1G0xxeB

Ancients and Moderns under the Empire of Circe: Machiavelli’s The Ass, Translation2 5 7to not feel it a burden to tell me75 the course of my life that you know.”“Among peoples modern and ancient,”she began, “no one has ever bornemore ingratitude, nor greater difficulty.It is not your fault this happened to you,80 as it happens to some, but because fatehas been opposed to your good work.She shut the doors of pity before you,above all when she led you tothis place so ferocious and strong.85 But because crying has always been ugly on a man,you ought, to the blows of fortuneturn your face dry of tears.You see the stars and the heavens, you see the moon,you see the other planets go wandering90 without any rest now high now low;when the heavens you see tenebrous, and thenlucid and clear; and thus nothing on earthcomes persevering in its own state.From this is born peace and war;95 on this depend the hatreds among thoseenclosed together by one wall and one ditch.From this came your first affliction;from this above all the cause was bornof your labors without relief.100 The heavens’ opinion has not changedyet, nor will it change, while the Fates 7maintain toward you their hard will.And those humors the ones that have beenso adverse and such enemies,105 are not yet, are not yet purged;but when their roots are dryand the heavens show themselves benign,there will return times more felicitous than ever;and they will be so happy, cheerful,110 that the memory both of past and of future pain7Called the Parcae by Romans and Moirai by Greeks, ancients believed these three goddesses spun,measured, and cut the thread of life of all mortals and immortals.