Collected Works of Giovanni Boccaccio

by Giovanni Boccaccio

  Of Lauina, the Quene of Laurentum.

  The xxxixth Chapitre.

  LAUINA, THE QUENE of Laurentum, descendyd of Saturne, Kynge of Crete, and she was onely doughter to Kynge Latyne by Annata, hys wyfe, and at the laste geuyne to wyfe to Eneas, the vallyaunte Troyane knyghte. Thys woman is more spoken of for the greate battells that ensuede for hyr betwyxte the sayde Eneas and Tornus then for any other thynge ells that she dyd. She was of exellent beautie, and for because she was also an heredytour to the Kynge hyr father, Tomus, then a yonge prynce of a greate towardnes, often demaundyd hyr of hym. But Latinus, that knewe thyriges to cum, wolde neuer graunte to it, for asmuche as that he knewe a straynger of a nother countrye and regyone shulde marye hyr. Now Eneas cumynge frome Troy, and he also askynge Lauina to wyfe, the father, aswell for the greate bloode he was of, as also for that it was the goddes pleasure it shulde so be, grauntyde gladly to it, wherfore betwyxt Tornus and Eneas beganne mortall warr. And soo, after muche bloode shedynge and deathe of many noble men on bothe parties, Eneas obteynede the victorye at the laste and maryede Lauina, and for that Annata, Latinus wife, hangede hyrself. And sum say that thies batells beganne after Eneas had maryede hyr. But whether it be the tone or the tother, it is euident that Lauina conceyuyde by the noble Eneas a sonne, and that or hys wyfe were delyuerede, he dyede at a ryuer called Numacum, and she, ferynge Ascanyus, hyr sonnes halfe brother, hydde hyr emongst the woddes and ther was delyuerede of a sonne, and, as many wryte, namede hym Julius Siluyus. Nowe Ascanyus, beynge of a gentle nature, after that he hade buyldyte Alban the cytie, restorede Lauyna and hyr son to theyr paternall kyngdome, whiche Lauina, receyuynge it of Ascanius and well callynge to mynde hys gentylnes, all hyr lyfe tyme not onely wysely maynteyned it, but further, lyuede chastely, withoute to take a nother husbonde, tyll she dyede, and in hyr tyme, when hyr son came to age, resygnyde the reaime to Siluyus. And sum say that Ascanyus noryshede hym and maryede hym to Melapondy by hys gentlenes and fraternall loue.

  Of Dido, or otherwyse Elissa, the Quene of Cartage.

  The xlti Chapitre.

