May the gods favour me, Armesso, since I have never carried out acts of
vengeance
out of sordid self- love or low self-interest, but out of devotion for the offended majesty of my belove`d mother, philosophy.
Bruno-Cause-Principle-and-Unity
?
.
Butthatwayyouendupruiningyourreputation,andmak- ing yourself more blameworthy than those others, because the world will declare you impatient, fantastic, daft and bizarre.
? ? ? ? ? ? ? . It does not matter, as long as they stop harassing me from now on, and if I shake the club of the cynic at them, that is so they will let me go about my business in peace. It is clear they do not want to do me kindnesses, but they should not exercise their coarseness on me.
? ? ? ? ? ? ? . But do you think it is fitting for a philosopher to set about avenging himself?
? ? ? ? ? ? ? . If those who harassed me were a Xanthippes, I would be a Socrates.
? ? ? ? ? ? ? . Don'tyouknowthatpatienceandlong-sufferingdoesevery- one good, and that through them we become like heroes and celebrated gods, who, according to some, defer their vengeance, and according to others, neither take revenge nor give way to anger?
? ? ? ? ? ? ? . YouarewrongtothinkIcaredtohaverevenge.
? ? ? ? ? ? ? . Whatthen?
? ? ? ? ? ? ? . Iwasconcernedwithcorrecting-anactivitythatalsomakes
us similar to gods. You know that Jove ordered poor Vulcan to work even on holidays, so that his cursed anvil goes on receiving the fierce blows of the hammer eternally. No sooner is one raised than another comes smash- ing down, so that the righteous thunderbolts used to chastise the guilty and unlawful are never in short supply.
? ? ? ? ? ? ? . There is a difference between you and Jove's blacksmith, husband of the goddess of Cyprus.
? ? ? ? ? ? ? . It is enough, in any case, that I am perhaps not unlike the gods in patience and long-suffering. And those qualities were put to the test in this affair, in that I never gave full rein to my scorn and never spurred on my anger.
? ?
First dialogue
? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? . To be castigator - of the multitude, especially - is not the job of just anyone.
? ? ? ? ? ? ? . Add to that: especially when he has nothing to do with the multitude.
? ? ? ? ? ? ? . They say that you must not be an agitator in a country not your own.
? ? ? ? ? ? ? . And I say two things: first, one should not kill a foreign physician because he tries to administer cures not administered by the natives; second, I say that the true philosopher's country is all the world.
? ? ? ? ? ? ? . But if they consider you neither philosopher nor physician nor countryman?
? ? ? ? ? ? ? . Thatdoesnotmakemeanythelessso.
? ? ? ? ? ? ? . Whowillvouchyouthat?
? ? ? ? ? ? ? . Thegodswhohaveputmehere,Iwhofindmyselfhere,and
those who have eyes to see me here.
? ? ? ? ? ? ? . Your witnesses are very few and little-known.
? ? ? ? ? ? ? . The true physicians are indeed few and little-known, while
all these people are truly ill. And I repeat that they have no right to inflict or to allow others to inflict such treatment on those who offer honest merchandise, foreigners or not.
? ? ? ? ? ? ? . Few are acquainted with this merchandise.
? ? ? ? ? ? ? . Pearlsarenolesspreciousforthatreason,nordowe,there- fore, dedicate less effort rallying to their defence, to save and vindicate them with all our might from the trampling of swine.
May the gods favour me, Armesso, since I have never carried out acts of vengeance out of sordid self- love or low self-interest, but out of devotion for the offended majesty of my belove`d mother, philosophy. False friends and false children (for there is no worthless pedant, do-nothing phrasemaker, stupid faun or ignorant hack who does not aspire to be numbered among her family by showing up loaded with books, growing out his beard, or getting up prosopopoeical by other means) have wasted her so away that, among the common people, philosopher rhymes with impostor, quack, swindler, good-for-nothing, charlatan and howling pedant, good only as home entertainment or country scarecrow.
? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? . Indeed, philosophers as a race are rated by most men as more despicable than house chaplains sprung up from the dregs of human- ity, who, however, disgrace the priesthood far less than the philosophers, chosen from among every sort of beast, have shamed philosophy.
? ?
Cause, principle and unity
? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? . So let us praise the ancient race. Philosophers then had so much value that from their ranks were recruited lawmakers, counsellors and kings. And the counsellors and kings were such that from those func- tions they were elevated to the priesthood. In our age, most of the priests are such that they themselves are discredited, and do discredit to the divine laws; nearly all the philosophers we see are worth so little that they are dis- paraged along with their science. What is worse, a multitude of scoundrels, like a mass of nettles, have grown used to smothering with poisonous mirages what little truth and virtue get revealed to the few.
