Nor will I discourse as if I were exhilarated by Bacchus or swollen with wind by the sluttish
Parnassian
muses, nor like a Sibyl impregnated by Phoebus, nor like a prognostic Cassandra,2 nor as if Apollonian rapture had seized me from my toenails to the hair on my head, nor like the seer illuminated in the oracle or Delphic tripod, nor like wise Oedipus,3 probed in the riddles of the Sphinx, nor as a Solomon before the enigmas of the queen of Sheba,4 nor like Calchas,5 interpreter for the Olympian council, nor as a Merlin possessed, nor as one emerged from the cave of Trophonius.
Bruno-Cause-Principle-and-Unity
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A? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? '? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?
Lethaea undantem retinens ab origine campum emigret, o Titan, et petat astra, precor.
Errantes stellae, spectate procedere in orbem me geminum, si vos hoc reserastis iter.
Dent geminas somni portas laxarier usque, vestrae per vacuum me properante vices:
obductum tenuitque diu quod tempus avarum, mi liceat densis promere de tenebris.
Ad partum properare tuum, mens aegra, quid obstat, seclo haec indigno sint tribuenda licet?
Umbrarum fluctu terras mergente, cacumen adtolle in clarum, noster Olimpe, Iovem.
[from Giordano the Nolan to the Principles of the Universe
That the tenebrous Earth which, from the beginning, has cleaved to the wavy expanse of the waters, may leave its seat and fly towards the heavenly orbs, I beg you, O Sun. And you, wandering stars, behold me as I proceed towards the twofold heaven, since it is you who have opened this path to me. May your movements open before me, as I rush through the spaces, the doors of sleep: that which miserly time has kept long hidden, may it be allowed me to draw into the light out of the dense gloom. What prevents you, O suffering spirit, from hastening to give birth to your truth, though you bequeath it to an unworthy age? Though the flow of shadows submerges the Earth, you, my Olympus, make shine your peak in the clear heavens. ]
A? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? Mons, licet innixum tellus radicibus altis
te capiat, tendi vertice in astra vales.
? ?
Prefatory epistle
? Mens, cognata vocat summo de culmine rerum, discrimen quo sis manibus atque Iovi.
Ne perdas hic iura tui fundoque recumbens implicitus tingas nigri Acherontis aquas.
At mage sublimeis tentet natura recessus, nam, tangente Deo, fervidus ignis eris.
[To his own spirit
O mount, though the Earth bounds you, holding you by the deep roots on which you repose, at the summit you can stretch to heaven. O mind, a sister mind from the high summit of the world calls you, to be the boundary between heaven and hell. Do not lose your rights here below, and do not touch the black waters of Acheron, falling to the bottom and becoming caught in it. Rather, investigate the sublime recesses of nature, since, if God moves you, you will become ardent fire. ]
A? ? ? ? ? ?
Lente senex, idemque celer, claudensque relaxans, anne bonum quis te dixerit, anne malum?
Largus es, esque tenax: quae munera porrigis, aufers; quique parens aderas, ipse peremptor ades;
visceribus educta tuis in viscera condis, tu cui prompta sinu carpere fauce licet.
Omnia cumque facis cumque omnia destruis, hinc te nonne bonum possem dicere, nonne malum?
Porro ubi tu diro rabidus frustraberis ictu,
falce minax illo tendere parce manus,
nulla ubi pressa Chaos atri vestigia parent
ne videare bonus, ne videare malus.
[To time
O old man, slow and swift, who opens and closes, must we speak well or ill of you? You are generous and stingy; the gifts you offer, you take back; you kill what you cause to be born, and what you generate from your bowels, in your bowels you devour, you to whom it is allowed to consume with your jaws the fruit of your bosom. You create all and destroy all: could I not, then, call you good, and call you evil? But
? ?
Cause, principle and unity
? when you will surprise me with your swift mortal blow, with your menacing scythe, let me stretch my hands forth to where there is no trace seen of black Chaos: thus, you will not appear good, nor appear bad. ]
D? ? '? ? ? ? ?
Amor, per cui tant'alto il ver discerno, ch'apre le porte di diamante e nere,
per gli occhi entra il mio nume, e per vedere nasce, vive, si nutre, ha regno eterno.
