeated them. On receiving this order, Belisarius understood only too well that the emperor would never have given him this task if he had not fallen heavily out of favour and lost his good will. He was so devastated when he realized this that he was unable to do anything but go back to his house.

  ‘When his wife Antonia, who was the emperor’s sister, saw her husband stretched out on his bed, lying there pale and preoccupied and with tears in his eyes, her heart went out to him and she wouldn’t let him be until he had told her why he was in such distress. Once she heard what had happened, this clever lady pretended to be very joyful and consoled him, saying, “What, is that all that’s on your mind? Don’t be upset!” It’s important to remember that, at that time, the Christian faith was still very new because, being a Christian, the good Antonia said to her husband, “Have faith in Jesus Christ who died on the cross, and he will help you to perform your duty. If those who are jealous of you want to hurt you with their falsehoods, let your virtuous actions prove them all liars and cheats. Don’t dismiss what I say, but take my advice and put your trust in the living God and I promise you that you will be victorious. However, be careful not to show that you are at all apprehensive about this mission, and make sure that you appear to be happy and delighted to do it, not downcast in any way. This is what we’ll do: we’ll gather your troops together as quickly as possible. See to it that no one knows what direction you’re heading for and that you have plenty of ships standing by. Then, split your army into two halves. As swiftly and as stealthily as you can, lead your half off to Africa and launch an immediate assault on the enemy. I’ll take the other half and we’ll come in from the sea and attack them from the rear. Whilst they’re busy fighting with you, we’ll head for the towns and cities behind them, setting fire to everything and killing everyone in sight. We’ll soon destroy the lot of them.” Belisarius wisely took his wife’s advice and did exactly as she said, organizing his expedition so well that he crushed the enemy completely and took the king of the Vandals as his prisoner. It was all due to his wife’s sound advice, not to mention her cleverness and bravery, that he won a great victory which made the emperor love him even more than before.

  ‘It so happened that Belisarius lost the emperor’s favour a second time, once again due to the false reports of the jealous barons. On this occasion, he was completely stripped of his military rank but his wife comforted him and told him to take heart. The emperor himself was eventually deposed by these barons, whereupon Belisarius took his wife’s advice and did everything in his power to fight to reinstate the ruler on his throne, even though he had suffered a great wrong at the emperor’s hands. Thus the emperor discovered how loyal his knight was and how treacherous the others were, all thanks to this astute lady’s intelligence and good counsel.

  ‘Likewise, King Alexander did not scorn the wise words uttered by his wife, the queen, who was the daughter of Darius, king of the Persians. Racked with intense pain, Alexander realized that he had been poisoned by his disloyal servants and was on the verge of throwing himself into the river to end his torment when his wife came up to him. Though she was stricken with grief, she began to comfort him, advising him to go home and lie down on his bed where he could talk with his barons and give his last orders, as befitted an emperor of his stature. His honour would be greatly diminished if, after his death, it was said of him that he had given in to a lack of composure. He took his wife’s advice and gave his orders, just as she had told him to do.’

  30. Christine talks about all the good that women have brought into the world, both now and in the past.

  ‘My lady, though I can see that women have brought countless good things into the world, these men still claim that they have brought only evil.’

  Rectitude replied, ‘My sweet friend, you can tell by what I’ve already explained to you that the opposite of what they say is true. No man can match the great services that women have done and continue to do for humanity. I proved this to you by the examples of those noble ladies who invented different arts and sciences. However, if what I’ve said about the earthly benefits that they have brought is not enough for you, let me tell you about the spiritual benefits. How can men be so ungrateful as to forget that it is thanks to a woman, the Virgin Mary, as I pointed out earlier, that the gates of paradise have been opened to them and that God has taken human form? What greater good could one ask for? And who could forget all the good things that mothers do for their sons and wives for their husbands? I beg them at least not to forget these gifts which are spiritual blessings. Let’s look at the ancient faith of the Jews: if you take the story of Moses, to whom God gave the written laws of the Hebrews, you’ll find that it was a woman who saved him from death, this holy prophet who was to be the source of so much good, as I’ll now go on to tell you.

  ‘At the time when the Jews were taken into captivity by the kings of Egypt, it was prophesied that one day a Hebrew man would be born who would deliver the people of Israel from slavery. When the noble lord Moses was born, his mother was unable to look after him and was forced to put him into a little wicker basket and to send him down the river. As God willed it – for He always saves those whom He wants to save – Thermutis, the daughter of King Pharaoh, was wandering along the riverbank just as the basket was floating by. She immediately had it pulled out of the water to see what was inside. As soon as she saw that it was a baby, the most beautiful child that was ever seen, she was overjoyed. She had him looked after and brought him up as her own son. Since he was miraculously unable to be fed by a woman who was not of his own faith, Thermutis brought in a Hebrew wet nurse to feed him. When he became an adult, Moses was chosen by God as the one to receive His laws. Moses also delivered the Jews out of the hands of the Egyptians, crossing the Red Sea and becoming the leader and ruler of the children of Israel. So it was thanks to the woman who saved Moses that such good came to the Jews.’

