es, the gallant who had accompanied Sonnica
on her morning visit to the temple of Venus. They were dressed in
transparent cloth of screaming colors and subtle weave, disclosing the
body, like the tunics worn by the hetaerae at banquets. Their cheeks,
carefully plucked free of hair, were tinted with soft vermilion and the
eyes were enlarged with black lines. The hair, curled, and perfumed with
fragrant ointments, was confined by a fillet. Some wore large hoops of
gold in their ears, and hidden bracelets jingled as they walked. Others
were indolently leaning on the shoulders of small slave boys with white
backs, and with hair hanging in heavy curls, resembling girls in the
plumpness of their forms. As if deaf to the insults and sarcasms of the
people, they talked with affected serenity of some Greek verses which
one of them had composed; they discussed their merit, the manner of
accompanying them with the lyre, and only stopped to caress the cheeks
of their small slaves or to greet acquaintances, well pleased at heart
over the scandal their presence caused in the Forum.

"Do not tell me that they imitate the Greeks," shouted an old man with
malicious face, clad in the patched and filthy mantle of an unemployed
pedagogue. "The fire of the gods shall be hurled upon the city. It is
true that in a moment of emotion our father Zeus carried off the
beautiful Ganymede; but how about Leda and all the innumerable beauties
touched by the fire of the Lord of Olympus? A fine place the world would
be if men were to imitate the gods and were to behave as do these fools,
dressing themselves like women! Do you wish to see a Greek? Well, there
is one for you. That is a true son of Hellas."

He pointed to Actaeon, who found himself the target for curious glances
from the assembled people.

"How you must laugh, stranger, at seeing those miserable creatures who
stupidly believe they are copying your country," the beggarly phrenetic
continued shouting. "I am a philosopher; do you know that? The only
philosopher in Saguntum, and by the same token you will guess that these
ungrateful people are quite willing to let me starve to death. As a
young man I lived in Athens; I attended the schools; I gave up the life
of a mariner, and ceased running over the world, to seek truth within
myself. I have invented nothing, but I know all that man has said about
the soul and the world, and if you wish I will recite from memory entire
paragraphs from Socra