Bernardo Dovizi

Bernardo Dovizi or Bibbiena (August 4, 1470 – November 9, 1520) was an Italian cardinal and comedy-writer, known best as "Cardinal Bibbiena", for the town Bibbiena, where he was born.

Dovizi circa 1516

Quotes

La Calandria (c. 1507)

• L’uomo mai un disegno non fa, che la fortuna un altro non ne faccia.
  • Act I, scene I. — (Fessenio).
  • Translation: Man never makes a plan but fortune makes another.
  • Translation reported in Harbottle's Dictionary of quotations French and Italian (1904), p. 338.

• Un buon servo non dee mai avere ozio.
  • Act I, scene I. — (Fessenio).
  • Translation: A good servant should never have any leisure.
  • Translation reported in Harbottle's Dictionary of quotations French and Italian (1904), p. 431.

• A donna non si può credere, eziam poi che è morta.
  • Act I, scene II. — (Polinico).
  • Translation: You cannot believe a woman, even when she is dead.
  • Translation reported in Harbottle's Dictionary of quotations French and Italian (1904), p. 241.

• Egli è meglio perdere, dicendo il vero, che vincere con le bugie.
  • Act I, scene II. — (Polinico).
  • Translation: It is better to speak the truth, and lose, than to win by lying.
  • Translation reported in Harbottle's Dictionary of quotations French and Italian (1904), p. 298.

• (Che) bel fin fa chi ben amando muore.
  • Act I, scene II. — (Lidio).
  • Translation: Fair is his end who loving well doth die.
  • Translation reported in Harbottle's Dictionary of quotations French and Italian (1904), p. 254.

• Non può essere superiore di consigli, chi è inferiore di costumi.
  • Act I, scene II. — (Polinico).
  • Translation: He cannot be the better in counsels who is the worse in morals.
  • Translation reported in Harbottle's Dictionary of quotations French and Italian (1904), p. 377.

• Non può il vitello, e vuol che porti il hue.
  • Act I, scene II. — (Fesserio).
  • Translation: He cannot manage the calf, and wants to carry the ox.
  • Translation reported in Harbottle's Dictionary of quotations French and Italian (1904), p. 377.

• Un padrone, quanti ha più servi, tanti più ha inimici.
  • Act I, scene II. — (Polinico).
  • Translation: The more servants a master has, the more enemies he has.
  • Translation reported in Harbottle's Dictionary of quotations French and Italian (1904), p. 432.

• Chi ha amore in seno sempre ha i sproni in fiance.
  • Act II, scene VII — (Samia).
  • Translation: He who has love in his breast has ever the spurs at his flanks.
  • Translation reported in Harbottle's Dictionary of quotations French and Italian (1904), p. 264.

• Chi scappa d’un punto ne schifa cento.
  • Act IV, scene IV. — (Fannio).
  • Translation: Who flies from one danger escapes a hundred.
  • Translation reported in Harbottle's Dictionary of quotations French and Italian (1904), p. 271.

• La donna è sopra la pecunia, come il sol sopra il ghiaccio, che del continue lo strugge e consume.
  • Act V, scene I. — (Samia).
  • Translation: Woman over money is like the sun upon ice, which is all the time: melting and consuming it.
  • Translation reported in Harbottle's Dictionary of quotations French and Italian (1904), p. 340.