_CAVE AMANTEM_
_"Quid dicis, doctissime?"_ he asked me, rubbing his hands together.
"Let us see if we can hit on the meaning of this _CAVE AMANTEM_."
"But," I answered, "it has two meanings. It can be translated: 'Beware
of him who loves thee; mistrust thy lovers.' But in that sense I do not
know whether _CAVE AMANTEM_ would be good Latin. Looking at the lady's
diabolic expression, I would rather believe that the artist intended to
put the spectator on his guard against her terrible beauty; I would
therefore translate it: 'Beware if _she_ loves thee.'"
"Humph!" said M. de Peyrehorade; "yes, that is an admissible
interpretation; but, without wishing to displease you, I prefer the
first translation, and I will tell you why. You know who Venus's lover
was?"
"There were several."
"Yes, but the chief one was Vulcan. Should one not rather say, 'In spite
of all thy beauty and thy scornful manner, thou shalt have for thy lover
a blacksmith, a hideous cripple'? What a profound moral, Monsieur, for
flirts!"