, as well as being a competent house keeper, care giver and mother. Socially she was expected to be charming, honest, and witty. Most important for the Court lady was to achieve a proper balance between modesty and charm. She was especially advised to avoid any immodest conversation, such as gossip, in order to avoid being thought of as unchaste by the men of the Court. She was to be knowledgeable in a variety of subjects and be able to discern between the ranks of the people she spoke with in order to have a suitable conversation topic for each. The Court lady was to have be a good judge of character, be able to both joke and be serious, and avoid conversation topics she was not familiar with, while being active in those she was. In all conversation she was recommended to avoid affectation, or giving false impressions.Central to the character of the Court lady, much more than the courtier, was the importance of being graceful in everything. Because of this she was supposed to avoid any activity considered remotely masculine, especially strenuous physical activities, and "should in no way resemble a man as regards her ways, manners, words, gestures and bearing." She was instead expected to be soft, tender, sweet and gentle and to participate in more graceful things like dancing and painting. Along with grace, effortlessness was also an important quality for her, especially in dress and appearance, in which she was to appear immaculate but give the impression she went to no trouble. Effortlessness is also mentioned as an important attribute for the courtier, but with more emphasis on actions, rather than in appearance.Another highly recommended quality of the Court lady was virtue. Virtue for her meant maintaining chastity, purity and moral excellence. This quality of virtue was also discussed for the courtier but in a different sense and of much less importance. Virtue was to be sacred for the Court lady, and she was to do ...
