ertainly not the terror of his enemies; which nobody can deny.

And now let us tell what advantage or disadvantage the beloved will
receive from the guardianship and society of his lover in the matter of
his property; this is the next point to be considered. The lover will be
the first to see what, indeed, will be sufficiently evident to all men,
that he desires above all things to deprive his beloved of his dearest
and best and holiest possessions, father, mother, kindred, friends, of
all whom he thinks may be hinderers or reprovers of their most sweet
converse; he will even cast a jealous eye upon his gold and silver or
other property, because these make him a less easy prey, and when caught
less manageable; hence he is of necessity displeased at his possession
of them and rejoices at their loss; and he would like him to be
wifeless, childless, homeless, as well; and the longer the better, for
the longer he is all this, the longer he will enjoy him.

There are some sort of animals, such as flatterers, who are dangerous
and mischievous enough, and yet nature has mingled a temporary pleasure
and grace in their composition. You may say that a courtesan is hurtful,
and disapprove of such creatures and their practices, and yet for the
time they are very pleasant. But the lover is not only hurtful to his
love; he is also an extremely disagreeable companion. The old proverb
says that 'birds of a feather flock together'; I suppose that equality
of years inclines them to the same pleasures, and similarity begets
friendship; yet you may have more than enough even of this; and verily
constraint is always said to be grievous. Now the lover is not only
unlike his beloved, but he forces himself upon him. For he is old and
his love is young, and neither day nor night will he leave him if he
can help; necessity and the sting of desire drive him on, and allure
him with the pleasure which he receives from seeing, hearing, touching,
perceiving him in every way. And therefore he is delighted to fasten
upon him and to minister to him. But what pleasure or consolation can
the beloved be receiving all this time? Must he not feel the extremity
of disgust when he looks at an old shrivelled face and the remainder to
match, which even in a description is disagreeable, and quite detestable
when he is forced into daily contact with his lover; moreover he is
jealously watched and guarded against everything and everybody, and
has to hear misplaced