Fa scorger quant'ha il ciel terr' ed inferno, fa presente d'absenti effigie vere,
repiglia forze, e, trando dritto, fere,
e impiaga sempre il cor, scuopre ogn'interno.
O dunque, volgo vile, al vero attendi, porgi l'orecchio al mio dir non fallace, apri, apri, se puoi, gli occhi, insano e bieco.
Fanciullo il credi, perche? poco intendi; Perche? ratto ti cangi, ei par fugace;
Per esser orbo tu, lo chiami cieco.
[On love
Love grants me such a lofty vision of the truth that he makes the black doors of diamond open: through the eyes the god enters, and it is to see that he is born, lives, is fed, and reigns forever. He reveals all of heaven, hell and earth; makes appear true images of the absent; regathers strength to hit with a direct blow, always wounds the heart and reveals all that is hidden. Therefore, base mob, attend to the truth: lend your ears to my words, which do not deceive. Open, open if you can, your mad and squinting eyes. You call him a child, because you understand so little; because you are so inconstant, he seems fickle to you; your own sightlessness makes you call him blind. ]
U? ? ? ? ? ? ?
Causa, principio, et uno sempiterno, onde l'esser, la vita, il moto pende,
e a lungo, a largo e profondo si stende quanto si dic'in ciel, terr'ed inferno;
? ?
First dialogue
? con senso, con raggion, con mente scerno ch'atto, misura e conto non comprende quel vigor, mole e numero, che tende oltr'ogn'inferior, mezzo e superno.
Cieco error, tempo avaro, ria fortuna, sord'invidia, vil rabbia, iniquo zelo, crudo cor, empio ingegno, strano ardire
non bastaranno a farmi l'aria bruna, non mi porrann'avanti gli occhi il velo, non faran mai ch'il mio bel sol non mire.
[O, you sempiternal cause, principle and one, whence depend being, life and movement, and whence in length, breadth and depth extends all that which is in heaven, on earth and in hell: with sense, reason and spirit I discern that act, measure and reckoning do not comprehend that force, mass and number which transcends all that is lowest, mid- dle or highest. Blind error, greedy time, adverse fortune, deaf envy, vile rage, hostile zeal, cruel hearts, perverse spirits, bizarre passions will not suffice to obscure the air before me, nor place the veil before my eyes, nor ever stop me from beholding my beautiful sun. ]
Giordano Bruno, Nolan Cause, principle and unity
First dialogue
Speakers: Elitropio, Filoteo, Armesso
? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? . Like felons used to the darkness, who come up to the light when freed from the depths of some gloomy tower, many trained in common philosophy, and others, will be clutched by fear, seized with astonishment and (unable to stand the new sun of your shining concepts) thoroughly unsettled.
? ? ? ? ? ? ? . It is not the fault of the light, but of their sight: the more excellent and beautiful the sun, the more hateful and harshly unwelcome it will be to night-witches' eyes.
? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? . In your hope of raising us out of the blind abyss, into the sight of the open, peaceful and tranquil stars that shine with such beauti- ful variety against the cerulean mantle of heaven, Filoteo, you have picked an uncommon, unusual and difficult venture. And though the helping hand of your compassion is held out to us men, the ungrateful will still attack
? ?
