Chapter 20 Chapter Twenty

A few days later, Bartolomeo suggested that they hold another banquet, because the last night banquet had both singing and laughter, and everyone had a good time, Bartolomeo thought it should be done again.So they held a second banquet.The banquet unfolded as before, with pleasant conversation and beautiful music.Aurelia was not a person who liked to talk too much, and she was even more silent this time.But Machiavelli noticed that when he chatted briskly with the others, Aurelia looked at him with a critical look.He was sure that she and her mother had discussed him and his expressed desires, and these inquiring glances suggested that she was wondering what Machiavelli would be like as a lover.Machiavelli knew in his heart that he attracted women not because of his outstanding appearance, but because of his pleasant conversation, his wit and his easy-going demeanor.He is doing his best.He knew that women didn't appreciate sarcasm and sarcasm, they appreciated small jokes and funny stories.He lacks in neither of these areas.The laughter at his wisecracks got him excited, and he couldn't help thinking smugly that he was more fun today than ever.He was careful, however, to show that he was not only a joker, but a mild-mannered man, someone who was easily approachable, whom people could easily trust and love.From time to time he saw a kind of smiling tenderness in Aurelia's eyes, which seemed to him to imply that she, too, was interested in him.However, is this his own wishful thinking?For the meaning of this look, I have seen it with other women before.Women are strange creatures who must lead by emotion, tirelessly complicating the pleasures that a merciful God bestows on mankind in compensation for driving Adam and Eve out of Eden.But sometimes this disadvantage can also bring some advantages.Marietta flashed through his mind.She had married him at the behest of her parents, and now she doted on him so much that she couldn't bear to let him go.She was a virtuous woman, and he had real affection for her, but she could not expect her to tie him to the string of her apron.

Machiavelli's foreign affairs became so busy that for several days he had to devote all his time to them.But through Pierrot, he sent Aurelia a flask of rose oil, which he had bought from a merchant who had just returned from the Middle East, at such a high price that he could hardly afford it.Aurelia didn't refuse, which he thought was a good sign.He praised Pierrot, praised his strategy and skill, and sent the gift, but no one noticed it.He gives Piero a silver coin so that he can go after Nina. "How are you getting on with her, my child?" he asked. "I don't think she hates me," Pierrot said. "She had been terrified of one of their servants. He was her lover."

"I doubt it very much: but don't be discouraged. If she still wants you, she can still find a way to arrange things." A rainy afternoon followed.Bartolomeo sent someone to find Machiavelli and invited him to play chess at Bartolomeo's house.Machiavelli felt that the matter at hand could be put aside for a while, and it passed.Bartholomew met him in his study.Although there is no fireplace in the room, there is a pot of fire, and the room is not cold. "It's more convenient for us to play chess here than to have a few talking women next to us," Bartholomew said.

Machiavelli went to Bartolomeo's house with the idea of ​​seeing Aurelia. He was a little disappointed when he heard this, but he replied very politely: "Women always have to talk, and chess is an activity that requires total concentration." They start playing chess.Perhaps because Machiavelli was distracted, Bartolomeo was delighted to find that he beat Machiavelli with ease.He called his servants to bring wine.When the wine was served, Machiavelli had rearranged the chessboard and was ready to start a new game.He leaned back in his chair and said: "Dear Niccolo, I didn't call you here just to play chess with you. I wanted to ask your opinion."

"I'm willing to help." "Have you ever heard of the man San Vitale?" A slight hint of satisfaction slipped over Machiavelli's mouth.Father Timoteo lived up to his commission. "Very strange that you should ask this. Do you mean that church in Ravenna? There is the saint's bones buried there. Everyone in Florence was talking about him not so long ago." "About which aspect?" "Human folly sometimes knows no bounds. Take us Florentines, who pride themselves on our lively intellect, but sometimes it's unbelievable." He saw the impatient look on Bartolomeo's face, and he thought, I'm going to whet his appetite.

"what you mean?" "The story is so absurd that I am ashamed to tell it. My fellow citizens of the Republic, within the bounds of our holy Church, have a healthy skepticism. For those whom they cannot see, cannot smell, You can't believe what you can't touch." "That's what makes them good business people." "Perhaps so. But it is astonishing how often they are deluded by the wildest superstitions! To tell you the truth, I cannot tell you the story which puts those Florentines in an absurd position." "I'm pretty much a Florentine myself, and I'd be restless if I didn't hear the story. It's always a pleasure to hear your stories, and besides, a good laugh on a day like this It's good too."

