honoured us with some notice of this rare happiness, so that we should
not have been surprised, but enabled to pay you here those attentions
which we would have liked to render you.

ALPH. My Lord, you are so busy with warlike preparations, that I should
have been wrong had I interrupted you. The sublime thoughts of mighty
conquerors can hardly stoop to the ordinary civilities of the world.

GARC. But those mighty conquerors, whose warlike preparations are thus
praised, far from loving secrecy, prefer to have witnesses of what they
do; their minds trained to glorious deeds from infancy, make them carry
out all their plans openly; being always supported by lofty sentiments,
they never stoop to disguise themselves. Do you not compromise your
heroic merits in coming here secretly, and are you not afraid that
people may look upon this action as unworthy of you?

ALPH. I know not whether any one will blame my conduct because I have
made a visit here in secret; but I know, Prince, that I never courted
obscurity in things which require light. Were I to undertake anything
against you, you should have no cause to remark you were surprised. It
would depend upon yourself to guard against it; I would take care to
warn you beforehand. Meanwhile let us continue upon ordinary terms, and
postpone the settlement of our quarrels until all other affairs are
arranged. Let us suppress the outbursts of our rather excited passions,
and not forget in whose presence we are both speaking.

ELV. (_To Don Garcia_). Prince, you are in the wrong; and his visit is
such that you...

GARC. Ah! Madam, it is too much to espouse his quarrel You ought to