  DIDO, WHICHE AFORE hade to name Elissa, was bothe the buylder and Quene of Cartage. I haue ententione sumwhat at large to speke of hyr prayse, if percase with my poore penne I may wype a way the obprobry that sum haue obiectyde agaynste hyr withoute deserte touchynge hyr honourable wydowhede. And that I may sumwhat the more ascende so to do, it is knowne well inowghe that the people of Phenyses came frome the farthest parte of Egypte, nyghe vnto Siria, and by theyr hyghe wyttes there reedifyede many fayre tounes and, cytes. Emonge the other therof she namede ‘Byrsam that sowndythe in that langage ‘an oxe skywne’ or ‘hyde’. And that done, shewynge hyr treasure, whiche they had thoughte hade bene loste, she put theym in so goode conforte and hoope that furthwythe the walles and the towres of that noble cytie of Cartage were redifyede, to the whiche thys worthy wydowe gaue lawes, in shewynge how and in what maner they shulde lyue. Wherby, aswell for hyr hyghe, exellente wytte as also for hyr famouse cytie and ryches that she had, the nobylite and worthynes of hir was spredd a broode thorow oute all Affryke. And nowe, the Affrycanes beynge wonderly geuyne to the voluptuousnes of the body, it came so to passe that the Kynge of Musitana burned in hyr concupiscens and sent vnto suche as were the greateste prynces abowte, oneles he myght haue hyr to hys wyfe, he wolde vtterly destroy hyr new redyfyede citie. The prynces than, knowywg hyr moste constante mynde and purpose, as concemynge to keepe hyr chastyte, vnnethe durste breake it vnto hyr, but with circumlocution and by meanes perswadyde hyr to marye hym, saynge that in so doynge she shulde brynge the barbarouse prynce to an honest facyon of lyue and cause aswell hyrselfe as hyr subiectes to lyue in a quiet; and to clooke theyr purpose the better, they desyrede hyr to shew hir pleasure who shulde goo to suche a fearefull and terryble prynce to declare the message. And all thoughe they thoughte the Quene had not perceyuyde where aboute they wentt, yet she knewe it ryght well, and after a sadd, wyse pause she aunswerde to theym, saynge: ‘My deare subiectes, I am not ignoraunte but that, as I am borne and gotten of my father, so am I to my countrye, so that I do accompte hym noo goode cytezen that for the comune wealthe, if neade shall so requyre, is not contentyd to dye. Goo your ways, therfore, and with a lytle vastynge and burnynge of me put a way a greate peryll frome your countrey.’ By thies wordes it semyde to the prynces to haue obteynede what they wolde, and so, they geuynge the feith of the Kynge to hyr and she promysynge with hyr ryght hande the same, she departyde, not beynge so bolde as to agayne say their desyres, but within hyrself assuredly cowcludede by deathe to kepe hyr chastite. And herynge that Eneas of Troy was arryuyde to cum Agenor was their kynge, a prynce of a ryght renomyde fame, of whose genealogye it is beleuyde that thys Dido deseendyd, whose father was Belus, Kynge of Phenyses, whiche, after that he had subduede the ile of Cipres, ther dyede, leuynge thys yonge, towarde virgyne Dido with Pigmalion, his brother, and therwythe hys treasure and hys realme; which saide Pigmalion, puttynge Dido in hyr kyngedome, as ryght was, she was maryede to Acerbus, or, as sum call hym, Sikkarius, the pryste of Hercules, whiche sayde offyce with the Tyryens was moste honorable, next vnto the Kynge. Thiese too lyuyde together moste honorably and louyde moste hartely. Nowe thys Pigmalion was the moste couetouse man to haue golde that then lyuyde, and thys Acerbus moste ryche, all thoughe by hys wysdome he so bestowede it that it was not well knowne in what place it lay, but the fame woldnot haue it kept secrete. Pigmalion, fallen into ragynge purpose to haue it, slewe at vnwayres by treason Acerbus, whiche when Dido knew, she toke it so vnpatiently that scante she escapede for sorowe the deathe. And so, after she had lamentably a longe tyme wept and wailede and in vayne called hyr deare husbonde, cursynge hyr vnhappye brother Pigmalion, of hyr oune mynde she deteraiynede to flee a way. And sum say she was warnyde so to do in hyr sleepe, leste hyr couetouse brother wolde slay hyr, as he had doone hir husbonde. She than, takynge to hyr a mans wytte and herte, after as hir name porporteth, for Phenicum in Laten signyfyethe a virago, whiche as in Englishe we may say ‘a woman reysyde of a man’, she so wrought that dyuers of the prynces, suspectynge the murdre of Acerbus, drew to hyr, and she makynge redy preuely as many shyppes as she had, in the nyght with those that were of hyr opynyon toke all hyr husbondes treasure and conueyde it into hyr shyppes, and vsyde with so doynge a meruelouse pollecy. She toke certeyne vesselks and fylled theym aswell with hyr treasure as also with that she myght get of hyr brothers, and toke other vessells and fylled theym with grauell. And when she was entrede the shipps and those that were of hyr consent with hyr well entrede the hyghe sees, they all meruelynge what she ment, she toke then the barrells fyllyde with grauell and threw theym in to the see, saynge that with wepynge teares the deathe that she had desyrede to haue by the deathe of hyr husbonde, she by the drownynge of the treasure hade fownde it, but that, she sayde, she had compassion of those whiche was with hyr, knowyng for certeyn, if they retumede backe agayne, that the cruell Pigmalion wolde put theym to a terryble deathe, and for that, yf they with hyr wolde flee at auenture, that whyles she lyuyde, she wolde in goode and ill take that parte that they dyd. Now the poore maryners, herynge hyr say thus, all thoughe it greuyde theym to forsake theyr naturall countrye, yet for feare to dye they consentyde to goo in to exyle and, raysynge theyr sayles, arryuyde at last in Cyprys, where, after the custome fyndynge by the see syde certeyn virgynes goynge to do sacryfyce to Venus, she toke theym with hyr by force and with theym also Jupiters highe preste, which prophecyede goode of hyr viage. And so, leuynge Crete at hyr backe and Cycyll of hyr ryght hande, she saylede towardes Affryke and, goynge by the shoores of Mesilia, entrede to a rode after well knowne; and thus with muche treble and saylynge by the sees, there she determynede to rest hyrself and hyr wery maryners. Nowe those that dwellyd nyghe there aboutes, desyrouse to se what strayngers they were, bryngynge, as custome is, marchaundyse to enternedle with theym, andne with suche facyone Didos company grewe day by day in fauoure with theym; in somuche that, seynge the ryght honest facyon of Dido, they b
