[Day the Sixth]
GUIDO CAVALCANTI WITH A PITHY SPEECH COURTEOUSLY FLOUTETH
CERTAIN FLORENTINE GENTLEMEN WHO HAD TAKEN HIM BY SURPRISE
The queen, seeing Emilia delivered of her story and that it rested
with none other than herself to tell, saving him who was privileged to
speak last, began thus, "Although, sprightly ladies, you have this day
taken out of my mouth at the least two stories, whereof I had purposed
to relate one, I have yet one left to tell, the end whereof compriseth
a saying of such a fashion that none, peradventure, of such
pertinence, hath yet been cited to us.
You must know, then, that there were in our city, of times past, many
goodly and commendable usances, whereof none is left there nowadays,
thanks to the avarice that hath waxed therein with wealth and hath
banished them all. Among these there was a custom to the effect that
the gentlemen of the various quarters of Florence assembled together
in divers places about the town and formed themselves into companies
of a certain number, having a care to admit thereinto such only as
might aptly bear the expense, whereof to-day the one and to-morrow the
other, and so all in turn, hold open house, each his day, for the
whole company. At these banquets they often entertained both stranger
gentlemen, whenas there came any thither, and those of the city; and
on like wise, once at the least in the year, they clad themselves
alike and rode in procession through the city on the most notable days
and whiles they held passes of arms, especially on the chief holidays
or whenas some glad news of victory or the like came to the city.
Amongst these companies was one of Messer Betto Brunelleschi,
whereinto the latter and his companions had studied amain to draw
Guido, son of Messer Cavalcante de' Cavalcanti, and not without cause;
for that, besides being one of the best logicians in the world and an
excellent natural philosopher (of which things, indeed, they recked
little), he was very sprightly and well-bred and a mighty well-spoken
man and knew better than any other to do everything that he would and
that pertained unto a gentleman, more by token that he was very rich
and knew wonder-well how to entertain whomsoever he deemed deserving
of honour. But Messer Betto had never been able to win and to have
him, and he and his companions believed that this betided for that
Guido, being whiles engaged in abstract speculations, became much
distraught from mankind; and for that he inclined somewhat to the
opinion of the Epicureans, it was reported among the common folk that
these his speculations consisted only in seeking if it might be
discovered that God was not.
It chanced one day that Guido set out from Orto San Michele and came
by way of the Corso degli Ademari, the which was oftentimes his road,
to San Giovanni, round about which there were at that present divers
great marble tombs (which are nowadays at Santa Reparata) and many
others. As he was between the columns of porphyry there and the tombs
in question and the door of the church, which was shut, Messer Betto
and his company, coming a-horseback along the Piazza di Santa
Reparata, espied him among the tombs and said, 'Let us go plague him.'
Accordingly, spurring their horses, they charged all down upon him in
sport and coming upon him ere he was aware of them, said to him,
'Guido, thou refusest to be of our company; but, harkye, whenas thou
shalt have found that God is not, what wilt thou have accomplished?'
Guido, seeing himself hemmed in by them, answered promptly,
'Gentlemen, you may say what you will to me in your own house'; then,
laying his hand on one of the great tombs aforesaid and being very
nimble of body, he took a spring and alighting on the other side, made
off, having thus rid himself of them.
The gentlemen abode looking one upon another and fell a-saying that he
was a crack-brain and that this that he had answered them amounted to
nought seeing that there where they were they had no more to do than
all the other citizens, nor Guido himself less than any of themselves.
But Messer Betto turned to them and said, 'It is you who are the
crackbrains, if you have not apprehended him. He hath courteously and
in a few words given us the sharpest rebuke in the world; for that, an
you consider aright, these tombs are the houses of the dead, seeing
they are laid and abide therein, and these, saith he, are our house,
meaning thus to show us that we and other foolish and unlettered men
are, compared with him and other men of learning, worse than dead
folk; wherefore, being here, we are in our own house.' Thereupon each
understood what Guido had meant to say and was abashed nor ever
plagued him more, but held Messer Betto thenceforward a gentleman of a
subtle wit and an understanding."