When Felix entered where the sorcerer lay The peevish sick man was the first to speak: "That Paul had little Felix by the hand; Just now I saw him through the lattice here. It is an evil hand, beware of it. Its touch brings certain mischief where he will, And that toward thee and thine he will, be sure." Felix was startled, but he cheerily said: "Go to, I was just bargaining with Paul To have him use his laying on of hands For thee, good Simon. Cheer thee up, my man; We shall soon have thee out of this." But he: "Paul shall not touch me, shall not look at me. I fear him, and I hate him; out upon him!" "Listen to reason, Simon," Felix said; "Thou canst not doubt he really works strange cures; There was the father of Sir Publius, And scores of sick among this native rabble Have come out whole from under those same hands." "It served his turn," piped Simon. "It shall serve No less his turn to heal thee," Felix said; "I have made it his account to play us true." "Hark thee, my master, for this word stands fast," Said Simon, rousing halfway from his bed, "I will have none of Paul; I will get well From spite, rather than have those hands on me." And Simon moved in act as if to rise; But Felix stayed him still his bed to keep. Then, thwarted, he returned to Paul, and said: "He will not let thee lay thy hands on him, A fit of foolish stubbornness, he fears Thee, or pretends he fears; he certain hates Thee, no pretence. Well, he is right perhaps; You fellow-Jews ought to know one another. But _I_ would trust thee, Roman as I am." (Vaunting his Roman franchise Felix thus His clinging freedman's quality betrayed); "That is, safe pledge in hand, thou understandest, Such as I hold, thou knowing well thy life Hangs on my word for thee at Rome; _would_ trust Thee, nay, I trust thee, Paul, and thou shalt yet Despite this worthy's Jewish contumacy, Heal him, ha! ha! without his knowing it. Put him to sleep, thou canst; thou hast the drugs Doubtless will soundly do it; compound them thou, And I will undertake he swallows them. Then thou canst fetch thy passes with the hand At leisure over all his ailing frame, And heal him--joke as it were at his expense!"