The Book of the City of Ladies by Pizan, Christine -- Read -- Imperial Library of Trantor

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Cover About the Author Title Page Copyright Page CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS INTRODUCTION NOTES TRANSLATOR’S NOTE The Book of the City of Ladies

PART I

1: Here begins the Book of the City of Ladies, the first chapter of which explains why and for what purpose the book was written 2: Christine tells how three ladies appeared to her, and how the first of them spoke to her and comforted her in her distress 3: Christine recounts how the lady who had spoken to her told her who she was, what her function and purpose was, and how she prophesied that Christine would build a city with the help of the three ladies 4: How, before the lady revealed her name, she spoke at greater length about the city which Christine was destined to build, and explained that she was entrusted with the task of helping her to construct the enclosure and external walls 5: Christine tells how the second lady gave her name, explained what her role was, and revealed how she would help Christine to lay out the buildings of the City of Ladies 6: Christine tells how the third lady revealed her name and outlined what her role was, then explained that she would help to finish off the high turrets of the towers and palaces and would bring Christine a queen for her city accompanied by a host of noble ladies 7: Christine tells how she replied to the three ladies 8: Christine explains how Reason instructed her and helped her to begin digging up the ground in order to lay the foundations 9: How Christine dug over the earth: in other words, the questions which she put to Reason and the answers she received from her 10: More questions and answers on this subject 11: Christine asks Reason why women aren’t allowed in courts of law, and Reason’s reply 12: About the Empress Nicaula 13: About a queen of France called Fredegunde, and other French queens and princesses 14: More discussion and debate between Christine and Reason 15: About Queen Semiramis 16: About the Amazons 17: About the Amazon queen, Thamiris 18: How the mighty Hercules and his companion Theseus came from Greece to attack the Amazons with a great army and fleet of ships, and how the two maidens Menalippe and Hippolyta brought them down, horses and all, in a big heap 19: About Queen Penthesilea and how she went to the rescue of the city of Troy 20: About Zenobia, Queen of Palmyria 21: About the noble Queen Artemisia 22: About Lilia , mother of the valiant knight Theodoric 23: More about Queen Fredegunde 24: About the virgin Camilla 25: About Queen Berenice of Cappadocia 26: About the brave Cloelia 27: Christine asks Reason if God has ever blessed a woman’s mind with knowledge of the highest branches of learning, and Reason’s reply 28: Reason begins to speak about ladies who were blessed with great learning, starting with the noble maiden Cornificia 29: About Proba the Roman 30: About Sappho, who was an extremely fine poet and philosopher 31: About the maiden Manto 32: About Medea, and another queen named Circe 33: Christine asks Reason if any woman has ever invented new forms of knowledge 34: About Minerva, who invented countless sciences, including the art of making arms from iron and steel 35: About Queen Ceres, who invented agriculture and many other arts 36: About Isis, who discovered the art of making gardens and growing plants 37: About all the great good that these ladies have brought into the world 38: More on the same topic 39: About the maiden Arachne, who invented the arts of dyeing wool and of weaving fine tapestries, as well as the art of growing flax and making it into cloth 40: About Pamphile, who discovered the art of gathering silk from worms, dyeing the thread and making it into cloth 41: About Thamaris, who was a supremely gifted painter, as well as another great artist called Irene, and Marcia the Roman 42: About Sempronia of Rome 43: Christine asks Reason if women are naturally endowed with good judgement, and Reason replies to her question 44: The ‘Epistle of Solomon’ from the Book of Proverbs 45: About Gaia Cirilla 46: About the good sense and cleverness of Queen Dido 47: About Opis, Queen of Crete 48: About Lavinia, daughter of King Latinus

