The Book of the Courtier:
Renaissance Man: Polymath
The Book of the Courtier
(Italian ‘Il
Cortegiano’) was written by Baldassare
Castiglione in
1528. Baldassare was inspired to write the
Courtier by debates that occurred in Urbino on what makes a well
rounded person (l'uomo universale,
polymath). The book is the finest
Renaissance example of a self-improvement, self help manual.
The book is organized as a series of fictional conversations that occur
between the courtiers of the Duke of Urbino in the year 1507 (when
Baldassare was in fact part of the Duke's Court). In the book, the
courtier is described as having a cool mind, a good voice (with
beautiful, elegant and brave words) and proper bearing and gestures. At
the same time though, the courtier is expected to have a warrior
spirit, to be athletic and to have good knowledge of the humanities,
classics, and how to draw and paint.
During his visits to Italy, Francois I of France read Baldassare
Castiglione's The Book of the Courtier. That text so inspired the king
that he had it translated into French. He had several copies made,
which he then brought back to France to distribute amongst his
courtiers. He felt that this book portrayed the model royal court and
he strove to create this type of court for himself.
To this day, the Book of the Courtier remains the definitive account of
Renaissance court life. In its own day, however, it was used as a
manual on how to be the "Perfect Courtier" and the consummate "Court
Lady."
The two texts below (as expressed in Elizabeth English) were used by
the publisher as fliers to wet the appetite of potential readers for
them to buy the finished book. Not sure if the lady of the 21st century
would concur to the second tract on the female of the species; though
in 16th century England it was lady buyer who made this book economic.
Indeed I have found this latter tract a sure way to engender the
outrage of our fairer sex.
A
brief rehersall of the chiefe conditions and qualities in a Courtier.
Of the chief conditions and qualityes in a wayting gentylwoman.
A BREEF REHERSALL OF THE CHIEFE CONDITIONS
AND QUALITIES IN A COURTIER
•To be well borne and of a good stocke.
•To be of a meane stature, rather with the least then to high, and well
made to his proportion.
•To be portly and amiable in countenance unto whoso beehouldeth him.
•Not to be womanish in his sayinges or doinges.
•Not to praise himself unshamefully and out of reason.
•Not to crake and boast of his actes and good qualities.
•To shon Affectation or curiosity above al thing in al things.
•To do his feates with a slight, as though they were rather naturally
in
him, then learned with studye: and use a Reckelesness to cover art,
without minding greatly what he hath in hand, to a mans seeminge.
•Not to carie about tales and triflinge newis.
•Not to be overseene in speaking wordes otherwhile that may offende
where he ment it not.
•Not to be stubborne, wilful nor full of contention: nor to contrary
and
overthwart men after a spiteful sort.
•Not to be a babbler, brauler, or chatter, nor lavish of his tunge.
•Not to be given to vanitie and lightnesse, not to have a fantasticall
head.
•No lyer.
•No fonde flatterer.
•To be well spoken and faire languaged.
•To be wise and well seene in discourses upon states.
•To have a judgement to frame himself to the maners of the Countrey
where ever he commeth.
•To be able to alleage good, and probable reasons upon everie matter.
•To be seen in tunges, and specially in Italian, French, and Spanish.
•To direct all thinges to a goode ende.
•To procure where ever he goeth that men may first conceive a good
opinion of him before he commeth there.
•To felowship him self for the most part with men of the best sort and
of most estimation, and with his equalles, so he be also beloved of his
inferiours.
•To play for his pastime at Dice and Cardes, not wholye for monies
sake,
nor fume and chafe in his losse.
•To be meanly seene in the play at Chestes, and not overcounninge.
•To be pleasantlie disposed in commune matters and in good companie.
•To speake and write the language that is most in use emonge the
commune
people, without inventing new woordes, inckhorn tearmes or straunge
phrases, and such as be growen out of use by long time.
•To be handesome and clenly in his apparaile.
•To make his garmentes after the facion of the most, and those to be
black, or of some darkish and sad colour, not garish.
•To gete him an especiall and hartye friend to companye with all.
•Not to be ill tunged, especiallie against his betters.
•Not to use any fonde saucinesse or presumption.
•To be no envious or malitious person.
•To be an honest, a faire condicioned man, and of an upright conscience.
•To have the vertues of the minde, as justice, manlinesse, wisdome,
temperance, staidenesse, noble courage, sober-moode, etc.
•To be more then indifferentlye well seene in learninge, in the Latin
and Greeke tunges.
•Not to be rash, nor perswade hymselfe to knowe the thing that he
knoweth not.
•To confesse his ignorance, whan he seeth time and place therto, in
suche qualities as he knoweth him selfe to have no maner skill in.
•To be brought to show his feates and qualities at the desire and
request of others, and not rashlye presse to it of himself.
•To speake alwaies of matters likely, least he be counted a lyer in
reporting of wonders and straunge miracles.
