but as time & occasion serveth, tell some pretie tale or some news,
never heard of before, he y^t can: & he y^t cannot, let him hold his
peace. For, these be y^e partes of y^e wit: which, if they be sodain &
prety, give a proofe & a shew of y^e quicknes of y^e wit, & the goodnes
of y^e maners of him y^t speakes them: which thing doth verie much
please men & makes them our lovers & friends. But if they be otherwise,
they woorke them a contrary effect. For, a man would weene the asse
would play his parte: or y^t some hody dody & louberly lout would
friske and daunce in his doublet. There is another pleasaunte kind of
communication, & y^t is when y^e pleasure & grace doth not consist
in one merrie conceite alone, but in long & continued talke: which
would be well disposed, wel uttered, & very wel set forth, to shew y^e
maners, y^e fashions, y^e gestures & behaviours of them we speke, of
so properly & lively, as y^e hearer should think that he heareth them
not rehearsed, but seeth them with his eyes do those very things he
heares them to speak of: which be very well observed by the gentlemen
and gentlewomen both, in Boccace: although yet otherwhile (if I be not
deceived) they do affect and counterfet, more then is sightly for a
gentleman or gentlewoman to doe, like to these Comedie Players. And
to doe this well, you must have the matter, the tale, or the story,
you take uppon you to tell, perfect in your minde: and woordes so redy
and fit, that you neede not say in the end: "That thing, and tother
thing: This man, what doe you call him: That matter, helpe me to terme
it:" And, "remember what his name is." For this is just the trot of
the knight of the Lady Horetta. And if you doe reherse any chaunce,
in which there be many speakers: you must not say, "He said and he
aunswered:" bycause this worde (He) serveth for all men. So that the
hearer that harkens unto it, is easily deceived, and forgets whome you
meane. Then, it behoves them that discourse matters at length, to use
proper names, & not to chaunge them after.
And more over, a man must beware that he say, not those things,
which unsaide in silence would make y^e tale pleasaunt inoughe and
peradventure, geve it a better grace to leave them out. As to say thus.
"Such a one, that was the sonne of such a one, that dwelt in Cocomer
streete: do you knowe him? he maried the daughter of Gianfigliazzi, the
leane scragge, that went so much to Saint Laraunce. No? do not you know
him? why? do you not remember the goodly straight old man that ware
long haire downe to his shoulders?" For if it were nothing materiall
to the tale, whether this chaunce befell him, or him: all this long
babble, and fond and folishe questions, were but a tale of a Tubbe: to
no purpose, more then to weary mens eares that harken to it, and long
to understand the end. As peradventure our Dant hath made this fault
otherwhile, where he sayeth:
"And borne my parents were of yoare in Lumbardie,
And eke of Mantuaes soile they both by country be."
For, it was to no purpose, whether his mother were borne at Gazuolo, or
ells at Cremona.
But I lerned once of a straunger, a Rethorician very lerned, a
necessarie lesson concerning this poinct: that Men must dispose and
order their tale, first with bynames, and then rehearse them (as neede
is) that be proper. For, the bynames alwayes beare the respect of
the persones qualitie: but the other are to be used at the Fathers
discretion, or his whome they concerne.
And therfore, that bodie whome in your thought and imagination to
your selfe, you doe conceive, might be Lady Covetousnes her selfe: in
speache you shall call Maister Erminio Grimaldi: if suche be the common
opinion, the countrie hathe of him. And, if there be no man in place
where you dwell, so notoriously knowne as might serve the turne fit
for your purpose: you must then imagine the case further of, and set
him a name at your pleasure. It is very true, that With muche greater
pleasure we harken and better beholde (as it were with our eyes) what
soever is told us of men of our acquaintance, if the matter be suche
as toucheth their maners: then what we doe heare of straungers and men
unknowne unto us. And the reason is this: when wee doe knowe, that
suche a man is woont to doe so: we doe easily beleeve, he hathe doone
so indeede: and wee take asmuche knoweledge of him, as if wee were
present: where it chaunceth not so with us, in the case of a straunger.