Cause, principle and unity
? you in ways that are as varied as the many animals generated and nourished within the gentle earth's ample and maternal bosom; for it is clear that the human species displays, in the particularities of its individuals, the variety of all other species together. In each of our individuals, the whole is present more explicitly than in the individuals of other species. Thus, some, as soon as they feel the fresh air, like the bleary-eyed mole, will tunnel straight back down into the earth to seek their natural, inky depths. Others, like night birds, on seeing the vermilion ambassadress of the sun come up in the east, will be forced by the weakness of their eyes to repair to their dingy retreats. All creatures banished from the presence of the celestial lights and doomed to the eternal chasms, cages and caverns of Pluto - all animals, called by the horn of the fearsome Erynnis, Alecto, will spread their wings and flee head- long to their dwellings. But the animals born to behold the sun, having waited out the hated night, will give thanks to the merciful heavens and, prepared to gain within the globose crystals of their eyes the rays for which they have so long waited and pined, will adore the east, not only with unwonted adoration in their hearts, but with voices and hands. Men will begin to speak when from the east's gilded balcony, handsome Titan has let loose the fiery steeds who cleave the sleepy silence of the moist night. The docile, defenceless and simple sheep flocks will bleat; the horned oxen will bellow, heeded by their rustic ox-herders; and Silenus' quadrupeds will start to bray, frightening the stupid Giants again for the gods' benefit. Tossing in their muddy beds, the boars will deafen us with their obstinate grunting. Tigers, bears, lions, wolves and the cunning fox poking his head from the cave will behold from their high deserts their flat hunting grounds, and will let forth from ferocious breasts their roars, growls, snarls, howls and cries. In the air and on the fronds of branchy trees, the roosters, eagles, peacocks, cranes, doves, blackbirds, crows, sparrows, nightingales, magpies, ravens, cuckoos and cicadas will lose no time responding, re-echoing with their earsplitting chatter. Still further, from their mobile, liquid dominions, the white swans, the many-hued water fowl, the swift razor-bills, the marsh ducks, the honking geese and the carping frogs will disturb our ears with their din, such that the warm sunlight diffused in the air of our privileged hemisphere will find itself attended, greeted and perhaps plagued by cries as numerous and as varied as are the breaths that drive them out from the hollows of their respective breasts.
? ? ? ? ? ? ? . Itisnotonlycommon,butnecessaryandnaturalthatevery animal utters its own cry. Beasts cannot form regulated accents and artic-
? ?
First dialogue
? ulated sounds like men, since their physical makeup, nourishment and tastes are dissimilar.
? ? ? ? ? ? ? . Pleasegivemeachancetospeakalso:notaboutlight,butof some circumstances that, far from comforting the senses, injure the feel- ings of whoever observes and reflects. For your own peace and quiet (that I wish for you with fraternal affection), I would not want these speeches of yours to be made into comedies, tragedies, laments, dialogues, or what have you, like the ones that circulated openly a while ago, and forced you to stay shut up in your homes.
? ? ? ? ? ? ? . Speakfrankly.
? ? ? ? ? ? ? . I have no intention of speaking like a holy prophet, as an abstruse oracle, like an apocalyptic visionary or the she-ass of Balaam1 beholding the angel.
Nor will I discourse as if I were exhilarated by Bacchus or swollen with wind by the sluttish Parnassian muses, nor like a Sibyl impregnated by Phoebus, nor like a prognostic Cassandra,2 nor as if Apollonian rapture had seized me from my toenails to the hair on my head, nor like the seer illuminated in the oracle or Delphic tripod, nor like wise Oedipus,3 probed in the riddles of the Sphinx, nor as a Solomon before the enigmas of the queen of Sheba,4 nor like Calchas,5 interpreter for the Olympian council, nor as a Merlin possessed, nor as one emerged from the cave of Trophonius. 6 Instead, I will speak in common, vulgar language, like a man who has had other things on his mind than to go about distilling the juice of his brain and cerebellum to the point of withering his pia mater and dura mater. What I mean is that I will talk as one who has no wits but his own, and to whom not even the garden- or kitchen-variety gods among the celestial court condescend to cast a straw, though they heap their favours ad infinitum even on their horses - those gods, I say, that ordinarily show themselves more intimate, more familiar and congenial with us. I mean Bacchus, or the drunk mounted on the ass, or Pan, or Vertumnus, or Faunus, or Priapus: the ones who neither drink ambrosia nor taste nectar (unappre- ciative of nymphs and pure water), but quench their thirst at the bottom of the barrel with sour wines.
? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? . Toolongapreface.
? ? ? ? ? ? ? . Patience:theconclusion'sswift. Toputanendtothis,Iwould like to say that I will offer you words that need no deciphering, as if they had been distilled, passed through an alembic, condensed in a double-boiler
1 Numbers ? ? . 2 Virgil, Aeneid, ? ? , ? ? ? -? . 3 Seneca, Oedipus, vv. ? ? -? and ? ? ? -? . 4 ? Kings, ? ? , ? -? . 5 Virgil, Aeneid, ? ? , ? ? ? -? . 6 See Erasmus, In Praise of Folly, ? .
