Virgil And His Courtiers

“Virgilius also made a belfry.”—_The Wonderful History of Virgilius
the Sorcerer of Rome_.

“To be a crow and seem a swan,
To look all truth, possessing none,
To appear a saint by every act,
And be a devil meanwhile at heart,
To prove that black is white, in sooth,
And cover up the false with truth;
And be a living lie, in short—
Such are the lives men lead at court.”

_Old Italian saying cited by_ FRANCESCO PANICO _in his_ “_Poetiche
Dicerie_” ; article, Courtiers.

“Above all lying is the lie as practised by evil _courtiers_, it
being falsehood _par excellence_. For they are the arch architects,
the cleverest of artists at forming lies, pre-eminent in cooking,
seasoning, serving them with the honey of flattery or the vinegar of
reproof.”—FRANCESCO PANICO .

On a time Virgilio remained for many weeks alone at home, and never went to court. And during this retirement he made seven bells of gold, and on every one there was engraved a name or word.

On the first there was “Bugiardo” (or lying), on the second “Chiacchiera” (or tattling gossip), on the third “Malignità” (or evil spite), on the fourth “Chalugna” (or calumny), on the fifth “Maldicenza” (or vituperation), on the sixth “Invidia” (or envy), and on the seventh “Bassezza” (or vileness).

And these he hung up in a draught of air, so that as they swung in the breeze they rang and tinkled, first one alone, and then all.

One day the Emperor sent a messenger to Virgilio, asking him why he never came to court as of old. And Virgilio wrote in reply:

“MY DEAR EMPEROR,

“It is no longer necessary that I should come to court to learn all
that is said there. For where I am at home I hear all day long the
voices of Falsehood, Tattling, Evil Spite, Calumny, Vituperation,
Envy, and Vileness.”

And then he showed the bells to the messenger. The Emperor, when he had read the letter and heard all, laughed heartily, and said:

“So Virgilio keeps a court of his own! Yes, and a finer one than mine, for all his courtiers are clad in gold.”