SCENE · 5
Supper-room in the Palace. All are reclined at two tables, thus:
| Agrippina, Nero, Poppæa. | A gentm., Octavia, A lady. | ||
| Tigellinus, | A gentm. | Britannicus, | Paris. |
| A lady, | Domitia. | ||
| Petronius, | Lucan. | ||
| Waiters, tasters, etc. Some are talking. | |||
NERO.
I will propose a question to the table:
Which of the arts is greatest? Lucan, these sausages
Are something new: try them.
POPPÆA.
You question, Cæsar,
Which of the arts is greatest? I would answer