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On Women

Posted: Sat Jan 01, 2011 12:07 pm
by President Camacho
To quote Emilia:

"Lovable ladies, if the order of things is impartially considered, it will quickly be apparent that the vast majority of women are through nature and custom, as well as in law, subservient to man, by whose opinions their conduct and actions are bound to be governed. It therefore behooves any woman who seeks a calm, contented, and untroubled life with her menfolk, to be humble, patient, and obedient, besides being virtuous, a quality that every judicious woman considers her especial and most valued possession.

Even if this lesson were not taught by law, which in all things is directed to the common good, and by usage (or custom as we have called it), Nature proves it to us very plainly, for she has made us soft and fragile of body, timid and fearful of heart, compassionate and benign of disposition, and who has furnished us with meager physical strength, pleasing voices, and gently moving limbs. All of which shows that we need to be governed by others; and it stands to reason that those who need to be aided and governed must be submissive, obedient, and deferential to their benefactors and governors. But who are the governors and benefactors of us women, if they are not our menfolk?

Hence we should always submit to men's will, and do them all possible honor, and any woman who believes differently is worthy, in my opinion, not only of severe censure, but of harsh punishment.

I have expressed views of this kind on previous occasions, and I was confirmed in them a little while ago by what Pampinea told us about Talano's obstinate wife, to whom god sent the punishment that her husband was unable to visit upon her. I repeat, therefore, that in my judgment, all those women should be harshly and rigidly punished, who are other than agreeable, kindly, and compliant, as required by Nature, usage, and law."

To quote Solomon, "for a good horse and a bad, spurs are required; for a good woman and a bad, the rod is required." Which rod you intend to use, I'm sure, is up to you ;)

"All women are pliant and yielding by Nature, and hence for those who step beyond their permitted bounds the rod is required to punish their transgression; and in order to sustain the virtue of the others, who practice restraint, the rod is required to encourage and frighten them."

Re: On Women

Posted: Tue Jan 04, 2011 5:24 pm
by President Camacho
I'm super surprised not one lady responded to this....

Re: On Women

Posted: Tue Jan 04, 2011 7:26 pm
by DWill
I guess they must agree, Comacho! (Not.) This is the kind of thing the women say to reassure the men, but the stories themselves often don't bear this out. It's another example of the world of the tellers contrasting with the world of the stories. I can never remember in which book the stories occurred, but I'm thinking especially of the one where the lady talks herself out of her punishment for adultery by telling the judge that her husband couldn't satisfy her. The women in the stories often assume the upper hand and are much cleverer than the men. They don't have raw power, so they have to use their wits.

Re: On Women

Posted: Wed Jan 05, 2011 7:08 am
by Suzanne
President Camacho wrote:I'm super surprised not one lady responded to this....
Who's Emilia?

Do you know how the term, "rule of thumb" came to be? It was truly once a rule. A man, by law could beat his wife, however, the stick, or rod that he used, could not be wider than his thumb.

I think Emilia was hit on the head one too many times.

Re: On Women

Posted: Wed Jan 05, 2011 8:44 am
by DWill
I've never even used this abbreviation before, Suzanne, but LOL! Emilia is one of the seven ladies in Boccaccio's The Decameron. She tells a tale on each of the ten days of storytelling.