The Book of the City of Ladies

by Christine Pizan

  61. About Juno, and some other famous ladies.

  ‘I’ve now told you about a great number of the ladies who are mentioned in the history books. However, as I’ve no intention of discussing every single one, because we’d never get to the end of it, I think that these will have to do as evidence to refute the views of those men you have cited. I’ll finish by recounting to you the stories of some women who were famous more for the extraordinary things which happened to them than for their exemplary virtues.

  ‘According to what the poets say in their erroneous pagan fables, Juno was the daughter of Saturn and Opis. This Juno was the most famous of all pagan women, though this was due more to her good fortune than to her own merits. She was both the sister and the wife of Jupiter, who was known as the ruler of the gods. Juno and her husband enjoyed a life of such extraordinary affluence and prosperity that she was dubbed the goddess of wealth. The Samians, who obtained a statue of Juno after her death, attributed their particularly good luck to her. They also maintained that she governed the institution of marriage and answered the prayers of women who invoked her help. Everywhere, temples, altars and games were dedicated to her, and priests made sacrifices in her name. She was long held in esteem by both the Greeks and the Carthaginians. Her statue was later taken to the Capitol in Rome and placed next to that of her husband in the temple of Jupiter. Here she was worshipped for many years by the Romans, who ruled over the entire world and performed various different rituals in her honour.

  ‘Likewise, Europa, the daughter of Agenor of Phoenicia, was also very famous. This was thanks to Jupiter, who fell in love with her and named one third of the world after her. Indeed, there are many countries, cities and towns which bear the name of a woman, amongst which we can cite England, so-called because of a lady by the name of Angela.

  ‘Likewise, Jocasta, Queen of Thebes, was renowned for her terrible misfortune. By a tragic accident of fate, she married her own son after he had killed his father, though neither mother nor son was aware of the blood tie between them. She witnessed not just her son’s appalling despair when he found out the truth of the matter, but also the deaths of their two children who later killed each other.

  ‘Likewise Medusa (or the Gorgon) was famed for her great beauty. She was the daughter of the wealthy King Phorcys, whose vast kingdom was surrounded by sea on all sides. The ancient accounts of Medusa say that she was so incredibly beautiful that she surpassed all other women. What’s even more extraordinary and almost supernatural, she had such a charming gaze, coupled with her lovely face, body and long curly blonde tresses, that she held any mortal creature who glanced at her transfixed by her look. It was for this reason that the fables said she turned people to stone.

  ‘Helen, wife of Menelaus, King of Lacedaemonia, and daughter of Tyndareos, King of Sparta, and his wife Leda, was also renowned for her amazing beauty. The history books claim that she was the most stunning woman who ever lived, over and above all the other beautiful women ever mentioned, because it was she who caused the destruction of the city of Troy when she was abducted by Paris. For this reason, too, the poets believed that she was the daughter of the god Jupiter himself.

  ‘Likewise, Polyxena, the youngest daughter of King Priam, was the loveliest maiden ever described in any historical account. Polyxena proved that she was not only beautiful but also extremely steadfast and resolute when she accepted her sad fate with dignity. Just before she was beheaded over the tomb of Achilles, she declared that she preferred to die rather than be taken into slavery. I could tell you about many others, too, but lack of space prevents me.’

  62. Christine addresses Rectitude who, in her reply, refutes the view of those who claim that women use their charms to attract men.

  I, Christine, then said, ‘My lady, you were quite right before when you said that passionate love was like a perilous sea. From what I’ve seen, women with any sense should do everything they can to avoid it, for they only come to great harm. Yet, those women who want to look lovely by dressing elegantly come in for a lot of criticism, because it’s said that they only do so in order to attract attention from men.’

