The mind of the painter must resemble a mirror, which always takes the color of the object it reflects and is completely occupied by images.
[1]
One who was drinking and has left the glass in its position and turned his head towards the speaker.
Another, twisting the fingers of his hands together, turns with stern brows to his companion. Another with his hands spread open shows the palms, and shrugs his shoulders up to his ears making a mouth of astonishment.
Another speaks into his neighbor’s ear and he, as he listens to him, turns towards him to lend an ear, while he holds a knife in one hand, and in the other the loaf half cut through by the knife. Another, who has turned, holding a knife in his hand, upsets with his hand a glass on the table.
[2]
[2]
Another lays his hand on the table and is looking. Another blows [air out of] his mouth. Another leans forward to see the speaker shading his eyes with his hand. Another draws back behind the one who leans forward, and sees the speaker between the wall and the man who is leaning.
[3]
{a} Pleasure and Pain represent as twins since there never is one without the other; and as if they were united back to back, since they are contrary to each other.
{b} Clay, gold.
{c} If you take pleasure know that he has behind him one who will deal you Tribulation and Repentance.
This represents Pleasure together with Pain. Show them as twins because one is never apart from the other. They are back to back because they are opposed to each other. They exist as contraries in the same body, because they have the same basis, inasmuch as the origin of pleasure is labor and pain, and the various forms of evil pleasure are the origin of pain.
Therefore it is here represented with a reed in his right hand, which is useless and without strength, and the wounds it inflicts are poisoned. In Tuscany they are put to support beds, to signify that it is here that vain dreams come, and here a great part of life is consumed. It is here that much precious time is wasted, that is, in the morning, when the mind is composed and rested, and the body is made fit to begin new labors. There again many vain pleasures are enjoyed, both by the mind in imagining impossible things, and by the body in taking those pleasures that are often the cause of the failing of life. And for these reasons the reed is held as their support.
[4]
[4]
{a} Evil thinking is either Envy or Ingratitude.
[5]
[5]
Truth—the sun.
Falsehood—a mask.
Innocence
Malignity.
{a} Fire destroys falsehood—that is, sophistry—and restores truth, driving out darkness.
{b} Fire may be represented as the destroyer of all sophistry, and as the image and demonstration of truth; because it is light and drives out darkness, which conceals all essences [or subtle things].
Truth
{c} Fire destroys all sophistry—that is, deceit—and maintains truth alone—that is, gold. Truth at last cannot be hidden. Dissimulation is of no avail. Dissimulation is to no purpose before so great a judge.
{d} Falsehood puts on a mask. Nothing is hidden under the sun. Fire is to represent truth because it destroys all sophistry and lies; and the mask is for lying and falsehood which conceal truth.
[6]
[6]
{a} No sooner is Virtue born than Envy comes into the world to attack it; and sooner will there be a body without a shadow than Virtue without Envy.
{b} Envy must be represented with a contemptuous motion of the hand towards heaven, because if she could she would use her strength against God; make her with her face covered by a mask of fair seeming; show her as wounded in the eye by a palm branch and by an olive-branch, and wounded in the ear by laurel and myrtle, to signify that victory and truth are odious to her. Many thunderbolts should proceed from her to signify her evil speaking. Let her be lean and haggard because she is in perpetual torment. Make her heart gnawed by a swelling serpent, and make her with a quiver with tongues serving as arrows, because she often offends with it. Give her a leopard’s skin, because this creature kills the lion out of envy and by deceit. Give her too a vase in her hand full of flowers and scorpions and toads and other venomous creatures; make her ride upon death, because Envy, never dying, never tires of ruling. Make her bridle, and load her with diverse kinds of arms because all her weapons are deadly.
[7]
[7]
You know that you cannot invent animals without limbs, each of which, in itself, must resemble those of some other animal. Hence if you wish to make an animal, imagined by you, appear natural—let us say a Dragon—take for its head that of a mastiff or hound, with the eyes of a cat, the ears of a porcupine, the nose of a greyhound, the brow of a lion, the temples of an old cock, the neck of water tortoise.
Of grotesque faces I need say nothing, because they are kept in mind without difficulty.
