Palinurus, Palinurus! PALINURUS Say on; why is it that you call upon Palinurus? PHAEDROMUS (aside.) She is a charming one. PALINURUS (aside.) Aye, too charming. PHAEDROMUS I am a God. PALINURUS Why, no—a mortal, of no great value. PHAEDROMUS What have you seen, or what will you see, more nearly to be compared with the Gods? PALINURUS You are not in your senses, master; a thing that’s grievous to me. PHAEDROMUS You are not sufficiently respectful to me: hold your tongue. PALINURUS The person that sees Person that sees : He is censuring his master for his backwardness in not embracing Planesium instantly on her appearance. the object which he loves, and enjoys not the opportunity while he may, is one who torments his own self. PHAEDROMUS Rightly does he rebuke me; really there’s nothing which for this long time past I have more eagerly desired. PLANESIUM Clasp me, embrace me then. PHAEDROMUS (embracing her.) This, too, is a reason for which I could wish to live; because your master restrains, you, in secret do I court you. PLANESIUM Restrain me? He neither can restrain me, nor will he restrain me, unless death should separate my soul from you. PHAEDROMUS Let monarchs keep their kingdoms to themselves, the rich their riches to themselves, to themselves their honors, to themselves their prowess, to themselves their combats, to themselves their battles; so long as they abstain from envying me, let each one of them keep what is his own. PALINURUS (aside.) Of a truth, I cannot refrain from giving a lecture to my master; for, really, it is good to love in a moderate degree; to distraction, it is not good; but to love to entire distraction, is the thing that my master’s doing. (Aloud.) What say you, sir? Have you made a vow, Phaedromus, you’d watch the night through for Venus? For really, upon my faith, before very long hence the dawn will be breaking.