,
"for my official duties so entirely claim my time that she is not often
likely to know what disturbs me. If I have forgotten to dissimulate my
vexation before you, I beg you to pardon me, and to attribute it to my
zeal in securing a worthy reception for Hadrian."

"As if I had scolded you! But to return to your wife--as I understand she
shares the fate I endure. We poor women have nothing to expect from our
husbands, but the stale leavings that remain after business has absorbed
the rest! But your story--go on with your story."

"The worst moments I had at all were given me by the bad feeling of the
Jews towards the other citizens."

"I hate all these infamous sects--Jews, Christians or whatever they are
called! Do they dare to grudge their money for the reception of Caesar?"

"On the contrary Alabarchos, their wealthy chief, has offered to defray
all the cost of the Naumachia and his co-religionist Artemion."

"Well, take their money, take their money."

"The Greek citizens feel that they are rich enough to pay all the
expenses, which will amount to many millions of sesterces, and they wish
to exclude the Jews, if possible, from all the processions and games."

"They are perfectly right."

"But allow me to ask you whether it is just to prohibit half the
population of Alexandria doing honor to their Emperor!"

"Oh! Hadrian will, with pleasure, dispense with the honor. Our conquering
heroes have thought it redounded to their glory to be called Africanus,
Germanicus and Dacianus, but Titus refused to be called Judaicus when he
had destroyed Jerusalem."

"That was because he dreaded the remembrance of the rivers of blood which
had to be shed in order to break the fearfully obstinate resistance of
that nation. The besieged had to be conquered limb by limb, and finger by
finger, before they would make up their minds to yield."

"Again you are speaking half poetically, or have these people elected you
as their advocate?"

"I know them and make every effort to secure them justice, just as much
as any other citizen of this country which I govern in the name of the
Empire and of Caesar. They pay taxes as well as the rest of the
Alexandrians; nay more, for there are many wealthy men among them who are
honorably prominent in trade, in professions, learning and art, and I
therefore mete to them the same measure as to the other inhabitants of
this city. Their superstition offends me no more than that of the
Egyptians