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THE THIRD BOOK OF THE COURTIER " Therefore I will assign the cause of woman's lasting love for the first man to whom she has given herself, and of man's hatred for the first woman, not at all to that which your Philoso- pher alleges in his problems, but to woman's firmness and con- stancy, and to man's inconstancy; nor without natural reason: for being warm, the male naturally derives from that quality lightness, movement and inconstancy, while from her frigidity woman on the other hand derives quietness, firm gravity, and more fixed impressions." 17.— Then my lady Emilia turned to my lord Magnifico and said: " For the love of Heaven, leave these matters and forms of yours awhile, and male and female, and speak in such fashion that you may be understood; for we heard and understood very well the evil that my lord Ottaviano and my lord Caspar said of us, but now we do not at all understand in what manner you are defending us: so it seems to me that you are straying from the subject and leaving in everyone's mind that bad impression which these enemies of ours have given of us." " Do not give us that name, my Lady," replied my lord Gaspar, " for it better befits my lord Magnifico, who by bestowing false praises upon women shows that there are none true of them." The Magnifico Giuliano continued: " Do not doubt, my Lady, that answer will be made to every- thing, But I do not wish to utter such inordinate abuse of men as they have uttered of women ; and if by chance there were anyone to write down our discussions, I should not like, in a place where these matters and forms are understood, to have the arguments and reasons that my lord Gaspar adduces against you, appear to have been without reply." " I do not see, my lord Magnifico," my lord Gaspar then said, " how in this matter you will be able to deny that man is by his natural qualities more perfect than woman, who is frigid by temperament, and man warm. And warmth is far nobler and more perfect than cold, because it is active and productive; and, as you know, the heavens send down only warmth upon us here, and not cold, which does not enter into the works of nature. And hence I believe that the frigidity of women's temperament is the cause of their abasement and timidity," 186