? ? ? ? ? ? ? . Iknownophilosopherwhogetssoarousedinfavourofdis- credited philosophy, nor do I perceive any, Elitropio, as impassioned by his science as Teofilo. What would happen if all other philosophers had the same character, I mean if they had so little patience?
? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? . Those others have not made so many discoveries, nor do they have as much to preserve or defend. They can easily devalue philoso- phy that is worthless, or what is nearly worthless, or that which they do not know; but one who has found truth, which is a hidden treasure, is inspired by the beauty of that divine face and grows jealous to defend her against plunder, negligence and contamination. Just so, a miser may conceive a passion for gold, diamonds and carbuncles, or a man for the beauty of a foul woman.
? ? ? ? ? ? ? . But let us get back to our subject and arrive at the quia [why]. They say of you, Teofilo, that in your supper you criticize and insult a whole city, an entire province, a complete kingdom.
? ? ? ? ? ? ? . That, I never thought, never intended, never did. If I had ever thought, wished or done so, I would condemn myself with utmost severity and bend over backwards to make a thousand disavowals, retrac- tions and disclaimers; not only if I had insulted a noble and ancient realm such as this, but any other, however great its reputation for barbarism. And I mean not only if I had offended any city, however widespread its reputa- tion for incivility, but even if I had insulted any class whatsoever, however savage it was held to be, or even any one family, however inhospitable it was considered. There cannot be a race, kingdom, city or house where contrary and opposing manners do not exist, and to which one can assign the same temperament to all, such that it is impossible for one man to find pleasure in what displeases another.
? ? ? ? ? ? ? . AsfarasIamconcerned,Ihaveread,re-readandmeditated upon all you have said (although on some points, I do not know just why, I
? ?
First dialogue
? find you a bit excessive), and you seem to me for the most part to proceed with moderation, reason and discernment; but the noise has spread as I have set out.
? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? . Thatnoiseofthisandotherthingshasbeenbandiedabout through the meanness of some of those who felt themselves touched. Eager to take revenge, but conscious of the weaknesses of their arguments, their doctrine, their intelligence and their strength, they not only fabricate as many lies as they can, to which no one but their like gives credit, but they try to enlist partisans by making out that your condemnation of some individuals constitutes a pervasive insult.
? ? ? ? ? ? ? . I think, on the contrary, there are people, not without wis- dom and judgement, who gauge the insult universal because you indicate certain manners as belonging to people of this or that nation.
? ? ? ? ? ? ? . Butwhataretheseallegedmanners? Arenotsimilarorworse ones, not to mention manners much more peculiar in genus, species and number, found in the most excellent parts of the world? Would you claim that I were abusive and ungrateful toward my own country, if I said that in Italy, in Naples or Nola, similar or more criminal manners can be found? Would you say that I had abused that blesse`d realm, often set at the head and the right hand of our globe simultaneously, governor and tamer of the other nations (and ever regarded by us and by others as mistress, nurse and mother of all the virtues, disciplines, humanities and the qualities of mod- esty and courtesy), when esteemed poets, themselves, have justly sung its praises, but yet do not shrink from calling her, if the occasion requires, mistress of all vice, error, greed and cruelty?
? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? . Thisiscertainlyinkeepingwiththepreceptsofyourphi- losophy, by virtue of which you maintain that contraries coincide both in principle and in reality. Thus, minds most suited to high, worthy and gen- erous enterprises will fall, if they are perverted, into extreme vice. Moreover, we generally find the rarest and choicest wits amongst the most foolish and ignorant folk, and there where the people are generally the least civil and the most lacking in courtesy, we find, in some individual cases, extreme civility and good manners - so that, in one way or another, many nations seem to have received an equal measure of perfections and imperfections.
? ? ? ? ? ? ? . Whatyousayistrue.
? ? ? ? ? ? ? . Andyet,Teofilo,Iamdistressed,asaremanyothers,thatin our friendly nation you have come up against the kind of people who have so irked you that you vent your complaints by means of a sooty supper,
? ?
Cause, principle and unity
? instead of having met those, much more numerous, who would have shown you how much our country (even if it is presented by your countrymen as penitus toto divisus ab orbe8 [utterly cut off from the whole world]) is dis- posed to all literature, arms, chivalry, humanities and courtesy. We venture with all our strength not to be inferior to our ancestors in those domains, nor to be outclassed by other nations - especially those who believe them- selves naturally endowed with noble manners, science, arms and civility.
