Page:Edward Prime-Stevenson - The Intersexes.djvu/616

 if he knew how I adore him. "… Then later he asks: "Has not the body its rights, as well as the soul? Are the rights of the one any more shameful than those of the other? …" etc., etc. Platen knew himself now, verily!

Nevertheless he is glad that "though Schmidtlein's. … "beauty has cast a spell over me, physical lust for him has not yet polluted me." This is a queer phrase, that we can take in more than one sense. Just at this time, by the by, Platen's reading included a group of authors well-suited to enlighten him on classic and modern similisexualism and its "lust"; to-wit Anacreon, Meleager, and the Greek Anthology of erotists in general, Ovid, Tibullus, Propertius, Guarini (from whose amorous "Pastor Fido" are abundant quotations) Johannes Müller's ardently homosexual correspondence with his beloved Bonstetten, and many other such. The Müller-Bonstetten letters powerfully moved Platen; set him to sighing much—after a Bonstetten for himself.

But meantime, "Adrastus" Schmidtlein was by no means unaware of some sort of an unusual interest going on toward himself on the part of 'that young Count Platen.' This is certain, by what we afterward learn from Platen's many references to Eduard's demeanour toward himself, Eduard's glances, and so on. This knowledge—or suspicion—on Schmidtlein's side becomes plainer from what Eduard confessed much later (Aug. 22-23, 1819) when he disclosed a sexual secret as to himself, long hidden. But not coming any nearer Schmidtlein just now, Platen went to young Massenbach, who knew more or less of Platen's nature and seems to have been homosexually intimate with Platen in their earlier days, in some degree. Platen asked Massenbach to contrive to present him to Schmidtlein; as Massenbach knew the charming Eduard pretty intimately. Massenbach agreed. But though he spoke with Schmidtlein of the introduction, nothing came