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Cause, principle and unity
? and sublimated with a prescription of the quintessence, but such words as my wetnurse hammered into my skull - a woman as thick-skinned, big- chested, wide-hipped, ample-bellied and broad-bottomed as that Londoner I caught sight of in Westminister, who possessed such ample mammeries, like hot water bottles for her stomach, that they seemed the halfboots of the immense Saint Paragorio, and which if tanned would match a pair of Ferrarese bagpipes.
? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? . Thatisquiteenoughforapreface.
? ? ? ? ? ? ? . Well, then, to come to the rest - leaving a little to one side observations and opinions concerning light and the potential splendor of your philosophy - I would like to hear from you in what terms you wish us to greet, in particular, that brilliant doctrine which shines forth from The Ash Wednesday Supper. What animals are those that perform in The Ash Wednesday Supper? Are they aquatic, aerial, earthly or lunatic? And, leav- ing aside the observations of Smitho, Prudenzio and Frulla,7 I would like to know if they are wrong or right, who claim that you bark like a rabid dog, in addition to sometimes playing the monkey, sometimes the wolf, sometimes the magpie, sometimes the parrot, now this animal, now that, mixing grave and serious words, moral and natural, ignoble and noble, philosophic and comic.
? ? ? ? ? ? ? . Donotbesurprised,brother,forthescenewasindeedasup- per, where brains are guided by the passions aroused by the flavours and odours of food and drink. The supper will be verbal and spiritual as a log- ical consequence of its material and corporeal guise. The dialogue has parts as different and various, therefore, as those which ordinarily comprise that other supper. The former has conditions, circumstances, and means of its own that are as peculiar to it as those of the latter may be.
? ? ? ? ? ? ? . Helpmegetatyourmeaning,please.
? ? ? ? ? ? ? . Intheonecase(asisfittingandproper),therearethesalads and main dishes, fruits and common victuals, hors d'oeuvres and spices, warm and cold, raw and cooked, food of aquatic and terrestrial origin, cultivated and wild, ripe and green, food for the healthy and for the ill, dishes for gourmets and dishes for the hungry, ones that are light and sub- stantial, bland and salted, tart and sweet, bitter and mild. Similarly, in the other case and by a certain analogy, contradictions and differences have appeared, suitable to the various stomachs and tastes of those whom it may please to take part in our symbolic banquet, so that no one can complain
7 Secondary characters in The Ash Wednesday Supper. ? ?
? First dialogue
? of having attended in vain, and whoever does not like one thing can help himself to another.
? ? ? ? ? ? ? . True. Butwhatisyouranswerif,inaddition,atyourbanquet, at your supper, things appear that are good neither for salads nor main dishes, nor good as fruits or fillers, neither cold nor hot, raw nor cooked, good for neither the healthy nor the sick, stuff that should never have left the hands of the cook or confectioner, stuff that stirs no appetite and satisfies no hunger?
? ? ? ? ? ? ? . Youwillseethat,inthis,oursupperdoesnotdifferfromany other that may be dished out. As with that other, as you are savouring your meal, you might scald your mouth with a bite that is too hot, so you have to either spew it back out or bandy it about your palate with tears and cry- ing until you can give it that cursed shove in order to speed it down your gorge, or you jar some tooth, or you bite into your tongue at the same time as your bread, or else there is a piece of grit that breaks up and sticks between your teeth, forcing you to spit out the whole mouthful. Perhaps some hair or whisker off the cook glues to your palate and makes you nearly vomit, or else a fishbone lodges in your gullet and makes you wheeze, or another small bone lodged sideways in your throat threatens to suffocate you. To our and to everybody's displeasure, analogous and equivalent things have been found at our supper. All that is due to the sin of the first man, Adam. Because of our ancestor, perverse human nature is condemned to find disgust joined to delight.
? ? ? ? ? ? ? . Spoken with sanctity and piety. But what is your answer to those who call you a raging cynic?
? ? ? ? ? ? ? . Iwillconcedethepointreadily,atleastinpart.
? ? ? ? ? ? ? . But you know that it is less dishonourable for a man to undergo abuses than to inflict them?
