The Decameron, Volume II

by Giovanni Boccaccio

andforthwith, saying nought of the matter to any there, she hied her forthof Gisippus' house and home to her father, to whom and her mother sherecounted the deceit which Gisippus had practised upon them as upon her,averring that she was the wife not of Gisippus, as they supposed, but ofTitus. Whereby her father was aggrieved exceedingly, and prolonged andgrave complaint was made thereof by him and his own and Gisippus'families, and there was not a little parleying, and a world of pother.Gisippus earned the hatred of both his own and Sophronia's kin, and allagreed that he merited not only censure but severe punishment. He,however, averred that he had done a thing seemly, and that Sophronia'skinsfolk owed him thanks for giving her in marriage to one better thanhimself.

  All which Titus witnessed with great suffering, and witting that 'twasthe way of the Greeks to launch forth in high words and menaces, andrefrain not until they should meet with one that answered them, whereuponthey were wont to grow not only humble but even abject, was at lengthminded that their clavers should no longer pass unanswered; and, as withhis Roman temper he united Athenian subtlety, he cleverly contrived tobring the kinsfolk, as well of Gisippus as of Sophronia, together in atemple, where, being entered, attended only by Gisippus, thus (they beingintent to hear) he harangued them:--"'Tis the opinion of not a fewphilosophers that whatsoever mortals do is ordained by the providence ofthe immortal Gods; for which cause some would have it that nought eitheris, or ever shall be, done, save of necessity, albeit others there arethat restrict this necessity to that which is already done. Regard we butthese opinions with some little attention, and we shall very plainlyperceive that to censure that which cannot be undone is nought else butto be minded to shew oneself wiser than the Gods; by whom we must supposethat we and our affairs are swayed and governed with uniform and unerringwisdom. Whereby you may very readily understand how vain and foolish apresumption it is to pass judgment on their doings, and what manner andmight of chains they need who suffer themselves to be transported to suchexcess of daring. Among whom, in my judgment, you must one and all benumbered, if 'tis true, what I hear, to wit, that you have complained anddo continue to complain that Sophronia, albeit you gave her to Gisippus,is, nevertheless, become my wife; not considering that 'twas ordainedfrom all eternity that she should become, not the wife of Gisippus, butmine, as the fact does now declare.

  "But, for that discourse of the secret providence and purposes of theGods seems to many a matter hard and scarce to be understood, I amwilling to assume that they meddle in no wise with our concerns, and todescend to the region of human counsels; in speaking whereof I must needsdo two things quite at variance with my wont, to wit, in some degreepraise myself and censure or vilify another. But, as in either case Imean not to deviate from the truth, and 'tis what the occasion demands, Ishall not fail so to do. With bitter upbraidings, animated rather by ragethan by reason, you cease not to murmur, nay, to cry out, againstGisippus, and to harass him with your abuse, and hold him condemned, forthat her, whom you saw fit to give him, he has seen fit to give me, towife; wherein I deem him worthy of the highest commendation, and that fortwo reasons, first, because he has done the office of a friend, andsecondly, because he has done more wisely than you did. After what sortthe sacred laws of friendship prescribe that friend shall entreat friend,'tis not to my present purpose to declare; 'twill suffice to remind youthat the tie of friendship should be more binding than that of blood, orkinship; seeing that our friends are of our own choosing, whereas ourkinsfolk are appointed us by Fortune; wherefore, if my life was more toGisippus than your goodwill, since I am, as I hold myself, his friend,can any wonder thereat?