egan wondersly to fauour hyr, soo that they wyllede verey gladly to haue hyr and hyr trayne to dwell emonge theym. And all thoughe she hade herde ryght well that hyr brother thrett to make warr agaynst hyr, yet, settynge all feare a parte and kepynge secrete what hyr entencione was to do, she desyrede to bye noo more grounde of the inhabitantes then she coulde compasse with an oxe hyde, which to hyr gladly grauntyde (O, wonderfull womans wytte!), she cutt the hyde in small lasys, and so by that was compassede aboute a greate peece of grounde, and thus by hyr wysdome deceyuyde theym all. And by thys meanes that ther was founde a horse heede as they dyggedde for the fundatione, they deuynyde the cite to be a ryght renomyde, cheualerouse cite, whiche she namede Cartage; and the castell to hyr citie, she incontynent, feynynge as thoughe she wolde make a solempne sacryfyce to the goddcs, causede to be made an excedynge greate fyre; and so, kyllynge certeyn beastes, as the vse was, she hyrselfe ascendyd on the heepe of wodde, redy to kyndle, hydyng vnder hyr vesture a sharpe knyfe, and, the people cowmaundyde to assemble aboute hyr, the chaste lady sayde vnto theym: ‘My deare cytezens, ye woll that I goo to take a husbonde, and as ye wyll, so to my husbonde I wyll goo,’ and saynge thies wordes, toke the sharpe knyfe and thrust hyrselfe therwyth to the hert. They that stode about hyr assayde to haue holpen hyr, but all in vayne, for thus the example of chastyte ther exspyrede. O, the cleere and venerable lyghte of wydowhode! I wolde to Gode all women, wydowes and wyffes, moste specially those that be chrystened, myght beholde the, and if they myghte, I wolde also they considrede that same innocente bloode of thyne, shedd to preserue thy chastyte! Suche, emowge other, that not oonely mary twys, but thrys, or fowre tymes, and thynke it but a tryfyll, what wyll ye say, ye women markyde with the marke of Chryste, if that a pagane woman, to whome Chryste was vnknowne, to gett hyr an honeste name, all though it were not for the glorye eternall, with suche perseuerante ande constante a mynde to go willfully to the deathe with hir oune hande rather then with a nother, or she wolde breake hyr fyrst feythe or violate hyr holy-purposed chastite? Sum women percase wyll aunswer me, specially suche as be redy to excuse their faultes, and say: ‘I muste do so. I was destitute of helpe; my farther and mother were deade. I coulde not be in rest, but allways oone or other prouyde me to fullfyll theyr appetyte. I am a woman of fleshe, bloode and boone, and not of the harde yron.’ O, wanton and scornefull excuse! To whome, I pray youe, dyd Dido put hyr trust, she beynge an outelawe and banysshed and persecutyde by hyr vnkynde brother? Thynke youe not but that Dido had dyuers procurers to breake hyr wydowhode, as well as others? Yes, I put youe oute of doubte. And she hirselfe was neither yron nor stoone, but as ye ar, of fleshe, bloode and boone. But that the body couldenot do, the mynde coulde do, that is, rather to dye then to violate hyr holy chastyte. But ye that be Chrysten, haue Chryste to your helpe, and surely our meeke Redemptor euer sauethe theym that puttes theyr trust in hym. May it not be that he that delyuerede the three children frome the flammynge forneys and Susan frome the false cryme obiectyd agaynst hyr, can delyuer the frome those that ly in wayte to deuoure thyne honeste? Doubtles. Thow mayste, and thow wyll, bowe thyne eyes downwarde and looke vppon the grounde, whereto thow shall goo, and stoppe thyne eares lyke vnto the rocke, and by that way repell the bettynge of the water of temptation frome the, and so saue thy chastite. But agayne sum wyll aunswere to thys and say: ‘I am a lady that hathe fayre landes and possessiones, a goodely house and well trymmyde, stuffe of householde pryncely lyke, and large ryches of golde, syluer and plate, and I was desyrouse to be a mother, to the entente this greate ‘Substaunce shulde not fall into strayngers handes,’ O, madde and vnwytty desyre! Was not Dido a quene of a greate kyngedome withoute chyldren? And why dyd she refuse to be a mother? For she, lyke a noble woman, perceyuyde ryght well that it is a madnesse for a woman to make another and vndo hyrself. And I say to the further, if thow haue greate ryches, doste thow not se the poore people of Chryste, which thow maiste with mesure bestowe it to theym, and buylde therby a palace in eternall glorye, and so wyth a double vertue adorne thy chastyte? Besydes thys, thow haste freandes whiche prouyde to be to the kynde, true and louynge. Ther can be no more apte eyares then theym, for so it may be that thow maiste haue chyldren, but thow shalte not haue theym as thowe thynkest to haue, but as nature wyll, so shall they be. Now cumethe the thyrde, and she wyll say: ‘Ther was no remedy but that I shulde mary. My father commaundyde me to it, my kynsmen enforsede me to do it, and my neyghbowrs wilnot suffre me to be in quyete, vntyll I mary.’ A, goode lady, as who shulde say ye were so ignoraunte that in resistynge the fyre of concupiscence, all theyr wordes shulde be vastyde in vayne. May yowe not see Dido that coulde not lyue, because she wolde not be vnchaste? Myght she not a lyuyde, trow ye, and yet bene chaste? Now another, that is wylyer then the rest, wyll say to thys: ‘Dothe not the doctour of the gentylles, Saincte Poule, teche that it is better to mary then to burne?’ O, verey well spoken, as thoughe I had spoken onely to olde matrones, for that Dido dyd so fyrme and sett hyr hert that thys rage in hyr had noo place! O, vngraciouse myndes that say thys goode counseill well geuyne of Sayncte Paule! How many tymes do yow aleage hym to thynges dishoneste! I tell youe, the strength of a man sore wastyde may be restoryde, but chastite wastyde, neuer. If a panyme woman for a lytle vayne glory, withoute to haue other mede, myghte refrayne hyr lust, may not a Christen woman so do as she dyd? Alas the whyle, wyll we do ymagyne with suche excusys to beguyle God, that wyll not be beguyled, not onely we leese oure goode fame in thys worlde, but rimne into eternall peyne in the tother! Let the matrones then be asshamede therfore to see the body of Dido deade and withoute spyryte, and when they call to mynde the cause of hyr deathe, let theym looke downwarde to the grounde, that a membre of the dewell, a paynyme, shulde with hyr chastyte passe a Crysten womans chastyte. Let not then the wydowes think with theyre teares, nor with theyr black gownes, to haue doone all they shulde do to theyr husbondes, when they be deade, but keepe to oone theyr loue for euer, yf they wyll fullfyll the offyce of a chaste wydowe. What the dewyll is it, oone other for to take so many husbondes then for to folowe Valaria and Messalyna in comers where rattes and myse haue theyr cauerns? But I wyll touche thys in another place. And I confesse in deede sumwhat to haue passyde the boundes of my tale. But who is so well aduysed but that in suche a graue mater he dothe not, as it were with a forse, speeke in it? But now to reuerte to the hystory. Dido thys wyse extyncte, hyr cytezens with teares, with cryes and lamentationes toke hyr chaste body and with dyuyne honours buryde it, and not onely gaue hyr the name of the mother of the countrye, but further, as longe as Cartage stoode, buyldyt in hyr honoure temples and aulters, to hyr perpetuall fame and laude for euer.

  Of Nicaula, the Quene of Ethyope.

  The xli Chapitre.

  THE EXTREME BARBAROUSE countrye of Ethyope broughte furthe Nicaula, whiche is so muche the more to be cowmendyd that, beynge borne in so rude and barbarouse a countrye, she had in hyr so exellent vertues. For it is euydent, if we shall gyue credyte to the auncyenty, that after the names of the Pharaose and theyr succession faylede, that thys woman was not oonely Quene of Ethyope, but also of Egypte and of Arraby, and by the greate ile of Meroe ther to be inhabytede, hauynge so infenyte of golde and syluer and ryches that it is thoughte theryn she passed all other creatures in thys present lyfe. She dyd not wantonly vse hyr substaunce in pleasures and playse as other do, but vnto suche knowledge of the thynges naturall that, all thoughe we knowe not hyr maister that taughte hyr, that it was a woundre to se it. And, to thys, Holy Scryptur berythe wytnes that thys is that woman whiche the Byble nameth Saba. Herynge the wysdome of Salomon, in hyr tyme of so greate a fame that he was spoken of thorow the worlde, thys woman dyd not, as fooles do, sett lyghte by wysdome, but, meruelynge at it, leuynge hyr kyngedome of Meroe, sett in an angle of the worlde, and goynge by Ethyopia and by the Egyptiens vnto the Reede See, with a greate and a tryhumphaunte company of lordes and seruauntes came to Jherusalem, to se and to lerne of Salomon knowledge and cunnynge, to hys greate meruell also to beholde t
he womans magnyficence and ordre. Whiche, honourably receyuyde, and she puttynge certeyn questiones to Salomon, and he assoylynge theym to the verey truethe, she confessyde playnely that hys wysdome was more then the fame that wentt of it, farr excedynge mans capacyte, oonely geuyne to hym of Gode. And then, gyuynge hym many ryche gyftes, speciall certeyn gryftes whiche berythe the perfyte bawme (Salomon, perceyuyng the greate vertue therof, causede theym to be graftyde not farr frome Assaltys and diligently to be kepte), and he of hys parte gyuynge to hyr iewelles of an infynyte pryce, with greate ioy she retumyde home into hyr countrye. Sum do beleue thys to be that high quene callede Candase, that in lyke wyse as the Kynges of Egypte were callede Pharaose, after hyr, many yeres they were callede of hyr name Candases.