? ? ? ? ? ? ? . Yet it is enough that my actions are labelled vengeance, and the others' abuse.
? ? ? ? ? ? ? . Even the gods are liable to receive insults, suffer censure, and bear reproach; but to insult, censure and reproach are the business of people who are low, mean, cowardly and worthless.
? ? ? ? ? ? ? . True.
A? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? '? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?
Lethaea undantem retinens ab origine campum emigret, o Titan, et petat astra, precor.
Errantes stellae, spectate procedere in orbem me geminum, si vos hoc reserastis iter.
Dent geminas somni portas laxarier usque, vestrae per vacuum me properante vices:
obductum tenuitque diu quod tempus avarum, mi liceat densis promere de tenebris.
Ad partum properare tuum, mens aegra, quid obstat, seclo haec indigno sint tribuenda licet?
Umbrarum fluctu terras mergente, cacumen adtolle in clarum, noster Olimpe, Iovem.
[from Giordano the Nolan to the Principles of the Universe
That the tenebrous Earth which, from the beginning, has cleaved to the wavy expanse of the waters, may leave its seat and fly towards the heavenly orbs, I beg you, O Sun. And you, wandering stars, behold me as I proceed towards the twofold heaven, since it is you who have opened this path to me. May your movements open before me, as I rush through the spaces, the doors of sleep: that which miserly time has kept long hidden, may it be allowed me to draw into the light out of the dense gloom. What prevents you, O suffering spirit, from hastening to give birth to your truth, though you bequeath it to an unworthy age? Though the flow of shadows submerges the Earth, you, my Olympus, make shine your peak in the clear heavens. ]
A? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? Mons, licet innixum tellus radicibus altis
te capiat, tendi vertice in astra vales.
? ?
Prefatory epistle
? Mens, cognata vocat summo de culmine rerum, discrimen quo sis manibus atque Iovi.
Ne perdas hic iura tui fundoque recumbens implicitus tingas nigri Acherontis aquas.
At mage sublimeis tentet natura recessus, nam, tangente Deo, fervidus ignis eris.
[To his own spirit
O mount, though the Earth bounds you, holding you by the deep roots on which you repose, at the summit you can stretch to heaven. O mind, a sister mind from the high summit of the world calls you, to be the boundary between heaven and hell. Do not lose your rights here below, and do not touch the black waters of Acheron, falling to the bottom and becoming caught in it. Rather, investigate the sublime recesses of nature, since, if God moves you, you will become ardent fire. ]
A? ? ? ? ? ?
Lente senex, idemque celer, claudensque relaxans, anne bonum quis te dixerit, anne malum?
Largus es, esque tenax: quae munera porrigis, aufers; quique parens aderas, ipse peremptor ades;
visceribus educta tuis in viscera condis, tu cui prompta sinu carpere fauce licet.
Omnia cumque facis cumque omnia destruis, hinc te nonne bonum possem dicere, nonne malum?
Porro ubi tu diro rabidus frustraberis ictu,
falce minax illo tendere parce manus,
nulla ubi pressa Chaos atri vestigia parent
ne videare bonus, ne videare malus.
[To time
O old man, slow and swift, who opens and closes, must we speak well or ill of you? You are generous and stingy; the gifts you offer, you take back; you kill what you cause to be born, and what you generate from your bowels, in your bowels you devour, you to whom it is allowed to consume with your jaws the fruit of your bosom. You create all and destroy all: could I not, then, call you good, and call you evil? But
? ?
Cause, principle and unity
? when you will surprise me with your swift mortal blow, with your menacing scythe, let me stretch my hands forth to where there is no trace seen of black Chaos: thus, you will not appear good, nor appear bad. ]
D? ? '? ? ? ? ?
Amor, per cui tant'alto il ver discerno, ch'apre le porte di diamante e nere,
per gli occhi entra il mio nume, e per vedere nasce, vive, si nutre, ha regno eterno.
Fa scorger quant'ha il ciel terr' ed inferno, fa presente d'absenti effigie vere,
repiglia forze, e, trando dritto, fere,
e impiaga sempre il cor, scuopre ogn'interno.
O dunque, volgo vile, al vero attendi, porgi l'orecchio al mio dir non fallace, apri, apri, se puoi, gli occhi, insano e bieco.