  Rectitude answered, ‘My dear Christine, it’s not my business to try and find excuses for those women who are too fussy and obsessive about their appearance, for this is no small failing in a person. Wearing clothes that aren’t fitting to one’s station in life is particularly reprehensible. However, whilst I’ve no intention of condoning such a vice, neither do I want anyone to think that they have the right to lay more blame than is strictly necessary on those who make themselves beautiful in this way. I can assure you that not all women who do this are interested in seducing men. Some people, not just women but also men, have a legitimate taste and natural bent for taking pleasure in pretty things and expensive, elaborate clothes, as well as in cleanliness and fine array. If it is in their nature to behave like this, it’s very difficult for them to resist, though it would be greatly to their credit if they did. Wasn’t it written of Saint Bartholomew the Apostle, a man of high birth, that he spent his whole life draped in fringed robes of silk which were hemmed with precious stones, despite the fact that Our Lord preached poverty? Though such behaviour is usually rather pretentious and ostentatious, Saint Bartholomew can’t be said to have committed any sin because it was in his nature to wear expensive clothes. Even so, some do say that it was for this reason that Our Lord was content for Bartholomew to be martyred by being flayed alive. My reason for telling you these things is to show you that it’s wrong for any mortal creature to judge another’s appearance; God alone has the right to judge us. I’ll now give you some examples on this subject.’

  63. About the Roman woman Claudia.

  ‘Both Boccaccio and Valerius tell the story of how Claudia, a Roman noblewoman, used to delight in wearing lovely clothes and was obsessed with making herself beautiful. Because she was more concerned about her appearance than any other lady in Rome, some people began to have doubts about her chastity, thinking that she had compromised her reputation. In the fifteenth year of the Second Punic War, a statue of the great goddess Pessinus, whom they believed to be the mother of all the gods, was being brought to Rome. All the noble ladies of the city gathered to greet the arrival of the statue, which had been loaded on to a ship to be taken up the Tiber. However, despite the sailors’ best efforts, they were unable to bring the vessel into the harbour. Claudia, who was well aware that her behaviour had been misconstrued because of her appearance, knelt down before the statue and prayed out loud to the goddess. She declared that the goddess should know that her chastity was intact and her purity unsullied and so should grant her the favour of letting her pull the ship into port all by herself. Trusting in her virtue, Claudia took off her belt and tied it to the rails of the vessel. To everyone’s amazement, she then towed it in as easily as if all the sailors in the world were rowing it to shore.

  ‘I’m telling you this story not because I believe for a minute that this statue, which the foolish pagans took to be a goddess, could actually have the power to answer Claudia’s prayer, but to demonstrate to you that though this woman was very solicitous about her appearance, she was none the less chaste for all that. She thus proved that her belief in her own virtue would help her, for it was this that came to her aid, not the hand of any goddess.’

  64. Rectitude explains that some women are loved more for their virtue than others are for their attractiveness.

  ‘Even supposing that the reason women put such efforts into making themselves beautiful and seductive, elegant and alluring, were because they wanted to attract male attention, I’ll prove to you that this does not necessarily mean that men who are decent and sensible are going to fall more quickly or more heavily for them. On the contrary, those men who value integrity are more readily attracted to women who are virtuous, honest and modest, and love them more deeply, even if they are less glamorous than flirts such as these. Now, some might retort that, since it’s a bad thing to appeal to men i
n the first place, it would be better if those women who used their virtue and modesty to catch men’s eyes didn’t in fact possess such qualities at all. However, this argument is utterly worthless: one shouldn’t refrain from cultivating things which are good and useful just because some idiots use them unwisely. Everybody should do their duty by acting well, no matter what happens.

  ‘I’ll now give you some examples which prove that many women have been loved for their upright and moral behaviour. Most notably, I could tell you about various saints of paradise whom men lusted after specifically for their purity. This is also what happened to Lucretia, whose rape I recounted to you earlier. It was because of her exemplary virtue, not simply her beauty, that Tarquin fell for her. One night, her husband was at supper in the company of some other knights, one of whom was this Tarquin who subsequently raped her. Each of them started to talk about his wife, claiming that his was the most virtuous of them all. In order to find out whose wife was the worthiest of this accolade, they rode off to call on each of their houses in turn. Those wives whom they found busy at some honest task or other were held in the greatest esteem. Of all the women, Lucretia was deemed to be the one who was spending her time in the most commendable way. Like the highly respectable and sober woman she was, Lucretia wore a plain gown as she sat with the other ladies of her household busily working wool and conversing on moral subjects. The king’s son, Tarquin, who had accompanied Lucretia’s husband, was so impressed by her integrity, her simple and laudable conduct, as well as her modest bearing, that he conceived a burning desire for her and began to hatch the wicked plan which he would later execute.’