  31. About Judith, the noble widow.

  ‘Judith, the noble widow, saved the people of Israel from destruction at the time when Nebuchadnezzar II sent Holofernes to rule over the Jews, having conquered the land of Egypt. This Holofernes and his great army were besieging the Jews inside the city and had already inflicted so much damage on them that they could scarcely hold out much longer. He had cut off their water supply, and their stocks of food were almost exhausted. Despairing of being able to withstand much more, the Jews were on the point of being defeated by Holofernes and were in total dismay. They began to say their prayers, beseeching God to have mercy on His people and to prevent them from falling into the clutches of the enemy. God heard their prayers and, just as He would later save the human race
by a woman, so He chose on this occasion to send a woman to their rescue.

  ‘In the city lived a noble and valiant lady called Judith, who was a young and lovely woman of exemplary virtue and chastity. She took pity on the people in their distress and prayed to God day and night to save them. Inspired by God, in whom she had placed her trust, Judith hatched a daring plan. One night, commending herself to the Lord’s care, she left the city accompanied only by one of her maid servants and headed for Holofernes’s camp. When the soldiers who were on sentry duty saw in the moonlight how beautiful she was, they took her straight to Holofernes, who was delighted to receive such a dazzling woman. He made her sit down beside him and was soon entranced by her intelligence, proud bearing and beauty. The more he gazed at her, the more he burned with desire for her. She, who had other ideas, offered up a silent prayer to God to beg for His help in her endeavours, and managed to string Holofernes along with little promises until she could find the right moment. Three nights later, Holofernes threw a banquet for his barons and drank very heavily. Sated with food and drink, he couldn’t wait any longer to sleep with the Hebrew woman so he sent for her to come to him, which she did. When he told her what he wanted, she was ready to do as he wished on condition that, for the sake of propriety, he made all his men leave his tent. He should then get into bed first, to be joined by Judith at midnight when everyone else was asleep. Holofernes accepted her terms. The good lady then began to pray, begging God to give her the necessary strength and courage in her trembling woman’s heart to rid her people of this foul tyrant.

  ‘When Judith thought that Holofernes would have fallen asleep, she and her maid servant crept up to the opening of his tent and stood listening. Hearing him sound asleep, the lady exclaimed, “Let’s do it now, for God is with us!” She went inside and fearlessly grabbed hold of his sword that was hanging by the bed and drew it out of its scabbard. Using all her strength to lift the blade, she cut off Holofernes’s head without making a sound. With the head wrapped in her skirts, she ran back to the city as fast as she could. Having returned to the gates without meeting any opposition, she called out, “Come and open up, for God is with us!” Once she was back inside, you can’t imagine how overjoyed they all were at what she had done. In the morning, they impaled the head on a spike and stuck it on top of the city walls. They then threw on their armour and mounted a bold and swift attack on the enemy who were still sleeping, never once suspecting that this might happen. The enemy rushed to their leader’s tent to wake him up and to get him out of bed as quickly as possible, but they were horrified to find him slain. The Jews took them all prisoner and killed every last one. Thus the people of Israel were delivered out of the hands of Holofernes by Judith, that valiant woman whose praises shall be sung for ever in Holy Scripture.’

  32. About Queen Esther.

  ‘On another occasion, God chose the wise and noble Queen Esther to rescue His people from the king, Ahasuerus, who had placed them in captivity. This Ahasuerus was the most powerful of all rulers and controlled many different kingdoms. He was a pagan and had enslaved the Jews. In each of his kingdoms, he sent out a search for the highest-born maidens who were also the loveliest and most accomplished, being determined to take the one he liked best for his wife. Amongst those brought before him was God’s beloved Esther, a wise and noble Hebrew maiden who was as lovely as she was virtuous. Since she pleased the king more than any of the others, he chose her for his bride. He loved her so dearly that he couldn’t refuse her anything she asked for.