Fanciullo il credi, perche? poco intendi; Perche? ratto ti cangi, ei par fugace;
Per esser orbo tu, lo chiami cieco.
[On love
Love grants me such a lofty vision of the truth that he makes the black doors of diamond open: through the eyes the god enters, and it is to see that he is born, lives, is fed, and reigns forever. He reveals all of heaven, hell and earth; makes appear true images of the absent; regathers strength to hit with a direct blow, always wounds the heart and reveals all that is hidden. Therefore, base mob, attend to the truth: lend your ears to my words, which do not deceive. Open, open if you can, your mad and squinting eyes. You call him a child, because you understand so little; because you are so inconstant, he seems fickle to you; your own sightlessness makes you call him blind. ]
U? ? ? ? ? ? ?
Causa, principio, et uno sempiterno, onde l'esser, la vita, il moto pende,
e a lungo, a largo e profondo si stende quanto si dic'in ciel, terr'ed inferno;
? ?
First dialogue
? con senso, con raggion, con mente scerno ch'atto, misura e conto non comprende quel vigor, mole e numero, che tende oltr'ogn'inferior, mezzo e superno.
Cieco error, tempo avaro, ria fortuna, sord'invidia, vil rabbia, iniquo zelo, crudo cor, empio ingegno, strano ardire
non bastaranno a farmi l'aria bruna, non mi porrann'avanti gli occhi il velo, non faran mai ch'il mio bel sol non mire.
[O, you sempiternal cause, principle and one, whence depend being, life and movement, and whence in length, breadth and depth extends all that which is in heaven, on earth and in hell: with sense, reason and spirit I discern that act, measure and reckoning do not comprehend that force, mass and number which transcends all that is lowest, mid- dle or highest. Blind error, greedy time, adverse fortune, deaf envy, vile rage, hostile zeal, cruel hearts, perverse spirits, bizarre passions will not suffice to obscure the air before me, nor place the veil before my eyes, nor ever stop me from beholding my beautiful sun. ]
Giordano Bruno, Nolan Cause, principle and unity
First dialogue
Speakers: Elitropio, Filoteo, Armesso
? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? . Like felons used to the darkness, who come up to the light when freed from the depths of some gloomy tower, many trained in common philosophy, and others, will be clutched by fear, seized with astonishment and (unable to stand the new sun of your shining concepts) thoroughly unsettled.
? ? ? ? ? ? ? . It is not the fault of the light, but of their sight: the more excellent and beautiful the sun, the more hateful and harshly unwelcome it will be to night-witches' eyes.
? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? . In your hope of raising us out of the blind abyss, into the sight of the open, peaceful and tranquil stars that shine with such beauti- ful variety against the cerulean mantle of heaven, Filoteo, you have picked an uncommon, unusual and difficult venture. And though the helping hand of your compassion is held out to us men, the ungrateful will still attack
? ?
Cause, principle and unity
? you in ways that are as varied as the many animals generated and nourished within the gentle earth's ample and maternal bosom; for it is clear that the human species displays, in the particularities of its individuals, the variety of all other species together. In each of our individuals, the whole is present more explicitly than in the individuals of other species. Thus, some, as soon as they feel the fresh air, like the bleary-eyed mole, will tunnel straight back down into the earth to seek their natural, inky depths. Others, like night birds, on seeing the vermilion ambassadress of the sun come up in the east, will be forced by the weakness of their eyes to repair to their dingy retreats. All creatures banished from the presence of the celestial lights and doomed to the eternal chasms, cages and caverns of Pluto - all animals, called by the horn of the fearsome Erynnis, Alecto, will spread their wings and flee head- long to their dwellings. But the animals born to behold the sun, having waited out the hated night, will give thanks to the merciful heavens and, prepared to gain within the globose crystals of their eyes the rays for which they have so long waited and pined, will adore the east, not only with unwonted adoration in their hearts, but with voices and hands. Men will begin to speak when from the east's gilded balcony, handsome Titan has let loose the fiery steeds who cleave the sleepy silence of the moist night. The docile, defenceless and simple sheep flocks will bleat; the horned oxen will bellow, heeded by their rustic ox-herders; and Silenus' quadrupeds will start to bray, frightening the stupid Giants again for the gods' benefit. Tossing in their muddy beds, the boars will deafen us with their obstinate grunting. Tigers, bears, lions, wolves and the cunning fox poking his head from the cave will behold from their high deserts their flat hunting grounds, and will let forth from ferocious breasts their roars, growls, snarls, howls and cries. In the air and on the fronds of branchy trees, the roosters, eagles, peacocks, cranes, doves, blackbirds, crows, sparrows, nightingales, magpies, ravens, cuckoos and cicadas will lose no time responding, re-echoing with their earsplitting chatter. Still further, from their mobile, liquid dominions, the white swans, the many-hued water fowl, the swift razor-bills, the marsh ducks, the honking geese and the carping frogs will disturb our ears with their din, such that the warm sunlight diffused in the air of our privileged hemisphere will find itself attended, greeted and perhaps plagued by cries as numerous and as varied as are the breaths that drive them out from the hollows of their respective breasts.
