Collected Works of Giovanni Boccaccio

by Giovanni Boccaccio

  Off Yole, the doughter of the Kynge of Ethioll.

  The xxjti Chapitre.

  YOLE, THE DOUGHTER of the Kynge of Ethioll, emonge the other virgynes of that regione was of exellente beaute. Ther be that say she was belouyd of Hercules, the conquerour of the wourlde. Whiche sayde Hercules hade fyrst the graunte of hyr father to mary hyr, and after by the persuasion of hys sonne, he denyede that Hercules shulde wedde hyr. Wherfore Hercules, beynge wondres angry, mouede a cruell warr agaynst hym and slewe hym. And when he had takyn hys prouynce, he toke also hys deare belouyde Yole; whiche sayde Yole, berynge more at hyr hertt the deathe of hyr father then she dyd the loue of Hercules, desyrous to be reuengyde, with a meruelouse dissemylynge loue and with other toyes she drew Hercules into so feruent a fantasy with hyr that she assuryde hyrself that, what so euer she desyred hym to do, he wolde not say ‘Nay’. And so, as though she dyd abhorre so rughe a garmente as Hercules was wonte to weere, fyrst she made hym to sett asyde hys clubbe, wherewith he was wonte to tame monsters, and aftre to caste asyde the lyons skynne, whiche was a token of hys fortitude and strength, and to sett also asyde hys shelde, hys bowe and hys arrowes. Whiche doone, as thoughe she were not well contentid with all, she made hym, besyds thys, to spynne of the dystafe, to combe hys rughe heyr, to put rynges on hys fyngars, to washe hys bearde with swete balme, and, breuely, to put a delycate cappe on hys heade, and to clothe hys body with fyne and softe garmentes — thynkynge planely that to a maydyn armyde with fraude and deceite that it was muche more to hyr honour with suche pleasures to ouercum Hercules then other with the swerde or the malle. Ouer and besydes thys, not thynkynge to haue reuengyde hyrself ynoughe, she soo wrought that Hercules, geuyne to thies pleasures, satt clothyd emonge the women, as he had bene a verey woman in dede, and weuynge and spynnynge emonge the other with those fyngars that he hade in hys cradle stranglede the serpentes with all. Surely, a verey sure argumente of mans imbecillyte and of the crafte and the deceyte of women! With thies craftes thys woman, reuengynge hyr fathers deathe, not with strengthe but with wantonnes deceyuyde Hercules and gatt hyr by it a fame for euer. And as many vyctoryes as Hercules had obteyned by subduynge the monsters thoroughoute the worlde, so muche the more glory it was to Yole to tryhumphe of hym. Thys pestiferus passyon is wonte often to assaute the delycate yonge maydyns and also the wanton and idle yonge men, for asmuche as Cupyde allwais is a dispyser of grauyte and of delycatnes an exellent maynteyner. And thus false Cupyde dyd penetrate the harde brest of Hercules and broughte into hym a farr more greate monster then euer he conquerede in hys tyme, which, if he had well remembrede hym self, he wolde not so soone haue left vertuouse laboure and taken hymself to idlenes, seynge so greate an ennemye as Cupyde is, dyd so assaute hym. Let vs then awaake and arme our myndes and our herttes, for ther is noo man that neades agaynste hys wyll to be vaynquysshed of hym, so that he do wythstonde the fyrste inuasyone and begynnynge of hym, in refraynynge his eyes frome lokynge of vanytes, and in stoppynge hys eares, as the serpent dothe, frome herynge of his incantationes, and with continuall study to suppresse wantonnes. For Loue at the fyrst offerithe hymselfe to those that be not ware of hym gentlely and smylyngly, and if he be receyuyde with a gladd hoope, he dothe persuade to vse gay garmenttes, new facyones and new dalyaunsys, songes, dauncys, versys and playse, with deynty bankettes contynually. But afterwards, when by proue he hathe all ocupyede the man, he dothe, as who shulde say, chayne or bynde the mynde frome all libertye, bryngynge in syghes and lamentationes, and oppressithe all scyences and wytte and reasone, makynge noo differense betwyxte vyces and vertues, so that he may obteyne that thyng that he dothe couete, takynge all hys ennemyes that doo wftfetande hym. And so, the flamme bumynge hys vnhappy brest, he gothe and cummethe aboute, newer seasynge tyll he do fynde the thynge that he sowghte; and ofte, after the syghte, sekynge to se agayne a begynnynge to kyndle a newe fyer. And when ther is noo place of penytence, then weepe they, then speke they faire, flatterynge wordes; then do they enstructe theire bawdes; then promysse they gyftes; and in verey deede bothe gyue and take, and often deceyue theyr kepars, not sparynge for noo watche, till at the laste they cum to pleasures and enbrasynges. Then the ennemy to chastyte and the persuadour to suche myschyfe dryuethe shamefastnes and honeste cleene a way; euen as a hogge tumblynge in the myre, so is he apte to all carnall actes; then sobriete is sett asyde; Ceres and Bacchus called, tryhumphes Venus, in suche wyse that all the nyght thorowe they attende to noone other but to that shamefull play. Nor for that the fury is not quenchyde, but for the more parte augmentide. I Whereby the greate Hercules shall fall into that detestable semytude, honour shalbe forgotten, substaunce shalbe waystede, and hate shalbe armyde, often tymes to the greate parelle of our lyfe. Nor thies thynges ar not withoute sorowse, for nowe is stryfe, forwythe slypper peax, nowe hoope and strayght agayne suspicione, wherby the zele of our sowlle and oure body is consumede. But if a man cannot cum to that he couettes, then loue, voyde frome all reasone, puttith, as who shulde say, the spurres to the horse. Then is ther nothyng but wepynges and complayntes, in so muche that sumtyme by deathe they heele theyr malady. But fyrste they assay with wichecrafte to speede; they counseile with the Caldeys, they make louynge drynkynges with flaterynge; and streyght they turne that to stryfe. In somuche that thys vngraciouse scoole maister bryngeth theym into so muche fury that they be redy to ende theyr days with halter or with sworde, they care not whether. O, howe swete and pleasaunt is suche loue that, in that he geuythe vs cause to hate hym, we extolle hym so muche and exalte hym and make of hym a gode; we pray to hym and with wepynge teares commytte aduoultery and other detestable thynges not honeste to tell!

