'Certainly the lordship of Love is evil, seeing that the more homage his servants pay to him, the more grievous and painful are the torments wherewith he torments them.' The third was this—'The name of Love is so sweet in the hearing, that it would not seem possible for its effects to be other than sweet, seeing the name must needs be like the thing named, as it is written, Nomina sunt consequentiæ rerum (Names are the consequents of things).' And the fourth was this—'The lady whom Love has chosen out to govern thee is not as other ladies, whose hearts are easily moved.' And by each of these thoughts I was so sorely assailed, that I was like unto him who doubteth which path to take, and wishing to go, goeth not."
After this self-conflict—in which, perhaps, we may divine some gleam of enlightenment on the part of the young lover, and of sense that he was spending the sweetness of his life for nought—there occurs one of the few things which can be called an incident in the visionary tale. One of his friends takes him to a place in which there is "a numerous assemblage of gentlewomen." "To what end are we come among these ladies?" Dante inquires. His friend makes a reply, in which the very soul of the troubadour's modification of chivalry seems to breathe,—"To the end that they may be worthily served." Upon which the following strange scene ensues:—
