The Banquet | Page 3

let these and those eat of my dish, with
the bread which I will cause them to taste and to digest.
The meat at this repast will be prepared in fourteen different ways, that
is, in fourteen Songs, some of whose themes will be of Love and some
of Virtue: which, without the present bread, might have some shadow
of obscurity, so that to many they might be acceptable more on account
of their form than because of their spirit. But this bread is the present
Exposition. It will be the Light whereby each colour of their design will

be made visible.
And if in the present work, which is named "Convito"--the Banquet, the
glad Life Together--I desire that the subject should be discussed more
maturely than in the Vita Nuova--the New Life--I do not therefore
mean in any degree to undervalue that Fresh Life, but greatly to
enhance it; seeing how reasonable it is for that age to be fervid and
passionate, and for this to be mature and temperate. At one age it is fit
to speak and work in one way, and at another age in another way;
because certain manners are fit and praiseworthy at one age which are
improper and blameable at another, as will be demonstrated with
suitable argument in the fourth treatise of this Book. In that first Book
(Vita Nuova) at the entrance into my youth I spoke; and in this latter I
speak after my youth has already passed away. And since my true
meaning may be other than that which the aforesaid songs show forth, I
mean by an allegoric exposition to explain these after the literal
argument shall have been reasoned out: so that the one argument with
the other shall give a relish to those who are the guests invited to this
Banquet. And of them all I pray that if the feast be not so splendid as
befits the proclamation thereof, let them impute each defect, not to my
will but to my means, since my will here is to a full and loving
Liberality.


CHAPTER II.
In preparing for every well-ordered Banquet the servants are wont to
take the proper bread, and see that it is clean from all blemish;
wherefore I, who in the present writing stand in servant's place, intend
firstly to remove two spots from this exposition which at my repast
stands in the place of bread.
The one is, that it appears to be unlawful for any one to speak of
himself; the other, that it seems to be unreasonable to speak too deeply
when giving explanations. Let the knife of my judgment pare away

from the present treatise the unlawful and the unreasonable. One does
not permit any Rhetorician to speak of himself without a necessary
cause. And from this is the man removed, because he can speak of no
one without praise or blame of those of whom he speaks; which two
causes commonly induce a man to speak of himself. And in order to
remove a doubt which here arises, I say that it is worse for any one to
blame than to praise himself, although neither may have to be done.
The reason is, that anything which is essentially wrong is worse than
that which is wrong through accident. For a man openly to bring
contempt on himself is essentially wrong to his friend, because a man
owes it to take account of his fault secretly, and no one is more friendly
to himself than the man himself. In the chamber of his thoughts,
therefore, he should reprove himself and weep over his faults, and not
before the world. Again, a man is but seldom blamed when he has not
the power or the knowledge requisite to guide himself aright: but he is
always blamed when weak of will, because our good or evil
dispositions are measured by the strength of will. Wherefore he who
blames himself proves that he knows his fault, while he reveals his
want of goodness; if, therefore, he know his fault, let him no more
speak evil of himself. If a man praise himself it is to avoid evil, as it
were; inasmuch as it cannot be done except such self-laudation become
in excess dishonour; it is praise in appearance, it is infamy in substance.
For the words are spoken to prove that of which he has not inward
assurance. Hence, he who lauds himself proves his belief that he is not
esteemed to be a good man, and this befalls him not unless he have an
evil conscience, which he reveals by self-praise, and in so revealing it
he blames himself.
And, again, self-praise and self-blame are to be shunned equally, for
this reason, that it is false witnessing. Because there is