BOOK ONE

...fleet, and lighter than the breezes. One sees that the rudder of Fortune never stays still; Right-hand Fortune, Left-hand Fortune—these are things that pass and last but little. Let them say what they will of Earthly or Celestial Fortune, for all are still Fortunes; the Wheel of Fortune always turns, and if today she is Hairy, tomorrow she will be Bald original: "Capillata... Calua." This refers to the classical personification of Opportunity/Fortune, who has a long forelock to be seized as she approaches, but is bald behind, meaning she cannot be caught once she has passed.; she seems to drop her Anchor when Fortune reveals herself with Hooks; the Wings of Fortune fly even when Fortune seems most fixed upon her Square original: "Quadro." In Renaissance iconography, Fortune usually stands on a rolling ball (instability), while Virtue sits on a square pedestal (stability). Here, Ringhieri suggests even when she appears stable, she is ready to fly..

One could join such reasonings together for an entire day, simply so that the playful Players might frequently stumble—by not responding, or by taking another's name instead of their own—and thus pay Pledges to the Collector. For me, it is enough to have pointed you to the source with my finger. If needed, you may add to it or trim the excess yourselves. I well remind you that in dispensing the collected pledges (which can be many), they should be returned with judgment, as was said, having regard for to whom they are given and to whom they are asked. Thinking, then, that you will have respect for the precepts given, I will not pass over any Game without striving to present you with some questions; though it remains for you to pose them to suitable people so that they fit well, so that at all times and in all places you may bring honor to yourselves. Let these, then, be the questions for the rendering of the pledges in the Game of Fortune.

Why no one easily agrees with the condition of their own Fortune.
What Fortune is, and why she is depicted in so many and various ways.
Whether the goods of Fortune, when separated from Virtue, are good or bad for their possessor.
Of all the goods of Fortune, which is the best.
Whether Virtue is imperfect if it lacks Fortune.
Why the least worthy are always favored by Fortune.
Why women blame Fortune for all their evils.
How it can be true that adverse Fortune benefits men more than prosperous Fortune.
Whether it can be called true Love, that of the Athenian youth who, falling in love with the Statue of Good Fortune, embraced it with the same desire one would have for a beautiful and living woman, and when it was denied to him by the Senate, gave himself over to death.
If Golden Fortune original: "Fortuna Aurea." A reference to the Roman custom where a golden statue of Fortune was kept in the Emperor's bedchamber as a symbol of the state's prosperity. always dwells in the chambers of Kings, why are they not...