"such a courtesy spake thro' the limbs and in the voice."

Nay, so help me Heaven! (he replied), but I do love most desperately
yourself, O Socrates!

Whereat Socrates, still carrying on the jest, with a coy, coquettish
air,[14] replied: Yes; only please do not bother me at present. I have
other things to do, you see.

[14] Al. "like a true coquet." Cf. Plat. "Phaedr." 228 C.

Antisthenes replied: How absolutely true to your own character, arch
go-between![15] It is always either your familiar oracle won't suffer
you, that's your pretext, and so you can't converse with me; or you
are bent upon something or somebody else.

[15] See "Mem." III. xi. 14.

Then Socrates: For Heaven's sake, don't carbonado[16] me, Antisthenes,
that's all. Any other savagery on your part I can stand, and will
stand, as a lover should. However (he added), the less we say about
your love the better, since it is clearly an attachment not to my
soul, but to my lovely person.

[16] Or, "tear and scratch me."

And then, turning to Callias: And that you, Callias, do love
Autolycus, this whole city knows and half the world besides,[17] if I
am not mistaken; and the reason is that you are both sons of famous
fathers, and yourselves illustrious. For my part I have ever admired