And then Hadrian could give him information as to every building in the city about which his companion evinced any curiosity.
But when the Emperor had pointed out the Soma, under which rested the remains of Alexander the Great, he became thoughtful, and said, as if to himself: "The Great--We may well envy the young Macedonian; not the mere name of Great, for many of small worth have had it bestowed on them, but because he really earned it!" There was not a question put by the handsome Bithynian that Hadrian could not answer; Antinous followed all his explanations with growing astonishment, exclaiming at last: "How perfectly well you know this place--and yet you never were here before." "It is one of the greatest pleasures of travelling," replied Hadrian, "that on our journeys we come to know many things in their actuality of which we have formed an idea from books and narratives.

This requires us to compare the reality with the pictures in our own minds, seen with the inward eye, before we saw the reality.

It is to me a far smaller pleasure to be surprised by something new and unexpected than to make myself more closely acquainted with something I know already sufficiently to deem it worthy to be known better.

Do you understand what I mean ?" "To be sure I do.

We hear of a thing, and when we afterwards see it we ask ourselves whether we have conceived of it rightly.