VIRGIL AND POLLIONE, OR THE SPIRIT OF THE PROVERB.
“A Proverb is a relic or remain of ancient philosophy, preserved among many ruins by its brevity and fitness.”—Aristotle ap. Synesius.
“I Proverbi e la sapienza dell uomo
El Proverbio no fale.”Proverbi Veneti, da Pasqualigo.
“He who leaves money leaves what may be lost,
But he who leaves a Proverb keen and true
Leaves that wherein his soul will never die.”C. G. Leland.
“Tremendo leone, destriero animoso
Che in lungo riposo giaceste al suo pié.
Mostrate agli audaci cui grato e l’ errore
Che ’l vostro vigore scemato non è.”Gabriel Rossetti (1832).
There was once a young man of genius, and honest; he was a true gentleman (vero galantuomo), with a good heart.
At that time there was also in Rome a great magician who was called the Poet, but his real name was Virgilio. And the honest youth, whose name was Pollione, was a student with Virgilio, and also his servant.
Everybody may have heard who Virgilio was, and how he was a sorcerer above all others. He had a custom of giving to his friends sayings and proverbs, or sentences [190a] wherein there was always wisdom or a moral. His friends did not know it, but with every one of these sayings there went a spirit, and if they gave heed to the saying [190b] the spirit took care that from it some good resulted to them.
One day when Virgil gave sayings to his friends, he said to Pollione:
“When a man speaks to you, hear to the end all that he has to say before answering.”
After a while Pollione left Rome, and went to Florence. While wandering, he found himself not far from Lucca, in a solitary forest. And while resting he observed a stone, almost hidden under the grass, on which stone were letters, and, clearing it away, he read the word “Lift.” So he raised the stone, and found under it a small ancient vase, in which was a gold ring. Then he took the ring, and went his way.
And after weary wandering he found a small house, empty, into which he entered. It was one of the cabins in which peasants store chestnuts or grain or their implements for work. Therein was a partition of boards, and the youth lay down behind it and went to sleep.
After a little time there entered two friars, who never suspected there was anybody behind the screen, so they began to talk freely. And Pollione, awaking, listened to them.
One friar said to the other:
“It is now a year since old Father Girolamo died, who on his deathbed left to us both, to wear by turns, the gold ring which is hid somewhere in this wood in a vase under a stone on which is the word ‘Lift.’ Pity that he died before he could tell us just where it is. So we have sought and sought in vain, and so we must seek on, seek ever.”
When Pollione heard that, in the honesty of his heart, he was about to show himself and cry out, “Here is your ring!” when all at once he recalled the proverb of Virgilio to always hear all that a man has to say before answering. So he kept quiet, while the other friar said:
“Thou knowest that with that ring one can turn any man or woman into any kind of an animal. What wouldst thou do with it if it were thine?”
“I,” replied the other, “would at once change our Abbot into an ass, and beat him half to death ten times a day, because he put me in penitenza and in prison because I got drunk.”
“And I,” answered the second friar, “would change the proud, beautiful daughter of the count who lives in the castle yonder into a female dog, and keep her in that form till she should consent to be my mistress. Truly, I would give her a good lesson, and make her repent having scorned me.”
When Pollione heard such talk as this he reflected:
“I think I would do well to keep the ring myself.”
Then he took a piece of paper and wrote on it:
“L’ anello non avrai,
Ma asinello tu sarai,
Tu asinello diventerai
E non l’Abate,
Cosi dicono le Fate.”“The ring of gold is not for thee,
For thou thyself an ass shalt be;
Not the Abbot, but thou in truth,
This the Fairies say in sooth.”
This poem he placed on the stone which had covered the ring. And when the two friars found and read it, and discovered that the ring was gone, they verily believed that the fairies had overheard them and taken away the ring, and so, full of sorrow, returned to their convent.
Then Pollione, ever travelling on, one day met in Verona a clever, bold-looking young man, who was playing marvellous juggler’s tricks in a public place. And, looking closely at one another, each recognised in his observer the wizard who knew hidden things.
“Let us go together,” said Pollione. “We shall do better by mutual aid.”
So they went into partnership.
One evening they found themselves in a castle, where the signore treated them very kindly; and this lord had a beautiful daughter, who looked at Pollione with long glances, nor were his at her one whit shorter.
But the father seemed to be dying with some great sorrow; and at last he said to Pollione:
“Thou art a gentleman, and a man who is learned in books and wise. It may be that thou canst give me good advice and save me. If thou canst, there is nothing of mine which I will not give thee. And this is the story:
“A year ago I was sent on State affairs to Constantinople, where the Sultan promised me that within a certain time he would send me a lion as a gift for our Grand Duke.
“And after I had returned to Italy I told the Duke of this, at which he was greatly pleased. But when the time had come to an end the lion did not arrive. Then several of the courtiers who were my envious enemies made the Duke believe that the tale of the lion was all a lie, and a mere boast of mine.
“Then the Duke said to me that if the lion did not arrive within six months I should lose my head, and the allotted time is nearly past.”
“I believe that I can save you,” replied Pollione. “I will do it, if only to please your daughter.”
“Do it, and she shall be thine,” answered the father.
And the daughter smiled.
So the signore wrote to the Grand Duke that on a certain day the lion would be his, and invited him with all the court to his castle to see it.
Then there was at the time appointed a grand pavilion, in which was the Grand Duke, with all the courtiers and music.
The sorcerer Jannes, who was the companion of Pollione, had formed a deep attachment to the signore, as the latter had to him. Then the magician asked the lord to point out carefully to him all those who were his enemies.
And then from a tent there came forth a great lion. It was the magician, who had been touched by the ring.
The music sounded, and the people cried, “Evviva il lione!” Hurrah for the lion!
But when the lion, running round the course, came to the courtiers, he roared and became like a raging devil. He leaped over the barrier, and, attacking the courtiers, tore them limb from limb, and did terrible things. Nor could the Duke say anything, for it was his own fault.
Then the lion bounded away and was seen no more.
So the signore was saved, and Pollione wedded his daughter, and became very wealthy and a great lord.
And it is a true thing that there are wizards’ sayings or proverbs which cause good luck—buona fortuna; and if such a proverb remains always in the memory the spirit of the proverb will aid him who knows it. And to secure his aid one should repeat this spell:
“Spirito del proverbio!
Ti prego di stampare
Questo proverbio corretamente
Per sempre nella mia mente,
Ti prego di aiutarlo,
Sempre cosi la detta sara
Cagione della felicità.”“Spirit of the proverb,
I pray thee to impress
This proverb exactly
And for ever in my mind,
So that it may ever be
A blessing and a joy to me.”
And this done, the proverb or poem will become a living spirit, which will aid you to become learned and wise. [194]
As the Jatakas of Buddha, which perhaps give the origin of the fable, were all intended to set forth the great doctrine of the immortality of the soul in transmigrations, so most stories like the preceding have for an aim or object the teaching of a spell. That which is here explained is very singular, yet the idea is one which would naturally occur to a student of magic. It is that in a deep meaning or moral there is a charm, and every charm implies a spirit. Hence a spirit may go with a proverb, which in its form is like a spell. It is simply a perception of the similarity of a saying or proverb to a charm. As the Pythagoreans and Neo-Platonists believed there were spirits in numbers and ideas, so a believer might even more rationally conceive of a soul in a wise saying.