Liber II, Pars I — Quod non decet Regs, et principes, et universaliter omnes cives erga suas coniuges nimis esse zelotypos. Cap. XXII.

Liber II, Pars I — Quod non decet Regs, et principes, et universaliter omnes cives erga suas coniuges nimis esse zelotypos. Cap. XXII.

Many men seem to go wrong in this, because they are overly zealous about their own wives. But we can show that excessive zeal is not commendable in three ways. First, because men are troubled by excessive agitation within themselves. Second, because this very thing causes their wives to be incited to wrongdoing. Third, because from such zeal, disputes and disturbances often arise in the home. First, because men are troubled by excessive agitation within themselves. Second, because this very thing causes their wives to be incited to wrongdoing. Third, because from such zeal, disputes and disturbances often arise in the home. The first way is clear. For if men are excessively jealous about their wives, they are almost always in suspicion, and consequently always in anxiety of heart; therefore, since one concern hinders another, those who are overly jealous must be restrained from their necessary cares and civil duties. Therefore, it is fitting that all citizens should not be overly jealous about their spouses; and this is even more fitting for kings and princes, since a greater prejudice can arise in the kingdom if kings are troubled in heart and are distracted from their rightful care of the kingdom. The second way to investigate this same matter is taken from the fact that wives are incited to evil if their husbands are excessively jealous. For it is commonly said that prohibition always increases desire. For, as it is said, The desire for rhetoric is for what is absent. Therefore, it is proven there that the elderly desire to live more on the last day than on the preceding days, because then life fails them more. For what is absent is always desired more, and what we see is perceived to be lacking. But when something is forbidden, the very fact that it is prohibited and seems to be absent and lacking makes it all the more desired and sought after; this leads the wives of jealous men to be incited to evil, because their desire is heightened by the excessive jealousy of their husbands and by the very prohibition imposed on them. A third way to investigate this same issue is derived from quarrels and disputes that arise in the home. For when wives perceive that they are being slandered without cause and that their husbands suspect them of wrongdoing without any fault on their part, as is the case with jealous men, they cannot bear it patiently; therefore, in that household, disputes and quarrels arise most frequently. Therefore, it is not fitting for men to be overly jealous regarding their wives. Nor is it appropriate for them to have any guard or jealousy regarding their wives; rather, considering the conditions of individuals and examining the customs of the land, each man should give his wife the care and attention she deserves. For it is fitting for every man to have a proper zeal for his wife, so that there may be a delightful and honorable friendship between them.