Our wordes (be it in longe discourses or other communication) Must
be so plaine, that all the companie may easily understand them: and
withall, for sounde and sense they must be apt and sweete. For if you
be to use one of these two wordes: you shall rather say, Il ventre:
then L'Epa. And where your country speache will beare it, you shall
rather say: La Pancia, then il Ventre: Or, il Corpo. For, by these
meanes you shalbe understoode, and not misse understoode, as we
Florentines say, nor be darke and obscure to the hearers. The which
thing our Poet, meaning to eschewe: in this very woorde it selfe (I
beleve) sought to finde out another, not thinking muche of his paines
(bycause it liked him wel) to seeke farre to borrow it els where. And
said:
Remember how the Lorde a man was faine to be,
For mans offence and sinne in Cloister of virginitie.
And albeit Dant the learned Poet, did litle set by suche kinde of
rules: I doe not think yet, a man should allow well of him in doing so.
And sure, I would not councell you to make him your Maister in this
point, to learne A Grace: forasmuche as he him selfe had none. For,
this I finde in a Chronicle of him.
"This Dant, was somewhat proude for his knowledge, scornefull and
disdainfull, and muche (as Philosophers be) without any grace or
courtesie: having no skill to behave him selfe in company."
But to come to our purpose againe: I say, our speache must be plaine:
which will be easie inough to doe: if you have wit to choose those
wordes that be naturally bred in our soile: and with all not so olde
w^t Age, that they are become rotten and withered: and as overworne
apparell, leaft of and cast a side. As, Spaldo, and Epa, and Vopo,
and Sezzaio, & Primaio. And moreover, the wordes you shall use, must
have no double understanding, but simple. For by coupling suche wordes
together: wee frame that speache that is called Aenigma. And to speake
it plainer in our owne language, we call it Gergo. As in this verse:
Io vidi un che da sette passatoi
Fu da un canto all' altro trapassato.
Againe, our wordes would be, (as nere as they might be) aptly and
properly applied to that thing we go about to deliver, & as litle
as may be, common to other matters: for, in so doing, a man shall
weene, the matter it selfe is openly laide before him: & that it
is not expressed with wordes, but pointed foorthe with the finger.
And therefore we may more properly say: A man is knowen by his
countenaunce, then by his figure or counterfet. And Dant did better
expresse the matter, when he saide,
"The weightes
That peize the weight doe make the balance creeke,"
Then if he had saide
"Crie out and make a noise."
And it is a more proper and peculiar speache to say, The shivering of
an ague, then to call it The Colde. And flesh that is Tidie, to terme
it rather, Fatte: then Fulsome.
Ther be some woordes more in this place to like effect, which I meane
not to stande uppon now: bycause our Englishe tounge cannot hansomely
deliver their perfect meaning. For the Italians have (as we have, and
all other Countreis ells as well as wee) certaine peculiar wordes and
termes, so naturally and properly their owne, as it is not possible to
expresse them aptly and perfectly in any other Language. And therefore
the Author him selfe, fearing, or knowing asmuche in the sense of these
wordes, which he hath inferred in this place (as it were preventing a
blame) in maner excuseth and speaketh asmuch as I say, as the matter it
selfe that insueth doth shewe. For, the Author him selfe following his
purpose saithe thus.
"I am well assured, if some straunger should, unhappely for my credite,
hit uppon this treatise of mine: he would laughe mee to scorne, and say
that I taught to speake in riddles, or els in Ciphers. For as muche as
these wordes, be almost so properly our owne, that other countries have
no acquaintance with them: or, if they woulde use them, yet they cannot
tell how to understand them. For, who is it that knowes what Dant ment
in this verse.
Gia veggia per Mezzul perdere o Lulla.
"Sure, I beleeve no man ells but we that are Florentines can understand
it. Notwithstanding, for any thing that I have saide, if there be any
fault in this text of Dant: it is not in the wordes. But, if he have
faulted, it is rather in this: that (as a man somewhat wilfull) he
would take uppon him, a matter harde to be uttered in wordes, and per
adventure unplesaunt to heare: then that he hath exprest it ill."
