they
would raise murder to the dignity of god of gods, and you to be his
high-priest."

"That would be your office," interposed the philosopher.

"You shall see," returned the emperor, laughing shrilly, "and the
witlings of the Museum with you! You use the knife; but hear the words
of the master: The teeth of wild beasts and their claws are weapons not
to be despised. Your father and brother, and she who taught me what to
think of the virtue and faith of Alexandrian women, shall tell you this
in Hades. Soon shall every one of those follow you thither who forgot,
even by a glance of the eye, that I was Caesar and a guest of this city!
After the next performance in the Circus the offenders shall tell you
in the other world how I administer justice. No later than the day after
to-morrow, I imagine, you may meet there with several companions from
the Museum. There will be enough to clap applause at the disputations!"
Caracalla ended his vehement speech with a jeering laugh, and looked
round eagerly for applause from the "friends" for whose benefit his last
words had been spoken; and it was offered so energetically as to drown
the philosopher's reply.

But Caracalla heard it, and when the noise subsided he asked his
condemned victim:

"What did you mean by your exclamation, 'And yet I would that death
might spare me'?"

"In order, if that should come true," returned the philosopher quickly,
his voice trembling with indignation, "that I might be a witness of the
grim mockery with which the all-requiting gods will destroy you, their
defender."

"The gods!" laughed the emperor. "My respect for your logic grows less
and less. You, the skeptic, expect the deeds of a mortal man from the
gods whose existence you deny!"

Then cried Philip, and his great eyes burning with hatred and
indignation sought the emperor's: "Till this hour I was sure of nothing,
and therefore uncertain of the existence of a god; but now I believe
firmly that Nature, by whom everything is carried out according to
everlasting, immutable laws, and who casts out and destroys anything
that threatens to bring discord into the harmonious workings of all her
parts, would of her own accord bring forth a god, if there be not one
already, who should crush you, the destroyer of life and peace, in his
all-powerful hand!"

Here his wild outburst of indignation was brought to an abrupt close,
for a furious blow from Caracalla's fist sent his enfeebled enemy
sta