•To have the feate of drawing and peincting.
•To daunce well without over nimble footinges or to busie trickes
•To singe well upon the booke.
•To play upon the Lute, and singe to it with the ditty.
•To play upon the Vyole, and all other instrumentes with freates.
•To delite and refresh the hearers mindes in being pleasant, feat
conceited, and a meerie talker, applyed to time and place.
•Not to use sluttish and Ruffianlike pranckes with anye man.
•Not to beecome a jester of scoffer to put anye man out of countenance.
•To consider whom he doth taunt and where: for he ought not to mocke
poore seelie soules, nor men of authoritie, nor commune ribaldes and
persons given to mischeef, which deserve punishment.
•To be skilfull in all kynd of marciall feates both on horsbacke and a
foote, and well practised in them: whiche is his cheef profession,
though his understandinge be the lesse in all other thinges.
•To play well at fense upon all kinde of weapons.
•To be nimble and quicke at the play at tenise.
•To hunt and hauke.
•To ride and manege wel his horse.
•To be a good horsman for every saddle.
•Sildome in open syght of the people but privilye with himselfe alone,
or emonge hys friendes and familiers.
•To swimme well.
•To leape wel.
•To renn well.
•To vaute well.
•To wrastle well.
•To cast the stone well.
•To cast the barr well.
•To renn well at tilt, and at ring.
•To tourney. These thinges in open syght to delyte the commune people
withall.
•To fight at Barriers.
•To kepe a passage or streict.
•To play at Jogo di Canne.
•To renn at Bull.
•To fling a Speare or Dart.
•Not to renn, wrastle, leape, nor cast the stone or barr with men of
the
Countrey, except he be sure to gete the victorie.
•To sett out himself in feates of chivalrie in open showes well
provided
of horse and harness, well trapped, and armed, so that he may showe
himselfe nymeble on horsbacke.
•Never to be of the last that appeere in the listes at justes, or in
any
open showes.
•To have in triumphes comelie armour, bases, scarfes, trappinges,
liveries, and such other thinges of sightlie and meerie coulours, and
rich to beehoulde, wyth wittie poesies and pleasant divises, to allure
unto him chefflie the eyes of the people.
•To disguise himself in maskerie eyther on horsbacke or a foote, and to
take the shape upon hym that shall be contrarie to the feate that he
mindeth to worke.
•To undertake his bould feates and couragious enterprises in warr, out
of companye and in the sight of the most noble personages in the campe,
and (if it be possible) beefore his Princis eyes.
•Not to hasarde himself in forraginge and spoiling or in enterprises of
great daunger and small estimation, though he be sure to gaine by it.
•Not to waite upon or serve a wycked and naughtye person.
•Not to seeke to come up by any naughtie or subtill practise.
•Not to commit any mischevous or wicked fact at the wil and
commaundesment of his Lord or Prince.
•Not to folowe his own fansie, or alter the expresse wordes in any
point
of his commission from hys Prince or Lorde, onlesse he be assured that
the profit will be more, in case it have good successe, then the
damage, if it succeade yll.
•To use evermore toward his Prince or L. the respect that beecommeth
the
servaunt toward his maister.
•To endevour himself to love, please and obey his Prince in honestye.
•Not to covett to presse into the Chambre or other secrete part where
his Prince is withdrawen at any time.
•Never to be sad, melancho[l]ie or solemn beefore hys Prince.
•Sildome or never to sue to hys Lorde for anye thing for himself.
•His suite to be honest and reasonable whan he suyth for others.
•To reason of pleasaunt and meerie matters whan he is withdrawen with
him into private and secrete places alwayes doinge him to understande
the truth without dissimulation or flatterie.
•Not to love promotions so, that a man shoulde thinke he coulde not
live
without them, nor unshamefastlye to begg any office.
•Not to presse to his Prince where ever he be, to hould him with a
vaine
tale, that others should thinke him in favor with him.
•To consyder well what it is that he doeth or speaketh, where in
presence of whom, what time, why, his age, his profession, the ende,
and the meanes.
•The final end of a Courtier, where to al his good condicions and
honest
qualities tende, is to beecome an Instructer and Teacher of his Prince
or Lorde, inclininge him to vertuous practises: and to be francke and
free with him, after he is once in favour in matters touching his
honour and estimation, alwayes putting him in minde to folow vertue and
to flee vice, opening unto him the commodities of the one and
inconveniences of the other: and to shut his eares against flatterers,
whiche are the first beeginninge of self leekinge and all ignorance.
•His conversation with women to be alwayes gentle, sober, meeke,
lowlie,
modest, serviceable, comelie, merie, not bitinge or sclaundering with
jestes, nippes, frumpes, or railinges, the honesty of any.
•His love towarde women, not to be sensuall or fleshlie, but honest and
godly, and more ruled with reason, then appetyte: and to love better
the beawtye of the minde, then of the bodie.