It is not then for a man to use any talke, with him that understandeth
not that language you talke unto him. Nor yet, bycause a Douche man
understandes not the Italian tounge, must wee (for that cause) breake
of our talke, to holde talke with him, to make our selves counterfets,
as Maister Brusaldo did, and as some other be woont, that fondly and
coldly, without any grace, thrust them selves in to Chat in their
language with whome they talke, what so ever it be, and chop it out
every worde preposterously. And many times it chaunceth, the Spaniard
talkes Italian with the Italian, and the Italian babbles againe in a
bravevery and gallantnes, the Spanishe toung with the Spaniard. And
yet, it is an easier thing to know, y^t they both talke like strangers:
then to forbeare to laugh at the folish follies that scape them both in
speache. Let us not therfore use our forreigne language, but when it is
needefull for us to be understoode, for some necessitie or other, that
appertaineth unto us: And in common use, use our owne tounge, thoughe
not altogether so good: rather then a forreigne language, better then
our owne that is naturall unto us. For a Lumbarde shall speake his owne
tounge more aptly (which is, notwithstanding, but base and barbarous)
then he shall speake the Tuscane, or other language: even bycause he
hath not so redily, so proper and peculiar wordes, althoughe he studie
much for them, as wee our selves that be Tuscanes.
But yet, if a man have a respect to them with whome he talkes: and for
that cause forbeare & leave out those singular wordes, (which I have
spoken of) and in stede of them use the generall and common: his talke,
by suche meanes, shall have the lesse pleasure & delight.
Besides this, it becometh everie honest gentleman, to eschewe those
wordes that have no honest meaning. And, The goodnes of wordes
consisteth either in their sound, or pronouncing: or, in their sense
and meaning. For as much as som wordes speake an honest matter, and
yet, perchaunce, there is a certaine unhonest sense perceaved to
stand in the pronouncinge of the worde it selfe: as Rinculare: which,
notwithstanding, is daily used of all men. But if a man or woman should
speake after this sorte, & at that verie warning doe it in sight of any
(che si dice il farsi indietro) then would the grosenesse of the worde
plainlie appeare unto them. But our Palate, throughe Custome and Use,
happilie tasteth y^e wine (as it were) and the bestnes of the sense of
the worde, and not y^e Dregges or Leeze.
She gave the Spanish figge with both her thumbes at once.
Saith Dant.
But our women, would be much ashamed to speake so: yea to shunne this
ambiguous woord, y^t signifieth a worse matter, they rather say Le
castagne. Albeit yet some of them at unwares, many times, name that
unadvisedly, which if another man had spoken to trie them, would have
made them blushe to heare that remembred in way of blasphemie, which
makes them women. And therefore, suche as be, or would be better
mannered or taught, take good heede they doe eschewe, not only things
uncleane and unhonest, but woordes also: and not somuche those that be
evill indeede, but those that may be, or doe but seeme to be unhonest,
foule & filthie: as some men say these are of Dant.
She blewe large blastes of winde
Both in my face and under.
Or els these.
I pray thee tell mee where about the hole doth stand.
And one of the Spirits said.
Then come behinde and where the hole is, it may be scand.
And you must knowe, that albeit two, or moe wordes, otherwhile chaunce
to tell one selfe thinge, yet the one is more cleanly then the other.
As for example, to say: Con lui giacque, & Della sua persona gli
sodisfece. For this self same speach, if it were in other termes, would
be to broad before & to filthie to heare it. And speaking of Endymion,
you may more aptly say: Il Vago della Luna: then you can say Il Drudo,
althoughe both these wordes doe import and signifie A lover, and a
Friend. And a much honester speache is it, if you talke of Aurora, to
call, her. Tritons prety gerle and lover, then Concubine. And it better
becomes a mans and womans mouth, to call Harlots, women of the worlde
(as Belcolore did, who was more ashamed to speake it then to doe it)
then to use their common name: Thaide è la Puttana. And as Boccace
declared y^e power of Meretrici and Ragazzi. For, se cosi hauesse
nominato dall'arte loro i maschi, come nominò le femine; his talke
would have byn foule & shamefull. And withall, A man must not alone
beware of unhonest and filthie talke: but also of that whiche is base
and vile, and especially where a man talketh & discourseth of greate
and highe matters. And for this Cause, perchaunce, woorthely some blame
our Beatrice, sayeing:
To passe throughe Lethes floud, the highest Fates would blott,
If man mighte taste the Viandes suche, as there dooe fall by Lott,
And not pay firste a due repentaunce for his scott.
For, in my conceite, these base wordes that come out of the Tavernes,
bee verie uncomely for suche a worthy discourse. And when a man hathe
like occasion to speake of y^e Sunne, it shall not be good to call it
The Candell or the Lampe of the world: bycause such woordes do put us
in minde of y^e Oyle, & the stuffe of the kitchin. Neither should a man
that is well advised, say that Saincte Dominicke was Il Drudo della
Theologia: Nor yet talke, that the glorious Sainctes have spoken suche
base and vile woordes: As for Example to say.
