The 48 Laws Of Power

betweentwo

thingsby

following

thehidden

demurs

of

theircausal

cormexions,thought

makes

a

leap

and

discoverstheirrelation

nothnhecnnnenon

of

causeand

effects,

but

in

aconnexion

of

signification.

...

Symbolistthought

permits

an

infinityof

relationsbetween

things.

Each

thingmay

denoteanumber

of

distinctideas

by

its

differentspecial

quali-

ties.anda

qualitymay

haveseveral

symbolic

meanings.

The

highest

conceptions

have

symbolsby

thethou-

sand.

Nothing

istoo

humbleto

represent

and

glory

the

sublime.

Thewalnut

signifies

Christ:thesweetkernel

isHisdivine
nature,
the

green

and

pulpv

outer

peel

isHis

humanity,

thewoodenshell

between

is

thecross.

Thusall

things

raise

his

thoughts

tothe

eternal....

Every

preciousstone,

besides

itsnatural

splendour

sparkles

withthebril-

liance

ofitssymbolic

values.Theassimilation

ofmrer

and

virginity

is

muchmorethana

poeticcomparison,for

itrevealstheircommon

essence.Aseachnation

arisesin

the

mindthe

logicof.t_vmbolism

createsan

harmony

ofitieas.

ll-IF.wmsmoorTH}:

MIDDLE

AGES.

.ImmN

HUIZINGA,

I928

312 LAW 37

Louvre,

thenthe

royalpalace

inParis.Dia.ne’sfavoritecolorswereblack

and

white,

whichshewore

exclusively,

andwhereveritwas

possible

thein-

signiaappeared

inthesecolors.

Everyonerecognized

the

symbol

andits

meaning.

SoonafterHenritookthe

throne,however,

Diane

went

stillfur»

ther:Shedecidedto

identify

herself

withthe

Roman

goddess

Diana,

her

namesake.Dianawasthe

goddess

ofthe

hunt,

thetraditional

royalpastime

andthe

particularpassion

ofHenri.

Equallyimportant,

inRenaissancean

she

symbolizedchastity

and

purity.

ForawomanlikeDianeto

identify

her-

selfwiththis

goddess

would

instantly

call

up

those

images

inthe

court,

giv-

ing

heranairof

respectability.Symbolizing

her“chaste”

relationship

with

Henri,

itwouldalsosether

apart

fromtheadulterousliaisonsof

royal

mis-

tresses

past.

Toefiectthis

association,

Diane

beganbycompletelytransforming

her

castleatAnet.Sherazedthe

building’s

structure

andinits

place

erected

a

magnificent

Doric-columnededificemodeledafter

a

Roman

temple.

Itwas

~

madein white

Normandy

stone fleckedwith black

silex,reproducing

Diane’s trademarkcolorsofblackandwhite. The

insignia

ofher and

Henn"sinitials

appeared

onthe

columns,

the

doors,

the

windows,

thecan

pet.

Meanwhile,

symbols

ofDiana—crescent

moons,

stags,

andhounds-

adomed the

gates

and facade.

Inside,

enormous

tapestries depicting

episodes

inthelifeofthe

goddesslay

onthefloorsand

hung

onthewalls.

Inthe

garden

stoodthefamous

Goujonsculpture

Diane

Chasseresxe,which

is

nowinthe

Louvre,

andwhichhadan

uncanny

resemblancetoDianede

Poitiers.

Paintings

and

other

depictions

of

Diana

appeared

in

every

comer

ofthecastle.

Anetoverwhelmed

Henri,

whosoonwas

trumpeting

the

image

of

DianedePoitiersasaRoman

goddess.

In

1548,

whenthe

coupleappeared

together

in

Lyons

fora

royal

celebration,

the

townspeople

welcomedthem

witha

tableauvimznt

depicting

a

scenewith

Diana

thehuntress.France’s

greatestpoet

ofthe

period,

Pierrede

Ronsard,began

towriteversesin

honorofDiana—indeedakindofcultofDiana

sprangup,

all

inspiredby

the

king’s

mistress.ItseemedtoHenrithatDianehad

given

herselfakind

ofdivine

aura,

andasifheweredestinedto

worship

her

forthe

rest

ofhis

life.Anduntilhis

death,

in

1559,

hedidremainfaithfulto

her—making

her

a

duchess,

giving

heruntold

wealth,

and

displaying

analmost

religious

do

votiontohisfirstand

only

mistress.

Interpretation

Dianede

Poitiers,

a

womanfrom

a

modest

bourgeoisbackground,

man-

aged

to

captivate

Henriforover

twentyyears.By

thetimehediedshewas

wellintoher

sixties,

yet

his

passion

forher

only

increasedwiththe

years.

Sheknewthe

king

well.Hewasnotanintellectualbutaloveroftheout-

doors——he

particularly

loved

jousting

tournaments,

withtheir

brightpen-

nants,

brilliantlycaparisoned

horses,

and

beautifully

dressed women.

Henri’sloveofvisual

splendor

seemedchildliketo

Diane,

andshe

played

onthisweaknessofhisat

everyopportunity.