Act 1
[Act I, Scene 1]
PALAMEDE and CLEANDRO.
Pa. You're leaving home early today.
Cle. And where are you coming from so early?
Pa. I had some business to attend to.
Cle. I'm going to attend to another matter, or rather, to try to attend to it. Because if I succeed, I'm not certain.
Pa. Is it something you can talk about?
Cle. I don't know, but I do know that it's something difficult to accomplish.
Pa. Well, I'm going away now because I see that being in your company annoys you. And that's why I have always avoided spending time with you, because I've always found you ill-disposed and fanciful.
Cle. Not fanciful, but love-struck.
Pa. Come on, you straighten my hat for me.
Cle. My dear Palamede, you don't know half the story. I have always lived in despair, and now more than ever.
Pa. How so?
Cle. What I have concealed from you in the past, I want to reveal to you now because I have reached a point where I need help from everyone.
Pa. If I was reluctant to be with you before, I will be even more reluctant now because I have always heard that three types of people should be avoided: singers, old men, and lovers. If you spend time with a singer and tell them something about yourself, when you think they're listening, they burst into a ut, re, mi, fa, sol, la, and start singing a little song. If you're with an old man, he sticks his head into every church he finds and goes to every altar to mutter a prayer. But being in the company of a lover is worse; because it's not enough that if you talk to them, they start a vineyard, they fill your ears with complaints and so many of their troubles that you're forced to feel pity. If he's involved with a courtesan, either she torments him too much or she has thrown him out of the house: there's always something to complain about. If he loves a virtuous woman, a thousand envies, a thousand jealousies, a thousand annoyances disturb him; there's never a shortage of reasons to lament. Therefore, my dear Cleandro, I will endure as much as you need me to; otherwise, I will escape from your sorrows.
Cle. Until now, I have kept these passions of mine hidden for these reasons: so as not to be avoided as annoying or mocked as ridiculous because I know that many people, under the pretense of kindness, make you speak and then sneer at you. But now that fate has brought me to a point where I see few remedies, I want to share it with you, partly to relieve myself and also because if I need your help, I want you to provide it.
Pa. I am ready, as you wish, to listen to everything, and thus not to shy away from any discomfort or danger to help you.
Cle. I know. I believe you are aware of the young lady we have raised.
Pa. I have seen her. Where did she come from?
Cle. I'll tell you. Twelve years ago, in 1494, when King Charles passed through Florence with a large army on his way to conquer the Kingdom, a gentleman from Monsignor di Fois' company, named Beltramo di Guascogna, stayed at our house. He was honored by my father, and because he was a good man, he respected and honored our family. While many formed enmity with the Frenchmen they had in their houses, my father and he formed a great friendship.
Pa. You were much luckier than others because those who were housed in our house caused us infinite troubles.
Cle. I believe you, but it didn't happen to us that way. This Beltramo went with his king to Naples, and as you know, once Charles conquered that kingdom, he was forced to leave because the Pope, the Emperor, the Venetians, and the Duke of Milan had formed a coalition against him. So, leaving part of his troops in Naples, he came towards Tuscany with the rest. When he reached Siena, he heard that the League had a huge army on the Taro River, ready to fight as they descended from the mountains. Beltramo thought it would be a waste of time to stay in Tuscany and, therefore, he didn't pass through Florence, but took the route to Pisa and Pontremoli towards Lombardy. Beltramo, having heard the rumors of the enemies and fearing that he wouldn't succeed in the battle, having already captured this young girl in Naples when she was five years old, of beautiful appearance and gentle manners, decided to send her ahead of the dangers and entrusted her to my father, asking him to keep her with great care until a more convenient time to send for her. He didn't inform us if she was of noble or common birth; he only told us her name was Clizia. My father and mother, since they had no other children but me, immediately fell in love with her.
Pa. And have you fallen in love with her?
Cle. Let me tell you. And so, they treated her as their dear daughter. I, who was ten years old at the time, started playing with her like children do, and I developed an extraordinary love for her, which grew as I grew older. By the time she reached the age of twelve, my father and mother started keeping a close eye on me, so that if I even spoke to her, chaos broke out in the house. This constraint (because we always desire what we can have less of) intensified my love and has caused me so much suffering that I live with more anguish than if I were in hell.
Pa. Did Beltramo ever send for her?
Cle. We never heard anything from him; we believe he died in the battle of the Taro.
Pa. It must have been so. But tell me, what do you want to do? What is your plan? Do you want to marry her, or do you just want her as a friend? What is preventing you, since she is in your house? Is there no solution for you?
Cle. I have to tell you other things that are shameful to me; that's why I want you to know everything.
Pa. Go ahead, tell me.
Cle. It's hard for me to say, but I feel like laughing and crying at the same time: my father has also fallen in love with her.
Pa. Nicomaco?