? ? ? ? ? ? ? . Onmyfaith,Armesso,Ineitherwouldnorcouldcontradict anything you say, neither with words, nor with reasonings, nor in con- science. You defend your cause with extreme modesty and keen argument, rather than attacking me out of some sort of barbarous pride. Thus I deplore all the more the fact that the individuals of whom we have been speaking have given me occasion to pain you, and others of honourable and humane temperament. I am beginning to feel sorry that those dialogues were ever published, and, if it will please you, I will see to it that they are circulated as little as possible.
? ? ? ? ? ? ? . My pain, like that of other very noble souls, stems so little from the publication of those dialogues that I would willingly undertake to have them translated into our tongue, in order to serve as a lesson for those few among us who are so lacking in education and manners. Maybe, on see- ing with what nerve their impertinent attacks are received and how inap- propriate they are, and with what traits they are described, even if they choose not to change tack and follow the examples and the lessons of the best and brightest men, they might at least amend their ways and imitate them out of the shame of being identified as part of that number. They might learn that honour and courage are not forged by the capacity and the art of molesting but by quite opposite behaviour.
? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? . Youshowmuchabilityandshrewdnessindefenceofyour country, and in contrast to the crowd of those poor in arguments and wis- dom, you know how to recognize and appreciate others' merits. But Filoteo does not seem to me as deft in defending himself and protecting his repu- tation. As nobility and rusticity differ, just so opposing effects are to be expected and feared from them. On one hand, a Scythian oaf will manage to look wise and will be celebrated for his success if, leaving the banks of the Danube, he goes away, bearer of audacious reproaches and legitimate complaints, to put to the test the authority and majesty of the Roman
8 Virgil, Bucolics, ? , ? ? : 'et penitus tot divisos orbe Britannos' ('(the Britons) isolated at the end of the world').
? ? ?
First dialogue
? Senate, which, if it finds in his censure and invective occasion to accom- plish an act of high prudence and magnanimity, does its severe critic the honour of a colossal statue. On the other hand, a Roman senator and gen- tleman would demonstrate very scarce wisdom in abandoning the mild banks of the Tiber, even armed with legitimate complaint and completely justified reprimand, to go try the Scythian oafs, who would seize the occa- sion to build, at his expense, towers and Babels of arguments of the utmost baseness, insolence and infamy, unleashing popular fury and stoning him in order to show other nations how much difference there is between deal- ing with human beings and with those who are merely made in their image and likeness.
?
? ? ? ? ? ? ? . It does not matter, as long as they stop harassing me from now on, and if I shake the club of the cynic at them, that is so they will let me go about my business in peace. It is clear they do not want to do me kindnesses, but they should not exercise their coarseness on me.
? ? ? ? ? ? ? . But do you think it is fitting for a philosopher to set about avenging himself?
? ? ? ? ? ? ? . If those who harassed me were a Xanthippes, I would be a Socrates.
? ? ? ? ? ? ? . Don'tyouknowthatpatienceandlong-sufferingdoesevery- one good, and that through them we become like heroes and celebrated gods, who, according to some, defer their vengeance, and according to others, neither take revenge nor give way to anger?
? ? ? ? ? ? ? . YouarewrongtothinkIcaredtohaverevenge.
? ? ? ? ? ? ? . Whatthen?
? ? ? ? ? ? ? . Iwasconcernedwithcorrecting-anactivitythatalsomakes
us similar to gods. You know that Jove ordered poor Vulcan to work even on holidays, so that his cursed anvil goes on receiving the fierce blows of the hammer eternally. No sooner is one raised than another comes smash- ing down, so that the righteous thunderbolts used to chastise the guilty and unlawful are never in short supply.
? ? ? ? ? ? ? . There is a difference between you and Jove's blacksmith, husband of the goddess of Cyprus.
? ? ? ? ? ? ? . It is enough, in any case, that I am perhaps not unlike the gods in patience and long-suffering. And those qualities were put to the test in this affair, in that I never gave full rein to my scorn and never spurred on my anger.
? ?
First dialogue
? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? . To be castigator - of the multitude, especially - is not the job of just anyone.
? ? ? ? ? ? ? . Add to that: especially when he has nothing to do with the multitude.
? ? ? ? ? ? ? . They say that you must not be an agitator in a country not your own.
? ? ? ? ? ? ? . And I say two things: first, one should not kill a foreign physician because he tries to administer cures not administered by the natives; second, I say that the true philosopher's country is all the world.
? ? ? ? ? ? ? . But if they consider you neither philosopher nor physician nor countryman?
