Page:The Deipnosophists (Volume 3).djvu/353

 Beyond the circle, forcibly detain'd By the delicious odour; and should one Attempt to draw yet nearer, he will stand Fix'd like a statue, with his mouth wide open, Inhaling with each breeze the precious steam, Silent and motionless; till some good friend, In pity to his fate, shall stop his nostrils, And drag him thence by force

A.                            You are indeed A master of the art

B.                   You know not yet The worth of him you speak to—look on those Whom you see seated round, not one of them But would his fortune risk to make me his.—

(Book vii. § 39, p. 458.)

'Tis not my custom to engage myself, Till first I know how I'm to be employ'd, And whether plenty is to crown the board. I first inquire by whom the feast is given, Who are the guests, and what the kind of fare; For you must know I keep a register Of different ranks, that I may judge at once Whom to refuse, and where to offer service. For instance now, with the seafaring tribe. A captain just escaped from the rough sea, Who, fearing shipwreck, cut away his mast, Unshipp'd his rudder, or was forced to throw Part of his loading overboard, now comes To sacrifice on his arrival; him I cautiously avoid: and reason good; No credit can be gain'd by serving him, For he does nothing for the sake of pleasure, But merely to comply with custom; then His habits are so economical, He calculates beforehand the expense. And makes a nice division of the whole Between himself and his ship's company, So that each person eats but of his own.