Avaloros Since the invention of gunpowder, of printing and the discovery of the new world I have become credulous. If any one were to tell me that a man had discovered the means to receive the news from Paris in ten minutes, or that water contained fire, or that there are still new Indies to discover, or that it is possible to travel through the air, I would not contradict it, and I would give-- Sarpi Your money? Avaloros No; my attention to the enterprise. Sarpi If the vessel is made to move in the manner proposed, you would like then to be to Fontanares what Amerigo Vespucci was to Christopher Columbus. Avaloros Have I not here in my pocket enough to pay for six men of genius? Sarpi But how would you manage the matter? Avaloros By means of money; money is the great secret. With money to lose, time is gained; and with time to spend, everything is possible; by this means a good business may be made a bad one, and while those who control it are in despair the whole profit may be carried off by you. Money,--that is the true method. Money furnishes the satisfaction of desire, as well as of need. In a man of genius, there is always a child full of unpractical fancies; you deal with the man and you come sooner or later on the child; the child will become your debtor, and the man of genius will go to prison. Sarpi And how do you stand with him now? Avaloros He does not trust my offers; that is, his servant does not. I shall negotiate with the servant. Sarpi I understand you; I am ordered to send all the ships of Barcelona to the coasts of France; and, through the prudence of the enemies which Fontanares made at Valladolid, this order is absolute and subsequent to the king's letter. Avaloros What do you want to get out of the deal? Sarpi The functions of the Grand Master of Naval Construction--these I wish to be mine. Avaloros But what is your ultimate object? Sarpi Glory. Avaloros You rascally trickster! Sarpi Your greedy extortioner! Avaloros Let us hunt together; it will be time enough to quarrel when we come to the division of the prey. Give me your hand. (Aside) I am the stronger, and I control the viceroy through the Brancadori. Sarpi (aside) We have fattened him sufficiently, let us kill him; I know how to destroy him. Avaloros We must gain over this Quinola to our interests, and I have sent for him to hold a conference with the Brancadori. SCENE THIRD The same persons and Quinola. Quinola I hang between two thieves. But these thieves are powdered over with virtue and tricked out with fine manners. And they would like to hang the rest of us! Sarpi You rogue, while you are waiting for your master to propel the galleys by new methods, you ought to be rowing in them yourself. Quinola The king, who justly appreciates my merits, well understands that he would lose too much by such an arrangement. Sarpi You shall be watched! Quinola That I can well believe, for I keep watch on myself.