  "But pass we to my second reason; in the exposition whereof I must needswith yet more cogency prove to you that he has been wiser than you,seeing that, methinks, you wot nought of the providence of the Gods, andstill less of the consequences of friendship. I say then, that, as 'twasyour premeditated and deliberate choice that gave Sophronia to this youngphilosopher Gisippus, so 'twas his that gave her to another youngphilosopher. 'Twas your counsel that gave her to an Athenian; 'twas histhat gave her to a Roman: 'twas your counsel that gave her to a man ofgentle birth; 'twas his that gave her to one of birth yet gentler:wealthy was he to whom your counsel gave her, most wealthy he to whom hiscounsel gave her. Not only did he to whom your counsel gave her, love hernot, but he scarce knew her, whereas 'twas to one that loved her beyondall other blessings, nay, more dearly than his own life, that his counselgave her. And to the end that it may appear more plainly that 'tis evenas I say, and Gisippus' counsel more to be commended than yours, let usexamine it point by point. That I, like Gisippus, am young and aphilosopher, my countenance and my pursuits may, without making morewords about the matter, sufficiently attest. We are also of the same age,and have ever kept pace together in our studies. Now true it is that heis an Athenian, and I am a Roman. But, as touching the comparative gloryof the cities, should the matter be mooted, I say that I am of a freecity, and he of a city tributary; that I am of a city that is mistress ofall the world, and he of one that is subject to mine; that I am of a citythat flourishes mightily in arms, in empire, and in arts; whereas hecannot boast his city as famous save in arts.

  "Moreover, albeit you see me here in the guise of a most humble scholar,I am not born of the dregs of the populace of Rome. My halls and thepublic places of Rome are full of the antique effigies of my forefathers,and the annals of Rome abound with the records of triumphs led by theQuintii to the Roman Capitol; and so far from age having withered it,to-day, yet more abundantly than ever of yore, flourishes the glory ofour name. Of my wealth I forbear, for shame, to speak, being mindful thathonest poverty is the time-honoured and richest inheritance of the noblecitizens of Rome; but, allowing for the nonce the opinion of the vulgar,which holds poverty in disrepute, and highly appraises wealth, I, albeitI never sought it, yet, as the favoured of Fortune, have abundant storethereof. Now well I wot that, Gisippus being of your own city, you justlyprized and prize an alliance with him; but not a whit less should youprize an alliance with me at Rome, considering that there you will havein me an excellent host, and a patron apt, zealous and potent to serveyou as well in matters of public interest as in your private concerns.Who, then, dismissing all bias from his mind, and judging with impartialreason, would deem your counsel more commendable than that of Gisippus?Assuredly none. Sophronia, then, being married to Titus Quintius Fulvus,a citizen of Rome, of an ancient and illustrious house, and wealthy, anda friend of Gisippus, whoso takes umbrage or offence thereat, does thatwhich it behoves him not to do, and knows not what he does.

  "Perchance some will say that their complaint is not that Sophronia isthe wife of Titus, but that she became his wife after such a sort, towit, privily, by theft, neither friend nor any of her kin witting aughtthereof; but herein is no matter of marvel, no prodigy as yet unheard-of.I need not instance those who before now have taken to them husbands indefiance of their fathers' will, or have eloped with their lovers andbeen their mistresses before they were their wives, or of whose marriagesno word has been spoken, until their pregnancy or parturition publishedthem to the world, and necessity sanctioned the fact: nought of this hashappened in the case of Sophronia; on the contrary, 'twas in proper form,and in meet and seemly sort, that Gisippus gave her to Titus. And others,peradventure, will say that 'twas by one to whom such office belonged notthat she was bestowed in marriage. Nay, but this is but vain and womanishquerulousness, and comes of scant consideration. Know we not, then, thatFortune varies according to circumstances her methods and her means ofdisposing events to their predetermined ends? What matters it to me, ifit be a cobbler, rather than a philosopher, that Fortune has ordained tocompass something for me, whether privily or overtly, so only the resultis as it should be? I ought, indeed, to take order, if the cobbler beindiscreet, that he meddle no more in affairs of mine, but, at the sametime, I ought to thank him for what he has done. If Gisippus has dulybestowed Sophronia in marriage, it is gratuitous folly to find fault withthe manner and the person. If y
ou mistrust his judgment, have a care thatit be not in his power to do the like again, but thank him for this turn.

  "Natheless, you are to know that I used no cunning practice or deceit tosully in any degree the fair fame of your house in the person ofSophronia; and, albeit I took her privily to wife, I came not as aravisher to despoil her of her virginity, nor in any hostile sort was Iminded to make her mine on dishonourable terms, and spurn your alliance;but, being fervently enamoured of her bewitching beauty and her noblequalities, I wist well that, should I make suit for her with thoseformalities which you, perchance, will say were due, then, for the greatlove you bear her, and for fear lest I should take her away with me toRome, I might not hope to have her. Accordingly I made use of the secretpractice which is now manifest to you, and brought Gisippus to