"Well, here's the thing: Giuliano delle Alberti was a wealthy citizen of Florence. He was in the prime of his life, he had a nice property in the city, and he had a wife whom he liked very much. He should have been a happy man, but it was a pity to him that he had no heirs. As he was at odds with his brother, the thought of this man and his The howling little guy will one day inherit his inheritance and he just can't stand it. He takes his wife to hot spring baths, he makes pilgrimages to many holy places, he consults many doctors and visits some The old woman who claims to have the secret recipe for impregnating women turns out nothing works."

Bartholomew gasped, listened attentively, and fretfully, as if his life depended on it. "Later he met a monk who had returned from a pilgrimage to Jerusalem, and the man told him that on his way back, he stopped in Ravenna, where there was a church called St. Giuliano has the magical power to restore fertility to infertile men. Giuliano was moved when he heard about it. Although many friends advised him not to believe it, he still insisted on visiting this holy place. As you can imagine, when he How the people around him laughed at him when he finally set off. Little articles satirizing him were written and passed around. When he came back, people had to avoid him so as not to laugh out loud in his face However, when he returned nine months and a day later, his wife gave birth to a nine-pound son. It turned out that Giuliano had the last laugh. People in Florence were baffled, and those who were pious cried out , it was a miracle."

Crystal sweat dripped from Bartholomew's forehead. "If it's not a miracle then what is it?" "My friend, let us tell the truth behind closed doors. I think there is no doubt that the age of miracles is over. We are no longer worthy of miracles because of our sins. But I must admit, this incident still shakes me quite a bit. I guess I can only repeat your comment, if this is not a miracle, what is it? I have told you the ins and outs of this incident, and now It's up to you to offer your opinion." Bartolomeo raised his glass and took a long gulp of wine.Machiavelli thought that he would have to offer another candle to Father Timoteo's apparition of the Madonna: so far the story he had concocted had lived up to his expectations.

"I know I can trust you, dear Niccolo." Bartolomeo said after a pause. "I've always been a good judge of people, and I'm sure you're a prudent man. There's a reason why I asked you about San Vitale. But I didn't expect you to confirm what I heard so soon. Condition." "I don't understand what you're talking about, friend." "You know, I also very much hope to have a son who can inherit my property, fields and houses, as well as the fiefs and noble titles granted to me by the duke. I have a widowed sister who has two sons. I once wanted to adopt These two children. Although this matter is a good thing for her family, she does not agree to be separated from the two sons. She insists that the three of them move in together. But she is strong-willed, just like me, I can imagine , if she moves in and I live under the same roof with three quarreling women, I will have no peace. It will be a quarrelsome situation.”

"I believe that." "I shall have no peace for a moment." "Your life is going to be a torment, and they're going to fight you around." Bartolomeo let out a long sigh. "Is this the question on which you want to consult me?" asked Machiavelli. "No. Yesterday I was discussing my difficulties with Father Timoteo, and he spoke to me of St. Vitale very strangely. Although I never thought there was anything wrong with me that made my wife unhappy." Good boy, but if the bones of St. Vitale are so good, I should go to Ravenna. I still have some business there, so even if I can't achieve my main purpose, this trip will be worthwhile. I won't run in vain." "If that's the case, I don't see why you'd be hesitant. You can potentially get away with a lot and lose nothing at the same time." "Father Timoteo is an upright and perfect saint, but he doesn't know much about worldly things. I think this is a bit strange. If this Holy Spirit has as much power as people say, why is he here?" Haven't I heard of it before?" For a moment Machiavelli was a little overwhelmed, but that was the moment. "You forget that men are often unwilling to admit the fact that they are infertile and blame their wives for the problem. You can be sure that these men who go to the Holy Spirit do it quietly and take care not to reveal it to the outside world. Their wives got pregnant because of this." "I didn't expect this, but don't forget that if people find out that I go to Ravenna to worship and it doesn't work, I will be the laughing stock of the townspeople. It is tantamount to admitting to people that I am infertile .” "But how could people know? Didn't Father Timoteo tell you what you must do? According to Giuliano's experience, you must spend a night sitting and praying before the relic of the Holy Spirit." "How is this possible?" "For a small tip, the deacon of the church will let you stay in after he locks the door in the evening. In the morning you go to the first mass, then go to breakfast. After that you can go to take care of your business. When it's over You can go home and see your pregnant wife." Bartolomeo smiled and glanced at Machiavelli. "You don't think I'm the number one fool for doing this, do you?" "My dear, the will of God is unfathomable. I can only tell you what happened to Giuliano delle Albertelli. As for whether it was a miracle, where would I know?" "This is my last hope," said Bartolomeo. "I will try it. Monsieur Giuliano succeeded in this, and there is no reason why I should not." "Totally agree," said Machiavelli.