  Off Dianira, Hercules wife.

  The xxijti Chapitre.

  DIANIRA WAS THE doughter, as sum wryte, of Oenei, Kynge of the Etholiens, and suster to Melleager — so swete and so fayre a virgyne that to haue hyr to wife Hercules and Achelaus straue whiche shulde haue hyr. But when the victory fell to Hercules, she was belouyde of the Centaure called Nessus. And when Hercules dyd conuey hyr frome Calidon to hys countrey, at Ebnio, a ryuer of Calidon, it fortunede Hercules to meete with Nessus, and forbecause he was a Centaure, that is to say, half a man and half a horse, Hercules requyrede hym to carye Dianira ouer the water. Nessus, gladd therof as thoughe he had wonne that pray whiche he desyrede, caryinge Dianira ouer the ryuer, as faste as he myghte, fledde away. Whiche seynge Hercules and that he coulde not ouertake hym on foote, he toke hys bowe and an arrowe inueniwyde and shott so directly to Nessus that he strooke hym to the deathe. Nessus, felynge hys deathe wounde, deliueryde to Dianira a shert inuenymede, promysynge Dianira that if Hercules myght put it vpon hym, he shulde neuer after with-drawe hys loue from hir, neither loue any other but hyr. Whiche Dianira, geuynge more credyt to hym then was hyr parte, with thankes to Nessus, for a litle tyme she kept it secrete. Now Hercules fallynge in loue with Yole, Dianira by Licaon, hyr seruawntte, sent to Hercules the sherte, and Hercules put on the shert. At the laste, with the poysone of it so entrede hys fleshe, it made Hercules stark madde, so that wylfully he entrede to a fyer and was burnte. And Dianira, viduate frome so greate a man, wenynge to saue hym, lost hym, and for sorow therot, slewe hyrself.

  Of Yocasta, the Quene of Thebes.

  The xxiijti Chapitre.

