X explained

What happens

Themes in this chapter

• Lust and Sensuality

  Lucius and Fotis engage in a night of passionate lovemaking, with wine and roses as props for Venus.

• Folly and Wisdom

  Milo and Lucius debate the reliability of divination, while Diophanes' own misfortune undercuts his prophetic claims.

• Fortune and Suffering

  Diophanes' tale of shipwreck and robbery illustrates the capriciousness of fortune.

Characters to notice

• Lucius

  Narrator and protagonist; dines with Milo, recounts the story of Diophanes, and spends the night with Fotis.

• Fotis

  Milo's maid; brings roses and wine to Lucius's chamber, undresses, and engages in lovemaking with him.

• Milo

  Lucius's host; laughs at Pamphiles' prophecy and questions Lucius about Diophanes.

• Pamphiles

  Milo's wife; predicts rain from the candle flame, prompting a discussion on divination.

• Diophanes

  Assyrian fortune-teller; his tale of shipwreck and robbery is recounted by Milo.

• Byrrhena

  Lucius's cousin; sends him a gift of a pig, hens, and wine.

Key passages

• “I would to God that all our enemies and evil willers might fall into the like dangerous peregrination and trouble.”

  I wish all our enemies and ill-wishers would suffer such a dangerous journey and hardship.

  Diophanes curses his own voyage, revealing his misfortune.

• “Now (quoth she) is come the hour of jousting, now is come the time of war, wherefore show thyself like unto a man, for I will not retire, I will not fly the field, see then thou be valiant, see thou be courageous, since there is no time appointed when our skirmish shall cease.”

  Now is the hour of combat, now is the time of war; show yourself a man, for I will not retreat or flee; be brave and courageous, for there is no set time for our battle to end.

  Fotis uses martial metaphors to invite Lucius to lovemaking.

• “Verily we nourish a sibyl prophesier, which by the view of a candle doth divine of celestial things, and of the sun itself.”

  Truly we keep a prophetess who can divine heavenly matters and the sun itself just by looking at a candle.

  Milo mocks Pamphiles' claim to predict rain from the candle flame.