Part 6

) which _must_ have been written after 1308, and probably after 1312. It refers to a story which had been narrated to Barberino ‘one time that he was in Paris.’ Now his journey on a mission to Provence and France began in 1309, and ended in 1313.

I shall here give place to my brother, and extract _verbatim_ the notice of Barberino contained in his book of translations, _The Early Italian Poets_.[30]

‘Francesco da Barberino: born 1264, died 1348.

‘With the exception of Brunetto Latini (whose poems are neither very poetical nor well adapted for extract), Francesco da Barberino shows by far the most sustained productiveness among the poets who preceded Dante, or were contemporaries of his youth. Though born only one year in advance of Dante, Barberino seems to have undertaken, if not completed, his two long poetic treatises some years before the commencement of the _Commedia_.

‘This poet was born at Barberino di Valdelsa, of a noble family, his father being Neri di Ranuccio da Barberino. Up to the year of his father’s death, 1296, he pursued the study of law chiefly in Bologna and Padua; but afterwards removed to Florence for the same purpose, and became one of the many distinguished disciples of Brunetto Latini,[31] who probably had more influence than any other one man in forming the youth of his time to the great things they accomplished. After this he travelled in France and elsewhere; and on his return to Italy in 1313, was the first who, by special favour of Pope Clement V., received the grade of Doctor of Laws in Florence. Both as lawyer and as citizen, he held great trusts, and discharged them honourably. He was twice married, the name of his second wife being Barna di Tano, and had several children. At the age of eighty-four he died in the great plague of Florence. Of the two works which Barberino has left, one bears the title of _Documenti d’Amore_, literally _Documents[32] of Love_, but perhaps more properly rendered as _Laws of Courtesy_; while the other is called _Del Reggimento e dei Costumi delle Donne_,—_of the Government and Conduct of Women_. They may be described, in the main, as manuals of good breeding or social chivalry—the one for men, and the other for women. Mixed with vagueness, tediousness, and not seldom with artless absurdity, they contain much simple wisdom, much curious record of manners, and (as my specimens show) occasional poetic sweetness or power—though these last are far from being their most prominent merits. The first-named treatise, however, has much more of such qualities than the second, and contains moreover passages of homely humour which startle by their truth, as if written yesterday. At the same time, the second book is quite as well worth reading, for the sake of its authoritative minuteness in matters which ladies now-a-days would probably consider their own undisputed region, and also for the quaint gravity of certain surprising prose anecdotes of real life with which it is interspersed. Both these works remained long unprinted; the first edition of the _Documenti d’Amore_ being that edited by Ubaldini in 1640, at which time he reports the _Reggimento_ &c. to be only possessed by his age “in name and in desire.” This treatise was afterwards brought to light, but never printed till 1815. I should not forget to state that Barberino attained some knowledge of drawing; and that Ubaldini had seen his original MS of the _Documenti_, containing, as he says, skilful miniatures by the author.

‘Barberino never appears to have taken a very active part in politics, but he inclined to the Imperial and Ghibelline party. This contributes with other things to render it rather singular that we find no poetic correspondence or apparent communication of any kind between him and his many great countrymen, contemporaries of his long life, and with whom he had more than one bond of sympathy. His career stretched from Dante, Guido Cavalcanti, and Cino da Pistoia, to Petrarca and Boccaccio: yet only in one respectful but not enthusiastic notice of him by the last-named writer (_Genealogia degli Dei_) do we ever meet with an allusion to him by any of the greatest men of his time. Nor in his own writings, as far as I remember, are _they_ ever referred to. His epitaph is said to have been written by Boccaccio, but this is doubtful. On reviewing the present series, I am sorry, on the whole, not to have included more specimens of Barberino; whose writings, though not very easy to tackle in the mass, would afford an excellent field for selection and summary.’

Thus far my brother. I will only add to his biographical details that, at the very end of Francesco da Barberino’s life, he and one of his sons were elected the Priori, or joint chief-magistrates of the Florentine Republic; and that the Barberini who came to the papal chair in 1623 as Urban VIII. was of the same family. His patronymic is enshrined to many loose memories in the epigram ‘_Quod non fecere Barbari fecere Barberini_.’ To all that my brother has said of the qualities, and especially the merits, of Francesco, I cordially subscribe. The _Documenti d’Amore_ is really a most capital book,—I should suppose, unsurpassed of its kind, and also in its interest for students of the early mediæval manners, and modes of thought. Its diction is remarkably condensed—(Italian scholars say that it shows strong traces of the author’s Provençal studies and predilections)—and it is proportionately stiff work to hasty readers. Those who will peruse it deliberately, and weigh its words, find many niceties of laconism, and much terse and sententious good sense as well—lengthy as is the entire book. This is indeed no slight matter—twelve sections, and something like 8500 lines. It is exactly the sort of work to elicit and to account for editorial enthusiasm.

[Sidenote: THE DOCUMENTI D'AMORE.]

I extract in full the stanzas bearing directly upon that which (following the impulsion of Fra Bonvicino) has become our more immediate subject—the Courtesies of the Table. The tone of society which we find here is visibly in advance of the Lombard Friar’s, though the express precepts of the two writers have a good deal of general resemblance: the superiority in this respect is very much the same as in the language. Barberino’s diction seems quite worthy of a Tuscan contemporary of Dante, and his works are still drawn upon as a ‘_testo di lingua_.’

‘The third point of good manners Which thou art to observe at table Thou mayst receive thus; Thinking out for thyself the other details from these few.

And, in entering to table, If he who says to thee “Go in” is a man of distinction, On account of his dignity It behoves thee not to dispute the going.

With thine equals, it beseems to decline For awhile, and then to conform to their wish: With superiors, affect Just the least demur, and then acquiesce.

With inferiors, keep silence, And take the place which they give thee: and reflect That, by resisting here, Thou, by thy default, wouldst be making _them_ rude.

In thine own house, remain Behind, if they are thy superiors or equals: And, if thine inferiors, thou shalt seem No other than correct if thou dost the same.

Understand the like, if thou givest To eat to any persons out of thine own home: Also remain behind when it happens That thou art entertaining women.

Next consider about placing Each person in the post that befits him. Between relatives it behoves To place others midway sometimes.

And, in this, honour the more Those who are strangers, and retain the others by thyself: And keep cheerful Thy face and demeanour, and forbear with all.

Now I speak for every one. He who is helping, let him help in equal portions. He who is helped, let him not manœuvre For the best, but take the less good.

They must not be pressed; For this is their own affair, and choice is free, And one forces the preference Of him who was abstaining, perhaps purposely.

He makes a fool of himself who prematurely lays aside His plate, while the others are still eating; And he who untidily Turns the table into a receptacle for scraps;

And he who sneers At what he does not like; and he who hurries; And he who picks and chooses Out of the viands which are in common;

And those who seem more hungry At the end than at the beginning; And also he who sets to At fortifying himself,[33] or exploring the bottom of the platter.

Nor do I think it looks quite well To gnaw the bone with the teeth, and still worse To drop it into the saucepan;[34] Nor is salt well deposited on the dish.

And I think that he does amiss Who carves, being at the table of his superior; For none can perform service If he does not first ask leave.

With thine equal, begin, If the knife lies at thy right hand: If not, leave it to him. With fruit, thou canst not fitly help thy companion.

With women, I need not tell thee: But thou must help them to everything, If there is not some one who undertakes Both the carving and other details.

But always look to it That thou approach not too close to any of them. And, if one of them is a relative of thine, Thou wilt give more room to the other.

And, in short, thou wilt then Do and render honour to thine utmost: And here always mind That thou soil not their dress.

Look them in the face but little, Still less at their hands while eating, For they are apt to be bashful: And with respect to them, thou mayst well say “Do eat.”

When sometimes there come Dishes or fruits, I praise him who thinks of avoiding To take of those Which cannot with cleanliness be handled.

Ill does the hand which hurries To take a larger help out of a dish in common; And worse he who does not well avoid To loll, or set leg upon leg.

And be it observed That here thou shouldst speak little and briefly: Nor here must there be speech Of aught save elegant and cheerful pleasantness.

I have shown thee above Concerning the respect due to [thy lord], and saluting him. I will now tell thee More than I before said concerning service.

Take care that, in every operation Or service that thou dost before him, Thou must think steadily Of what thou art about, for it goes ill if thou art absent-minded.

Thou shouldst keep thine eye, When thou servest him, on that which he likes. The silent tongue is aright, Always without questioning, during service;

Also that thou keep thyself, Thou who hast to serve, clean in dress and hands. And I would have thee also serve strangers, If they are at the meal with him.

Likewise have an eye to it That thou keep things clean before him thou servest. And thou dost well if thou keepest The slice entire, if thou canst, in carving;

And amiss if neglectfully Thou makest too great a lump of the carved viands; And worse if thou art so long about it That they have nothing to eat.

And, when there may be Viands which make the hands uncleanly, In some unobtrusive way Get them washed by the time the next come on.

Thou shalt always be observant of the same In bringing forward the fruits: For to offer these about, As I said before, befits not the guests.

Also I much complain Of thee who wouldst then be correcting others: For the present it must suffice thee, In this case, to do right for thyself only.

He puts me out who has So awkward a manner in cutting That, in peeling a pear, He takes up from three to nine o’clock;

And also he who keeps not good guard Over his hand, and slips in cutting; For he is prevented from serving, And his lord sometimes has no one to serve him.

I dislike that he who serves Should, in serving, speak of the doctor; Unless maybe by way of obeying, When he has it in command from him.

In giving water thou shalt be careful, Considering the time and place: Where there is little, little; In the cold time, less cold—and, if very cold, warm.

When the sun is very hot, Bring it abundantly, but mind the people’s clothes. Observe the station and the ages, With regard to whom thou shalt begin with, if there is none to tell thee.[35]

At table it behoves Not to give bad or offensive news; Unless delay might produce Danger—and then only to the person concerned.

Be thy mouth abstinent From eating while the first table is set. In drinking do likewise, So far as gratification goes, but thirst excuses thee:

Which if thou feelest, accustom thyself Not to drink underhand, nor of the best. Neither is a servant liked Who afterwards is long over his eating,

If he is where he _can_ do this; And still less he who sulks if he is called When he has not yet done eating; For he serves best who serves other than his gullet.’

Before parting from the _Documenti d’Amore_, I will summarize a few more of Barberino’s dicta on points of courtesy and demeanour in general.

There are seven offences in speaking: 1. Prolixity; 2. Curtness; 3. Audacity; 4. Mauvaise Honte; 5. Stuttering; 6. Beating about the bush; 7. Restlessness of gesture, and this is the least supportable of all. Remedies against all these evils are assigned. For the 6th, as we are told, the (then) modern usage is to speak out what you have to say with little or no proem. As to the 7th, the moving about, as a child would do, the hands, feet, or head, or the using action in speech, shows deficient firmness. See that you stand firm. Yet all this is to be modified according to place, time, and the auditory. (It is amusing to find the dignified Tuscan of the thirteenth to fourteenth century reprobating that luxuriance of gesture which is one of the first things to strike an English eye in Italy down to our own day—more especially in the southern parts of the country. To have striven to obey Barberino’s precept, under pain of being pronounced bad company, must have proved hard lines to some of his contemporaries and catechumens.)

If you chance into uncongenial company, take the first opportune occasion for getting away, with some parting words that shall not bewray your antipathy.

To casual companions speak on their own respective subjects; as of God to the clergy, health to doctors, design to painters. ‘With ladies of refinement and breeding, laud and uphold their honour and state by pleasant stories not oftentimes told already. And, if any one is contrary and froward, reply in excuse and defence; for it is derogatory to contend against those the overcoming of whom is loss.’

If you come into the company of a great lord, or of persons who are all your superiors, and if they invite you to speak, inquire what the topic shall be. If you find nothing to say, wait for some one else to start you; and at worst be silent. In such company, be there no gesturing (again!).

If you are walking with a great lord in any country, conform in a measure to the usages there prevalent.

Following your superior, be respectful; to your equal, complaisant, and treat him as superior; and, even with your inferior, tend towards the same line of conduct. This, however, does not apply to your own servant. Better exceed than fall short in showing respect to unknown persons. If your superior, in walking with you, wants to have you by his side, go to his left as a general rule, so that he may have the full use of his sword hand. If it rains, and he has no cloak, offer him yours; and, even if he declines, you must still dispense with it yourself. The like with your hat. Pay similar attentions to your equal, or to one that is a little your inferior: and even to your positive inferiors you must rather overdo courtesy than fall short. Thus also with women: you must explore the way for them, and attend on them, and in danger defend them with your life.

In church, do not pray aloud, but silently.

Wait not to be saluted. Be first in saluting; but do not overdo this, and never reiterate a salutation. Your own lord you must not salute, unless he comes from afar. You should uncover to him: then, if he is covered, cover again. Do not exceed in saluting an intimate, but enter at once into conversation; and do not hug him, unless he and you are indeed one.[36] Bow to ladies without much speaking: and in towns ascertain the ordinary practice in such cases, and observe it. If you see a female relative in your own town, she being alone, or in company with only one person, _and if she is handsome_, accost her as though she were not your relative, unless your relationship is a fact known to the bystanders, (This is a master-touch: and here is another, of a nearly similar sort)—

In serving a man of distinction, if you meet his wife, affect not to observe her; and, if she gives you any commission to fulfil, don’t show that it gratifies you.