? ? ? ? ? ? ? . Thatdoesnotmakemeanythelessso.
? ? ? ? ? ? ? . Whowillvouchyouthat?
? ? ? ? ? ? ? . Thegodswhohaveputmehere,Iwhofindmyselfhere,and
those who have eyes to see me here.
? ? ? ? ? ? ? . Your witnesses are very few and little-known.
? ? ? ? ? ? ? . The true physicians are indeed few and little-known, while
all these people are truly ill. And I repeat that they have no right to inflict or to allow others to inflict such treatment on those who offer honest merchandise, foreigners or not.
? ? ? ? ? ? ? . Few are acquainted with this merchandise.
? ? ? ? ? ? ? . Pearlsarenolesspreciousforthatreason,nordowe,there- fore, dedicate less effort rallying to their defence, to save and vindicate them with all our might from the trampling of swine.
May the gods favour me, Armesso, since I have never carried out acts of vengeance out of sordid self- love or low self-interest, but out of devotion for the offended majesty of my belove`d mother, philosophy. False friends and false children (for there is no worthless pedant, do-nothing phrasemaker, stupid faun or ignorant hack who does not aspire to be numbered among her family by showing up loaded with books, growing out his beard, or getting up prosopopoeical by other means) have wasted her so away that, among the common people, philosopher rhymes with impostor, quack, swindler, good-for-nothing, charlatan and howling pedant, good only as home entertainment or country scarecrow.
? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? . Indeed, philosophers as a race are rated by most men as more despicable than house chaplains sprung up from the dregs of human- ity, who, however, disgrace the priesthood far less than the philosophers, chosen from among every sort of beast, have shamed philosophy.
? ?
Cause, principle and unity
? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? . So let us praise the ancient race. Philosophers then had so much value that from their ranks were recruited lawmakers, counsellors and kings. And the counsellors and kings were such that from those func- tions they were elevated to the priesthood. In our age, most of the priests are such that they themselves are discredited, and do discredit to the divine laws; nearly all the philosophers we see are worth so little that they are dis- paraged along with their science. What is worse, a multitude of scoundrels, like a mass of nettles, have grown used to smothering with poisonous mirages what little truth and virtue get revealed to the few.
? ? ? ? ? ? ? . Iknownophilosopherwhogetssoarousedinfavourofdis- credited philosophy, nor do I perceive any, Elitropio, as impassioned by his science as Teofilo. What would happen if all other philosophers had the same character, I mean if they had so little patience?
? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? . Those others have not made so many discoveries, nor do they have as much to preserve or defend. They can easily devalue philoso- phy that is worthless, or what is nearly worthless, or that which they do not know; but one who has found truth, which is a hidden treasure, is inspired by the beauty of that divine face and grows jealous to defend her against plunder, negligence and contamination. Just so, a miser may conceive a passion for gold, diamonds and carbuncles, or a man for the beauty of a foul woman.
? ? ? ? ? ? ? . But let us get back to our subject and arrive at the quia [why]. They say of you, Teofilo, that in your supper you criticize and insult a whole city, an entire province, a complete kingdom.
? ? ? ? ? ? ? . That, I never thought, never intended, never did. If I had ever thought, wished or done so, I would condemn myself with utmost severity and bend over backwards to make a thousand disavowals, retrac- tions and disclaimers; not only if I had insulted a noble and ancient realm such as this, but any other, however great its reputation for barbarism. And I mean not only if I had offended any city, however widespread its reputa- tion for incivility, but even if I had insulted any class whatsoever, however savage it was held to be, or even any one family, however inhospitable it was considered. There cannot be a race, kingdom, city or house where contrary and opposing manners do not exist, and to which one can assign the same temperament to all, such that it is impossible for one man to find pleasure in what displeases another.
? ? ? ? ? ? ? . AsfarasIamconcerned,Ihaveread,re-readandmeditated upon all you have said (although on some points, I do not know just why, I
? ?
First dialogue
? find you a bit excessive), and you seem to me for the most part to proceed with moderation, reason and discernment; but the noise has spread as I have set out.
? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? . Thatnoiseofthisandotherthingshasbeenbandiedabout through the meanness of some of those who felt themselves touched. Eager to take revenge, but conscious of the weaknesses of their arguments, their doctrine, their intelligence and their strength, they not only fabricate as many lies as they can, to which no one but their like gives credit, but they try to enlist partisans by making out that your condemnation of some individuals constitutes a pervasive insult.
