--Damocles was too much so.... I have other ideas about my eagle. --By the way, where is he? --Do not fear, Cocles. I have my eye on him. --Good-bye. I shall wear mourning, said Cocles. When shall we see each other again? --But ... at the funeral, I suppose. I will make a speech there. I ought to repair in some way the damage I have done. And afterwards I invite you to the funeral feast in the restaurant exactly where we saw Damocles for the first time. VI At the funeral there were not many people; Damocles was very little known; his death passed unnoticed except for those few interested in his history. Prometheus, the waiter, and Cocles found themselves at the cemetery, also a few idle listeners of the lecture. Every one looked at Prometheus, as they knew he was to speak; and they said: “What will he say?” for they remembered what he had said before. Before Prometheus began to speak great astonishment was caused by the fact that he was unrecognizable; he was fat, fresh, smiling; smiling so much that his conduct was judged a little indecent, as smiling still he advanced to the edge of the grave, turned his back on it, and spoke these simple words: THE HISTORY OF TITYRUS --Gentlemen who are kind enough to listen to me, the words of Scripture which serve as text for my brief discourse to-day are these: _Let the dead bury their dead._ We will therefore occupy ourselves no more with Damocles.--The last time that I saw you all together was to hear me speak of my eagle; Damocles died of it; leave the dead ... it is nevertheless because of him, or rather thanks to his death, that now I have killed my eagle.... --Killed his eagle!!! cried every one. --That reminds me of an anecdote.... Let us grant I have said nothing. I In the beginning was Tityrus. And Tityrus being alone and completely surrounded by swamps was bored.--Then Menalcas passed by, who put an idea into the head of Tityrus, a seed in the swamp before him. And this idea was the seed and this seed was the Idea. And with the help of God the seed germinated and became a little plant, and Tityrus in the evening and in the morning knelt before it, thanking God for having given it to him. And the plant became tall and great, and as it had powerful roots it very soon completely dried up the soil around it, and thus Tityrus had at last firm earth on which to set his feet, rest his head, and strengthen the works of his hands.