ted, as perceptible on the visible forms of the gods--hoia theous
epenenothen aien eontas.+

A story hung by him, a story which his comrades acutely connected with
his habitual air of somewhat peevish pride. Two points were held to be
clear amid its general vagueness--a rich stranger paid his schooling,
and he was himself very poor, though there was an attractive piquancy
in the poverty of Flavian which in a scholar of another figure might
have been despised. Over Marius too his dominion was entire. Three
years older than he, Flavian was appointed to help the younger boy in
his studies, and Marius thus became virtually his servant in many
things, taking his humours with a sort of grateful pride in being
noticed at all, and, thinking over all this afterwards, found that the
[51] fascination experienced by him had been a sentimental one,
dependent on the concession to himself of an intimacy, a certain
tolerance of his company, granted to none beside.

That was in the earliest days; and then, as their intimacy grew, the
genius, the intellectual power of Flavian began its sway over him. The
brilliant youth who loved dress, and dainty food, and flowers, and
seemed to have a natural alliance with, and claim upon, everything else
which was physically select and bright, cultivated also that foppery of
words, of choice diction which was common among the elite spirits of
that day; and Marius, early an expert and elegant penman, transcribed
his verses (the euphuism of which, amid a genuine original power, was
then so delightful to him) in beautiful ink, receiving in return the
profit of Flavian's really great intellectual capacities, developed and
accomplished under the ambitious desire to make his way effectively in
life. Among other things he introduced him to the writings of a
sprightly wit, then very busy with the pen, one Lucian--writings
seeming to overflow with that intellectual light turned upon dim
places, which, at least in seasons of mental fair weather, can make
people laugh where they have been wont, perhaps, to pray. And, surely,
the sunlight which filled those well-remembered early mornings in
school, had had more than the usual measure of gold in it! [52] Marius,
at least, would lie awake before the time, thinking with delight of the
long coming hours of hard work in the presence of Flavian, as other
boys dream of a holiday.

It was almost by accident at last, so wayward and capricious was he,
that reserve