  YOCASTA, THE QUENE of Thebes, is knowne more by vnfortunate chauncys then by any thynge elles. Thys Yocasta descendyd frame the fyrste noble founders of Thebes and, beynge a mayden, was maryede vnto Layus, the Kynge of Thebes, of whome she conceyuede a sonne. And because Layus had aunswere of the goddes that hys son shulde sley hym, he commaunded hyr, all thoughe it were soore agaynste hyr mynde, to caste the chylde to the wylde beastes, for to be deuourede; and Layus thynkynge in verey deede it hade bene so, yet it chaunsid that the chylde was kepte and noryshede with the Kynge of Corynthe, whiche toke hym as hys oune propre sonne. And so, cumynge to age, at a place called Phosenses he slewe in battell hys father Layus and ther, not knowynge that Yocasta was hys mother, toke hyr to hys wyffe an
d begate on hyr too sonnes, Ethocles and Polynyces, and too doughters, the oone namede Ysmena and the other Anthygona. And thus she semynge as well by the children she had as by hyr kyngdome to be moste happy, she had aunswere of the goddes that hym that she thoughte to be hyr husbonde was hyr sonne, and albe it that she toke it wonders heuely, yet hyr sonne toke it more heuely, in so muche that he for verey shame that he had for hys mysdeede, he put oute not onely hys propre eies, but also forsooke hys kyngdome. And hys too sonnes fallynge at debate who shulde succede in the realme, after many dredefull encountres and battells the tone slewe the tother, for sorowe wherof the myserable mother and aunte to bothe theym, wery to see suche infortunate chauncyse fall to hyr sonnes and doughters, to make shorte processe slewe hyrselfe. Sum wryte, she deferryde not hir deathe so longe, but seynge hyr husbonde to haue put oute bothe hys eyes, as I haue sayde, made an ende with hyr oune hande of hyr infortunate yeres.

  Of Almachea Sibilla.

  The xxiiijti Chapitre.

  ALMACHEA SIBILLA, A mayden, whiche sum call Deiphebe, was the doughter of Glaucus, of Cumis, an olde towne of Campana, had hyr begynnynge, and for as muche as thys was oone of the Sibills, when the destruction of Troy was, yet it is sayde; that she lyuede vnto Tarquinws, the Kynge of Romaynes tyme. Nor thys woman neuer suffrede hyr body to be pollutede with noo man. And albeit the poetes feyne that she was belouyde of Phebus, and by hys rewarde had grauntyde to lyue so longe a lyfe, and besydes that, to haue a dyuyne spyryte, yett I beleue she had not that gyfte of Phebus, but of that sonne that lyghtethe all men that cums into thys worlde, whereby she dyd bothe wryte and tell many thynges to cum. Thys woman also, as it is sayde, dwelte nere vnto that noble lake of Baians, where was a meruelouse exellente oracle, the whiche I myselfe haue seene, and haue also herde that it berythe hyr name vnto thys present day. And thoughe by exedynge yeres it be decayede, yet it kepythe styll the maner and fourme of the auncyent mageste, and gyuethe admiratione to those that beholde it, because of the magnitude or greatenes of it. And there be also that affyrme that thys was she that wentt with Eneas to hell, whiche I beleue not, and therfore I let it passe. But those that do say that she lyuyde so many yeres, do tell that she came to Rome and brought to Tarquyne nyne bookes, whyche bookes, because Tarquyne wolde not gyue to hyr for theym the pryce that she demaundyde, that in the Kynges presence she threwe three of theym in the fyer, and the next day agayne folowynge offrede to Tarquyne the reste, saynge that oneles he wolde gyue hyr the pryce that she demaundid, she wolde burne theym also. Tarquyne therby was so mouede that he boughte theym. Whiche sayde bookes he causede diligently to be kepte, and the Romaynes longe aftre sett so muche store by theym that in all theyre greate daungiers they toke the saynges of those bookes as an oracle. It is herd for me to beleue that thys woman was with Deiphebe, but yet we rede that she dyede in Scecill and that ther hyr tumbe is shewede by the inhabitaunttes. And, for conclusion, with studye and the dyuyne grace withall we be made noble, whiche is denyede to suche as wyll do noo goode. And if we do well beholde suche as dreme in idlenes by losynge of the tyme, all thoughe they lyue to extreme age, they be noo better then he that frome hys mothers bely gothe and is borne to hys graue. And for the reste, yf that a woman wakynge in vertue do preuayle in wytte and in dyuine knowledge, what may be thoughte to vs myserable men ariy other but, gyuynge owrself in lernynge and vertue, we shulde be conuertyde vnto the dyuyne knowledge of the deite? Lett theym then lamente and weepe, that lese so greate a gyfte by idlenes and externe theym selffes no better emonge men but verey stoones.

  Of Nycostrata, or otherwyse Carmenta, doughter to Kynge Yonius.

  The xxvth Chapitre.

