A Renaissance Courtesy-book: Galateo of Manners & BehavioursDella Casa, Giovanni
Philosophy
A Renaissance Courtesy-book: Galateo of Manners & Behaviours
Della Casa, Giovanni
Courtesy -- Early works to 1800; Etiquette -- Early works to 1800
But to come to our purpose againe: I say, our speache must be plaine:
which will be easie inough to doe: if you have wit to choose those
wordes that be naturally bred in our soile: and with all not so olde
w^t Age, that they are become rotten and withered: and as overworne
apparell, leaft of and cast a side. As, Spaldo, and Epa, and Vopo,
and Sezzaio, & Primaio. And moreover, the wordes you shall use, must
have no double understanding, but simple. For by coupling suche wordes
together: wee frame that speache that is called Aenigma. And to speake
it plainer in our owne language, we call it Gergo. As in this verse:
Io vidi un che da sette passatoi
Fu da un canto all' altro trapassato.
Againe, our wordes would be, (as nere as they might be) aptly and
properly applied to that thing we go about to deliver, & as litle
as may be, common to other matters: for, in so doing, a man shall
weene, the matter it selfe is openly laide before him: & that it
is not expressed with wordes, but pointed foorthe with the finger.
And therefore we may more properly say: A man is knowen by his
countenaunce, then by his figure or counterfet. And Dant did better
expresse the matter, when he saide,
"The weightes
That peize the weight doe make the balance creeke,"
Then if he had saide
"Crie out and make a noise."
And it is a more proper and peculiar speache to say, The shivering of
an ague, then to call it The Colde. And flesh that is Tidie, to terme
it rather, Fatte: then Fulsome.
Ther be some woordes more in this place to like effect, which I meane
not to stande uppon now: bycause our Englishe tounge cannot hansomely
deliver their perfect meaning. For the Italians have (as we have, and
all other Countreis ells as well as wee) certaine peculiar wordes and
termes, so naturally and properly their owne, as it is not possible to
expresse them aptly and perfectly in any other Language. And therefore
the Author him selfe, fearing, or knowing asmuche in the sense of these
wordes, which he hath inferred in this place (as it were preventing a
blame) in maner excuseth and speaketh asmuch as I say, as the matter it
selfe that insueth doth shewe. For, the Author him selfe following his
purpose saithe thus.
"I am well assured, if some straunger should, unhappely for my credite,
hit uppon this treatise of mine: he would laughe mee to scorne, and say
that I taught to speake in riddles, or els in Ciphers. For as muche as
these wordes, be almost so properly our owne, that other countries have
no acquaintance with them: or, if they woulde use them, yet they cannot
tell how to understand them. For, who is it that knowes what Dant ment
in this verse.
Gia veggia per Mezzul perdere o Lulla.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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