entered the royal
chamber, and there sat down frowning. Then calling to his son, he
said, "Child, what is this report that soundeth in mine ears, and
weareth away my soul with despondency? Never, I ween, was man more
filled with gladness of heart at the birth of a son than was I at
thine; and, I trow, never was man so distressed and cruelly treated by
child as I have now been by thee. Thou hast dishonoured my grey hairs,
and taken away the light of mine eyes, and loosed the strength of my
sinews; 'for the thing which I greatly feared concerning thee is come
upon me, and that which I was afraid of hath come unto me.' Thou art
become a joy to mine enemies, and a laughing-stock to mine adversaries.
With untutored mind and childish judgement thou hast followed the
teaching of the deceivers and esteemed the counsel of the malicious
above mine; thou hast forsaken the worship of our gods and become the
servant of a strange God. Child, wherefore hast thou done this? I
hoped to bring thee up in all safety, and have thee for the staff and
support of mine old age, and leave thee, as is most meet, to succeed me
in my kingdom, but thou wast not ashamed to play against me the part of
a relentless foe. And shouldst thou not rather have listened to me,
and followed my injunctions, than have obeyed the idle and foolish
pratings of that crafty old knave, who taught thee to choose a sour
life instead of a sweet, and abandon the charms of dalliance, to tread
the hard and rough road, which the Son of Mary ordereth men to go?
Dost thou not fear the displeasure of the most puissant gods, lest they
strike thee with lightning, or quell thee with thunderbolt, or
overwhelm thee in the yawning earth, because thou hast rejected and
scorned those deities that have so richly blessed us, and adorned our
brow with the kingly diadem, and made populous nations to be our
servants, that, beyond my hope, in answer to my prayer and
supplication, allowed thee to be born, and see the sweet life of day,
and hast joined thyself unto the Crucified, duped by the hopes of his
servants who tell thee fables of worlds to come, and drivel about the
resurrection of dead bodies, and bring in a thousand more absurdities
to catch fools? But now, dearest son, if thou hast any regard for me
thy father, bid a long farewell to these longwinded follies, and come
sacrifice to the gracious gods, and let us propitiate them with
hecatombs and drink-offerings, that they may g