From Century VII

33
The kingdom stripped of its forces by fraud,
the fleet blockaded, passages for the spy;
two false friends will come to rally
to awaken hatred for a long time dormant.


Hey Blackcatter, I'm not avoiding the question, just giving it a good think. Maybe I'm not the best to answer this, no longer being in my prime...but if I think back far enough, I vaguely remember that what worked for me was humour, honesty, less small talk and more intelligence.

If someone came up and started talking about the Quatrains of Nostradamus, you'd bet I'd perk up!..xx..e