And leave to scratche whereas the scabs of sinne breake out.
For they savour of y^e dregges, & y^e filth of y^e common people, as
every man may easily see.
Againe, in your long and large discourses, you must have y^e
like considerations & cares, & some more: y^e which you may more
commodiously learne of your Maisters y^t teache you y^t arte, that is
commonly called Rhetorike.
And amongest other things, You must accustome your selfe, to use suche
gentle and courtious speache to men, and so sweete, that it may have
no maner of bitter taste. And you shall rather say, I cannot tell how
to say it: Then say: you ar deceived: Or, it is not true: Or, you know
it not. For, it is a courteous and friendly parte to excuse a mans
faulte, even in that very thing, wherein you know how to blame him.
And withall, it doth well, to make the proper and peculiar fault of
your friend, indifferent and common to you both: and first, to take
one piece to your selfe, and then after, to blame and reprove him for
it. Wee were deceived and failed muche: we forgot our selves yesterday
to doe so. Althoughe suche negligence & errour, or what soever it
be: be altogether his fault and not yours. And Restagnone forgat him
selfe muche, when he saide to his companions: If your wordes doe not
lie. For, A man should not bring another mannes faithe and honestie in
question and doubte. But, if a man promise you any thing, and doe not
performe it: it shall not doe well, for you to say unto him, You have
lost your credite with mee: without some necessarie cause doe drive you
to say so, as to save your owne credite and honestie. But, you shall
rather say: You could not do it: Or, you did not remember to doe it:
Then, you have cleane forgotten mee. For, these kinde of speaches, have
some prickles & stinges of Complaint, Anger and Choler. So that, suche
as use them selves to speake suche churlishe and fumishe woordes, are
taken for sharpe and sower fellowes: & men doe asmuche shunne their
acquaintance: as to thrust them selves uppon thornes and thistles.
And bycause I knowe som, of this naughtie condition & qualitie: I meane
some y^t be so hastie and greedy to speake, y^t they take not the sense
with them, but over passe it and runne before it, as the grehound, that
doth not pinche by overshooting his game: ther fore I will not spare
to tell you that, which may be thought needeles to touche, as a thing
to well knowen: and that is, that You shall never speake, before you
have first considered & laide the plot in your minde what it is you
have to saie. For in so doing, your talke shalbe well delivered and
not borne before the time. I trust, straungers will easily beare with
this worde: if at least they vouchsafe to read these trifles of mine.
And if you doe not skorne my preceptes: it shall never chaunce you to
say: "welcome Maister Agostino," to such a one, whose name is Agnolo,
or Bernardo. And you shal never need to say, "Tell me your name:" Nor
say againe, "I saide not well:" Nor, "Lorde what doe I call him:" Nor
to hack and to stutter long together, to finde out a worde, "Maister
Arrigo:" no "Master Arabico:" Tushe, what doe I call him I should say,
"Maister Agabito." These fonde & foolish behaviours & fashions, paine a
man as much to heare them, as to be drawne and haled with cordes.
The voice would be neither hoarse nor shrill. And, when you laugh
and sporte in any sorte: you must not crye out and criche like the
Pullye of a well: nor yet speake in your yawning. I knowe well it is
not in us, to geve our selves a ready tongue or perfect voice at our
owne will and pleasure. Hee y^t doth stutter, or is hoarse: let him
not alwayes bable and gabbe, and keepe a courte alone: let him rather
amend the defect of his tounge with silence, and hearinge: and withall
(if hee can) with studie diminishe the fault of Nature. It is an ill
noise to heare a man raise his voice highe, like to a common Crier.
And yet I would not have him speake so lowe and softly, that he that
harkens, shall not heare him. And if he be not heard at y^e first time
he speaketh, he must speake, the next time, somewhat plainer: but yet,
not yoape out aloude, that he make not men thinke he is woode and angry
with them: for hee shall doe but well, to rehearse that againe he hath
spoken, y^t men may understand what he said.
Your wordes would be disposed, even as the common use of speache doth
require and not unsorted, disordered and scattered confusedly: as many
be woont to doe uppon a bravery, whose maner of talke is more like a
Scrivener (me thinke) that readeth in his mother tounge, the Indenture
he hath written before in latine: then a man that reasoneth or talketh
in his Naturall language: as this for example.
