Page:The Book of the Courtier.djvu/360

THE THIRD BOOK OF THE COURTIER which she herself so greatly desired and towards which she was so urged continually by the person whom alone in the world she desired to please: nor was she moved therein by fear or any other motive than mere love of true virtue. "What will you say of another, who for six months spent nearly every night with a dearly cherished lover; yet, in a gar- den full of sweetest fruits, invited by her own most ardent long- ing and by the prayers and tears of one dearer to her than life itself, she refrained from tasting them; and although she was caught and held in the fast bonds of those beloved arms, she never yielded herself vanquished, but preserved the flower of her chastity immaculate. 44-—" Do you think, my lord Gaspar, that these acts of conti- nence are equal to Alexander's? — who (being most ardently enamoured, not of Darius's women, but of that fame and great- ness which incited him by thirst for glory to endure toils and dangers to make himself immortal) spurned not only other things, but his own life, in order to win renown above all other men. And do we marvel that with such thoughts at heart he abstained from something he did not much desire? For since he had never seen the women before, he could not possibly love them in a moment, but perhaps even loathed them because of his enemy Darius; and in that case every wanton act of his towards them would have been outrage and not love. Hence it is no great thing that Alexander, who conquered the world no less by magnanimity than by arms, abstained from doing outrage to women. " Scipio's continence also is much to be praised. Yet if you consider rightly, it is not to be compared with these two women's; for he too likewise abstained from something not desired; — being in a hostile country, newly in command, at the beginning of a very important enterprise; having left great expectations of him- self at home, and bound to render an account to very strict judges, who often punished very small mistakes as well as great, and among whom he knew he had enemies; conscious also that if he acted otherwise (the lady being very noble and married to a very noble lord), he might arouse so many enemies and in such fashion that they might long hinder and perhaps quite snatch 212