? ? ? ? ? ? ? . Itisnotonlycommon,butnecessaryandnaturalthatevery animal utters its own cry. Beasts cannot form regulated accents and artic-
? ?
First dialogue
? ulated sounds like men, since their physical makeup, nourishment and tastes are dissimilar.
? ? ? ? ? ? ? . Pleasegivemeachancetospeakalso:notaboutlight,butof some circumstances that, far from comforting the senses, injure the feel- ings of whoever observes and reflects. For your own peace and quiet (that I wish for you with fraternal affection), I would not want these speeches of yours to be made into comedies, tragedies, laments, dialogues, or what have you, like the ones that circulated openly a while ago, and forced you to stay shut up in your homes.
? ? ? ? ? ? ? . Speakfrankly.
? ? ? ? ? ? ? . I have no intention of speaking like a holy prophet, as an abstruse oracle, like an apocalyptic visionary or the she-ass of Balaam1 beholding the angel.
Nor will I discourse as if I were exhilarated by Bacchus or swollen with wind by the sluttish Parnassian muses, nor like a Sibyl impregnated by Phoebus, nor like a prognostic Cassandra,2 nor as if Apollonian rapture had seized me from my toenails to the hair on my head, nor like the seer illuminated in the oracle or Delphic tripod, nor like wise Oedipus,3 probed in the riddles of the Sphinx, nor as a Solomon before the enigmas of the queen of Sheba,4 nor like Calchas,5 interpreter for the Olympian council, nor as a Merlin possessed, nor as one emerged from the cave of Trophonius. 6 Instead, I will speak in common, vulgar language, like a man who has had other things on his mind than to go about distilling the juice of his brain and cerebellum to the point of withering his pia mater and dura mater. What I mean is that I will talk as one who has no wits but his own, and to whom not even the garden- or kitchen-variety gods among the celestial court condescend to cast a straw, though they heap their favours ad infinitum even on their horses - those gods, I say, that ordinarily show themselves more intimate, more familiar and congenial with us. I mean Bacchus, or the drunk mounted on the ass, or Pan, or Vertumnus, or Faunus, or Priapus: the ones who neither drink ambrosia nor taste nectar (unappre- ciative of nymphs and pure water), but quench their thirst at the bottom of the barrel with sour wines.
? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? . Toolongapreface.
? ? ? ? ? ? ? . Patience:theconclusion'sswift. Toputanendtothis,Iwould like to say that I will offer you words that need no deciphering, as if they had been distilled, passed through an alembic, condensed in a double-boiler
1 Numbers ? ? . 2 Virgil, Aeneid, ? ? , ? ? ? -? . 3 Seneca, Oedipus, vv. ? ? -? and ? ? ? -? . 4 ? Kings, ? ? , ? -? . 5 Virgil, Aeneid, ? ? , ? ? ? -? . 6 See Erasmus, In Praise of Folly, ? .
? ? ?
Cause, principle and unity
? and sublimated with a prescription of the quintessence, but such words as my wetnurse hammered into my skull - a woman as thick-skinned, big- chested, wide-hipped, ample-bellied and broad-bottomed as that Londoner I caught sight of in Westminister, who possessed such ample mammeries, like hot water bottles for her stomach, that they seemed the halfboots of the immense Saint Paragorio, and which if tanned would match a pair of Ferrarese bagpipes.
? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? . Thatisquiteenoughforapreface.
? ? ? ? ? ? ? . Well, then, to come to the rest - leaving a little to one side observations and opinions concerning light and the potential splendor of your philosophy - I would like to hear from you in what terms you wish us to greet, in particular, that brilliant doctrine which shines forth from The Ash Wednesday Supper. What animals are those that perform in The Ash Wednesday Supper? Are they aquatic, aerial, earthly or lunatic? And, leav- ing aside the observations of Smitho, Prudenzio and Frulla,7 I would like to know if they are wrong or right, who claim that you bark like a rabid dog, in addition to sometimes playing the monkey, sometimes the wolf, sometimes the magpie, sometimes the parrot, now this animal, now that, mixing grave and serious words, moral and natural, ignoble and noble, philosophic and comic.
? ? ? ? ? ? ? . Donotbesurprised,brother,forthescenewasindeedasup- per, where brains are guided by the passions aroused by the flavours and odours of food and drink. The supper will be verbal and spiritual as a log- ical consequence of its material and corporeal guise. The dialogue has parts as different and various, therefore, as those which ordinarily comprise that other supper. The former has conditions, circumstances, and means of its own that are as peculiar to it as those of the latter may be.
? ? ? ? ? ? ? . Helpmegetatyourmeaning,please.
? ? ? ? ? ? ? . Intheonecase(asisfittingandproper),therearethesalads and main dishes, fruits and common victuals, hors d'oeuvres and spices, warm and cold, raw and cooked, food of aquatic and terrestrial origin, cultivated and wild, ripe and green, food for the healthy and for the ill, dishes for gourmets and dishes for the hungry, ones that are light and sub- stantial, bland and salted, tart and sweet, bitter and mild. Similarly, in the other case and by a certain analogy, contradictions and differences have appeared, suitable to the various stomachs and tastes of those whom it may please to take part in our symbolic banquet, so that no one can complain
7 Secondary characters in The Ash Wednesday Supper. ? ?
? First dialogue
? of having attended in vain, and whoever does not like one thing can help himself to another.
? ? ? ? ? ? ? . True. Butwhatisyouranswerif,inaddition,atyourbanquet, at your supper, things appear that are good neither for salads nor main dishes, nor good as fruits or fillers, neither cold nor hot, raw nor cooked, good for neither the healthy nor the sick, stuff that should never have left the hands of the cook or confectioner, stuff that stirs no appetite and satisfies no hunger?
? ? ? ? ? ? ? . Youwillseethat,inthis,oursupperdoesnotdifferfromany other that may be dished out. As with that other, as you are savouring your meal, you might scald your mouth with a bite that is too hot, so you have to either spew it back out or bandy it about your palate with tears and cry- ing until you can give it that cursed shove in order to speed it down your gorge, or you jar some tooth, or you bite into your tongue at the same time as your bread, or else there is a piece of grit that breaks up and sticks between your teeth, forcing you to spit out the whole mouthful. Perhaps some hair or whisker off the cook glues to your palate and makes you nearly vomit, or else a fishbone lodges in your gullet and makes you wheeze, or another small bone lodged sideways in your throat threatens to suffocate you. To our and to everybody's displeasure, analogous and equivalent things have been found at our supper. All that is due to the sin of the first man, Adam. Because of our ancestor, perverse human nature is condemned to find disgust joined to delight.
? ? ? ? ? ? ? . Spoken with sanctity and piety. But what is your answer to those who call you a raging cynic?
? ? ? ? ? ? ? . Iwillconcedethepointreadily,atleastinpart.
? ? ? ? ? ? ? . But you know that it is less dishonourable for a man to undergo abuses than to inflict them?
? ? ? ? ? ? ? . Yet it is enough that my actions are labelled vengeance, and the others' abuse.
? ? ? ? ? ? ? . Even the gods are liable to receive insults, suffer censure, and bear reproach; but to insult, censure and reproach are the business of people who are low, mean, cowardly and worthless.
? ? ? ? ? ? ? . True.
