The Banquet (Il Convito)

ove, according to the unanimous opinion of the wise men who discourse

of him, and as by experience we see continually, is that which brings to-

gether and unites the lover with the beloved; wherefore Pythagoras says, "In

friendship many become one."

And the things which are united naturally communicate their qualities to

each other, insomuch that sometimes it happens that one is wholly changed

into the nature of the other, the result being that the passions of the beloved

person enter into the person of the lover, so that the love of the one is com-

municated to the other, and so likewise hatred, desire, and every other pas-

sion; wherefore the friends of the one are beloved by the other, and the en-

emies hated; and so in the Greek proverb it is said: "With friends all things

ought to be in common."

Wherefore I, having made a friend of this Lady, mentioned above in the

truthful exposition, began to love and to hate according to her love and her

hatred. I then began to love the followers of Truth, and to hate the follow-

ers of Error and Falsehood, even as she does. But since each thing is to be

loved for itself and none are to be hated except for excess of evil, it is rea-

sonable and upright to hate not the things, but the evil in the things, and toendeavour to distinguish between these. And if any person has this inten-

tion, my most excellent Lady understands especially how to distinguish the

evil in anything, which is the cause of hate; since in her is all Reason, and in

her is the fountain-head of all uprightness.

I, following her as much as I could in her work as in her love, abominated

and despised the errors of the people with infamy or reproach, not cast on

those lost in error, but on the errors themselves; by blamingwhich, I thought

to create displeasure and to separate the displeased ones from those faults

in them which were hated by me. Amongst which errors one especially I

reproved, which, because it is hurtful and dangerous not only to those who

remain in it, but also to others who reprove it, I separate it from them and

condemn.

This is the error concerning Human Goodness, which, inasmuch as it is

sown in us by Nature, ought to be termed Nobility; which error was so

strongly entrenched by evil custom and by weak intellect that the opinion

of almost all people was falsified or deceived by it; and from the false opin-

ion sprang false judgments, and from false judgments sprang unjust rever-

ence and unjust contempt; wherefore the good were held in vile disdain, and

the evil were honoured and exalted. This was the worst confusion in the

world; even as he can see who looks subtly at that which may result from it.

And though it seemed that this my Lady had somewhat changed her sweet

countenance towards me, especially where I gazed and sought to discover

whether the first Matter of the Elements was created by God, for which rea-

son I strengthened myself to frequent her presence a little, as if remaining

there with her assent, I began to consider in my mind the fault of man con-

cerning the said error. And to shun sloth, which is an especial enemy of this

Lady, and to describe or state this error very clearly, this error which robs her

of so many friends, I proposed to cry aloud to the people who are walking in

the path of evil, in order that they might direct their steps to the right road;

and I began a Song, in the beginning of which I said, "Soft rhymes of love I

used to find," wherein I intend to lead the people back into the right path,