Valeria

large and pompous-looking building, with a many-columned portico and spacious gardens, both crowded with statuary, the spoil of foreign cities, or the product o

onage. In the degenerate days of the Empire, the civic officials especially had always a swarm of needy dependents seeking to fatten on the spoils of office. They were supposed, in some way, to add to the dignity of the consuls and pr?tors, as in later times were the retainers of a medi?v

in prisoners accused of the vile crime of Christianity; and there were hopes that the criminals would supply fresh victims for the games of the amphitheatre, whi

up about his waist, of a greasy-looking individual who strutted about with much affe

Nose). "Back to your den, you slave, and don't med

Muscus, the stout-armed blacksmith, himself a slave, and resenting the in

the guard, you can tell us

s to be more hunting of the Christians fo

low with a great knife in a sheath at his girdle. "I'd like

tout Max, with a sneer, "but hunting wome

tch with a hungry face and cruel eyes, like a weasel. "Here's a chanc

one in Rome to-day. He'd certainly never take thee for one. Thy very

sed idler, blear-eyed and besotted; "and pestilent vermin they are

games on the Feast of Neptune. Our new lions will have a chance to flesh their teeth in the bodies of the Christians. The wretches haven't t

clients pressed forward with petitions, which he carelessly handed unopened to his secretary, who walked behind. He regarded with

e, your Excellency. It i

civic dignitary. Arrived at the Basilica Julia, or great Court of Justice, the Prefect beckoned to the young Greek secretary, a

s you know about

our Excellency, and I hope to lear

," said the Prefect. "It is diffi

xcellency. In fact, I hope to bring you the n

t the secretary of

in the work of this new edict. I would lik

s too much what they call the severe old Roman virtues to suit these t

ellency, replied the Greek, with

e. Then noting the wily expression of the supple Greek, he added, "Oh! I see, by

e youth, with a faint blush, "but to serve the Emperor

t, with an undisguised sneer, "and I will gladl

I shall require gold to gain the confidence of these Christians-not to bribe them, for t

handed it to the Greek, with the words, "If you make good use of that, there is more where it comes from. The Emperor pays his faithful servants well." Then dismissing the tr

e will not harrow the hearts of our readers by recounting the atrocious tortures by which the body of the brave youth had been wrung. He was at length borne away fainting to his cruel fate. Although the Prefect, who had sworn to have his secret if he tore the

greatest cruelties."[16] Men whose only crime was their religion, were scourged with chains laden with bronze balls, till the flesh hung in shreds, and even the bones were broken. They were bound in fetters of red hot iron, and roasted over fires so slow that they lingered for hours, or even days, in their mortal agony; their flesh was scraped from the very bone with ragged shells, or lacerated with burning pincers, iron hooks, and instruments with horrid teeth and claws, hence called ungul?, examples of which have been found in the Catacombs; molten metal was applied to their bodies till they became one undistinguishable wound, and mingled salt and vinegar,[17] or unslacked lime, were rubbed upon the qui

s manifested in his fate by the throng of idlers who were wont to linger around

he barber, gesticulating violently, "i

a garrulous pedagogue,

yer. "This is the very crimen majestatis. These men

poor freed-woman who sold sugar barley in

the sale of figs and olives. "'Tis that wretch who is wicked

cret understanding; "but be careful. You can do the brave Lucius no good, and

le of Saturn. "The gods are angry, and the victims give sinister auspices. To-day when the priest slew the

e Tiber, which destroyed all the olives and lentils i

heat on our farm," said Macer,

ld Egyptian crone, like a living mummy, who told fortunes and sold spells

ed all the vines," echoed D

wish money-lender. "We'll never have good times agai

r of the mob, till the wild cry rang round the Forum,

TNO

Hist Eccle

orruptible," said Tarachus, the martyr, a

ce, the cry is raised, 'the Christians to the lions.' But I pray you," he adds, in refutation of these absurd charges, "were misfortunes u