Quoted By:
01 I: The MAGICIAN
Thelemy Maskelyne, a renowned conjurer and illusionist of theatre and stage
(he addresses you, as you alight and study the zoetropes, magic lanterns and optical theatre)
-Wondrous, how wondrously delightful! A new, captivated customer! An enraptured audience! There is nothing so magical, so miraculous, as the transformation of all things into that which can be bought and sold. Mediocrity in magicians has never been tolerated by Men, by Gods, or by ticket-sellers! For the Magus welcomes pleasure, accepts wealth, deserves honour, but he is never the slave of any of them; he endures oblivion willingly because he is lord of his own happiness, and expects or fears nothing from the caprice of fortune. He can love without being beloved; he can create imperishable treasures, and abandon them without regret. The Magus smiles with all those who smile, pities all those who misconceive him... he has himself no need for pardon, for he himself never offends...
