Boccaccio, On Famous Women 23, Iole, the daughter of the king of the Etoli
Iole, the daughter of Eurytus the king of Ethiopia, the most attractive of all girls in that land, was — people say — enamored of Hercules, he who subdued the globe. Though Eurytus had consented to her marriage with him — some say that he was demanding it, at his son’s urging — he later withdrew from the contract. Angered because of this, Hercules bitterly stirred up war against the king and killed him; when the country was sacked, he then abducted Iole because she was highly desirable in his eyes. Now she, to be sure, was driven to vengeance — more troubled by her father’s murder than by her husband’s preference for her — and with remarkably persistent perspicacity she steeled an anger that she would carry out in feigned passion for her husband. She then with sweet talk and a certain false adoration led Hercules on in such a heated adoration for her that she realized certainly that he would deny nothing she might demand. Yet, thereafter, as if she were horrified to have a lover of such rugged demeanor, she commanded that her powerful husband above all put aside the club with which he had conquered monsters; then to take off the hide of the Nemean Lion made famous by his heroism; and then to plant poplar grove which he turned into bows and arrows. When all these things failed to satisfy her anger, she began to assault her unarmed enemy with calculated weapons. So, she ordered him to wear rings on his fingers, to slick down his hoary head with pomades from Cyprus and to style his unkempt tresses with a comb, to groom his beard with fragrant nard and to doll himself with girlish bracelets and even with a Lydian diadem. Soon he took to wearing colorful shifts and frilly things, thinking that they made him look younger; but these were all part of his deception. Using sex she had turned a brawny male into a woman far more shamefully that had she murdered him with a sword or with arsenic. At length when she still regarded the fullness of her spite not yet sated, she reached the climax of his weakening: she caused that he, seated as women do among girls, tell them the tales of his Labors. He started to work the loom and to spin wool on the distaff. His fingers — those very fingers he had strengthened for vanquishing snakes as an infant in his cradle! — he now in his prime (albeit advancing) age he was softening his fingers for stretching out the fibers of wool. Indeed, for those who care to note it, this story has abundant evidence of human folly and of woman’s craftiness. And thus by this contrived distraction, when persistent shame was heaped upon Hercules, the young woman avenged her father’s death not with weapons but rather with deceptive sex. She thereby made herself worthy of everlasting noteriety. For as many triumphs victorious Alcides achieved over however so many monsters, so much more gloriously did Iole the Victorious triumph over him.
     This infectious passion accustoms one to associate with girls of ill repute and frequently to engage lusty vagrant boys, when Desire becomes a mocker of nobility and oftentimes a sower of moral weakness. Hence Desire pierced Hercules’ mighty breast and became a far greater monster than those ever were, that he had often subdued. And this ought to impose no small protection from worries and to relieve fear and discomfort, when it becomes apparent how strong or how powerful is an enemy that faces us. We must be watchful, therefore, and fortify our hearts with utmost stoutness; for our hearts do not lean into undesirable things. We must therefore keep temptations from starting: our eyes must be curbed against gazing upon vain pleasures; our ears must be stopped as asps; and sexual urges must be suppressed with constant effort. A charmer readily offers himself to people who are not on their guard, and imposes himself peacefully at first. Then, if he is received as he has hoped, he brings pleasure at his first arrival, he coaxes his hosts to decorating their bodies, to compromising their principles, to big-city entertainments, choral songs and poems, to games, to banquets, and the like. But, after Desire has taken hold of the whole man in dulling approval and, his liberty removed, chains and fetters are imposed upon the victim’s wits; the victim’s wishes changed to things beyond reasonable hope. He hastens his breathing, he pushes his cleverness into schemes, making no distinction between virtues and vices — as long as he achieves what he hoped for — and defining any resistance as inimical. Then, as the flames rage out of the hearts of unfortunate victims, the object of their desire comes and goes and in its wanton course is sought after persistently; and out of this repetition new fires rather often ignite upon visual contact. Further, when prudence no longer has room to abide, the victim bursts into tears, prayers are formed with honeyed blandishments and uttered, they are lavished lightly, gifts are distributed. There is giving. There is promising. And usually the chaperones are hoodwinked. Hearts once defended by watchmen are captured. There is a general descent into lusty embraces. Then shame’s enemy and misdeeds’ instigator puts steadfast chastity to flight, prepares the wallow for swine and dumps them whimpering into illicit acts of intercourse. At that point sobriety is spurned. Venus seethes with Ceres and with Bacchus and answers to her summons; nights are spent entirely in filthy pleasure. Nor for this reason is that passion always quenched, but rather it nearly always burgeons into broader wantonness. Hence Alcides rushes into that despicable obeisance. Respectability is forgotten. Wealth is lavished. Hatred accumulates. He very nearly approaches the risk of losing his life. These progessions are not free from deceits. Bouts of lovemaking intervene and tender vows. Then recur suspicions and jealousy, that devourer of souls and of bodies. However, if a lover comes late to his desire, Love then loses his reason, he adds spurs to his lash, he heightens concerns, he heaps on needs, he brings on practically unbearable griefs, such that no remedy can cure them except tears and laments and death itself. Little old ladies are summoned. Horoscopes are checked. The potency of herbs, incantations, and black magic is tried. They turn to threats. They try violence. Pleasure, when unachieved, they curse. And it often happens that the contriver of evil reaches such a pitch of madness that he thrusts his wretched victims into nooses and onto swords.
     O! How sweet. How gentle, indeed, is this Love. Though we should recoil and flee him, we venerate him as God. We worship him. We invoke him as suppliants. We sanctify him with our sighs and our tears. We offer him our intercourse, our adulteries, our unchaste acts; and we crown him potentate of our dirty doings.