? ? ? ? ? ? ? . I think, on the contrary, there are people, not without wis- dom and judgement, who gauge the insult universal because you indicate certain manners as belonging to people of this or that nation.
? ? ? ? ? ? ? . Butwhataretheseallegedmanners? Arenotsimilarorworse ones, not to mention manners much more peculiar in genus, species and number, found in the most excellent parts of the world? Would you claim that I were abusive and ungrateful toward my own country, if I said that in Italy, in Naples or Nola, similar or more criminal manners can be found? Would you say that I had abused that blesse`d realm, often set at the head and the right hand of our globe simultaneously, governor and tamer of the other nations (and ever regarded by us and by others as mistress, nurse and mother of all the virtues, disciplines, humanities and the qualities of mod- esty and courtesy), when esteemed poets, themselves, have justly sung its praises, but yet do not shrink from calling her, if the occasion requires, mistress of all vice, error, greed and cruelty?
? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? . Thisiscertainlyinkeepingwiththepreceptsofyourphi- losophy, by virtue of which you maintain that contraries coincide both in principle and in reality. Thus, minds most suited to high, worthy and gen- erous enterprises will fall, if they are perverted, into extreme vice. Moreover, we generally find the rarest and choicest wits amongst the most foolish and ignorant folk, and there where the people are generally the least civil and the most lacking in courtesy, we find, in some individual cases, extreme civility and good manners - so that, in one way or another, many nations seem to have received an equal measure of perfections and imperfections.
? ? ? ? ? ? ? . Whatyousayistrue.
? ? ? ? ? ? ? . Andyet,Teofilo,Iamdistressed,asaremanyothers,thatin our friendly nation you have come up against the kind of people who have so irked you that you vent your complaints by means of a sooty supper,
? ?
Cause, principle and unity
? instead of having met those, much more numerous, who would have shown you how much our country (even if it is presented by your countrymen as penitus toto divisus ab orbe8 [utterly cut off from the whole world]) is dis- posed to all literature, arms, chivalry, humanities and courtesy. We venture with all our strength not to be inferior to our ancestors in those domains, nor to be outclassed by other nations - especially those who believe them- selves naturally endowed with noble manners, science, arms and civility.
? ? ? ? ? ? ? . Onmyfaith,Armesso,Ineitherwouldnorcouldcontradict anything you say, neither with words, nor with reasonings, nor in con- science. You defend your cause with extreme modesty and keen argument, rather than attacking me out of some sort of barbarous pride. Thus I deplore all the more the fact that the individuals of whom we have been speaking have given me occasion to pain you, and others of honourable and humane temperament. I am beginning to feel sorry that those dialogues were ever published, and, if it will please you, I will see to it that they are circulated as little as possible.
? ? ? ? ? ? ? . My pain, like that of other very noble souls, stems so little from the publication of those dialogues that I would willingly undertake to have them translated into our tongue, in order to serve as a lesson for those few among us who are so lacking in education and manners. Maybe, on see- ing with what nerve their impertinent attacks are received and how inap- propriate they are, and with what traits they are described, even if they choose not to change tack and follow the examples and the lessons of the best and brightest men, they might at least amend their ways and imitate them out of the shame of being identified as part of that number. They might learn that honour and courage are not forged by the capacity and the art of molesting but by quite opposite behaviour.
? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? . Youshowmuchabilityandshrewdnessindefenceofyour country, and in contrast to the crowd of those poor in arguments and wis- dom, you know how to recognize and appreciate others' merits. But Filoteo does not seem to me as deft in defending himself and protecting his repu- tation. As nobility and rusticity differ, just so opposing effects are to be expected and feared from them. On one hand, a Scythian oaf will manage to look wise and will be celebrated for his success if, leaving the banks of the Danube, he goes away, bearer of audacious reproaches and legitimate complaints, to put to the test the authority and majesty of the Roman
8 Virgil, Bucolics, ? , ? ? : 'et penitus tot divisos orbe Britannos' ('(the Britons) isolated at the end of the world').
? ? ?
First dialogue
? Senate, which, if it finds in his censure and invective occasion to accom- plish an act of high prudence and magnanimity, does its severe critic the honour of a colossal statue. On the other hand, a Roman senator and gen- tleman would demonstrate very scarce wisdom in abandoning the mild banks of the Tiber, even armed with legitimate complaint and completely justified reprimand, to go try the Scythian oafs, who would seize the occa- sion to build, at his expense, towers and Babels of arguments of the utmost baseness, insolence and infamy, unleashing popular fury and stoning him in order to show other nations how much difference there is between deal- ing with human beings and with those who are merely made in their image and likeness.
?
