La Vec[c]hia 
 
  «E quando sol' a sol con lui sarai, 
Sì fa che·ttu gli facci saramenti 
Che·ttu per suo danar non ti consenti, 
Ma sol per grande amor che·ttu in lui ài. 
  Se fosser mille, a ciascun lo dirai, 
E sì 'l te crederanno, que' dolenti; 
E saccie far sì che ciascuno adenti 
Insin c[h]'a povertà gli metterai. 
  Che·ttu·sse' tutta loro,dé' giurare; 
Se·tti spergiuri, non vi metter piato, 
Ché Dio non se ne fa se non ghignare: 
  Ché sie certana ch'e' non è peccato, 
Chi si spergiura per voler pelare 
Colui che fie di te così ingannato. 
 
 

The Old Woman 
 
      "And when you'll be alone with him,  
make sure you swear to him 
that you're not giving yourself to him because of his money,  
but only for the great love you have for him. 
      And if there were thousands, to each one you'll say it,  
and they'll believe you for sure, those wretched ones;  
and do it in such a way that you put the bite on all of them,  
until you have reduced them to poverty. 
      You must swear that you're all theirs;  
if you commit perjury, don't worry about it,  
for God won't do anything but laugh. 
      You may be sure that it's no sin  
to commit perjury in order to skin  
that one who'll be deceived by you." 
 

La Vec[c]hia 
 
  «A gran pena può femina venire 
A buon capo di questa gente rea. 
Dido non potte ritenere Enea 
Ched e' non si volesse pur fug[g]ire, 
  Che mise tanta pena in lui servire. 
Or che fece Gesono de Medea, 
Che, per gl'incantamenti che sapea, 
El[l]a 'l sep[p]e di morte guarentire, 
  E po' sì la lasciò, quel disleale? 
Und' è c[he] ' figl[i]uoli ched ella avea 
Di lui, gli mise a morte, e fece male; 
  Ma era tanto il ben ch'ella volea, 
Ch'ella lasciò tutta pietà carnale 
Per crucciar que' che tanto le piacea. 
 
 

The Old Woman 
 
      "With much effort a woman can get  
ahead of these faithless people.  
Dido could not keep Aeneas 
from running away from her, 
      and she had put so much effort into serving him. 
And what did Jason do with Medea? 
Through all the enchantments she knew  
she was able to protect him from death, 
      and then he left her, that unfaithful one. 
For which reason, she killed the children  
she had with him, and did other evil things; 
      but so great was her love  
that she abandoned all of her maternal compassion  
to make that one suffer who had pleased her so much." 
 

La Vec[c]hia 
 
  «Molti d'assempri dartene saprei, 
Ma troppo saria lungo parlamento: 
Ciascuna dé aver fermo intendimento 
Di scorticargli, sì son falsi e rei. 
  S'i' fosse giovane, io ben lo farei; 
Ma io so' fuor di quel proponimento, 
Ché troppo fu tosto il mi' nascimento, 
Sì ch'i' vendetta far non ne potrei. 
  Ma·ttu, figl[i]uola mia, chelet sse' fornita 
D'ogn' armadura per farne vengianza, 
Sì fa che 'nverso lor sie ben sentita, 
  E presta di dar lor pen' e micianza: 
Se·ttu 'l fai, d'ogni mal m'avrà' guerita 
E alleg[g]iata d'ogne mia pesanza. 
 
 

The Old Woman 
 
      "I could give you many examples,  
but my speech would be too long.  
Each woman must be constant in her desire  
to skin men, so false and evil are they. 
      If I were young, I would certainly do it;  
but I no longer think this way,  
for I was born too early,  
and thus could not take revenge. 
      But you, my daughter, who are endowed  
with every weapon with which to wreak revenge,  
do it so that you are quite judicious in their regard 
      and quick to give them pain and misfortune.  
If you do this, you will have healed me of every ill  
and relieved me of all my sorrow." 
 

La Vec[c]hia 
 
  «Tutti quanti le vann' og[g]i blasmando, 
E ciaschedun sì le 'ntende a 'ngannare: 
Così ciascuna di noi dé pensare 
A far che·lla ric[c]hez[z]a i metta bando. 
  E non dob[b]iamo andar il cuor fic[c]ando 
In un sol luogo, ma dob[b]iàn pensare 
In che maniera gli possiàn pigliare, 
E girgli tutti quanti dispogliando. 
  La femina dé aver amici molti, 
E di ciascun sì dé prender su' agio, 
E far sì c[h]'uon gli tenga per istolti; 
  E far lor vender la tor[r]e e 'l palagio, 
O casa o casolari o vero i colti, 
Sì che ciascun ci viva a gran misagio. 
 
 

The Old Woman 
 
      "Nowadays all men go around cursing women,  
and each one plots to deceive them:  
and thus each one of us must devise ways  
to have Wealth banish them from her realm. 
      And we must not put our heart  
only in one place, but think  
of ways to ensnare them  
and take away all their wealth. 
      A woman must have many lovers,  
and from each of them she must get what's coming to her  
and do it in such a way that they're taken for fools; 
      she must make them sell their tower and palace,  
or home or farm or even their cultivated lands,  
so that they all live in great discomfort." 
 

La Vec[c]hia 
 
  «Ne·libro mio so ben che studierai, 
Figlia, quando sarai da me partita: 
Certana son, se Dio ti dona vita, 
Che·ttu ter[r]aï scuola e leg[g]erai. 
  Di leg[g]erne da me congìo tu n'ài; 
Ma guàrdati che·ttu sie ben fornita 
Di ritener la lezion c[h]'ài udita, 
E saviamente la ripeterai. 
  In casa non istar punto rinch[i]usa: 
A chiesa o vero a ballo o vero a piaz[z]a, 
In queste cota' luogora sì usa; 
  E fa che·ttu gli die ben de la maz[z]a, 
A que' che per vederti sta a la musa 
E che d'averti giorno e notte impaz[z]a. 
 
 

The Old Woman 
 
      "I know that you will study my book,  
my daughter, when you have left me:  
if God gives you life, I'm certain  
you'll have a school in which you'll teach. 
      You have my permission to lecture from it;  
but make sure that you're well equipped  
to retain the lesson that you've heard,  
and you'll repeat it wisely. 
      Never stay closed up in your house:  
go to church, or better to a dance or to the square,  
these are the places you should frequent. 
      And make sure you give a good beating  
to that one who stops to moon over you  
and who day and night yearns to have you."