Page:The Book of the Courtier.djvu/484

THE FOURTH BOOK OF THE COURTIER My lady Emilia laughed, and said: " My lord Gaspar, if you return to wronging us so often, I promise you that you will not be pardoned again." My lord Gaspar replied: " No wrong is done you by saying that women's souls are not so purged of passion as those of men, nor given to contemplation, as messer Pietro said those must be who would taste divine love. Thus we do not read that any woman has had this grace, but that many men have had it, like Plato, Socrates and Plotinus,*" and many others; and so many of our holy Fathers, like St. Francis, upon whom an ardent spirit of love impressed the most holy seal of the five wounds:*"' nor could aught but the power of love lift St. Paul to the vision of those mysteries whereof man is not allowed to speak;**" nor show St. Stephen the opened heavens."*" Here the Magnifico Giuliano replied: " In this, women will by no means be outdone by men; for Socrates himself confesses that all the mysteries of love which he knew were revealed to him by a woman, who was the famous Diotima;""' and the angel who wounded St. Francis with the fire of love, has also made several women of our age worthy of the same seal. You must remember, too, that St. Mary Mag- dalen had many sins forgiven her because she loved much,*^ and perhaps with no less grace than St. Paul was she many times lifted to the third heaven by angelic love; and so many others, who (as I narrated yesterday more at large) for the love of Christ's name took no heed of life, nor were afraid of torments or any manner of death however horrible and cruel it might be; and they were not old, as messer Pietro would have our Courtier, but tender and delicate girls, and of that age wherein he says that sensual love ought to be allowed in men." 73.— My lord Gaspar began making ready to reply, but my lady Duchess said: " Of this let messer Pietro Bembo be the judge, and let us abide by his decision whether or not women are as capable of divine love as men are. But as the controversy between you might be too long, it will be well to postpone it until to- morrow." 308