Book 6

Summary

Arachne

[miniature, fol. 155r: pallas and arachne]

{P}allas had lent an ear to this marvel that the Muse was telling her about, while recounting the dispute of the nine Muses and the nine magpies. And she said that they had avenged themselves well, and she praised their disputation, and said that they were justified and in the right. [1–8]

Then she said softly so that no one could hear her: “What good does it do me to praise you? Why do I let myself be scorned? I feel great spite and anger because Arachne scorns me with her skill and mastery, of which she is becoming prideful. She’s a fine craftswoman and good weaver: because of this she doesn’t deign to obey me. For sure, I’ll go challenge her, and she’ll pay for her presumptuousness if she doesn’t show me reverence.” [9–20]

This Arachne of whom Pallas was thinking was, as the tale relates, born to a very low station and lived in a little village, but she was a very skilled wool-worker and a fine weaver: there was no one as skilled in the region. She had great renown for it throughout the whole land of Lydia, but she was so prideful and arrogant because of her skill and renown that it was a marvel. From all around the nymphs would come and delight in seeing what she made, for her work was beautiful and very pleasing. They took great pleasure in watching her work. She knew well how to shear, card coarsely and finely, comb, and spin wool. She knew so well how to dye wool in scarlet, and was so expert and wise in weaving and the art of wool-working that no one else knew as much, except Pallas, who felt spited by her contempt and her foolish boasting that Pallas didn’t know as much. [21–47]

Pallas, who heard her bragging, came to Arachne’s home in the form of a gray-haired old woman, trembling and supporting herself with a cane she held, and she spoke to the weaver and told her: “Girl, I’ve come to your house to scold you. I’m old and gray-haired but you mustn’t scorn me for that. An old person can very well say a thing from which a young one can profit.