PART II

1: The first chapter tells of the ten Sibyls 2: About the sibyl Erythrea 3: About the sibyl Almathea 4: About several prophetesses 5: About Cassandra and Queen Basine, as well as more about Nicostrata 6: About Antonia, who became empress of Constantinople 7: Christine addresses Lady Rectitude 8: Here begins a series of daughters who loved their parents, the first of whom is Drypetina 9: About Hypsipyle 10: About the virgin Claudine 11: About a woman who breastfed her mother in prison 12: Here Rectitude explains that the houses of the city have been completed and that it is time they were filled with inhabitants 13: Christine asks Lady Rectitude if it’s true what men and books say about the institution of marriage being unbearable because women are so impossible to live with. In her reply, Rectitude begins by discussing the great love that women have for their husbands 14: About Queen Hypsicratea 15: About the Empress Triaria 16: More about Queen Artemisia 17: About Argia, daughter of King Adrastus 18: About the noble lady Agrippina 19: Christine addresses Rectitude, who replies to her with several examples, telling her about the noble lady Julia, daughter of Julius Caesar and wife of the prince Pompey 20: About the noble lady Tertia Aemilia 21: About Xanthippe, wife of the philosopher Socrates 22: About Pompeia Paulina, Seneca’s wife 23: About the noble Sulpicia 24: About several ladies who, together, saved their husbands from execution 25: Christine speaks to Lady Rectitude about those who claim that women cannot keep a secret. In her reply, Rectitude talks about Portia, Cato’s daughter 26: On the same subject: about the noble lady Curia 27: More on this subject 28: Proof against those who claim that only an idiot takes his wife’s advice or puts his trust in her. Christine asks some questions to which Rectitude replies 29: About various men who did well to trust their wives’ advice 30: Christine talks about all the good that women have brought into the world, both now and in the past 31: About Judith, the noble widow 32: About Queen Esther 33: About the Sabine women 34: About Veturia 35: About Clotilde, Queen of France 36: Against those who claim that it is not good for women to be educated 37: Christine addresses Rectitude, who gives examples to contradict those who claim that few women are chaste, beginning with Susanna 38: About Sarah 39: About Rebecca 40: About Ruth 41: About Penelope, Ulysses’s wife 42: Against those who assert that there are very few chaste and attractive women: the example of Mariamme 43: More on this subject: the example of Antonia, wife of Drusus Tiberius 44: In order to contradict those who claim that women want to be raped, here begins a series of examples, the first of which is Lucretia 45: On this same subject: the example of the queen of the Galatians 46: Still on this same subject: the examples of the Sicambrians, and of several virgins 47: Proofs to refute the view that women are lacking in constancy: Christine asks questions, to which Rectitude replies with various examples of emperors who were unreliable and inconsistent 48: About Nero 49: About the Emperor Galba, as well as others 50: About Griselda, the marchioness of Saluzzo, a woman of unfailing virtue 51: About Florence of Rome 52: About the wife of Bernabo the Genoese 53: After Rectitude has finished talking about women who were steadfast, Christine asks her why it is that all these worthy ladies of the past didn’t refute the men and books who slander the female sex. Rectitude gives her answer 54: Christine asks Rectitude if it’s true what certain men have said about how few women are faithful in love, and Rectitude gives her reply 55: On the subject of women’s constancy in love: the example of Dido, Queen of Carthage 56: About Medea in love 57: About Thisbe 58: About Hero 59: About Ghismonda, daughter of the prince of Salerno 60: About Lisabetta, and other women in love 61: About Juno, and some other famous ladies 62: Christine addresses Rectitude who, in her reply, refutes the view of those who claim that women use their charms to attract men 63: About the Roman woman Claudia 64: Rectitude explains that some women are loved more for their virtue than others are for their attractiveness 65: About Queen Blanche, mother of Saint Louis, and other honest and decent ladies who were loved for their virtue 66: Christine addresses Rectitude who, in her reply, refutes the opinion of those who claim that women are by nature mean 67: About a generous and wealthy woman named Busa 68: About the princesses and ladies of France 69: Christine addresses princesses and all other ladies

PART III

1: The first chapter recounts how Justice brought the Queen of Heaven to live in the City of Ladies 2: About Our Lady’s sisters and Mary Magdalene 3: About Saint Catherine 4: About Saint Margaret 5: About Saint Lucy 6: About the blessed virgin Martina 7: About another Saint Lucy who was a virgin, as well as some other saints who were virgin-martyrs too 8: About Saint Justine and other virgins 9: About the virgin Theodosina, Saint Barbara, and Saint Dorothy 10: About the life of Saint Christine the virgin 11: About several saints who saw their children being martyred in front of them 12: About Saint Marina the virgin 13: About the blessed virgin Euphrosyna 14: About the blessed lady Anastasia 15: About the blessed Theodota 16: About the noble and holy Nathalia 17: About Saint Afra, a repentant prostitute who turned to God 18: Justice talks about several noble ladies who served the Apostles and other saints and gave them shelter 19: The end of the book: Christine addresses all women

NOTES GLOSSARY BIBLIOGRAPHY

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