“_Quid dicis, doctissime?_” (“What do you say, most learned of men?”)
he asked, rubbing his hands. “Let us see if we shall agree as to the
meaning of this _cave amantem_.”
“Why, there are two possible meanings,” I said. “It may be translated:
‘Beware of him who loves you--distrust lovers.’ But I am not sure that
_cave amantem_ would be good Latin in that sense. In view of the lady’s
diabolical expression, I should be inclined to believe rather that the
artist meant to put the spectator on his guard against that terrible
beauty. So that I should translate: ‘Look out for yourself if _she_
loves you.’”
“Humph!” ejaculated M. de Peyrehorade; “yes, that is a possible
translation; but, with all respect, I prefer the first, which I will
develop a little, however. You know who Venus’s lover was?”
“She had several.”
“Yes, but the first one was Vulcan. Did not the artist mean to say:
‘Despite all your beauty, and your scornful air, you shall have a
blacksmith, a wretched cripple, for a lover’? A solemn lesson for
coquettes, monsieur!”
I could not help smiling, the interpretation seemed to me so
exceedingly far-fetched.
“The Latin is a terrible language, with its extraordinary
conciseness,” I observed, to avoid contradicting my antiquary directly;
and I stepped back a few steps, to obtain a better view of the statue.
“One moment, colleague!” said M. de Peyrehorade, seizing my arm, “you
have not seen all. There is still another inscription. Stand on the
pedestal and look at the right arm.”
As he spoke, he helped me to climb up.
I clung somewhat unceremoniously to the neck of the Venus, with whom
I was beginning to feel on familiar terms. I even looked her in the
eye for an instant, and I found her still more diabolical and still
lovelier at close quarters. Then I saw that there were some letters,
in what I took to be the antique cursive hand, engraved on the right
arm. With the aid of a strong glass I spelled out what follows, M. de
Peyrehorade repeating each word as I pronounced it, and expressing his
approbation with voice and gesture. I read: