The Lord Chamberlain Tells of a Famous Meeting

Unknown to each other in a hostile camp, / Spies of two empire nations unallied, / These heroes met, princes of East and West, / Over a ragged pack of cards, by chance. / Never believe what credulous annalists / Record you in good faith of that encounter. / I was there myself, East's man, and witnessed all. / In the main camp of the Middle Kingdom's army / At a soldier's mess, shortly before Retreat, / East, a pretended trooper, stepping in / Glanced round the room, shortly discerning West, / Who sat dejected at a corner table. / East moved by curiosity or compassion / Pulled out his cards, offering West the cut, / And West, disguised as a travelling ballad-man, / Took and cut; they played together then / For half an hour or more; then went their ways.

Never believe such credulous annalists / As tell you, West for sign of recognition, / Greatness to greatness, wit to dexterous wit, / With sleight of magic most extraordinary / Alters the Duty on his Ace of Spades, / Making three-pence three-halfpence; East, it's said, / For a fantastic sly acknowledgment, / While his grave eyes betoken no surprise, / Makes magic too; presto, the Knave of Hearts / Nims the Queen's rose and cocks it in his cap / Furtively, so that only West remarks it. / But such was not the fact; contrariwise, / When Proteus meets with Proteus, each annuls / The variability of the other's mind. / Single they stand, casting their mutable cloaks. / So for this present chance, I take my oath / That leaning across and watching the cards close / I caught no hint of prestidigitation.