Cle. Yes, Nicomaco.
Pa. Can this be true?
Cle. It can be true, with God's will.
Pa. Oh! This is the most incredible thing I have ever heard. It will ruin the whole household. How do you all live together? What do you do? What do you think? Does your mother know about these things?
Cle. My mother knows, the maids know, the servants know; it's a mess, our situation.
Pa. Tell me, in the end, how is this matter resolved?
Cle. I'll tell you. As soon as my father fell in love with her, which must have been about a year ago, and wanting to satisfy this burning desire that torments him, he thought there was no other solution but to marry her to someone who could share her with him later. To him, trying to have her before she's married must seem like an impious and ugly thing. Not knowing where else to turn, he chose our servant Pirro, whom he trusts the most, for this task. He kept this plan so secret that it almost happened without anyone noticing. But Sofronia, my mother, who had already noticed part of his infatuation, discovered this plot and, motivated by jealousy and envy, did everything she could to ruin it. She couldn't do better than bring in another suitor and criticize the first one, saying she wants to give her to our factor, Eustachio. Although Nicomaco has more authority, my mother's cunning, our help without revealing ourselves too much, has kept the situation hanging for several weeks. Nevertheless, Nicomaco is determined to go ahead with it, regardless of anything, and today he wants to make this marriage happen. He wants to bring her there tonight, and he rented Damone's cottage nearby, saying he will buy it, furnish it, open a shop, and make him wealthy.
Pa. What does it matter to you whether Pirro or Eustachio gets her?
Cle. What do I care? This Pirro is the biggest scoundrel in Florence. Besides having made a deal with my father, he's a man who has always hated me. So, I'd rather the devil of Hell had him. I wrote to the factor yesterday asking him to come to Florence. I'm surprised he didn't come last night. I want to stay here to see if I see him appear. What will you do?
Pa. I'll go take care of my own business.
Cle. Go then, in good time.
Pa. Goodbye. Buy yourself some time as best you can, and if you need anything, let me know.
CLEANDRO alone.
Truly, whoever said that a lover and a soldier resemble each other was right. The captain wants his soldiers to be young; women want their lovers not to be old. It's an ugly thing to see an old soldier; even uglier to see him in love. Soldiers fear the captain's anger; lovers no less fear that of their women. Soldiers sleep on the ground in the open; lovers on little walls. Soldiers pursue their enemies until death; lovers pursue their rivals. Soldiers, in the dark night, in the coldest winter, go through mud, exposed to water and winds, to achieve a victory that brings them glory; lovers, through similar paths and even greater hardships, seek to win their beloved. In both war and love, secrecy, loyalty, and courage are necessary: the dangers are the same, and the goal is often similar. The soldier dies in a ditch, the lover dies in despair. So, I doubt that the same fate won't befall me. I have the woman in my house, I see her as much as I want, I always eat with her, but I think this increases my pain. The closer a person is to their desire, the more they desire it, and not having it causes greater suffering. For now, I must focus on disrupting this wedding. Later, new events will bring new ideas and new fortunes. Is it possible that Eustachio hasn't come from the villa? And I wrote to him to come until yesterday? But I see him coming from that corner. Eustachio, oh Eustachio!
EUSTACHIO, CLEANDRO.
Eust. Who calls me? Oh, Cleandro!
Cle. Did you have such a hard time appearing?
Eust. I came until yesterday, but I didn't show myself; because shortly before I received your letter, I had received one from Nicomaco, which imposed a mountain of tasks on me. So, I didn't want to run into him before seeing you.
Cle. You did well. I sent for you because Nicomaco is pushing for this wedding with Pirro, which you know my mother doesn't like. Since this girl is going to be a good match for one of our men, my mother would prefer to give her to someone more deserving. And truly, your qualities are different from Pirro's, who, to say it between us, is a wretch.
Eust. I thank you. Truly, I wasn't in the mood to court a woman, but since you and madam desire it, I want it too. It's true that I wouldn't want to make Nicomaco my enemy, because in the end, he is the master.
Cle. Don't worry, because my mother and I won't abandon you, and we'll protect you from any danger. I'd appreciate it if you freshened up a bit. Your coat is falling apart; your hat is dusty, and you have a scruffy beard. Go to the barber, wash your face, clean up your clothes, so that Clizia won't reject you for being dirty.
Eust. I'm not accustomed to tidying up like that.
Cle. Go, do as I say, and then go to the nearby church and wait for me there. I'll go home to see what the old man is thinking.
Song.
Whoever does not experience, Love,
Your great power, in vain hopes
To ever truly understand
The highest value of heaven;
Nor do they know how to live together and die,
How to pursue harm and flee from good,
How to love oneself
Less than others, how often
Fear and hope freeze and consume hearts;
Nor do they know how equally men and gods
Fear the weapons with which you are armed.