On the Nobility and Excellence of the Female Sex

HEINRICH CORNELIUS AGRIPPA

Aristotle, at the end of Book 2 of On the Soul original: "Aristo. vlti. ij. de auditu." While the OCR reads "de auditu" (On Hearing), Agrippa is referencing Aristotle's broader teleological principle found in his works on nature and the soul: that the purpose or "end" of a thing is its defining excellence. Indeed, it is a well-known opinion among philosophers (to use their own words) that the goal original: "finem," meaning the final purpose or end-result. is always first in intention, but last in execution. Woman, however, was the final work of God, introduced by God into this world as its queen into a palace already prepared and decorated for her, and perfected with every possible gift. Justly, therefore, every creature loves, venerates, and respects her; and justly is every creature subjected to her and obeys her, she who is the queen of all creatures and their goal, their perfection, and their glory, absolute in every way. Concerning her, the Wise Man A reference to the author of the biblical Book of Wisdom, traditionally identified as Solomon. says: Wisdom 3 The quote actually appears in Wisdom of Solomon 8:3. "She glorifies her noble birth by having God as her companion; indeed, the Lord of all has loved her" original: "Generositatem mulieris glorificat contubernium habens Dei, sed & omnium Dominus dilexit eam.".

The sacred scriptures also testify most abundantly how much woman exceeds man in the nobility of her lineage by virtue of the place in which she was created. For woman was formed in Paradise—the most noble and pleasant of places—alongside the angels; man, however, was made outside of Paradise, in the rural fields among the brute animals. It was only afterward, for the sake of creating woman, that he was brought into Paradise.

Therefore, by a certain special gift of nature, as if accustomed to the elevated place of her creation, woman does not suffer from vertigo dizziness or lightheadedness when looking down even when looking down from a great height, nor do her eyes grow dim, as often happens to men. Furthermore, if it should happen that a woman and a man are in danger together in the water, and all external help is removed, the woman will float longer than the man, who sinks more quickly and seeks the bottom. Civil Law: Digest, on the Edict of the Aediles, law "What if he refuses," section "Those who [sell] slaves" original: "ff. de ede. edic. l. qd si nolit. §. qui mancipia." This refers to the Corpus Juris Civilis, the body of Roman law used in the Renaissance. Agrippa uses legal precedents to argue that the place of origin determines legal status and nobility. Moreover, that the dignity of a location contributes to the nobility of a person is clearly confirmed by both civil laws and the sacred canons...