They drawe by sent of false and fained steps of truth.
Or if a man should preposterously place his wordes thus.
Those times did blossomes geve before their time of soothe.
Which maner of speache, may be otherwhile allowed in versifiers: but it
is utterly forbidden in common talke.
And, it behoves a man, not onely to shunne this versifying maner of
speache, in his familiar and common discourse, or talke: but likewise
eschewe y^e pomp, bravery, & affectation, that may be suffered and
allowed to inriche an Oration, spoken in a publike place. Otherwise,
men that doe heare it, will but spite it, and laughe him to scorne for
it.
Albeit perchaunce, a Sermon may shewe a greater cunning and arte, then
common talke. But, Everie thing must have his time and place. For, he
that walkes by the way must not daunce, but goe. For, every man hath
not the skill to daunce, yet every man can skill to goe. But, Dauncing
is meete for feastes & weddings: it is not to use in the stretes. You
must then take good heede you speake not with a majestie.
It is thought by many Philosophers.
And suche is all Filocolo, and the other treatises of Maister John
Boccace, except his greater woorke, and litle more perchaunce Corbaccio.
I would not for al this, that you should use so base a speache, as y^e
scum, as it were, and the froth of the meanest and vilest sorte of
people, Launderers & Hucksters: but suche as gentlemen should speake
& talke, which I have partly told you before, in what sort it may be
done: that is, if you talke of matters that be neither vile, vaine,
fowle, nor lothesome. And if you have skill to choose amongest the
woords of your owne countrie speache, the purest and most proper, suche
as have the best sounde, and best sense, touching nor remembring, in
no case, no matter that is foule, vile and base: & if you can place
your woords in good order, and not shoofle them together at random, nor
yet, with over muche Curious studie, file them (as it were) one your
beades. Moreover, if you do dispose such things as you have to say with
discretion. And take good hede that you couple not unfit & unlikely
matters together: as for Example.
As sure as God is in Heaven:
So stands the staffe in the chimny corner.
And if you speake not so slowe, as if you were unlustie: nor so hasty,
as if you wer hungrie: but as a wise and a temperate man should doe.
Likewise, if you pronounce youre woords and your sillables with a
certaine grace & sweetnes: not as a Scholemaister y^t teacheth young
Children to read & to spell. Neither must you mumble them nor supp them
up, as if they were glued & pasted together one to another. If you
remember these and such other rules and precepts: youre talke will be
liked, and heard with pleasure enoughe: and you shall well maintaine
the state and countenaunce, that well besemeth a gentleman well taught
and honest.
Besids these, there be some, that never hould their tounge. And as the
shippe that sailes, doth not presently stand still, by taking downe
the sailes: So doe they runne forward, as caried away with a certaine
braide: and loosing the matter of their talke, yet leave not to babble,
but either repeate that againe that is said, or els speake still they
cannot tell what.
And there be other so full of babble, that they will not suffer another
to speake. And as wee doe see otherwhile, uppon the flowers in the
countrie where they thresh corne, one Pullet pull the corne out of the
others beake: so doe they catche the tale out of his mouth y^t beganne
it, and tell it them selves. And sure, suche maner of people, induce
men to quarell and fight with them for it. For, if you doe marke it
wel: Nothing moves a man sooner to anger: then when he is soudainely
cut short of his will and his pleasure, be it of never so little and
small importaunce. As when you gape wide with yawning: another should
thrust his hand in your mouth: or when you doe lift your arme redy
to hurle a stone: it is soudainly staide by one that stands behinde
you. Even then, as these doings, and many moe like unto these, which
tend to hinder the will and desire of another (albeit but in way of
sporte & of play) are unseemely, and would be eschewed: So in talke and
communication with men, wee should rather pull one, and further their
desiers, by what meanes we can, then stop them and hinder them in it.
And therefore, If any man be in a redines to tell his tale: it is no
good maner to interrupte him: nor to say that you doe knowe it well.
Or, if hee besprinckle his tale here and there, with some prety lie:
you must not reprove him for it, neither in wordes nor in gesture, as
shaking your hed, or scowling uppon him, as many be wont: gloriously
vaunting them selves, that they can, by no meanes, abide the taste of
a Lie.... But, this is not the reason of this, it is the sharpenes and
sowernes of their owne rusticall & eager Natures, which makes them so
venemous & bitter in all companies they come: that no man cares for
their acquaintance.