Section 6, II/1-II/6 Summary and Analysis

Part II, "Here begins the second part of the Book of the City of Ladies which recounts how and by whom the houses and buildings were constructed inside the enclosure walls and how the City was filled with inhabitants," begins with "The first chapter tells of the ten Sibyls" where Rectitude announces that it is time to build the houses in the city. Rectitude has prepared and cut stones of great value which Christine must arrange in the order that Rectitude dictates. The highest rank is the wise sibyls upon whom God bestows the gift of prophecy, as sibyl means one privy to the thoughts of God, despite the fact that all of the sibyls are pagans. The sibyls' names are Persica, Libica, Delphica, Cimeria, Herophile, Samia, Cumana, Hellespontina, Phrygica and Tiburtina. Herophile, also known as Erythrea...