Trader’s good manners

Chapter XVI T rader’ s good manners When discussing a trader’s manners and bashfulness, we should say that he must be more timid and bashful than other men. As it is expected of him to be excellent in his business affairs, he must surpass others in politeness and be demure in communication with others, both at home and in public. Romans were exemplary in this respect, even in front of their children when they went for a family bath. V alerius Maximus says that they covered their nudity even before their children’s eyes. This is customary in many countries. Italy is a country where this is of lesser importance so they not only take a bath completely in the nude, but they also do not bother to cover their private parts before the eyes of their fathers, mothers, sons and daughters. Moreover, they behave in a strange manner and tend to use many obscene words in their communication. Depending on the region, they developed various terms to signify private parts. Our language, in contrast, is to be commended because it contains no potentially indecent words, or words used to offend God or his saints. If the situation demands to signify something that should not be mentioned in a polite conversation, we resort to a euphemism. For example, instead of “knickers” , we say “undergarments” . On the Italian territory, the Genoese dialect does not include a word that might be considered obscene. They are the only ones who are less brazen, even if only in their social behavior. This is what Dante implied when he said: “Oh

you rotten people of Genoa, of such delicate manners, and such faulty characters.” He acknowledged their good manners, something traders should master. The trader must be virtuous and polite in his social conduct. While he was waiting for his death, after he had been stabbed 23 times, Caesar found the strength to hide his private parts from public eyes, an act that V alerius Maximus considered praiseworthy: “Oh Caesar, even in the act of dying you showed us how important it is to be bashful.”