  NYCOSTRATA, WHICHE WAS surnamede Carmewta emongste the Italianes, was doughter of Yonius, the Kynge of Arcadia, as sum wryte, and was maryede to Pallawtes, which lady not onely was decorate with the name of a quene, but also she was moste cunnyng in the Greke letters. So exellente a wytte had she in lemynge, and she was so vigilant in study theron, that she became a notable prophete. And sumtyme to thos that demaundyd questiones of hyr she tolde theym thynges to cum and wrote also true thynges that folowed many yeres after, and for that the Latyns, abolyshywg hyr fyrste name, callede hyr Carmenta. Thys woman was mother to Euander, the Kynge of Archadia, whiche the olde tales affyrme, because he was eloquent, to be sonne of Mercurye. But as sume saye, yet it fortunede by chaunce he slewe hys oune father, and sum other wryteth that it was by the sedicione of the people. Whether it wer the tone or the tother, he was expulsyde owte of hys realme and by the counsell and prophecying of hys mother toke shyppynge and saylede so longe that at the last he arryuyde at the mouthe of Tyber, and by hyr counsell, by the hyll called Pallantes, whiche had that name by hys sonne Pallas, he reedyfyede ther a towne, where niter the greate Rome was buyldyd, and namede the towne after the hyll Pallantes. Now when Cannent a was comen thyther, she founde the people ther all rude and barbarouse and muche lyke to wylde men. All thoughe that Satume a lytle tofore had taught theym how to sowe and to eare, yet they knewe noo letters as the Grekys dyd. Wherfore thys lady, perseyuynge in hyr mynde the pleasure of the grownde and forseynge what a cyte that sumtyme shulde be made ther, she taughte and deuysed emonge theym carecters and letters discrepant frome other nationes. To whiche godly purpose Goddes helpe lackyde not, soo that by Hys grace she sett forth onely sexten lettres, as Cadmus, the buylder of Thebes, had doone to the Grecians, whiche we call vnto thys present tyme the Latyn lettres. Whiche inuentione semyde to be suche to the Latyns that they beleuyde hyr rather to be a goddesse then a mortall woman ande for a perpetuall memorye buyldyde vndre the Capitoll an oratory, callede Carmenta. And Rome, when he was moste greateste, woldnot chaynge it, but the gate of the cytie, whiche by necessite then buyldyde they namede it Carmenta, of the name of thys woman Carmenta. Italy in olde tyme aboue other regyones florysshede in hononr and vertue, shynynge as a celestiall lyghte. Nor soo renomyde a countrye hath not bene vndre the heuen. For frame Asya came ryches and sumptuousnes of howsholde, mete for kynges, and nobilyte of bloode procedynge frome the Grecians, fyrste had of Troyanes. The Egyptiens gaue vs arsmetryke and geometry; and philozophy and eloquens and wellnere all mecanicall craftes descendyd frome the Grekes; Saturnns the outelawe founde fyrste husbondrye, knowne but to a few men; comune lawes descendyde frome the Athenens, and the Cesars stableysshede the scenates; Simon Petrus was the fyrst that brought and stablyshede the true feyth frome Jherusalem, but the knyghtly prowyse the noble Romayns taught, so that with theyr valyaunte deades they subduede the hoole worlde. The Latyn fygures, it appeareth by that afore rehersyde that it came frome Carmenta, whiche, cumynge frome Archadia into Italy, it is to be beleuyde that she taught fyrst the gramer rules — a fortunate seede, to growe in tyme to cum to rype corne. Wherevnto God was so fauorable that the glory therby, aswell of the Grekes tunge as of the Hebrewe tunge, in parte is abaytede, for the moste parte of Europe vse oone tunge. Whereby the gestes and actes of prynces and the workes of God with a perpetuall memory be seruyde, in so muche that the thynges we neuer sawe with oure eyes, by the wrytynges we knowe theym; by thys we sende oure myndes frome afarr to oure freandes and haue frome oure freandes aunswere agayne. Nor ther is nothynge possible to be sowght, but that by thys we may fynde it, and breuely, what so euer the mynde cannot kepe, by wrytynge may be surely fownde and kepte. And thys is so muche to the Italian honour that nother the rapyne of the Germaynes, nor the Frenshe fury, nor the pollicy of the Englishe men, nor the Spanyshe rage, nor noone other barbarouse countrey coulde let but that they theimselffes ar glad to leme thies oure letters and neuer durste take the glory of this tunge a way frome the Latyns, but allways in other greate wrytynges they sett the carrectes of that exellent tunge in all causys. Wherby the further the tonge is admytted, the more glorye is it to the speche, and for that we wyllnot be accountyde so ingrate nor vnkynde, but that, asmuche as in vs is, we wyll make it to be prased and laudyde for euer.