  65. About Queen Blanche, mother of Saint Louis, and other honest and decent ladies who were loved for their virtue.

  ‘Similarly, the most noble Blanche, Queen of France and mother of Saint Louis, was loved by the count of Champagne for her great wisdom, prudence, purity and kindness. This good lady reproached the count for having risen up against the king, Saint Louis, admonishing him for how he had acted in return for all the good things that her son had done for him. On hearing her wise words, he gazed with rapt attention at Queen Blanche and was captivated by her great virtue and respectability, despite the fact that she had long since passed the flower of her youth. The count was so suddenly overcome with love for her that he didn’t know what to do. He would rather have died than declare his feelings to her, for he knew that she was far too honourable to answer his pleas. From that day forth, he would suffer terribly because of this fervent passion that had taken hold of him. None the less, the count managed to reply to her reproaches, stating that she should have no fear that he would ever wage war on the king, for he would always be a loyal subject to him. Moreover, she could be sure that not just his mind and body, but everything he owned, were entirely at her disposal. From that moment on, he adored her for the rest of his life, even though he had little hope of ever seeing his passion requited. He gave expression to his feelings of longing by writing poetry in which he sang his lady’s praises most beautifully. These lovely poems were later set to music and made into delightful songs. The count had the texts inscribed on the walls of his great halls in both Provins and Troyes, where they can still be seen to this day. I could go on to tell you about many other women like this.’

  I, Christine, added, ‘Indeed, my lady, I myself have seen examples of such ladies with my own eyes. I know some wise and virtuous ladies who have confided their displeasure to me at finding themselves more desired once their youth and beauty had faded than when they were at their peak. These ladies said to me, “Good God, what can it be? Do these men see some foolish hint of encouragement in my face which might lead them to think that I would actually give in to their wicked desires?” Thanks to what you’ve just said, I can now see that it was their great virtue which won them these admirers. This also goes against the views of those who say that no decent woman who wishes to remain chaste will ever be courted or propositioned against her will.’

  66. Christine addresses Rectitude who, in her reply, refutes the opinion of those who claim that women are by nature mean.

  ‘I’m not sure what more to ask you, my lady, as all my questions have been answered. It seems to me that you’ve completely disproved the slanders which so many men have come out with against women. As far as I can see, it’s even untrue what they so often say about avarice being the most prevalent of all the female vices.’

  Rectitude replied, ‘My dear friend, I can assure you that avarice is no more inherent in women than it is in men. Indeed, there would appear to be fewer avaricious women than men: as God knows and as you yourself can attest, the terrible evil that is so rampant in the world as a result of men’s avarice is far greater than that which comes from women who possess this failing. However, as I pointed out to you before, the fool is all too ready to spot his neighbour’s misdeed even though he is blind to his own great crimes.

  ‘Just because women take pleasure in storing up cloth, thread, and all the other little items that are indispensable to a household, they earn themselves a reputation for being avaricious. Believe me, there are many, if not countless, women who, if they enjoyed great wealth, would not think twice about giving rewards and making generous gifts to those whom they thought would spend the money wisely. On the other hand, a woman who is poor is necessarily obliged to watch her pennies. In general, women are kept so short of money that they tend to hang on to the little they have because they know how hard it is to lay their hands on any more. Some people even go so far as to accuse women of being avaricious if they complain to their wayward husbands who are extravagant spendthrifts and beg them to be more careful with their money. Women like this know only too well how, thanks to the husband’s foolish squandering, the whole household has to go without, and they and their poor children suffer as a result. This doesn’t mean that such women are grasping or avaricious; on the contrary, it’s a sign of their great prudence. Of course, I’m only referring to those wives who are discreet about admonishing their husbands. Otherwise this can cause great rows in marriage when the husband doesn’t take too kindly to being criticized and ends up attacking his wife for something which is actually to her credit. As proof that this vice is not as common in women as some might say, just look at all the almsgiving that they eagerly perform. God knows how many prisoners, both in the past and still today, even those locked away in Saracen countries, have been comforted and helped out by women who were ready to give them money, not to mention how many poor people, impoverished gentlefolk and others they’ve also supported.’

