Phaethon, Phoebus, and the chariot’s middle course

Meaning

Phaethon’s disastrous driving of Phoebus’s horses warns against an ungoverned attempt at the work. The embedded verse speaks in the instructing master’s voice, directing the novice to follow the chariot’s course rather than fly too high or low or drive without measure. Nuysement’s narration and the master’s speech must remain distinct.

The image accompanies an objection about renewed sublimation after fixation and appears beside the Daedalus–Icarus warning. Its middle course concerns regulated action and avoidance of extremes, not a recoverable apparatus setting. The printed names Phaëton and Phebus are retained, while the English headword provides the familiar forms without silently rewriting the verse.