•Not to withdrawe his maistresse good will from his felowlover with
revilinge or railinge at him, but with vertuous deedes, and honest
condicions, and with deserving more then he, at her handes for honest
affections sake.
OF
THE CHIEF CONDITIONS AND QUALITYES
IN A WAYTYNG GENTYLWOMAN
•To be well born and of a good house.
•To flee affectation or curiositie.
•To have a good grace in all her doinges.
•To be of good condicions and wel brought up.
•To be wittie and foreseing, not heady and of a renning witt.
•Not to be haughtie, envious, yltunged, lyght, contentious nor
untowardlye.
•To win and keepe her in her Ladies favour and all others.
•To do the exercises meete for women, comlye and with a good grace.
•To take hede that give none accasion to bee yll reported of.
•To commit no vice, nor yet to be had in suspition of any vice.
•To have the vertues of the minde, as wisdome, justice, noblenesse of
courage, temperance, strength of the mide, continency, sobermoode, etc.
•To be good and discreete.
•To have the understandinge beinge maried, how to ordre her husbandes
substance, her house and children, and to play the good huswyef.
•To have a sweetenesse in language and a good uttrance to entertein all
kinde of men with communication woorth the hearing, honest, applyed to
time and place and to the degree and dispostion of the person which is
her principall profession.
•To accompany sober and quiet maners and honesty with a livelie
quicknesse of wit.
• To be esteamed no lesse chast, wise and courteious, then pleasant,
feat
conceited and sober.
•Not to make wise to abhorr companie and talke, though somewhat of the
wantonnest, to arrise and forsake them for it.
•To geve the hearing of such kinde of talke with blushing and
bashfulnesse.
•Not to speake woordes of dishonestye and baudrye to showe her self
pleasant, free and a good felowe.
•Not to use over much familyaritie without measure and bridle.
•Not willinglie to give eare to suche as report ill of other women.
•To be heedfull in her talke that she offend not where she ment it not.
•To beeware of praysinge her self undiscreatlye, and of beeing to
tedious and noysome in her talke.
•Not to mingle with grave and sad matters, meerie jestes and laughinge
matters: nor with mirth, matters of gravitie.
•To be circumspect that she offend no man in her jesting and tauntynge,
to appeere therby of a readye witt.
•Not to make wise to knowe the thing that she knoweth not, but with
sobernesse gete her estimation with that she knoweth.
•Not to come on loft nor use to swift measures in her daunsinge.
•Not to use in singinge or playinge upon instrumentes to muche devision
and busy pointes, that declare more cunning then sweetenesse.
•To come to daunce, or to showe her musicke with suffringe her self to
be first prayed somewhat and drawen to it.
•To apparaile her self so, that she seeme not fonde and fantasticall.
•To sett out her beawtye and disposition of person with meete garmentes
that shall best beecome her, but as feininglye as she can, makyng
semblant to bestowe no labour about it, nor yet to minde it.
•To have an understandinge in all thinges belonginge to the Courtier,
that she maye gyve her judgemente to commend and to make of gentilmen
according to their worthinesse and desertes.
•To be learned.
•To be seene in the most necessarie languages.
•To drawe and peinct.
•To daunse.
•To devise sportes and pastimes.
•Not to be lyghte of creditt that she is beloved, thoughe a man commune
familierlye with her of love.
•To shape him that is oversaucie wyth her, or that hath small respecte
in hys talke, suche an answere, that he maye well understande she is
offended wyth hym.
•To take the lovynge communication of a sober Gentylman in an other
signifycatyon, seeking to straye from that pourpose.
•To acknoweleage the prayses whyche he giveth her at the Gentylmans
courtesye, in case she can not dissemble the understandinge of them:
debasynge her owne desertes.
•To be heedefull and remembre that men may with lesse jeopardy show to
be in love, then women.
•To geve her lover nothing but her minde, when eyther the hatred of her
husband, or the love that he beareth to others inclineth her to love.
•To love one that she may marye withall, beeinge a mayden and mindinge
to love.
•To showe suche a one all signes and tokens of love savynge suche as
maye put hym in anye dyshonest hope.
•To use a somewhat more famylyar conversation wyth men well growen in
yeeres, then with yonge men.
•To make her self beloved for her desertes, amiablenesse, and good
grace, not with anie uncomelie or dishonest behaviour, or flickeringe
enticement with wanton lookes, but with vertue and honest condicions.
•The final ende whereto the Coutier applieth all his good condicions,
properties, feates and qualities, serveth also for a waiting
Gentilwoman to grow in favour with her Lady, and by that meanes so to
instruct her and traine her to vertue, that she may both refraine from
vice and from committing anye dishonest matter, and also abhorr
flatterers, and give her self to understand the full troth in every
thyng, without entring into self leeking and ignorance, either of other
outward thinges, or yet of her owne self.
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