  I, Christine, then said, ‘In fact, my lady, what you’ve just said reminds me of all the honourable ladies that I’ve seen making discreet displays of generosity, as far as their means allowed them. I know some of my female contemporaries take far greater delight in saying, “Here, take this” to someone who can put the money to good use than any miser ever did in grabbing some cash and hoarding it away in his coffers. I’ve no idea why men go around saying that women are avaricious. Although it’s said that Alexander was famous for his generosity, I can tell you that I’ve seen little evidence for this!’

  Rectitude burst out laughing and replied, ‘My friend, the ladies of Rome were certainly not found wanting when the city was so heavily depleted by war that all the public funds to pay for troops were exhausted. The Romans were extremely hard pressed to find ways to raise money for the enormous army which they desperately needed. Out of their own great generosity, the ladies of Rome, including the widows, put all their jewellery and everything of value that they owned into a pile, which they then freely donated to the princes of the city. These ladies were very highly praised for their unselfish action. Their jewels were later returned to them, as was only right, for it was thanks to them that Rome’s fortunes were restored.’

  67. About a generous and wealthy woman named Busa.

  ‘On the subject of women’s largesse, the Faits des Romains mentions the rich lady Busa (or Paulina), who was a most h
onourable person. She lived in the land of Apulia at the time when Hannibal was laying waste to Rome with fire and sword, pillaging the whole country and slaughtering vast numbers of the population. After the terrible rout at Cannae, where Hannibal won a great victory, many of the wounded Romans who had survived the battle made their escape. This good lady Busa took in as many of these men as she could, lodging up to 10,000 of them in her various houses. Being extremely wealthy, she paid for them all to be looked after at her own expense. Thanks to her money, they received such good care and treatment that they were able to return to Rome and take up their arms once more. She was warmly applauded for this charitable deed. Believe me, Christine, I have an endless fund of stories about the generosity, altruism and liberality of women.

  ‘Indeed, without going too far back into the past, amongst all the other examples of unselfish women of your own time whom I could tell you about, you shouldn’t forget the wonderfully generous Marguerite de la Rivière, who is still alive today. This lady, who was the wife of the late lord, Bureau de la Rivière, First Chamberlain to King Charles the Wise, has always been unfailingly thoughtful, courteous and kind. She was once attending a splendid ball in Paris hosted by the duke of Anjou, who later became king of Sicily, to which a great company of noble ladies, knights and gentlemen, all dressed in their finery, had been invited. As this lovely young lady was looking round at all the splendid knights who were present, she noticed that one particular man was missing, a famous and excellent soldier by the name of my lord Amanieu de Pommiers, who was still living at that time. Though he was far too old for her to have known him personally, she remembered him for his brave and virtuous reputation. In her view, such a magnificent gathering could only be embellished by the presence of a fine and notable person like him, no matter how old he was. She went round all the guests asking if any of them knew why this knight wasn’t there and eventually discovered that he was being held prisoner at the Châtelet because of a debt of 500 francs that he had run up travelling to fight in tournaments. “Well,” the noble lady declared, “this whole kingdom should hang its head in shame for letting such a man as he spend even an hour in prison because of a debt!”, whereupon she took off the beautiful and costly gold chaplet that she was wearing on her head and picked up a garland of periwinkle flowers with which to adorn her blonde hair instead. She handed the piece of jewellery to a messenger, saying, “Go and give this chaplet in payment for what he owes, so that he may come and join us once he has been released.” The lady’s orders were followed to the letter, and she was greatly commended for her action.’