—— Translated by RTMacfarlane


Boccaccio, De mulieribus claris 23, De Yole Etholorum regis filia

Yolem Euriti, regis Etholie, filiam, speciosissimam inter ceteras regionis illius virginem, sunt qui asserant amatam Hercule orbis domitore. Cuius nuptias cum illi Euritus spopondisset, aiunt poscenti, suasione filii, postea denegasse. Quam ob rem iratus Hercules acre bellum movit eidem eumque interemit, provincia capta, et dilectissimam sibi Yolem surripuit. Que quidem, magis paterne cedis affecta quam sponsi dilectione, vindicate avida, mirabili atque constanti astutia, quem gereret animum ficto amore contexit; et blanditiis atque artificiosa quadam petulantia in tam ferventem sui dilectionem Herculem traxit, ut satis adverteret nil eum negaturum quod posceret. At inde, quasi horreret tam hispidum habitu amantem, acri viro ante alia ponere clavam, qua monstra domuerat, imperavit; ponere leonis nemei spolium, suae fortitudinis insigne; populeum sertum, pharetras sagittasque fecit. Quae cum non satis animo sufficerent suo, audacius in hostem inhermem precogitatis telis insiluit; et primo digitos anulis ornari precepit, caput asperum unguentis cypricis deliniri et hyrsutos pectine discriminari crines ac hyspidam ungi nardo barbam et puellaribus corollis et meonia etiam insigniri mitra; inde purpureos amictus mollesque vestes precepit indueret, existimans iuvencula, fraudibus erenata, longe plus decoris tam robustum hominem effeminasse lasciviis quam gladio vel aconithis occidisse. Porro cum nec his satis sue indignationi satisfactum arbitraretur, in id egit mollitiei deditum, ut etiam inter mulierculas, femineo ritu sedens, fabellas laborum suorum narraret et, pensis a se susceptis, lanam colo neret digitosque, quos ad extinguendos in cunis, adhuc infans, angues duraverat, in valida iam, imo provecta etate, ad extenuanda fila mollieret; equidem humane imbecillitatis et muliebrium astutiarum non minimum, intueri volentibus, argumentum est. Hac igitur animadversione artificiosa iuvenis, cum perpetua in Herculem ignominie nota, patris mortem, non armis, sed dolis et lascivia ulta est; et se eterno dignam nomine fecit. Nam quotquot ex quibuscumque monstris Euristeo triunphos victoriosus egit Alcides, ex tot victrix ipsius Yoles gloriosius triunphavit.
     Consuevit pestifera hec passio delitiosas subire puellulas et lascivos ociososque persepe occupare iuvenes, cum gravitatis Cupido sit spretor et mollitiei cultor eximius; et ob id intrasse predurum Herculis pectus, longe magis monstrum est, quam que sepe domuerat ipse fuerint. Quod non modicum salutis sue sollicitis debet iniecisse timoris et torporis etiam excussisse, cum pateat quam validus, quam potens hostis immineat. Vigilandum igitur est et robore plurimo nobis armanda sunt corda; non enim invitis incumbent. Obstandum ergo principiis, frenandi sunt oculi ne videant vanitates, obturande sunt, more aspides, aures, laboribus assiduis est premenda lascivia. Blandus quippe incautis sese offert et placidus intuit primo; et si recipiatur spe leta, primo delectat ingressu, suadet ornatus corporum, mores compositos, facetias urbicas choreas cantus et carmina, ludos et commessationes atque similia. Postquam vero approbatione stolida totum occupaverit hominem et, libertate subacta, mentibus catenis iniectis et viculis, differentibus preter spem votis, suspiria excitat, premit in artes ingenia, nullum discrimen faciens inter virtutes et vitia, dum modo consequatur optatum, in numero ponens hostium quecumque obstantia. Hinc exurentibus flammis infelicium pectora, itur rediturque et ambitu indefesso res amata perquiritur; et ex iterato sepius visu semper nova contrahuntur incendia; et cum non sit prudentie locus, itur in lacrimas, dictantur preces mellitis delinite blanditiis, instruuntur lene, promictuntur munera, donatur, proicitur, et non nunquam falluntur custodes et septa vigiliis capiuntur corda et in concupitos quandoque devenitur amplexus. Tunc pudoris hostis et scelerum suasor, rubore et honestate fugatis, parato volutabro porcis, gannientes effundit in illecebres coitus; tunc sobrietate reiecta, Cerere et Bacho fervens advocatur Venus noctesque tote spurcido consummuntur in luxu. Nec ob id furor semper extinguitur iste, quin imo persepe in ampliorem insaniam augetur. Ex quo fit ut in obedientiam illam detestabilem Alcides corruat, obliviscantur honores, effundantur substantie, armentur odia et vite sepissime subeantur pericula. Nec carent ista doloribus, interveniunt rixe et paces tenues, rursum suspitiones et zelus, animarum consumptor et corporum. Ast si minus devenitur in votum, tum amor rationis inops, additis virge calcaribus, exaggerat curas, desideria cumulat, dolores fere intellerabiles infert, nullo nisi lacrimis et querelis et morte non numquam curandos remidio; adhibentur anicule, consuluntur Caldei, herbarum atque carminum et malefitiorum experiuntur vires, blanditie vertuntur in minas, paratur violentia, damnatur frustrata dilectio; nec deest quin aliquando tantum furoris ingerat malorum artifex iste ut miseros in laqueos impingat et gladios.
     O quam dulcis, quam suavis hic amor! Quem cum horrere ac fugere debeamus, in Deum extollimus, illum colimus, illum supplices oramus et sacrum ex suspiriis lacrimisque conficimus, stupra adulteria incestusque offerimus et obscenitatum nostrarum coronas immictimus.
——edited by V. Zaccaria .