  ‘Some time later, one of his treacherous courtiers, a flatterer named Haman, roused the king’s anger against the Jews to the point where the king gave an order that they should be arrested and killed wherever they were to be found. Queen Esther was totally unaware of this, for if she had known she would have been devastated to learn that her people were being treated with such cruelty. However, Mordecai, the leader of the Jews who was one of her uncles, told her what was happening and begged her to do something immediately because the king’s orders would very soon be executed. The queen was deeply disturbed to discover all this. She therefore dressed herself up in her finest clothes and pretended to be going out with her ladies for a walk, choosing a garden which she knew the king could see from his windows. Passing by his quarters on her return, she saw the king at the window and so, as if it were the most natural thing in the world, she sank down to her knees and greeted him by prostrating herself before him. The king was so struck by this display of humility and so delighted by her dazzling beauty that he called out to her, saying that whatever she asked him for, he would not refuse her. The lady replied that she wanted nothing other than to invite him to dine with her in her rooms and asked that he bring Haman with him. He answered that he would gladly do so. He dined with her three days in a row, and was so captivated by her elegance and dignity, her charm and beauty, that he urged her once again to ask him any favour she wished. She threw herself at his feet and burst into tears, begging him to take pity on her people and not to dishonour her, after having shown her such distinction, by putting all her kin and countrymen to death. Full of rage, the king replied, “But, my lady, who has dared to do such a thing?”, to which she answered, “My lord, it is none other than your chief minister, Haman, who is sitting right here.”

  ‘To cut a long story short, the king repealed his order and Haman, who had concocted the whole thing out of envy, was arrested and hanged for his sins. Mordecai, the queen’s uncle, was made chief minister in his place. The Jews were freed and given the highest and most honourable status of all races in the land. Thus, as in the case of Judith, God elected a woman to save His people. But don’t think that these two were the only ladies in Holy Scripture whom God chose to deliver the Jews. There were many other women whom I haven’t time to discuss, like that Deborah I’ve already mentioned, who also rescued the people from slavery, as did these others.’

  33. About the Sabine women.

  ‘I could give you many examples of pagan women of antiquity who saved their countries, towns or cities. However, I’ll limit myself to two important instances with which to prove my point.

  ‘After the foundation of Rome by Romulus and Remus, Romulus filled the city with as many knights and soldiers as he could collect together after the numerous victories he had won. He was most anxious to obtain wives for these men in order that they would have heirs who would reign over the city in the years to come. However, he was unsure how to go about finding women for himself and his companions to marry, as the kings, princes and people in the surrounding country were reluctant to give them their daughters or to establish any links with them because they considered them to be too reckless, uncivilized and unreliable a race. For this reason, Romulus had to devise a cunning plan. He had it announced throughout the land that a tournament of jousting would take place and he invited all the kings, princes and citizens to come and bring their ladies and daughters to watch the entertainment provided by the foreign knights. On the day of the festivities, a vast crowd gathered on all sides, for a large number of ladies and maidens had come to watch the sport. Amongst them was the daughter of the Sabine king, a charming and beautiful girl, accompanied by all the other ladies and girls of her country whom she had brought along. The games took place outside the city walls, on a plain at the foot of a hill, with the ladies seated high up in rows. The knights outdid each other in their feats and exploits, for the sight of these lovely ladies inspired them to great deeds of bravery and daring. To keep my story brief, after they had been fighting for a while, Romulus decided that it was time to execute his plan and so took out a great ivory horn on which he gave a loud blast. At this sound, which was a signal for them to act, the knights stopped their jousting and ran towards the ladies. Romulus snatched the king’s daughter, with whom he was already smitten, whilst the other knights each took the one they wanted. Forcing the ladies to get up on to their horses, the Romans galloped off towards the city and bolted the gates firmly behind them. Outside,
the women’s fathers and kinsmen let out great cries of grief, as did the ladies themselves who had been abducted, but their weeping was totally in vain. Romulus married his lady with great ceremony, and all the other knights did likewise.

  ‘This event caused a terrible war to break out. As soon as he could, the Sabine king gathered a great army together to attack the Romans. However, it was not easy to defeat them as they were such experts in battle. The war had already lasted five years when, one day, the two sides prepared to meet in full strength on the battlefield and it was obvious that there was going to be an appalling massacre with enormous loss of life. The Romans had already left the city gates in huge numbers when the queen called all the ladies of Rome to meet together in a temple. This wise and beautiful young woman addressed them, saying: “Honourable Sabine ladies, sisters and companions, you all know only too well how we were abducted by our husbands and how this has caused a war between our fathers and kinsmen on the one side and our husbands on the other. There is no way that this deadly conflict can continue or even come to an end, without it being to our detriment, no matter who has the final victory. If we lose our husbands, whom we quite rightly adore now that we have borne them children, we shall be broken-hearted and devastated to see our babies deprived of their fathers. If, on the other hand, our husbands are victorious and our fathers and kinsmen are killed, we will surely deeply regret that all this conflict happened because of us. What is done is done and cannot now be undone. In my view, we need to find some way to bring this war to a peaceful end. If you decide to take my advice and follow my lead in what I’m going to do, I think that we’ll be able to bring this about.” Hearing her words, the other ladies replied with one voice that they would do as she said and would obey her instructions.