A pleasaunt disport of diuers noble personages: written in Italian by M. Iohn Bocace Florentine and poet laureat: in his boke vvhich is entituled Philocopo. And nowe Englished by H. G.

¶ The eight Question pro∣posed by a faire Gentlewoman named POLA.

ON the right hād of Galeone, was set a fayre Gentlewo∣man, whose name was Pola, pleasant, and yet vnder an ho¦nest couerture, who after y^e Quéene blēt, thus began to saye: O noble Quéene, ye haue domed at this present, that no per∣son ought to folowe this our Lord Loue, & I for my part consent there∣vnto: but yet since it séemes to mée impossible, that the youthfull race both of men and women should be runne ouer without this benigne Loue: I gather, at this present, setting apart (by your leaue) your sen∣tence, that to be enamoured is léefull, taking the euill doing for due working: And in following the same, I desire to know of you, whether of these two womē ought rather to be loued of a yong mā, both two plea∣sing him alike, either she that is of noble bloude, and of able kinsefolke, and copious of hauing much more than the yong man, or the other that is neither noble nor riche, nor of kin••folkes so abounding as is the yong man? To whom the Quene thus made an∣swere: Faire Gentlewomā, admitting the case that both man and woman ought to follow Loue as you

haue before affirmed, we giue iudgemēt; that in how much the woman is richer, greater, and more noble than the yong man, of whatsoeuer degrée or dignitie he be of, euen so she ought to be rather preferred to the loue of a yong man, than ought she that hath any thing lesse than he: bicause mans mynde was crea∣ted to follow high things. And therfore he must séeke rather to aduance than any ways to imbace him self. Further there is a common prouerbe, which sayth:

The good to couet better tis, Than to possesse that bad is.

Wherfore in our iudgemēt thou art better to loue y^• most noble, & with good reason to refuse the lesse no∣ble. Thē said pleasant Pola▪ Noble Quéene, I would haue giuen an other iudgement (if it had ben to mée) of this question, as ye shall heare. We all naturally doe rather desire short and briefe, than long and tedi∣ous troubles, and that it is a lesse and more briefe trouble to get the loue of the lesse noble, than of the more noble, is manifest. Then the lesse ought to be followed: for as much as the loue of the lesse may be said to be alredy wonne, the which of the more is yet to get. Further, many perills may folow to a man lo∣uing a woman of a greater cōdition, than him self is of, neither hath he lastly therby any greater delight, than of the lesser. For we sée a great woman to haue many kinsfolkes, and a great family, and them all as diligent héeders of hir honour, to haue an eie vnto hir, so that if any one of them happen to espie this loue, therof may folow (as we haue already sayde) great perill to the louer, the which of the lesse noble can not so lightly come to passe: and these perils eche

one (as he is able) ought to flie, for as much as who that receiueth harme is sure therof, & who that hath done it, la••gheth him after to scorne, saying he sp••e∣deth well, where he liketh, there let him loue: yet di∣eth he more than once. But how▪ that once hapneth, where, and for what occasion, besides eche one ought to take good héede: it is very credible that a Gentle∣woman will lightly estéeme of him, for that she will desire to ••••••e one more noble or greater than hir self and not one inferiour to hir selfe: wherby seldom or neuer, he shal attaine his desire. But of the lesser shal happen the contrary, bicause that she will glory to be loued of such a louer, and will endeuour hir selfe to please him, to the ende to nourishe Loue, and yet if this were not▪ the power of the louer onely myght be able without feare to being to passe to fulfill his desire. Wherfore I gather, that the lesse noble ought to be preferred in loue before the more noble. Youre iudgement deceiueth you (sayde the Quéene) to the faire Gentlewoman, bicause Loue is of this nature that how much y^• more one loueth, so much the more he desireth to loue: And this maye be séene by them, that thorowe Lo••e féele the greater griefe, the which although it trouble them not a little, yet loue they cō∣tinually the more: Neither doeth any one from his heart, although he make great apparance in wordes, desire therof a spéedie ende. Then as small troubles are sought for of the slouthefull, of the wise, things that are attained with moste trouble, are helde most deare and delightful. And therfore in louing the lesse woman, to get hir, shuld be (as you say) little trouble, and the loue both little and short, & should be folowed

as though one in louing would desire to loue lesse & lesse, which is contrary to the nature of Loue, as we haue sayd. But in louing the greater, that is gotten with trouble, happeneth the contrary: bicause▪ that as in a thing dearely gotten, with trauaile is reposed all diligence to the well héeding of the gained Loue, euen so is she euery houre the more loued, & the lon∣ger doth continue the delight and pleasure thereof. And yet if ye will say that all the doubte is of their kinsmen, we wil not deny it, for this is one of the oc∣casions. Wherfore, it is a trouble to haue the loue of one of these great women: But notwithstandyng y^e discrete in such cases procéede by a secrete way. And we doubt not but that the honor both of the greatest and meanest woman is by some of their kinsfolkes according to their power loked vnto, in such sort, as a fole may come to an euill aduenture, louing aswel in a base, as in a noble stock: But what shall he be y^e will passe Pisistrato in crueltie, hauing offended thē which loued his without forethinking that which he should afterwardes haue done to those that had had the same in harte▪ In saying also, that louing a gre∣ter woman then himselfe, he shall neuer bée able to come to the ende of his desire, bicause the woman coueteth to loue one greater than hir selfe, and ther∣fore will make of him no estimation at all, ye shewe your selfe to be ignorant that the meanest man (in what belōgeth to natural vertues) is of greater and better condition, than the noblest woman of y^e world. Whatsoeuer mā she then desireth, she desireth him y^• is of greater and better cōdition than hir self, bicause the vertuous or vicious life maketh many tymes the

meane great, and the great meane. In as much ther∣fore as any woman shall bée solicited by any man in ••ue sorte, euen so without doubt she shall yeld to his desire, though the great with more trouble, than the meane. For we sée the softe water with a continuall fall to breake and pierce the hard stone: and therfore let none despaire to loue. For so much goodnesse shall follow him that loueth a greater woman than hym∣selfe, as he shall endeuour him selfe to please hir, to haue decent qualities, the companie of no∣ble personages, to be ornate of swete talk, bolde in enterprises, and splendant in apparell, and if he shall attain to greater glorie, the greater delight shall he haue of minde, likewise he shall be exalted with the good report of the people, and reputed of a noble mynde. Let him therefore followe the most noble, as we haue already sayd.

Notes

• Of what degree one should chose his louer.
• The Quee∣nes aunswer.
• The contra∣ry opinion of Pola with hir reasons.
• The Quenes olution vp∣on the eight question.
• The cruelty of Pisistra∣tus.
• The mea∣nest man of better con∣dition than the noblest woman.
• The Quene concludeth that we should ra∣ther loue the more noble woman than the lesse no∣ble.