The 16th ‘_Documento_’ sets forth ‘the method of making presents so that the gift be acceptable.’ It is so admirable in point of both sense and expression that I quote the original in a note, secure that _that_ will be a gift acceptable to all such readers of these pages as may be readers of Italian also.[37] What can be more perfect than the censure awarded to those who are in a chafe until, by reciprocating any service rendered to them, they shall have wiped it out?

‘Be all aware That it is no small flaw to mislike Remaining under an obligation: Nay, it then seems that one is liberal by compulsion.’

[Sidenote: THE REGGIMENTO DELLE DONNE.]

Barberino’s second work, _Del Reggimento e dei Costumi delle Donne_, furnishes, strange to say, hardly any express rules for conduct, at table; but some details may, for our general purpose, be picked out of an emporium whose abundance can be surmised from the following programme.

‘I will divide this work into 20 parts: And each part Shall present certain distinct grades, As the foregoing reading shows, The 1st will relate how a girl Should conduct herself When she begins to appreciate right and wrong, And to fear shame. 2nd, How, when She comes to a marriageable age. 3rd, How, when she has passed. The period for marriage. 4th, if, after she has given up the hope of ever Obtaining a husband, it happens That yet she gets one, and remains At home awhile before going to him. The 5th, How, after she is married; And how the first, and how The second and third, Up to fifteen days; and the first month, And the second and third; And how on to her end: Both before having children, and afterwards, and if she Has none: and how in old age. The 6th, How, if she loses her husband: And how if she is old; And how if she is of middle age; And how if she is left young; And how if she has children; And how if she is a grandmother; And how if she still Remains mistress of her husband’s property; And if she, being a widow, takes The garb of religion. The 7th sets forth How she should comport herself If she marries again; And how if to a better [husband], And how if to a worse And less wealthy one; And how if she yet goes to a third; And how, after she has become a widow, And has again taken a husband, She remains awhile at home Before going to him; And how far re-marrying is praised or blamed. 8th, How, she Who assumes the habit Of a religious order at home; And how this is praised or no. 9th, How, being shut up in a monastery In perpetual reclusion; And how the Abbess, Superior, and Prioress, And every other Portress or Nun. 10th, How she Who secludes herself alone Is named a Hermitess; and wherein this is to blame. 11th, How The maid who is In companionship with a lady; And how if she is alone, And how if one among others in the like office. 12th, How Every serving-woman shall conduct herself, Whether serving a lady alone, or a lady along With the master; and also if any, by herself, Serves a master; and how This is to be praised, and how not. 13th, How, A nurse in the house, and how apart. 14th, How, The female serf or slave;[38] And how, being a serf, She may afterwards, through her conduct, obtain her liberty. 15th, How Every kind of woman Of the common sort should behave, And of a lower and poorer sort; and all Save the bad ones of dissolute life Who sell their honour for money,— Whom I do not purpose To put in writing, Nor to make any mention of them, For they are not worthy to be named. 16th treats Of certain general precepts To all women; and of their ornaments, And their adventures. 17th, of their consolations. 18th, because sometimes They must know how to speak and converse And answer, and be in company, Here will be treated upon questions of love And courtesy and breeding. 19th treats Of certain motetts and messages[39] Of ladies to knights, And of other sorts Of women and men. The 20th treats Of certain orisons. And in this part is the conclusion Of the book; and how I carry this book To the Lady who is above-named,[40] And how she receives it; And how the Virtues Come before her.’

The promise here is rich indeed, and the performance also is rich; though it may fairly be said that various sections fall considerably below one’s expectations, and some of them are jejune enough. But, after every deduction has been made, the work fills a niche of its own, and without competitor.

I add a few of the details most germane to our purpose.

A young girl should drink but little, and that diluted. She must not loll at table, nor prop her arms thereon. Here she should speak even less than at other times. The daughters of Knights (Cavalier da Scudo), Judges, Physicians, or others of similar condition, had better learn the art of cooking, though possibly circumstances will not call upon them to put it in practice.

A Princess approaching the marriageable age should not go out to church; as she ought, as far as possible, to avoid being seen about. (The marriageable age, be it understood, is very early by Barberino’s reckoning, being twelve years.) A woman should never go out alone.

An unmarried young lady had better wear a topaz, which is proved by experience to be an antidote to carnal desire.

A Provençal gentleman, who was praising his wife for her extreme simplicity in attire, was asked, ‘Why then does she comb her hair?’ He replied: ‘To show that she is a woman, whose very nature it is to be trim in person.’

A Lady’s-maid should not tell tales to her mistress of any peccadilloes of the husband: still less should she report to the husband anything against his wife, unless it be a grave and open misdoing.

The section concerning Nurses (